The Primal Hunter Chapter 1256 - Important Rule For Proper Dungeon Bosses

Suddenly halting in mid-air, the boss froze his actions while the supposedly defeated Risen made his return. A turquoise glow of concentrated blight energy spread across the whole zone as the trap activated, forming multiple layers of magical circles that trapped the boss within a spherical barrier.

The B-grade unleashed another burst of disruptive force to break loose, yet this attempt completely fizzled out, with additional layers of cursed seals piling on relentlessly from the enclosing sphere.

Having ceased his backward dash, Jake swiftly drew an arrow and began powering up an Arcane Powershot as Casper handled his part. Energy surged from the boss again, allowing his superior strength to shift his limbs as he aimed to rip free from the bonds.

That was the moment Casper fully appeared, his form materializing from raw blight energy while hovering over the seal, entirely ghostly in nature. The B-grade fought against the restraints, glancing upward at the Risen before firing off yet another eyebeam that harmlessly phased through Casper's figure.

The Risen showed no response, his power levels climbing higher as he uttered words laced with authority.

“Seal of Enervation.”

Immediately, the surrounding magic collapsed inward into the Labyrinth Master's form, crafting throbbing dark turquoise symbols that adhered to both his corporeal body and his very Soulshape.

Freed to act again, the boss fired off a projectile of bursting fragments at Casper, who evaded in his completely intangible state that hardly resembled a human outline. Such an assault merely left the Labyrinth Master vulnerable, as an additional Arcane Powershot slammed into his flank, burrowing deep and injecting a potent load of Aginiansbane Poison.

Jake sensed the curse's effect right away, with his poison's natural resistance dropping off sharply. Actually, it went beyond that—the flow of all his energy had slowed considerably, not just the part countering the toxin.

This curse acted like sticky tar clogging the ethereal pathways of the B-grade's Soulshape, hindering every effort he made. Furthermore, Jake noticed Eternal Hunger syncing with the Seal of Enervation—a term he'd learned from Casper's pre-battle briefing—the legendary item's energy-draining property now bolstering the seal instead of replenishing Jake's reserves.

Casper's comeback shifted the battle's flow instantly, forcing the boss to contend with dual threats once again. Without delay, the Risen bombarded the debilitated B-grade with a flurry of strikes, mirroring Jake's efforts as they exploited the Labyrinth Master's struggle to adjust to his afflicted state.

Up to this point, Jake and Casper's strategy had unfolded remarkably well, albeit not without sacrifice. Though bodily destruction impacted the Risen less severely than Jake—thanks partly to his spectral Path involving Lyra—he had still endured heavy harm and expended substantial spirit energy to restore his ruined form.

Nevertheless, the exchange proved worthwhile, leaving Casper and Jake confronting a diminished and wounded foe. The Labyrinth Master grappled against their onslaught, his motions labored, and every bid to conjure protective barriers arriving a beat too late. Over a dozen cursed stakes pierced his frame, embedding deeply to amplify the curse, steadily eroding his soul while Jake's arrows shattered his physique with devastating arcane mana and venom.

Sensing the tide turning against him, the boss lifted both arms and shouted. A tremendous energy outburst followed, still unable to shake off the seal, but granting him a fleeting pause from incoming assaults. In that instant, he regained his focus, and with a pulling gesture, a huge barrier crashed down overhead, intended to divide Jake from Casper and the boss.

Anticipating this, Jake thought as he executed One Step just in time to close the distance to the boss, avoiding isolation from the conflict.

The Labyrinth Master had foreseen such a move and hurled two grenades skyward, positioning one on each side of Jake's arrival point. Pride of the Malefic Viper remained engaged, so Jake concentrated on halting the grenades' blasts for a split second, shoving them aside. He managed to postpone their detonations by under two-tenths of a second, sufficient to maneuver them distant enough for his freshly conjured wings to absorb the blasts.

Casper never paused his assault. He kept launching curse-based strikes that evidently reinforced the boss's binding seal. From the grenades' reduced potency, Jake knew they'd weakened considerably, and upon spreading his wings to loose another arrow, he marveled at how effortlessly it sank into the cyborg's tissue.

With a pained grunt, the boss at last resorted to a long-overdue action. He drove his sword into his own shoulder, triggering an energy blast that tore a gaping wound in himself, dislodging Eternal Hunger and the enchanted cursed stake into the air.

Wasting no time to recover, the Labyrinth Master aimed his gunlance upward. The chamber shook violently, all elevated platforms surging higher simultaneously as numerous black barriers descended from the ceiling.

Casper attempted to remain nearby but got blocked by multiple walls. Noticing this, Jake deliberately fell back behind a dropping barrier, isolating himself from the pursuing boss. He couldn't suppress a grin as a bullet ricocheted off the Labyrinth Master's own wall, though the boss retracted it swiftly, prompting Jake to emit a pulse for orientation before using One Step to flee further.

The boss had essentially summoned a compact labyrinth around them, probably to isolate targets individually. From a dungeon architect's viewpoint, Jake deemed the idea intriguing, albeit overly hazardous. Should an unprepared group get caught off-guard, separating a spellcaster or—Villy forbid—the healer, disaster would surely follow.

For their duo, however, it posed minimal threat, particularly given their identities. Jake intentionally dashed through the maze, the boss in close pursuit. Despite commanding the structure, the B-grade couldn't instantly raise or lower walls, letting Jake maintain a slight lead as he navigated toward Casper's location.

To his satisfaction, Casper wasn't searching for Jake but had reverted to solid form and crouched low, adopting his typical trap-setting pose. Though they hadn't coordinated this approach, Casper trusted Jake would recognize the setup and traverse the maze to join him. His longtime ally was spot-on, and despite the Labyrinth Master's pursuits, he failed to corner Jake, who adroitly handled the narrow passages.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Jake grinned while sharply turning a bend, chaining two swift One Steps, and pressing along the corridor. The Labyrinth Master immediately sought a direct path, dropping two walls between him and the elusive hunter to maintain his chase at maximum pace.

Regrettably, his shortcut crossed precisely where Casper had planted a tempting trap. The boss caught on too late as the floor burst with blight energy, hurling him skyward in the blast.

He collided brutally with the domed ceiling, spewing blood from the clash against the unyielding surface. Jake hastened to reunite with Casper, firing an arrow mid-stride to compound the damage.

Reunited, they seized the opportunity, pummeling the boss who faltered in his defenses. Amid the wounds, the Seal of Enervation, and disorientation from the ceiling impact, the Labyrinth Master offered scant resistance initially, absorbing multiple heavy hits.

Jake perceived his poison tearing through the cyborg's internals, swiftly eradicating all lingering organic elements in the B-grade's structure. This became evident as his remaining flesh decayed with spreading necrosis, confirming the poisons had hit a lethal threshold.

Regaining some balance, the boss lobbed five grenades simultaneously, detonating them directly ahead. Each spewed clouds of varied hues, enveloping the Labyrinth Master in obscurity. Jake observed Casper scanning frantically, employing spells to pinpoint the boss, yet failing even as the gunlance thrust toward his torso.

Acting fast, Jake unleashed an arcane shockwave, shoving Casper aside while leaping at the boss. With Eternal Hunger reclaimed to his grasp— no longer embedded in the foe—and paired with his Voidblade Katar, he plunged into close-quarters combat.

The multicolored smoke from the grenades formed a potent mix that the cyborg navigated solely via his enhanced cybernetic eye; this seemed clear from his delayed reaction to Jake's strike from the blind side.

Jake plunged his blade into the boss's side, causing the Labyrinth Master to swivel his head in astonishment. He received another solid thrust to the chest, plus additional strikes, before grasping that Jake navigated the haze unaffected.

In a twist of irony, the smoke aided Jake more than the boss, as he exploited the restricted visibility to pepper attacks, circling his foe with relentless slashes and punctures.

Casper withdrew from the fog during this, turning the tactic against the boss, who then burst forth with another disruptive wave to clear his own smokescreen. The force propelled Jake backward along the passage, the boss already leveling his gunlance at the hunter and firing.

Veering aside in the confined space, Jake evaded the shot, but the boss held fire. Panic overtook him as his gaze darted wildly.

“No! I knew I shouldn’t have done this!” he bellowed suddenly, flinging grenades before ascending toward the dome's apex.

Jake and Casper shielded themselves and pulled back as blasts engulfed the corridor, allowing the boss to attain the ceiling. He extended a hand to the dark metal dome, commanding it to part as he peered down at his adversaries.

“You have done much to disrupt all we have worked for, and proven yourselves far more powerful than I first believed. However, the battle ends here as I no longer have time to deal with you. Instead, find comfort in the knowledge that your bodies shall serve as fuel to repair what you’ve damaged. Be consumed as you struggle in vain to escape this miniature labyrinth I just made, unable to find the singular exit that my Aginian Labyrinth Magic unfortunately requires me to include!”

Those words, far from subtle hints about locating an exit in the mini labyrinth, prompted the Labyrinth Master to breach the domed roof and flee. Via Hunter’s Mark, Jake tracked him lingering just beyond, performing gestures that stirred a vague threat in Jake's instincts.

Underfoot, the tile inscriptions at last activated, illuminating brightly. Casper scowled and uttered hastily.

“They’re directly draining our resources,” the Risen noted, his tone lacking worry.

“Guess staying in here would be a pretty silly thing to do, then,” Jake replied with a shrug, then grinned at Casper. “Me or you?”

“Does it matter?” the Risen grinned back, and together they bolted in unison toward a shared path.

Regrettably, Jake had to moderate his speed for Casper, but their mutual sense of direction shone through as they threaded the maze. Remaining paired felt optimal, despite prolonging the irritating energy siphon for Jake.

“This absorption effect-“

“Dungeon fuckery,” Casper interjected promptly. “Can’t be avoided in any way, but it is more like an absolute law within the dungeon that affects everyone. There probably are ways to partly resist it, but the drain seems weak enough for it to be fully absolute.”

Jake acknowledged with a nod, his query stemming more from interest than alarm. As Casper pointed out, the siphoning was mild and negligible. Unless they lingered aimlessly for an hour—where their enhancements would pose greater issues—it wouldn't become problematic.

Greater worry centered on the Labyrinth Master's actions outside. Opting for the quickest route, they navigated to freedom, emerging after scarcely a minute trapped within.

Outside, they confronted the Labyrinth Master, positioned in a kneeling stance amid a ritual circle. Shock registered on his features—or as much as possible with his decayed and metallic visage—upon seeing them.

“How did you escape so swiftly!!” he cried out, panic tinging his words. “No... no, I need more energy! Do you have any idea what you’re even doing!?”

Sharing a brief look, Jake and Casper launched a joint assault, dismissing the boss's ramblings. Should it hold significance, the Unique Lifeform would have ensured they heard it uninterrupted.

Arrows and cursed stakes pummeled the already frail Labyrinth Master, who seemed bound to the circle. He shielded with his mechanical arms, but Jake arced his shots effortlessly, and Casper's stakes simply merged into the Seal of Enervation, empowering it further regardless of impact point.

The B-grade's defensive efforts proved futile, his condition deteriorating as life forces ebbed away. Necrosis consumed his flesh, the Seal of Enervation peaked in intensity, and he teetered on collapse.

Yet... Jake and Casper recognized this wasn't the conclusion.

“No... I can still...” the Labyrinth Master murmured feebly, his arms drooping limply as control slipped. Seizing the chance, Jake embedded an arrow in his decaying organic eye, jerking his head back... and triggering an unexpected alert.

Standing puzzled, Jake eyed Casper, who maintained a stern expression. The Risen noticed and gestured for Jake to focus on the boss while saying.

“It’s not over.”

True to the warning, the Grand Labyrinth quaked intensely. The improvised maze behind them dismantled, and unexpectedly, the overhead sky cleared, the unseen barrier vanishing.

On reflex, Jake looked up, witnessing a enormous azure lightning strike plummeting. It engulfed the Labyrinth Master's remains, the Grand Labyrinth harmonizing with his form as a feminine mechanical voice resounded across the dungeon.

“Failsafe activation: Approved. Initiating emergency protocols.”

“Right,” Jake remarked, observing the boss immersed in unending thick lightning, momentarily overlooking a key dungeon boss tenet. “Always gotta be a third phase.”