Infinite Realm

"Wuooo!!"

With a loud roar, an axe suddenly took shape in the hands of the cyclops as it brought down the weapon at Sato.

*Clang*

Despite the overwhelming weight aimed at him, Sato was able to stand his ground with ease as he simply blocked the axe by lifting [Drakken] above him, resulting in that deafening sound that had resounded earlier.

"[Greater Fireball]"

*Bam*

-113 (???/???)

A fireball half the height of standard chair crashed into the cyclops, exploding with a low boom while sending the cyclops back by one step.

"Got it!" Xue Yan yelled after her attack had landed.

Following that, all the team members received a message on the team chat.

[[ System interface :

Gatekeeper Baka (Special Elite)

Race : Dark Cyclops

Level : 15

HP : 4218/4500 (x30)

Physical Attack Power : 135

Magical Attack power : 30

Physical Defense : 64 (x2) 

Magical Defense : 50 (x2)  

Attack Speed : 60

Movement Speed : 36

Attributes 

Strength : 45

Endurance : 32

Vitality : 150

Agility : 18

Dexterity : 20

Intelligence : 10

Willpower : 25

Skills :

. . .

???

. . ]]

"You can't see it's skills?" Sato raised an eyebrow in surprise as he spaced away from the cyclops.

"Apparently so." Xue Yan sighed.

"It's probably a new feature in dungeons. Not being able to see all information related to the BOSS would make defeating it a whole lot difficult." Seiichi analysed.

Information was power and the key to victory. This statement was nothing but the truth especially in battle-related circumstances. Having firsthand knowledge about an opponent's skills and abilities would help a fighter come up with the best strategy to achieve victory in the easiest format. And with IR providing players with the [Inspect] skill, they were able to win their battles easily than when compared in other VR games. 

BOSS battles weren't as difficult as they used to be since a team could lunch the first raid and get all the detailed information related to the monsters skill, then organise themselves for a second raid which would assure them a 99% chance of victory. Sato had actually planned to do the same here. His intention was never to complete the dungeon in the first raid, but to know how strong the monsters are as well as the skills and strength of the BOSS. If they weren't able to see this with [Inspect], then the difficulty of completing this dungeon would increase once again.

It should be known that the current monster, Gatekeeper Baka, was a creature that most players were unable to take on. It would require a team of at least level 14 experts with good coordination and equipment to do so. Also, this was a dungeon, and unlike the field battle with the Kobold King were anywhere from tens to hundreds could participate without affecting the Kobold King's strength, in a dungeon, the strength of the monster was directly proportional to that of the players as well as the number of players participating. 

This means that with more players participating in a dungeon raid, the stronger the monster would become. Therefore, the most ideal value would be a team of 5-7 level 14 expert players. However, Seven Star Glory didn't fit the bill so it was only natural for them to struggle or even be wiped out. But the bug known as Sato, was the only reason the team was able to hold their ground without a loss.

'But if we can't see its skills, it would be harder for me to protect the team.' Sato thought.

'I shouldn't be carrying everything on my shoulders. They should get used to such situations on their on.'

Even though Sato wasn't doing his best against the BOSS, hoping to get his teammates feel a bit pressured from this and so improve, it still wasn't enough for them.

'I might as well make a few more mistakes then.'

With Sato doing the tanking, Katsuo ended up not having a role to fulfill. This was because his Attack Power and level was too low for him to cause any above-negligible damage to the monster while his defence was too weak to enable him withstand more than one hit. So Sato began making 'mistakes' to have Katsuo cover up for him and keep him busy. That way, Katsuo would improve on his reaction speed and support skills.

*Boom*

"Growl!"

*Clang*

With Sato not tanking the monster seriously, the battle became a lot heated than it was meant to be. Katsuo always had to be focused and prepared to close up the gap whenever Sato made a 'mistake'. Fireball, flaming constructs and arrows all darted across the air as the constant swinging off the giant axe by the cyclops, added a different taste to the atmosphere.

As the battle waged on, the team began to slowly adapt to the monstrous level do strength showcased by the cyclops. Seiichi's arrows were able to hit better, Fudo's attacks became more effective and even Yato succeeded in pestering the creature like an irritating fly.

*Clang*

Relying on his fast reflexes and good battle awareness, Sato reacted quickly as he managed to stop a blow from the cyclops. 

*Phew*

Xue Yan, Fudo and Seiichi immediately planned to make the opportunity count. All three of them attacked from different directions with their main goal remaining the cyclops. Fudo's fireball was the most inconspicuous and while it wasn't as large as the one Xue Yan had previously wielded, it was still powerful enough to cause harm to the creature. 

As for Seiichi, he had fired 4 arrows consecutively. The first 3 were shot with the skill [Triple Shot], and it was mainly supposed to act as a form of distraction and harassment for the monster. As for the 4th arrow, it was shot using [Drill Shot] and was the main attack from his side.

Unlike Seiichi, Xue Yan was more direct. Being the only one who could contend with the cyclops just for being at the same level, she was the main fighting force of the team(since Sato didn't participate in attacking). With her increased affinity to fire-type skills, Xue Yan easily cast 3 fireballs within 2 seconds, defying the one second cool-down in between each. She then topped up her assault with [Fire Ray], which was a speed-based attack that caught the cyclops offguard.

Due to the multitude of attacks, as well as Sato who made sure to prevent it from escaping, the abnormal cyclops had received continuous barrages and lost a lot of HP in just one round for continuous assault. To make things end faster, Sato had even chipped in a [Black Flame Slash] which made a mess of the monster.

-128 (3028/4500 Gatekeeper Baka's HP)

By the time the dust had settled (AN: A metaphor), the cyclops had lost a large chunk of its HP, bringing the remainder down to roughly 69% or so.

"Haha. This wasn't as difficult as I thought." Yato laughed despite not adding to the previous assault.

Below 70% was a form of mental checkpoint to most players during a BOSS raid. Coming this far meant that the BOSS wasn't unbeatable and that they could go for the kill and possibly succeed in the raid. However, to Team Seven Star Glory, coming this far would make the beginning of an unforgettable event in there lives.

"Roar!!!!"

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