Defeating the Gatekeeper
The monster's majesty as it slowly emerged from the shadows defied the word overwhelming. Its colossal frame, large enough to dwarf two grown men, was packed with rock-hard muscle beneath skin stretched taut and gleaming in a deep green with a bloody undertone. Shuuuk—puuuu— Each heavy snort blasted out a choking, nauseating stench.
"Grrrrr…."
When the beast slammed its log-sized club onto the floor with a heavy thud, the entire labyrinth trembled and dust rained from the ceiling.
"Eek…!"
Seria sucked in a sharp breath behind me and stumbled backward. The terror gripping her was on another level from the lesser explorers we'd faced earlier—like a small animal staring down a predator in the deep woods. I felt cold sweat sliding down my own forehead, but I clenched my jaw and tightened my grip on the sword.
Status window.
Low-grade Provocation (F): Draws enemy hostility toward yourself.
Tenacious Life (F): When vitality drops below 10%, defense rises slightly.
"…Ha. This is actually ridiculous. It's a perfect tank-only build."
A dry laugh slipped out before I could stop it. Strength and agility—the stats that should lead the offense—were scraping the bottom, while vitality was absurdly high. Even the skills were tailored for taking hits in someone else's place, completely useless for solo play. Exactly the pathetic specs you'd expect from the knight who was supposed to draw monster aggro and die first in the original story.
But I couldn't afford to despair here.
I already have every single one of that thing's attack patterns memorized.
This game's combat wasn't a simple turn-based system. It was action-based. Sure, raw stats mattered, but if I read the monster's wind-up animations perfectly and landed my dodges and counters on the exact frames, clearing it without taking a single hit wasn't impossible.
Keeping my eyes locked on the beast, I spoke in a low, calm voice to Seria behind me.
"Seria, hide behind that pillar in the corner. No matter what you hear or what happens, do not come out until I call you."
"B-but Sir Graus…?"
"Just stay put while I deal with it."
At my firm tone, Seria bit her trembling lip, then quickly slipped along the wall and ducked behind the collapsed pillar. The moment I confirmed she was completely out of harm's way, I shouted,
"Come on, big guy."
Low-grade Provocation (F)
I kicked off the ground hard and charged. The Orc Warrior's eyes flooded red as the provocation took hold. It let out an ear-splitting roar and barreled toward me.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The speed of its charge was terrifying for something that size. It twisted its massive torso and swung the log club in a wide horizontal arc from the outside in.
Right-side horizontal sweep. Reach is about two meters.
Instead of backpedaling, I dropped my upper body low and dove straight into the orc's wide-open chest.
WHOOOSH—!
The club sliced through the air so close it nearly tore my hair. The horrifying sound of it ripping wind hammered my eardrums. If I'd panicked and tried to retreat, even a graze from the tip would have shattered every rib in my body.
"Kwehk?"
Confusion flashed in the orc's eyes when its full-power strike met nothing but empty air. The attack had left a huge opening. My turn.
Don't mind if I do.
I sprang up, slamming my foot into the ground, and drove my sword with all my strength into the exposed back of its right knee—the thin tendons connecting the joint.
Shunk—!
"KRRAAAAAGH—!"
A pained scream tore from the Orc Warrior's throat. No matter how thick its hide or dense its muscle, the ligaments around a joint were always vulnerable. The beast's leg gave out completely. It dropped to one knee with a heavy thud.
But a boss was still a boss, even if it was only the tutorial's finale. Eyes burning with murderous rage, it began slamming the club down at me like a madman.
BANG—! CRASH—! BOOM—!
Each impact sent shards flying and punched craters into the solid floor. I panted hard, dodging the frenzied barrage. My agility stat was barely enough to read the trajectories; the shockwaves from every strike still rattled my bones.
Just a little more… Yeah, keep wasting your strength.
Finally the orc poured everything into one last overhead smash. The club wedged deep into a wide crack in the broken stone floor. For one brief moment it grunted and strained, trying to yank the weapon free.
The clearest damage window I'd get in this boss fight.
"Time to rest."
Without hesitation I stepped on the embedded club like a springboard and launched myself upward. I landed on the orc's broad shoulder, reversed my grip mid-air, and drove the sword straight down into the thick nape of its neck—right where the spine met the brain.
SQUELCH—!
The sickening sensation of bone and flesh tearing apart traveled up my arm as the blade sank more than halfway through. The Orc Warrior's massive body shuddered violently like it had been electrocuted. Its eyes lost focus, and it toppled forward.
THUD—!
A heavy vibration ran through the floor. Dark blood gushed from its neck like a fountain. I wrenched my sword free with a grunt and finally let out the ragged breath I'd been holding.
"Haa… haa…"
My whole body was drenched in cold sweat and the metallic stench of monster blood. My limbs were shaking, but a small smile of relief crept across my face.
Boss Monster 'Orc Warrior' defeated!
Cleared the tutorial boss solo!
Gained massive experience.
◈ Increases Strength by 5
"Sir Graus!"
While I was wiping the blood off my blade, Seria came sprinting out from behind the pillar. She stared back and forth between me and the massive orc corpse, eyes wide with disbelief.
"You… you really defeated that horrible monster all by yourself…?"
Her large, tear-filled eyes were flooded with awe and blind relief directed solely at me. I shrugged like it was nothing, wiping sweat from my brow with the back of my hand.
"Just got lucky. The thing was huge but dumber than it looked."
I picked up the ring that was giving off a faint red glow beside the corpse and slipped it into my pocket. It was finally time to leave this stinking labyrinth where the scent of rotting bodies hung thick in the air.
"Let's go, Seria. We need to head up."
I grabbed the handle of the massive iron door with both hands. Using every bit of the strength I'd gained from leveling up, I pushed. With a long, grating creeeak of old metal, the heavy door slowly swung open.
Whoosh—
Cool night air poured through the gap. A clear, almost blinding blue moonlight spilled into the dark labyrinth. Instead of the damp, disgusting smell of mold, the wind carried the scent of wet earth and grass.
Tutorial Quest "Labyrinth Escape" completed.
1 residual stat point awarded as reward.
The soft earth underfoot as we finally stepped out of the labyrinth entrance felt almost unreal. Seria gazed up at the night sky pouring down moonlight, clasped her hands together, and began to sob quietly. It was probably the relief of having survived hell.
I stood beside her as she cried and quietly stared at the dark outline of the forest stretching into the distance. The tutorial was over. I'd personally twisted the knight's fate that was supposed to end in a meaningless death in the original story.
But I couldn't let my guard down. The real story of this game—the one I knew—was only just beginning.