"Ah... Master? Am I seeing things? That boss wasn't talking in its normal mode, right? Why is it talking now and currently complaining?"
"AM I NOT ALLOWED TO COMPLAIN?!" The boss seemed to be begging us.
This is the first time I've experienced something like this. I've seen countless NPCs talk like real humans, and some humanoid bosses can communicate like regular people, but this boss in the Lesser Purgatory was never one to talk. It usually just roared, groaned, and shouted loudly. This is the first time I've encountered a boss who not only talks but also openly complains about a player.
"Isn't your job always like this? Why are you complaining now?"
"I might not complain if you weren't doing such brutal things to me! You even had your pet eat my remains back in normal mode! Did you really think it's easy for me to deal with that?"
I felt pity for this boss, but if I didn't defeat it, then what else could I do?
"So you want me to go back? No way. We've come this far, and not proceeding toward our goal is just not an option. It's either you step back and let us pass, or we'll have to deal with you. We're in a hurry, so it would be nice if you just step aside so we can move on," I readied my Versatile Weapon, preparing for a fight.
"F*cker! I'd be in real trouble if I let you pass without a fight, but my body is sore all over, and now I have to deal with it? Ugh, stupid rules of the world. Why can't I defy this sh*t?" He facepalmed himself and groaned.
"Can't you just step aside if you don't want to fight? What's the point if you hate doing it? Why not follow me and help us take down the one who caused this to you? What do you say?" I joked, knowing there was no way this guy would follow, but just to provoke this big guy.
"Huh? You'll really do that? Then let me in on it!" the boss appeared quite intrigued by what I had just said and readily agreed.
I wasn't expecting his answer, nor was I prepared for the prompt that appeared on my interface.
[A boss has decided to follow you. Accept at the party? You cannot decline this request.]
[Yes/F*cking Yes]
Wait a minute. What the heck is going on? Is this a bug? If it is, it's breaking the game entirely! A boss following a player hasn't even happened in my past life! And if you're thinking about tamed beasts, those are different since they require the use of items for taming and only apply to beast-type monsters that can be tamed. Otherwise, everything fails.
"What on earth is happening? I didn't use any item for taming, and I don't think this game has the 'charisma' trait to make this kind of boss accept my proposal. In short, this is definitely a bug. Still, with the prompt showing only 'yes' since there is no 'no' option it was replaced by another 'yes' with just the addition of 'f*cking.'
I decided to press 'yes' this time, and if this was a game-breaking bug, the developers would surely notice it and quickly repair the data. However, that didn't happen.
[The nameless Boss is asking for you to bestow a name upon him. Please type the name of the entity.]
This is similar to naming a pet when you've just obtained one, but this is not a pet; this is a boss. I quickly typed 'Atlas' as his name since he looks like a muscular dude and he is quite buffed to me that if he carries a massive globe on his shoulders, he might look like one, besides, he is also quite massive. As soon as I confirmed the name, another prompt appeared.
"[To prevent system disruption, Atlas's stats will be reduced to half of their original values, and its level will be reset to level 1.]"
"So, does this mean the boss has become one of the NPCs under my command? Besides Leona and Lina, I hadn't planned on this boss being in my lineup!"
"Oh, it seems the system has forcefully weakened me as a form of punishment. It looks like I won't be able to fight today and will only be available tomorrow. This darn system really gives me a hard time. Well, since I've decided to follow you, you better not try to feed me to your pets again, okay?" With that, he disappeared, and his name appeared in my companion slot with the status "
"What was that all about, Master?" Lina asked, scratching her head in confusion.
"Honestly, I have no idea either."
I didn't have much time to ponder. Because I didn't know what was happening in the auction house, I checked one of the little cards that allowed me to see the account I had let the staff make for me to look and check my account's gold balance, I still didn't see any money there. Perhaps the competition is not yet done and the money is not yet in the deposit. It seemed that the bidding for the first Guild Token was highly competitive. Since many players with significant backing were interested in establishing the first guild in the entire game, participants came from various parts of the world. Given that the game's player base wasn't very large at this point, most of the bidders were representatives of large companies supporting players, as they recognized the excellent investment potential here.
As the auction had already reached its climax, it wouldn't be long before it concluded. I needed to complete the Hard Mode as quickly as possible. I'd have to postpone my venture into Insane, Hell, and Abysmal modes for now, but I planned to return to those levels to obtain the specific materials necessary for forging my Ex Job and crafting my own armor.
I didn't concern myself too much with Atlas' situation. I could address it later, and there was no urgency to find out. Moreover, the game didn't flag it as a bug, so I had no reason to complain about it.
Upon stepping into the center of the boss room's circle, the next path opened. Even though I hadn't defeated the boss, I still received the EXP I was due, along with a few drops like gold and other materials from the boss.
I have something good here, but I doubt it will be an easy task. The final boss is one of the troublesome monsters that can spawn and inflict debuffs on the player. In Abyss mode, this boss is only the second mini-boss.