Thump thump.
I continued to descend the stairs behind the corridor where the ‘Statue of the Family Head’ had been.
After walking for about 5 minutes, the end of the stairs came into view.
Beyond it, a soft red light was seeping in.
“Huh?”
All the torches that had illuminated this tomb up to here had blue flames.
That red light was quite out of place in the soft, blue-tinged interior of the Lesser Demon’s Tomb.
As I emerged from the long stairway, the ceiling suddenly rose high.
Soon, a huge dome-shaped cavern appeared before my eyes.
And I could see the source of that red light.
Bubble bubble.
“Ooh.”
A lava lake visible on the far side of the huge dome.
Magma boils up from there.
The source of the red light illuminating the inside of the dome was magma.
To think there was such a thing under the desert.
How far down have I come? It’s not like I’ve drilled through the crust.
I shrank a little.
I’ve really disliked fire since clearing the 1st named.
But judging from the look of the boss room, the last named might use fire-based attacks, too.
“I-I really hate fire.”
Shake shake.
I vigorously shook my head, steeling my weakening resolve.
Rain, you’ve come this far with difficulty.
After clearing this dungeon and selling the weapon, you’ll earn a lot of money, drink potions freely, buy all the costumes you want to wear, and raise yourself like an emperor.
Of course, you can eat chicken every day too. You need to nourish your real body too, right?
You can live lavishly in ‘Astria Online’.
Fortunately, my greed sensor firmly supported my heart.
Thump thump.
Filled with motivation, I puffed out my chest and boldly entered the center of the dome.
Step step.
But I couldn’t help shrinking more and more as I approached the center.
Step.
Finally reaching the center of the dome, I timidly said.
“P-player entry.”
Bubble.
The first bubble burst in the lava lake before my eyes.
Bubble bubble.
Soon, the calm magma started boiling, forming a huge whirlpool.
Flames rose from the center of the whirlpool, and within it, a massive form slowly revealed itself.
It was a demon.
A giant demon with a pair of large horns on its head.
Its size was larger than the wyvern.
Thick chains were wrapped tightly around its body.
As if some special magic treatment had been applied, those faintly blue-glowing chains didn’t melt even in the lava.
Rumble rumble rumble.
The demon, half-submerged in the lava lake, opened its two eyes.
Flash.
Flames were burning inside its pupils.
“Wow.”
I stared at that sight, unconsciously letting out an exclamation, forgetting my fear.
The boss entrance scene is really cool.
I think I’ve seen something like that in a classic game. It was definitely something-blos from Blizzard company.
They call it ‘Lesser Demon’s Tomb’? But its presence is almost on par with the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Realm?
Of course, overall it was quite different from the something-blos of the classic game.
For one, its forearms were extremely large.
The proportion felt due to the huge forearms compared to the body was like an orangutan? Gorilla? Anyway, it would suit walking on all fours.
My small body would probably fit snugly inside that thing’s grasp.
Will there actually be a ‘Grab’ pattern?
In any case, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful of those huge forearms.
And a moment later, the demon moved.
Thud, thud, thud.
It parted the magma lake with its massive arms and walked towards the dome.
The demon, finally fully revealed, roared loudly.
Kaaaaa-!
[3rd Named]
[Level 27 Sealed Demon]
[HP 500,000/500,000]
* * *
Pitter-patter!
Thwack thwack thwack thwack!
I maintained Sword Drawing Stance and activated Moonlight Slash, inflicting wounds on the demon’s body.
Although its entrance presence intimidated me, as the boss battle began, I understood why it was named ‘Sealed Demon’.
First, its overall movements were very slow.
The normal pattern was just swinging attacks using its huge forearms, not very threatening.
Despite being named ‘Demon,’ it didn’t use magic attacks. It only attacked using its massive body.
Rattle rattle!
Every time the demon moved greatly, the chains wrapped tightly around its body made rattling sounds. Are those chains sealing the demon’s power?
‘Sealed Demon,’ true to its name, didn’t seem to be in its complete state.
Whoosh!
Clang! Rattle-
“Ugh!”
When I blocked the demon’s arm-swinging attack, some HP was consumed, and my body was pushed back a few steps.
Even if it didn’t use magic, the power emanating from those monstrous forearms was real. Even with my now much improved Block rank, I couldn’t absorb all the shock.
How long has it been since my HP was consumed after blocking an attack with the ‘Block’ skill?
Moreover, the range was very wide.
With this wide of an area-of-effect attack, the apple peeling attack using ‘Sword Drawing Stance’ is impossible. I need to respond to all patterns.
Then, how about ‘Counterattack’ that can be activated in Sword Drawing Stance?
Swish.
My body using ‘Counterattack’ left an afterimage and took the demon’s rear.
It seemed I could deal free damage until the demon turned its body to spot me again.
But.
Whoosh!
Clang!
“Ugh!?”
I had no choice but to hurriedly cancel Sword Drawing Stance and block the demon’s attack.
The demon had swung its arm backwards without even turning its body.
“Th-that surprised me!”
I had to face the demon that had turned its body again while calming my startled heart.
There are mainly two types of normal patterns, front swinging and back swinging.
Both can be blocked and there are no other special patterns.
Damage comes through even when blocking, but not to an unmanageable level. If the damage from blocking accumulates, I can just drink a potion.
Thwack thwack thwack thwack!
Sword light continuously flashing from my sword cut into the demon’s massive body.
I couldn’t maintain Sword Drawing Stance continuously due to the range of the arm swings, but there was no problem inflicting damage using the large gaps in the attack motions.
Clang!
After blocking an arm swinging attack and retreating about two steps, I checked the demon’s HP.
[3rd Named]
[Level 25 Sealed Demon]
[HP 391,005/500,000]
Like the named bosses I’ve faced so far, this one’s normal patterns weren’t a big problem either.
Basically, any user with an understanding of ‘Astria Online’ could respond to this level.
The problem is the special pattern that occurs when the named boss’s HP falls below a certain level.
The ‘Sealed Demon’ must have its own special pattern too.
How to overcome that was the key to clearing the dungeon. It was time to start focusing on its movements.
As expected, not long after, the demon’s movements suddenly changed.
Flash!
“Eek!”
Unlike the slow attacks so far, the demon suddenly moved nimbly and tried to grab me with its huge hand spread open.
But I, who had been staring with wide eyes trying to catch the pattern change, could respond perfectly.
Thud.
My body, reflexively using ‘Backward Evasion’, instantly moved backward, and the demon’s hand grasped the air.
I broke out in cold sweat after creating distance from the demon.
Wow, that was really close. That was super dangerous.
What would happen if I got caught in those hands? Would all the bones in my body be crushed? Would I be thrown into the lava lake while caught?
Anyway, it was obvious that my body wouldn’t be intact.
But this won’t be the end.
I watched the demon’s next movement while gripping my sword.
Kaaaaa-!
Along with the demon’s roar like when it first appeared.
Whoosh.
Purple light gathered in the demon’s huge hands.
It soon formed into a sphere.
“Th-that!”
My mouth fell open.
I’ve seen that purple sphere somewhere before.
The identity of that purple sphere was definitely an energy sphere containing the power of black magic used by the demons of the Astria continent.
That purple sphere containing powerful force soon shot towards me at high speed.
“Weren’t you unable to use magic!?”
You’re called ‘Sealed Demon’!
Boom boom boom boom!
* * *
Thump thump.
“Th-there was a ranged magic pattern.”
I sat down on the stairs towards the corridor at the dome entrance, trying to calm my startled heart.
It’s fortunate that I had prepared to flee towards the stairs with my back to them as soon as the special pattern started, because if I had been directly hit by such a dreadful thing, I would have died instantly without being able to move.
It was impossible to respond in a way like ‘Ah, I should do it like this next time’ after comfortably taking the hit with my body first.
Unlike others, I feel very painful when I get hit even in the game.
I hated pain.
There’s no need to even try ‘Block’. In terms of judgment, it would be similar to the 1st named ‘Black Wyvern’s scale attack.
Thwack, thwack!
I kicked the stairs a few times, flailing my legs in a very grumpy mood.
“Why don’t Swordsmen have ranged protection?”
A Mage’s ‘Mana Barrier’ or Yin-Yang Master’s ‘Protection Talisman’ could probably block it.
Of course, Swordsmen might get ranged protection when their level rises a bit more, but as I am now, I had no way to respond to that.
I rested my chin on my hand and fell into thought.
[Backward Evasion (E)]
[Quickly propel your body 8m backward to avoid frontal attacks (Invincible during casting)]
[Cooldown 8 seconds]
[(E rank) Movement speed increases for 5 seconds after skill activation]
The cheat judgment that chewed through the wyvern’s wide-area breath was ‘Invincible during casting.’
With this judgment, I shouldn’t take damage from any pattern existing in ‘Astria Online.’
Should I save Backward Evasion?
But how do I avoid that quick-grabbing pattern?
The interval between the demon’s grabbing pattern and the magic sphere attack is about 5 seconds.
If I use Backward Evasion on the grabbing pattern, 3 seconds of cooldown remain.
“Hmm….”
There must be something. It just doesn’t come to mind immediately.
There should be one more way to avoid the ‘Grab’ pattern.