“He’s free,” Jörm mustered weakly.

“Huzzah,” Tyr groaned.

“What’s the plan?” Ryu asked, addressing the others.

“There are orbs in the pillars casting a protective shield over the Ursa Glacius,” Sylfie explained. “Destroying these orbs will allow us to damage the boss.”

Ryu nodded furrowing his brow. “That sounds all well and good, but who’s going to take care of that?”

They turned to where he was pointing moments before the Ursa bore down on them, gouging the icy floor where they had stood. They leapt out of the path of destruction just in the nick of time, with Ryu grabbing Jörm, and Freyja pulling Tyr out of harm’s way.

“Sh*t! No good! We can’t focus on the pillars while that thing is chasing us!” Freyja panted, Tyr’s arm over her shoulder.

Sylfie, Ryu, and Jörm were separated from the others, the Ursa standing between them. She turned to Ryu with an apprehensive look.

“You have something in mind?” he asked her, raising his eyebrow.

“Yes, but you're not going to like it.”

Sylfie whispered the plan in his ear, his expression souring the more he listened.

“It always ends up like this, doesn’t it?” he groaned.

“I have faith you’ll succeed, young hero!” Jörm patted his shoulder with his good arm.

“First thing’s first, you need to meet up with the others and let them know,” Ryu said to Sylfie.

“Right,” she nodded. She placed a hand on his chest, uttering the incantation quickly. She pursed her lips after the spell was complete, her gaze lingering on Ryu. “Be careful,” she said before turning away with Jörm in tow.

The two of them slipped under the boss’ outstretched arm as it swiped at their heads, rejoining the rest of the group while Ryu stood face-to-face with the Ursa Glacius.

[Skill Disabled: Swift Foot]

[Duration: 5 minutes]

[Status Effect Active: Aggro]

[Effect Duration: 5 minutes]

[Skills Enabled: Aqua Glide]

Ryu grimaced. Given that he was the fastest of their group, he would serve as bait for the Dungeon Master, while the rest focused on destroying the artifacts for its shield. Sylfie was probably explaining the plan to them right now. He hoped that they would be able to lower the shield quickly and come to his aid. Without the stamina buff from [Swift Foot], he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to keep up the diversion. Five minutes was a minuscule amount of time in the grand scheme of things, but in a fight, it seemed like an eternity.

One small slip-up could mean his demise, which meant he would need to keep the Ursa’s attention as long as possible without being skewered or turned into sashimi by its long claws.

“All right you furry f*ck. I’ve just about had enough of this dungeon and my party member’s shenanigans. So be a good little monster and roll over, will ya?”

The Ursa growled, its snout curling back as it bared its fangs.

“Heh, I thought you would say that. I guess I don’t have a choice in the matter,” Ryu grinned, sweat dripping down the side of his face. He manifested the [Storm Lance] in his hand, sliding his thumb back and forth over the elemental settings on the staff of the lance.

The boss roared aggressively, lunging at Ryu. It ran on all fours, clawing the ice and slobbering everywhere as it frothed at the mouth chasing after its prey.

Ryu weaved through the pillars of ice, with swiftness and precision. He half expected the Ursa to barrel through the pillars with its large frame, saving them the trouble of destroying the artifacts. To his dismay, the bear weaved through the pillars with shocking finesse, all the while maintaining its momentum and speed as it made its way towards him, eager to rip into his flesh.

“There, nya!” Aurora called out, directing Freyja to another pillar holding an artifact. The warrior maneuvered the sword and chain apparatus with fine-tuned accuracy, possessing great control over the weapon as if it were an extension of her limbs.

Sylfie melted parts of the other pillars, giving the adventurers a good view of the inside. They were quickly able to determine the location of the sapphire artifacts this way, making good progress as Ryu continued to divert the Dungeon Master’s attention.

Ryu activated the fire element in his [Storm Lance] engulfing it in flames as he speared the Ursa’s shoulders, gradually doing damage as pieces of its shield eroded with every new artifact piece that was broken.

He switched between the water and lightning settings, slicing through the air with a rippling point of water, and running electricity through it before the water could freeze.

The shock caused the Ursa Glacius to jump back several times over the course of their confrontation. Their fight became a rhythm of parries, swipes, and dodges. Ryu grew to recognize the boss’ tells, flipping over its low swipes and piercing its hide with the burning tip of his lance.

Ryu grinned with elation. The rush coursing through his veins was exhilarating, though he knew he had to keep a cool head. He didn't want to slip up and get sliced in two. Despite this, he couldn’t fight off the horrifying feeling that he was having fun. His life was on the line and he was having fun!

He couldn’t quite shake how strange it was. Perhaps it was because of how mundane his previous life had been, and the trivialities that came with it. But when he thought about the trivialities he faced in this world, none seemed quite boring.

He glanced back at the rest of the party, all of them charging towards him, having destroyed the last of the artifacts. That’s right, this place is different. I have them.

As he indulged in the pleasant feelings he felt towards his friends, Ryu momentarily let his guard down at the sight of them. He noticed too late as the Dungeon Master closed in on him once again. A flash of blue and white preceded the arrival of a solid surface, like that of a wall, which suddenly lifted Ryu off of his feet, sending him through a nearby pillar, shattering the ice and his bones along with it.