Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 112
>Chapter Title: Oath Knight
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Just before engaging the monster in battle, Do-hyun thought.
‘Madness alone isn’t enough.’
No matter how he sliced it, madness by itself wouldn’t be enough to take it down.
The thing had taken every debuff imaginable, but it was still a boss designed to be impossible to kill.
This level of ingenuity wouldn’t cut it.
The quest itself had told him to hold out until Lebed arrived.
A fight to endure was worlds apart from a fight to kill.
‘Once I use Madness... one graze, and I’m dead.’
Sure, it might make for an even match, but could he really avoid that single blow?
He shook his head.
No matter how confident Do-hyun was in his control, he couldn’t dodge every single hit from a superior foe.
That was beyond realistic or even physical limits.
‘I need to use Madness to seize the flow when it lets its guard down.’
That was the only timing.
Fortunately, the plan worked like a charm.
The wary beast finally dropped its guard at the sight of Do-hyun relentlessly getting pushed back.
He hadn’t hit a vital spot, but it still let him start off with major damage.
‘No. This still isn’t enough.’
But it wasn’t.
If he was going to kill something made not to be killed, he needed a mountain of strategies.
One trump card wouldn’t do.
‘What else do I have? Anything I can use... Huh? Wait.’
That’s when the rings came to mind.
He’d worn them nonstop since beating Karuk, but never once used them.
‘This could...?’
Recalling the rings’ effects formed a plan.
If he used Madness like a trump card, then staged a heroic death...
Would that thing not take the bait?
‘It’ll bite for sure.’
For whatever reason, it harbored extreme rage toward him, so it would surely want to finish him off personally.
A psychological ploy possible only because it was a humanoid boss, not a monster type.
[What is this...!]
As expected, it bit—hook, line, and sinker.
“Peekaboo.”
Do-hyun, having reeled in the big one, reached out like a fisherman yanking his line, summoning Thousand Changes.
A dagger flew sharply from behind.
Whoosh-.
It dodged with senses alone, as if it had eyes in the back of its head—but Do-hyun’s goal hadn’t been the attack anyway.
Clack.
[Thousand Changes transforms into ‘Bastard’s Training Sword.’]
[Swordsmanship Proficiency LV14 damage boost applies.]
The weapon that let Do-hyun deal maximum damage: a sword. As he gripped it, darkness enveloped the blade.
[Using ‘Dark Cloak’ on Thousand Changes.]
And that wasn’t all.
[Gamilion’s Ring activates.]
[Stats temporarily rise proportional to blood absorbed in the ring.]
[Gamilion’s Ring has absorbed maximum blood.]
[Maximum effect applies.]
The new Gamilion’s Ring from this fight.
Activating the ring, which had stacked effects throughout the battle, sent power surging through his body.
[Destroyer Gaimon’s health is below 5%.]
Do-hyun with Madness was one thing, but this guy burned health using fallen holy knight skills too.
Which was why its remaining health was a measly 5%.
Do-hyun had no doubt one strike would end it.
“This ends it.”
But the bastard was tenacious.
[You think it’ll go your way-!!]
His critical strike, fueled by every last drop of mana—yet it reacted and tried to dodge.
Some flash of genius in its desperation, perhaps.
From point-blank range, it pulled off a physically impossible evasion angle.
But that was fine. It was still within expectations.
-Lija!
[...Lija?]
The beast Eliza, hidden with fangs bared in Do-hyun’s pocket, popped her head up with a hiss.
Spurt!
Then fired her spider silk outright.
The silk shot out at tremendous speed, sticking the Destroyer’s ankle to the floor.
[What is this...!?]
Gaimon, never expecting a spider to burst from his pocket in this dire moment, lost balance and toppled.
Graaah! Graaah!
Undead swarmed in like they’d been waiting, pinning its arms and legs.
They’d come to save Do-hyun’s life, but somehow ended up helping restrain it.
A true act of God.
[N-No...! I can’t die this pathetically...]
“No, you can! Die already.”
Conflicting emotions clashed, and Thousand Changes pierced its chest.
Cracks spiderwebbed from its chest like shattering glass.
[You have slain the Abyssal Contractor who broke taboos, ‘Destroyer Gaimon.’]
[Level up.]
[Graduation level achieved. Graduation Quest generated.]
....
Its body shattered into pieces as messages appeared.
Confirming them, Do-hyun let out a roar.
“Raaah!”
Finally, truly—he’d done it.
A mere ten minutes for some, but it felt like ten hours to him.
Undoubtedly the hardest difficulty he’d faced in Godosel yet.
In some ways, tougher than the tutorial.
-Kroo... Master! I believed in you!
-Lija lija!
“Yeah, Eliza. You did great too! I’m proud of you!”
-Lija!
But he’d won.
Overcoming countless crises to claim victory.
Perfect timing too—leveled up right on cue.
All that was left was grabbing the Fragment of Fate and completing the quest...
‘...Hold on.’
Do-hyun’s face hardened. A chill crawled up his back.
‘Where’s the Fragment of Fate?’
He’d pierced its heart dead-on.
He’d struck around the Fragment, so it should’ve dropped it on death.
Even if it wasn’t the Fragment, it should’ve dropped something. Bosses always dropped essences.
Especially not just any boss—this was an all-time impossible one.
‘No quest completion message either.’
Do-hyun’s gaze shifted to the priests.
He didn’t know why he looked at that exact moment. Instinct, plain and simple.
And sometimes, instinct trumped reason.
“N-No way...”
“What in the...”
They were aghast.
But not in a good way. Urgency poured from their pale faces.
‘No way...?’
The absurd thought crossed his mind.
Ssssh-.
-Master! Behind you!
A creepy sensation hit, followed by Jihad’s urgent voice.
No need to look—Do-hyun knew what happened.
[The Abyssal Contractor who broke taboos, ‘Destroyer Gaimon,’ has revived!]
[Max health fixed below 10%.]
[All stats reduced by 70%.]
[Entering hidden phase.]
‘You crazy bastard! A hidden phase?’
The messages explained it all.
Unbelievable.
Bosses usually had two or three phases—that was common sense.
Hidden phases were rare, very rare...
‘Fucking jackpot, huh!’
Of all bosses, this one—and twice over? Who’d have imagined!
They’d made it impossible to kill, then added two revives?
He wanted to crack open the developer’s skull.
Even if killed, call it a no-win.
[D-Die... Huh...!]
The revived form was pathetic.
Gone was the sleek musculature—now emaciated, flickering like heat haze, unstable.
But that made it all the more desperate and terrifying.
Shrieeek-!
Its final, all-out strike.
[Thousand Changes transforms into ‘Special Silver Shield from Special Forge.’]
Instinctively raising the shield-formed Thousand Changes,
Boom! Whiiirl-.
It flew off pathetically, as if never drawn.
Off-balance, blocking that desperate blow was impossible.
----
The strike reflected in Do-hyun’s eyes grew larger; alarms blared in his head.
[Using Backstab.]
[Insufficient MP. Cannot use.]
‘Damn it!’
Killing it earlier had drained all his mana.
Thousand Changes lay far off.
Even recalling it, the shield wouldn’t return before the sword cleaved him.
-No!
Jihad lunged desperately, but he’d burned his mana too.
[Guardian Jihad Black lacks mana.]
[Cannot summon undead.]
Eliza?
Spurt! Spurt!
She fired silk frantically, but it only worked on ambushes—not against wide-awake eyes.
The silk hit the sword and burst harmlessly.
[Danger!]
[Current health: 1%. Exercise caution.]
Running wouldn’t work—that attack’s range would clip him.
At 1% health, a graze meant death.
Whoosh-.
The sword swing looked like slow motion.
A split-second—maybe 0.1.
Thousands, millions of thoughts flashed and crumbled. Washed away like tide, his mind went blank.
‘...No way out.’
No method to break this crisis came to mind.
‘Dying like this? For real?’
After all that hell, failing so lamely?
This rigging was too much!
Rage boiled from his dantian to his throat, then faded into utter despair.
‘Ah.’
It’s over.
That thought as the flashing sword loomed.
Then a cheerful alert chimed in his ear.
[Level 35 achieved. Condition met.]
[Blood Oath Necklace’s second special option unlocked.]
[Special option ‘Oath Knight’ now available.]
[Use it?]
‘...What?’
Brain freeze at the unexpected message—then yanked from submersion, Do-hyun snapped to and accepted.
No clue what Oath Knight was, but now wasn’t the time to care.
‘Please, anything helpful right now...!’
If it just blocked that one attack, he’d take it.
Did that desperate wish reach?
[Activating Oath Knight.]
[Per the oath, your sword and heart guards your side.]
A message flashed with blinding light.
Through the glare, a man’s shadow loomed—and a sword drawn rang out.
Ching-!
It was a knight.
Clad in silver armor, swinging a longsword.
He effortlessly parried Gaimon’s strike.
[Kraaa! What are you?! Why, why can’t I kill you!]
Prey in his jaws—snatched away by this knight at the perfect ironic timing. Gaimon raged truly.
-I have no name to reveal to filth like you. For daring to endanger my liege, death is your due.
A heavy baritone echoed.
Ta-tat!
The leaping knight dove in, swinging his longsword.
The blade gleamed like it drank light—then the knight vanished.
Slash-.
One Flash.
A transverse cut so clean, no word fit better.
Sheathing the longsword, light burst, illuminating the pitch-black darkness.
As it squinted in the brilliance,
“The one who forged the Knight’s Oath to become my liege’s sword. Having pierced eternity to uphold it, he manifests.”
The knight turned crisply, knelt on one knee, and paid respects.
“Your first sword greets you, my liege.”
But Do-hyun wasn’t watching him.
His gaze fixed slightly above, on the messages over the bowed head.
[Oath Knight, ‘Kaiser’s First Sword, Charlie,’ manifests.]
[‘Kaiser’s First Sword, Charlie’ becomes your Guardian.]
[Charlie’s affinity is at maximum.]
[Title acquired: ‘Guardian Affinity Max on Acquisition?’]
[Title acquired: ‘Veteran Tamer.’]
‘...?’
The former Arlen Citadel Knight Commander—the man who’d shown reaction mastery in the tutorial and given the necklace.
Charlie had pierced eternity to appear.