Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: The Path to the Corps Commander
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It's dawn again.
I opened my eyes and stared blankly at the night light, its soft glow barely piercing the darkness of the room.
Then, I tried to sit up.
"Ugh."
I clutched my shoulder.
I hastily reached out, grabbing the medicine and water I'd left on the bedside table and downing them.
"Haaa."
My body trembled in pain for a moment, and only after the lingering agony subsided did my mind clear enough to think.
The battle against the second Named monster, Death Knight Zakam, had been anything but smooth.
There were more steps to overcome than I had anticipated.
The most problematic part was getting Zakam to absorb the Demonic Energy Overload. After being drawn into his hand, I had to strengthen my body at the right moment to break free. A fraction too late, and he'd drain my life force, killing me. Break free too early, and the demonic energy would explode inside my body.
If I had been with my comrades, they could have used a status effect skill on Zakam to make him release me.
Yesterday, I had to activate the belt several times. Even after figuring out the mechanics, I still had to personally chip away 200 million of his 500 million HP.
A belt that prevents instant death once and locks my HP at 1%.
The Hero's power, which activates at 1% HP.
To beat him, I had to die.
Zakam's attacks were vicious. Unlike the Black Dragon, he didn't grant me the mercy of a clean hole through my body.
There was even a time when my torso was split in half while trying to die as painlessly as possible. Fortunately, the power of the gift Igraine gave me didn't leave me to fight with just my upper body. A green light swirled from the wound where the attack landed, holding my body together and keeping it from splitting apart.
"Haa."
I sighed.
This useless body of mine can't withstand the pain.
The slightest overexertion makes every part of me scream in protest, demanding rest.
Sitting up, I stared blankly into space, lost in thought for a moment.
All that remains now is the final Named monster.
During the attempts on the Corps Commander, how many times will I have to activate this belt?
Can this body handle it?
If I collapse while coughing up blood, Chris will force me into the hospital.
In this regard, it was easier when I lived alone.
There was no one to nag me for pushing myself too hard.
As I sat on the bed, lost in these thoughts, a small sound came from the door.
Scratch, scratch.
"......?"
What's that sound?
I carefully got off the bed and crawled toward the door. It was an awkward sight, dragging my lower legs using only my thigh muscles, but for short distances inside the room, it was easier than getting into my wheelchair every time.
And, as I gently opened the door.
Thump.
"Ouch."
The person in front of the door bumped their head lightly against it.
The person, who had stumbled backward, looked at me with a startled expression.
"Gasp...."
"...Chris, what are you doing here at this hour?"
"Waaah! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"What are you sorry for, exactly?"
"I... I! I was trying to scout the final Named monster's patterns to tell you, Rain, but something strange was blocking the way!"
Chris slumped down in front of me and began to sob as if her heart was broken.
I sat down facing her and scratched my face.
According to her, after clearing the second Named monster today, they had extended their attempt time to gather as much information as they could on the third Named monster, but a sub-boss was blocking the entrance to the final area.
"Sniffle, so, we couldn't get past it today. I-I'm sorry. Hng. I was trying to at least write down the sub-boss's info on paper for you."
I looked at the still-sniffling Chris and chuckled.
She's so cute.
Her charismatic side is great, but I also love this goofy side she only shows to me. It's adorable.
And then, I quietly pulled her into a hug.
"Hah...!"
Chris gasped.
"Chris, thank you."
"S-sob, what's there to thank me for...! A useless person like me doesn't deserve to be hugged by you, Rain! Hiyah, hiyah!"
I grabbed Chris's hands as she started hitting her own head.
"What are you talking about? You've been a huge help."
"But."
"You scouted Zakam first and told me his patterns, right? It's the same for the gatekeeper. Thanks to you, my attempts have been much, much easier."
This was true.
Thanks to Chris, the time I had to spend enduring pain and using my past powers was drastically reduced. Without her information, my body might not have held out long enough to clear this raid.
It wasn't a lonely battle fought by myself.
Even though we were physically apart, Chris was with me.
"You're my comrade."
I gave her the highest praise I could.
Like the comrades of the Hero's Party in the past, who had supported me from behind and cleared the path before me.
Even here, across time and space, I had found new comrades to fight the Corps Commander with.
The members of the Red and White Guild, and Chris.
Chris is my comrade, too.
"A comrade.... you say."
Chris mulled over the word, her expression momentarily overwhelmed with emotion.
Then, she licked her lips with what looked like a wistful expression.
"......?"
Outside, the dawn was slowly breaking.
As Chris fed me boiled eggs and bread, I analyzed the 'Flame Spearman' and 'Ice Shieldbearer' based on the information she had written down.
"Munch, munch.... Hmm, so. The aggro target changes constantly, is that it?"
"Yeah. It's a weird pattern, right? It shoots a ziiiing~ beam from its eyes. It doesn't do any damage, but if a raid member gets hit by it, the aggro switches. Regardless of damage dealt or aggro values."
"The Spearman lays down a fire patch in its area, and the Shieldbearer recovers HP, huh."
"Exactly. It seems to be related to the aggro target's distance. It looks like the Spearman needs to be tanked at range, and the Shieldbearer up close, but...."
I was watching the video Chris had recorded. A holographic 3D image floated above the table where we were eating, allowing us to view the Red and White attack squad's battle from various perspectives.
I pointed to the large chasm in the center of the collapsed battle area, which separated the Spearman's and Shieldbearer's zones.
"You cross to the other side by stepping on these tree trunks sticking out here, right?"
"Yeah. The distance is short enough to cross with a single back-step, so it's not too difficult, but the trunks themselves are barely wide enough for one person. After three minutes, a buff explodes and kills you. If you cross to the other side before the three minutes are up, the buff changes and the three-minute countdown restarts."
The problem is this.
[Flame Infusion (3 minutes)]
[Attack Power +30%, Death after 3 minutes]
[Frost Infusion (3 minutes)]
[Defense Power +30%, Death after 3 minutes]
Before these buffs run out, everyone must switch sides. No exceptions.
Otherwise, after three minutes of combat, it's a total party wipe.
But if everyone moves at once, their paths will get tangled, and they'll fall.
And the tank's movement is also a problem.
The Spearman continuously throws fire spears if its target is too far away. Normally, the tank would block and dodge these head-on.
But while crossing the chasm, it's difficult to perform evasive maneuvers or defensive actions. The tank has to cross to the other side to survive, but it's practically impossible.
The Shieldbearer crouches down and recovers HP if it gets too far from the tank. The amount it heals is enough to instantly restore its HP to full.
The only saving grace is that there's no enrage timer, I guess?
The mechanics were on par with a Named monster, but as befitting its position as a sub-boss, there was no overall time limit for the fight.
I finished my analysis and nodded.
"Hmm, it's not that difficult. You were probably just tired. I bet you would've figured out the strategy after a good night's sleep."
"...You think so? Right now, I have no idea what to do."
"Here, look."
I pointed at the tree trunks rising from the great chasm in the middle of the battle area.
"One by one, in order. And the tank crosses last."
"In order?"
"Yes. Both sides should do it that way. From the Spearman's side to the Shieldbearer's side, someone who can melee tank crosses first, then gets hit by the laser to take aggro. That way, the instant-death timer gets extended with a new type, and the tanking can be handed off."
"Ah....!"
"Same for the other side. Someone who can range tank moves first, and at the end, the melee tank hands off aggro and crosses over."
Chris had only failed to see it because she was tired; it wasn't a particularly difficult strategy.
It was a problem that arose when a raid leader had too much charisma. It becomes difficult for others to offer their opinions. This was especially true for the Red and White attack squad, who had smoothly cleared content by following the strategies Chris devised.
The others had stopped thinking for themselves, assuming, 'Chris will figure it out this time, too.'
I grinned.
"It's called a conga line."
*
I'm the analytical type.
It was the same in the past, when I fought demons on this continent. Even when facing high-ranking demons like the Corps Commanders, I would analyze their powers and abilities as much as possible before engaging in battle.
I believe that's how all my comrades made it to the Demon King's castle alive.
But, there...
I shook my head.
Shaking my head vigorously for a moment, I looked at the two colossi standing before me.
What I'm doing now is no different. It's just that my target is now integrated with a game's system.
[Flame Spearman]
[HP 100,000,000 / 100,000,000 (100%)]
[Ice Shieldbearer]
[HP 100,000,000 / 100,000,000 (100%)]
The colossi stood separated, one to the left and one to the right.
Once the battle begins, the path between the two creatures is cut off. The only way to cross is by stepping on the tree trunks that jut out here and there.
I took my stance.
I stood on the Flame Spearman's side and pointed my sword at it.
I can take these guys down alone, too.
The simulation is complete.
They said the Spearman keeps throwing fire spears even when its HP hits 1.
That means I have to get both colossi down to 1 HP to clear this.
Dodging fire spears coming from behind while crossing the chasm and dealing with the Shieldbearer. Neither is a major problem for me.
However, the Shieldbearer heals its HP if I get too far away.
That's the biggest problem.
In that case.
Clang!
I used 'Flying Sword' on the Spearman to get its aggro.
Rumble!
The floor collapsed, and the path between the two colossi was severed.
At the same time, a buff was applied to me.
[Flame Infusion (3 minutes)]
[Attack Power +30%, Death after 3 minutes]
First, I'll whittle down the Spearman's HP, then before the three-minute death timer runs out, I'll just dip my toe on the Shieldbearer's side to refresh the buff. I'll keep going back and forth to refresh the buff while getting the Spearman's HP down to 1 first.
And after I've depleted all of the Spearman's HP.
[World Tree's Belt]
[Elite]
[STR+50 AGI+50 INT+50]
[Unique Ability: Blocks fatal damage once. However, HP is fixed at 1% until combat ends (Cooldown: 30 minutes)]
With this, I can survive the instant death once.
Until now, I've been forced to trigger it to meet DPS checks, but in situations like this, it's a broken item.
Even with mechanics designed to prevent solo play, I can force my way through it just once.
100 million HP. There's no way I can burn through that in three minutes.
I'll die when the three minutes are up, but the belt will block it once.
Even if the instant-death buff is reapplied after that, with the unique skill that activates at 1% HP, the extra three minutes will be more than enough.
It's a dual boss with a complex strategy, but surprisingly, for me, it's a simple fight.
After depleting all of the Spearman's HP.
I'll arrive on the Shieldbearer's side.
Trigger the belt.
And cut down the Shieldbearer.
It's not a Named monster. There's no need for long attempts.
It's merely the path to the Corps Commander.
I'll end this in one go.
Fwoosh!
In that moment, facing the fire spear hurtling toward me from the Spearman, I.
I lowered my stance and prepared to unleash my sword energy.