Chương 47: The Iron Umbrella

Recap: The Bone Weaver initiated a self-destruct sequence. The party had no time to run. You voted to SHIELD THE PARTY (DEFEND). Ten seconds. Nine. Eight. The green light was getting brighter. The air smelled like ozone and rotting flowers. Torin was frozen. Kara was chanting too slowly. Renn was covering his head. Move, I thought. Move now. I didn't have the size to cover all three of them. I was two feet wide. They were grown humans. But I didn't need to cover them. I needed to break the line of effect.

I needed to be the lightning rod. I slid between the Boss and the party. I positioned myself squarely in front of Kara (the squishy mage). I slammed my lid shut. Clang. Iron bands met iron bands. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Activated: Camouflage (Broken by Intent) Status: Inactive (Bracing) Defense Check: 13 vs. Lethal Force"Five… Four…" I locked my base muscles. I engaged every iron band, every splinter of wood. I became a wall.

"Three… Two…" The Bone Weaver imploded.

"ONE." SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Detected: Necrotic Explosion (Level 5) Base Damage: 25 HP Defense Applied: -13 DR Resistance (Core Touched): -5 DR Net Damage: 7 HP Current HP: 5/19 Pain. It wasn't heat. It was cold. A cold that burned. It felt like my wood was freezing and shattering all at once. My iron bands glowed green, then black. The necrotic energy washed over me, trying to seep into the cracks. But the Ironband evolution held. The Core Touched status resisted. I didn't die.

Behind me, Kara screamed as the shockwave hit. But it was muted. Blunted. I had taken the core of the blast. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The light faded. The silence returned. I was still standing. Barely. My wood was scorched. My iron bands were dented. But I was intact.

"Box!" Renn's voice cracked. He crawled out from behind Kara.

"It… it's alive." Torin stood up. He was singed. His armor was blackened. But he was alive.

"It… it saved us." Kara touched my lid. Her hand trembled.

"The magic… it absorbed it. How?" I couldn't answer. I was at 5 HP. One more hit and I was firewood. But I was alive. And the Boss… was gone. In the center of the chamber, where the Weaver had been, lay a pile of ash. And something else. Glowing. Pulsing. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Boss Defeated: Bone Weaver (Level 5 Elite) XP Gained: 50 XP Current XP: 215/210 LEVEL UP!

Level: 4 Stat Points Available: +2 HP Max: 19 → 21 (+2) MP Max: 14 → 16 (+2) SP Max: 24 → 26 (+2) Current HP: 5/21 Current MP: 3/16 Current SP: 16/26 New Skill: None (Unlock at Level 5) I leveled up. The warmth of the level-up surge knit my wood slightly. The scorches faded. I felt… stable. Torin walked to the ash pile. He picked up an item. A skull. But not bone. Crystal. Green.

"Dungeon Key," he said.

"Floor 4 cleared. This opens the path to Floor 5." He looked at me.

"We couldn't have done this without you." You couldn't have done this without my Defense stat, I thought. And my stupidity. Kara began casting a healing spell. On me.

"Wait," Torin said.

"We need to move. The explosion… it might have alerted others. Floor 5 is the Furnace. Lava. Fire constructs. Box… are you… fireproof?" No, I thought. Wood burns. But I have Ironbands. I vibrated. Buzz. (Maybe.)"We rest," Kara insisted. She finished the heal. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION External Healing Received HP Restored: +10 Current HP: 15/21 Better. Not full, but not critical. Torin pocketed the key.

"Ten minutes. Then we hit the Furnace. Box… you lead. You're the tank." The Tank, I thought. I'm a storage container. But as we moved toward the exit of the chamber, the Core Voice spoke again.

"Floor… 5… Fire… Pain… Power… Claim… All…" It wanted me to conquer the dungeon. Floor by Floor. The party wanted to escape. I wanted… answers. And maybe not to burn to death. Floor 5 was lava. I was wood. This was going to be fun. Current Stats (Level 4 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 15/21 (Healed) Mana: 3/16 (Level Up Bonus) Stamina: 16/26 (Level Up Bonus) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Status: Core Touched, Level 4, Party Morale High. What do you do?

A) DISTRIBUTE STATS (DEFENSE/HP) You're going into a fire level. Boost survivability. Put points into Defense or HP. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Stats. Risk: None.) B) ASK FOR FIRE RESIST GEAR Rattle your lid at the party. Indicate you need protection against fire before entering Floor 5. (Cost: 1 SP. Gain: Potential Gear. Risk: They might not have any.) C) EAT THE BOSS ASHES (LOOT) Consume the remaining ash of the Bone Weaver. Gain XP/Materials. Risk: Necrotic residue. (Cost: 2 SP. Gain: XP, Potential Buff. Risk: Debuff.) D) SCOUT AHEAD (ALONE) Slide into the Floor 5 tunnel before the party. Check for fire traps. Use Core Touched status. (Cost: 3 SP. Gain: Intel. Risk: Solo Danger.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 46! Option D (Shield) was heroic! You took the blast, survived thanks to Ironband Defense + Core Touched resistance, and leveled up to Level 4!