Chapter 380
Side Story: Experiencing the Boss Battle – 2
Sometimes, what you least expect catches you off guard. No, actually, it happens quite often.
“…….”
Except for me, Laksia, who ranks highest in the Dark Night Order, landed a hit just once, while the others, including five vice commanders, didn’t even graze the boss.
This meant that out of over a hundred players, not a single one managed to land an attack. They were even told they could use unconventional methods like unleashing sword energy or attribute attacks, and yet this was the result.
Keras displayed all sorts of bizarre movements and dodged every attack coming at him. Seeing such agility from that massive frame made me wonder how the game would depict it.
The later players, having seen how the first group got thrashed, tried to come up with their own strategies, but to no avail.
According to Laksia, the first group reached a consensus that they would keep more loot, considering the order of attack disadvantage. But at this rate, that condition became utterly meaningless.
“Isn’t the difficulty way too high?”
—Uh, wait? There’s no way it’s this strong…? Something’s off…?
As I quietly muttered, I heard Eclipse’s panicked voice echo in my head. What do you mean it can’t be this strong? Did this incompetent goddess mess something up again?
“Ugh… it’s totally a monster.”
A battered Laksia plopped down next to me.
Her black armor, which had been battered and crumpled, was now neatly repaired, but the psychological shock of being one-sidedly beaten seemed yet to fade.
On the rectangular screen hovering in the center of the audience, the first group of knights was charging at the boss again. The others were glued to the combat scene, foregoing popcorn and soda.
Since they had only succeeded in one attack, the promised bonus amount for all 110 players was laughably small. However, the real reason the Dark Night Order was burning with anger wasn’t about the money.
‘It’s about pride.’
These knights once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Silver Dawn Knights, even directly guarding the Empress. Their pride was undeniable.
Being unable to land a single hit and only getting smashed would surely wound their pride.
Just how shocking was it that they offered to challenge the boss without even caring about the money?
“Wait, you didn’t bring the strongest one on purpose because you didn’t want to give us free money, did you?”
“Do I look like that kind of person?”
“It was a joke. The shock was so huge I just felt like whining a bit.”
“Well then, I suppose I should congratulate you on claiming the number one spot overwhelmingly. Congratulations, Laksia.”
Laksia let out a hollow laugh.
“That sort of first place is worthless. Whether it’s 0th or 1st, it’s all the same.”
“That’s all you have to say about being number one? That’s quite brief.”
“Since all I did was get beat up, is there more to say? And I can say this because it’s me; if you asked the others who didn’t land a single hit and just got knocked out, they’d probably want to eat you.”
“Eat me? How?”
“Well, obviously…”
Laksia hesitated for a moment, her face turning red. It seemed she understood that my earlier comment hinted at something else.
I laughed it off, and Laksia, still blushing, fidgeted with her lips. The way she moved her lips suggested she might have some foul words to say.
Well, being able to exchange such banter is a testament to how comfortable we are. If that golden idiot had been the commander, I wouldn’t even dare to joke like this.
“Where on earth did you find such a monster?”
“When you reach a similar level to me, you’ll find out. How about it?”
I can’t just spill that it’s the boss from Brightest Darkness 5.
“You can just say outright that you have no intention of telling me.”
Laksia chuckled and gazed at the screen. She was probably making light of the conversation. I too turned my attention to the screen. With each swing of the boss’s sword, two or three players flew off like whoosh.
‘Is there really that much of a stat difference?’
I felt puzzled. No matter how you look at it, while vice commanders are mid-bosses and regular members are field mobs, the Dark Night Order was supposed to face the end-game enemies.
The field mobs roaming the Imperial Palace, the late-game area, have stats akin to mid-bosses from the mid-game. And the mid-bosses of the late-game have stats comparable to, if not exceeding, the mid-game bosses.
So how were they getting swept away by a single swing?
‘Something’s not right.’
As I fell deep into thought, Laksia glanced my way.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing major. I was just pondering how I’m supposed to catch that thing later.”
Right now, I was merely speculating. I pulled out another excuse I had thought of beforehand, which was technically true since I was indeed curious about how to defeat that thing.
“Well, then there’s no need for you to stand here like this.”
“I have my reasons.”
I wasn’t going to catch it myself but rather have Kima or Pad do it. But Laksia, unaware of these circumstances, had an entire question mark hovering above her head.
“Is it uncomfortable for you, being a transcendent being? You don’t really share any information with me. It wouldn’t matter so much if it were delegated to a vice commander like me.”
“I’m still very much human. For now.”
Someday I might become a being close to a god like Eclipse, so I added “for now” out of conscience. Laksia seemed to have taken this as a jest, as a smile crept into the corners of her mouth.
“Yes, yes, understood. ‘For now’ human commander. Then let’s rephrase that. You’re not a transcendent being; you will be one.”
Laksia had changed a lot compared to our first meeting. Back then, she was the one who, after being struck with a broken sword, moaned and groaned while trying to pick a fight with the Silver Dawn Knights.
‘…Has she genuinely changed for the better?’
Perhaps it was a change for the good.
“Should I give it a try first?”
“Pardon?”
“You all seem so lost. I thought a demonstration might help.”
“Hmm… If that’s the case, I’ll gladly accept. Though I’m not sure we can learn anything from how you do it.”
Just then, timing couldn’t have been better as the first group that entered was wiped out. The last standing vice commander was summoned to the spectator’s area, and the broken armor was instantly repaired.
“Next up—”
“It’s me.”
“……Huh? Commander, what did you just say?”
“The next group you mentioned, that’s me.”
The others were confused since they were unaware of the dialogue exchanged between Laksia and me. I drew my Wingless Nightmare and moved toward the boss. Keras immediately assumed a battle stance.
As of now, he was set up as a noble warrior who lived honorably, wishing to fight and die in the spirit of the religion he believed in. His backstory stated that the War God would guide him to heaven if he fell fighting.
The elaborate adornments on his body were his way of paying tribute to the warriors who would face him.
‘When Brightest Darkness 5 releases, he’s going to die in a way that’s anything but honorable.’
I felt a slight twinge of sorrow. Given that backstory, he was destined to be the focus of seasoned players’ humiliating goals. He was likely to die in a way far detached from honor.
Perhaps getting stomped to the ground, or having a purple-skinned undead character beat him senseless in their birthday suit, or getting smashed with an amusing weapon.
‘Well, that’s that.’
To say that the pity was slightly twinged is an understatement, considering I’m planning to join that line-up.
I took my stance. The boss’s body began to move. First, his right upper arm lifted, while simultaneously his left lower arm was drawn back. It seemed like a combo pattern of continuous spinning attacks.
Since there were no lower strikes, I casually went for a parry first—
—SHWIING!!
‘What?!’
As I parried the first spinning slash, my body was shoved backward. Following that, as I continued to parry, my legs were pushed back as if I were on a moving walkway.
Even though I approached with a light mindset, being pushed back this much in a battle of strength was clearly abnormal. I collected my thoughts and attempted to muster more strength.
While my leg didn’t budge anymore, the impact on my arms remained. The boss finished the eighth attack and immediately transitioned to his next pattern.
He swept the floor twice, followed by a simultaneous slam with all four arms, or spun while attacking one arm at a time in four different directions, or floated up and crash-landed, engulfed in black flames, causing an explosion.
His pattern of openly targeting multiple opponents came at me with overwhelming speed and damage.
‘If this launches in the game, it might be beyond Repanteka!’
Honestly, I felt this boss had a difficulty level comparable to what Eclipse claimed was the hardest hidden boss. My sense of something being off grew stronger.
‘I need to finish this quickly.’
I kicked off the ground, raising the Wingless Nightmare and converting it to a Divine Attribute. Brilliant golden light erupted from the blade. I held the Wingless Nightmare overhead and prepared a special ability.
Upon seeing the pillar of light descending from above, Keras drew up dark flames. A black fireball ascended as he swung his arm vertically towards me.
—KABOOM!
A massive pillar of light crashed down from the sky.
The light pillar overwhelmingly suppressed the black fire that was just about to shoot up, driving it deep into the ground. A divine explosion erupted, engulfing the area. Dust mixed with rocks and debris danced in the air.
‘…….’
I landed on the ground. Even after taking that attack, the boss remained barely alive for a moment. Though he was in tatters, a gentle poke with my blade caused him to smash apart, but the point is, he was still alive.
I quietly called out to Eclipse.
“Goddess.”
“……Yes? You.”
“What’s going on this time?”
Her response seemed to carry an air of implication that something had gone wrong, but judging by Eclipse’s reaction, it wasn’t outright incorrect either.
“I… I entered the wrong values.”
“And the reason?”
“…….”
“And the reason?”
Eclipse, clearly hesitating, finally spoke up as I pressed her again.
“I thought it was my turn coming up soon, so my body kept heating up… my… uterus even tingles… just thinking about it makes me feel all zippy….”
“…….”
This goddess is unbelievable.
