Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented – Chapter 127

Unreasonableness.

What binds me is unreasonableness itself.

12-person recommended raid.

Solo play.

I’ve died quite a lot since encountering this world again. Should I say it’s rather fortunate that it’s a game now? If I didn’t have companions in the past, wouldn’t I have already died and collapsed somewhere? Well, since I entered with a cheat key using the holy sword from the start, I probably wouldn’t have given up my life easily.

‘Army Commander Crow’ was strong.

He’s a demon with army commander-level power that fought proudly against the hero party in the past too. He had a different kind of strength from the ‘Hero’s Fragment’ that I faced while dying.

The overwhelming speed and techniques possessed by the Hero’s Fragment. Crow’s massive HP and patterns that force multiple people to cooperate.

In other words, this guy can’t be defeated even by my current self without being prepared to die.

Whoosh!

“Ugh!”

I gritted my teeth and opened my eyes wide at the pain bestowed by the claws that diagonally crossed my small body, then green light flowing from the belt soon blocked the wound.

Someone seemed to have said that life is precious because you only have one. Because it’s rare?

My life now is cheap.

Because it’s not just one.

This cheap life can be sacrificed as much as needed to defeat enemies, to become stronger, to meet past companions.

How many times have I died today?

I gave up counting. It just gives me a headache.

I raised my sword.

Boom!

Golden sword energy rose in streams from my sword.

Flash!

The sword energy that burst out instantly crossed Crow’s body. The sword energy that lightly cut through even those tough feathers left a long scar on his upper body.

Caw-!

Crow let out a pained scream.

Two times, three times, four times. The continuously shooting sword energy started dismantling the crow.

And I held back the last strike.

Boom!

Soon golden energy rose from my body too.

Temporary physical enhancement.

A nature similar to the power the holy sword gave me in the past.

Was it called mana? In martial arts terms, inner energy? Of course I can’t feel even a handful now, but using this power gives me the feeling of returning to my past self for a moment.

Caw-!

Flap, flap.

Along with Crow’s wing flaps, his giant body started rising into the air.

Tap.

I also lightly jumped up, trying to cut off his wings.

This much jumping is possible with my current physical abilities.

Clang clang clang! Crackle!

The golden light enveloping my body and the purple light wrapping Crow’s body collided, and sparks that could blind the eyes flew.

I licked my lips and landed on the ground.

I expected this.

This ‘system’ protects Crow too.

The system doesn’t just give power to me.

The boss’s special phase, special patterns coming out through the system.

It was impossible to forcibly interrupt it.

It would be a different story if I had enough power to turn him into crow meat before entering the special pattern, but my power isn’t to that extent. Even if I completely regained my past power, it wouldn’t be easy alone. Because he’s an army commander-level demon capable of going toe-to-toe with a hero.

“In the end, you’re telling me to go through all the set conquest steps.”

Whoosh!

I crossed the combat area and approached the pig chimera that appeared first.

The sensation of cutting through the wind feels good. Although temporary, it’s an incomparable speed to until now.

Tap.

I lightly flew my body, diving between the motions of it raising its battle hammer, and aimed for its neck with Flash Strike.

Flash!

Boom boom boom boom!

Along with a flash accompanied by a storm, the chimera’s neck fell off and even its body was torn to shreds.

One down first.

And turning my head, I caught the next one.

Boom!

The second chimera’s demonic energy bullet struck where I had been. But my body had already reached right next to it.

Flash, flash!

Once to the left. Once to the right. Withdrawing my sword. Along with the flashes continuously bursting from my waist, the pig dismantling work begins.

Squeal, squeeeeeal!

The sound of the pig being butchered by my sword is pitiful.

Don’t cry. I hurt more. They say children might cry along if someone cries next to them. Of course, I’m not a child though?

Thud.

Swish!

Around when the second chimera laid its body on the floor, a sharp air-cutting sound tickled my ears.

Following its trajectory with my eyes, I twisted my waist a little and slightly lowered my head. Whack! The feather that lightly brushed past me stuck into the ground behind me.

How unfair, I can’t hit him but he attacks just fine.

It’s fast but I can easily dodge it now. Anyway, Crow comes down when all the chimeras are dealt with. No need to worry about it.

Tap tap!

While quickly moving my body, I activated the cooldown reset ability of the bracelet.

The last pig chimera swung its battle hammer towards me.

If I don’t reduce my running speed, it’s a trajectory that will accurately strike me. Did it play baseball? But my body is a baseball with changing speed. Just as it is, I move my sword to my waist and accelerate my body.

Flash! Boom boom boom boom! The mana storm accompanying Flash Strike tore its body apart.

Tap.

Finally I reached the center of the combat area.

And looking up at Crow with a grin, I said.

“It’s over. Come down now.”

Thud.

He listens well.

Caw-!

He let out a loud cry and glared at me with those eyes.

Whoosh!

At the same time, the surrounding scenery distorted.

All blue.

This is a different space from just before.

Of course it’s still the deepest part of the Tree of the Abyss, but it’s the reverse world.

Crow’s body is positioned in the original world, my body in the reverse world.

So-called ‘isolation’ state.

His eyes were still watching me.

The special phase doesn’t end with dealing with the chimeras.

From now on is a new combat phase.

In this state, my attacks don’t reach Crow. My sword passes through Crow like a ghost.

But Crow still attacks me in this state. Physical force doesn’t reach, but patterns that burst inside the body from a distance were effective.

A pattern cast towards aggro targets at a distance. The body stiffens, and demonic energy bursts inside the body. I’ve died to this pattern a few times too. The feeling of uninvited energy entering my body was very unpleasant.

Sound didn’t reach the reverse world, but demonic energy explosions kept occurring in the outside world. Explosions covering the entire combat area. It seems to be telling us to split up those who entered the reverse world and those remaining in the outside world for conquest, but how are we supposed to clear this?

However, the combat area was divided into 8 parts, and explosions didn’t occur in only one place. Like a pizza with one slice taken out. In party play, the tank could probably adjust this position. Moving themselves and fixing the safe zone to the party members’ position. But how does the tank in the outside world survive in the explosions? Is there a gimmick to protect the tank?

Dozens of attempts continued just today. I couldn’t find a way to deal damage to him in this state, but.

Tap.

I turned my back on Crow and looked behind.

Where my gaze was directed was the outskirts of the deepest part of the Tree of the Abyss, where the pig chimeras had been.

“It seems like there’s something there.”

Boom!

I released sword energy towards that place.

* * *

Tap tap tap.

Late dawn.

In Chris’s dark room, only holograms floating in the air flicker.

“…”

Chris was organizing the information obtained from today’s ‘Army Commander Crow’ conquest attempt.

She let out a deep sigh.

“In the end, seeing the 90% special pattern once is all we got.”

Although we were held up for a long time at the gatekeepers, I thought we took enough time for the 3rd Named boss attempt too.

For now, it was difficult for many members to even survive that far.

Above all, the ‘Severe Punishment’ stacks that penetrate invincibility skills are the biggest problem.

You need to grasp it in advance and avoid the explosion spots to not receive Severe Punishment stacks. Melee dealers also always need to be prepared, and ranged dealers need to accurately grasp the boundary between close-range and long-range explosions and avoid with just movement.

And the tank’s survival is the biggest problem.

They need to adjust distance to avoid Severe Punishment stacks, but if the distance becomes even a little far, they die instantly from receiving Crow’s gaze.

‘Crow’s Gaze’.

That pattern that directly destroys the inside of distant opponents was of a nature that absolutely couldn’t be avoided.

This guy is similar to Jakam too. It can probably only be cleared after all raid members adapt through numerous attempts.

How many days will it take to take down Crow? 1 week? 2 weeks?

If we receive information from Rain, we could probably clear it quickly.

Chris shook her head vigorously.

Get a grip, Chris.

How long are you going to depend on Rain?

Where did your will to aim for first clear by directly unraveling patterns as the vanguard go?

After organizing the strategy with a determined mind, Chris headed towards Rain’s room.

Tip toe tip toe.

There was no paper saying ‘Don’t come in’ attached to Rain’s door. She hadn’t attached paper since Rain called her a companion.

But she can’t just barge in at dawn without permission.

She took out her smartphone and checked Rain’s status through messenger.

[Swordsman ‘Drizzle Rain’ (Online)]

Rain is still struggling.

Chris clenched her fist.

“Rain, hang in there…!”