As I headed toward the basement, I unexpectedly found a fog gate.
In my previous two boss fights, I had walked straight in.
Perhaps it was a mechanism Teacher Sellen had set up. I was also glad I had baited out the poison flower monster's floral Founding Rain of Stars beforehand. Otherwise, taking a couple of hits while entering would have really hurt.
After all, I was only level one. One careless mistake, and it would be game over.
Grumbling to myself, I reached out and touched the fog gate.
It felt as though someone had pulled me forward. After another dozen or so steps through the fog, my surroundings gradually darkened.
Just as I wondered whether I had made it all the way through, a warning reached my ears.
"Rooar-"
The roar came with the clinking of chains. I hurriedly rolled on instinct, dodging out of the way.
The flail slammed into the wall, scattering rubble and throwing off a few sparks.
Th-that's dirty! Tricking and ambushing a newbie Tarnished like me!
I ranted inwardly as I stared straight at the bastard who had ambushed me-the Mad Pumpkin Head Soldier.
Just as his name suggested, the boss wore an enormous golden helmet shaped like a pumpkin. He stood hunched over, his flail clanking in his hand, and looked about twice as tall as a Tarnished.
With that pumpkin helmet, attacking head-on would be extremely difficult. Blows would easily bounce off its sturdy surface.
Also, the hit detection on the flail in his right hand was a real pain. Even when I looked clearly out of reach, I could still get smacked out of nowhere.
In an instant, the information I had accumulated in the game flooded my mind, along with the strategy for dealing with him.
Against large, slow monsters in Elden Ring that mix fast and delayed strikes, the best place to deal damage is behind their unarmed side!
"Of course, I also need to watch out for any reactions to getting hit that differ from the game!" As I dodged, I settled on a plan and brought my sword into play.
The moment the flail came crashing down at my head, I darted right to evade it. While he was locked in the motion, I hurried around his unarmed side toward his back, swinging my Straight Sword and cutting a gash into his arm.
The Pumpkin Head Soldier sensed my position and kept turning left.
But he was simply too large, and his pumpkin helmet was so heavy that he could not even straighten his back. Naturally, it restricted his turns, making them painfully slow.
Good. Exactly as I expected.
I stayed behind the Pumpkin Head Soldier's left side, swinging my sword whenever his turns left an opening.
The tactic worked every time. Growing agitated, the Pumpkin Head Soldier swung his flail wildly to the left, occasionally clawing behind him with his left hand. But his arms could only reach so far. He could not touch me.
Just keep my distance, keep my distance~
"Rooar-"
Suddenly, he let out an enraged roar and whipped his flail around as fast and wide as he could, so crazed that he did not care if he struck himself.
Heh, he's getting mad. He's getting mad. I could not help laughing inwardly. This impotent rage won't do him any good. As long as I back off a little, he'll only hurt himself and burn through his stamina. Then all I have to do is land the killing blow when his strength gives out!
I felt my body trembling slightly, but I knew it was not fear. It was intense concentration, like a leopard trembling in readiness after locking onto its prey, just before it pounced.
Like right now!
The heavily panting Pumpkin Head Soldier slowed, and his right arm dropped!
I rushed forward, aimed at his heart from behind, and leaped up, driving my Straight Sword into him with all my strength.
"Rooar-"
The Pumpkin Head Soldier roared again and bucked his back desperately like a maddened bull.
How does he still have so much strength? Did I stab the wrong spot?
Ah, I can barely hold on to my Straight Sword.
Before he could throw me to the floor, I planted a foot against his back and used the force of my backward leap to pull out my Straight Sword, ready to rethink my approach.
But the instant my feet touched down, the Pumpkin Head Soldier caught my movement. Balancing on one foot, he turned himself into a giant spinning top and whipped around to the right.
By the time I reacted, the flail was already howling through the air toward my side.
Boom!
"Gah!" I coughed up a mouthful of blood.
It felt exactly like being hit by a car. I flew through the air and slammed into the basement wall, pain wracking my body as though it were about to fall apart.
If I had not blocked the flail with my Large Leather Shield in time, that devastating hit probably would have killed me outright!
The only good news was that the Pumpkin Head Soldier could not control his balance very well. After striking me, he managed just one rotation before wobbling and falling onto his backside.
If he could have kept spinning like that and pressing toward me, I probably would have died here today.
Heal. I need to heal, now.
With trembling hands, I pulled out my Flask of Crimson Tears and gulped it down.
Only then did the ringing in my head from the heavy blow stop, but I could not get my body to stop shaking.
Was death creeping out of the shadows again, trying to slow my steps?
"Roar! Roar!" Panting heavily, the Pumpkin Head Soldier got back to his feet.
He was covered in wounds, but his explosive strength still could not be underestimated. If his flail caught me several times in a row, I would probably go down before I could heal.
What do I do? What should I do?
I was so tense that I even held my breath.
But then I unexpectedly noticed that he was not rushing to attack?!
Why?
Thinking it over carefully, the answer was actually obvious.
In the real world, the Pumpkin Head Soldier naturally had no AI to track his target.
His helmet completely blocked his vision, and he probably could not track me by scent either. Of the remaining possibilities, hearing was the likeliest. Of course, magical detection was not out of the question... but the current situation told me one thing.
I carefully took out a Throwing Knife and tossed it behind him.
Clink!
"Roar!" Just as expected, he turned and smashed his flail toward where the Throwing Knife had landed.
"That makes things much easier." I calmed down, took out the Spirit Calling Bell, and gave it a gentle shake. "What will you do if you have several nimble opponents?"
Jingle~
As the bell rang, my three Lone Wolves companions appeared beside me.
Before the Pumpkin Head Soldier could approach, I swept my hand forward. "Go, spirit wolves! Attack him from three different directions!"
"Awooo-"
The Lone Wolves understood me and swiftly split up to attack the Pumpkin Head Soldier.
They were even more agile than I was, and their smaller bodies let them dart between his legs.
That drove the Pumpkin Head Soldier into an even greater frenzy. But even his spinning flail could not catch those elusive targets-just like that, his strongest killing move was shut down!
"Roar!" The Pumpkin Head Soldier finally went completely berserk and began repeatedly smashing his enormous head into the ground.
His head-slamming looked comical, but the attack had an inexplicably large range. Sometimes, even standing behind him would not keep the shock wave from breaking my guard.
So I was not going to approach recklessly.
Just like before, all I had to do was wait for the massive opening after his head-slamming attack ended...
Now!
My sword flashed free, its cold gleam driving straight into the Mad Pumpkin Head Soldier's chest.
"Haaah-" My trembling had stopped without my even noticing. I shouted, "Go down!"
This time, I won't miss!
One decisive thrust!
A life extinguished.
I could even hear the muffled beating beneath his thick chest fall silent. The roaring inside the pumpkin helmet faded too, and his movements stopped completely.
[Enemy Felled]
Heh. As expected, as long as I stay calm enough, a minor boss like this is no match for me!
I was about to pull out my sword and turn away in style, flick off the blood, and sheath it like a great hero who had just slain a villain.
But why was the sword hilt getting heavier and heavier? And why was a huge shadow bearing down on me without warning?... Hey, wait, wait!
A dull thud echoed through the basement.
H-holy crap. Why is this thing as heavy as a boulder?
Thankfully, soon after he died, the Pumpkin Head Soldier's body crumbled into ash and dispersed, while runes gathered and flowed into my palm. Otherwise, I would have gotten a very personal taste of how a certain monkey felt after being pinned down for five hundred years.
"Next time, no showing off. Just get clear after the killing blow." I stood and brushed off the dust. "But more importantly..."
The fog filling the front and rear of the basement dispersed, finally revealing another door.
Hehehe, Teacher Sellen, your good student is here!
Yahoo~
I heaved up the heavy iron door, only for a Glintstone Staff shining with blue light to press against the top of my head.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Huh-