“Haak!”
I sat up with a scream.
“Huff, haa.”
I was out of breath.
I clutched my chest.
Thump thump thump thump.
My heart was beating violently.
Various parts of my body were numb.
My hair was wet, sticking to my forehead.
My forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
“…”
I looked around while sitting up.
A dark single room.
My shelter.
In one corner, there were piles of ‘Cup Noodle Real Ramen Mild Flavor’ remains that I hadn’t thrown away yet.
I haven’t gone out to throw away the trash for a few days, now.
I need to throw that away.
The electric wheelchair plugged into the charger cord had a green light indicating full charge.
After blankly looking around for a while, I touched my chest again.
The girl’s chest that hadn’t grown at all along with my height for some time now, barely feeling any curves.
Thump, thump.
My heart’s pounding had subsided a bit.
But.
“Ugh.”
I shuddered as I recalled the memory from just now.
The fading consciousness while looking at the blade protruding through my chest.
The experience of my first death came as quite a shock to me.
Fortunately, I didn’t feel much pain.
There was a brief chill in my chest, and then my senses faded.
I must have lost all my HP from receiving instant-death level damage in one hit.
“Synchronization rate.”
100% synchronization rate between the brain’s perception and the virtual reality body.
It felt like I had experienced real death.
Of course, I didn’t actually die, but.
I stroked my chest that had been pierced, quietly muttering to myself.
“…Is this really okay?”
* * *
[Welcome to Astria Online]
After hesitating for a moment, I had no choice but to log back into the game.
Whoosh.
Wind blew even inside the elite dungeon, ‘Orc King’s Cave’.
The wind seeping in from outside the cave slightly tickled my hair.
Hop hop.
My legs still moved well.
The experience of death was frightening, but I simply couldn’t give up these sensations.
The real world where my legs don’t move and there’s nothing enjoyable.
These vivid sensations I feel in the continent of Astria, more realistic than that gray world.
I pouted.
“I’ve completely become a game addict.”
If I had to describe my current state in one word, there was no other way to express it but ‘game addict’.
The character’s revival location was at the entrance of the 2nd named area.
The path to the 2nd named was neatly cleared.
Since it’s an instance dungeon, the monsters I had already dealt with didn’t respawn.
There was no particular death penalty.
It would be unreasonable to have death penalties in elite dungeons that need to be cleared through repeated deaths and revivals.
Pitter-patter.
I worked my feet hard to reach the 2nd named.
[2nd Named]
[Level 16 Orc Assassin]
[HP 17700/17700]
[Level 15 Orc Mage (Ice)]
[HP 3000/3000]
[Level 15 Orc Mage (Fire)]
[HP 3000/3000]
“Hmm.”
I came back, but honestly, I felt at a loss.
The 2nd named, ‘Orc Assassin’s invisible rear attack.
Actually, if I try to block it, I can.
It seems to be a rear ambush skill, so when the Orc Assassin disappears, I just need to turn around and take a blocking stance.
Unlike the Fighter’s ‘Counter’ which requires perfect grasp of the attack timing, the Swordsman’s ‘Block’ skill can block attacks even without seeing the moment of attack, as long as the blocking stance is maintained.
But what about the magic attacks from the ‘Orc Mages’ that will hit my back at that moment?
“This is the problem.”
I sat down in front of the 2nd named, picked up a wooden stick, and drew on the cave floor.
Scribble scribble.
(Drawing of the current formation with all three orcs in front)
My current formation with all three orcs in front of me.
But when the boss uses the rear ambush skill, it becomes like this.
(Drawing of the boss behind the player character)
If I try to block the boss’s rear ambush after it moves behind me, I’ll expose my back to the Orc Mages’ attacks.
“Ee… eeh!”
I tried thinking while drawing lines here and there, but I simply couldn’t think of a way to block all three monsters’ attacks.
Block covers a 180-degree front range.
The boss’s rear ambush skill is a 180-degree rear attack.
Then.
“Ah!”
Something flashed through my mind.
I picked up the wooden stick and drew lines again.
Scribble scribble.
(Drawings showing a new formation and attack angles)
If I block in this upward direction like this.
All the orcs’ attacks are barely within the 90-degree left range of the block, and the named boss’s attack, after moving to the rear is also blocked by the 90-degree right range of the block.
The angle can’t be off even a little. It must be exactly 180 degrees.
But theoretically, it was possible.
I threw away the wooden stick and stood up vigorously.
“Alright…!”
It’s possible!
With this method, I can take down the 2nd named!
Hop.
As I jumped into the Orc Assassin’s recognition range, it bared its fangs again and looked at me.
The sharp dagger in the Orc Assassin’s hand gleamed ominously in the torchlight of the cave interior.
I felt a pang of fear.
That had protruded through my chest.
But I can’t move forward if I’m only afraid.
A hero must be courageous.
I steeled my resolve and shouted at the Orc Assassin.
“O-okay! Come at me!”
* * *
[2nd Named]
[Level 16 Orc Assassin]
[HP 3011/17700]
Clang clang clang clang clang!
The Orc Assassin’s quick 5-hit combo kept clashing against my sword.
Having failed its 5-hit combo attack, the Orc Assassin instantly disappeared.
Behind.
I quickly turned around and activated the Block skill.
Clang!
The Orc Assassin’s rear ambush attack was perfectly blocked by my Block skill.
Thwack!
“Chweeeek!”
As my lightning-fast thrust pierced its body, the Orc Assassin screamed in pain.
I smiled slightly.
All the Orc Mages had fallen.
Now I could turn around.
There was no need to maintain the ‘side block’ stance at a perfect 180-degree angle to block attacks from both sides.
My ‘side block’ strategy had worked perfectly, allowing me to take down both Orc Mages without allowing any attacks.
It was a stance that required extreme concentration to ensure the angle didn’t deviate even slightly, but I had done it splendidly.
“Die! Die!”
As if venting all the frustration I had been suppressing, I stabbed the Orc Assassin like crazy.
“Kiiiieeet-!”
Thud.
And finally, the Orc Assassin’s body, having depleted all its HP, fell to the ground.
“Ah… aah!”
I did it!
Hop hop.
I jumped wildly in place as if I could fly.
I was so happy.
It felt like dopamine was gushing out.
I, this hero Rain, finally took down the 2nd named!
I didn’t succeed on the first try.
Sometimes, I got scared of the Orc Assassin’s invisible attacks when they disappeared, and my blocking angle went off.
I also ran away with my butt on fire after getting hit in the back by Orc Mage attacks.
But fortunately, I didn’t die.
As long as I didn’t allow the Orc Assassin’s rear ambush attack, all my HP wouldn’t be depleted in one hit.
“Hehe! Heheheh!”
After savoring the joy while laughing foolishly, I calmed my racing heart and approached where the Orc Assassin had fallen.
The item I obtained this time was, as expected, a ring.
[Orc Assassin’s Ring]
[Elite]
[Strength +5 Agility +5 Intelligence +5]
[Damage Reduction on Hit +1%]
[Critical Damage Reduction on Hit +5%]
Apart from stats, the options were focused on defense.
It seemed that earrings increase attack stats, and rings increase defense stats.
“Heh.”
I smiled brightly and hugged the ring preciously to my chest.
I liked it more than the earring.
Because I could take less painful hits with this on.
* * *
A long corridor with no end in sight.
At its end was the Orc King’s chamber.
In the center of the Orc King’s chamber, a huge cavern that had revealed itself.
‘It’ was there.
“Kruk.”
The one letting out a fierce growl was truly a ‘giant walking pig’.
A massive body that looked more than three times the size of an average adult human.
The Orc King’s battle hammer that looked bigger than my small body.
If I get hit by that, I’d surely die in one hit.
I’d be flattened. Rain would turn into dried squid.
I checked the Orc King’s HP while calming my pounding heart.
That figure was a whopping 30,800.
“Gasp….”
I inhaled sharply.
An HP figure nearly twice that of the 2nd named, ‘Orc Assassin’.
How long will it take to chip that away?
But there was one fortunate thing.
“It’s alone.”
No other monsters were visible around the ‘Orc King’.
Of course, new monsters might appear as I chip away its HP like with the 1st named, but I wouldn’t have to face three from the start like with the 2nd named.
If that’s the case, it might actually be easier.
I stepped forward vigorously.
Beep.
“Hey! You big pig with nothing but HP!”
“Kruk?”
The 3rd named, ‘Orc King’, looked at me puzzled.
Pat pat.
I turned around and patted my butt.
“Try and catch me!”
Rumble rumble.
“Eek.”
The cave shook.
Do AI named monsters have emotions too?
Somehow, it seems the Orc King got really angry.
“Krururururuk!”
Boom!
The Orc King released a fierce growl and made an incredibly high jump that didn’t match its massive body.
[3rd Named]
[Level 16 Orc King]
[HP 30800/30800]