Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Third Named: The Sealed Demon
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Step by step.
I continued down the stairs behind the corridor where the Patriarch's Statue had been.
After walking for about five minutes, the end of the stairs came into view.
Beyond it, a faint red light was seeping in.
"Huh?"
The torches I'd seen on my way here, the ones that lit this tomb, had all burned with blue flames.
In the landscape of the Tomb of the Lesser Demon, which was generally cast in a faint blue glow, that red light was quite out of place.
As I emerged from the long staircase, the ceiling suddenly opened up high above.
Soon, a massive, dome-shaped cavern appeared before my eyes.
And I finally understood the source of the red light.
Bubble, bubble.
"Gasp."
A lake of lava, visible across the vast dome.
Magma bubbled up from it.
The source of the red light illuminating the dome's interior was the magma.
To think something like this existed beneath the desert.
Just how far down had I come? I couldn't have drilled through the Earth's crust, could I?
I shrank back a little.
Ever since the first named monster, I'd grown to really hate fire.
But, looking at the state of this boss room, the final named monster might also use fire-based attacks.
"I-I really hate fire."
Shake, shake.
I shook my head vigorously, steeling my weakening resolve.
Rain, you've come so far.
After clearing this dungeon, you'll sell the weapon, make a ton of money, chug potions to your heart's content, buy all the outfits you want, and level up your character like royalty.
Of course, you can eat chicken every day too. You have to nourish Iseulbi's body, right?
You can live lavishly in Astria Online.
Thankfully, my materialistic desires firmly supported my spirit.
Step by step.
My motivation restored, I squared my shoulders and strode confidently toward the center of the dome.
Step. Step.
But I couldn't help my body shrinking back the closer I got to the center.
Step.
Finally reaching the middle of the dome, I spoke timidly.
"The challenger... has entered the ring."
Bubble.
From the lava lake before me, the first bubble burst.
Bubble, bubble.
Soon, the once-calm magma began to boil, forming a giant whirlpool.
Flames erupted from the center of the whirlpool, and within them, a massive figure slowly revealed itself.
It was a demon.
A huge demon, with a pair of large horns on its head.
Its size surpassed that of a wyvern.
Thick chains were wrapped tightly around its body.
As if treated with some special magic, the chains, which gave off a faint blue light, didn't melt even in the lava.
Rumble...
The demon, half-submerged in the lava lake, opened its eyes.
Flash.
Flames blazed within its pupils.
"Whoa."
Forgetting my fear, I stared blankly at the sight, letting out a sound of awe.
The boss entrance scene is so cool.
I feel like I've seen something like that in a classic game. I'm sure it was from that Snowstorm company's 'Something-blo'.
Isn't this the Tomb of the Lesser Demon? Its presence is on par with one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the demon race.
Of course, looking at it overall, it was quite different from that classic game's 'Something-blo'.
For one, its forearms were massive.
The proportions, with forearms so large compared to its torso, were like an orangutan's? A gorilla's? Anyway, it looked like it would be right at home walking on all fours.
A small body like mine would probably fit snugly in its grasp.
Does it actually have a 'Grab' pattern?
In any case, there's no harm in being wary of those huge forearms.
And a moment later, the demon moved.
Thud, thud, thud.
It strode out toward the dome, parting the magma lake with its massive arms.
Finally revealing its full form, the demon let out a great roar.
Kaaaaaaah—!
[3rd Named]
[Level 27 Sealed Demon]
[HP 500,000/500,000]
*
Fw-fw-fwish!
Fw-fw-fw-fw-fwish!
Maintaining my Sword-Drawing Stance, I used Moonlight Slash to leave scratches on the demon's body.
I was intimidated by its imposing entrance, but once the boss fight began, I understood why it was called the 'Sealed Demon'.
First of all, its movements were very slow overall.
Its normal pattern consisted only of swings with its massive forearms, which weren't particularly threatening.
Despite having 'Demon' in its name, it didn't use any magic attacks. It just attacked using its hulking body.
Ch-ch-ch-clang!
Every time the demon moved, the chains wrapped around its body rattled. Were those chains sealing its power?
Just as its name, 'Sealed Demon,' suggested, it didn't seem to be in its complete state.
Whoosh!
Klang! Screeeech-
"Kuhk!"
When I blocked the demon's arm swing, I lost a little HP and my body was pushed back a few steps.
Even if it didn't use magic, the power coming from those monstrous forearms was real. Even with my now much higher Block rank, I couldn't absorb the full impact.
How long has it been since I lost HP after blocking an attack with the 'Block' skill?
On top of that, the range was incredibly wide.
With an area-of-effect attack of this range, the circling and slicing attack using 'Sword-Drawing Stance' is impossible. I have to deal with all its patterns.
In that case, what about 'Counterattack,' which can be activated from the Sword-Drawing Stance?
Sshhh.
Using 'Counterattack,' my body left an afterimage as I took up a position behind the demon.
It looked like I'd have a window for free damage before the demon turned to face me again.
But.
Whoosh!
Klaaang!
"Ugh!?"
I had to hastily cancel my Sword-Drawing Stance and block the demon's attack.
The demon had swung its arm backward without even turning around.
"Y-You surprised me!"
Calming my startled heart, I had to face the demon, which had now turned back around.
Its normal patterns were largely of two types: a forward swing and a backward swing.
Both can be blocked, and there are no other significant patterns.
I still take damage even when blocking, but it's not unmanageable. If the damage from blocking accumulates, I can just drink a potion.
Fw-fw-fw-fw-fwish!
The constant glint of my blade flashed as it cut into the demon's massive body.
Because of the range of its arm swings, I couldn't maintain my Sword-Drawing Stance, but I had no trouble dealing damage by taking advantage of the large openings in its attack motion.
Klang!
After blocking an arm swing and taking about two steps back, I checked the demon's HP.
[3rd Named]
[Level 25 Sealed Demon]
[HP 391,005/500,000]
Just like the other named monsters I'd faced, this one's normal patterns weren't the big problem.
Basically, any player with an understanding of Astria Online could handle them.
The problem was the special pattern that occurred when the named monster's HP dropped below a certain threshold.
The 'Sealed Demon' would have its own unique special pattern, too.
How to overcome it was the key to clearing the dungeon. The time had come to start focusing on its movements.
As expected, it wasn't long before the demon's movements changed drastically.
Fwoosh!
"Hic!"
Unlike its sluggish attacks until now, the demon moved with sudden agility, opening its massive hand to grab me.
But since I'd been watching with wide eyes, trying to spot a change in pattern, I was able to react perfectly.
Tap-tap.
My body reflexively used 'Backward Evasion,' instantly moving behind me, and the demon's hand closed on empty air.
Putting distance between myself and the demon, I broke out in a cold sweat.
Whoa, that was a close call. That was incredibly dangerous.
What would happen if I got caught in that grip? Would all my bones be crushed? Would I be thrown into the lava lake?
In any case, it was as clear as day that my body wouldn't remain intact.
But this wouldn't be the end of it.
I gripped my sword tightly and watched for the demon's next move.
Kaaaaaaah—!
Along with the same roar the demon had let out when it first appeared.
Whoom.
A violet light gathered in the demon's giant hand.
Before long, it formed a sphere.
"Th-That's!"
My jaw dropped.
I'd seen that violet sphere somewhere before.
The violet sphere was definitely an energy orb containing the power of dark magic used by the demons of the Astria Continent.
The violet sphere, filled with immense power, soon shot toward me at high speed.
"I thought you couldn't use magic!?"
You're the 'Sealed Demon'!
KRA-KA-KA-KABOOM!
*
Thump, thump.
"Whoa, it had a ranged magic pattern."
I collapsed onto the stairs by the dome's entrance corridor, calming my racing heart.
It was a good thing I'd been ready to flee toward the stairs the moment the special pattern started. If I'd been hit directly by something so menacing, I would have died instantly.
I couldn't afford to just take the hit and think, 'Ah, I'll do this next time.' That kind of response was impossible.
Unlike other people, getting hit in the game is very painful for me.
I didn't want to get hurt.
There was no point in even trying to 'Block' it. In terms of game mechanics, it was probably similar to the first named's, the 'Black Wyvern's,' scale attack.
Thump, thump!
Extremely annoyed, I flailed my legs and kicked the stairs a few times.
"Why don't Swordsmen have a ranged protection skill?"
A Mage's 'Mana Barrier' or a Yin-Yang Master's 'Talisman of Protection' could probably block it.
Of course, a Swordsman might get a ranged protection skill at higher levels, but as I was now, I had no way to counter it.
I rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought.
[Backward Evasion (E)]
[Swiftly move 8m backward to evade an attack from the front (Invincible during cast)]
[Cooldown: 8 seconds]
[(E Rank) Movement speed increases for 5 seconds after skill activation]
The broken mechanic that even nullified the wyvern's AoE breath: 'Invincible during cast'.
With this mechanic, I could avoid taking damage from any pattern that exists in Astria Online.
Should I save Backward Evasion?
But how do I dodge that quick grab pattern?
The interval between the demon's grab pattern and the magic orb attack is about 5 seconds.
If I use Backward Evasion on the grab pattern, it'll have 3 seconds of cooldown left.
"Hmm..."
There has to be something. It's just not coming to mind right away.
There must be another way to dodge the 'Grab' pattern.