27 – Regrets Given by the Master (4)
The story goes back a few days.
With the sudden notification of mission suspension,
And immediately started ‘training’
Honestly, if it had been usual, there would have been talk of what kind of education they would have against themselves belonging to the Third Section.
However, at this point, having seen, heard, and experienced the overwhelming gap in skills through Gellert over the past few days, there was not a single person who opposed it.
But separate from these facts.
The three of them, having heard the contents of the ‘training’ that Gellert spoke of, could not help but feel confused in a different sense.
“So… the content of the training is that the three of us have to defeat the master?”
“That’s right, you must have realized by now. There is a considerable gap between you and me. In order to bridge that gap in a short period of time, I have reached the conclusion that this method is the best.”
“But will it really be okay? Even if that’s the case, to face the three of us at once… I know the leader is strong, but it’s a 3:1 ratio. It’s completely different from when you played with me last time.”
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“I… I also think that way. What will you do if someone gets hurt?”
The three of them expressed considerable concern in response to Gellert’s words.
Honestly, they could sympathize to some extent with the purpose of the training itself.
There were not many methods as effective as increasing their abilities through real combat against strong opponents.
They, too, had grown this far by fighting demons with stronger power than themselves, so they could understand this point well enough.
The problem was the safety of Gellert, who had become a leader they could trust and rely on throughout this process.
Moreover, as Gellert declared that he would not even pick up weapons in this process, the three of them could not help but feel various worries.
“Thank you for your concern. However, regardless of that, the training will proceed as discussed. As I said, time is pressing and there is truly no better method.”
“Um… well… that may be true…”
“… I will be as careful as possible.”
“Uh… but… but… uh…”
In the end, along with Geralt’s unwavering determination, the three of them reluctantly accepted it for practical reasons.
And.
The three who were worried about the safety of their master like that.
“Co… coward…”
“Oh…”
“hehehehe…”
Such worries were rendered meaningless.
They were currently lying on the ground like rags.
It had been a one-sided beating for the past few days, to say the least.
At first, they tried to fight back while still maintaining some level of courtesy,
but now they felt that even entertaining such thoughts was a luxury.
Literally, despite trying everything they could, they were unable to land a single effective blow against their unarmed master.
The agility and strength of these women surpassed them,
and their mastery of basic magical abilities was also incredibly impressive.
Geralt was able to parry their attacks and counterattack with simple punches and kicks, without wielding any weapons.
However, what made them even more fearful of these women was not just Geralt’s physical abilities.
Insight.
It was as if he had experienced countless situations like this before,
The ability to thoroughly read and block the fighting styles of the three women, and disrupt them beforehand.
“I can’t do anything with simple attacks. To break through that, I need unconventional moves.”
“I have to find a way to go beyond the leader’s insight. It is the only answer to achieve victory.”
“Ugh… I have to keep thinking… If I let my emotions take over, my movements become too simple, just as Geralt said…”
Like that,
While recognizing what is the most terrifying advantage this man possesses, and at the same time, the wall that these women must break through.
The three of them once again led their exhausted bodies and stood up from their positions to continue their offensive.
Frustration and awe,
And amidst it all, the indomitable spirit that does not diminish.
*
There are those called the Shadows of Ocleon.
One of the Devilhunter enemies that appeared as a boss in Part 1,
These guys, who are theoretically affiliated with the protagonist and the hostile forces, had one peculiar characteristic.
Unlike bosses, who usually appear with just one or at most two individuals,
These guys have the characteristic of all three of them rushing out at once.
For players who are already struggling to deal with Devilhunter bosses even 1:1, this situation where three of them appear at once is a nightmare.
Moreover, due to the precisely crafted AI, they displayed movements that were just as annoying as players fighting raid bosses,
The complex and confusing patterns created by this made it nearly impossible for anyone who wasn’t exceptionally skilled to defeat them, skyrocketing the difficulty level of their boss fights.
As a result, the existence of Ocleon’s Shadows became a grotesque presence that shattered the ego of players who thought they had become accustomed to the game beyond the mid-game.
Furthermore, because their difficulty was so pathetic, the subsequent bosses felt easier in comparison.
Due to this malicious difficulty, some users even evaluated the shadow of Orclean as the true final boss of the game.
I, too, experienced dying all day long in my early days to defeat those guys, but I couldn’t help but deeply agree with the fact that the final boss could be defeated in just half a day.
And because of this damn notorious reputation,
Instead of being called Orclean’s Shadow, these three guys were given the following nicknames on the internet:
The Useless Three Sisters.
This nickname reflects the users’ affection (?) for the difficulty that feels even dirtier than the final boss, regardless of the settings.
However, apart from the fact that I suffered greatly from this ridiculous difficulty in my early days.
As someone who has reached a level where I can defeat even the final boss with my eyes closed after countless hours of gameplay,
The Useless Three Sisters, separate from the nightmares of our first encounter, had now become beings that I could defeat leisurely, feeling as if I were having a cup of tea after a meal.
And,
It has already been a few months since I crossed over to this world.
Through the process of carrying out missions with the three Devil Hunters who belong to Class 3,
I was able to very clearly confirm that their combat patterns and models were almost identical to those of the Useless Three Sisters from the previous installment, which I had never actually played.
The only differences were that the ice-element attacks were changed to fire-element attacks,
The weapon swung changed from a katana to an axe,
And the long-range attack method was changed to something other than lightning.
Apart from wielding and the property of strength, their attack methods were the same.
Based on these facts,
I came up with one method to train these three individuals in preparation for the upcoming battle.
Simple, but an unmistakable way.
It was…
To break and shatter the unique pattern that the three people in front of me possessed, which the existing Ocleang’s shadow had.
An attack that was not confined to a set strategy, but was carried out in a more irregular and sharp manner.
In doing so,
Striving to bring forth the potential for growth that is only possible because they are human beings existing in reality, not within a program or designated modeling,
And,
“Well then, let’s go again!”
“Understood.”
“N…Yes!”
As time passed, it slowly…
But with the awareness that it is definitely progressing.
I gave a deep smile towards the three people who were attempting the attack once again.
*
Fiona, with an empty expression on her face, gazed out the window.
Despite the passage of seasons and the arrival of spring, her heart was desolate beyond measure in this moment.
She resembled someone waiting for death, having lost all motivation.
Fiona had already experienced a similar situation in the past.
A girl who was on the verge of dying alone, having lost her family.
And the person who held onto her at that time and guided her towards a brighter world…
The person who was her teacher and the person she killed. It was Geralt Mular.
The one who betrayed the hand of salvation that came to her, with her own hands.
As a result, everything returned to its original place.
Feeling that the existence that should have died then returned to that place,
Fiora spent each day just looking out the window, like a doll with its thread cut off and its soul shattered, for the sake of apologizing.
To go to the place where that person, who is now no longer in this world, is, to seek forgiveness.
Then…
“Fiora!”
“…”
A friend who enters noisily through the door. Sharlotte.
The only person who doesn’t give up on herself even in this situation.
She felt a hidden gratitude for Fiora’s dedication, but her determination to apologize to her teacher in the afterlife remained unchanged.
And.
“Look at this, quickly!”
“…”
In front of Fiora, who was thinking such thoughts,
Sharlote urgently reached out something.
“Don’t just stand there, quickly look at it! It’s not the time to be idle!”
A white paper and black text.
She didn’t even want to read the contents.
But due to her friend’s insistence, she reluctantly began reading it, trembling with anxiety.
Thinking that it would contain a story that was not particularly impressive.
But.
“…huh?”