Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: First Named Monster, Adjutant Kraksas (1)
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Clang!
Whoosh!
I blocked Adjutant Kraksas's two-punch combo and barely dodged his spinning kick.
A chill ran down my spine as Kraksas's demonic energy-infused kick grazed my chin.
Kraksas seemed to be a martial artist demon. The moment the battle started, he closed in and relentlessly attacked with hands and feet cloaked in demonic energy.
Each blow was incredibly fast and dangerous, but not impossible to counter.
The problem was.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
I spun around to block a demonic energy blast from behind, then quickly used Backstep.
Whoosh!
Kraksas's kick swept through the space I had just occupied.
I immediately regained my stance and refocused on Kraksas's attacks.
This battle was a stark reminder of the second named monster in the Cave of the Orc King, the Orc Assassin.
I had to pay attention to both Kraksas's attacks and the demonic energy blasts from the elite demon soldiers.
The elite demon soldiers didn't approach, but they constantly fired their blasts whenever they saw an opening, preventing me from focusing solely on Kraksas's patterns.
Whoosh!
Kraksas's wide spinning kick pattern.
After dodging this pattern, I'll switch to Quickdraw.
Swish!
After using Moonlight Slash, my body shifted into Quickdraw stance.
I easily dodged Kraksas's follow-up punch and quickly moved toward a specific spot.
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
"Kahahahat! Where do you think you're running!"
Kraksas pursued me at high speed.
I kept moving, surveying my surroundings.
The elite demon soldiers were positioned in a square, each at a corner of the named monster's combat area.
If I fought Kraksas in the center of the area, I'd have to worry about the energy blasts coming from behind.
Kraksas didn't have a pattern that involved taking my back, unlike the Orc Assassin.
In that case, this might be easier than the Orc Assassin fight.
Tap.
Moving swiftly, I arrived in front of the elite demon soldier positioned at the seven o'clock direction of the combat area.
Startled by my sudden appearance, he swung his spear.
Hmph!
From here, Counterattack.
Shhk.
I appeared behind the elite demon soldier and blocked the attack from Kraksas, who had followed close behind.
Clang!
I smiled from behind my diagonally raised sword.
This is it.
From this position, I can face the attacks from Kraksas and all four elite demon soldiers head-on.
I just need to position myself like this and take out the elite soldiers one by one.
It's the same as with the Orc Assassin.
It's even easier since Kraksas has no surprise attacks from behind.
I just need to maintain my block while facing forward and slip in a Moonlight Slash between attacks.
It was a shame I couldn't use Starlight Slash, the powerful single-target skill available in Quickdraw, but this method would allow me to safely deal with the four elite demon soldiers.
After defeating all the elite soldiers, I could comfortably face Kraksas alone.
Clang-clang-clang! Clang!
Swish-swish!
Kraksas's sinister, demonic energy-infused attacks and the elite soldiers' energy blasts relentlessly struck my sword, but I calmly focused only on the soldier in front of me.
I chipped away at the elite soldier's HP with Moonlight Slashes cast between my blocks.
And then.
"Kugh!"
Thud.
Finally, the first elite demon soldier fell.
Tap-tap-tap!
I immediately dashed toward the next elite demon soldier.
Like this, step by step, one by one.
"Kaaargh!"
When the last elite demon soldier finally fell, I was left facing Kraksas one-on-one.
"You bastard, how dare you kill my men!"
A purple light swirled in Kraksas's eyes, and his attacks became faster and stronger.
Clang-clang! Clang!
The flurry of Kraksas's even faster punches and kicks left me disoriented.
Tap!
Kraksas leaped lightly into the air and raised his fists toward the ground.
The precursor to an area-of-effect pattern.
Tap-tap!
I used Backstep.
Boom! Boom!
Left fist, right fist. Each time Kraksas's fists slammed into the ground, the earth caved in and shockwaves erupted.
A single Backstep was enough. The second shockwave didn't reach me from that distance.
I quickly closed the distance, entered Quickdraw stance, and calmly began to whittle down Kraksas's HP.
[1st Named Monster]
[Level 33 Forward Base Adjutant Kraksas]
[HP 2,104,103/3,000,000]
Kraksas's immense HP had already been reduced by a fair amount.
But I hadn't let my guard down for a moment.
The unique special patterns that named monsters use at certain HP thresholds.
When would Kraksas enter his special phase?
He passed the 75% and 70% marks with no change in pattern, so the two-thirds point was the most likely.
Swish-swish-swish-swish!
As I deflected his spinning kick and moved to the right, unleashing a barrage of Starlight Slashes, Kraksas's HP quickly reached the two-thirds mark.
Swoosh!
I landed a final Starlight Slash and confirmed that Kraksas's HP had reached the two-thirds threshold.
I took a small step back, raised my sword, and watched for any change in Kraksas's behavior.
"Ugh, you annoying little rat...!"
Wooooong.
A tremendous amount of energy began to gather around Kraksas's body.
This was definitely the special pattern.
My eyes widened as I focused on Kraksas's movements.
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
The ground trembled from the immense demonic energy, and finally, Kraksas's body...
Whoom.
...began to float into the air?
"Th-! Thiiis!"
I stomped my feet in frustration.
Another aerial special pattern!?
But there was nothing I could do.
I could only stomp my feet and wait for Kraksas's special pattern to unfold.
Kraksas smiled down at me from the air and raised one hand.
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
A powerful surge of demonic energy concentrated above it, forming a purple orb.
Seeing that, I bit my lip.
This must be like the Black Wyvern's breath attack.
A pattern that unleashes a powerful area-of-effect attack across the entire battlefield.
If so, I should respond in the same way.
Krakooooom!
The ball of demonic energy, now as large as my own body, finally shot toward me.
The moment the orb reached me.
Fwoop!
[Backstep (C)]
[Quickly move 8m backward to evade a frontal attack (Invincible during cast)]
[Cooldown 8 seconds]
[(E-Rank) Movement speed increases for 5 seconds after skill activation]
Kabooooom!
Having used Backstep, I was unharmed amidst the massive explosion.
The 'invincible during cast' effect had activated.
As the dust from the explosion settled, I could see Kraksas still floating in the air.
Wow, so scary.
Still, if this is all there is, it's too easy.
Wooooong.
"Hic!?"
What?
It wasn't over?
Kraksas, who had already formed a second orb of demonic energy, was grinning darkly.
Krakooooom!
It immediately shot toward me.
The interval between attacks was three seconds.
Backstep still had five seconds left on its cooldown.
Kabooooom!
"Kyaaaaaaah!?"
"Cough, cough."
Caught in the explosion, my body rolled across the ground several times before stopping.
My entire body ached as if it were broken.
My HP was critically low.
I hadn't died in one hit, but my condition was serious.
"Keugh!"
After coughing up blood, I took out a potion with a trembling hand and drank it.
Thanks to the potion, which restored HP gradually over ten seconds, I could feel the pain begin to subside.
But the battle wasn't over yet.
I forced myself to ignore the lingering pain and quickly got back on my feet.
Tap.
Kraksas descended from the air and landed on the ground.
"To survive that hit... you're no ordinary foe."
I bit my lip at Kraksas's mocking sneer.
I couldn't dodge his attack.
I needed more time for my HP to recover to a safe level.
In this state, even the small amount of chip damage from blocking an attack could be enough to kill me.
Tap-tap-tap!
"Kahahahahat!"
But Kraksas had no intention of waiting for me to recover. He was already rushing toward me, his hands and feet cloaked in demonic energy.
And then.
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
From another barracks, four more elite soldiers emerged and joined Kraksas.
My teeth chattered.
"Th-this is impossible."
Scramble!
Without a second glance, I fled the named monster's combat area.
*
"Haa, haa."
Leaning my small body against the back of a barracks, I gasped for breath.
Gulp, gulp.
After drinking two more potions, I felt the pain almost completely disappear. My HP was mostly restored.
But.
"H-how am I supposed to dodge that?"
Two consecutive full-area attacks.
The interval was too short. Backstep's cooldown wasn't up in time.
Even if I could somehow dodge the first attack, what was I supposed to do about the second one?
Peek.
I peeked out from behind the barracks to check on Kraksas.
He stood in the center of the combat area with his arms crossed, while the four elite demon soldiers looked around.
It seems the first barracks explosion was just an entrance cutscene for the named monster, and from the second attempt onward, the fight starts immediately in this state.
Well, that's not what's important right now.
I fell silent, lost in thought.
Actually, it wasn't that there was no way to dodge it.
I could probably use this.
[Counterattack (D)]
[Usable in 'Quickdraw' stance]
[Appear behind the opponent (Cooldown 8 seconds)]
[(D-Rank) Invincible during cast]
The 'Counterattack' skill.
After its rank increased, it gained an 'invincible during cast' effect, but I hadn't been in a fight that required me to use it until now.
It's a teleportation skill that puts you behind the enemy. Counterattack was already an excellent evasion skill in its own right.
That's why the new invincibility frame hadn't seemed very significant until now.
However, to evade Kraksas's area-of-effect attack that damages the entire combat area, I have to make use of this effect.
But while he's using the AoE, Kraksas is...
"Floating in the air...?"
Counterattack is a skill that puts you behind the opponent. Naturally, you can't use it if the target isn't within attack range.
During his special pattern, I can't use Counterattack on Kraksas.
Counterattack.
Appear behind the opponent.
I need an 'opponent' to use Counterattack on.