-1st Floor-
As we moved through floor, I used my
Using my knowledge of the dungeon, despite having an actual map as the dungeon master, I guided them to the newly formed boss room.
"Wow Dude, that door is so huge." Derick commented upon seeing the boss room door.
"I didn't know this dungeon had a first-floor boss... I thought only higher-ranking dungeons had that." Umirica was a bit surprised to see the boss room door.
"Not necessarily... There are all kinds of weird dungeons. From what I heard, the most regular thing about dungeons is how irregular they can get." Paige explained.
"... It's still a bit unusual from what studied about dungeons, but it's still entirely possible, and it's happened a couple of times before." Aimine added despite having a pretty dry expression, it seemed she was still bothered by her loss against Umirica.
While that was being said, Derick touched the Boss room door. He seemed to have become a bit more confident after leveling up twice, through the party-shared exp system. Aside from him, Umirica and Aimine level up once, and Paige remained at the same level just like me.
The door opened on its own after Derick made contact with it, and inside, sitting on a throne was the Cockroach Queen, who trembled after seeing me, even though she knew I was here. Around throne, there were holes on the walls which I imagine will be used to summon her subordinates. Finally, at the center of the Boss room, the inactive transportation pad could be found.
"... Is it weird that she's kinda hot?" Derick commented looking at the Cockroach Queen.
Similarly to Fainith, she had a humanoid figure, and even more so than Fainith, as she walked on two legs. Aside from her insectoid black arm, neck, and legs just like Fainith's arms with an exoskeleton, she had a cockroach-like tail and a sort of helmet, leaving the rest of her body to look very human and curvy, having almost as much chest as Paige and a much bigger ass than her. The Cockroach Queen's human-like privates were covered by an exoskeleton extension that has the form of a bra only showing the upper area of her breasts, and a thin bikini, the rest of her body exposed to the world. Her dark chocolate complexion fitting with her appearance.
Ignoring Derick's comment, the others went into the room, and Umirica even gives him a glance of disapproval before entering the room, to which he couldn't help but awkwardly laugh in response.
Once everyone was in the room, the door closed and they all started to notice that the Cockroach Queen had a missing arm, which made them all a bit more confident in being able to defeat her, after all, she was just the boss of the first floor, how dangerous could she be, anyway? Or at least that's what they seemed to be thinking.
As expected, the Cockroach Queen immediately began summoning multiple giant cockroaches who came in through the holes in the walls, and a total of 18 of them were in the boss room soon after.
The frontline girls who had grown used to the creatures by now charged at the enemy with me on the side, doing what I could to seem like I was actually trying to do something to help. The mid and backline also began their move, as Derick stood in the middle and Paige at the back. Because of Paige's range and nondamaging arrows, it was appropriate to have her at the back, since the others were unaware of her real level, and believe she has a low physical prowess. If Derick gets attacked by an enemy that bypasses the front liners, she will paralyze it, and Derick can then finish it off with his mace.
Our 3-1-1 formation worked pretty well since now Umirica and Aimine not only got used to combat but also leveled up, to the point where they are both powerful enough to easily kill the cockroaches in a hit if they do it well, not that Umirica needed it at all, but Aimine was having a much easier time, no longer coming to a standstill against the roaches in terms is raw strength, and instead surpassing them.
In no time, Umirica cut down 6 of the roaches on her way to advance to the Boss, but 3 got in her way before she took them down easily by cutting through them with her sword. Meanwhile, while I was pretending to have a bit of difficulty with my roaches having already killed 2, but yet to kill another two in my way. On the Aimine side of things, the situation was the same, as she had just killed two roaches with her punches, but two more were on her way.
This left an opening through which one of the roaches passed, to the mid-section, where it was immediately hit by one of Paige's arrows, making it unable to move, so Derick took the chance and after 5 or so hits to its head with his mace, the creature was killed.
By that time me and Aimine we're done with our enemies as well, and before the Cockroach Queen could summon any more roaches, Umirica would attack her, but all her attacks were being dodged by the Cockroach Queen, who was actually faster than Umirica.
Seeing this, Umirica used her mana to coat her body and power herself up and began attacking faster and stronger than before.
*Bam!*
As me and Aimine were approaching to help her, Umirica got gut-punched by the Cockroach Queen, which caused spit to come out of her mouth from how hard it hit her. Having no time to recover, Umirica is then punched in the face twice with the same hand, making more spit fly out, only to be kicked away right after falling right in front of me and Aimine who just arrived, while the other two were further behind in the formation.
Not having the luxury to wait around, since the Cockroach Queen, could summon more subordinates, me and Aimine charged at her, leaving Umirica up to Derick. As we were running at the Cockroach Queen, Paige shot her arrows at her, to avoid any chances of her summoning more subordinates, but she could easily dodge all the arrows.
Keeping my skill level to what I've shown so far, me and Aimine each attack the Cockroach Queen from a side with our fists.
*Bam!*
We hit her, and she smiled at us, as she tanked both punches without even moving, after all the strength used was only at Aimine's level without mana coating, so it was obviously not enough, but that was just a distraction, as Paige had also shot arrows at the same time, and now a bunch of them hit.
Focusing mana on our other arms, me and Aimine prepare the real attacks, but I have to really hold back and be careful to not output too much force. With that in mind, we both punch the Cockroach Queen for real this time, having our arms coated in mana.
*Bam!*
The punches hit her face and sent her flying to her throne, which she hits pretty hard. And as if out of some sort of planned attack, Umirica, not giving the Cockroach Queen time to recover, jumps from behind us right at the boss, with a powerful concentration of mana on her sword.
"Queen's Judgment!" Umirica howled as she pulled her sword backward as much as she could with her arm, before throwing it at the Cockroach Queen like some sort of spear.
*Swoosh!* *Boom!* *Crack*
The sword pierced the Cockroach Queen's abdomen and even went in deep enough to enter her throne behind her, which was connected to the walls, and the impact caused that wall to crack and a bunch of rubble fell down blocking the roach holes, and some of it almost smashing me, Derick and Aimine. Though I wouldn't have had a problem even if I was slow enough to not be able to dodge.
Landing on the ground with a smile, Umirica looked at us proud to have finished the job.
*Ching* *Drip*
Impaled on the ground was Umirica's sword right in front of her, and a line of blood dripped from her cheek after the sword passed through and cut her. Unable to react in time, Umirica was punched and was sent flying as blood splattered from her mouth and her eyes went white, as she got sent into the wall of the room.
*Boom!* *Crack*
Looking at us with red eyes, the Cockroach Queen with a hole in her abdomen was not done playing yet.
(Honestly, what did Umirica expect? Everyone knows that when you attack like that, you have to aim for the head.) I had to contain my urge to shake my head in disappointment, to not look suspicious. They still have a lot to learn.