but when there’s a hidden boss you goddamn better grind a lot and level up to even have a remote chance, damn your skills and all that

HAHA! That pretty much sums up my own personal experience in fighting hidden bosses in FF7, FF8 and FF9. Not sure if there’s still such a tradition in more modern FF games tho. But man, I remember having to grind card games in FF8 just to gather enough cards to turn into consumable items just to give me a chance of lasting so many turns in the Omega Weapon fight. In FF9, I had to play that stupid Chocobo minigame for hours on end just to gather the materials. Ahem. I’m rambling. But yeah, I agree. Grinding is but the start with such hidden bosses. You grind for levels, you grind for equipment, you grind for materials and consumables all for a chance of defeating the hidden boss.

Going back on topic though, thinking about it from the author’s POV, it might be more helpful if they don’t give specific numbers or even a narrow range of figures to keep their options open (the LN is still ongoing, right).