That night...
The familiar sensation snapped Jester back into his Toonworld avatar. Nightclown.
He looked at himself. The blue T-shirt and joggers felt right. The athletic frame of the anthropomorphic grey hare was a comfortable extension of himself.
He blinked. The faint HUD overlay shimmered into focus.
Looking around, Nightclown realized where he was. He was precisely where he had left off yesterday. The second floor of the North Dungeon.
The air here was slightly damper. The moss-covered stone walls exuding a faint, fresh earthy scent. Like the smell of the earth after rain. And above, on the ceilings, it was still the strange, oversized lint-like formations.
Nightclown drew the [Toon Camera Recorder] from his system inventory. It immediately whirred to life. Hovering silently behind his shoulder like a loyal, invisible companion.
Its lens swiveled. Already capturing the scene. Good. This was all part of the plan.
He moved forward. His long ears were twitching. The path ahead was wider here.
A flicker of movement in the periphery. A bundle of fuzzy, innocent-looking pink fluff rolled into view.
Furball Chomper. Nightclown recognized it instantly. He had fought a dozen of these yesterday. He had learnt their transformations and their flaws. He wasn't going to waste time now.
The Furball Chomper trundled closer. A deceptive chirp emanating from its fluffy form. He let it prepared to use [Morphing Shift!].
The pink fluff exploded into a fearsome maw on stubby legs. Its eyes were burning with cartoon malice. Its [Chomper Form]. The Chomper lunged with a [Jumping Bite!], a gaping hole of teeth.
Nightclown didn't even flinch. He had learned. The weakness. The tiny seam on its back. He activated [Sprint!]. Turning into a blur of grey fur and blue fabric.
In a fraction of second, Nightclown was already behind it. His flexible [Wild Nunchaku] a whistling arc.
WHACK! WHACK! CRACK!
He didn't even bother tripping the creature. The nunchaku snapped precisely onto the target seam. Several times in a row. The creature shrieked, and... POP!
Ir deflated. Like a balloon made of fur. 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. Leaving scattered coins and a piece of tooth.
The camera recorded the clean fight. Another two approached. One after the other. Same result. Efficient handling.
He encountered more Furball Chompers. Each time, he moved with practiced precision. A quick dash, a well-placed strike, and they were gone.
He found the 'tiny seam on its back when it was in Chomper Form' to be a tricky target. Requiring a dodge, a quick reposition, and then a precise hit. But he managed.
He understood the rhythm of their attacks. The slight delay before their [Jumping Bite!]. The vulnerable moment while they were airborne.
His Rogue training in Sherra, combined with his Toonworld experiences, was beginning to coalesce. He was getting better. Faster. More observant.
The [Toon Camera Recorder] continued its silent tasks. Swooping in for close-ups. Pulling back for wide shots. Following his every move.
Nightclown briefly wondered if it had some sort of AI built into its code. It seemed to anticipate the best angles. Or maybe he was controlling the camera unconsciously.
After clearing a particularly winding corridor, Nightclown noticed something glinting behind a crumbling pillar.
It wasn't sparkling or anything. But it attracted him. It had a dull, metallic sheen. He approached cautiously, [Wild Nunchaku] at the ready.
It was an iron treasure chest. Nestled in a small alcove. Half-obscured by hanging vines of phosphorescent fungi. It was locked. But the lock was simple. An oversized cartoonish padlock.
Perfect. He reached into his system inventory. Pulling out the [Iron Chest Key] he had acquired some time ago. It felt satisfyingly heavy in his paw.
He inserted the key. A cartoon 'click' sound effect echoed through the dungeon. Surprisingly loud. The padlock sprang open with a rusty groan. And the chest lid slowly creaked upwards. Revealing its contents.
Inside, resting on a bed of toon coins, was a single tomato. A perfectly ripe, ruby-red tomato. It pulsed with a faint, internal light. He reached for it.
[ITEM ACQUIRED: Drive Tomato (x1)]
[Inventory > Permanent] updated.
Nightclown blinked. Drive Tomato? He immediately called up its description.
[Drive Tomato]: A super rare, mystical consumable that permanently increases Drive by one star. Consumption is immediate and irreversible.
Drive. There was this the 'Drive' stat on his status panel. With a single, lonely star. He knew it related to his resolve or fortitude. Basically, how he resisted abnormal status effect.
This was huge. A permanent attribute increase. Just like the [Vigor Eggplant]. Without any hesitation, Nightclown pulled the tomato out. Examining its smooth, firm skin. It felt… nice.
He held the tomato up. Then, he brought it to his mouth and took a bite. A soft, satisfying POP! sound effect accompanied its disappearance. Like a tiny cartoon firecracker.
The taste was surprisingly rich. A burst of earthy sweetness followed by a comfortable warmth that spread through his entire being.
Immediately, a flurry of notifications appeared on his vision.
[Drive has permanently increased by one star!]
[Drive: ✪✪]
[Effect: Increases resistance toward all negative status effects by 20%; shortens the cooldown for entering Toonworld by an hour. Total required cooldown for Toonworld access... 21 hours.]
Nightclown felt a surge of energy. A subtle yet profound shift within him. Just like what he had expected. It increased his resistance.
But he didn't expect the second effect. Reducing the cooldown. Twenty-one hours now. That meant he could get back into Toonworld an hour earlier than before. Well, that was not really useful for now.
He had always followed strict schedule for entering the Toonworld. Although previously the cooldown was 22 hours, he had always waited to about 24 hours.
He always entered the Toonworld at about 23:00. Regular, strict schedule. More convenient that way.
He closed the empty chest. Leaving it as he'd found it. There were no other treasures to be found in the immediate vicinity.
He continued his exploration. The [Toon Camera Recorder] was still diligently following him. The path grew narrower again. Leading into a cavernous chamber.
The air grew heavy. Charged with a strange, static energy. The faint, fresh earth smell intensified. It was now tinged with something metallic and acrid.
This was it. He remembered it was this way before he faced the BOSS in the first floor. The air must always feel different before a BOSS.
At the center of the chamber, he could see it. Pulsating with a low, blue light. A weird yet strangely cute creature.
It resembled a Furball Chomper. But it was significantly larger. Had different color pattern. And covered in small things that looked suspiciously like retracted spikes. It was entirely blue in this form. And almost plush appearance.
[Spikeball Chomper (BOSS)]
[Description: A hostile, deceptively cute monster of the North Dungeon's second levels. Highly aggressive, capable of transforming into a fearsome, gigantic battle form dominated by a massive, tooth-filled maw and body full of sharp spikes. It has three different form: the cute Spikeball Form (blue), the fierce Chomper Form (black), the humanoid Berserk Form (red).]
[Abilities: Morphing Shift! Jumping Bite! Raging Boost! Blasting Firebreath!]
He was right. Nightclown's heart hammered a steady rhythm against his ribs. This was no ordinary Furball Chomper. This was the BOSS.
He took a deep breath. The scent of sugary menace filling his lungs. He remembered his sorry situation after the clash with the first BOSS. And got caught with its final explosion.
He needed to be much better this time.
His [Toon Camera Recorder] zoomed in on the BOSS. An almost imperceptible hum emanating from its internal mechanisms.
Nightclown observed the BOSS in its Spikeball Form. It was a large, blue, spiky sphere. Seemed bouncy and fluffy. The weak cute form. With dormant hostility. For now, at least.
As for the environment... Nightclown moved slowly. Deliberately. Circling the perimeter of the chamber. He noticed the walls were uneven. With some larger rock formations that could potentially provide cover or elevation.
Strategy. Always strategy. He was a Rogue. He needed to use everything for his advantage. Especially... the environment.
He knew what first skill was coming when he engaged the monster. [Morphing Shift!] was guaranteed. [Jumping Bite!] was also predictable.
The question was, what about [Raging Boost!]? And [Blasting Firebreath!]? Those were new skills non-existent for Furball Chomper.
Nightclown made several plans and back-up plans. Before he decided to initiate the fight.
"Let's go then, Spiky!" He mumbled. And...
He launched himself forward. Activating both [Shrink!] and [Sprint!] to close the distance rapidly.
His [Wild Nunchaku] was extended. Aiming for the center of the Spikeball Form. He wanted to see how it reacted.
THWACK!
The nunchaku connected. But, unlike the flimsy Furball, the BOSS had the blue blunt spikes on its body. Even when retracted, they provided significant defense.
The BOSS let out a guttural growl. Not a chirp. Its blue form began to ripple. The nubs on its surface elongating. Hardening. Turning black. Its [Morphing Shift!] had been initiated.
POP! The BOSS transformed. Its body instantly expanded. Becoming a terrifying, jet-black sphere with stubby legs. Covered in razor-sharp spikes. A massive maw, lined with rows of jagged teeth, split its body horizontally.
This was the BOSS's version of the [Chomper Form]...