Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented – Chapter 47

There was a change in the explosion pattern at the one-third point, but Chris’s party members safely got through it. And they succeeded in shaving off all of Aspero’s HP.

[3rd Named]

[Level 40 Demon General Aspero]

[HP 1/6,000,000]

However, Aspero doesn’t fall.

Detecting an ominous sign, Chris shouted towards her party members.

“It’s not over! There’s something more!”

Thud!

Woong woong woong woong.

Aspero planted his chimera arm on the floor.

At the same time, numerous spheres started filling the entire battle area.

“Omnidirectional explosion! Bae Merong! What’s the Ice Prison cooldown!?”

“2 seconds, 1 second. It’s usable now!”

“Ice Prison first then!”

Crackle.

The party members’ bodies froze. Soon, the demonic energy spheres all exploded at once.

Boom boom boom boom!

“Kugh, this pattern has no safe zone! We need to utilize all invincibility skills and party protection skills!”

“Why doesn’t it end!?”

Woong woong woong woong.

Without a moment’s rest, numerous spheres were generated again.

2nd explosion pattern.

“Undine!”

Flash!

Along with Cherni’s shout, a huge water droplet enveloped the party members’ bodies.

Boom boom boom boom!

The 2nd explosion could be protected against with the Elementalist’s ‘Water Sphere’ skill.

“Prepare for the 3rd explosion! There will surely be one! You must survive individually no matter what!”

Woong woong woong woong.

As soon as Chris’s words ended, purple spheres filled the battle area. The precursor to the 3rd explosion.

Thud.

Boom boom boom boom!

This time, all four could get through the pattern using backward movement.

But the explosions weren’t over yet.

Woong woong woong woong.

“What!? No way!”

An unexpected 4th whole area-of-effect skill, but the skilled Chris Raid Party members responded without delay.

Boom boom boom boom!

Swish.

Fighter Deathly Death succeeded in resisting the explosion using ‘Nimble Move’, corresponding to the Swordsman’s ‘Counterattack’.

Fortunately, at this point, the ranged classes also had one individual invincibility skill each besides backward evasion.

Dozens of talismans generated around Chris’s body blocked and tore apart the explosion. The flames swirling around Bae Merong’s body cleared, and the rocks surrounding Cherni also shattered.

They safely got through the 4th explosion. Is it really over now?

But ‘Demon General Aspero’ simply betrayed the party members’ expectations.

Woong woong woong woong.

A 5th explosion. This time they can’t avoid it. All invincibility skill cooldowns haven’t returned.

The faces of all party members turned pale.

Boom boom boom boom!

“Kyaaaak!”

“Ughh!”

The party members swept up in the 5th explosion were flung in all directions. Each of their HPs pointed at the bottom.

The 6th explosion.

“Is backward evasion possible!?”

“Is it? Ah, I don’t think it will be!”

By just a little, a tiny bit, the cooldown was insufficient.

If you don’t avoid the third explosion at the exact timing, backward movement’s cooldown doesn’t return.

Chris cried out.

“Th-this is cheating! How are we supposed to clear this!”

Boom boom boom boom!

Amidst the explosions covering everywhere, Deathly Death’s shout rang out.

“Uooooh!”

What the party members saw last in the explosion was.

The figure of Fighter Deathly Death becomes one dragon.

Pitter-patter!

The Chris Raid Party members who revived at the entrance of the stairs leading to the 3rd area’s top floor hurriedly climbed the stairs.

Deathly Death hadn’t revived. It meant he was still alive.

If the battle continues, the barrier blocking outside entry will be maintained. Rushing in after revival is impossible. But they had to check the situation.

And, what the party members saw upon reaching the battle area with Aspero again was.

The figure of Deathly Death stopped with his fist stretched forward, and Aspero’s body slowly turned to dust and disappeared.

The party members cheered.

“U-uaaah! We cleared it!”

“How did you do it!? Death, how did you survive?”

“Phew.”

Deathly Death, who released his posture and lightly exhaled, shared his skill interface with the party members.

[Dragon Fist]

[Invincible during casting]

[Cooldown 1 minute]

Chris exclaimed.

“The new skill from the Tower of Training…!”

“The invincibility judgment attached to the new skill, was it intentionally usable? It seemed almost non-existent because it was too short…”

“A skill that pierces enemies in a straight line with a fist containing the power of a dragon. It has an invincibility judgment for an extremely brief moment until the fist touches the enemy. It was a gamble, but fortunately, it succeeded.”

Chris slapped Deathly Death’s back and burst into laughter.

“Ahaha! Good, good! Death, you! I’ll lift your company test room usage restriction!”

“Hmm!”

Deathly Death closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fist.

“We cleared it this time, but do we have to get through all 6 area-of-effect explosions in the future too? The difficulty is too high?”

At Cherni’s grumbling, Chris shook her head.

“No. You just need to calculate the invincibility skill cooldowns well and use them. We just saw the pattern for the first time, so we used the safest party protection skill first, right?”

Bae Merong immediately understood Chris’s words.

“Ah…! If we use invincibility skills with shorter cooldowns first!”

“Yes. You can use them one more time. By the same principle, if you use other invincibility skills in order of the shortest cooldown, the cooldowns will return through party protection skills in the middle. Once we grasp the explosion intervals and number of times for the last-ditch pattern, we don’t need to perform monkey tricks like Death.”

“A-ahem. Monkey tricks, you say, I’m the number one contributor to this clear’s success. I’d like to be treated well.”

“Still, it remains difficult. Many people still can’t utilize backward evasion, and the physical requirements are getting higher and higher.”

“In the end, it’s a matter of repeated practice. Even with synchronization rate limitations, if you try dozens of times and remember the timing with your body, you can do it.”

Chris smiled with satisfaction.

They pierced through the named boss’s last-ditch pattern they encountered for the first time in one go and achieved the clear.

This time, they must have beaten the No Name party.

“So, is Chris’s Raid Party the first clear? Who has the regional announcements turned on?”

“…Gasp!”

Bae Merong, who checked the regional announcements, drew in a sharp breath.

“Th-this, 5 minutes ago. That means an announcement came up during our try.”

“What!?”

[‘Noname’ party has succeeded in the first clear of the elite dungeon, ‘Aspero’s Fortress’!]

* * *

“Cough, cough. Huu.”

After consuming a potion when the battle ended, my HP that was pointing at the bottom slowly started filling up.

I hugged my body and waited for the terrible pain to subside.

After a while, when the pain completely subsided, I reviewed this battle.

“A 0% last-ditch pattern, huh.”

Sphere explosions fill the entire battle area. A total of 6 times.

Able to resist 3 times in order of backward evasion, counterattack, Flash Strike.

Backward evasion with cooldown returned on the 4th, and counterattack on the 5th. No problem up to here.

However, there was no way to avoid the 6th explosion.

Of course, if it’s not right next to a sphere, you don’t die instantly. Clearing is possible even if you take one hit with your body.

But.

“It hurts. It really hurts.”

I whined.

If Bae Merong or Cherni were here, they could use a party protection skill for one time.

“Haah.”

I sighed lightly.

This is the solo play I chose myself. There’s no use complaining.

Since there’s no way to avoid the 6th demonic energy explosion, I’ll have to suffer terrible pain every time I run it, but I won’t die, so I just need to endure for a moment.

Anyway, well done clearing again, Rain!

I forced a smile and raised my tightly clenched fist.

Finally, it’s time to check the reward items.

Thump thump.

I walked proudly to the item box left by Aspero and exercised the winner’s right.

[Demon General Aspero’s Yin-Yang Jade]

[Elite Grade]

[Attack Power 270]

[‘Demon Seal’ skill damage increased by 40%]

[Socket1 : EMPTY]

[Socket2 : EMPTY]

(Bound when equipped)

“Uwah…!”

The attack power and skill multiplier increased exactly as expected.

But the most important fact was that from this weapon onwards, there will be two Echostone slots.

Considering that Zarkan weapons had one slot, this can be seen as a huge spec difference.

You can combine various Echostones.

Stat + lifesteal combination. Or attack power lifesteal is good too.

I checked the number of ‘Zarkan Coins’ I had.

After completing Zarkan farming, I mostly just ran buses. So I didn’t have many coins obtained from grinding accessories.

But I’ve been doing daily quests steadily all this time. If I gather a few more coins, I’ll be able to purchase one Echostone at a fixed price and equip it.

And, when I checked one more item, I cheered.

“Wow! An Echostone!”

[Purple Echostone]

[Weapon Socket Item]

[Strength +30]

(Bound when equipped)

A tradable Echostone that still maintains a high price!

Each class’s main stat affects attack power too, but it’s a grade lower than attack power Echostones. However, stat increases could also see additional benefits in battle.

Especially for classes like ‘Warriors’ who have holding skills that bind enemy movements with strength, they preferred strength stat Echostones over attack power Echostones.

The problem is that now is the point where initial clear users are slowly gathering all their Zarkan coins and purchasing one Echostone each at a fixed price.

Zarkan weapons have one slot. Users who made fixed-price purchases didn’t need to buy expensive tradable Echostones.

“But.”

I, who finished calculating, smiled like a mischievous child and carefully tucked the Echostone into my bosom.

This weapon has two slots.

You need to buy one tradable Echostone to utilize both slots immediately.

I had already eaten one during the first Zarkan clear and was using it.

“When Aspero weapons are released into the market in large numbers, the price of tradable Echostones will skyrocket too.”

I opened the auction house with a broad smile.

It’s disappointing that a sword weapon didn’t drop, but swords will come out anyway if you keep running it.

The Yin-Yang Jade I just obtained should sell for a good price too.

Hesitate.

Just as I was about to put the Yin-Yang Jade up for auction, someone’s face flashed by.

I put the Yin-Yang Jade back in my inventory and sat in place, groaning.

“Umm…”