The First Challenge

Just when I thought I'd finally forgotten, it turned out to be nothing more than a ridiculous delusion. The aftermath of a fierce battle naturally dragged those memories back to the surface. Masked assailants charging in with murderous intent, my party members desperately holding them off. Crimson blood sprayed through the air, and agonized screams—whose, I couldn't tell—filled the chamber. It was a brutal fight worthy of being called a bloodbath. Even the surviving victors hadn't escaped unscathed; it had been a merciless slaughter. Even now, their faces and voices remained vivid before my eyes. The memories of that day, which I'd convinced myself were buried, still lingered sharp and clear somewhere in my mind. I'd simply been forcing myself to look away.

With a sunken expression, I surveyed the horrific scene and drew a slow, deep breath before stepping forward. The waiting area in front of the boss room was thick with the chill of death. Abandoned polearms and splatters of red blood stained every surface. What drew the eye most were the corpses scattered haphazardly across the floor. Several figures in familiar uniforms caught my attention—past comrades lying lifeless, drenched in blood. They were already long dead. I knew this for certain because anyone who had shown even the slightest chance of survival had been carried out when we escaped the dungeon. Interspersed among them were the masked attackers who had ambushed us, their bodies strewn across the ground, uncollected.

Faced with the nightmarish sight that resembled a battlefield, I closed my eyes and steadied my mind. I hadn't been able to predict what emotions would surface upon confronting this place again. But now that it was real, the feeling that flooded my thoughts was emptiness. Everything I'd wanted to protect had already vanished. What remained before me was nothing more than the aftermath of that loss. Standing in this ruined silence only deepened the thought. It was far better than having my mind crumble into despair, yet the ache in my chest was just as sharp.

Still, stopping here would only play right into his hands. Trapped by past trauma, destroying myself from within—that was surely his goal. So this was a trial. The first gate to test whether I could overcome these horrific memories. Gripping my trembling legs, I forced myself onward. My black shoes sank into the blood-soaked floor, sending an unpleasant sensation through my entire body. The countless corpses brushing against my feet refused to be ignored, no matter how hard I tried. Step by heavy step, as though each footfall were a lead weight, I pressed forward until the swamp of death finally ended and a massive door blocked my path.

It was exactly as I remembered—a colossal gate carved with the head of a fierce lion. I carefully placed my hand on the door's handle. This time, it was by my own will. The bloodstained door responded to my touch, its greedy maw swinging wide open. A fierce wind rushed out to greet me, and the name of the being buried in faded memories echoed in my ears.

Whoosh! At that moment, the entire boss room, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠once shrouded in darkness, blazed with light, revealing its interior completely. It also meant the being that had been holding its breath deep within had opened its eyes.

"!...."

A bone-chilling cold wrapped around my body, raising goosebumps across my skin. An overwhelming presence and killing intent unlike anything I'd faced from the floor bosses before radiated from it. …It was looking at me. Though the distance made details unclear, that much was certain. The red glow shining through its helm matched exactly what I'd seen in the past. For an instant, overwhelmed by its aura, I unconsciously stepped back. The sense of reality was so intense it was hard to believe this was a dream space. It felt as though I'd truly returned to that moment, facing the entity once more.

Yet alongside that terror, another emotion welled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up from deep within my heart—hatred toward the boss, another root of this tragedy. Realizing its enemy was alone, the boss charged without hesitation. Though its overwhelming presence made my body shrink back instinctively, I didn't yield and sprinted straight toward it. A longsword had already materialized in my grip, every muscle in my body pushed to its limit. I poured all my strength into deflecting the greatsword hurtling toward me.

BOOOOOOM!!!

A shockwave that shook the entire chamber swept through the room.

----- Whooooosh---

CRASH!!!

"…Kugh!!"

I hadn't seen exactly what happened. By the time I came to my senses, I was already flying through the air. A moment later, I felt the impact of colliding with something, followed by a deafening roar in my ears. As my blurry vision slowly focused, I grasped what had occurred. My body, unable to withstand the force of the head-on collision, had been sent flying backward. Turning my head slightly, I saw the boss room door I'd passed through moments earlier, not far away. Despite my bold charge, I'd been thrown right back to the starting point.

"I know that… I just wanted to feel out how strong it really is."

Accepting the butterfly's warning without argument, I began repairing my broken body. The collision with the wall had shattered every bone in my body. For an ordinary person, such injuries would have meant instant death. But that logic didn't apply to me. Crack!... Crack!... Crack!... With sickening sounds, my body regenerated once more. Watching broken bones knit back together and realign was beyond startling—it was downright eerie. Still, I'd grown somewhat accustomed to such sights. Once my body had fully recovered, I rose to my feet as if nothing had happened.

The empty feeling in my hand drew my gaze downward. The longsword I'd been holding moments ago was gone, likely flung away by the impact. In the end, a direct confrontation with it was impossible. Outmatched in strength and stamina, any attempt at close combat would end with me being reduced to pulp before I could accomplish anything. Unless I possessed some special ability like the old leader, fighting it on equal terms in melee was nearly impossible.

There was only one way to defeat such a creature alone. I had to avoid direct clashes as much as possible and chip away at its health gradually. But the biggest problem with this strategy was that, despite the size difference, I was still far slower than it. Just as I realized this—

"!!!"

BOOOOOOM!!!

In that instant, the boss vanished from sight. While I stood momentarily stunned by the unbelievable scene, the butterfly's urgent voice made me throw myself aside on instinct. A tremendous crash rang in my ears. I quickly put distance between us and assessed the situation, my eyes widening. The spot where I'd been standing was now completely destroyed, the boss's sword embedded in the floor. The creature I'd thought had disappeared had leaped upward, vanishing from view before striking down from the air. For something so massive to pull off such a maneuver without hesitation—its physical abilities were truly beyond belief.

Realizing it had missed its target, the giant knight closed the distance once more and began swinging its greatsword with ferocious speed. The relentless barrage of strikes was on a completely different level from the monsters I'd faced before. Everything in the path of the greatsword was obliterated. The once-pristine floor shattered like glass, and the wind pressure from its immense strength affected me even when I dodged. The one saving grace was my relatively small frame, which made its large movements easier to predict and evade—though even that required the butterfly's help. Counterattacking during the onslaught was unthinkable.

Whoosh!!

The moment I ducked, the deadly greatsword cleaved through the space where my head had been. The small hat I'd been wearing was sent flying into the air by the force. It was a hair's breadth from disaster, over and over again. The battle was one of complete domination in every aspect by the black knight before me. If this continued, only precious time would be wasted. Victory was out of the question—I'd be lucky just to survive.

I'd expected as much. No matter how much I'd improved my combat skills and level while clearing this dungeon, going toe-to-toe with the boss was impossible. Even the leader, far stronger than I was now, had considered tying it down the best possible ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠outcome. The very idea of fighting it normally was absurd. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠To stand even a chance against this being, I needed an entirely different approach.

I'd grown familiar with its attack patterns. The stage was set. Deciding the time was right, I dodged the incoming strike from above and narrowed my eyes.

Flash! A blue aura appeared around my feet and quickly enveloped my legs. A refreshing sensation, as if my entire body had become lighter. Without a moment's hesitation, I charged straight forward. Normally, closing the distance would have prompted an immediate counter with the greatsword. But the boss failed to react to my sudden burst of speed. Or rather, my speed had surpassed its reaction time. With fluid movements, I closed in until I was nearly upon it, then launched myself at its legs. No matter how powerful it was, it was still a knight. Without magic, once I got close, I had a chance.

Yet it lived up to its title as boss. Though it hadn't reacted in time to my approach, the moment it realized my target was its legs, it twisted its body slightly. Its leg and my trajectory naturally diverged. I tried to adjust my direction, but the greatsword was already descending from above. Forced to pull back, I refused to let the opportunity slip. I used Transform to create a mace absorbed from the first floor and hurled the massive chunk of iron at the boss's now-exposed upper body while its sword was lowered.

BOOM!

Even the boss couldn't dodge it completely. The mace struck its helm dead-on, and for the first time, the knight staggered backward. The first blow I'd landed since the fight began—and it had struck the face. That carried its own significance. More than anything, the realization that its speed had been surpassed ignited the Corrupted Knight's fury. Through the dented black helm, its red eyes blazed with rage. Meeting that gaze head-on, I curled my lips into a wicked smile and spoke for the first time.

"Heh… How does it feel? Getting hit with your own subordinate's ability. Pretty disgusting, isn't it? I felt the same. So from now on, I'm going to pay you back for every bit of rage I endured—with interest."

A sinister smile, nearly identical to the mask, had crept across my face. This was the new power granted as an additional effect of Transform—the ability of Doppelganger Ability to perfectly replicate the skills of those I'd absorbed in the past. Though it only produced half the original power and I could only use one ability at a time, its versatility far outweighed those limitations. In fact, reaching this point in a single run through the dungeon owed much to this very power. There was no need to elaborate on its performance.

Realizing its opponent was no mere novice, the boss showed caution for the first time since the battle began. But I paid it no mind. I'd already memorized all of its attack patterns. From here on… the counterattack began.