Chapter 123: Special Training 13
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: Special Training 13
Betzdo, Rank 10 of Death Heaven.
He was the first Necromancer to appear in Croaka.
However, he was more famous for being a "Newbie Crusher" than for being the first of his class.
* * *
[Seriously, how the hell do you beat this Baechudo guy or whatever?]
I’m a newbie who just started because I saw this game trending on the forums. I was having a blast until now, but holy shit, does the difficulty really spike this hard?
LOL
Lmao, welcome to the game, newbie.
It’s Betzdo, not Baechudo.
OP: Stop laughing and tell me how to beat him. Is it because the game is new? I can’t find a strategy guide anywhere.
If you use that, you can beat him easily without even looking at his patterns.
OP: What’s that?
Honestly, if you use that, even my four-year-old nephew could clear it.
Lmao, I kept getting my head smashed in trying to do it normally, then I used that and cleared it in one go.
OP: You bastards! Tell me what it is!
It’s, uh...
Well, you see...
It is what it is.
Fr lol.
OP: asdfjkl;gh;
Hey, check the post I just put up.
[To the loser newbie whining about not being able to beat Betzdo. Look at this.]
You’ve seen the patterns, right? This boss wasn't meant to be cleared normally in the first place. Obviously, you don't need to dodge every single attack.
First, the biggest problem is the skeletons that keep rising, right? If you let your hunger meter drop until you're right on the verge of starving to death, the skeletons will ignore your character.
Also, before the fight starts, throw a Molotov cocktail. Not a regular one, but a special Molotov that keeps burning for a set duration.
And in case you don't believe me, here’s proof.
(A screenshot showing the story progressed very far.)
Thank you! Thank you so much!
Ah, you’re just gonna give away high-level info like that? No fun.
This guy just gives away the secrets we suffered to learn whenever he sees a newbie.
Fr lol.
Shut up. Loki-nim, thank you! Baechu, you’re dead meat.
It’s Betzdo, not Baechu, you idiot.
Man, I’m really craving a Baechujeon tonight.
This is no fun; it ruins the game.
Is he gone?
He gone?
Lmao.
ROFL, this is hilarious.
Lord, another one is coming up today.
The Lord: Stop sending them, there’s no room left.
It’s about time for him to come back...
[To Loki, who kindly gave me advice earlier: Thank you!]
Thank you for making me quit the game, you son of a bitch.
"Skeletons won't attack if your hunger drops"? They hit me once and I died instantly. And because of the fire constantly burning on the floor, I couldn't even get out, and all my items burned up.
Lmao, he actually did it.
OP: Where the hell is that Loki guy!
?
OP: What’s with the question mark, you prick! Everything is ruined because of you! I’m gonna cave your head in with that question mark!
!
OP: ……
* * *
To put it nicely, Betzdo was vicious.
To put it the way players did, he had "bullshit patterns."
Of course, I’ve memorized every single one of them.
I turned my head to look around. The area was already filled with the skeletons I had created using illusions.
Skeletons with four arms, skeletons crawling on all fours, skeletons with arms several times longer than normal, and more. Some maintained a human shape, while others looked like animals. At this level, they were over 95% identical to the skeletons Betzdo actually used.
"……"
Sepia stood there dazed, her mouth slightly agape, staring at me as if shocked by the sudden appearance of the skeletal horde. Once she snapped out of it, I just had to make her experience Betzdo’s patterns one by one.
Wait, I feel like I forgot something…
I had my handsome face ready, I had potions in case Sepia got hurt, I had simple snacks in case she got hungry, and I definitely had my world-class handsome face ready, but…
Ah, right! The mask.
I forgot to put the Clown’s Mask on Sepia.
I pulled the Clown’s Mask back out from my Pocket Dimension. Feeling the texture of the mask in my hand, I walked slowly toward Sepia.
Come to think of it, Sepia might be the only person to ever wear this mask besides me.
Johanna saw my unmasked face every morning, but she only ever gently stroked my cheek; she never showed any particular interest in the mask itself.
I slowly reached out toward Sepia with the mask in hand. Sepia flinched when I suddenly reached out, but she didn't move away.
"Ugh…"
I placed the mask on Sepia and took a step back. Sepia reached up to her face, fiddling with the mask. It probably wasn't because it was uncomfortable, but because it felt awkward or strange.
The spirits also seemed curious about the masked Sepia, clinging to the mask and wiggling around.
Now that I think about it, we’re both wearing masks.
Sepia in a white mask, and me in a black one. Don't couples sometimes wear matching accessories, like couple rings?
Couple masks. Not bad. Should I start a business later? If I can get all the Special Class students to wear masks, I might be able to make it a trend somehow.
"Miss Sepia, don't we look like a couple now that we're both wearing masks?"
"A-A couple?! Ha! Don't be ridiculous. You and me? Ha!"
Sepia was wearing a mask, but I could vividly picture her expression in my head. Her trembling lips from embarrassment, her slightly flushed face, and her eyes darting toward me to see if I was hurt by her words.
Is that too much of a stretch?
Actually, because the mask hid her face, it made me imagine the expressions underneath even more. I wondered if other people felt this way when they looked at me.
Though I was curious about Sepia’s expression… I had to do what I came here to do.
"Ugh! Miss Sepia, your denial is so firm it’s left a gaping hole in my heart! Couldn't you have just played along as a joke?"
"I wasn't exactly denying it… No, wait, it’s your fault for saying something weird in the first place!"
* * *
"Sigh…"
Having released some tension by shouting, Sepia scanned her surroundings with wary eyes. The gruesome-looking skeletons still crowded the area. She knew in her head that they were fakes created by the Pushover’s illusions, but their hideous appearance was very real.
I really didn't know anything.
She had thought she only needed to find the location of the one who killed her villagers, but looking back, that was incredibly reckless. Even if she had somehow found him without the Pushover’s help, she would have died without putting up a fight, paralyzed by the shock of facing a Necromancer.
Get it together.
Sepia slapped both her cheeks with her hands. It was enough that she knew now.
"What do I need to do?"
"As I said before, what you need to do is simple. Previewing. And then, you’ll spend a month reviewing what you learned in the preview."
"So, what exactly am I supposed to preview and review?"
"Hmm, Miss Sepia, please stay still for a moment."
After saying that, Loki moved one of the illusionary skeletons to attack Sepia. Sepia could have easily dodged it, but she stayed still as Loki instructed. The attack from the illusionary skeleton passed right through her body.
"As you can see, they’re all illusions, so you won't get hurt even if they attack you."
Loki said this and then used Shadow Step to put some distance between himself and Sepia. Sepia stared blankly at Loki, who had moved away in an instant.
"There’s only one thing you have to do. Dodge the skeletons attacking in various patterns and land a hit on me."
As soon as Loki finished speaking, the skeletons let out a series of creaks and groans, all turning their heads toward Sepia in unison.
"By the way, if you get touched by an attack even once, we start over from the beginning."
* * *
How many hours had passed since she started dodging the skeletons?
"Haa… haa…"
Sepia lay on the ground, gasping for breath, completely forgetting she was in front of Loki. In the end, she hadn't even managed to get close to the Pushover before being "hit" by the skeletons.
What kind of skeleton attacks by sticking out a long tongue, anyway?!
"Good work."
Loki dispelled all the illusionary skeletons. His mana was running dangerously low.
"Shall we call it a day?"
"…I can still… do more…"
"Miss Sepia, I did say I was going to work you hard, but everyone has their physical limits. Besides, it’s getting late."
Loki pointed toward the sky. They had started training after school, and already, this much time had passed. Sepia had no strength left, and it was almost time for her scheduled call with Yerika.
Sepia nodded without further argument.
"…Can I take the mask off now?"
"Yes! You can take it off. You worked hard."
Loki watched Sepia as she took off the mask and stretched.
It seems she hasn't noticed the mask’s effect yet.
Well, that was to be expected. The only thing the mask provided for this specific training was a boost to stamina. And even that was hard to notice in the middle of such grueling exercise.
"Here. Honestly, I don't know why you told me to wear this, but thanks anyway."
Sepia handed the mask back to Loki, but he shook his head. He hadn't lent the mask to Sepia just to increase her stamina. While dodging patterns was important, Sepia’s true talent wasn't in evasion—it was in Spirit Arts.
"There’s one more thing you have to do, Miss Sepia."
"What is it?"
"You need to practice your Spirit Arts back at the dormitory while wearing the mask."
Sepia felt a surge of doubt at Loki’s words. Did she really need to wear a mask to practice Spirit Arts?
But in the end, Sepia nodded. She didn't have the energy left to argue, and she had decided to trust Loki’s words.
* * *
And the next day.
"Pushover! How could you just hand me something like this without any explanation! I swear, you’re going to be the death of me!"
Sepia, who had put the mask in a safe and brought the entire safe with her, began to scold Loki.