Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Statue of the Head (2)
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Flash!
Clang!
A glint of light flashed, and my sharp blade struck the statue.
Sparks flew with a sound like steel striking steel. A gash appeared on the statue’s body.
Whoosh!
The statue swung the colossal sword it held in one hand. As large as I was, the stone blade swept toward me, threatening to cut me in half.
But it was slow, its movements large and telegraphed. In my Sword-Drawing Stance, I could easily evade it without even needing to block.
Thump!
Wham!
I darted to the right. The colossal sword missed its mark, embedding itself in the corridor floor.
Tatatat!
Papapapak!
I circled swiftly to the statue’s right, unleashing a flurry of Moonlight Slashes. The powerful, rapid strikes chipped away at its HP.
Ooooooh!
Could statues even make sounds? A bizarre groan, seeming to resonate from deep within the stone, echoed through the wide corridor.
I used Backward Evasion to put some distance between us.
Ooooooh!
At the same time, the statue gripped its sword hilt with both hands and powerfully plunged it into the corridor floor.
KABOOOM!
The shockwave that began from the tip of the statue's sword instantly traveled up the walls to the ceiling.
The entire corridor shook violently. Was it going to collapse?
Rumble.
The shockwave spread in all directions. But since I was already outside its range, I took no damage.
The sturdy statue, seemingly untouched by the ravages of time, flaunted its resilience with its massive HP bar.
However, its patterns weren't very threatening.
That shockwave pattern starting from the sword's tip looked flashy, but its range wasn't as wide as it seemed. One Backward Evasion and a couple of extra steps were enough to get clear.
The other attacks? They were slow enough that I could easily dodge and attack with the increased agility from my Sword-Drawing Stance. It was a stark contrast to the wyvern's sharp, swift attacks.
In that case, I didn't even need to use Block. I could just maintain my Sword-Drawing Stance and continuously use Moonlight Slash.
A technique for chipping away a named monster's HP with Moonlight Slash while deflecting its attacks in Sword-Drawing Stance. Should I call it the Rain-style 'Apple Peeler'?
Thump!
As soon as the area-of-effect shockwave pattern ended, I quickly launched myself toward the statue. Once again, moonlit sword strikes flashed around me.
[2nd Named]
[Statue of the Head]
[HP 263,510/308,000]
The statue's seemingly endless HP had already dropped by a fair amount.
Judging from my experience fighting other named monsters, it wouldn't be strange for a special pattern to appear around now.
Whoosh!
While easily dodging the statue's powerfully swung colossal sword, I didn't let my guard down.
What will it be?
Maybe it'll transform into a second or third form like a robot? It might even shoot lasers from its mouth.
But the prelude to the special pattern came from a direction quite different from my expectations.
Crack.
I didn't see it. I literally heard it.
Tap.
Hearing something crack, I had a bad feeling and quickly put distance between myself and the statue.
What's that sound?
Actually, I'd heard it before.
Right when I first encountered this statue.
"Hk."
I forced my stiff neck to turn and looked toward the right side of the corridor, where the sound had come from.
The statues I had thought were just decorative sculptures on the wall.
Crack. Craaack.
One of them was raising its petrified body.
[Knight Statue]
[HP 84,000/84,000]
Whoosh, whoosh!
"Eek!"
I screamed as I dodged the swords flying at me from the left and right.
KABOOOM! KABOOOM!
Even the minion used the exact same shockwave pattern as the named boss.
Keeping my distance, I glared with a frustrated expression at the two statues that had plunged their swords into the corridor floor.
"D-Damn it!"
It was harder to find an opening to attack than I thought.
Facing the Statue of the Head and the Knight Statue, both with the same patterns, was not as easy as I'd thought.
I waited for the shockwave pattern to pass and recalled my battles with previous named monsters.
This is the same.
If I defeat the Knight Statue that's assisting the Statue of the Head first, I'll be able to focus on the named monster again.
Tatatat!
As soon as the shockwave pattern ended, I rushed the statues, making the Knight Statue my main target.
It had less HP than the named Statue of the Head. I just needed to quickly defeat the Knight Statue and then deal with the Statue of the Head.
Papapapak!
Clang! Clang!
Swords flashed continuously, striking the Knight Statue. Sparks flew as stone and steel collided.
Wow, it's even making sparks. What kind of rock are these guys made of?
I had a brief, silly thought, but I had that much leeway.
The statues were strong but slow. So slow that I didn't even need to block their attacks.
Papapapak!
A smile played on my lips as I moved nimbly, unleashing a constant barrage of strikes.
It was going smoothly.
The first named monster was much harder.
After I defeat the Knight Statue and chip away at the named monster's HP, a new special pattern might appear, but if it's the same one, it's no problem.
I just have to defeat the added Knight Statue again and focus on the named monster.
However, the second named monster's special pattern easily betrayed my expectations.
Crack.
This time, from the left.
The sound of cracking stone came from the left side of the corridor.
"What!?"
Did I take off too much of the boss's HP?
Did it enter the next special phase before I could even defeat the first Knight Statue?
[2nd Named]
[Statue of the Head]
[HP 260,041/308,000]
[Knight Statue]
[HP 46,989/84,000]
That wasn't it.
I had been moving as close to the Knight Statue as possible, making it my main target, so the Statue of the Head's HP had barely decreased. It had only lost a small amount of HP when it briefly entered the range of my Moonlight Slash.
There was no time to dwell on the question. From now on, I had to face three statues.
It wasn't impossible. But it became extremely hectic.
Clang!
Dodging the swords of all three statues was, as expected, not easy.
I dodged two swords and blocked one.
It's difficult, but doable.
If I can just defeat all the Knight Statues, I can comfortably face the named monster again.
The hope I clung to, trying to push away negative thoughts...
Crack.
...was completely shattered by the sound of a fourth statue rising.
Whoosh!
I ran without looking back.
*
"Haa, haa."
I panted, hiding around a corner in the corridor.
Having lost their target, the statues returned to their original positions and became still, as if nothing had happened.
I puffed out my cheeks at the statues, which seemed to be feigning ignorance about having moved at all.
What should I do?
Three was manageable. I could probably handle four if I gritted my teeth.
But it was obvious it wouldn't end at four.
Even without counting carefully, there looked to be over twenty statues on both sides of the corridor.
There's no doubt.
As time passes, they will rise one by one, until eventually, all of them are active.
It was a kind of time-attack pattern.
Recommended for a 4-person party. Elite dungeon.
A 4-person party with high damage would probably defeat the named monster after seeing only three or four additional statues, but alone, I would have to face at least ten.
It would get progressively harder as more statues joined the fight.
But I had no choice.
I'm alone, and I can't expect any firepower from party members.
I have to pump out maximum damage on my own.
In the end, it's a matter of adaptation.
I figured out a strategy without much difficulty.
"I just have to ignore the Knight Statues and beat the hell out of the Statue of the Head."
'Focus fire on one target' is the plan.
[2nd Named]
[Statue of the Head]
[HP 22,041/308,000]
Whoosh, whoosh, KABOOOM!
Tatatat!
Papapapak!
"Die! Diiie!"
I was currently kiting a total of eleven statues.
After many attempts, I mastered the art of kiting.
The Knight Statues didn't attack while chasing me. They were all slow, melee-only mobs.
In that case, I just had to kite them around and only deal with the Statue of the Head.
It was easier said than done, and the process of getting to this point was extremely difficult.
If I failed to control the distance even slightly, several statues would use their shockwave pattern simultaneously.
The sight of all the statues plunging their swords into the floor and setting off shockwaves at once was quite a spectacle. I even had to admire the brilliant fireworks display while hastily running away.
But, in the end, I made it this far.
Close the distance, one cycle of Moonlight Slash.
Then, shake off the pursuing Knight Statues, approach the Statue of the Head, and another cycle.
Repeating this process, I finally spotted the Statue of the Head among the Knight Statues chasing me, its HP nearly depleted.
One more hit.
"Diiiie!"
Ignoring the Knight Statues, I charged in and delivered the final blow.
Fwoosh!
The final Moonlight Slash exploded with a flash of light.
Ooooooh!
The Statue of the Head shuddered violently, then crumbled.
The light in its eyes faded, and as stone fragments scattered, the statue completely lost its power.
Crrr-ack.
The heavy swords of the Knight Statues, which had approached me unnoticed, also stopped moving.
Thump.
I collapsed onto the floor amidst the statues.
And with a dazed expression, I uttered a single phrase.
"I... I cleared it."