Chapter 19: Solo boss
Takuya glanced around.
Only the two of them remained.
The rest of the kobolds were either burning to ash or had their broken bodies scattered throughout the cavern.
Now...
It was just him and the boss.
"You were quite polite," Takuya said with a grin. "Thanks for waiting."
The boss barely resembled the other kobolds.
Its body looked more like that of a massive hairless hound than a wolf, its gray skin stretched tightly over layers of muscle. Only its head retained the thick crimson mane shared by the other kobolds, giving it a far more imposing appearance.
Its face was distinctly canine, though far more savage than any ordinary dog.
Its legs ended in long, raptor-like talons capable of tearing through stone.
Even stranger...
Its tail wasn’t a tail at all.
It was a living snake—a massive boa that swayed independently behind its body, its eyes fixed on Takuya as if it possessed a mind of its own.
What an absurd combination...
The creature carried an equally monstrous weapon.
A gigantic greatsword.
The blade was longer than Takuya himself.
Considering the boss stood nearly the size of a Kodiak bear, the proportions somehow looked natural.
For several long seconds, neither of them moved.
They simply stared at one another.
Takuya could tell.
This monster was different.
It wasn’t merely stronger than the captains.
It was at his level.
No...
It was stronger than the average Adult Digimon.
Probably even stronger than the kings I fought in the Volcanoes...
At least, stronger than the Fladramon he had
"fought" before the Digimon casually evolved twice in front of him.
The thought almost made him laugh.
Then—
Both moved at the exact same instant.
The kobold swung its massive sword.
Takuya answered with a flaming punch.
CLANG!
Steel met armored fist.
The shockwave exploded through the cavern.
Both fighters were forced backward, their feet carving deep trenches across the rocky floor.
Neither lost their stance.
Neither hesitated.
In the next instant, they rushed each other again.
Flames erupted around Takuya’s arms.
Magic Power surged around the kobold’s blade.
The two launched into a relentless exchange.
Despite wielding a sword larger than most humans, the kobold attacked with astonishing speed, every slash carrying enough force to split stone.
Takuya matched it blow for blow.
Each strike was met with a counter.
Each slash was intercepted before it could land.
The sound of steel colliding against Agnimon’s armored limbs echoed throughout the cavern.
The pressure generated by their clash alone was enough to crack the ground beneath their feet.
With every exchange, the fractures spread farther.
Stone shattered.
Dust exploded into the air.
The battlefield itself struggled to withstand the force of their duel.
Slowly, a smile crept across Takuya’s face.
It was different from before.
Not because he was stronger—although he undeniably was.
It was because...
He was enjoying this.
There was an instinct that had always been missing during his time as Flamon, something buried deep within his DigiCore.
Now he could finally feel it.
The thrill of battle.
The desire to challenge a worthy opponent.
"You’re interesting," Takuya said with a grin as another clash sent sparks flying. "You’re not just some mindless beast. You actually know how to fight."
The kobold didn’t answer.
It simply tightened its grip on its greatsword.
Good.
That only made the fight more enjoyable.
Takuya’s expression sharpened.
Time to get serious.
Until now, he had mostly been using fire to enhance his physical attacks.
It was time to use Agnimon’s techniques properly.
Using the recoil from another sword clash, he leaped backward.
"Fire Darts!"
A barrage of blazing projectiles erupted from his hands.
The darts struck the kobold one after another, peppering its body with explosions.
Unlike the elite kobolds, however, this monster barely flinched.
Its hide was considerably tougher.
The attacks left burns, but little more.
Without giving the boss time to recover, Takuya thrust both hands forward.
"Burning Salamander!"
A roaring stream of fire surged across the cavern.
The kobold planted its feet and raised its massive sword as a shield.
The flames crashed into the blade.
The sheer force of the attack pushed the monster backward, its feet carving deep grooves through the stone.
The metal glowed bright red beneath the relentless heat.
Finally, with a powerful swing, the kobold dispersed the flames.
But Takuya was already there.
He grabbed the overheated blade with one hand.
The metal hissed against his armored palm.
With a sharp pull, he forced the sword downward.
At the same time, flames spiraled around his leg.
"Salamander Kick!"
His burning kick struck the kobold squarely across the jaw.
BOOM!
The monster was launched across the cavern, crashing through a stone pillar before skidding to a halt.
Takuya didn’t celebrate.
He simply watched.
A second passed.
Then another.
The kobold slowly pushed itself back to its feet.
It hadn’t dropped its sword.
It hadn’t died.
Instead...
Takuya smiled.
Its jaw hung at an unnatural angle, most of its teeth shattered by the impact.
Even so, it was still standing.
The kobold attempted to roar.
Only a mangled, guttural sound escaped its broken mouth.
Its burning eyes remained locked onto Takuya, filled with nothing but rage.
Takuya’s grin widened.
"Looks like I’m really enjoying this."
"Maybe... this is what it feels like to think like a Digimon."
He rushed forward again.
The kobold met him head-on.
Their weapons—fist and sword—collided once more.
This time, however, the monster fought with even greater ferocity.
Several of its attacks slipped past Takuya’s guard.
The greatsword slammed into his shoulder.
Another strike hit his abdomen.
A third scraped across his face.
Yet none of them hurt as much as he had expected.
Agnimon’s armor was remarkably sturdy.
It wasn’t made of Chrome Digizoid—that much Takuya knew.
If it had been, he would have been operating on an entirely different level.
Still...
It was more than enough.
Besides, after repeatedly blocking Burning Salamander, the kobold’s sword had lost its edge.
The once razor-sharp blade had become dull from the intense heat.
Instead of slicing through his armor, it now struck more like a heavy iron club.
Painful.
But far from fatal.
Takuya unleashed another barrage of Burning Salamanders, forcing the kobold to dodge.
The monster had already realized that taking another direct hit would likely kill it.
Instead of blocking, it threw itself from side to side, weaving through the cavern while desperately closing the distance.
Takuya welcomed it.
The moment the kobold entered range, Agnimon ignited with flames and charged forward.
Their weapons met once again.
Another exchange.
Another.
Another.
This time, however, something had changed.
Without consciously realizing it, Takuya had begun adapting.
He wasn’t analyzing the kobold’s movements step by step.
The battle was far too fast for that.
Instead...
It was instinct.
His body naturally adjusted its stance.
His strikes became more efficient.
His parries smoother.
Each exchange demanded less effort than the last.
Part of it was his own improvement.
The other part...
The kobold was slowing down.
Its shattered jaw bounced painfully every time it moved.
The injury was interfering with its breathing and balance, gradually making its attacks less precise.
"...Sorry," Takuya muttered.
His leg erupted in flames.
"Salamander Kick!"
The blazing kick struck the kobold’s broken jaw once again.
This time...
The lower half of its jaw exploded completely.
Fragments of bone and Data scattered through the cavern, leaving half of the monster’s face missing.
The kobold staggered backward.
Unable to roar, it let out only a distorted, gargling howl.
Then it began wildly swinging its sword in every direction.
The attacks were so erratic that they became impossible to predict.
Even Takuya was forced to retreat.
Ironically, a desperate opponent was often more dangerous than a composed one.
Still...
That didn’t mean he intended to wait.
"Burning Salamander!"
The torrent of flames engulfed the kobold completely.
This time there was no guard.
No dodge.
The attack landed cleanly.
Fire spread across the monster’s body as it desperately tried to extinguish the flames.
Takuya simply watched.
The fight was already over.
The kobold was still alive.
But it had already lost.
There was no reason to prolong its suffering.
He lowered his stance.
One hand opened in front of him.
The other rested beside his waist.
Flames gathered around his clenched fist.
The fire spread to his legs as well, concentrating into a brilliant crimson glow.
Then—
He disappeared.
The burst of flames beneath his feet launched him forward like a rocket.
In an instant, he was standing before the burning kobold.
His flaming fist shot forward.
Crimson Knuckle.
The punch struck the monster squarely in the chest.
The flames exploded through its body.
They didn’t tear a hole through it.
Instead, a massive black scorch mark blossomed across its back as the fire consumed it from within.
The kobold stood frozen for a single second.
Then its body collapsed.
Moments later, it dissolved into Data.
Silence filled the cavern.
"I... just soloed a B-Rank dungeon," Takuya muttered.
It was the greatest accomplishment of his life so far.
Before arriving in this world, he had never imagined fighting monsters like these alone.
Yet here he was.
Victorious.
Without wasting time, he began collecting the scattered Data.
Unlike Jinwoo’s experience system, he couldn’t absorb everything automatically.
He still needed to be within roughly ten meters of the remains, forcing him to walk around the cavern gathering every last fragment.
When he finally finished, the D-Scan displayed the result.
207 MB of Data acquired.
It was the largest amount he had ever collected in a single dungeon.
"If B-Rank Gates give me this much..." Takuya thought.
"I could probably unlock Vritramon much sooner than I expected."
His eyes lit up.
"And A-Rank Gates..."
Most monsters there should be comparable to the boss he had just defeated.
The boss itself would be even stronger.
"Maybe... one gigabyte per raid if I’m lucky?"
It was only speculation.
Still...
The possibility alone was exciting.
While crouching to gather the remaining Mana Crystals and store them inside his Inventory, Takuya suddenly sensed a powerful presence approaching through the Gate.
He immediately looked up.
A young Hunter stepped through the portal.
He wore heavy armor, carried a massive shield, and held a longsword in his free hand.
A tank...
Probably the reinforcements dispatched after the Dungeon Break.
The Hunter stopped the instant he saw Agnimon.
His eyes narrowed.
Takuya didn’t like that look.
He instinctively raised his guard.
"Ah... shit."
Without saying a word, the Hunter lunged forward.
At the same moment, two more Hunters emerged behind him.
The shield slammed toward Takuya.
The sword followed immediately after.
Takuya blocked the shield with one armored forearm while catching the sword with the other.
CLANG!
The impact was tremendous.
This Hunter...
He was actually stronger than the kobold boss.
Even Takuya was pushed several meters backward before managing to stop himself.
Flames flared around Agnimon in annoyance.
"I’m a Hunter too, you moron!"
The words echoed through the cavern.
The armored Hunter froze.
"...Huh?"
His eyes widened.
He looked around.
The burning kobold corpses.
The dissolved remains.
The Mana Crystals scattered everywhere.
Then he looked back at Agnimon.
Now that he paid attention...
The "monster" before him looked remarkably human beneath the armor.
Realization struck him all at once.
"I-I..."
His face turned pale.
"I’M SORRY!"
He bowed so quickly it was almost comical.
Behind him, the other two Hunters simultaneously covered their faces with their hands.
None of them had expected their teammate to attack another Hunter without confirming his identity first.
Takuya stared at the embarrassed trio for a few seconds before letting out a long sigh.
"The Gate is about to collapse," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "I already killed the boss. Let’s get out of here."
The three Hunters nodded repeatedly.
And just like that...
Takuya’s first solo dungeon raid came to an end.