Chapter 36
[Confirmed user privileges have been refreshed due to dragon blood.]
[The boss monster detects abnormally high user privileges!]
[The boss monster's epithet is revealed! [Chimera Warrior → Chain Breaker]]
[The boss monster, [Chain Breaker-Leokan]'s personality awakens!]
The boss room was enormous.
The ceiling was high, and murky mana was scattered everywhere.
It wasn't a pleasant place.
Broken pillars and red chains were strewn about everywhere.
I spotted a figure deep inside the boss room.
His body was facing the wall, but his head was turned toward me.
Just from a glance, he had a magnificent build, with limbs that looked stitched together from other people's parts.
His skin was dry and flaking, his hair long and matted, and yet his eyes burned brightly.
Golden mana was packed tight inside his body.
And in his hand was a monstrous greatsword.
It was as if a thousand thorns had sprouted from a single sword.
[The boss monster checks your privileges!]
[Boss trait [One Who Defies God] activates! You are designated as the ultimate worst adversary! All of the boss's stats increase by 50%!]
[Boss trait [Undying Will] activates! To bring down a formidable foe like you, it uses its desperation pattern from the very beginning! The boss monster's HP is gradually decreasing!]
[The boss breaks its own hell-difficulty curse! Warning, out of control! It regains only a tiny fraction of its true power!]
"ARRRRRR...."
"DUS UN TANAUR ILL LUA?"
[Blessing of Language (SR) activates!]
[It is an ancient language! This will take time! Listen mode is being activated only in a limited capacity!]
Normally, when I hear a language I don't know, Language's Blessing lets me speak it like a native.
But this bastard was apparently using some obscure language, so it only seemed to activate in a limited way.
He walked toward me, step by step.
The floor was gouged out with each step.
He looked at me like I was his lifelong nemesis.
"My name is Leokan. I am one who stood against God and personally experienced its absurdity."
[The system has confirmed the occurrence of abnormal difficulty!!]
[Would you like to adjust? The floor will be considered cleared. However, no rewards will be given.]
[Y/N]
Wait a second.
I pressed N.
[I will ask once more. Would you like to adjust?]
[Y/N]
He looked over here with a pitying gaze.
"Ah, are the gods now using even a small, pitiful girl as their lackey?"
"What are you talking about?"
Damn it. I don't understand that language at all, so communication is completely impossible.
"I will sever that shackle."
He hefted the greatsword.
Just that action alone created a slight gust of pressure.
I realized it.
He was the strongest opponent I'd faced so far.
He wasn't even comparable to the werewolf.
His body was practically a rag, and yet his technique and strength had not dulled at all.
A worthy foe after a long time.
"Ha, I had a feeling it was going too smoothly."
But this is exactly how a boss monster should be.
If it goes too smoothly, it isn't fun.
He kicked off the ground hard.
I bit into one of Isabella's mana potions.
The blue liquid vanished from the vial, and the bottle was sent into my inventory.
And three enhancement tickets appeared in my hand one after another.
'I should at least take one hit.'
It's a little regrettable, but it can't be helped.
If I want even a tiny chance of beating that bastard, I need to use them now.
[[Status Enhancement Ticket (SR, Floor 3)] is being used! Strength has grown by one level!]
[[Status Enhancement Ticket (SR+, Floor 4)] is being used! You have obtained transcendent strength!]
[[Status Enhancement Ticket (SR++, Floor 5)] is being used! Endurance has grown explosively!]
Half-measures mean defeat.
Then this time, I'll invest everything into physical ability.
"Casting, Shield."
The strength left my hand as I swapped my staff for a sword.
The Tier 2 staff that had always felt heavy.
But now it felt endlessly light.
Leokan had drawn close before I realized it.
Golden mana was seeping out of his entire body.
He gripped the greatsword with both hands and swung it like a bat.
Monstrous size, mass, and speed.
Power enough to tear apart a knight academy cadet on the spot.
I held my sword horizontally.
The mana shield shattered first, and a deafening boom sent sand scattering.
My body was shoved back and sent flying.
My entire arm was numb. At this rate, I'd definitely overstretched at least a ligament or two.
"Hmph."
But I blocked it.
Leokan roared and charged again.
Golden mana reverberated through the air.
I steadied my stance again.
My firepower wasn't enough. But there was no time to use attack magic properly.
"Damn, if only I had a tank too."
Head, waist, legs.
Dragon Eyes caught his movements.
—Kang, kang, kaang!
Even after using dragon mana to boost my dynamic vision to the limit, if I didn't read his movements, it was hard to keep up.
He was that fast and that powerful.
'You said it was only an infinitesimal portion, right?'
"How much stronger is the main body!?"
"Casting Bullet!"
"No chance!"
It had the power to melt a goblin, but now it was meaningless.
He took the attack head-on and swung his greatsword at me.
"Ghk!"
The sound of metal rang out.
I somehow found an opening and thrust my sword in, but...
It only managed to pierce a bit of skin.
I can't get the sword in.
"It tickles. That is why you are subjugated. Foolish one."
"What the hell does that mean!"
I hadn't even managed to leave a scratch, and instead I let him counterattack.
I barely swallowed the blood taste in my mouth and stood back up.
Thankfully, he didn't attack.
"You who know honor, you who have been toyed with by the lords of the heavens and dominated by that blood, may you find rest."
The moment I stood up, he swung his greatsword at me.
I raised my sword to block it.
It hurt as if my arm were being broken.
But having the leisure to feel pain was a luxury.
Damn, if there had been even a tiny opening, I could've switched to fire support!
Getting distracted by the system and letting him close in was a bad move.
Wait.
If even a tiny opening would do?
That meant all I needed was to create distance.
I had become lighter, and my durability had gone up.
Then the method was simple.
First, I deployed a shield.
And fired it toward the ground.
"What are you doing...?"
"Casting, Bullet, Explode."
Minimal firepower, explosive spell.
It was only a harassing strike to Leokan, but for me, now that I was lighter, it was different.
The shield broke, and my body shot far away, suspended in the air.
"Something incomprehensible..."
He ran toward where I would land.
Right. If you predict my landing point and pierce me with your sword, that'll work.
But my magic comes first.
I smirked.
"Heh, I'm a mage, after all."
Firepower.
More firepower.
And precision.
Earlier I was firing recklessly, but this time I had to focus it all on one point.
On top of that, I wouldn't use any more formulas.
I'd finish this with one shot.
Sinister mana flowed from my slit pupils.
My mana circuit felt like it was burning.
'This isn't enough.'
More.
More.
More concentrated.
Something whispered inside me.
The voice sounded like Adrian's, but it wasn't Adrian.
'Yes, that's the feeling. Gather it all in one hand like that, good.'
[The system has detected an abnormally high output of firepower.]
A red line was drawn.
From eye to collarbone, collarbone to shoulder, shoulder to arm, arm to hand, hand to staff.
A tingling, painful sensation had seeped ever so slightly into my staff.
A drop of red mana mixed into my blue mana.
And with that, all of the mana turned a blackish red.
"That mana...!"
For the first time, a trace of caution appeared in him.
"It's already too late."
The blackish-red mana flowed as it burned.
"Casting, Bullet."
Fwoosh.
A black magic bullet unlike the usual one pierced through his body, along with the sword he had raised to block it.
My staff shattered to pieces.
The blackish-red mana returned to my eyes as if nothing had happened.
"Already... that far..."
He slumped down.
I fell from the air too.
"I got him!"
After rolling and performing a breakfall, a message popped up right on time.
[Boss monster, [Chain Breaker-Leokan] incapacitated! Floor 5 - Boss Room cleared! Rewards granted!]
[You have cleared a boss on abnormal difficulty! Rewards are being adjusted!]
It looked like I'd cleared it.
A box appeared before my eyes.
And not just any box, but a very large one sparkling gold.
[Status Enhancement Ticket (SSR, Floor 5), Essence of the Great Warrior (SR, Floor 5), Sword of Judgment (SSR), Status Window Enhancement]
Oh?
An SSR-grade Status Enhancement Ticket?
"This is something I've never even heard of where to get!?"
Isn't this insanely good?
And the Essence of the Great Warrior.
There's no description for this.
But I have Observation, you know.
[Essence of the Great Warrior (SR)]
A sphere-shaped essence that can be made into an elixir and absorbed to gain a massive amount of mana.
There may be another use for it?
Hmm.
So it's for mana enhancement.
But that last sentence bothers me.
I put it into my inventory.
More mana is always better.
Now, the Sword of Judgment.
Honestly, I was kind of looking forward to this.
Its name is cool, and maybe a pretty good sword will come out?
Thunk.
A giant sword that couldn't even fit inside the golden box popped out.
"Hey, this is a scam!"
It just handed me the exact sword that bastard used.
How am I supposed to use this!
I used Observation first.
[Sword of Judgment (SSR)]
Leokan was torn limb from limb and bound to the execution stand, where a thousand giant needles were driven into him as punishment.
The sword formed from that myth.
It's the real thing, not a replica.
"What am I supposed to use this for!"
It's so big it won't even fit into my inventory.
How am I supposed to carry this?
Since it's SSR-grade, leaving it behind would be ridiculously wasteful.
Should I just bury it somewhere on the mountain?
Would I get reported for illegal dumping of trash?
Let's move on for now.
I guess I'll just drag it along somehow.
Next!
[The status window is being enhanced! You can view more information!]
Oh?
The status window really was pretty unfriendly.
"Status Window."
Name: Yumia
Abilities: [Initial Magic (-)], [Basic Attack Magic (SR+)], [Overclock (R)]
[Endurance (D+)] [Stamina (E)] [Strength (C+)] [Agility (D)] [Mana (C+++)] [Technique (S)]
Traits: Conversion (SR), Aptitude of a Great Mage (SSR), Nature Affinity (SSR), Aptitude of a Black Mage (SSR), Mathematician of Magic Circles (SSR), Blessing of Language (SR), Dragon Eyes (SSR++), One Feared by Spirits (R), Inventory (SSR+), Retry Ticket (SR), Red Moon Breathing (SR(3-)), Immunity to a Hundred Toxins (R), Observer (SR)
"Wow, you've got a ridiculous number of traits!"
What had changed, first of all, was that Basic Attack Magic and the traits now had grades attached.
Basic Attack Magic was unexpectedly SR, and every other trait had SSR or SR grades attached to it.
And my stats had become visible.
The unusual part was that the Association's standard SABCDEF grading was reflected exactly as is.
Then does that mean that four plus signs also move it up to the next rank?
I don't know about that.
And a little while later, one more golden message popped up.
[The tower administrator has taken an interest in you.]
Goosebumps ran all over me and then vanished at once.
"...What was that?"
It felt like some incredible being had noticed me.
I went blank for a moment, then snapped to attention at a sound coming from the corner.
"Krrk..."
So he wasn't dead.
"In the end... even you... were completely dominated. Kill me. And take that blood. Just as the gods did to me!"
A voice dripping with hatred washed over me.
[Blessing of Language (SR) fully activates! You can now communicate in the other party's language!]
Ah, it worked.
"So what the hell are you talking about?"
"...Wait. You can speak our language? No. Even after taking that blood into your body, you can still keep your sanity?"
"I'm sane. I don't even know what a god is in the first place."
Then Leokan's fierce gaze turned toward me.
His bright red eyes, hidden beneath his long hair, were full of suspicion.
"Impossible. If you're not a henchman of the gods, then where did you get dragon blood?"
"Someone just gave it to me."
"You are lying. Show me the truth!"
He sent something like a golden wave at me.
[Leokan uses divine authority to manifest his power!]
"Eek, what?"
[A portion of your memories is being drawn into Leokan!]
And then a scene started playing in my head too.
"Big sis, this is good for your body..."
Adrian bringing over an elixir.
"I'll treat you like my big sis, so please, just not that one...!"
A stumbling Adrian, and me cackling as I poured the booze.
"If I just sold my body..."
Adrian saying it casually, me with no visible expression.
Ah, wait a second.
It felt like some pretty one-sided memories were flowing in.
Wait a minute.
I'm not that kind of person!!
But it was too late.
In his eyes, reverence had already taken root.
"To subdue such... such an arrogant, great being!"
"No, wait."
"And even those unspeakably vile, beastly acts...!"
"I said it's a misunderstanding..."
"You... just what exactly are you?"
Please listen to me.