Chapter 23

Chapter 023

Aragos.

The leader of the Arachnes, and the Field Boss that appeared when more than half of the nest was destroyed.

As one could tell from the fact that it had a trigger, its case was a little different from the Sasquatch.

A Field Boss with appearance conditions was difficult to encounter, but in exchange, it was much stronger than an ordinary Field Boss.

‘On top of that, the small fry here rush in as well.’

The Sasquatch had been on the easier side as long as I knew its patterns, because I only had to face that one creature. Aragos, however, rushed in together with its subordinates.

And since those subordinates were Arachnes, which counted as upper species, the difficulty rose sharply.

‘Did he really think the two of us could clear this?’

I did not know what Gordon’s standards were, but was this not going too far?

It might have been one thing if I were alone, but Persica was here too.

“C-Can we really defeat that thing by ourselves?”

“.......”

In Persica’s trembling voice, I could feel the fear she had not fully erased.

It was not something to criticize her for.

If anything, that reaction was normal.

‘Let me see. Was this thing exactly 2-star?’

Star Ranks applied to both people and monsters.

Aragos was around 2-star. It was the local master of the first floor, on the same level as the floor boss.

In other words, it was a rank that normally required forming an expedition.

“......This is why I wanted to come alone.”

If I had gathered money and come thoroughly prepared, it would not have been impossible to defeat.

But right now, I was not alone, and I was not prepared either.

I could not respond properly, and even if I did defeat it, I would have no good answer if someone asked how I had done it.

“Well, I am not in a position to be picky.”

At this rate, we would be surrounded and killed.

There was no leisure to sit around worrying.

“I will watch that thing, so you clean up the Arachnes.”

“What!? You will die doing that!”

“Then you can finish quickly and come help me.”

When I said it in a tone that made it clear we had no time to argue, Persica bit her lip.

She knew it too. That this was the only way right now.

“If you die, I will kill you! Do not just go and die on your own!”

“That is truly encouraging.”

Persica fell back behind me.

The reason I entrusted the Arachnes to her was partly because the boss’s appearance had reduced their numbers, but also because it was generally difficult to maintain aggro on a Field Boss.

‘That is why I brought this.’

I toyed with the “Engraving Stone” in my pocket.

Originally, it was used as a Mana Stone or an Enhancement Stone, or to trigger a floor boss’s “special event.”

However, in this bug-ridden damn game, the gimmick also applied outside the boss room.

I would not be able to see the special event, but I could use it to draw the attention of an enemy judged as a boss.

─Kirrrrk......!

When I flowed Mana into the Engraving Stone and activated it, a strange Magic Power spread outward, and the boss’s gaze turned toward me.

It was a reaction that seemed like wariness and hostility had been mixed together half and half.

Having a spider the size of a house stare at me gave off an absurd amount of pressure.

“What are you going to do just because you are staring at me?”

But it did not matter.

I was someone who could not express things.

Even when I was happy, I did not know how to smile, and even when I was sad, I did not know how to cry.

That was why I did not freeze from fear, nor did I tremble from tension.

“Come at me.”

Holding my sword, I curled a finger.

Did it understand that as a provocation?

Aragos let out a monstrous cry, raised its massive foreleg, and slammed it down at me.

BOOM! BOOM!

It was a simple downward strike, but its destructive power was no joke.

Each blow shattered the ground and split trees in two, and it was also fast in a way that did not suit its size.

By feel, it seemed faster than an Arachne.

‘If that hits me properly, I am going straight to the grave.......’

Attacks poured down almost like a fit of madness, so using Parrying was difficult as well.

At this rate, measuring the timing was far from easy.

If I made even the slightest mistake, I would take a direct hit, so I had no choice but to become cautious too.

This was why Mysticism, and especially Parrying, was unpopular.

Matching and knocking away something like this was not something ordinary people could even dare to attempt.

CLANG! CLANG-CLANG!

I knocked away only the patterns that seemed dangerous with Parrying and watched for an opening.

Since it had come to this, I had to break its posture as much as possible and forcibly create a damage window─

“......!”

In that instant, my body tilted to one side.

My foot had slipped into a crater the creature had made.

‘Damn it......!’

I saw the attack that followed, but it was already too late to use Parrying.

At the same time I hastily raised my sword to block, an impact that shook my entire body struck me.

My body was flung away like a piece of luggage and slammed into a nearby tree trunk.

“Kh......! Cough, cough!”

“Isran!”

“Do not mind me and do your job!”

I knew firsthand just how dangerous it was to look away during battle.

After shouting sharply, I threw myself aside to avoid Aragos as it charged again.

‘This hurts like hell.’

My whole body trembled from the impact.

My body, convulsing badly, did not move properly, as though it had been paralyzed.

‘Is it Concussion?’

“Concussion” was a status effect in which action capacity dropped by half due to impact.

The fact that I had at least clumsily blocked it was why it was only this bad. Otherwise, something somewhere would definitely have broken.

‘Even one or two more hits will be dangerous.’

This prediction was only possible because my physical specs were so good.

An ordinary newbie would probably have died instantly from that one blow just now.

I was not a Tank, and my equipment was poor, so it would be difficult to endure for long like this.

“So you are saying it will not be easy.......”

It hurt, but thanks to that, I learned one thing.

Here, I had to consider not only attacks, but also the changes they caused in the surrounding terrain and objects.

And the boss was more dangerous than I had thought.

“I suppose it is fortunate.”

Still, it was fortunate that this had happened before I charged at the floor boss.

I had already heard that its difficulty had risen. If I had gone in without knowing, it would not have ended at this level.

I decided to think of it as cheap payment for the price of my life.

BOOM!

“Ugh......!”

A downward strike tore away the area near my shoulder.

My Parrying timing had not matched, and since I only blocked it, I was slammed straight down into the ground.

A pain that felt as though my bones were being scraped away rushed over me, and tears pricked at my eyes.

─Kiiiiik!!

But the creature did not wait.

Because my body was not moving properly due to Concussion, I avoided the next attack that came flying by practically collapsing flat onto the ground.

It looked disgraceful, but it was better than dying.

While focusing as much as possible on evasion, I waited for Concussion to wear off.

‘What methods can I use right now?’

I racked my brain as much as I could.

A ranged attack would be best, but neither Persica nor I knew how to do something like that. And if I threw my sword, the attack power would be too lacking.

As a fallback, I thought of Sword Aura...... but shook my head after all.

I did not even know whether I could use it properly, and even if I did, at my level, the consumption would be too great, so I would not be able to maintain it for long.

“Then shall I try this?”

I used Parrying in time with the follow-up attack rushing toward me.

This time, I did not knock it upward, but straight to the side.

CLANG!

─Kyaaagh!

The creature struck the innocent ground and charged at me in rage.

I measured the timing and used Parrying once more.

BOOOOM!!

A flash of light burst, and the creature’s massive body was pushed back.

The sight of a spider the size of a house being pushed back by the sword strike of a small human was extremely unrealistic.

As if it could not believe it either, the creature shook its head and swung its forelegs in succession.

Are you angry? How unfortunate.

Parrying nullifies all incoming damage and physical force.

I focused all my attention on the incoming attacks.

‘One. Two. Pause for two beats...... Three. Pause for half a beat...... Four. Five.’

What a truly damned off-beat pattern.

The attacks I barely managed to receive with Parrying were all deflected to the side and made to strike the same spot.

As a result.

─Kirik?

Its leg sank into the ground, which had been gouged out so much that it had become a pit, and its massive body tilted.

“Persica!”

“I was waiting!”

Apparently, she had finished cleaning up the Arachnes just in time, because Persica rushed over and leaped toward the creature.

There was no instruction.

Instead, I pointed with my hand at the head of the creature as it tilted.

Fortunately, she understood, and the Rapier she thrust out with all her strength struck its mark.

[Flash Lightning Thunder Sword]

[First Form – Rushing Thunder]

BOOM!!

Unlike me, the properly Magic Power-laden strike erupted with light, and Aragos was pushed back greatly.

The guaranteed critical hit, which was a unique effect of Flash Lightning Thunder Sword, also had a knockback judgment.

It was a method often used when defeating the Golem, and she seemed to remember it.

‘Good. She learned well.’

Aragos, completely flipped over, flailed to get back up, but because of the physical characteristics of a spider, it could not easily right itself.

“Good! Let us finish it off like this......!”

As Persica landed and tried to rush forward again, I grabbed her by the back of the neck.

“Ueh......? Kyak!”

The moment I pulled her back, black venomous liquid sprayed from Aragos’s mouth.

The acidic venom pattern.

When it became unable to act, the creature responded by spitting venom like that.

‘And its attack power is strong too.’

The place the venom touched melted away in an instant.

If I had not pulled her back, Persica would have ended up like that.

“Hey, hey. Your hand!”

“It is fine. I am all right.”

I had not managed to avoid all of it, so some of the venom had splattered onto my hand and part of my forearm.

As my armor melted, the surface of my skin dissolved black.

That was because acidic venom had the effect of greatly reducing equipment durability.

“......I just had this made.”

“Is that what matters right now?”

Beyond the burning pain, my left hand was not moving properly.

As if proving that the poison had seeped in, the skin began to die black from the affected area.

‘Tsk...... Looks like this has suddenly become a time attack.’

I had not prepared an antidote, and there was not enough time to bind it with herbs.

Even while muttering a low curse, I leaped with all my strength. The creature had spat spiderwebs at the spot where I had been standing.

BOOM!

The ground the thread touched was cut apart like tofu.

That spiderweb possessed tremendous cutting power due to an effect called “Steel Wire.”

A pattern that reduced durability with acidic venom, then destroyed the target with spiderwebs.

That thing used combo patterns despite being a monster.

‘There is a limit to dodging. In that case.......’

I charged head-on toward the venomous liquid it spat out.

I measured the timing, and the moment I thrust out my sword wrapped in Mysticism with all my strength, the trajectory of the venomous liquid twisted grotesquely and was deflected away.

“D-Does that make sense......!?”

I heard Persica’s dazed voice.

Parrying deflected anything as long as it was an attack. Liquids were no exception.

However, I could not prevent the venom from sticking to the sword. As if it had been waiting for this moment, spiderwebs were shot toward the sword.

SCREEEEEECH!!

The thread and sword tangled, sparks flying with the sound of metal.

─Kiiik......!?

Even though it had touched the acidic venom, the sword did not break. No, not even a small crack appeared.

A Starting Weapon had infinite durability.

It could never be destroyed.

“Ishara is invincible.”

When I pulled with strength, the thread snapped.

The venom affected the thread as well, so after the pattern, it disappeared easily.

‘What now?’

My poison resistance was low, so it was spreading quickly.

My left arm hurt as if it were about to fall off, and my breathing was growing more and more ragged.

Because Persica had followed my order, the Arachnes had also come right up to us.

‘Retreating...... will be difficult.’

We were surrounded.

My condition was not good enough to spend time breaking through.

In the end, the only option left was a frontal breakthrough. If we killed the boss, all the small fry would flee.

“......Well, my method has always been like this.”

Always a head-on contest.

Never retreat, never run.

“Because I am the strongest.”

I raised my sword and stood before the creature.

I did not know whether I could win, but I wanted to do my best until the very end.

Because that was what Ishara would have done.

“Persica. Watch the Arachnes like before. And when I give the signal, put your strongest attack into that thing.”

“......Got it.”

Because the situation was what it was, Persica did not argue.

Well, she would probably be fine.

I did not know about myself, but if Persica was in danger, Gordon would definitely step in.

─Kieeeek!!

Aragos shrieked and spat threads in every direction.

Trees and boulders were cut into pieces and fell, and on top of that, it spat acidic liquid as well.

Entangled in threads, each venom-coated piece of debris gave off a strange phosphorescent glow.

“Be careful! That is Aura!”

The “Collapse” pattern, which poured down debris sliced apart by spiderwebs and coated in acidic venom.

It was an instant-death pattern Aragos used if it did not take a valid hit for a certain amount of time.

“Leave it to me, and you focus on the Arachnes.”

“Ugh......!”

After sending Persica behind me, I looked upward.

There were too many.

No matter how well I measured the timing, this was not a level I could knock away with Parrying.

That did not mean I could defend against it either.

I had to run outside the range immediately. I had to run, but.

─Thump.

For some reason, I felt as though I could do it.

A strange certainty, a sensation, raced through me like a flash of lightning.

It felt as though...... “experience” that was not mine was pouring into me.

BOOOOM!

I knocked away the first falling piece of debris.

Even rotten Aura was still Aura, because even though I knocked it away with Parrying, my wrist ached.

Was that not unfair? Humans had to train to the point of death to use a technique like this, while these creatures were born with it from the beginning.

CLANG! CLANG-CLANG! BOOM!

Still, it was not unbearable.

The next, and the next after that.

I swung my sword in a trance.

The violet trajectories of Parrying, drawn as though I were dancing, swept away every piece of debris raining down like a storm.

─Thump...... Thump.......

My heart beat.

In response, the sword in my hand sent out pulses as if in resonance.

The operation of Mysticism felt strangely easy.

Even calculating the timing that had felt as though it would burn my cranial nerves now felt incredibly simple.

The moment I knocked away every piece of debris, I saw Aragos charging with its jaws wide open.

“Persica!”

“Haaah!”

The instant I gave the signal, she shot forward.

Because she had blocked the Arachnes that swarmed in by herself, her entire body was in tatters.

Even so, exactly as I had told her, she drove her Rapier with all her strength into Aragos’s head.

─Kyaaaaaagh!!!

Aragos twisted its body in pain and curled in on itself.

It was the groggy pattern that appeared if one immediately stabbed its weakness after the instant-death pattern.

“Isran!”

“Yes. Well done.”

As though enchanted, I raised my sword.

My mind, which had somehow forgotten the pain, was clearer than ever.

In my eyes, only the thing I had to do right now was distinct.

‘This is.......’

It was not a complete sensation.

It was faint, as though it would disappear at once if I let my attention slip even slightly.

However, my body seized that faint sensation. As if possessed, I moved.

Mysticism, explosively emitted, dwelled in the sword, and for an instant, it flashed with a strange light.

‘Unique Ability......?’

A violet radiance flashed.

The sword, shot out with all my strength, drove itself into the creature’s head.

And then.

THUD!

The creature collapsed.

***

“That cannot be.”

Watching that scene from afar, Gordon’s mouth hung open blankly.

He had not intended to leave everything to them.

He had merely planned to test a few things, then step in if things seemed dangerous.

“That was.......”

For a very brief moment, a fleeting instant that would have been difficult to catch with the eye.

His eyes did not miss the radiance that formed on Isran’s sword.

“Aura......?”

It was unmistakably the light of Aura.