64. [Blessing of God's Music]
64. [Blessing of God's Music]
"Fuuuuu....."
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
His body throbbed here and there. An ache near his ribs was hard to ignore.
'Still, well...'
It was better than he'd thought.
It was bearable. He could stand.
Should he call it a blessing in disguise? A situation that had avoided the worst of the worst.
He didn't know if it was thanks to his usual training or his investment in passive skills.
".............."
The pain gradually subsided.
As time passed, his body recovered, however slightly.
Indeed, his diligent skill grinding had been worthwhile.
Though the shock hadn't faded, and his hands and feet still trembled finely....
Guwooooooo!
"...Guess I have to."
Unfortunately, the troll hadn't waited for him.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
The troll charged forward rapidly.
Watching the now-familiar pattern, he naturally deflected the attack and thrust the dagger in his hand into the troll's belly.
Guuk! Gu... weiiiiik!!!
"Fuck."
It definitely felt like he'd pierced through the hide, so why didn't it look like it was in pain?
Blood flowed from between the embedded blade, but as if this was nothing, the troll instead tried to pull him into its embrace, and he immediately pulled the dagger out and fled.
"...Could've at least left me some abilities or something."
If only his weapon had been intact, there would've been a bit more hope.
No, why the hell was this bastard throwing such a lingering tantrum now?
'Should've just told me from the start that if you don't kill it, you die.'
If that had been the case, he would've tried to kill it even by stopping time.
After giving such a vague penalty for failure and now taking away his abilities as if in anger, what on earth did the bastard expect him to do───! Hi, hiiii....!
Guuuuuu....!
"...Doesn't even give me time to complain."
Well, fine.
Actually it's not fine, but let's just pretend it is for now.
For the moment, let's worry about how to take down that troll first.
'It's a must-kill hidden boss for the 2nd playthrough, but'
He had to take it down with a 1st playthrough, 1st-year 1st-semester character.
Just thinking about it made him sigh deeply, but the situation wasn't entirely hopeless.
Guwek, gegegek!!
"Ick eck! That's not a sound you make with your mouth!"
If this had been a turn-based MMORPG, dodging or not, one hit would mean instant death.
However, the current situation was, if anything, closer to a souls-like game.
Some veteran player could beat a boss monster in their underwear with a broken sword, so there was no way he couldn't—fucking hell!
Kii... eeeeeek!!!
"Hut, hua!"
No-hit, no-skill, no-damage clear sounds easy in theory, but was it easy to do?
Even that was something only possible for oil-soaked veterans who'd cleared it dozens of times and memorized every single pattern.
In contrast, in his case, every pattern was brand new, and he couldn't even predict what pattern would come next───though, that wasn't entirely true either!
'That's the turn-based game pattern though!'
This was his first time with a souls-like 3D game pattern.
On top of that, game characters could get hit a bit and get back up to fight with guts, but as for him right now, the moment an arm broke, willpower or not, he'd probably be crawling on the floor.
So you motherfucker. Remember this, no matter what.
Guuk, guiik!
"Die! Die, you fucker!"
When a damage window appeared, only one hit, maybe two.
Even if it looked like you had room for one more, don't get greedy, just pull back.
Gu, weeeeeek!!!
"Hut... cha!"
Don't waste skills clumsily. Watch the motion as much as possible and dodge with your base stats.
Dodge, dodge, and keep dodging, and when the damage window finally came,
"Just fucking die already!"
Geeeeek.....!
Exactly one hit, or maybe two.
Actually, in his heart, he wanted to use skills, but all the attack skills he possessed had been invested in the 'Firearm' side.
The skills he'd picked in Dagger Mastery and Bare-Handed Combat Mastery were mostly evasion tools or passives.
Even the points he'd saved up to at least get one attack skill in Dagger Mastery had been used during the last Ant Queen hunt, so now he had to take it down with only basic attacks.
What? Holy Mastery?
After Cronus threw her fit earlier, the holy skills themselves had been sealed.
That bitch.
If she was going to take something, she should've only taken Time. Why did she have to lock the entire skill set?
'Still... if there's one fortunate thing...'
He once again deflected the troll's attack and clenched his right fist, shouting.
"[Youth──Straight Punch]"
Guik, gieeeeeek....!
His fist was lodged in the troll's liver.
Commonly known as a liver blow.
Even for a troll, it seemed an attack that shook its internal organs was unbearable, as it staggered back a few steps.
"Yes...!"
An attack that seemed far more meaningful than gouging with a dagger.
Attacks using the newly unlocked stat Tp (Technical Point) acquired through Eve were landing quite deliciously.
When he first learned it, he had many worries about whether it was necessary to go this far, but as they say, things you learn always find a use somewhere.
Honestly, he'd intended to use daggers for self-defense and bare-handed combat for defense, but whatever works, as long as you get to Seoul, right?
"Possibility exists!"
His willpower blazed hotly.
Not the desperate struggle of a moment ago born from not wanting to die, but true courage stemming from seeing a genuine hope.
He raised his hand, beckoned, and spoke to the troll.
"Bring it on."
Guu... Gu, woooooo!!!!
Charge.
Body slam.
Since it charged in a straight line, he dodged by jumping a few steps to the side.
Gu, weeeeeek!!!
An overhead smash followed.
A diagonal upward swing.
A full-strength horizontal sweep.
"I can see it, I can see it!"
He dodged by a paper-thin margin.
He raised his dagger, splitting skin and tearing hide.
The troll gradually began to stain red with blood.
Perhaps realizing it was in trouble, the troll approached him cautiously.
"[Triple Step]"
Guik....?!
If it approached cautiously, that ironically bought him time.
Guuuu... Guooooooook!!!!
"Hong-kkikkikkik!"
Its belly flesh was roughly slashed and torn.
A grotesquely shaped wound was carved horizontally across it.
As sticky blood trickled from the gap, the troll became even more enraged and stomped the floor with its foot─ah fuck, this was an area stun!
"Hrk.....?!"
Gu, oooooo!!!
His body stiffened instantly.
Tension surged through him, as if he were rigidly paralyzed.
He desperately tried to calm his stun-locked, trembling body, but there was no time left to dodge the club coming down towards him──
"──[Counter]"
Guwik....!
Because this was a pattern he'd already seen.
He immediately raised his dagger and deflected the troll's club.
──Kaaaaaang!!!
"Fuuu......"
A clear, pure sound.
The sound of blocking the troll's attack.
And then....
─Clink, clatterrrr...
"....Fuck."
His dagger, split in two and dead.
The fact that the dagger broke meant the [Counter] hadn't been executed perfectly.
Guik....!
"Should've swapped it out sooner!"
The troll's attacks continued.
Moments ago he could have dodged, but distracted by the dagger, he hadn't been able to assume the stance.
'This... is gonna hit...!'
All he could do was hunch his body and brace for the coming pain.
Just before the troll's club finally reached─tried to reach─his body.
Chaeeeeeeng!!!
....Guuk?
"....Huh?"
Something, an unnamed dagger, shot out and blocked the troll's club.
A dagger brimming with divinity, emitting a blue-shimmering aura.
Soon, a transparent, pale blue window rose before his eyes.
[Ur's Harp]
-A harp that can transform into any instrument.
-Always remains in perfect tune.
"....A harp?"
This dagger? An instrument?
It was a situation his mind couldn't keep up with.
At that moment, another window appeared before his eyes.
['The instrument for a Sword Dance (Geommu) is a 'Sword', after all ♬']
"....You were watching? No, of course not. You must have been watching, huh?"
Come to think of it, she'd once revealed that she was constantly observing him through the harp.
['The Goddess of Music' says]
["Fighting, Chrono! I'm cheering for you like crazy!"]
"....What the..."
It was absurd, but
Anyway, it was good timing.
He gripped the dagger—no, 'Ur's Harp'—in his hand and glared at the troll.
"This time, there won't be a repeat of last time."
Geeeeeeeek!!!
In a way,
That troll might have felt it was unfairness upon unfairness.
...
..
.
Around this time, at the temple of Cronus.
"You got this, Chrono! Let’s go!"
"You wench....."
Ur had suddenly barged in.
The four main gods, along with Cronus, were staring at Ur in stunned silence.
"....How did you get in?"
"It just so happened the front gate was left open?"
"Oh no!"
Come to think of it, he hadn't closed the door!
...No, that wasn't what was important right now.
"Withdraw your power at once. This is a trial bestowed by me, and it is not for an outsider like you, a mere wench, to interfere with!"
"Hmmmmm.... I'm not sure I understand?"
As if she knew nothing, Ur continued to pour her power into the harp.
"You wretched girl! Do you truly not realize you are obstructing my Great Cause?!"
"...I have not done anything like obstructing."
She was merely, and solely, granting a 'just reward' to the child who had overcome 'her trial'.
"That child is Cronus's child, and at the same time, a 'Hero' who has overcome my trial and received my blessing."
"Eeck.... Each one of you is just dying to disgrace me!"
There was no need to hear any more.
Cronus attempted to block Ur's divinity by channeling power through the mirror.
"....Hera. What do you think you're doing?"
But even that wasn't easy.
"What do you mean, what am I doing? I'm not sure what you're talking about?"
"Th... This....!"
As Cronus channeled power through the mirror, Hera simultaneously began to interfere through the mirror as well.
Having already revoked Chrono's Divine Authority, Cronus now needed considerable power to interfere with him again. Just the thought was headache-inducing, and now interference from another god had begun.
Furthermore, Hera wasn't the only one.
"That's it, right there! Dodge it, yes, good job!"
"Kuuuu....! If only I had cola and popcorn right now....!"
Ares and Hermes, who had at some point thrown their arms around each other's shoulders and entered spectator mode.
"....You can do it. You can succeed!"
Even Athena, quietly cheering from behind.
Could it be, was he truly about to overcome it like this?
Before even feeling her greatness, was he about to overcome it with his own power?
Just as Cronus unknowingly tensed up at the absurd thought,
[Guwoaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!]
[Phase 2 crossed the line!]
"Ho?"
The troll went berserk.
The atmosphere shifted once again.
'Win...! Do not lose to something like this!'
Cronus had already begun cheering for the troll.
"It's done....!"
Ur spoke.
All preparations were complete.
Extending both hands forward and joining them, Ur enveloped the world with her own divinity.
"Resound!"
[Bless of God's Music]
Soon, the song of the gods began to resound across the battlefield of the mortal realm.