55%... 47%... 39%...
Under the relentless, suicidal battering of the Lao-Shan Lung, the Fortress wall was disintegrating. Long fissures spider-webbed across the top platform where Wayne stood. The two ballistae on either side had already been reduced to splinters and twisted iron by the dragon's massive front claws.
Although the onlookers knew that in a game, death only meant a restart, everyone's palms were slick with sweat as the battle reached this critical juncture.
Monster Hunter differed from other games in that monsters had no visible health bars. For those unfamiliar with the game, the boss's remaining health was a total guessing game from start to finish.
Veterans could usually gauge the situation through the monster's behavior. In the original game, a skull icon would flash on the mini-map when a monster was near death; however, this "Enhanced Reality" version, which mirrored real life in almost every way, lacked such a feature.
Wayne had initially wanted to wait on the top platform for the Dragonator to recharge for a second shot. He tried to use the openings after the behemoth slammed into the wall to hack at its head and claws.
But seeing the wall's integrity drop to 30% and the Dragonator's exit port cracking—making it clearly unusable—Wayne decided to stake everything on a single gamble. He had to end this battle with his and Rainier's raw damage before the wall crumbled completely.
Wayne crouched low, thrusting his Greatsword into a gap in the brickwork and gripping the hilt with both hands to brace for the Lao-Shan Lung's next head-on collision.
After feeling the entire world shake several times, Wayne sprinted toward the dragon's head, set down a Large Barrel Bomb, and retreated at top speed.
This time, however, he didn't use the Greatsword as a brace. Instead, he turned and began a headlong sprint directly toward the dragon's head!
After its claws slammed down, shattering a dozen more massive wall bricks, the Lao-Shan Lung reared its head again, summoning its strength to smash into the wall once more.
At that exact moment, Wayne leaped forward.
Verdan shouted, "What is Miller doing?! Is he trying to take it head-on?"
De Vries added, "If he gets hit by that head, which can crush giant boulders, he'll be sent straight back to camp in a cart!"
Hicks agreed, "Exactly! Running back from camp would waste so much time."
In the blink of an eye, just as Wayne reached the peak of his leap, the dragon's head slammed into the wall. Amidst the earth-shattering destruction, the Large Barrel Bomb detonated upon impact.
In mid-air, Wayne tucked his Greatsword beneath his body. The shockwave of the explosion not only tore a wound into the dragon's head but also propelled the jumping Wayne even higher into the sky.
Wayne pointed the tip of his Greatsword downward and plunged toward the Lao-Shan Lung's head!
The Lao-Shan Lung had a 95% resistance to water attacks. Even though Wayne's Kirin set boosted all elemental power, he had swapped his water-element "Golden Tooth" for the "Siegmund," a Greatsword crafted from Gold and Silver Rath materials.
While it wasn't the absolute strongest weapon in the game yet, just as his progress was down to only the Lao-Shan Lung and the Fatalis, this Greatsword was only two steps away from becoming the ultimate blade.
Guided by the immense potential energy of the long fall, the sharp blade sank directly into the weak point where the Lao-Shan Lung's neck met its back.
Though the spiked carapace there looked incredibly thick, as the old saying goes, "the harder the object, the easier it breaks." Struck by Wayne's unstoppable downward thrust, the Greatsword carved a massive wound five or six meters long down the dragon's back. A giant scale was sliced off and fell heavily to the ground!
This direct hit to its weak point caused the Lao-Shan Lung to finally buckle under the sheer agony. The shock sent it collapsing to the ground in a brief, stunned state.
At this point, the Fortress wall was teetering on the edge of collapse. When a structure is damaged to its core, even a strong gust of wind could bring it down without further external force.
As the Lao-Shan Lung slumped against the wall, countless bricks and stones fell along with its body.
Fortress Integrity: 21%.
"Get up here! This is the last chance!"
Wayne pulled his Greatsword free and began repeatedly hacking at the open wound, shouting for Rainier to join him for the finishing blow.
De Vries noted, "Miller's downward slashes... they look just like Execute."
He was referring to "Execute," a powerful attack intermediate warriors could learn that used high rage to deliver a lethal blow to a dying enemy.
Verdan nodded, "Yeah, if I hadn't seen him use magic before, I'd really think he was a warrior."
Hudson immediately nudged Verdan, shooting him a sharp look. "What nonsense are you talking about? Since when does Wayne use spells?"
Verdan caught on instantly. There were outsiders present, and they had promised Vili to keep Wayne's secret. "My brain just short-circuited from the tension."
Hicks cursed, "Damn, why isn't this dragon dead yet? It's got dozens of wounds. Its life force is too strong!"
Rainier leaped onto the Lao-Shan Lung's hind leg and sprinted up its body toward Wayne.
Once they met, they poured every ounce of their strength into continuous slashes at the gaping wound. Their weapons and armor had long been dyed a deep, brownish-red by the dragon's blood.
Just as the kill seemed imminent, the Lao-Shan Lung actually recovered from its stupor and tried to stand up again!
Hicks panicked, "It's over! If it stands up, those two will fall and be killed by the drop!"
De Vries yelled, "Miller! Hit it!"
Verdan added, "Captain! Give it everything!"
Hudson: "Just a few more hits! Quick!"
Tess also clenched his fists, his face red with excitement as he shouted, "Go Boss! You can win!"
The Lao-Shan Lung managed to stand. Its claws scraped against the wall, tearing out more bricks. Fortress Integrity dropped to 15%.
Rainier, who was usually never greedy for extra hits, decided to risk it. He leaned his body forward, fighting to maintain his balance while unleashing a "Demon Dance" into the deepening wound.
Unfortunately, halfway through the flurry, the upright dragon shook its back. With no handholds, Rainier fell and was immediately carted back to camp.
Wayne, however, jammed his Greatsword into the wound, gripping the hilt with both hands and kicking upward with his feet, wedging himself inside the blood-spraying gash.
Just as the crowd waited to see how Wayne would attack next, he actually sheathed his Greatsword on his back.
The Lao-Shan Lung was using its final strength to finish off the ruined wall, yet Wayne had put away his blade?
The quartet was speechless, a single thought flashing through their minds: Has he realized time is up and given up?
To their surprise, Wayne stuffed two Small Barrel Bombs into the wound!
This time, even Rainier, who was watching Wayne's screen, gaped in shock. He had already taken off his goggles because he knew that given the speed of the wall's destruction, the battle would be over by the time he ran back from camp.
Wayne drew his blade and slashed at the Small Barrel Bombs with all his might!
BANG! BOOM!
Though the explosion wasn't as powerful as a Large Barrel Bomb, these two went off directly inside the wound, dealing damage almost entirely unmitigated by defense. The massive shockwave instantly threw Wayne out. Not only did he take damage from the blast, but like Rainier, he was set to "fall to his death" upon landing and be carted back to camp.
Was it going to end like this?
Suddenly, the text "[Returning to Gathering Hall in one minute]" flashed in the center of the screen!
"YEAH!!! Boss is incredible! Boss is the best!"
Tess was the first to scream!
Then the quartet burst into loud cheers as well.
Hicks shouted, "Miller, you're f*cking badass!"
De Vries added, "That was the most badass battle I've ever seen!"
Hudson noted, "The Captain was great too. If it weren't for everyone's damage, the mission couldn't have been completed."
Under Wayne's influence, they had become quite proficient in using the word "badass." Though they couldn't fully grasp the literal meaning, they all felt that shouting it was incredibly satisfying and refreshing—as if it were a natural expression of emotion that could be used in almost any scenario.
You could say it when happy, angry, impressed, or even contemptuous.
Moreover, the people of this world didn't view it as a swear word. It felt like someone in a foreign land using a curse word from another language—it just didn't feel as "dirty."
Verdan, however, noticed a discrepancy: "Wait, why didn't Miller die when he fell?"
Rainier laughed and nudged him. "You idiot! As soon as a monster dies, the game enters the 'battle settlement' state. At that point, the character stops taking any damage. Miller knew the final hit from the small bombs would finish the Lao-Shan Lung, so he chose to play it that way."
After this explanation, not just Verdan, but the others were utterly floored by Wayne's brilliance.
However, Wayne, hearing Rainier's words, cursed at him: "What are you daydreaming for? Get over here and carve the materials!"
Rainier let out a cry of "Oh crap!" and hurriedly put his goggles back on to run toward the Lao-Shan Lung.
The quartet couldn't help but chuckle, secretly laughing at the fact that their commander had just been barked at by a young lad.