Damian (2)
Two days had passed since then. I was still trapped underground. It was still dark. Still cool, laced with the smell of chemicals.
How the hell did I end up here? No matter how much I racked my brain, no answers came.
'I'll find the bastard who did this to me.'
My emotions shifted from anxiety to rage. Rage at whoever had messed with me. And with it, my mind started spinning faster. What should I do? How can I get out of here? Escape became my goal. Once I set a goal, I see it through, no matter what it takes. My head was filled with thoughts of breaking free. Little by little, the situation sorted itself out in my mind.
The one hopeful thing was that I'd entered the body of Damian, the hidden boss. That meant I had to use his abilities.
'Weapon Summoner, huh.'
I familiarized myself with Damian's body, over and over. Thanks to that, I learned about the game system and grew adept at handling it.
The first thing I checked was the status window. Basic classes distribute stats according to their tendencies—mages get mana, warriors get strength or HP. But Weapon Summoner had all of them at 10. Unlike other characters who start with spikes in specific stats, this class was different from the get-go.
'The skills are straight-up broken.'
I went over the skills too. And damn, they weren't just good—they were insane. The passive skills alone set it apart.
Aptitude, Composure, Weapon's Memory, Weapon Manipulation.
Aptitude massively boosted EXP gain. Composure stabilized the mind and granted immunity to mental attacks. Weapon's Memory let me peer into opponents' emotions and histories through their weapons, even detect the glow of their grades leaking out.
The standout was Weapon Manipulation.
Allows more precise control over weapons.
◈ Enhances manipulation of acquired weapons.
◈ Enables summon and unsummon of acquired weapons.
◈ New skills unlock per level.
This was about treating weapons as familiars, right? I was excited to see what abilities it'd unlock next.
'Four passives right off the bat.'
Other classes usually had just one. And that wasn't all—there was a core summon skill too.
Breathes life into weapons, turning them into familiars.
◈ Familiar traits vary by weapon type.
◈ Max familiars increase with skill level.
◈ Current capacity: 0/3
The basic skill was summoning. Looked like a max of three for now. Regular summoners started with one—this was balance-breaking.
'If I play this right, I can make it work.'
Was it the drugs? Even trapped, I was thrilled by the Weapon Summoner's potential. But there were drawbacks. Restrictions on high-tier skills. Most classes had conditions like specific situations or items to unlock them, and Damian was no different—everything was grayed out.
Did that balance it? Maybe.
'The side effects are the real issue. Gotta check the researchers' room first. Something from the Damian quest mentioned it.'
The sole downside of possessing Damian's body: the experiment's side effects. I had to fix them. I'd experienced them here, and it was agony—like my body being shredded by a thousand blades. Pain I never wanted to feel again.
'Evening should work.'
Best time to move? Evening was my only shot. Days had multiple people checking in, but evenings brought just one. He'd loosen the restraints to check my arms and legs.
'I know the building layout, so no problem there.'
Escape route planned. I'd fought hidden boss Damian enough times to know the structure inside out.
Tonight, I was getting out.
Creak.
How long had I waited? The door opened. Probably here to check status.
Flip. Flip.
Only the sound of rustling papers filled the room. Just one researcher, as expected. I kept pretending to sleep. No tension.
"Hmm, last check…"
The straps loosened. My arm lifted easily.
Now!
Whoosh! Crunch!
"G-gahk!"
I seized his throat in a flash. Damian's base strength was plenty.
"Y-you… g-gahk!"
The researcher stared with bulging rabbit eyes, red veins popping, face flushed crimson.
Crunch!
I squeezed harder. His body lifted off the ground. Lighter than expected.
Strangling a man to death. Normal me couldn't have done it. But my mind was serene. The drugs they'd pumped into me?
Thud.
His arms went limp. Dead? No response when I shook him. Good. Time to go.
'…Is this really me?'
For some reason, I wanted to check the mirror in the room.
"……"
Shaggy silver hair. Red eyes warped by experiments, sharp gaze, prominent nose. Muscular build scarred horrifically everywhere. Definitely Damian. I'd suspected as much—no shock.
'Swap clothes first.'
My current state barely covered the essentials. Not good enough. I used the researcher's clothes to make a mask and wrap my head and face.
Needed to prep for fights too… Problem was, no usable weapons in the room.
'Guards will have blades at least. Snag one from them.'
Damian's powers would handle it. Any weapon would do.
I cracked the door cautiously. A narrow corridor reeked of something sinister. A bizarre scene impossible in reality. I steeled myself knowing it led upstairs to the disguised mansion.
Thud. Thud.
Rusted iron doors like a prison, dim walls splattered with bloodstains. Just like in the game.
'Grab the meds first.'
Priority: side effect suppressants. Couldn't control them without.
'Guards have the lab keys.'
Perfect layout knowledge let me control the situation. Found the door to the upper floor—but didn't exit yet. Needed that key first.
Guards patrolled periodically, like in the game. Time to target one.
Creak.
"Huh?"
Guard entered as expected. Face flushed from booze. Suspenders over a frayed short-sleeve tee. He spoke up.
"Hey, you done checking?"
His submachine gun. Seeing it up close tensed me instinctively. No glow. Guns weren't items in Esperro. But inside his pockets… white light.
'So calm a wavelength.'
White light meant a usable "weapon." Its serenity? No hostility right now. He didn't suspect me.
"All done."
I mimicked the researcher's voice. The glow stayed calm. I sucked at impressions, but…
This guy's wasted.
"Early finish today. I'll wrap up—go rest."
I twisted aside as he passed. Bodies close.
Now!
Thwack!
"Guh! Wh-what?!"
I slammed a weighty punch. He hit the wall but stayed up. His weapon's glow surged—extreme excitement, fierce hostility. My mind fixed on beating him.
'Striking next.'
I read his psyche, predicted moves. Merging with Damian more each second.
Click!
Finger on the trigger. I'd anticipated—yanked the barrel up, pried his hand free.
Rat-tat…!
Noise cut short. Quick enough to be fine.
"E-eek!"
He charged, gunless. Hands grappled. We wrestled, tumbling. Slack off and I'd lose. Way tougher than the researcher.
Whoosh!
"Gahk!"
Esperro was reality-based. Felt natural, like playing. I flowed into a judo throw—ippon seoi nage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Guhk! G-gahk!"
He tumbled down the stairs. Gun far off. I closed the gap fast. Tension crackled between us.
"You bastard!"
Swish!
He broke it, drawing a dagger from his belt. Eyes full of venom, ready to rip me apart.
"Come on, you fuck! I'll shove this in your throat!"
"……"
Lucky. Drunk judgment. If he knew I was the subject, he'd have fled, not fought.
'Let's test it.'
Damian fused swordsman, mage, summoner power. Not just brute force—new abilities from the blend.
"Thanks for the weapon."
"…What? What bullshit is this?!"
Swoosh!
His dagger hand whipped fast. But slow to my eyes.
Thwap! Clang!
Struck his hand, disarmed him. Dagger hit the floor—not like the gun. This was a usable dagger.
"Y-you…"
He froze, spooked by the block. Fair enough.
I scooped it up.
"I repay those who mess with me double. And you did."
Weapon Revive - Reviving the dagger.
The Weapon Summoner Damian. Wielded all weapons with a swordsman's skill. Used them with a mage's power. Summoned them with a summoner's art.