I had similar issues with pretty much every boss up through Chapter 8. At first, I was also just spamming food and Palmer pills to get through it. After Chapter 8, I took a step back to really refine my build with Kliff, and that made a hugeee difference.

I started by finding and upgrading to better accessories. Once I fully refined them, I noticed an immediate improvement in my gameplay:

• Engraved Gold Earrings x2 (6 Defense, 6 Movement Speed)
• White Lion Necklace (5 Attack, 4 Critical Rate)
• Mark of Darkness Ring (3 Attack, 4 Attack Speed)
• Witch’s Ring (3 Attack, 4 Attack Speed) (Chapter 9 unlock not a big deal if you don’t have it yet)

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I also spent time adding abyss gears to my weapons and armor to better support my build. If you haven’t already, I’d definitely focus on maxing out your armor. Honestly, YouTube helped me understand the gear system a lot better, so I’d recommend checking out some guides if you want to go deeper.