Chapter 22: Various Crystals

Yet all of this came at a steep price. The armor of Digimon One was riddled with cracks, looking for all the world like battered scrap metal—so broken, it seemed ready to crumble to dust in the next moment. It was undeniable that the cost was too great; had things gone even slightly awry, Digimon One might have vanished in a flash of light.

The strength of Black Agumon X was only marginally weaker than Agumon S in Destruction Mode—their overall combat power differed by less than ten points. If luck hadn’t been on their side at the start, triggering the one percent chance of the [Mega Impact Wave], Digimon One might have had to consult Omegamon for some “medicine” to patch things up.

This battle ended, once more, without any casualties. Still, it was plain to see: whether Digimon One or the others, every Digimon was in poor shape, one after another.

Truth be told, had their condition been better, they might still stand a chance against the final boss. But in such dire straits, it was almost certain they wouldn’t prevail. Yet, having come this far, they were reluctant to give up. So, everyone produced various crystals to restore their strength, and pressed onward, deeper into the dungeon.

At last, they arrived before the final boss. They knew it was the last because the boss was Agumon X—and this Agumon X was strangely familiar.

This particular Agumon X had a blinded eye, marked by a familiar scar. If he weren’t an X-Antibody Digimon, the others might have mistaken him for the boss of a typical dungeon outside.

Standing alone in the deepest recess of the dungeon, Agumon X faced them. Behind him, stone walls stretched, with five openings visible in their surface.

“Humans, you’ve finally arrived,” Agumon X said, his voice twisted with a sinister laugh. “Since you defeated me last time, I’ve gone to great lengths to surpass you—even transplanting the X virus into my body. I thought it would kill me, but instead, I survived and evolved. Ha! Humans, prepare to die.”

This segment was, in essence, a cutscene. Everyone could only stand there, unable to act, waiting until Agumon X finished speaking before they could move. In truth, they wanted to strike while he talked, but it was impossible.

“Come forth, my brothers,” Agumon X commanded, and from the caves behind him, several Agumon emerged.

Once Agumon X had summoned the others, the cutscene ended completely. Almost instantly, Omegamon and his nine Digimon companions charged forward, each wielding a low-grade explosive crystal.

A low-grade explosive crystal inflicted two hundred points of damage to Digimon in their growth stage—a deadly tool when used for ambushes. Even Digimon One, with a total combat power of 155 and just over four hundred health points, would be hard-pressed to survive two such attacks; two crystals meant certain death.

However, for dungeon bosses, the effect was less pronounced. As a boss, one could have low attack, low defense, clumsy movements, and little skill—but the most crucial trait was a robust health pool.

Health points have always been a boss’s greatest asset. Any boss whose health didn’t trail a string of zeroes was hardly worthy of the title. Clearly, Agumon X was one of the worthy ones.

Agumon X’s health was relatively low, but only because he was the boss of a low-level hidden dungeon, a growth-stage Digimon. Compared to high-level bosses, his health was indeed lower. Yet, for the current moment, it was still substantial—enough that even nine low-grade explosive crystals wouldn’t be fatal.

Boom! The crystals struck, erupting with a fierce roar and shrouding the area in billowing black smoke.

Digimon One watched the scene with amazement. “Low-grade explosive crystals, huh? Why didn’t you buy medium or high-grade ones?”

Low-grade crystals affect Digimon in their growth stage; medium-grade, those in maturity; high-grade, those in their perfect form. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be used across stages.

Strictly speaking, even if Agumon X was the hidden dungeon’s final boss, a high-grade crystal would spell certain death. As for their high price? Digimon One didn’t see it as a problem; anything purchasable, no matter how expensive, was within reach for them.

Even Flower Fairymon, once grateful for being saved, had transferred a thousand gold coins to Digimon One. The price of a high-grade explosive crystal? A thousand gold coins. Trading a thousand coins for victory seemed worthwhile to Digimon One.

“Didn’t you read the announcement?” Omegamon sighed. “First clears and hidden dungeons prohibit the use of items above the boss’s grade. Even for regular dungeons, using items above the boss’s grade invalidates the run. You can clear the dungeon, but no matter how fast, your record won’t be saved. If we could use higher-grade crystals, we would have already.”

Digimon One mused, “I feel like these kinds of items ruin the balance. Do you think they’ll eventually remove them?”

Flower Fairymon looked worried. “I hope not.”

The developers of Digital Source World had said from the start that they would borrow from other games initially, but ultimately, they aimed to carve their own path.

The implication was that the game would change, and not just once. Only when the game was fundamentally distinct from others might they stop making sweeping changes.

For now, the game hadn’t undergone its first major overhaul, so no one knew if such items would be eliminated. Still, the possibility seemed real.

While they pondered these questions, a sudden change erupted on the battlefield nearby…