Danmachi: Hephaestus is my Wife

I looked at the long path ahead for a few minutes before gathering the courage to move forward. Gripping the hilt of my sword tightly, I walked on. My breathing was unsteady, and my heart felt like it was about to explode.

"I've never felt this nervous in my entire life."

Step! Step! Step!

It was silent. The only sound reaching my ears was that of my heavy footsteps. Then, I finally reached the "turn." In front of me lay another long, dark corridor.

This time, my steps quickened.

My heart pounded even faster, and I felt like I was about to faint. Cold sweat dripped down my body. Then, I stopped.

Slap~~

I slapped my face and then looked straight ahead, determined.

Huff~~

Huff~~

Huff~~

Taking deep breaths, I calmed myself."I don't even know why I'm this nervous. It could be a special metal."

Feeling more composed, I continued walking straight until I reached the end of the corridor. There, I found a massive gate.

It stood over three meters tall, adorned with strange engravings. A large golden handle gleamed at its center. Once again, my heart began to race.

"This is a boss room."

I've played plenty of games and read countless manhwas. This is a boss room.

"There are no bosses in Danmachi—I'm sure of it. Did the system create this? This is ridiculous. I'm not ready to fight a boss. Can't I turn back and come back after leveling up my Falna a bit more?"

Unfortunately, turning back didn't seem like an option.

The door before me began to creak.

Slowly, it opened, sending dust flying in my direction.

BOOM~~

The door swung wide, producing a loud noise. The ground beneath my feet trembled, and the dark room lit up. Torches lit one by one, leaving the whole room brightly lit.

It was a coliseum of sorts. There was even a spectator area on the upper floor, though all the seats were empty.

"The one in the center must be the boss of this place, right? Is that an Orc? An Ogre?"

It looked like a goblin—but five times bigger.

A monstrous figure, heavily muscled, wielding a massive iron hammer in one hand. Its head is down as if it is asleep.

"The battle will begin as soon as I enter that room."

I know precisely how boss battles work.

"Don't tell me this thing has phases or something?"

I started thinking about what to do and how to defeat it.

Swinging my sword at random won't work in this situation.

"My sword's ability should be strong enough. It's just a boss on the 5th floor..."

I stared thoughtfully at the monster in the center of the room and took a few steps forward. The moment my foot crossed the door, the beast lifted its head, its eyes widening.

Over three meters tall, gray skin, deep red eyes, massive tusks resembling a boar's, and a pig-like nose.

"This is an Orc, but it's unlike the ones in the dungeon."

It is much bigger.

Not necessarily in height but in sheer muscle mass. It is powerful.

"Luckily for me, huge and muscular monsters tend to be slow."

Huff~~

Then, the massive Orc snorted.

VUOSH~~

The giant monster appeared right in front of me in an instant.

It raised its massive iron hammer and swung it down with all its might.

"If that hits me, I'm dead."

The hammer came down at such a tremendous speed that I didn't think I'd be able to react. But somehow, I jumped back—just in time to escape the boss room.

BOOM~~

The Orc's hammer struck the floor, shattering it and sending debris flying in my direction.

Huff~~

Huff~~

Huff~~

I fell on my butt, staring at the Orc in shock.

Our eyes met, and for a moment, its glowing red eyes made me forget how to breathe.

"This is going to be tough..."

I finally managed to take a breath.

Since I was outside the room, the Orc couldn't attack me. Thankfully, it followed the game's unspoken rules and slowly returned to the center of the arena.

"Hahaha, this is going to be so difficult... but for some reason, I feel excited."

####

I continued staring at the boss for a while, trying to build up the courage to attack.

"The moment I step in, it'll attack immediately. It is faster than me, so running isn't an option. I need to use my sword's ability to restrain it."

The "Lightning" ability is perfect for this situation.

If I land a hit, I can restrict its movements.

"Alright, let's do this."

Before starting the battle, I sipped water and swung my sword a few times to warm my arms.

Then, I stepped into the battle arena.

The moment I crossed the threshold, the Orc's eyes snapped open.

Huff!

It snorted and prepared to charge. Feeling slightly nervous, I shouted, "LIGHTNING!"

A shiver ran through my entire body as my sword lit up. Seeing the glow, the Orc didn't seem to care and charged straight at me.

It disappeared and reappeared in front of me in an instant.

So fast that it almost struck me before the magic even hit it.

Luckily for me, just as the Orc lifted its hammer to strike, a blinding bolt of lightning shot down from the arena's ceiling, striking its massive iron weapon.

ROOOOAAARRRR!

The Orc roared, its body trembling violently.

"Now's my chance!"

Seizing the opportunity, I channeled magic into my sword and slashed the back of the Orc's knee.

The beast let out an agonized roar and collapsed onto its knees. It planted its hands on the ground, groaning in pain.

It could no longer stand.

"That was easy."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, watching the Orc sit on the ground, still whimpering.

"Let's finish this. Lightning!"

Once again, I activated my skill, targeting its head this time. A lightning bolt crashed down from the arena ceiling, striking the Orc directly.

I expected it to convulse until it died, but instead...

Puff~~

Its head exploded.

Far easier than I had expected.

"Thank goodness..."

I let out a sigh of relief, watching as the Orc's lifeless body slumped to the ground, headless.

Unlike the monsters in the dungeon, its body didn't disappear—it remained there.

[ You have slain the first boss! ]

[ Bonus: 200 points ]

[ Claim your reward ]

After reading the system messages, a chest appeared in the center of the boss room.

"So it's over. That was way too easy… but it's because it's the first boss."

Still, despite being the first boss, I received 200 points and a reward.

Feeling excited, I walked toward the golden chest that had appeared where the Orc once stood.

"Woah..."

As I opened the chest, my entire body trembled.

It had been a long time since I felt this excited about something.

####

Read more chapters on my patr eon: patr eon.com/parodygirl

Next chapters: Chapter 36 - That relationship was shit. / Chapter 37 - I have no memories, but my subconscious loves her. / Chapter 38 - Testing a new sword. / Chapter 39 - Dinner with members of the Loki Familia. / Chapter 40 - Advertising. / Chapter 41 - You're incredible. Legendary sword. / Chapter 42 - Training with Tsubaki. / Chapter 43 - Practical lessons. / Chapter 44 - Much faster.