The Primal Hunter Chapter 1254 - Finally Final Boss Time

Although Jake and Casper had mostly passed their time in Minaga’s dungeon exchanging lighthearted banter and enjoying themselves, moments arose when they had to focus intensely, and nearing the ultimate boss marked one of those crucial instances.

The protectors of the “Inner Labyrinth” proved far stronger than any previous foes, with the initial Gunlancer and Marksman serving merely as an introduction to the challenges ahead. They ran into several comparable squads of similar strength, yet soon enough, three foes appeared on patrol in the corridor.

Oddly, this concluding segment of the dungeon lacked much in the way of mazes or twists. Actually, Jake could have located the teleporters without Casper’s aid, since none existed at all.

Rather, a series of tough battles awaited them. Besides Gunlancers and Marksmen, they faced Technomancers capable of calling forth golem protectors and bending metal to their will, along with Deathstingers armed with venomous rapiers, showcasing the swiftest movements encountered in the dungeon up to that point.

Had Jake tackled this dungeon solo, he would have employed guerrilla tactics, targeting enemies individually while steering clear of full-group confrontations. Pairs he might manage, but trios would grow overly complicated, and the ultimate quartet—one from each enemy type—would prove unfeasible in open combat.

Regarding Casper, he openly confessed that solo, he couldn’t defeat even a lone Formation Master. His offensive capabilities fell short, and while he might concoct a plan to eliminate a handful of Elite Guards before withdrawing to heal, success remained doubtful.

Together, however, the duo felt assured in confronting up to four Inner Labyrinth adversaries. Casper excelled at restraining foes and enduring punishment, ideal for stalling and managing the battlefield, whereas Jake’s capacity for massive strikes ensured victory prior to resource depletion.

That said, Casper couldn’t dominate every enemy, but luckily, Jake matched or surpassed Casper’s resilience. Admittedly, in terms of toughness and damage negation, Jake paled against Casper’s spectral state, yet he ranked as the top evader among all C-grades. Purely on defense, Jake believed four Inner Labyrinth enemies couldn’t overwhelm him within a practical duration.

Ultimately, victory came hard-won, but they triumphed over the four-enemy squad to reach the ultimate boss chamber. The clash dragged on, forcing Jake to deploy Event Horizon against one foe, yet it still demanded effort. This trial’s rigor paid off, granting Jake another level and marking his second gain in this terminal phase.

That made two levels thus far. Should things proceed smoothly, the chief boss ought to yield one more. Prior to that, however, both Jake and Casper were utterly drained upon finishing, now recuperating just beyond the zone where the Risen and hunter suspected the final boss lurked.

“How long do you reckon you’ll need?” Jake inquired of Casper, sincerely curious rather than mocking his weaker Meditate skill.

“Longer than I’d prefer,” Casper sighed, having pushed himself to the limit in the recent battle. “At least half a day, possibly a whole one. Lyra sustained heavy damage too, which won’t mend in mere hours.”

“Alright,” Jake nodded. “I’ll pull back slightly and brew a toxin tailored for the dungeon boss while I wait. Once I’ve rested, naturally.”

“Okay,” Casper nodded, shutting his eyes to commence recovery. He’d already consumed a potion mid-fight, but Jake suspected Casper’s restoration involved more than mere resource replenishment, potion or not.

Jake required some time to rebound as well, though less than Casper. He’d expended plentiful resources in the skirmish but dodged severe blows, and unlike Casper, hadn’t overtaxed his enhancement skills.

Nearing three hours later, Jake rose and stretched, then glanced at Casper before withdrawing several kilometers to practice alchemy. Although Jake could form an arcane mana barrier to trap crafting vapors, the vast area made a simple One Step Mile far more convenient for separation.

Resuming his seat and retrieving his cauldron, Jake recalled his intended alchemy focus. From his earlier Pulse scan of the boss chamber, another humanoid Aginian awaited, prompting Jake to devise countermeasures accordingly.

Understanding the foe enhanced not only his Protean Arrow’s potency but also let Jake leverage his Bane Poison expertise from the dragon pursuit. The Humanoidsbane and similar creations from his prep now bore fruit as Jake set out to produce something akin to them:

Aginiansbane Poison.

Over the past ten days, Jake had attempted it multiple times, given Casper’s extended recovery periods, and he teetered on the brink of triumph. The recipe held little intricacy, and fresh Aginian materials from recent kills abounded for his work.

Diving in, Jake concentrated utterly, even invoking Invocation of the Malefic Viper to boost his odds. Casper needed a full day to recuperate, but this time, Jake kept the Risen waiting, so near was he to breakthrough.

Luckily for both—particularly Jake, aware of the ribbing he’d endure for squandering time—he prevailed after merely delaying Casper by an hour. Drawing on his Humanoidsbane Poison know-how and the tougher Dragonsbane success, Jake forged a bane poison unprecedented in the multiverse.

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The poison’s impacts mirrored those of Humanoidsbane Poison closely, the optimal outcome given the timeframe. He might have crafted a bespoke variant like Dragonsbane with weeks or months idle, but such luxury eluded them.

This sufficed amply. Furthermore, the notion that this bespoke bane poison, derived from dungeon-exclusive beings, was mostly whimsical, yet fundamentally accurate. Jake had birthed a novel creation, earning Records in turn. Not abundantly, as Minaga’s iterative race dictated, but sufficient for an unforeseen level gain.

“Did you just get a level?” Casper queried upon approaching, Jake’s foolish grin revealing his triumph.

“Sure did,” Jake smiled, promptly allocating all Free Points to Perception before withdrawing his void lollipop for a satisfying lick.

“That still looks wrong every time I see it,” Casper muttered, shaking his head. “Anyway, you got a level and made a better poison for the final boss? You know what, I’m starting to think we can actually do this.”

“Was there ever any doubt?” Jake asked jokingly, though truthfully, a trace of uncertainty lingered from this latest zone. The challenge had escalated sharply, and while Jake stayed assured, he refused to underrate Minaga’s cunning construct.

“No doubt we were going to give it our best shot, at least,” Casper shrugged. “I do also have my last trump card if it comes down to it, but remember, I’ll be absolutely useless afterward.”

“I know,” Jake nodded.

Casper had informed Jake that he had a skill that came with some serious backlash for both himself and Lyra, and that after each use, he would need at least a few days to fully recover. Maybe more. That’s why he hadn’t used it yet, but given they were about to face the last encounter of the dungeon, there was no better time than now.

“How about you? Got any hidden super skill that you’ve avoided using?” Casper asked. “Before you answer, be aware that I’m very emotionally conflicted about what I want to hear in response. On the one hand, I would love to hear you don’t have more overpowered bullshit to pull out of your ass, while on the other hand, it would increase our chance of winning.”

Jake considered the question for a bit. Technically, he could have used his Primeval Origin Energy to try to repeat what happened in the Colosseum of Mortals, but he wanted to avoid it if at all possible. He had no idea what the result would be, and he really didn’t want to find out unless he had no other choice. That’s why Jake ultimately ended up shaking his head.

“Nothing we can count on,” he said honestly. “Not to say I don’t have something hidden up my sleeve, but it’s the kind of thing I only pull out when it’s either that or certain death.”

“Fair enough,” Casper nodded. “We shouldn’t need it anyway, and if we do need it, let’s hope retreat is an option.”

“So far it has been,” Jake shrugged. During all prior encounters, no gates ever locked behind them, meaning that if shit went south, they did have the option of tucking their tails and fleeing like the wind.

Getting up, Jake motioned for Casper to follow as the two made their way toward the boss room. Both used stealth as usual while approaching, Jake having already confirmed earlier that they could get pretty close without triggering the encounter.

The final room was much akin to the ones containing the Formation Masters, except far bigger and smack in the middle of the entire Grand Labyrinth. This one was also a massive circular arena, except in the middle, one would no longer find a ziggurat, but instead a large metal disc that looked like it was made of a material similar to the walls. Upon closer look, Jake and Casper identified this metal disc as a gate or grate of some kind. At least it had a slit that indicated it could be opened like a hatch.

Here, the ground was also not made of weird gray sand, but large tiles with different symbols inscribed on them. None of them seemed to be active, but Jake’s knowledge of rituals told them they were part of something greater. Casper also concurred. In the grand scheme of things, not a surprise considering they had been going around killing Formation Masters to stop them from doing... something. Yeah, they still didn’t know exactly why they had been killing them, but surely Minaga would soon tell them through his brilliant character writing.

It was also easy to see who would be delivering this writing, as only a single individual could be seen within the gigantic boss arena. Sitting on top of the metal disc was a cloaked figure with his legs crossed, seemingly waiting for any adventurers to arrive. A quick Identify confirmed that this was likely the boss they had been looking for.

[Aginian Labyrinth Master – lvl ???]

Jake and Casper both scanned the room as Jake gave the signal to the Risen. Casper nodded and stayed back as Jake moved further into the arena and around its backside to get in position. After a few minutes, Casper followed the plan, revealing himself and flying closer to the boss.

The figure reacted when Casper got closer as his body began to emanate a powerful aura. When he spoke, they also confirmed this was the same hooded mysterious figure who had been giving out those crystal envelopes to the Formation Masters.

“I see... You managed to get through the Inner Labyrinth guards and made it all the way here to the center of this grand construction. When I felt my Formation Masters fall one by one, and when the last of my subordinates failed to do his job in time, I knew it would come to this. Fortunately, I predicted the failure of one Formation Master not finishing in time, and your efforts shall be in vain. The grand design shall become reality!”

Needless to say, the dialogue was pretty crappy again. It managed to be fluffy with little substance, only really communicating that this Labyrinth Master had some grand plan that they needed to kill him if they wanted to stop.

“Do you even know what we’re trying to accomplish here? What our goal is? Why we’re building this Grand Labyrinth?”

Jake kind of hoped the boss would just tell them, as technically, the objective of the dungeon wasn’t the kill a boss but to uncover the true purpose of the Grand Labyrinth. Unsurprisingly, that didn’t happen, and Jake was already mentally prepared for that information to come either as the boss’s dying words or post his death.

“No matter. You have come far and accomplished much, adventurer, but your journey ends here. I would give you the opportunity to turn back now; however, you have killed my subordinates, and it’s only right I avenge them.”

With slow movements, the boss stood up and revealed his height to be slightly more than three and a half meters. His black cloak started billowing as he lifted his right arm in a very cinematic fashion.

“Now come! Face your demise!”

From out of fucking nowhere, a Gunlance weapon shot down from the sky and landed right in front of his outstretched hand, cracking the tile it struck. The boss reached out to take the weapon, and the moment he did, his entire body erupted with mana as his black cloak was torn apart, revealing his true figure.

At first, it looked like he was covered in armor from head to toe, but upon closer inspection, Jake noticed that he wasn’t. Instead, all four of his limbs, much of his chest region, and even his left eye were made up of robotic parts. He still wore armor on top of that, but even without it, he was more metal than man.

No matter. With the boss engaged, it looked like Jake could begin his opening attack. Jake and Casper had both theorized that opening the fight with a sneak attack on the final boss wouldn’t work, as they could both totally see Minaga implement some method to ensure the boss would be able to get his opening dialogue off.

Now that he was done yapping, Casper prepared himself to fight, acting as the sole adventurer, while Jake nocked a Protean Arrow and started channeling an Arcane Powershot from behind.

The time had finally come for Jake and Casper to see what the ultimate boss of Minaga’s Awesome and Illustrious Labyrinth Complex Dungeon-5 had in store for them.