Episode 30-Ordeal (10)
[You have a lot of power. Do you really think that just because you have the light of heaven, you can become a crusader?]
“Ugh…”
Deus raised his terrible face and laughed. That alone made Riena wince.
‘Another horrible monster like this.’
Like all the monsters we have encountered so far, the boss monster Deus is a monster we have never heard or seen. It’s hard not to feel disgusted when you see a huge lump of red flesh writhing on the floor, only half of a giant’s body.
As she has not fully descended yet, she is in a weak state like the boss monster of Chapter 1, but it was a meaningless setting for her as she actually faced the demon lord.
[Are you just this scared?]
“Everyone, shut up. “Evil monster.”
[I can feel my heart shaking even though I cannot use the power to see through it. Young paladin, what did you come here for? Is it a boastful faith?]
Deus laughed at Riena, who was genuinely nervous when she saw him. In fact, her legs were shaking without realizing it, and she gritted her teeth when she realized that.
However, Deus did not pay attention to the person next to him. He stood blankly and watched the conversation between the two beings that suddenly started, and in Deus’ eyes, he seemed like a worthless being compared to Riena, who was alive and showed turbulent power and emotions.
“I don’t know what nonsense you are talking about. “It is entirely my will to fight you who encroached on this castle.”
Riena gritted her teeth and pointed at Deus.
It wasn’t wrong. Although he started out with no knowledge of anything and was guided by him, he saw all the disasters and victims that came to this land where the demon lord came.
“Evil invaders. “I can’t tolerate people like you.”
She layered her anger on top of her fear. The soul of the mother and child he fought against and saved, the soul of the knight who asked him to liberate this place by dying, etc.
The same goes for the souls of countless residents who were used by Deus and resurrected as monsters without even knowing their names.
Riena projected her past self onto those victims. What happened at that time when we had no choice but to face an irresistible and powerful external invasion.
‘This is an ordeal. This is a fact that does not change even if the world changes and you face completely different enemies.’
The form of the game was not important to her, who recognized this as an ordeal that she had to overcome.
Whether it’s a sandbox game made with cute blocks or an action RPG game made with realistic graphics, it’s all reality to her.
The unique characteristics and purposes of games have not really mattered so far or in the future.
There is an ‘enemy’ in front of her that must be defeated. And from now on, these enemies will continue to appear in various forms and purposes, and by defeating them, you will grow beyond your past self.
That fact alone was the correct answer.
[This is…amazing again]
Deus, the boss monster, recognized Riena as an interesting being. The story of the game is a conflict between good and evil, expressed as heaven and devil, but she declared that she would kill herself regardless of that, only of her own will.
[Try it. The more unwavering and steadfast the spirit is, the more rewarding the harvest is.]
Deus grinned and moved his strength along with his large arms. It was the beginning of the full-scale battle phase.
‘Can you win?’
Riena flinched for a moment at that momentum. Even though Deus’s body has not fully descended, it is still a monster that no human being would be able to deal with.
The body that occupies more than half of the large banquet hall, which can easily accommodate a hundred people, is larger than a large truck. It is said that Divine Protection blocks the demon lord’s unique mental debuff, but it only blocks the debuff.
If her own spirit cannot handle this, it will not be very effective.
[Hey, this guy!?]
In that respect, he is free. Deus, who was not paying attention, was so scared that he screamed and rushed forward with such an aggressive movement that he hit Deus’ body with his skill.
To Riena, Deus is a powerful enemy that exists in reality, but to her, it is just a monster in a game. As soon as Riena showed signs of hesitation, she realized that she had to step forward this time and cast a forward roll without hesitation.
[dare!]
Enraged, Deus swung his huge arm like a windmill and struck it down. It was so powerful that the stone floor was instantly crushed. He used a roll to avoid it, but Deus immediately swung his arm and struck him away.
In fact, it is a high-difficulty combo that should not be used against the boss of Chapter 1, which is an extension of the tutorial. It was an attack that did not care about a set pattern.
[How can this be?]
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However, he forgot the potion where he fell and got up again and started circling around Deus, looking for an opening again.
It came as a huge shock to Deus. This is because the player’s behavior, which was normal when it was a boss monster in the game, suddenly changed into a strange appearance when it became an existing entity due to Riena.
[How can you be fine!]
Deus, embarrassed, attempted to attack him once again. At this moment, when the game has become a reality thanks to Riena, the concept of HP has become something that only he has in this world.
He casually accepted attacks that broke his bones and blows that cut his internal organs, and got up again as if he didn’t feel any pain. I just drink the potion that I have diligently obtained so far like water.
Through it all, he didn’t scream once. Even with the eyes of a demon lord who is skilled at handling emotions, the blood-stained faceplate shows no emotion at all, as if he does not know that he is death.
[It can’t happen…]
Deus, the devil of death, felt instinctive fear at the sight. It was clear that he was just a human being, but the appearance he showed was so mechanical that even the demon lord himself was shocked.
And the emotion that Deus harbored became a gap. If it was a boss monster that moved according to a pattern, there would never have been any exposure.
“Die, devil!”
Liena hit the ground and immediately closed the distance and launched herself at Deus.
‘I also caught that huge black monster. There’s no way I can’t catch it.’
After slashing at Deus’ face, she strengthened her resolve by recalling the memories of when she faced Bug.
This wasn’t the first time fighting a huge enemy.
[!!!]
As expected, Deus, who was badly injured, screamed and wriggled. Deus, who was freed from the constraints of the pattern, was able to easily block his attacks, which could only make certain attacks, but was unable to block Riena’s attacks, who could also move freely.
‘This is my duty.’
Even after landing on the ground, Riena glanced at him as he rushed back and swung his sword, avoiding Deus’s frantically swinging arms. This is the gap he created. He knew intuitively that it was his job to dig into that gap and finish it.
It wasn’t just about this moment. In reality, where she will fight against other tribes or bugs, and in the next game, she will have to fight like this. I convinced myself of it and accepted it.
[This is ridiculous!!!]
Deus, who began to struggle as his body exploded from the two people’s skills, released the souls he had absorbed and created a large number of ghost soldiers.
The ghost soldiers rushed towards them all at once, and he leapt forward and threw himself at the ghost soldiers as if he had been waiting. It was to buy Riena time to finish.
“Do you want to die after being ugly until the end?”
[Well, you have to be prepared. Even if I got hit because I wasn’t at my full strength yet, other guys would be different. Your existence will be known to all of us!]
Riena, who was enraged by Deus’ actions of humiliating the souls of his victims until the last moment, frowned as if she was truly disgusted when she saw Deus’s face, completely fallen and gasping for air.
Deus, who was panting with his face bigger than hers on the ground, bulged his big eyes and threatened her, warning her, but he was not much of a threat to her because she knew nothing about the devils of this world.
[Wait, stop…!]
Without hesitation, she plunged her sword up to the handle into Deus’ eyeball.
At the same time, the gigantic body exploded, spewing blood, and the gloomy power that had been holding the entire area disappeared. This is how a demon lord who tried to crawl out into this world was killed.
The ghost soldiers summoned by Deus were all destroyed. The curse on the village still remains, but it also disappears with time.
“ah.”
But not everything is over yet. From her perspective, this fight was a fight to prove herself, but for him, it was a process to gain compensation.
He pointed somewhere to Riena, who was soaked in the lingering feeling of victory as she stood in a place that became quiet for a moment, with a ray of sunlight finally peeking through the dark clouds.
‘What are these?’
As if he knew it, he found the way and took Liena to a secret space in the castle hidden by secret passages and doors. It is a place where you can change your character’s job, full of rare items collected by the lord as a hobby.
There are many items with special powers, such as bows, spears, swords, and staffs. When you pick these up, the game progresses by acquiring skills for that job and changing jobs.
‘You want me to grab one of these?’
Riena watched him move without hesitation and grab the wizard’s staff.
It was his choice to maximize his abilities, which were limited to some extent.
“Has it already been decided?”
He chose a wizard and changed his character to a wizard, and when he saw Riena’s subsequent actions, he chuckled across the screen.
In fact, since she awakened as a warrior and has been training until now, she has never handled a weapon other than a sword, so it was probably natural for her to choose a knight as her profession.
“Well, power is flowing from the sword. This!”
When she pulled out the long sword, the power contained in the sword flowed into her body. This is only natural because the interface is different from the character’s previous job that comes to mind.
For her, changing jobs was a strange experience where her mana was artificially distorted, like when she learned the skill, Smite.
“ah…”
He looked at her confused and nodded to reassure her.
It must have been effective, as Riena was able to quickly find stability despite the foreign energy that enveloped her entire body.
‘That’s all for today.’
He immediately ended the game and sent Riena back to the village.
Several hours had already passed, but neither he nor Riena, who had overcome a major hurdle, were aware that so much time had already passed.