Nightclown hurled the spear again. The cycle began again... Throw! Penetrate! Shock! Dodge! Retrieve!
The Six-Winged Jelly was tough. And its core was really hard to hit. Worse yet, each [Electric Shock] seemed to do less to it. Its resilience was adapting. Its wobbly form absorbed the impact. Resisting the shock.
The BOSS tried to use [Gelatinous Grapple!]. It extended thick, long, and sticky tendrils of its own body. Surprisingly fast for its size. Aimed at Nightclown. Trying to ensnare him. To pull him in.
Nightclown saw it. He used [Sprint!] and [Shrink!] to dart away and evade. The tendril slapped harmlessly against the ground where he had been a moment before. It stuck there for a second, then retracted. He was too fast, too small.
But, he was running out of glitch energy. He had to finish this soon. He had to hit harder, deeper.
He decisively took a [Power Berry] from his inventory. And popped it into his mouth. A burst of sweet, tangy energy flooded his senses. His muscles tightened. [Power Boost!]. His physical attack and constitution temporarily increased.
He charged. Not directly at the BOSS. But following a wide arc. Building momentum. He held the [Lightning Spear] like a javelin.
This time, he wouldn't throw it from far away. He would get closer. A point blank throw if necessary.
The Six-Winged Jelly responded with another barrage of [Jelly Bullets!]. They came faster this time. More accurately.
Nightclown dodged through them. Relying on the [Sprint!] and [Shrink!] combo. One bullet caught him square in the chest. A sharp, stinging pain hit him. And it turned sticky. But he ignored it. He was close now.
The BOSS, still bloated, tried to grapple him again.
But Nightclown leaped. A tiny, determined projectile. He was at the melee range. He aimed and threw the [Lightning Spear] at almost point blank range.
Both weapon skills were activated. [Toon Penetration] and [Electric Shock] pierced the creature.
This time the spear moved even faster than before. Driven by the [Power Berry] effect. It struck the core before the Jelly could move it. Right at the center.
The electrical discharge was surprisingly more intense this time. Either caused by the power increase or the accurate strike to the core.
The Six-Winged Jelly shrieked again. Not a sonic attack. But a sound of genuine pain. Its iridescent light flickered. Rapidly dimming. Its energy wings thrashed wildly. Sending gusts of foul-smelling air throughout the chamber.
It was a chance. Nightclown didn't wait. He activated [Steal!]. A faint, almost invisible shimmer surrounded the dying boss.
There was a brief distortion in the air. And then, a small, vibrant red root vegetable materialized in Nightclown's hand.
[Steal!]...
[Successful attempt!]
[Item acquired: Speed Radish (x1)]
[Permanent Consumables] updated.
Satisfied, Nightclown darted back. Putting distance between himself and the collapsing boss. Just in time.
The Six-Winged Jelly shuddered. Its iridescent light flickered, then dimmed. Energy wings thrashed no more. It began to shrink, its [Toon Swell!] ability failing. Then, with a final, shuddering ripple, the Six-Winged Jelly froze.
A faint, almost imperceptible POP sounded through the chamber. Its core broke apart. Its iridescent glow vanished. The big, wobbly mass was deflated rapidly. Shrinking back to its original size. Then getting smaller. Before popping and collapsing into a mere puddle of viscous, clear slime on the floor.
A faint, triumphant jingle echoed through the chamber. And then, a shower of notifications immediately filled Nightclown's vision.
[Six-Winged Jelly (BOSS) defeated!]
[Experience Gained: +11000 XP!]
[You have gained a Level!]
[Current Level: 18]
Another level up. Nice! He was closer to Level 20. To the third tier of Transcendence.
The chamber was silent now. Save for the gentle hum of Cammy, the [Toon Camera Recorder]. It had captured every single glorious second of the fight.
Nightclown grinned. He had won. He had defeated the Six-Winged Jelly. And there was still... the loots. Coins and [Jelly Cubes]. And... an iron treasure chest.
He immediately moved to gather the scattered loots. Once everything other than the chest was collected. He paused. Checking his inventory.
He gained an addition 1850 Coins and five [Jelly Cubes]. Not bad. Standard drops. Next would be the treasure chest.
He looked at it. The [Iron Treasure Chest] sat stubbornly on the ground. Locked. Solid and unyielding. But it wasn't a big problem for him.
He pulled out his [Iron Chest Key], a simple, old-fashioned tool. He knelt, inserted the key, and turned. A click resonated. The lid popped open with a puff of cartoon smoke, revealing two items inside... a dark, web-covered sphere and a folded bundle of cloth.
He reached and touched them. Placing them in his system inventory.
[Item acquired: Webstone (x1)]
[Raw Material Consumables] updated.
[Item acquired: Toon Ninja Outfit]
[Costumes] updated.
That should be all. It was now time to check them.
Nightclown's priority was the stolen object... [Speed Radish]. He could already guess what it was. He opened his inventory panel. Observing the newly acquired radish. It glowed faintly. A vibrant red, like a cartoonish carrot. He immediately read its description.
[Speed Radish]: A super rare, mystical consumable that permanently increases Speed by one star. Consumption is immediate and irreversible.
Just as he had expected. Without hesitation, he brought it to his mouth. And bit a large chunk. It tasted like concentrated sweetness and raw energy. He chewed. Swallowed.
A notification immediately appeared.
[Speed has permanently increased by one star!]
[Speed: ✪✪✪✪]
[Effect: Increase regular speed by 70%; increase speed during [Sprint!] by 200%; reduce the energy consumption of speed-based moves by 70%.]
He compared it to the effect of his previous Speed (✪✪✪). At that stage... it increased regular speed by 50% and speed during [Sprint!] by 100%. Energy consumption at that tine was reduced by 50%.
The improvement was substantial. Speed was already his core combat style. Now it was amplified. His toon body felt lighter. More reactive. A latent energy hummed in his legs.
It was a great find. Lucky for him, the skill succeeded.
Next, he shifted to the [Webstone]. He held it up. It was rough, dark grey. With faint, almost sticky threads clinging to its surface.
[Webstone]: A rare, mystical raw material. This stone generates a naturally sticky, incredibly durable web-like substance. Highly sought after for crafting specialized combat tools. Essential component for creating items such as a [Web-gun] for entanglement or a [Cocoon Shield] for dynamic defense.
Nightclown absorbed the information. His rogue class should excel in traps, de-buffs, crowd control. A web-gun or cocoon shield fit perfectly with that.
He needed to go and see Mr. Gorhammer in the Village's Smithy. He should be able to create one. Or, at least he would know where to create one.
The problem was... whenever he exit Toonworlf, the world's time was stopped. And he could only be here for an hour and a half every time. It was still night time here. It would take several more days before daylight. Most stores in the Toon Forest Village only opened during daytime.
Nightclown sighed and checked his final loot. The [Toon Ninja Outfit]. Finally, a costume to equip.
He took it out and unfolded it. It was a sleek, dark grey ensemble... rubber shoes, trousers, a stylish sleeveless tunic, gauntlets, a hood, and a face wrap. The material was soft, flexible, and seemed to absorb rather than reflect light.
He checked the definition...
[Toon Ninja Outfit]: A specialized Toonworld costume. Grants significant boons to stealth and subterfuge. Equipping this outfit will improve stealth capabilities by 50%;
increases the success rate of [Steal!] by 25%l and reduces the energy consumption of stealth-based skills by 40%.
Nice! It was way better than his current [Sporty Outfit]. And this was a very suitable equipment for his Rogue class. Stealth. Stealing. It synergized perfectly. Nightclown's hare face stretched into a toothy grin.
He immediately changed his outfits...
After a few moments, he was no longer an anthropomorphic hare wearing blue sporty outfit. He was now a... ninja hare. Wearing dark-grey shinobi toon outfit.
He glanced at his Toonworld watch. The hour was ticking down. Four minutes left. Not enough time to continue exploring.
So, he checked his status panel instead...
===[STATUS PANEL]===
[Name: Jester Eventide]
[Soulheart Gear: Toonworld Watch]
[Codename: Nightclown]
[Level: 18]
[Class: Rogue]
[Profession: -]
[Power: ✪]
[Speed: ✪✪✪✪]
[Vigor: ✪✪]
[Sense: ✪✪]
[Magic: ✪✪]
[Drive: ✪✪]
[Charm: ✪]
[Health: 98%]
[Stamina: 87%]
[Glitch: 24%]
[Personality: Jolly Prankster]
[Personality: Smartass Comedian]
[Passive Traits: Toon Physique; Toon Speed; Otherworld Resonance]
[Active Traits 01: Stretch! Shrink!]
[Active Trait 02: Sprint!]
[Active Skills: Inspect! Steal!]
[Ranged Weapon: -]
[Melee Weapons: Thunder Nunchaku; Lightning Spear]
[Combat Tool: -]
[Utility Tools: Iron Chest Key, Toon Camera Recorder, Hearthstone]
[Costumes: Sporty Outfit, Toon Ninja Outfit]
[==Consumables==]
[ o Coin: 26089]
[ o Main EXP: Growth Carrot (x0)]
[ o Permanent: Vigor Eggplant (x0), Drive Tomato (x0), Speed Radish (x0)]
[ o Temporary: Power Berries (x2)]
[ o Healing: Recovery Cabbages (x7)]
[ o Raw Material: Ironwood Branch (x0), Stones (x2), Copper Ores (x4), Iron Ores (x35), Silver Ore (x21), Mystic Iron Ores (x10), Mystic Silver Ores (x4), Chomper's Teeth (x83), Weapon Upgrade Token (x0), Lightning Crystal (x0), Jelly Cubes {x56), Mana Crystals (x21), Shuriken (x0), Webstone (x1)]
[==Hearthstone==]
[ o Home (Sherra): Jester's Bedroom]
[ o Home (Toonworld): Nighclown's House]