Chapter 78: The First Mini-Boss

This was the second time Beast One had encountered a hidden dungeon, but unlike the previous occasion, last time he had merely been notified of its discovery, with twenty-four hours to gather his teammates and challenge the hidden instance. Now, however, the system had prompted him directly to begin the fight, without leaving him any opportunity to choose.

It had been mentioned before that the mechanics of hidden dungeons had changed. While the difficulty remained significant, it was not as daunting as Beast One’s first experience, and the odds of triggering such a dungeon had increased considerably. This heightened probability naturally meant the overall challenge had lessened somewhat.

Furthermore, hidden dungeons could only be triggered in team mode, though the system did not specify the required number of participants. For his second attempt, Beast One had already switched from solo to party mode, even if his “party” consisted of only himself. He’d wanted to see if this would increase his chances of encountering a hidden dungeon, and as it turned out, luck was on his side.

Beast One had no idea how powerful the hidden dungeon’s boss would be—there was no information written about it. If he really wanted to know, he would have to set foot into the hidden domain itself. Surveying his surroundings, he realized he had reached the deepest part of the valley: sheer walls on all sides, no visible exit. Yet, knowing the nature of these instances, the path forward was surely just ahead.

Indeed, after taking a few steps, the cliff face before him vanished, revealing a new passageway. At the same time, the system interface appeared before his eyes.

[Clearing the dungeon grants a chance to obtain a Tyrannosaurus Digimon, or the possibility of excellent items.] Along with this message, information about the hidden dungeon appeared before Beast One.

The boss of this hidden dungeon was Tyrannosaurus X. Contrary to his expectations, its power was not overwhelming—a mere one thousand points of overall combat strength. In other words, it was on par with Goldenhorn and Silverhorn, neither more nor less.

Perhaps this was because Tyrannosaurus X was only the hidden boss of a level 10-13 dungeon, not the boss of a level 30 hidden instance, so its strength was, inevitably, somewhat limited.

Moreover, this time there was no guarantee of a level-up or a specific reward. On reflection, it made sense. The last hidden dungeon was a unique, one-time event with a difficult trigger condition, so naturally, its rewards were extraordinary.

But this hidden dungeon was not unique, and the chance of triggering it was much higher. Whether due to Beast One’s good fortune or not, he had only cleared four instances before it appeared. Even if others weren’t as lucky, surely after forty attempts, they would succeed.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the system panel faded away, signaling that the battle was about to begin. Yet, no Digimon appeared before Beast One—evidently, the system had granted him a brief respite, a buffer zone before the action truly commenced.

With this in mind, he took a few steps forward to the end of the passage, rounded a corner, and immediately encountered two Tyrannosaurus Digimon. The moment they saw Beast One and his Dragon Digimon, their eyes glinted with savagery; their jaws opened, unleashing a volley of [Mega Flame] at the intruders.

But Beast One sprang forward, dodging with speed. One fireball collided with him as he moved, but in the next instant, he burst from the blazing fire, driving his fist into one of the Tyrannosaurus Digimon, dispatching it in a matter of seconds.

As for the other Tyrannosaurus, its [Mega Flame] was intercepted mid-flight by the Dragon Digimon’s [Flame Breath]. Whether the attack was strengthened or weakened by the clash, the resulting torrent of fire engulfed the Tyrannosaurus, setting it alight.

With a flurry of [Draconic Slash], the Dragon Digimon rained blows upon its foe. Though his power was formidable, it did not quite match Beast One’s own overwhelming strength, so the battle took a little longer, but it was clear he held the upper hand.

Beast One folded his arms and stood aside, making no move to assist. The Dragon Digimon was not overmatched, and if he intervened, it would only hinder its growth.

After all, while Beast One didn’t particularly need the Dragon Digimon’s help, he wouldn’t mind having a capable companion. If nothing else, when facing a dungeon boss, having one or two Digimon to intercept the lesser foes would make his job much easier.

Otherwise, as the saying goes, even the strongest fists are outmatched by many hands. If the boss and its minions attacked together, he’d likely be overwhelmed. Never underestimate the danger; the boss was already as strong as he was. He prevailed only because his movements and tactics were more agile.

So, under Beast One’s watchful gaze, the Dragon Digimon finished off the remaining Tyrannosaurus. Having held the advantage throughout, it had barely lost any health.

Satisfied, Beast One nodded silently, then led his companion onward.

He hadn’t expected the hidden dungeon’s first mini-boss to be the Earth Tyrannosaurus. It was the same Digimon as in the regular instance outside, but as the fight began, Beast One quickly realized this Earth Tyrannosaurus was slightly stronger than its counterpart.

Yet, in terms of qualitative change, there was none. Its strength was increased, but only marginally so. Before long, Beast One had dispatched it as well.

Only after defeating the Earth Tyrannosaurus did he notice the Dragon Digimon still battling the lesser monsters. Their strength wasn’t remarkable, but their numbers made things difficult for his companion.

Stepping in, Beast One helped the Dragon Digimon clear out the remaining foes, gathered another round of materials, and together they continued on their way.