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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The higher the monster’s rank, the more pronounced the difference in strength.
The boss we were facing was the Armored Wyvern – Black Armor, a formidable opponent who didn’t appear until the mid-game in the original.
Standing far behind Dustin, the war hero valiantly blocking the dragon’s breath attacks, I opened the ‘Black Armor Attack Pattern Details’ while observing the fight.
Perhaps because this boss wasn’t involved in the novel’s storyline, unlike the Blaze Fiend, there were no alterations.
Even though I knew this from playing the original game, the most troublesome skill was the ‘Black Wyrm’s Trajectory’.
Once its HP reached 50%, it would instantly kill a random party member.
This must have been the skill that took Adrin’s life.
‘Light attribute attacks trigger groggy… so the timing depends on Dustin.’
My magic was only at 1st Circle level, and Scarlett was a mage who specialized in lightning and water, so we couldn’t fulfill the groggy condition, which required a light attribute attack.
Therefore, Dustin, the paladin, had to conserve his holy power and aim for a groggy state based on the dragon’s HP.
If we could trigger groggy, even in its weakened state, I’d be able to deal some decent damage.
-Flap!!!
-Swooosh! Crackle!
With each flap of its wings,
the Black Armor unleashed tendrils of black mana, like claws, that wrapped around Dustin.
They constricted his movements, trapping him like a spiderweb.
“Get out of the way!”
-Boom! Crash!
-Crackle!
Scarlett’s lightning magic shattered the tendrils.
-Crack! Boom!
Flashes of lightning, like chain lightning, collided with the black and white mana.
The situation wasn’t exactly in our favor.
‘Wait, are we… going to lose?’
Charging headfirst was the standard strategy against an A+ rank boss, but I had assumed these two, being heroes, could handle it…
There were some unexpected variables.
Umberto’s absence and Scarlett’s agitated state.
“Scarlett, focus!”
“I know, shut up!”
-Crackle! Zap!
Ignoring Dustin’s pleas, blinded by rage,
she was recklessly unleashing her magic without control.
This kind of haphazard spellcasting would drain her mana quickly.
The game’s emphasis on party composition and positioning was truly evident.
But we didn’t even have a healer, let alone additional members.
‘What to do…’
(Scarlett): Lev Denec – Stay Alive
It seemed like I’d be spamming the “Stay Alive” ping…
“Lev! Are you okay?!”
Dustin’s voice called out from the front lines.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
-Clang!
Our conversation was cut short.
He was constantly casting Sanctuary – Barrier to protect Scarlett.
In other words, he was also in danger.
“Hmm.”
The situation was a classic hidden power cliché.
I, the seemingly useless baggage of the party,
was actually a powerhouse, a deus ex machina waiting to save the day.
But could I… someone who barely managed to defeat a Blaze Fiend…
Really pull this off?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Dustin.
Born into poverty, he had no renowned family name or noble title.
His childhood could be summarized as… slightly more unfortunate than most.
But Dustin had always held onto a belief that kept him on the right path.
Even when a stranger claiming to be a distant cousin abandoned him,
when a childhood friend he had befriended on the streets turned out to be a pickpocket,
when a neighbor who used to share food with him… turned out to be abusing him…
when everyone had forsaken him,
Dustin never doubted, not even for a moment,
that the Goddess existed, even if she wasn’t physically present, and that her Saint would come to save him.
He believed that if he honed his swordsmanship and upheld his chivalrous ideals, he would be worthy of serving her emissary.
Everyone mocked him for not being born into a knight family.
But even in a muddy swamp, a flower could bloom.
As Dustin repeated his vows, pledging his unwavering faith, hundreds of times over,
-Dustin, come here.
He was finally granted ‘Salvation’.
Dustin, the Savior.
-Click!
He raised his longsword, his trusted companion for countless years.
His holy power surged towards the blade.
-Shine…
Aura, the physical manifestation of swordsmanship mastery.
He had unleashed an Aura Blade.
Regardless of his humble origins, Dustin was widely regarded as the one closest to becoming a Swordmaster…
and his character was equally exemplary.
No one would dispute this.
Chivalry was, after all, an unwavering commitment to one’s ideals, even in the face of adversity.
‘Are you testing me once again…?’
Saint Psyche, who had bestowed upon him his Inheritance ability and vanished ten years ago.
Could he defeat this dragon without her?
As the breath attack subsided and the Black Armor took a moment to catch its breath,
-Swish!
Dustin’s sword energy struck.
‘Reveal your weakness…!’
-Clang! Clang! Clang!
The crescent-shaped sword energy slammed into the Black Armor’s neck.
The creature flinched from the impact,
-Flap!!!
…and leaped into the air, as if trying to create distance.
‘…!’
And as its wings spread, its only weak point,
its left shoulder, was exposed.
Just like that day, when they had lost Adrin.
Normal attacks wouldn’t inflict any significant damage.
But unlike before, it now had a weak spot.
While Dustin, the vanguard, bought them time, the other party members could target the Black Armor’s vulnerability.
“Scarlett, snap out of it and focus on its left shoulder, its weak spot! If this keeps up, our revenge, everything will be for nothing!”
“I know…!”
-Crackle! Zap! Sizzle!
Scarlett, regaining her composure, focused her magic on the Black Armor’s left side.
-Clang! Clang! Clang!
As a torrent of lightning, a Lightning Storm, surged across its scales,
-◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼!!!
the Black Armor, the most unconventional of dragons, roared in pain.
It tried to cover its left shoulder with its wing, knowing it was its weak point,
but its limited range of motion in mid-air hampered its efforts.
-Thud!
Finally, it landed, its left side hitting the ground first.
“Everyone, get back!”
Enraged, the Black Armor began to thrash its tail wildly.
-Boom! Crash!!!
-Thud!
As its tail slammed into the ground,
Dustin seized the opportunity, leaping onto its tail and striking its shoulder.
-Crack!
-◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼!!!!
His blade, imbued with Aura, was more than capable of inflicting damage on the Black Armor.
As the creature writhed, Dustin safely landed back on the ground.
He had bought them time.
“We’re good! We just need to hold out until it exposes its weakness again…!”
-Boom!
“Ugh!”
His words were meant to reassure his comrade,
but without a healer, a war of attrition was a losing battle.
Dragons possessed immense stamina, far surpassing that of humans.
And if even one of them faltered, their carefully maintained balance would crumble.
‘If only we had a support class… or another attacker…!’
-Shine!
Runic inscriptions began to glow on Scarlett’s body.
-Whoosh!
“Scarlett! Don’t tell me…!”
A blizzard, an impossible phenomenon in this scorching heat, whipped around the Black Armor.
“Ugh!”
A massive magic inscription unfolded, draining her mana at an alarming rate.
She had cast two 8th Circle spells, ‘Ice Crystal of Storm’ and ‘Frozen Tempest’, using memorized magic, which allowed for pre-casting.
8th Circle magic was a technique reserved for liches and archmages.
Scarlett’s power had already surpassed that of a 7th Circle Archmage, but realistically, using 8th Circle magic was reckless.
But, as the saying went, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
-Whoosh!
The blizzard, powerful enough to turn summer into winter, enveloped the Black Armor.
-Crack… Crackle…
-◼◼◼◼◼◼!!!
The Black Armor’s seemingly impenetrable scales began to freeze.
“Breaking down that brute force defense with ice is the only way…!”
She wasn’t entirely wrong.
Against sturdy armor like a plate mail, blunt force was more effective than a sharp blade.
The actual effectiveness remained to be seen, but it had definitely restricted the Black Armor’s movement.
“If we don’t attack now…!”
-Cha-ching!
Scarlett was drained of mana.
Dustin gathered his remaining holy power and struck,
-Clang!
-◼◼◼◼◼!!
…but it wasn’t enough to induce groggy.
-Whoosh!
“?!”
Suddenly, a barrage of arrows, a straight line of projectiles, rained down upon Dustin.
“What…?”
A streak of blue light, tracing a path through the black fog, leaving trails like wispy clouds.
Each arrow arced gracefully, a single beam of light.
A type of archery Dustin had never seen before… different from the Wind Archery Adrin had wielded.
Reinforcements were impossible,
and there was only a single freshman cadet behind them…
His accuracy was impeccable.
He was clearly inflicting pain on the Black Armor.
The creature’s frozen body lacked flexibility.
-Crack… Crack… Crack…
Each arrow, striking the armor-like scales with pinpoint precision, created cracks.
Finally,
-◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The creature roared, preparing to unleash its berserker rage.
-Rumble…
Storm clouds gathered, the black fog thickening, obscuring their vision.
‘Don’t tell me…’
Dustin knew.
That demonic spell that had taken Adrin’s life…
‘What should I… do?’
Adrin’s image flashed through his mind,
swallowed by that black magic.
Sacrifice.
Yes, the noble sacrifice of a knight.
Dustin, moved by this noble ideal, roared,
“Everyone, cease your attacks!”
He didn’t want to die here, but there was no time for calculations.
He was a fading hero, but behind him stood a young cadet with a bright future
and a woman on the verge of becoming an archmage.
Black magic was lethal to humans.
Dustin, believing his holy power was their only hope, made a decision.
‘Goddess, if you’re watching, grant me the strength to overcome this curse!’
-◼◼◼◼!!!!!
But the Black Armor continued to writhe in pain.
The barrage of arrows hadn’t stopped.
“Lev! Stop! You’ll be caught in it!”
“Kid!!”
Despite their warnings…
the first-year cadet from Clarice
remained unfazed, his fingers moving with an almost supernatural speed.
.
.
.
-Whoosh!
[Critical Hit!] [Weak Point Hit!]
[Critical Hit!] [Weak Point Hit!]
[Critical Hit!] [Weak Point Hit!]
.
[Additional damage proportional to Agility]
[Additional water damage from Posedaros the Water Dragon’s Tendon effect]
[Damage Multiplier: 1100%]
[Aggro +99]
[Aggro: 100]
[Hermit Passive deactivated]
‘This feels good.’
⚠ ‘Black Armor’ entering Berserk state! ⚠
‘Black Wyrm’s Trajectory’ was a dragon curse automatically cast on the last attacker.
Even Scarlett’s arch magic
couldn’t match the sheer number of hits from this Afterimage Shot barrage, amplified by the bug.
That curse was going to target me.
And that was the key to victory.
[Black Wyrm’s Trajectory activated. Target – ‘You‘]
A black fog, emanating from the Armored Wyvern – Black Armor, enveloped me, forming a sphere.
“Dangerous…!!!!”
Scarlett and Dustin’s voices were swallowed by the darkness.
⚠ Warning: Time remaining until ‘Black Magic’ injection: 3.378 seconds ⚠
“Time to become the Demon King.”
As the world around me faded into darkness,
I chanted a magical incantation in my mind.
‘Demonization.’
-Crackle!
The familiar demonic power, now a comfort, surged through me, filling me like water within the ‘Black Wyrm’s Trajectory’.
-Ding!
[Ash Grey Scatter Shot reacting to your demonization.]
‘Yes, consume it all.’
-Ding!
Corruption Level +12
Corruption Level 12/100
Corruption Level +21
Corruption Level 33/100
Corruption Level +14
Corruption Level 47/100
.
.
.
Status windows flashed before my eyes.
-Screech!!!
Like a ravenous demon with its jaws wide open,
the Ash Grey Scatter Shot greedily devoured it all.
‘So this is how you use the Ash Grey Scatter Shot…’
-Whirr!
-Click.
[Corruption Level: 78/100]
[Ash Grey Scatter Shot has devoured the black magic.]
[Critical Hit!] [Weak Point Hit!]
The Ash Grey Scatter Shot, satisfied after its long-awaited feast of black magic, unfolded, its arms extending like wings.
Resembling… a ballista.
› Apply Wind Archery – Afterimage Shot?
Estimated damage multiplier: 2880%
‘Apply.’
All that remained was the will of my index finger, the finger that pulled the trigger.
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What a chet
Bro the wywern gon get nuked so hard.
Mf engaged the world’s most phenomenal autoclicker