Boom boom boom!
After letting the sword’s energy-laden shockwave pass by using counterattack, I quickly swung my sword left and right.
Thwack thwack!
With this, 20 hits.
The moment the last sword strike hit the hero’s protective aura, I used backward evasion.
Pitter-patter-patter-patter!
A storm of sword energy burst out from the hero’s body, raging in all directions. My body, which had used backward evasion, was barely able to escape the attack range of the sword energy storm.
Good, like this, backward evasion simultaneously with every 10th hit.
As the sword energy storm subsided, I quickly stuck close to the hero’s body. If my approach was even a little late, ranged sword energy would split my waist.
Clang clang clang clang!
Once again, a shower of sword strikes at an unimaginable speed poured down. It’s not just blocking. Now that I have even a little leeway, I memorize the path of the sword strikes in advance. 40 exchanges, I cram all those sword trajectories into my head.
Again, the 30th hit. Backward evasion.
Pitter-patter-patter-patter!
After the sword energy storm pattern, it returns to the first pattern again. If it proceeds like this until the end, it’s an easy victory. But, for a non-standard named boss bearing the name ‘Ancient Hero’, this can’t be all of the patterns.
Woong.
As the third sword energy storm was ending, I could see massive tangible energy concentrating in the holy sword.
Boom boom boom boom!
Soon, sword energy several meters long began to surge forth in streams from the hero’s holy sword.
Sword energy containing absolute power, as if declaring it won’t let anyone stand in the place it sweeps through. Then, am I, standing in front of it, a mantis trying to stop a cart?
I unconsciously swallowed.
Wow, I’m envious. That power, I used to know how to use it too. Thanks to using all the power I had, including the last bit of original energy or whatever at the end, I became completely crippled. My legs were a bonus.
If only my body had been intact, I could have made a living doing manual labor or quick deliveries with that power. Is it fortunate that I can make a living even in a game now?
After briefly having such idle thoughts while looking at the hero’s magnificent sword energy, I soon entered battle mode.
Now I can’t block the attacks. That holy sword with sword energy over several meters long will simply chop me, who is just a game character, into pieces along with my sword.
40 exchanges. There’s a reason I endured while hiding behind my guard and memorized the sword’s path.
From now on, dodge everything.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
With a sound that made my hair stand on end, huge blades of light rushed towards me.
A slash swinging down from upper right to lower left, I twisted my upper body to the lower right to avoid it. Two vertical slashes left and right, I just lowered my head. Third, fourth, I turned my body to the left as if dancing, and then rotated. I don’t forget to swing my sword while catching momentary gaps.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Diagonal slashes left and right, next is a 360-degree spinning slash. After that, four vertical slashes.
The four strikes after the spinning slash are not pursuit-type but cast in place. I can catch one attack opportunity if I use counterattack during the spinning slash pattern that sweeps across all directions.
The problem is, if I use counterattack here, there’s no way to avoid the shockwave pattern.
But I have no back. The reason I memorized the sword’s path was to induce the counter sword energy with 10 hits before the shockwave pattern to reset the pattern.
I’ve been accumulating the number of hits bit by bit. No matter how well I’ve memorized the path, I have no choice but to use counterattack against patterns sweeping the entire battle area.
Whoosh!
Swish.
I ignored the spinning slash imbued with sword energy using counterattack, and while taking the rear, let the four vertical slashes cast in place pass by. In this pattern, the angle at which the holy sword’s blade occupies the battle area is about 300 degrees, with about 60 degrees of leeway right behind the hero.
A chilling sensation brushed past my upper body four times, but I don’t flinch. Taking that gap, I showered sword strikes towards the hero’s protective aura.
One hit short. The next pattern is again a 360-degree spinning slash. Now there’s no counterattack. I need to save backward evasion for the sword energy storm.
Before the sword energy splits my waist, I break this pattern by fulfilling 10 hits.
Ignoring the chilling sensation in my waist, I swung my sword down as fast as possible.
“Huk!”
Suddenly, a burning pain came to my waist.
I almost let out a scream without realizing. But I was able to land the 10th hit before the sword energy completely split my waist.
How’s the state of my waist? How much HP is left? Since it’s a game, my intestines won’t spill out, right?
There’s no time to think about unnecessary things. I need to avoid the counter sword energy.
Thud!
Enduring the pain by gritting my teeth, I activated backward evasion to create distance from the hero.
The hero’s protective aura flickered while very faint. At some point, the massive sword energy imbued in the holy sword disappeared.
The end is in sight. No, even if it’s not the complete end, at least the protective aura phase should end.
“Oh.”
But.
The counter sword energy pattern doesn’t come out.
Swish.
Instead, the hero lowered her posture and bent her knees.
As the body lowered, the heels touched the ground, taking a stable posture as if rooting into the ground like a tree.
One hand firmly gripped the sword handle while the other lightly brushed along the blade.
The hero became one with the sword.
I know that stance.
Flash Strike. A technique I used to enjoy using.
I bit my lip.
Could I avoid it with an ‘invincible during casting’ judgment?
But the cooldown for backward movement and counterattack hadn’t returned yet. I can’t use the invincibility judgment.
Woong.
Tangible energy rose from the hero’s body.
Rumble rumble rumble.
Soon the entire 9th floor hall began to vibrate.
Even if not cut by the sword, the storm of mana accompanying the Flash Strike will tear apart anything standing before it.
For some reason, an emotion like a child whose toy was taken away welled up.
That’s my technique.
Swish.
I also lowered my posture against it.
If that was made based on my past self.
If this world is a game.
I can use it too.
Woong.
A sensation as if unprecedented energy was flowing through my entire body spread out.
That energy started from the tips of my toes, traveled through my legs and waist, and then along my shoulders to the tips of my fingers. I felt explosive power condensing in my body.
And the moment I strongly planted my foot.
Flash!
The hero’s body became a streak of light.
Boom boom boom boom!
A powerful storm of mana raged as if following him.
At the same time, my body also became light.
Flash!
Along with a blinding flash.
The positions of Rain from the past and Rain from the present, the two beings, were switched.
Crack!
The sound of the protective aura breaking was heard, and the golden energy swirling around the hero’s body faded.
Woong.
Simultaneously, the hero’s body became faint.
Soon there was nothing left in that place.
I sat down on the floor, clutching the wound on my waist, and blankly watched that sight.
Ding.
Along with the system’s notification sound, a skill interface window popped up in front of my eyes.
[Flash Strike]
[Cooldown 1 minute]
[Invincible during casting]
[???]
“Ahah!”
For some reason, laughter came out.
It’s the system’s victory!
I wanted to shout, but this time I only saw a fragment of the hero.
I had a strong feeling that it would appear before me again someday.
Okay, come anytime.
I can clear it sufficiently.
After drinking a potion when the battle ended, the pain in my waist subsided and the wound disappeared.
My HP had been almost at the bottom. If the sword energy had dug in even an inch deeper, I would have surely died.
If it had been reality, it would have been a wound where it wouldn’t be strange to die soon. Long live games.
“Hmm.”
Flash!
After clearing this tower, I tried activating the ‘Flash Strike’ skill I obtained during battle a few times.
A forward extreme damage technique usable once a minute, usable as a movement skill in case of emergency, and invincible during casting judgment. It’s certainly a good skill.
But.
“Earlier, it felt like more power was surging and such.”
It’s a slightly different feeling from when I used mana in my hero days. But that energy definitely sent explosive power throughout my body.
[Flash Strike]
[Cooldown 1 minute]
[Invincible during casting]
[???]
“Is it this?”
The question mark on the last line of the skill interface bothered me. Is it a skill that becomes stronger conditionally?
Well, I’ll know as I use it.
* * *
Whirr.
Along with the sound of the capsule opening, I carefully supported my upper body with my hands and lay down on the newly bought latex mattress.
I planned to just get the skill and rest today, but I played the game longer than expected.
Drip.
“Ugh.”
Oh, I’m having a nosebleed. It’s been quite a while.
I thought I was fine lately because I’ve been eating well.
I plugged my nose with the toilet paper roll placed next to the mattress.
My body feels weak and languid.
But today, I obtained a powerful new skill. It was a pleasant languor.
It’s okay if I rest. Everything gets better if I rest.
Until the next elite dungeon opens, I’ll build up my inner strength, get enough rest, and challenge the dungeon in full condition.
Before falling asleep, I suddenly thought of the named boss I saw on the 9th floor.
That which seemed to be made based on my past self.
The collision of past and present.
If it hadn’t been me but someone else, they would have gone through a normal mirror match.
Whether it’s dummy data or whatever, such things actually exist in the game.
Should I call customer service saying there was a bug in the Tower of Training? Get the CEO out? Heheh. No way. I’m not a normal player. If I get any measures taken like synchronization rate adjustment or whatever, it’s over. If I lose this sense of reality, I’ll lose all motivation.
It’s just a guess, but someone created the base data and based on that, they keep patching and updating and whatnot. Whoever created the base data with the Astria continent as the background is some kind of godlike existence in this world or something like that?
Anyway, whoever it is, I’d like to see someday their face at least once.
For putting in such a cute thing.