Boss Monsters usually exist as two kinds.

The first Kind is the 'Commander' type, who is usually surrounded by tons of minions and has a lot of influence over them.

It would be difficult facing this Boss Monster because not only would the challenger have to defeat it, they also have to focus their efforts on the mobs that naturally assist their leader.

As a result, Parties are necessary for fights like this—whether in a game, or in a world of Magic and Fantasy.

However…

… There exists the second type of Boss.

The Solo Boss!

In a way, this one can end up being even more troublesome than the first.

At least, the first Boss is guaranteed to be defeated with proper teamwork and well-coordinated actions.

Since it's a 'Commander' type, it's usually weak individually—though exceptions to this exist.

A Solo Boss, however, is an 'Assault' type.

Its power far surpass anything a 'Commander' can dream of wielding, and one could also refer to this type as a Tyrant.

Only one thing matters when it comes to subjugating this kind of Boss.

… Power!

Teamwork and coordination can work for a while, but without sufficient power, it's all pointless.

It just so happened that Rey found the Boss of the Eighth Floor to be the second type.

An unstoppable Tyrant!

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The seven-meter-tall monstrosity rose from its giant throne as it fixed its gaze on Rey.

Its immensely muscular form slouched thanks to its quadrupedal nature, but that did not at all diminish its presence.

It had unbelievably huge arms. And while its legs were much smaller, they looked thick with muscles—like the stump of a robust tree.

Misty breath escaped its lips as it stared at Rey. Its three eyes all had different colors—blue, red, and purple.

The latter was on its forehead.

"Easy, big guy…" As the creature's growl began to rise to a climax, Rey's voice interrupted it.

"Enough flexing already."

The Monster's glare tightened, and veins appeared all over its ugly ape-like face.

"I'm ready when you a—!"

Before Rey could complete his sentence, the beast closed its distance with Rey and sent one of its robust hands forward.

~WHOOSH!~

Only the sound of parting wind could be heard, followed by a loud crashing sound from the end of the room.

~BOOOOM!~

Huge chunks of Mana Crystals fell to the ground, causing the ground to rumble.

This only happened because of the person who had crashed on the wall.

"Oh wow…" Rey's slightly disheveled hair danced all over his face as he used a slight ~huff~ to send a strand of stray hair flying away.

"… That hurt."

What happened just now was simple.

The Boss Monster hit Rey, and he ended up being uncontrollably thrust to the wall.

Using defenses would have been detrimental, so Rey refused to go down that route.

As a result, he had to suffer the full brunt of the Boss Monster's strike.

"Guess I underestimated y—"

Once again, the Boss Monster became a blur and swiftly closed the distance between itself and Rey.

It felt like teleportation at this point.

~WHUUM!~

It sent its fist flying, but Rey was able to successfully dodge the first crash by jumping away from the wall.

The result of that evasion, was the creature's now hitting whatever remained of the wall.

The result…?

~BOOOOOOOOMMM!~

As the loud noise erupted throughout the room, Rey activated [Flight] and tried to glide through the air, but was promptly stopped by resistance on one of his legs.

"Oh fuck…!"

The Boss had managed to grab a hold of Rey's leg right as he leaped away from harm's way.

Rey feared what would come next.

~WHOOOSH!~

The creature jumped from its height and flung Rey to the ground.

The boy felt like a helpless ragdoll as his body flailed through the air before inevitably crashing on the ground.

"Not giving me a chance to—"

Once more, the monster descended on Rey from above—it's clasped hands landing fervently on Rey's exposed stomach.

"G-GURGHH!" Both blood and saliva leaked out of Rey's open mouth as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

However, this was only the beginning.

~BOOOM!~

~WHAM!~

~BOOOOOM!~

As tremors echoed in the magnificent expanse, everything began to crack.

The ceiling shook, the earth shattered apart, and shockwaves sent dents spreading throughout the far walls.

This level of destruction was unbelievable.

"GRUUUUUUUU…"

Once the Boss Monster had gotten its fill of primal violence and senseless rage, it took a good look at Rey's battered body.

"U-urrrgh…"

The human was lying there… pathetic and weakened.

He was too broken to do anything else.

"HUHUHUHU…" The Boss Monster chuckled as it raised Rey up, dragging him from his head.

It licked its ape-like lips, revealing a toothy grin.

A terrible odor wafted through its discolored but incredibly sharp teeth.

Saliva drilled down as it intently observed its prey.

This was its moment of triumph—the final act of their brief, but enjoyable dance.

~CRUNCH!~

As the Boss Monster devoured its prey, it felt nothing.

No resistance. No flesh. No bone.

… No blood.

"…?!"

A confused expression greeted its face as it glanced at what was supposed to remain of the prey's body being held in its grasp.

It found nothing.

At this point, confusion greeted all its senses as it furiously glanced around in sheer disillusionments

Its primitive brain could not properly comprehend what had just happened, but it knew one thing for sure.

It had been played!

"Took you long enough to notice."

The voice of its prey suddenly echoed in the air, forcing the giant creature to turn in the direction it came from.

Standing there, completely unharmed, was Rey.

"Looks like [Projection] works well on you. I thought you'd be able to see through it, but apparently not…"

The monster did not understand what this 'Projection' meant. However, it could understand that its prey was still alive.

And that pissed it off.

"GROOOOAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

As its roars reverberated through the air, Rey's smile seemed to increase.

"Is it due to your body's lack of proper sensitivity that you were unable to properly feel the lack of impact when you were striking?"

In exchange for their thick skin which granted them impressive durability, these creatures had very desensitized nerves on their flesh surface.

That was what Rey referred to.

"I guess the impact from the surfaces, and the wind pressure also helped a lot, so it felt like you were actually hitting something."

All the while, it had been fighting a nonexistent enemy.

"The only real strike you landed was the first."

After that, Rey had promptly activated [Projection] and watched everything that came next from the sidelines.

"I have to say… It was quite entertaining."

It felt a little odd seeing himself beat up like that, but Rey considered it to be a warning.

A warning for what would happen if he were ever to get careless in a fight.

"ROOOOOOOAAAARRRRRR!!!" More incoherent roars emanated from the beast, but Rey couldn't be less bothered.

"Did you really think I wouldn't take precautions when fighting someone of your caliber? Thanks to your exhibition, though, I have a fair grasp of your strength."

Rey's voice oozed with genuine gratitude, but this only served to enrage the Boss Monster more.

"I suppose it's my turn now."

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Thanks for reading!

Did you all think that was Rey for a second?