The Misunderstanding That Snowballs
[User authority renewal due to Dragon Blood confirmed.]
[Boss monster detects abnormally high user authority!]
[Boss monster's epithet revealed! [Chimera Great Warrior → Chain-Breaker]]
[Boss monster, [Chain-Breaker-Leokan]'s personality is awakening!]
The boss room was vast. The ceiling was high, and murky mana was scattered everywhere. It wasn't exactly a pleasant place. Broken pillars and red chains were strewn about the floor. I spotted a figure deep inside the room. Its body was facing the wall, but its head was turned toward me. Even at a glance, the physique was imposing, with limbs that looked like they had been stitched on from others. The skin was parched, the hair long, matted, and tangled, yet the eyes burned with a fierce light. Golden mana was packed tightly within its body. And in its hand, a monstrous greatsword. It looked as if a thousand thorns had sprouted from a single blade.
[Boss monster confirms your authority!]
[Boss's trait [One Who Opposes Gods] activated! You are designated as the greatest and worst adversary! Boss's total stats increase by 50%!]
[Boss's trait [Undying Will] activated! To defeat a formidable foe like you, the desperation pattern is used from the start! Boss monster's HP decreases slightly!]
[Boss monster voluntarily releases the shackles of Hell difficulty! Warning, uncontrollable! He regains a tiny fraction of his true power!]
“ARRRRRR….”
“DUS UN TANAUR ILL LUA?”
[Blessing of Language(SR) activated!]
[It is an ancient language! It will take time! Only listening mode is limitedly activated!]
Usually, Blessing of Language allowed me to speak a language like a native once I heard it. But since this guy was using some obscure dialect, it seemed only partially effective. He walked toward me, step by heavy step. The floor cracked with every stride. His eyes looked as if he were staring at his life's nemesis.
“My name is Leokan. One who stood against the gods and personally endured their unreasonableness.”
[System confirms abnormal difficulty occurrence!!]
[Would you like to adjust it? The floor will be treated as cleared. However, no rewards will be granted.]
[Y/N]
Wait a second. I pressed N.
[I will ask again. Would you like to adjust it?]
[Y/N]
He looked at this place with a pitying expression. “Ah, so the gods now use even small, pitiful girls as their pawns.”
“What are you talking about?”
Damn it. I don't know that language, so communication is impossible. “I shall break that shackle.” He hoisted his greatsword. A slight wind pressure was generated. Just by that single action, I realized it. He was the strongest opponent I had ever met. The werewolf didn't even compare. My body was in tatters, but his technique and power hadn't waned. It had been a while since I faced a real challenge.
“Ha, I thought it was going too easily.” But this is what a boss monster should be like. It’s no fun if it’s too easy. He kicked off the ground with immense force. I popped one of Isera’s mana potions into my mouth. The blue liquid vanished from the test tube, and the bottle went into my inventory. Then, I held three enhancement tickets in my hand in quick succession.
‘I have to take at least one hit.’ It’s a bit of a waste, but it can’t be helped. To increase my chances of beating this guy even by a little, I have to use them now.
[[Status Enhancement Ticket(SR, 3rd Floor)] is used! Strength grows by one stage!]
[[Status Enhancement Ticket(SR+, 4th Floor)] is used! You have gained transcendental strength!]
[[Status Enhancement Ticket(SR++, 5th Floor)] is used! Durability grows explosively!]
Mediocrity is defeat. If so, I’m investing everything into physical ability this time. “Casting, Shield.” The strength drained from my hand as I swapped my staff for a sword. Tier 2 had always felt heavy, but now it felt infinitely light. Leokan approached in an instant. Golden mana was leaking from his entire body. He gripped the greatsword with both hands and swung it like a baseball bat. The sheer size, mass, and speed were terrifying. It was power enough to tear a knight academy cadet to shreds. I held my sword horizontally. The mana shield shattered first, and a deafening roar accompanied by a cloud of dust erupted. My body was sent flying. My entire arm felt numb. I’d probably torn a ligament for sure.
“Hmph.” But I blocked it. Leokan roared and lunged again. Golden mana resonated. I regained my stance. My sword lacked firepower. But I didn't have time to cast proper offensive magic. “Damn it, I wish I had a tank.” Head, waist, legs. My Dragon Eye captured his movements. —Clang, clang, claaang! Even though I had used dragon mana to maximize my dynamic vision, it was hard to keep up if I didn't read his movements. That’s how fast and powerful he was. ‘Didn't you say that was just a tiny fraction earlier?’
“How much stronger is your true self!?”
“Casting, Bullet!”
“Not a chance!”
It was powerful enough to melt a goblin, but it was meaningless now. He took the attack head-on and swung his greatsword at me. “Ugh!” A metallic sound rang out. I tried to find an opening and thrust my sword, but it only managed to pierce his skin slightly. The blade wouldn't go in. “Tickles. That is why you are dominated. Foolish one.”
“What are you talking about!”
I hadn't caused even the slightest wound, and instead, I allowed a counterattack. I barely swallowed the taste of blood in my mouth and stood up. Fortunately, he didn't attack. “One who knows honor, one who is toyed with by the masters of the sky and dominated by their blood, may you find rest.”
As soon as I stood up, he swung his greatsword. I raised my sword to block. My arm felt like it was shattering. But I didn't have the luxury to dwell on the pain. Damn it, if I’d had even a moment of breathing room, I could have switched to firepower projection! Getting distracted by the system and allowing him to close the distance was a blunder. Wait. If I just need a moment of breathing room? That means I just need to create distance. I was light, and my durability had increased. Then the method was simple. I deployed a shield. And shot it toward the ground.
“What are you doing…”
“Casting, Bullet, Explode.”
Minimum firepower, explosion spell. It was just a distraction to Leokan, but it was different for the lightened me. The shield shattered, and my body was blown far away, suspended in mid-air. “Doing things that cannot be understood…” He ran to where I would land. Right. You’d think you could just pierce me with your sword at my landing point. But my magic comes first. I smiled. “Hehe, I’m a mage, you know.”
Firepower. More firepower. And precision. I’d fired wildly earlier, but this time, I had to focus on a single point. I wouldn't use any additional spells. I’ll end it with this one shot. Ominous mana flowed from my slit pupils. My mana circuits felt like they were burning. ‘This isn't enough.’ More. Use more. More. More densely. Something whispered inside me. The voice resembled Adrian’s, but it wasn't her. ‘That’s it, that sensation. Gather it in one hand, just like that.’
[System detects the generation of abnormally high firepower.]
A red line was drawn. From my eyes to my collarbone, from my collarbone to my shoulder, from my shoulder to my arm, from my arm to my hand, from my hand to my staff. A stinging, painful sensation settled into my staff ever so slightly. A single drop of red mana mixed into my blue mana. With that, all my mana was dyed a deep, dark red. “That mana…!” For the first time, a sense of wariness appeared in his eyes. “It’s already too late.”
Dark red mana surged through. “Casting, Bullet.”
Boom! A black mana bullet, unlike any I’d fired before, pierced through his body, along with the sword he’d raised to block. My staff shattered into pieces. The dark red mana returned to my eyes as if nothing had happened. “Already… to that extent…” He collapsed to his knees. I fell from the air as well. "Did I get him!" I rolled and performed a landing, and just then, a message popped up.
[Boss monster, [Chain-Breaker-Leokan] incapacitated! 5th Floor-Boss Room cleared! Rewards are granted!]
[You have cleared a boss of abnormal difficulty! Rewards are adjusted!]
It seemed I had cleared it. A chest appeared before my eyes. A very large one, glittering with golden light.
[Status Enhancement Ticket(SSR, 5th Floor), Essence of the Great Warrior(SR, 5th Floor), Sword of Condemnation(SSR), Status Window Enhancement]
Oh? An SSR-grade status enhancement ticket? “I’ve never even heard of getting this from anywhere!?” Isn't this incredibly good? And the Essence of the Great Warrior. There’s no description for this. But I have my Observation Eye.
An essence in the form of a bead that, when refined into an elixir and absorbed, grants a massive amount of mana. Could there be other uses?
Hmm. Is it for mana enhancement? But the last sentence bothers me. I put it into my inventory. You can never have too much mana. Let’s look at the Sword of Condemnation. Honestly, I was looking forward to this one. It has a cool name, so wouldn't it be a pretty good sword? Thud. A massive sword, too big to even fit inside, popped out of the golden chest. “Hey, this is a scam!” They just gave me the sword that guy was using. How am I supposed to use this!
I used Observation Eye on it.
Leokan was subjected to the punishment of having his limbs torn, being tied to a scaffold, and having a thousand large needles driven into him. A sword that embodies that myth. It is the genuine article, not a replica.
“Where am I supposed to use this!” It’s so big it won't even go into my inventory. How am I supposed to carry this? It’s SSR-grade, so it’s way too valuable to leave behind. Should I just bury it in the mountain? Would I get reported for illegal dumping? I’ll just move on for now. I guess I’ll just drag it along. Next!
[Status window is enhanced! You can view more information!]
Oh? The status window was definitely unhelpful before. “Status Window.”
Name: Yumia
Abilities: [Initial Magic(-)], [Basic Attack Magic(SR+)], [Overclock(R)]
Stats: [Durability(D+)] [Endurance(E)] [Strength(C+)] [Agility(D)] [Mana(C+++)] [Technique(S)]
Traits: Conversion(SR), Archmage's Talent(SSR), Nature Affinity(SSR), Black Mage's Talent(SSR), Mathematician of Magic Circles(SSR), Blessing of Language(SR), Dragon Eye(SSR++), One Feared by Spirits(R), Inventory(SSR+), Retry Ticket(SR), Breathing Method of the Red Moon(SR(3-)), Immunity to All Poisons(R), Observer(SR)
“Wow, I have a ton of traits!” The change was that Basic Attack Magic and the traits were now graded. Basic Attack Magic was unexpectedly SR, and the other traits were all SSR or SR-grade. And, the stats were visualized. What was unique was that the standard SABCDEF grades used by the Association were reflected as is. Does it work the same way where four pluses lead to the next grade? I’m not sure about that. And a moment later, another golden message appeared.
[The Tower's Administrator is taking an interest in you.]
I felt a chill run down my spine, then it vanished instantly. “…What was that?” It felt like I was being watched by an immense existence. I was dazed for a moment, then snapped back to reality by a sound coming from the corner.
“Kugh…” He wasn't dead. “In the end… you too… have been completely dominated. Kill me. And take that blood. Just as the gods did to me!” A cracked voice filled with hatred washed over me.
[Blessing of Language(SR) fully activated! You can now communicate in the opponent's language!]
Oh, it worked. “So, what are you talking about?”
“…Wait. You can speak our tongue? No. You can maintain your sanity even after accepting that blood into your body?”
“I’m in my right mind. I don't even know what a god is in the first place.”
Then Leokan’s fierce gaze turned toward me. The bright red eyes hidden within his long hair were full of suspicion. “Nonsense. If you are not a minion of the gods, where did you obtain the dragon’s blood?”
“Someone just gave it to me.”
“You are speaking lies. Show me the truth!” He sent something like a golden wave toward me.
[Leokan uses Divine Authority to manifest power!]
[Some of your memories are being sucked into Leokan!]
At the same time, images played in my own head. Adrian offering me the elixir, saying, “Unni, this is good for your body…” Adrian stumbling, me laughing hehehe while pouring her a drink. Adrian saying, “If I sell my body a little…” so casually, and me with an unreadable expression. Ah, wait a minute. The memories seem to be flowing in a very biased way. Wait a second. I’m not that kind of person!! But it was too late. Awe was already filling his eyes.
“Such… to have subjugated such an arrogant and great existence!”
“No, wait a minute.”
“Even engaging in such beastly acts that one dare not speak of…!”
“So it’s a misunderstanding…”
“Your… what is your true identity?”
Please, just listen to me.