Hello, I would like moderator status for this. I'd like to set the leaderboard to account for different platforms. For instance, the Sega Master System port takes quite a while to redraw the graphics before each shot, so it can't compete with something like the MS-DOS version.
No, a timer is just there mostly as a visual boost for runners and viewers. Feel free to time it any way you can and happy running!
As far as I know, this doesn't work the same on North American version. The idea is to get to the boss with any amount of gold, which baits the Goblin King at the point where he should despawn due to the boss trigger. I've gotten a variety of glitches from pulling this off, but never to the results I've seen on JP or EU versions. Either way, this trick is not easy and it was fun to watch on this vid :)
You need to activate magic in the same frame that a shuriken is in the boss's hitbox. I haven't gotten it to work when buffering the magic on the way down from a jump. I press the button when on the ground, and if a shuriken is in the spot , it should work. I have a method for timing this, but I've seen others just spam stars to increase the chance of coinciding with the magic.