With his camera up, Ethan stood in silence in the stunning crystal cave. He was so focused on the boss that he briefly forgot about the ceiling.
Despite being as large as a truck, the Grand Chaos Slime appeared incredibly lonely while perched atop its black rock throne. Its mouth was turned down as if it had just lost its favorite toy, and its enormous golden eyes were wet.
Chaos Incarnate, Level 40. Why is it so depressing?
This wasn't right, Ethan knew. It was expected of all dungeon bosses to be enraged and stomping around. This one appeared to be about to cry as it sat there.
He lowered his camera carefully. He needs to know the secret. A sad was far more content than an angry one, therefore he had to uncover the narrative.
His hyper-focused sight came on, and he allowed it to scan the boss. He ignored the power and the HP bar. He examined the history and aura that his sight could retrieve.
The purple fissures on the slime's body were like small, agonizing scars, not merely energy.
[AURA ANALYSIS: DECLINE IN TIME]
[STATUS: TRAPPED]
[LORE ENTRY: THE GRIEF OF THE SLIME]
[It is not a natural monster, the Grand Chaos Slime. It was a guardian that had been called upon long ago and was bound to the throne by an old, broken magic.
The magic is gradually tearing it apart, as seen by the purple cracks.
It is unable to leave the throne; it will always be there. Its incapacity to avoid its task and the ongoing, gradual pain are the sources of its sadness.]
Ethan gave a little gasp. The boss was sad because it was trapped and slowly dying, not because it was bored. What a tale! That was enormous.
A wave of excitement washed over him, along with a hint of sympathy. This was far superior to simply photographing an attack.
"Okay, big sad guy," Ethan said softly in the vast cavern. "I'm going to make you famous."
He was aware that he couldn't photograph it while seated. Although he now understood the true purpose of the power, he still required that shot.
He needed to make it angry enough to strike, but not so angry that it would kill him right away. The balance was quite difficult.
He surveyed the cave. He required a diversion. He looked at the throne of black stone. The broken magic was in the throne, which was the key.
Ethan moved swiftly, circling the cave's edge like a blur thanks to his speed and Sneak ability. He moved as far away from the boss as he could.
He picked up a smooth rock the size of a baseball. A moment of reckless, unadulterated excitement swept over him. He was about to poke a huge, sad monster that was Level 40.
He inhaled deeply. The throne must be my goal.
He flung the rock as hard as he could. It was a feeble throw, but the boulder rebounded off the cavern wall and hit the black stone throne with a small, sharp TINK!
There was a tremendous roar in the quiet cavern.
In a second, the Grand Chaos Slime responded. Instead of trembling with grief, its body began to shake with anger. The watery golden eyes sparkled violet as they opened.
[BOSS MOB: LVL 40: GRAND CHAOS SLIME]
[STATUS: ANGER EXTREME].
[ACTIVATING UNIQUE ATTACK: INCANTATION OF DESPAIR]
The huge black body started to shake violently. Its surface was covered in purple energy fractures that flashed a dazzling light as they became brighter and wider. Ethan felt the pressure of the heavy, thickening air. Compared to the small slime in the marsh, this felt ten times worse.
He didn't hold off. Immediately he lifted the obsidian lens. This was the epitome of chaos and suffering—the ideal, decisive image.
He yelled, "Show me the shot!" over the sound of the building.
[SKILL: EX-TIER TEMPORAL SHUTTER — ACTIVATED!]
The entire universe slowed down. Ethan could see the purple energy accumulating into a huge, concentrated beam. It was prepared to destroy the precise location where he stood.
His thoughts were more rapid than anything else. He could see the route: a last-ditch, frantic sideways plunge into a narrow, tiny crack in the cave wall. It was the only safe area, but it was only a foot wide.
He mentally framed the shot. A destructive column of pure, agonizing energy was already emerging from the boss's eyes, and the beam was already taking shape. On camera, it was incredibly beautiful, strong, and frightening.
Right now!
SNAP!
Just as the purple energy exploded, he pressed the shutter. The Level 40 boss's full, horrifying might, filled with grief and rage, was caught in the picture.
He made the dive. He was able to tuck his body and slip into the narrow rock fissure like a pencil thanks to his swift movements and quick legs.
The impact of Temporal Shutter was terminated.
Real time returned to the planet. A nanosecond later, Ethan was standing on a rock as the purple energy beam exploded forth and struck it. There was a loud BOOM! that rocked the cave. A deep, black, smoking crater was left behind when the granite evaporated.
Ethan coughed, tasted dust, and was terrified as he was crushed tightly in the crack. His entire body trembled from the near miss, yet he was safe.
The Grand Chaos Slime shrieked in frustration and despair. As it expended a great deal of its stored energy, it began to contract, its purple light fading.
Ethan began to worm his way out of the crack gradually. He was aware that the boss was laying down. He was secure.
Then a huge red warning flashed in his hyper-focused eyes. It has nothing to do with the boss.
[CAUTION: IMMINENT STRUCTURAL FAILURE] [IMPACT: CEILING COLLAPSE]
Ethan had survived the boss's onslaught, but the cave's ceiling was destroyed by the enormous explosion. The boss was no longer the threat. The whole cave was falling.
Ethan raised his head. It was already raining dust and pebbles. Directly above him a huge section of ceiling, larger than his entire flat, was rupturing.
The cave was going to crush him, yet he was secure from the boss.
He looked at his cool-down for Temporal Shutter. It continued to recharge. He had no way to avoid a falling cave, and he was stuck.