It was a giant rubber ball now. Ricocheting off the walls and ceiling with surprising speed. Nightclown dodged. His attacks wouldn't work. So he focused on evasion. Observing its new, more chaotic pattern.
It bounced higher than the smaller ones. Covering more vertical space. He used the brief moments between bounces to reposition.
He backed into a small alcove, a dead end. The Big Bowling Bouncer angled its trajectory. Coming down to the floor. Nightclown waited.
Just as it hit the floor, the blue glow disappeared. Its single eye glowed. It was prepared for another rolling charge.
Nightclown acted. He launched himself out of the alcove in top speed. A flash of grey fur and blue clothes. He didn't aim for its body. He remembered his lesson for exploiting specific weaknesses. The eye. The large, unblinking eye. It was a target.
With incredible precision, Nightclown used the [Wild Nunchaku] like a spear. He didn't swing it. He stabbed with it. The chain snapped taut as the stick's tip sturck the eye.
Not hard enough to pop it. But enough to hurt it and make it flinch. The bouncer let out a low, glitchy wail. Its rolling charge faltered. Leaving it dazed. Blinking stars appeared in a halo above it.
Nighclown immediately launched a rapid attack. His nunchaku whirled and crashed against the Bouncer's body multiple times.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The Big Bowling Bouncer glowed red. Danger! Nightclown immediately kicked it away. A full powered kick. Launching the monster a few meters away.
Nightclown didn't want to get close. Too dangerous. Red glow often meant explosion. Or being in berserk state. But he didn't want to stop attacking either.
He made a calculated gamble. He channeled his intent. Whirling his nunchaku. And focused his aim on the red glowing Bouncer.
With a grunt, he hurled the [Wild Nunchaku]. It spun end over end. Like a boomerang. A blur of wood and chain. Curving in the air. And struck the menacing target in a loud CRASH!
The Big Bowling Bouncer vibrated violently. A final, pained grunt. And...
BOOM!
It exploded into a shower of pixels, stylized stars, and glittering ink. Leaving behind a rain of coins and a small key.
Nightclown walked over. Retrieving his [Wild Nunchaku]. Which now lay on the ground. He picked the key. It immediately entered his inventory.
[ITEM ACQUIRED: Iron Chest Key]
[Utility Tool] updated.
He quickly opened his status panel and checked the description of the new object.
[Utility Tool: Iron Chest Key]
[Tier Quality: ✪]
[Characteristic: Upgradeable (1/9)]
[Description: A multi-purpose key capable of opening locked Iron Chest in Toonworld. Functional only in Toonworld.]
A 1-Star Soulheart Gear equivalent. Its main purpose was to open iron chest. Was it iron treasure chest? Nightclown hadn't encountered one. So he couldn't be sure.
But, it was pretty normal in many games. Normal treasure chests would never be locked. The higher levels would have lock and traps in them.
Nightclown collected the scattered coins. He gained 56 coins. Pretty good. Much more compared to the normal Bowling Bouncers.
...
Nightclown exhaled slowly. Reflecting on the last battle. He had messed up. Plain and simple. Luckily, it wasn't that bad.
The red glow that preceded the Bouncer's death. It was not features of the smaller, standard Bowling Bouncers. He had assumed the big one had the same skill set. And assumption in combat was a fast track to getting pulverized.
He hadn't appraised the Big Bowling Bouncer. His system appraisal existed for a reason. He had ignored it. A rookie mistake. The kind that got adventurers killed.
He resolved to not make it again. Every new threat, every variant, deserved a quick scan. Information was power.
Beyond the appraisal blunder, his combat performance was equally lacking. He had relied on almost completely... pure normal Rogue style of fighting.
He was not normal here. He was a toon. He had barely utilized his active trait, [Stretch!]. His arms was capable of extending like rubber bands. It could have kept him at a safer distance. Or provided unexpected angles of attack.
His legs was able to coil like springs. It could have launched him. Given him greater agility. Or delivered bone-jarring kicks from unexpected vectors. He hadn't used any of it. He hadn't fought like a cartoon character.
That changed now.
Nightclown pushed deeper into the North Dungeon. The bright corridors twisted and turned. Occasionally opening into smaller chambers.
Bowling Bouncers were a constant presence. Bouncing lazily. Or rolling with surprising speed. Each encounter became a training exercise.
He focused first on his arms. In a battle, Nightclown extended his left arm several times. Aiming for the ceiling. His fingers clamped onto a rough outcropping. With a sudden jerk, he pulled himself upwards. Evading the bouncer's charge.
Or, when the monster was in Bouncing Form, he would extend an arm. Catch it, like in baseball. And stopped its frantic accelerating movement. Before it got faster.
It took practice. His initial attempts were clumsy. His stretches were often too short, too long, or mistimed. But with each defeated Bouncer, his control improved. The muscle memory began to form.
Next came his legs. He found combat encounters in wider corridors. He coiled his legs. And launched himself to the wall or ceiling.
He didn't just move. He bounced. Just like the opponent. He ricocheted off a wall. Gaining momentum. Using his coiled legs to land. Then launched himself again. Using the accelerated move to bring stronger nunchaku's swing.
The process of learning that was brutal. But effective. He crashed against the walls and the ceiling several times. Mistiming the speed mostly. But, the result was great. Just within an hour, he had created a fluid, unpredictable battle style.
Toon was truly convenient. He wasn't sure whether he could replicate it in real world. Probably not completely. But some part of it should be possible.
He continued his exploration. The dungeon was growing progressively darker and more oppressive. The passages became wider. The air heavier. The sounds of distant, deeper rumblings echoed through the stone. He pushed past a final, narrow choke point. Emerging into a cavernous chamber.
This room dwarfed all others he had encountered. High ceilings. Crystal-decorated walls. And a floor of uneven, cracked stones.
In the center, a colossal, spherical form pulsed with a low, blue light. It was massive. Easily four times the size of a Big Bowling Bouncer. And it radiated an undeniable aura of threat. This was no ordinary enemy.
Nightclown instinctively pulled up his system appraisal panel. No mistakes this time.
[Bomb Bouncer (BOSS)]
[Description: A hostile, gigantic sphere with sharp eyes. It moves by bouncing and rolling, and attacks by attempting to strike its targets with powerful, crushing force. It has three different form: the rubberry Bouncing Form (blue); the solid Rolling Form (black); and the stationary Explosive Form (red).]
[Abilities: Bouncing Guard! Rolling Charge! One-time Full Recovery! Exploding Stance!]
Nightclown read the description twice.
Three forms. That was the critical information. Bouncing (blue), Rolling (black), Explosive (red). Each implying a different defensive and offensive property.
And that [One-time Full Recovery!] ability was a game-changer. It meant he had to kill it twice. Effectively.
The [Exploding Stance!] sounded like a final, desperate suicide attack.
The colossal sphere in the center of the chamber remained still. It had a singular, sharp eye. Just like the Big Bowling Bouncer. It observed him. It was currently a vibrant, rubbery blue. The Bouncing Form.
"Alright, Big Guy!" Nightclown muttered. Tightening his grip on his nunchaku. "Party time."
He moved first. Not a charge. But a probe. He could do nothing to it while it was in Bouncing Form after all.
He sprinted forward. Then extended his left arm. Stretching it out to slap against the Bomb Bouncer's vast blue surface.
BOINK!
As expected, the impact was soft. Rubbery. Like hitting a giant bouncy ball. His nunchaku strike followed. A blur of wood and chain. It landed with a dull thud. The impact barely registering on the immense creature.
The Bomb Bouncer merely vibrated. Then shifted its weight. Slowly beginning to bounce. Gaining momentum.
This was [Bouncing Guard!]. Direct hits were ineffective. Nightclown had to wait until it changed its form. He dodged its first, slow bounce easily.
The Bomb Bouncer was moving faster and faster. It bounced off the walls, ceiling, and floor of the chamber. Creating an accelerating rhythmic, thunderous boom.
It aimed for him. Flying straight to Nightclown's position.
He quickly used his spring-transformed legs to launch himself into a high arc. He stretched an arm. Anchoring himself to the ceiling.
The Bomb Bouncer followed. Still targeting him. Nightclown simply released his hold and dropped down from the ceiling.
The Bouncer ricocheted against the ceiling, floor, and wall. Before launching itself again to Nightclown.
Nightclown focused. Made quick aim. And swung his nunchaku. [Stretch!] His arm stretched. The whirled. striking the Bomb Bouncer's single eye.
The eye narrowed. The launch paused. A direct hit. It seemed to have done minimal damage. But the eye was a still a weak point. It enraged the monster.
The Bomb Bouncer shifted. Its blue hue deepened. Turning into a dark, matte black. Its rubbery texture hardened. Becoming solid, metallic black.
It stopped bouncing and began to roll. Picking up speed. A destructive juggernaut. It was in its Rolling Form. Activating [Rolling Charge!]...