Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Rotten Knight, Veronine (1)
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Among the people who still couldn't make up their minds, I took the liberty of making the wisest call for them.
No, it's more accurate to say I simply laid out the reality of the situation.
"Everyone, run at the same time. Roll with good timing."
The knight couldn't strike all of us at once. He needed ample space for a wide-area attack, and near that iron gate, such movements were impossible.
Even if he tried, he'd only kill one or two.
"Yeah...! L-like that guy said, let's all run away together! Half of us are bound to make it...!"
The people who had been silently watching the situation or trembling in place because they didn't know what to do fully agreed with my suggestion. After all, this was the only option left to us.
"I'll count to three, then we bolt...!"
"Wait, h-hold on! Before we run!"
But there was one man who made an even wiser choice than I'd anticipated. Sweating bullets, he hoisted up one of the people sprawled on the ground...
And hurled them straight at the knight.
No one could blame him for it. In the desperate struggle to survive, only raw desperation remains—any pangs of conscience or notions of cruelty get swept aside.
"N-now everyone, run!"
A closer look revealed it was that player who had boasted about their 3,000 hours of playtime. Their plump body tumbled end over end, landing right at the knight's feet.
Kwachuk!
The knight immediately stomped down, piercing a hole through their abdomen.
A chill ran down my spine. Things weren't going according to plan.
The knight hadn't swung his arm. He'd attacked with his leg.
That short phrase carried immense weight.
"Wait, that's..."
"The atmosphere just shifted all of a sudden..."
The monster had already caught on to our group movement. Even in his unconscious frenzy as a boss mob, he made the optimal judgment to block our escape beyond the iron gate.
Using his unrestricted legs, he cleanly killed one player—
Then gripped his sword hilt with both hands, preparing for a massive swing.
Even someone unfamiliar with games could sense how threatening the knight's next move would be. Golden streaks of light were already gathering around him, vibrating intensely.
Normally, you couldn't swing a greatsword freely in such tight quarters, but this mad knight planned to smash through the inner walls entirely and sweep across with overwhelming force.
All to kill one more person. He wouldn't let any humans who couldn't dodge his attack escape to the outside world.
Knowing this, the others had no choice but to run. Now it was down to individual skill to roll or dodge and survive.
And we were all new to full dive games. We hadn't mastered rolling or timing yet.
Most would die. Fear restricts movement. Even if you normally pull it off, losing your composure leads to gaps and mistakes galore.
Once the knight read our movements, the plan was utterly derailed. Fear filled everyone's eyes.
"..."
That's why we needed a wildcard.
Someone had to restrict the knight's actions.
Throwing others had its limits. The knight would prioritize those escaping anyway.
So.
I gripped my longsword and charged straight into his inner range instead.
A massive frame wasn't all advantages. From observing him so far, gaps appeared between his armor every time he prepared an attack.
Especially now, as he geared up for a big motion to wipe out the other six in one go...
Those gaps widened even more.
"R-run! Just run!"
"Hiiiik!"
Tadak-
The moment everyone bolted out together.
Psuk!
My longsword plunged shallowly into the gap at the knight's lower abdomen.
In an instant, the knight tore his red eyes away from the six fleeing behind him and fixed them on the human who dared attack him.
The attack priority shifted.
More than the escapers, the player who'd stabbed him drew the boss's aggro.
Now the knight saw me as the greatest threat.
Tadak!
"Hik... Hiik..."
In the end, even the brown-haired woman with the slowest speed escaped. She still couldn't believe her neck was properly attached to her body.
She knew full well she'd have died without a wildcard.
That's why she hadn't fully exited the cave, turning back to look at me.
Our eyes met briefly. But there was no time for talk.
The knight immediately raised his elbow to smash down on my crown.
Whiiik!
Perfectly timed, I rolled into his inner leg. My first roll in the Deathcall world was a resounding success.
Having observed a dozen or so attacks, I'd gotten the hang of his timings. Now I just needed to roll well.
"Grooo-"
His massive bulk staggered, missing its target.
Another opening. His forward-leaning center of gravity left his rear unguarded.
Pa-at!
Thanks to that, my second roll into his inner leg positioned me perfectly between the knight and the iron gate.
I could escape outside immediately. If I bolted now, he couldn't chase.
"C-come on, hurry!"
The brown-haired woman beckoned me. Her face lit up with relief.
All that remained for him were the eight players sprawled on the ground, screaming.
Until another sacrifice appeared, he'd kill and hunt these eight endlessly to pass the time.
...Is that it?
"No, just come on! What are you doing...! We have to escape first...!"
She yelled at me, then recoiled in horror at my next move, stumbling backward.
Puk!
My longsword stabbed into the knight's waist once more. Only then did he become aware of the black blood trickling down his lower body.
"..."
The knight abruptly halted, changing his stance.
He backed against the iron gate, assuming a cautious combat posture.
A standoff ensued. Neither side moved rashly.
Neither I nor he spoke a word, just staring each other down.
Even as the dying players on the ground slowly regained their wits, the knight pried open his wound to inspect it, eyes fixed solely on me.
"Hic, guhic... What...?"
"Aaaagh! Aaaah!"
They whimpered in agony, then panicked anew at the sight of the knight...
"Everyone, h-hurry out! Hurry!"
But the brown-haired woman's voice from beyond the gate snapped them to attention. Miss this chance, and they'd never survive again.
Fortunately, the other players no longer mattered to the knight.
His eyes were locked on me alone. Mine on him alone.
Seizing the moment, even the players who'd tasted death crawled out of the cave on all fours.
"Ugh- guk-"
Even that plump guy with 3,000 hours fled, leaving me behind.
The knight didn't spare them a glance. He let them go.
His mind was now filled only with our duel.
"Hoo."
Only after everyone had fled did I exhale in relief.
Then I leveled my longsword at the knight.
My fingertips trembled. Maybe it was fear.
But amid it, I felt an inexplicable elation. The hot blood surging through my veins finally felt vivid.
Dududuk-
My legs shook. Lying about not being afraid would be pointless.
Right now, I was closer to death than ever before in my life.
Yet in the cracks of that fear, joy welled up. Paradoxically, with death at your side, you truly feel alive.
That's why I could never quit soulslike games.
Whether logging in via full dive or gripping a controller on console, facing bosses meant desperately charging at foes far stronger than me.
My breathing quickened. Vision narrowed, leaving only the knight's massive silhouette.
Sweat trickling down my spine.
Parched lips and tongue.
With all this, I was alive and breathing.
A phrase I'd never heard echoed in my mind.
Boss fight.
Until now, it had been one-sided slaughter, but the moment we faced off directly, an eerie melody began here, and a mud-splattered duel commenced.
"Graaaagh!"
The knight charged at me, greatsword in hand, howling.
His voice evoked a rampaging beast. Mud from the cave floor splattered wildly.
But dodging wasn't hard. If you didn't cower at his intimidating size and destructive power, you could quickly read his sluggish, slow movements.
Kungkungkung-
The interior shook noisily from his weight, but rolling sideways on cue rendered his ferocious charge aimless.
I rolled diagonally left, 11 o'clock direction, slipping into his attack arc. Then I slashed my longsword into the gap in his armor, carving out his black innards.
Srraek!
The knight's remaining health was...
"Gruk."
No, better to think in terms of damage dealt so far.
Despite three clean, safe hits in precise timings, his health hadn't dropped even 10%.
Roughly 6%. So 2% per attack.
That meant 47 more stabs and slashes to win...
One hit from him, and I'd lose.
Utterly unfair. This boss wasn't designed to be beaten.
Skip it.
Running is wise.
That's what he was made for.
"..."
But,
that's exactly why,
my heart raced.