Growl, Grrrowl.
As I pushed against the iron door with increasing force, the tightly shut door began to creak open, emitting a grating noise. The moment I stepped through the fully opened door, I saw the darkness trapped inside surge out like crashing waves. The darkness enveloped my body, wrapping around me tightly, and I could feel the emotions Go Yeon-Joo had experienced flooding through my entire being.
"...."
Faint voices called out to me from behind. I raised a hand to signal that I was fine and calmly closed my eyes.
From the moment my hand touched the door, I had sensed a terrifying malevolent aura. But as a darkness twice as potent began to erode my body, I couldn't help but marvel. Just as Go Yeon-Joo had described, the room seemed to contain every malicious emotion existing in this world, all gathered in one place.
Soothing the Hwajung that raged in response to the malevolent aura, I savored the emotions flooding into my chest for a moment. It felt as though my dulled heart was being sharpened, like a blade being honed. It was as if I had returned to the me from the first life.
Those emotions soon began to subside, and I looked at the darkness before me with a reluctant gaze. If only I could bottle it up and take it with me. Lately, I'd been feeling like I was losing my edge, and if I could absorb this darkness whenever that happened, it would surely help.
"O-Oppa, are you okay?"
At that moment, Lee Yun-Jung's worried voice struck my ears. I turned to respond to her question, but a fierce whooshing sound pierced through the darkness from ahead, preventing me from doing so. Starting right away, huh… This guy's the same as in the first and second lifes. I clicked my tongue inwardly and quickly raised my sword to a mid-guard stance to defend.
Bang!
A heavy impact reverberated through the blade, as if I'd collided head-on with a boulder. My body, struck by the full force of the blow, was momentarily lifted off the ground and pushed back a few steps. I quickly regained my footing, planting both feet firmly on the ground, and spoke quietly to my dazed companions.
"No time to stand around gawking. The battle's already started."
"What an impatient bastard."
Go Yeon-Joo bit her lip tightly and immediately charged into the room. Watching the rest of the group hurriedly follow her, I infused my eyes with mana and focused on the front.
"Grrrowl… Grrrr…"
The sound was like phlegm rattling in a throat or the roar of a beast. Yet, there was a strange power in it, sending chills down my spine and raising goosebumps all over my body. Rubbing my arms a few times and taking a few more steps forward, I finally caught a faint glimpse of its form.
Even at a glance, it was over two meters tall. As what I assumed was its head lifted, two glowing red lights shone within the abyssal darkness. In a space filled only with darkness, those lights, burning with murderous intent, were fixed precisely on us.
The Doom Knight, Horrence. Otherwise known as the Nightmare. A child of darkness that existed solely for destruction.
In a way, Horrence could be considered above even the high-ranking demon, Belphegor. Of course, Belphegor's rank was far higher, but the circumstances were entirely different. While Belphegor had been unable to unleash even half his power due to a barrier, Horrence was now capable of exerting 100% of his strength—perhaps even more. And since I'd decided not to draw the Hwajung this time, I couldn't afford to let my guard down.
『Activating Special Ability: Sword's Heart (Rank: EX).』
『Activating Potential Ability: Close Combat Mastery (Rank: A+).』
『Activating Potential Ability: Mind's Eye (True) (Rank: A+).』
As the floating messages vanished, I felt all the darkness in the room sharpen into spears aimed at me. The piercing killing intent awakened every sense in my body. The others, likely sensing the same murderous aura, looked shaken and hesitant.
If we defeat this thing, we'll have to leave Mule. I can't keep babysitting or coddling them anymore. So, to drive the point home, I spoke in a low voice.
"From now on, we will raid the boss monster. And for this occasion only, I'm granting full freedom to everyone in the party. There are no specific orders. Just do as you've always done."
As soon as I finished speaking, I could see the darkness surrounding Horrence growing more tangible. The wavering shadows began to coalesce, forming the shape of equipment befitting a knight. When a long, sharp sword emerged clearly, I instinctively knew that Horrence had completed its preparations for battle.
The kids all looked up at me with anxious faces. Up until now, they had only followed my orders, their actions ingrained with passivity. To move forward from this moment, they needed to develop the habit of thinking and deciding for themselves. So, with a firm voice, I spoke again.
"Hyun, Sol, Yun-Jung."
"...."
"As you know, I plan to leave Mule after this battle. I'll form a clan, take in other players, and step fully into Hall Plain. When that happens, I may not be able to wait for you like I have until now."
"...."
The kids listened silently to my words. Horrence was showing signs of movement, so I had to continue quickly.
"For that reason, I want you to show me something in this battle. Don't fear death. It's fine if you can't wound it, and it's fine if you get hurt. Just go wild as much as you can."
"...!"
"Whether you'll still be called 'kids' after we leave this cave, or be recognized as 'Players' Hyun, Sol, and Yun-Jung, will be decided by this battle."
Finally, I saw a spark of determination in their eyes, but there was no time to keep talking. Horrence let out a room-shaking roar and charged at me. Clearing my mind of all thoughts, I focused every nerve on the creature rushing toward me. Infusing my sword with mana, I sprang forward.
The darkness swirling around it surged, pressing down on me. I swung my sword horizontally to disperse the energy, but the scattered shadows split into tendrils and shot toward me again.
As the tendrils tried to ensnare me, I ducked low, dodging them, then pushed off with my right foot to dive deeper in. Swinging my sword upward in a slashing motion, Horrence's dark blade reacted instantly, meeting mine.
Clang!
Sparks flew from my sword, while thick smoke poured from its darkness. The weapons, each aimed at the other's life, clashed and froze mid-air. But the stalled motion soon began to stir again.
Screeeech.
My mana-infused sword started to cut through, bit by bit. To be precise, my power was slicing through Horrence's darkness. When I had cut through about half of it, Horrence seemed to sense something was wrong. It unleashed a wave of darkness and retreated slightly.
That's when it happened.
"Aura! Imprison! O Steel Enforcer, Ruler of the 49th Legion!"
"Stream of Aqua!"
"Chain Lightning!"
"Protect!"
"Reverse! Amplification!"
As if waiting for Horrence to retreat, the voices of priests and mages chanting spells rang out simultaneously.
The first spell to hit was Vivienne's summoning magic. Heavy, dark chains grazed past me, swiftly binding Horrence's limbs. At the same time, a massive torrent of water doused its body. The coordination was so seamless that there was barely any delay.
Spells and incantations continued to pour in relentlessly. The moment jagged yellow streaks of lightning struck Horrence's body, a translucent barrier unfurled around it with perfect timing. Then, by reversing the properties of the Protect spell with Reverse and amplifying the power of Chain Lightning, the magical combo reached its crescendo.
Crackle! Crackle! Shatter!
"Grrraaaahhh!"
The combined power of the chained spells was devastatingly potent—so much so that the protective barrier Sol had cast shattered almost instantly. A few stray bolts of lightning leaked out as a result, but the Chain Lightning relentlessly pounded Horrence, whose body was thoroughly soaked, without pause.
As the lightning began to subside, I caught sight of two figures charging in from both sides with spirited battle cries.
One of them stomped their right foot hard on the ground, thrusting a spear that tore through the air. The other leaped high, crossing daggers aimed at Horrence's side. Their weapons pierced its torso without resistance, targeting the softened areas battered by the magical onslaught. Setting aside my pride in their performance, I knew I couldn't let this opportunity slip.
Gripping my sword's handle with both hands like a baseball bat, I faced the fully incapacitated creature. With a powerful swing aimed at a perfectly placed target, I also channeled a bit of petty vengeance for being pushed back earlier.
Boom!
Infusing my sword with mana, I struck Horrence's torso with a satisfying blow. The electrifying sensation coursed through the blade, tingling in my hands. Horrence, struck by my blackened sword, arced through the air and crashed to the ground with a thud.
I closely examined the creature as it rolled across the floor with a clatter. Its torso and sides were completely pierced, and the darkness cloaking its body was visibly disrupted, clearly indicating it had taken significant damage. Most crucially, Vivienne's chains still bound it tightly.
Vivienne, seizing the moment, seemed determined to finish it off. She yanked the chains, forcibly lifting Horrence's body, only to slam it back down to the ground immediately.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Once, twice, three times…
The chains were released only after Horrence's body had been reduced to a mangled wreck from the relentless slams.
With this, we had decisively seized the upper hand in the first clash. Pleased with the better-than-expected start, I raised my sword again, feeling a newfound confidence in our party's current strength.
The first clash owed much of its success to Vivienne and me.
By drawing Horrence's attention and restricting its movements, I created an opening for Vivienne to perfectly time her chains, binding its body. If she had hesitated even for a few seconds, Horrence might have shaken off the chains after assessing the situation. But with our seamless coordination, it was overwhelmed by the relentless barrage of spells that followed. This kind of synergy is why it's said that a single player with a Secret or Rare class is worth more than a hundred ordinary players.
As I raised my sword to prepare for the next round of combat, the kids looked at me with puzzled expressions.
"Hyung, isn't it over?"
"Huh? No, it's not over."
"But it's like that…"
Turning his gaze, Hyun's face stiffened at the sight before him. There lay Horrence, reduced to a mangled heap. Yet, the darkness was surging again, gathering from all directions and gradually reforming its shape. This wasn't particularly surprising, as I had anticipated it.
Horrence's regeneration isn't infinite. In the first life, it took defeating it over a dozen times before it finally stopped regenerating, so we needed to be prepared for a similar grind. The encouraging fact, however, was that its regeneration weakened slightly with each defeat.
That's why I placed great significance on how relatively easily we brought Horrence down in this first clash. We managed to overwhelm it in its strongest regenerative state right from the start.
Unlike the wraiths at the entrance, which had specific resurrection spells, Horrence's end was inevitable. Watching the kids bite their lips and raise their weapons again, I spoke in a calm voice.
"Now, it begins."
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