Nightclown didn't hesitate. "Time to see what's new." He declared.
Immediately, he descended the cartoonish steps. The [Toon Camera Recorder] dutifully followed. Its lens was already anticipating the new environment.
The second floor was different. The walls were covered in what looked like plush, vibrant green moss carpet. And strange, oversized lint-like formations clung to the ceiling.
Before he had gone far, a small, innocent-looking puff of pink fur bounced into view. It was round. No bigger than a coconut. With large, innocent black eyes. And tiny, almost invisible feet. It let out a soft, high-pitched squeak.
Nightclown immediately activated his system appraisal.
[Furball Chomper]
[Description: A hostile, deceptively cute inhabitant of the North Dungeon's second levels. Often mistaken for harmless fluff, its true nature is revealed in combat. Highly aggressive, capable of transforming into a fearsome battle form dominated by a massive, tooth-filled maw. It has two different form: the cute Furball Form and the fierce Chomper Form.]
[Abilities: Morphing Shift! Jumping Bite!]
Nightclown read the description. "Deceptively cute, huh?"
The little furball squeaked again. Harmlessly bouncing closer. He knew better. This thing was a second floor creature. It warranted respect.
"Alright, little fluffball. Let's see what you've got." Nightclown said. His nunchaku was already in hand.
The [Toon Camera Recorder] widened its shot. Capturing both the small creature and the battle-ready hare.
As it was close enough, the Furball Chomper suddenly twitched. Its seemingly innocent eyes narrowed. Its body began to swell. Morphing with disturbing speed.
The cute pink fluff rippled. Stretching. And then splitting open to reveal a truly enormous, cavernous mouth. Filled with jagged, dagger-like teeth. Cartoonish, oversized and disturbingly sharp.
Its small feet became thick, stubby appendages. And its entire form became a sphere of muscle and teeth. With just a hint of its original pink fur. It let out a guttural, hungry growl.
This was [Morphing Shift!]. The battle form. Nightclown had anticipated it. But the suddenness of the transformation was still shocking.
The Chomper was now nearly twice Nightclown's size. It immediately executed [Jumping Bite!]. Pouncing towards him with surprising speed.
Nightclown reacted instantly. He wouldn't let it bite any part of his body. He activated [Shrink!]. Compacting himself into his smaller, more agile form. Just as the Furball Chomper was about to engulf him.
The monster jumped and bit over the spot where Nightclown had been. Its massive mouth were snapping air. Its momentum carried it several meters past him.
Now a tiny hare, Nightclown didn't waste a second.
He activated [Sprint!]. Bursting into an incredibly fast dash. He wasn't just evading. He was flanking and counter-attacking. He zipped around the Chomper. Which was now trying to turn its bulk to face him.
The [Toon Camera Recorder] spun. Keeping the action perfectly centered.
"Remember the Dirty Fighting Principles..." Nightclown muttered under his breath. To himself.
His Rogue class was about exploiting weaknesses. Hitting where it hurt. And not fighting fair.
The Chomper was a sphere of teeth and muscle. But it had to have a blind spot. A vulnerable point. Its back, perhaps. Or its transforming stubby legs.
He darted in. Aiming his nunchaku for one of the Chomper's stubby hind legs. It was a quick, precise strike.
The nunchaku connected with a surprising THWACK!
A small, cartoonish 'dizzy' swirling stars animation briefly appeared above the Chomper's head. It stumbled. A low growl of annoyance rumbling from its mouth.
The Chomper tried to snap at him. But Nightclown was too fast.
He activated [Stretch!]... on his weapon. It was a new wild idea that suddenly appeared in his mind. And it worked. It surprisingly worked.
His nunchaku elongated. Becoming a whip-like extension of his arm. A ridiculous sight as he was still in the shrinking tiny form. But, it was functional.
He used the increased reach to keep distance. Lashing out at the Chomper's leg. Got it! The long nunchaku wrapped around one of the Chomper's stubby feet.
Nightclown yanked it hard. The monster completely lost balance this time. Tumbling onto its side with a loud, cartoonish BONK!.
Still in his [Shrink!] form, Nightclown saw his opportunity.
The Chomper was momentarily disoriented. Its massive mouth was facing away. It was struggling to fix its position.
Nightclown activated [Sprint!] again, closing the distance in a flash. He knew he had limited time before it recovered.
He launched himself onto the Chomper's back. Whirling his nunchaku, he lashed out and struck its body several times.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The monster roared. Thrashing wildly.
Nightclown held on. His tiny form surprisingly retained his original strength. He kept attacking the back. His nunchaku was moving relentlessly.
THUD! THUD! CRACK!
There was a suspiciously different sound. The thick muscles and fur reduced the damage of his attack. But he felt a slight difference in the last strike.
The Rogue's instinct for weak points screamed at him. There had to be a weak point spot that his nunchau incidentally struck. His sharp eyes could see it. A tiny seam. A hinge.
He deactivated [Shrink!] to regain some mass. Then he immediately jammed the tip of his nunchaku shaft into that weak point. Easily puncturing the seam. He pushed hard. Trying to thrust deeper into the weak point.
The Chomper rolled. Trying to shake him off. But, Nightclown held tight. Adapting his grip. He drove the nunchaku into the seam deeper. Leveraging his full body weight. Twisting and pushing.
A high-pitched, pain-filled squeal ripped from the Chomper's throat. The seam began to weaken and widen.
Nightclown pushed harder. His nunchaku suddenly felt like hitting a flimsy barrier. He used the momentum of the Chomper's roll against it. Digging the nunchaku deeper into the barrier. With a final, mighty push, the barrier broke. It was torn open forcefully.
The Furball Chomper let out one last, pained shriek. Its battle form began to dissolve. Its massive mouth sagged. Its dagger teeth were retracted.
The body started to unravel. Not exploding like the Bouncers. But instead, collapsing inward like a deflating balloon made of fur.
It shrank. Its ferocious eyes rolled back into its head. In a matter of seconds, all that remained was a small, deflated puff of pink fur. Utterly inert.
And then that puff of pink fur disappeared. Replaced by a white smoke that was gone in just a few seconds.
A system notification flashed.
[Furball Chomper defeated!]
[Experience Gained: +50 XP!]
Nightclown grinned. Finally, XP! Bowling Bouncers in the first floor no longer gave him XP. He could grind his level again.
That hadn't been too hard. Even less challenging than the Bowling Bouncer. Probably because he was much stronger. And because he was lucky enough to find its weakness very quickly.
Combining his skills, and applying Dirty Fighting principles had been key. He hadn't just out-damaged it. He had outmaneuvered and outsmarted it.
The [Toon Camera Recorder] floated down. Circling the scattered coins on the ground. The loots coming out of the disappearing remains. Then, turning its lens to Nightclown. Almost as if silently congratulating him.
This was good material. Very good material indeed. He still had some time left for the day. He needed to find more of these Chompers. Learn their patterns further, and get more footage.
And of course, grinding to level up more. The second floor of the North Dungeon should have more to offer.
Nightclown bent down. Picking up the shimmering coins that had materialized from the dissipating pink fur. Gaining... [Coins: 12].
"Alright, let's see what else this floor has." He murmured.
He glanced around. And moved deeper into a passage. He adjusted his grip on his nunchaku. Already sensing motion ahead. His long ears, more sensitive than a normal human's, twitched. He heard three distinct squeaks.
He rounded a bend to find not one, but three Furball Chompers. They were in their cute, pink fluffball forms. Bouncing lazily near a cluster of glowing mushrooms. They hadn't noticed him yet. This was perfect.
"Alright, Boys! Time for a little ambush practice." Nightclown whispered. A predatory glint appeared in his cartoonish eyes.
He wasn't going to let them transform simultaneously. He ducked. Took a sprinting stance. With his nunchaku ready in his grip. And then...
WHOOSH!
He burst forward. Activating [Sprint!]. Aiming for the nearest Chomper. Before it could even react to his sudden appearance, he swung his nunchaku.
THWACK!
The first Chomper was sent careening into the wall. Stars were swirling comically above its head.
The other two reacted instantly. Their cute forms beginning to swell and ripple.
Nightclown didn't hesitate. He activated [Stretch!] on his nunchaku. Lengthening it into a flailing, whip-like weapon. He lashed out. Striking both transforming Chompers mid-morph.
WHIP! WHACK!
Their transformations were disrupted. They staggered. Partially shifted. One with an oversized maw already forming. The other with one stubby leg protruding awkwardly.
They let out confused, pained growls. The first Chomper was still dazed against the wall.
Nightclown grinned. This was the trick. A different trick to defeat them. Without needing to find the weak point on their backs. Don't let them complete the [Morphing Shift!].
He darted between the two partially transformed Chompers. Using [Shrink!] to become a tiny, agile blur.
He zipped past the one with the oversized maw. Striking its exposed, half-formed teeth with a rapid series of nunchaku blows.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRACKLE!
The monster shrieked. Its transformation failing entirely. It reverted to its Furball Form. Deflating slightly. Then evaporating in a puff of white smoke.
[Furball Chomper defeated!]
[Experience Gained: +20 XP!]
Nightclown immediately returned to normal size. His nunchaku snapped back to normal length.
He spun. His focus was now entirely on the remaining two. The first Chomper was still against the wall. It was starting to recover. Shaking its head groggily.
As for the second one, its transformation was still incomplete. It tried to lunge at him. Attempting a clumsy [Jumping Bite!].