Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: First Boss, 'Orc Fighter'
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Thud.
The Orc Fighter stomped its foot.
"Chwiiiik!"
Clang!
Steel gauntlets clashed against my sword.
"Ugh!"
I managed to block the Orc Fighter's powerful fist strike, but the force behind the steel gauntlets was immense.
My blocking stance broke in an instant.
"Yikes!"
I quickly rolled to the right, barely dodging the follow-up attack to its left flank that came after the initial punch.
"What the...?"
This was the first time a monster's attack had broken my Swordsman's 'Block' skill.
Still, the block must have registered as successful, since I didn't take much damage, but my usual combat methods were ineffective against the Orc Fighter's power fist.
Block an attack, then chip away at the monster's HP with instantly cast slashes and thrusts.
This solid formula for a Swordsman's victory had been shattered for the first time.
Before I could even collect my thoughts, I had to face the Orc Fighter as it charged in again.
Clang!
This time, my block held. I immediately activated a thrust, a natural follow-up to the block.
Thwack!
Green blood splattered as a small wound opened on the Orc Fighter's torso. It was a valid hit.
"Chwiik."
The Orc Fighter took a slight step back to reset its stance, then threw a few more punches.
Clang, clang, thwack!
I calmly blocked its attacks, steadily depleting the Orc Fighter's HP with my single-target thrust skill.
The Orc Fighter took a step back and clenched its fist.
My eyes widened.
It was the same wind-up for the powerful punch it had used in its first attack.
If I blocked it head-on, my guard would break, leaving me vulnerable to a follow-up strike.
[Backward Evasion]
[Quickly dash 8m backward to evade a frontal attack (Invincible while casting)]
[Cooldown: 8 seconds]
The 'Backward Evasion' skill, which I acquired upon reaching Level 15 as a Swordsman.
This must be the game's way of telling me to use this skill to dodge a boss's attacks that can't be handled with 'Block' alone.
Whoosh!
Fwoosh!
The Orc Fighter's punch cut through empty air.
Using 'Backward Evasion', my body moved in an instant, creating distance between me and the Orc Fighter.
"Oh."
So this was it.
If I leveled up more and increased my agility, I might be able to make a similar move without activating a skill, but the 'Invincible while casting' property wasn't something I could get from simple speed.
A key skill for clearing elite dungeons, where every single attack deals near-fatal damage.
I could see why it was learned at Level 15.
I smiled faintly.
It seemed like clearing the first boss wouldn't take as long as I thought.
Having roughly figured out the Orc Fighter's patterns, I steadily blocked its attacks and wore down its HP.
[1st Boss]
[Level 16 Orc Fighter]
[HP 8214/10500]
About five minutes had passed since the battle began.
I hadn't dealt as much damage as I'd expected for the time spent fighting, but since I was consistently accumulating damage without taking any hits, I figured I could clear the first boss without issue if I kept this up.
I moved my sword rhythmically, blocking the Orc Fighter's attacks and evading its power fists, responding to its patterns.
Finally, the Orc Fighter's HP dropped below 80%.
Nothing seemed to have changed.
As usual, I blocked a light attack and followed up with a thrust at the Orc Fighter.
For a moment, the Orc Fighter's eyes seemed to flash.
A chill.
A sudden, chilling sensation washed over me.
My senses screamed a warning.
Thrusting at this timing was dangerous.
But I couldn't stop the skill that had already been activated.
Scraape!
The Orc Fighter's gauntlet moved smoothly, deflecting my thrust.
The Orc Fighter's first pattern change.
And then.
Wham!
"Kugh!?"
The Orc Fighter's gauntlet, moving like flowing water, slammed hard into my abdomen.
Tumble, tumble, thud!
My small body rolled backward several times before crashing into a wall and stopping.
"Cough, cough!"
The world was spinning.
What?
What just happened?
Whoosh.
Before I had time to assess the situation, the Orc Fighter was already lunging toward me.
"Eek!"
Tumble.
Smash!
I rolled to the side, dodging the Orc Fighter's downward smash.
The Orc Fighter's gauntlet smashed into the cave's bare floor, leaving a deep crater.
[Drizzle Rain]
[Swordsman]
[Level 15 (1.17%)]
[HP 114/617]
Barely able to think straight, I checked my remaining HP and my face went pale.
Just one.
Eighty percent of my HP had vanished from a single hit.
"Hii, hii!"
Tumble.
On the verge of tears, I repeatedly rolled backward, fleeing from the Orc Fighter's attacks.
After drinking a potion in three sips and taking a short break, my HP was fully restored.
Poke, poke.
Sitting on the floor, I gently rubbed my soft belly where the Orc Fighter's attack had landed.
Now that my HP was full, the pain was gone, but when I was hit, it hurt so much I couldn't breathe for a moment.
This must also be due to the high synchronization rate.
But it was okay.
Back when I was the Hero on the Astria Continent, I'd suffered far worse pain than this.
Without the Saintess to heal my external wounds, it wouldn't have been strange if I had died somewhere long ago.
This much pain is nothing.
I got to my feet and shouted valiantly.
"The great Hero Rain, resurrected!"
Then, I glanced over to where the Orc Fighter was.
[1st Boss]
[Level 16 Orc Fighter]
[HP 10500/10500]
It seemed that if you retreated from battle, the boss's HP would reset to its pre-combat state.
The conditions were the same.
Both the Orc Fighter and I had recovered, but I had learned a lot about its patterns.
It was time for the second attempt.
Alright, I'll clear it this time.
*
It took four more attempts and retreats before I could figure out the true nature of the pattern that had deflected my thrust.
The Fighter's 'Counter' skill.
The Orc Fighter could also use the same 'Counter' skill that Fighter players in 'Astria Online' used.
The Orc Fighter's 'Counter' pattern, which was added once its HP dropped below 80%, had to be identified by its timing and stance.
The solution was simple.
I just had to not attack when the Orc Fighter was in its counter-activation stance.
What's known as a 'damage cut'.
As long as I didn't attack it during its counter stance, the Orc Fighter would soon return to its normal pattern.
Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh!
I diligently blocked, dodged, and thrusted.
Now that I knew how to counter its patterns, the Orc Fighter was no longer a match for me.
"Heeheehee! Die!"
[1st Boss]
[Level 16 Orc Fighter]
[HP 5301/10500]
I'd already shaved off half its HP.
If I repeated this for the same amount of time, the first boss, the Orc Fighter, would fall.
The massive rewards that would soon be mine were already shimmering before my eyes.
Accessories, a sword, a pretty outfit, and chicken!
"Ehee! Eheehee!"
It was a huge relief that no one could see me repeatedly stabbing the boss's body with a huge grin on my face.
Isn't this the advantage of playing solo?
But the bosses in an elite dungeon weren't so easy.
"Kchwip!"
As the Orc Fighter's HP fell below half, new monsters appeared from the caves that opened up to the left and right of the battle area.
[Level 15 Orc Elite Soldier]
[HP 1000/1000]
And what's more, two of them, one from each side!
Clang, clack-clang!
Everything became a chaotic mess.
Between the Orc Fighter's powerful attacks, the Orc Elite Soldiers' spears relentlessly stabbed at me.
In a party, someone would have been assigned to handle the adds.
But I had to handle them all by myself.
'What do you do when monsters rush you all at once when you're fighting alone?'
'It's simple. You just dodge, block, and slash them all.'
'What if they're monsters that don't go down easily?'
'Hmm. Well? I suppose there's no way but to learn through lots of fighting.'
'Khahahat! If you have a body as tough as a dwarf's, you can withstand most attacks with your bare body!'
'Hahat, a dwarf's tough body is their advantage. Our Rain shouldn't try to copy that, okay?'
'Why would you ever need to fight alone when you have comrades! Rain, I'll always be watching your back, so don't you worry about that.'
A conversation I once had with my comrades in the Hero's Party.
As that memory suddenly surfaced, I couldn't help but smile, even in the midst of a frantic battle.
Honestly, none of them are any help.
I am Rain.
The Hero of the Astria Continent.
The Hero who had brilliantly fought her way through countless battles against the demon race.
I utilized those battlefield senses to their fullest.
Whoosh!
I dodged the power fist with Backward Evasion.
With distance between us, the Orc Fighter immediately charged in.
I maintained just the right distance to prevent the Orc Fighter from using its charging attack, blocked the Orc Elite Soldiers' attacks, and launched an area-of-effect attack with an instant slash.
First, I have to take down the Orc Elite Soldiers. Once the adds are dealt with, I can focus on the boss again.
Shwwiing!
"Kiiiek!"
After focusing my attacks on the adds while avoiding a head-on fight with the Orc Fighter as much as possible, it wasn't long before I defeated both Orc Elite Soldiers.
The first boss monster, the Orc Fighter, hadn't lost much HP.
But, if it's one-on-one again, there's no problem.
I caught my breath and smiled.
"Alright. It should be easy from here."
Contrary to my thoughts, what followed was anything but easy.
The Orc Elite Soldiers kept appearing every time the boss's HP hit 40%, 30%, and 20%.
I grimaced every time the Orc Elite Soldiers appeared.
Only after defeating the Orc Elite Soldiers from every phase was I finally able to take down the Orc Fighter.
Thud.
Plop.
Just as the Orc Fighter's body hit the ground, I collapsed right where I stood.
"Haaaah...."
The mental drain was too severe.
Still, I managed a faint smile and held up a victory V-sign.
"First boss, cleared!"