-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay.
This time, Davian grabbed Ariel's wrist as she was about to open the door.
"Everyone, please step back. I'll open the door. I have a feeling it's a trap."
"A trap?"
"It's just opening a door, so please do as I say. I know the President has always been the one to open the boss room door. Anyway, it's just opening a door, right?"
Vice President Nabelo chimed in.
"Let's do that, President. Davian keeps saying he feels uneasy. Davian's friends in the second grade believe everything he says."
Ariel nodded.
"Okay. If you're that uneasy, do as you wish, Davian."
"Thank you, President."
"But."
Ariel, who had released the boss room door handle, grabbed Davian's shoulder.
"Absolutely no jumping into dangerous situations alone. That's our club's principle. You know that, right?"
"Yes. I'll just open the door. Please move far back behind me."
"Open the door and rejoin our formation."
"Yes, President."
"Okay. Everyone, fall back."
Following Ariel's instructions, the club members moved away from the door.
After confirming that they were far enough away, Davian grabbed the massive boss room door handle and pulled.
Screech.
The door slowly opened.
Click, hiss.
White smoke billowed out, as if something had been set off beyond the door.
'Just as I thought.'
There's something there.
It's not like I've experienced the same thing before, but.
Ten years of various experiences are giving me a kind of warning.
In these situations, this is bound to happen.
Simultaneously.
Ding.
=====
[Quest: Defeat Kain]
―Reward: 22K Mana Points (x2)
―Failure: Death
―Warning: Glacie cannot be summoned
=====
Bang!
Davian slammed the iron door shut again.
'Even a quest.'
Kain.
A name I've never heard before.
A person I didn't encounter in the previous playthrough.
I heard the voices of the club members from behind.
"There really was something!"
"What's that white smoke?"
"There's no way a monster would do something like that, so there must be someone inside."
Davian turned around and gestured to the club members to stick to one wall.
The dungeon exploration club members, consisting of 12 seniors and 1 classmate, obediently stuck to one wall following Davian's gesture.
Whoosh.
Davian created a wind element magic in his right hand and opened the door with his left.
The moment the white smoke leaked through the opened crack.
Davian's wind element magic began to engulf and absorb the white smoke.
After the whirlwind swallowed all the white smoke, Davian lightly shook his right hand and sent the whirlwind flying to the opposite side of the cave.
Club president Ariel Frontia approached.
"It seems he was waiting for us. I guess the villagers really did tell him we arrived yesterday, just like you said, Davian."
"Prepare yourselves well. He's not going to be an ordinary opponent."
He's a spy who was deployed to replace Solvere Linea, who failed halfway through.
He should be stronger than Solvere was back then at least.
Vice President Nabelo interrupted.
"What strong guy uses poison like that? Let's hurry in and crush him!"
Several other club members agreed.
"That's right. If he were strong, he wouldn't need to use poison."
"Sneaky bastard. Let's hurry in and take him down!"
Davian shook his head and said to Ariel.
"I'll take the lead, President."
"Okay, Davian. Everyone, focus! Enter in Formation 2."
Despite the many words.
These were members who had been doing club activities for several years, overcoming near-death experiences.
They immediately formed up into the familiar Formation 2, as they had practiced, following the president's instructions.
Screech.
The iron door opened.
As expected, the corpse of the boss monster was lying in the center.
The D-rank boss monster, the Blackowlbear.
It was barely recognizable due to its large size and unique fur color.
It was in a terrible state, with various parts of its body torn and crumpled, as if it had been buried in an avalanche.
"What, what is that? Isn't that the Blackowlbear? Why is it in that state?"
"What did he hit it with to turn that tough body into rags?"
"There must be multiple opponents! Everyone, stay alert!"
At that moment.
A voice was heard from beyond the half-opened core room door.
"Finally, we meet. You pesky brats."
Step, step.
Along with the leisurely footsteps.
Kain appeared, carrying a huge axe on his back.
"So many of you came. Kids. Is that all it takes for you to destroy a D-rank dungeon?"
Vice President Nabelo shouted.
"Shut up! You're just using wicked tricks. You're walking out here alone to lure us into a false sense of security, aren't you? You have a lot of allies hiding behind you, right?"
One corner of Kain's mouth curled up.
"Come on out, everyone."
Kain's subordinates began to come out of the core room one by one.
"One, two, three... look at that. They keep coming, they keep coming... huh?"
While Nabelo was counting the number of subordinates coming out, he was flustered.
"That's all. And they're only here because they have other things to do. I only need one person to deal with you."
"What? Don't talk nonsense! You put poison on the entrance...!"
Whoosh.
It happened in an instant.
Kain raised the chipped axe he was carrying on his back and swung it vertically.
Whoosh!
The powerful wave from the axe shot fiercely towards Nabelo.
Crackle, crackle!
The boss room stone floor was torn up in rows, proving the power of the wave.
Nabelo's eyes widened in panic.
He couldn't even think about avoiding it, and then.
Clang!
Kain's shockwave and Davian's ice wall collided greatly.
"Hoo."
The shockwave didn't lose its power even after hitting the ice wall and started pushing the ice wall and Davian back.
Crackle.
Thick cracks started to appear on the ice wall.
Davian, who was pushing mana into the ice wall, hurriedly created an ice sword.
Boom!
At the same time as the ice wall broke, Davian swung the ice sword horizontally, cutting off Kain's shockwave.
Clang!
One of the two shockwaves hit the ceiling of the boss room.
The other one was blocked by Davian's body.
Even though it was a shockwave that had lost its power once after being blocked by the ice wall and was split in two by the ice sword.
I felt a shock that shook my insides.
'Crazy...'
Davian raised his head and looked at Kain, who was standing leisurely.
'What's that guy doing?'
I almost failed to neutralize the shockwave.
'If that kind of thing comes at me two or three more times. I can't protect the club members while fighting.'
It's fortunate that he only swung the axe briefly this time, but if he had swung it horizontally...
Davian quickly organized his thoughts and opened his mouth.
"Hey you there. What's your name?"
I already confirmed his name through the quest notification.
But first, I needed to buy some time and lead the conversation.
If I take a few more swings of that axe right now, everyone in the dungeon exploration club except Davian will be wiped out.
"So you're the guy. Davian Naone or whatever, the arrogant little kid."
"Yeah, I'm Davian Naone. I heard there's a public document with my name on it in your organization, right?"
"There was a reason they were calling you Davian Davian. To block my shockwave. Not bad. I'm Kain. You probably know my affiliation without me having to say it."
Davian pointed at the large axe with his chin.
"You're carrying an axe with all the teeth gone."
"Is that any more unique than your cold-looking sword? The reason I didn't sharpen the axe is because I don't need sharpness anymore."
Indeed.
Looking at that overbearing shockwave, there was no need to sharpen the weapon.
Now it's time to get to the point.
"Let's fight one-on-one."
Kain tilted his head with an interested expression.
"A challenge?"
"I've developed a hobby of fighting strange guys lately."
Davian swirled the ice sword.
I have to look as arrogant as possible.
That way.
I can avoid revealing that I'm trying to prevent the comrades who came with me from dying.
"You're trying to protect your comrades."
Ah.
Despite wielding such a crude axe.
He's also quick-witted.
"Okay, I accept that challenge."
Kain turned around and instructed his subordinates.
"Go inside the core room."
"Yes! Lord Kain."
The three subordinates went back into the core room and closed the massive iron door.
Ariel Frontia ran up and grabbed Davian's shoulder.
"What are you doing, unlike yourself? Davian. Looking at the attack just now, he seems to be incredibly skilled. We have to combine our strength!"
Davian turned his head and whispered.
"His attacks are too overbearing. If you get caught up in the fight, everyone will be beaten to a pulp."
That was true.
Ariel was also worried whether she could block Kain's first attack.
"We're... going to be a hindrance, you mean?"
"Yes."
It might hurt your pride.
But sometimes it's better to be direct.
It's better to fight alone than to keep the club members here and waste all my energy blocking and destroying the shockwaves.
"You have to decide quickly, Ariel President. He might change his mind at any moment and swing that axe widely. You saw it earlier."
"Can you win...?"
That's it.
"Of course."
"I trust you, Davian. And if you feel like you can't handle it alone, don't hesitate to open the door and call us. We'll never cowardly run away."
"Yes, I will."
Ariel turned around.
"By the authority of the president, I permit Davian's one-on-one duel! Everyone, get out of the boss room and wait outside the iron door."
Nabelo was surprised and shouted.
"President!"
The other members were the same.
"We're leaving the youngest alone and leaving the boss room?"
"We should fight together!"
Ariel took the first step.
"I won't say it twice. Everyone, come out."
Ariel, who was heading towards the boss room iron door, turned her head to look at Davian for a moment.
'Don't be a hindrance, Davian, fight as much as you want. You must win. Don't get hurt.'
This time, she turned her head in the opposite direction and looked at the club members who were still hesitating.
"Don't you trust Davian? Everyone, follow me."
Aaron Antonio, a sixth grader, shouted.
"Davian! I believe in you. I'll be waiting outside the door."
Following him, the other members sent messages of support to Davian one by one and followed the president.
Screech.
Bang.
The massive iron door of the boss room closed.
Now only Davian and Kain were left.
"Let's start."
Davian looked at Kain's axe.
'That shockwave. It's definitely a technique that's advantageous in a one-to-many fight.'
A wide-range shockwave attack that's hard to block or avoid.
But that's only when there are many people.
There's no way I can't avoid a shockwave when I'm alone in this wide space.
"Okay, let's start."
Whoosh.
Kain swung his axe greatly.
Whoosh.
'What!'
A shockwave of power that could not be compared to the attack on Nabelo earlier spread out in a fan shape.
'I have to avoid it.'
If I jump up to avoid this.
I will be completely exposed to the next attack.
But there's no other way to avoid it.
Tap.
I jumped up lightly, timed to coincide with the shockwave coming.
"You're pretty fast."
Whoosh.
As expected, Kain's second attack followed.
'I have to block it this time.'
Comments
Post a Comment