As everyone continued forward, they unknowingly entered a village engulfed in flames, with treants rampaging everywhere.
They fought their way through with ease—no massive hordes, and with their level and gear upgrades, it wasn't too difficult.
Soon, they reached the village center, where two enormous treants stood guard—elite monsters.
"So, you're here to challenge Lord Mushroom? You'll have to get past us first!" As the treant spoke, the ground trembled, and two thick roots burst forth. Everyone reacted quickly and dodged—except for Nobita, who got caught. His athletic ability was nonexistent.
Daichi gave Doraemon a meaningful glance, and Doraemon cast a defense-reduction curse on one of the treants.
Daichi then leapt high into the air and used his second skill, Brutal Strike—a powerful leap-and-smash attack that deals huge damage while also inflicting self-damage.
His axe sliced through half the treant's head. The HP bar dropped by over half, and Daichi's own health dropped by a third—proof of the damage he had inflicted.
Dekisugi followed up with a Lightning Bolt, cleanly finishing off the wounded monster.
The other treant had been tanked by Gian and soon went down under focused attacks.
This time, the elite enemies dropped two sets of wooden armor. Daichi and Gian took one set each—no one objected since only they could wear it.
The group pushed ahead and entered a plaza. At its center, a massive mushroom monster lay resting. Upon hearing their arrival, it opened its eyes.
"You've done well to defeat my finest underlings. Looks like I'll have to handle you myself."
The mushroom stood upright, growing to nearly three meters tall and radiating a suffocating aura.
"Take this—Spore Cloud!"
A storm of spores drifted from beneath its cap, inflicting poison status on the party.
Shizuka used her second skill, Cleanse, first detoxing Dekisugi (whose HP was the lowest), then herself, one ally every three seconds.
The mushroom monster recognized her importance and charged at her, raising its arm for an attack.
Doraemon cast Slow, reducing the monster's speed by 30%, giving Shizuka time to escape.
Dekisugi and Suneo were ready. Dekisugi cast Flame Vortex, and Suneo fired a Piercing Arrow.
The combo dealt significant damage, knocking off about one-fifth of the mushroom's health bar. It also applied two debuffs: Armor Break and Burn—reducing physical defense and applying a damage-over-time effect.
Doraemon followed up with Corrosion Curse, further reducing resistances, then began pelting it with magic orbs.
Seeing both armor-debuffs in place, Daichi unleashed Brutal Strike once more, slicing off the mushroom's right arm and reducing its HP further. The attack also applied Cripple, but Daichi took heavy burn damage in return—he was hanging by a thread.
Roaring in pain, the mushroom raised its remaining hand to smash Daichi.
But Gian jumped in, blocking the attack with his greatshield. He then used Face Slam, his second skill, drawing the monster's full aggro.
The mushroom turned its fury on Gian, who endured with the help of Shizuka's heals.
Eventually, the beast withered and collapsed into ashes, leaving behind a glowing red heart.
Inside were new items: robes, a quiver—gear for the casters and ranged fighters. Everyone happily divvied it up and moved on.
Meanwhile, everyone had completely forgotten about Nobita, who was still tagging along in the rear.
Heading west, they defeated the enchantress, tamed the fire dragon, and at last stood before the final boss: the Flame Giant.
Everyone was fully geared—except Nobita.
Not out of spite, but because the loot distribution system was based on contribution, and he hadn't done a thing the entire time. Naturally, he didn't qualify for drops.
"So, more challengers, huh?" said a towering armored giant seated on a throne. "Many have tried. Few lived to tell the tale."
He stood—over ten meters tall. Flames erupted from his body as he charged at them.
Everyone dodged his incoming fireball. Daichi raised his new axe, Stormrage, leapt into the air, and cleaved into the back of the giant's knee.
The giant staggered, dropping to one knee. Daichi spun into Whirling Berserker, hacking at the monster's leg.
Eventually, the boss adjusted to his attack pattern and smacked him aside with a flaming palm.
Daichi crashed into a wall and lay limp, his HP bar a single sliver. He was down.
Shizuka immediately began healing him.
With Daichi down, Gian stepped up, tanking the Flame Giant's massive damage. Shizuka supported with buffs and regeneration.
Dekisugi finished his cast: Blizzard Surge!
A wave of cold swept toward the boss. Realizing the danger, the Flame Giant drew his flaming greatsword and unleashed a counterwave of fire.
The flames overpowered Dekisugi's spell, engulfing the battlefield.
Everyone thought they were done for—until Shizuka dropped her Divine Prayer, a teamwide invincibility spell with a 60-second cooldown.
They survived, but Dekisugi gave up on casting time-heavy spells. He switched to his third skill instead.
Suneo kept up the pressure from the rear—Piercing Arrow, Ice Arrow, Stun Arrow, Rapid Shot—all mixed in with basic attacks.
But the boss adapted again. Just after Gian dodged a sword swing, the Flame Giant's second hand grabbed him.
Being wrapped in fire, Gian's HP began to plummet.
Just as all hope seemed lost, Daichi—fully healed—came crashing down from the sky.
He activated Rage Mode, then used his fourth skill, Desperate Blow—sacrificing half his HP and all resistances for overwhelming attack power.
He soared over eight meters into the air and used gravity's force to cleave off the Flame Giant's hand, saving Gian.
The giant roared in pain, his health bar dipping. But Daichi, with zero resistance, was instantly burned down to critical condition.
As the boss raised his sword to finish him off, Doraemon activated Sacrifice Doll, a skill that let Daichi escape death and teleport back.
The Flame Giant was now at half HP and crippled. The team cautiously chipped away at his health.
Daichi could no longer fight. Desperate Blow left him weakened for an extended time—this was why he hadn't used it before.
Thankfully, everyone else worked together flawlessly.
At last, the Flame Giant's flames extinguished. His massive body crumbled into ash, revealing a red heart.
They gathered around and opened it—golden light burst out. Jewels, coins, and treasures rained down on everyone. Cheers erupted.
Gian grabbed handfuls of coins, Suneo ogled jewelry, Shizuka donned a crown, and Dekisugi eagerly flipped through a golden tome.
Daichi wasn't interested in the loot—but still chuckled while holding some treasure.
A single coin rolled to the floor. Nobita went to pick it up—only for Gian to stomp on it.
"Sorry, Nobita. These treasures aren't for you."
"Why?" Nobita asked. "Would giving me a little really hurt you guys?"
Shizuka walked over. "Because you picked Swordsman but didn't even get close to a single monster."
Suneo chimed in, "Exactly. You didn't contribute a thing. Why should you get a share of our hard-earned loot?"
Nobita looked to Doraemon, who nodded in agreement. Nobita collapsed to the floor and cried.
Everyone burst out laughing and, one by one, logged out of the game.
(End of Chapter)