The equipment was thrown into the 【Hideout】, and we began moving.

From the center to the entrance, it felt like it spanned about 500-600 meters.
While jogging through the spacious boss chamber, the monsters didn’t attack us.
Rather, they were fleeing.
Not from us, but from that boss mantis.

I couldn’t sense anything myself, but… maybe the monsters were picking up on something?

The boss mantis was following us slowly but steadily.

Normally, when monsters chase humans like us, they do so with more ferocity… but this felt different. It gave off an unsettling vibe, like we were being methodically cornered.
It reminded me of how Alec hunts—patiently dismantling the monsters step by step, never rushing.

Even my team seemed more focused on the boss mantis behind us than on the path ahead, which I was supposed to be scouting. I guess it really must be powerful.

In the end, we reached the southern wall without any fights breaking out. It was finally time to confront the boss mantis, but before that, I decided to check the adjacent rooms through the wall.
Like with the demon lords and mid-level boss monkeys before, there was always a chance of reinforcements arriving, and I needed to prepare myself… at least mentally!

“Mmm… okay! There aren’t any monsters on the other side either!”

I reported to the others that no monsters were about to pour into our room.
Up front, Ruban and Teresa were standing ready, with Zighart also unsheathing his sword, as though planning to fight up close.

It seemed like magic wouldn’t work on the boss, so I guess they had no choice. But even so, deciding to face that thing in close combat… they’ve got some nerve.

“Got it. Stick to the plan. Don’t push yourself too hard,” Alec said after hearing my report.

He carried the 【Red Shield】 on his back and wielded a club in both hands, prepared to fight while constantly on the move rather than staying in one place.

“Got it. Everyone, stay safe!”

Activating 【Prayer】, I moved slightly away from the others. Then I prepared by activating 【Purple Wings】, 【Amber Shield】, and 【Wind Garb】.

Alright, time to spread some poison!

◇

The battle with the boss mantis began.

The boss moved slowly, swinging its scythes wide.
Its attacks were simple but overwhelming due to its sheer size.
Every swing of its scythe made a loud whoosh, the sound reaching my ears even though I was keeping my distance.

Dodging wasn’t particularly hard since its range of motion was limited, but the swings covered a wide area, and it could change direction suddenly by shifting its body, so there was no room for carelessness.
Even a single collision with its massive body could result in a disaster.

Its insect-like compound eyes allowed it to see in almost every direction—not just in front but to the sides and even behind.
There were no blind spots.

No matter how we moved, it tracked us, leaving us unable to land any effective hits.

As an evolved version of a Giant Mantis, it was already among the stronger monsters. On top of that, it was a demon lord variant with attributes akin to Lesser Dragons.
We couldn’t tell how much it had been enhanced compared to a regular Giant Mantis, but we had to fight carefully, avoiding any direct hits.
So far, we hadn’t found an opening to go on the offensive.

Though it was still early in the fight, the atmosphere was tense, forcing us to remain patient.

“…Ah, it worked.”

Out of the corner of my vision, I noticed a monster collapsing.

Previously, I couldn’t share my familiar’s vision unless I closed my eyes, but recently, I’ve managed to maintain the connection with one familiar even with my eyes open.
It’s still impossible during intense movements, but in situations like this—floating in place and observing—it’s doable.

Looking further into the distance, I noticed several more monsters falling.

Since just before the battle started, I had been spreading poison as much as possible, and it seemed the effects were finally kicking in.

While the fight with the boss raged on below, my poison wasn’t affecting it at all, but at least it was helping with the other monsters.

“The surrounding monsters are starting to feel the effects of the poison!”

I called out to the others fighting below.

In this battle, I had four roles.

First, to observe the boss from directly above.

Second, to keep spreading poison and neutralize the surrounding monsters.
The second role was now showing results.

Though no one responded verbally, Alec briefly swung his club in a circular motion, which I took as his acknowledgment.

This group often worked together on territorial matters.

For knightly duties, we relied on August, who had both rank and status.
For forest expeditions or monster hunts, Zighart, with his experience and skill, took the lead.
But in dungeons, Alec naturally became the leader.

Ruban, who usually worked separately, also followed his lead here. It was interesting to see how everyone instinctively obeyed.

“Alright, I’ll get started on my part too.”

Though the fourth role would have to wait, it was time to begin my third task: ensuring the others could focus entirely on the boss.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Sera: 【Hideout】 +1, 【Prayer】, 【Mira’s Blessing】, 【Wind Cloak】, 【Floating Orb】 +1, 【Shadow Sword】, 【Scarlet Bee Needle】, 【Fairy’s Eye】, 【Dragon’s Lung】, 【Amber Sword】, 【Danrem’s Thread】, 【Serpent’s Tail】, 【Ankle Bracelet】, 【Amber Shield】, 【Purple Wings】 ・ 3 cards

Seriana: 【Range Identification】 ・ 【】 ・ 28 cards

Elena: 【】 ・ 【Green Fang】, 【Amber Sword】 ・ 3 cards

Alec: 【Power Strike】 ・ 【Red Shield】, 【Fierce Horned Trumpet】 ・ 5 cards