[That is too hard!] Kotori thought
She balked at the stats of the Dungeon boss which far exceeded her expectations of strength. A monster that was only slightly stronger than Yooma would be fine, but this was absurd levels of strength.
[Why is such a strong monster here in the first place!] She thought.
It felt as though a switch had gone off in her brain and the need to kill the monster vanished instantly. The rational side of her was now working full steam. It was the same sort of feeling cornered prey. She instantly motioned for Amelie to leave.
Surprisingly it was Amelie who was now questioning her in surprise
"What's up Kotori? Aren't we going to fight it?"
[As if!] Kotori thought
To Amelie who didn't have the "status" ability. It just looked like a slightly weird skeleton. She had no clue of the actual strength of it.
Kotori motioned her head to say no, and Amelie's expression softened
"I see," She said.
Amelie lowered her weapon and headed out. At the very least this wasn't some sort of roguelike dungeon that would lock you in the boss room even if you haven't aggroed the boss. This game-like world was at least kind in that respect.
They quickly left the room and the dungeon.
Kotori gritted her teeth the entire time.
[That was truly strength]
She truly understood what it meant to be strong in this world. Despite it being an unthinking monster she was jealous of the imposing skeleton.
[Nero, You have my respect] Kotori thought in reverence.
She was quite confused as to why Nero had a name. This was the first time she had seen it on a monster before. It would be easy to say that "boss monsters have names so what?" but that explanation seemed… Lacking in her opinion. For one dungeon monsters were just aberrant mana which means that although they had a form they couldn't possibly have a name. Nero not only had a name he was not just a ball of stats like other monsters. He had a skill and a trait.
[Shinigami] meant death god which makes sense for the Skeleton, but the [Overlord] skill baffled her. Although she could see skills she didn't have the ability to see what skills did. Hell, even her own [Monte Cristo] trait was a mystery to her.
[Overlord of what?] Kotori thought
The question racked her mind until they reached Feran and retired to the inn.
The next day they were reassigned. The person who they were assigned to surprised Kotori even more than Nero's stats
"YOU!" Kotori said, looking at the man in front of the dungeon.
Yooma nervously scratched his head
"Well this is awkward," he said
"Why are we assigned together you jerk!" Umi hissed and Shu barked at him in the background
Yooma looked tired
"Look I dislike this arrangement as much as you, it's not like I decide the adventurer's pairings. Blame the kingdom for that, those bureaucrats don't care about whether or not adventurers had an issue with each other."
HE looked at Kotori's spirits
"Can you quiet those spirits down please that water spirit, in particular, is staring daggers at me."
[Ah whatever, not like I can do anything about it] Kotori thought, and quickly sent a mental message to Shu and Umi to quiet down.
They began to protest, essentially saying things like "Kotori-sama shouldn't have to endure this dishonor!" and things like "Waaa Kotori is so beautiful!"
[wait "cute"?] She looked suspiciously at her spirits who were now surprisingly quiet. Umi was averting her gaze even more than Shu.
"Ah mou, I don't care anymore," Kotori said
Amelie had much less issue with being paired with Yooma and looked apologetically to Yooma.
"I'm sorry she's a little sensitive after seeing the dungeon boss yesterday" She explains
"The dungeon boss! Don't tell me you all tried to take it on"
"No we left after we saw it," she said
Yooma gave them a discerning gaze
"Smarter than most, that thing is an absolute monster. Its [Overlord] skill is particularly annoying. It looks pretty weak but that thing is basically impossible to kill."
Kotori perked up
[That's right! Yooma fought it before she would know what it does]
"'Overlord' what does it do" she quickly asked
"It's a mana sucking skill it will make skills dissipate" I went through so many blades before giving up. Yooma said
[Then I absolutely can't beat it] Kotori thought in frustration
Kotori's entire strategy revolved around buffing her party. If she was unable to maintain that buff then it would be extremely difficult to beat the boss in the first place.
[It appears I've been hard countered] She mused
"Hmm, Interesting so what dungeon are we taking down today," she said changing the subject
"A simple forest type outside the city nothing much to handle," Yooma said "Frankly, I don't need the money so I just go dungeon hunting to stay active. The old bones gotta stay warmed up somehow he said"
[Ugh he sounds like an old man]
Kotori was reminded of the old fisherman in her past who lived near her house who refused to retire for the exact same reason
"I gotta keep moving or else I'll slow down!" he always used to say while passing her on his morning run.
Looking at Yooma Kotori was reminded of this man