Ryuji changed his tattoo at the start of the dungeon after considering his situation.
Although the shadow fox gave him significant benefits, such as ignoring death, he didn't want to show the knights those techniques, even if they were kind to him.
There is nothing in life that says something couldn't go wrong. If the hero party fails or insults the king, he might have to fight those he helped.
'I know it's paranoid, but one must always keep a few aces up their sleeve.'
— Removed Shadow Fox Tattoo (Uncommon)
Chosen by Shadow Fox
— Added Goblin Tattoo (Uncommon)
Tribal design on the back
The moment he changed the tattoo, he felt a burning sensation in his crotch, then his back and chest, before he noticed that the words slightly increased his stamina by two points while moderately increasing his strength by four points.
[Attributes]
Strength: 16 (+2)
Agility: 6 (-2)
Stamina: 12
Grit: 16
Intellect: 8
'An increase of 2 doesn't sound like much, but that's the same as a warrior gains per level. So I gained a level's worth of attributes for stamina.'
The current dungeon was quite smooth, and the moment his tattoo fully settled, his eyes felt strange; the dark place, making it hard to see, became a lighter shade. He could see the cracks in the rocks, the small opening from where they entered the crossroads.
'This will help during combat in dungeons and at night.'
"Ryuji, this dungeon isn't that large, and the next room, with a battle, will have a so-called elite enemy, or boss, as former heroes seem to have dubbed them," Alicia whispered beside him, her soft voice and gentle tone causing Ryuji to tremble.
"Ugh...!"
"Are you alright?" Sheila asked, causing Ryuji to turn and look at her.
His eyes trailed over her attractive body in the fitted robe before he turned back with an irritated mind.
"Y-Yes... just a little..."
'What the hell can I say? Oh, I have an erection because Alicia smells nice, and your tits are huge!?'
Ryuji felt a sudden increase in his sensitivity to the opposite sex, and the blood flow to his cock seemed more intense than when he first hit puberty. Then remembered what the tattoo stated as they reached a long corridor with various images painted on the walls.
'Is it because of the damn increased libido?'
Forced to tuck his member under the belt at his waist and tighten, it caused him pain, and the irritation of the hard object poking his belly while moving caused Ryuji to hate the brutal weapon provided by his father's great genes.
"This is the supreme boss of this dungeon. Ryuji, are you ready?"
"Y-Yeah... just a little over-excited about my first boss's battle."
Simon looked at him seriously, his two swords in hand; Alicia began checking her bow and arrows, seeming to perform basic maintenance, while Paul muttered spells, filling small pieces of wood with strange sigils.
"Are you curious, Ryuji?" Paul asked, holding five wooden cards before slotting them into his belt. "These are spell runes; because I lack the high magic and magic power of elves or other races, I cast five spells ahead of the battle, then recovered myself to avoid running out of magic in the battle."
"Oh... that's super cool and smart!"
Ryuji never played mages in games, but he loved how they would always save the day because Alex played one, and the fact Paul accepted his shortcomings and used this kind of workaround was amazing to him. Sheila knelt while seeming to pray as a golden aura danced around the entire party's head.
"That's Sheila's blessing. It reduces incoming damage by a large amount but only absorbs a certain amount."
The next moment after Simon finished, the light flashed before expanding into a beautiful barrier shaped like shields, protecting each member while she took a deep breath and drank a blue potion.
"Don't look so worried, Ryu. I will be fine. Or do you want to carry this big sister on your back? Hehe."
"Maybe if it was carrying you to a private room," Ryuji replied without even thinking, ignoring her red face. He stepped towards the door; he could feel the warmth from the holy magic protecting him. 'These guys are like adventurers rather than full knights... Is that why they are low-ranked, maybe newbies?'
"I have cast holy protection magic on each of you, so be careful! I can't always do this, so don't rely on it too much!" Sheila's eyes locked on his as Ryuji opened the large stone door, only to find a massive black wolf with gleaming red eyes sitting there patiently.
The wolf appeared to have waited for a while, and a strange dark red aura surrounded its body like an ethereal flame. "That thing is dangerous! It has a burning aura!"
"Don't worry, I can endure the pain," Ryuji muttered before stepping forward.
The moment his foot touched the inner ground, the wolf stood up and howled, dirty drool hanging from its huge fangs. The pair lunged at each other, one with his axe across his body and the other with deadly claws.
The room had a simple design with a wide-open space, perfect for him to dodge but also for it to roam free.
His axe flew forward towards its neck with all of Ryuji's might in a massive overhand strike, but the wolf easily dodged it by jumping to his left.
Before Ryuji even blinked, he suffered the most intense pain of his life.
A direct swipe with its claw sent him flying backwards, tearing away a chunk of health, smashing the barrier and protecting him, making Ryuji thankful for the barrier that Sheila cast upon him as it absorbed the shock and protected him from instant death, as the claws hit his exposed neck probably a critical hit.
"Fucker..." Ryuji growled with anger as the others entered the room.
Paul opened his arms. "Thy holy lady of earth, grab this interloper and hold him still!"
As he chanted, several earth pillars erupted beneath the wolf's feet. Ryuji wasted no time; he sprinted forward as it struggled against the magic that held him, and with a single swing of his axe, he struck at its head with a powerful overhead chop.
"Graaaaaww!"
The wolf howled in pain as the axe connected; Ryuji didn't stop and unleashed a follow-up sweep as he twirled around before kicking the wolf's lower jaw, causing it to smash into the wall with a whine. 'No way, all that and barely a third of its health!?'
"Holy shit... don't forget us!" Simon's body charged forward with a blur as he stabbed at the wolf's tough fur, which seemed thicker than normal armour, with loud clangs.
"Simon! Do not get arrogant and rush! Alicia, do as we trained!" Sheila yelled out.
"I am a protector of justice and a daughter of the gods! Hear my prayers and devour my foes, rain fire upon this corrupted wolf and reduce it to dust—hail of fire arrows!"
As Alicia chanted, a wave of flaming arrows rained down.
They almost consumed the wolf's body and burned away at its body before an arrow whistled through the air at its left eye, bursting the organ with a sickening pop.
"GRAAAAAWWW!"
However, that enraged the beast as it flicked Simon with a powerful kick. Its body was now double the normal size as its muscles and fur oozed with blood. It rushed towards Alicia without caring for anything else.
"Thy holy lady of earth, grab this interloper and hold him still --"
Paul tried against it, but the wolf's power just tore the spell apart, and with a flick of its claws, a shadow blade cut at his body, destroying the barrier and sending him rolling through the mud.
"Paul! Damn, this boss is an IRREGULAR! It ignores the tank! EVERYONE attack at will!" Shelia bellowed, her hands glowing with holy light as it enveloped Ryuji, healing his neck that bled profusely.
'Damn, we're at a disadvantage.'