Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

Cherni sighed. Bae Merong looked deflated.

“The power of the No-Name Party… it’s just Rain, isn’t it? Haah, what on earth have we been fighting all this time?”

“I’m starting to feel less confident.”

“Chris, did you know?”

At the question from Deathly Death, Chris nodded.

“Rain… when I visit your house later, I’ll stretch his cheeks so much!”

“Kek.”

As Bae Merong vowed revenge, Chris chuckled and gazed at the wide corridor completely covered in ice.

On the way to the Level 2 Named Enemy, at the very end, there stood an apparition of the ‘Lesser Demon.’

Rain had already reached it and was flailing around in front of it.

Seeing that, Cherni clicked his tongue.

“What a relaxed attitude.”

“He knows there’s no party that can catch up to him.”

“True, we barely managed to scrape by against the Level 1 Named’s berserk state.”

Though he was alone, Rain was fully aware he was at an advantage like never before. The existence of a legendary weapon and the new skill, Ice Palace, made him an even more overwhelming being.

Deathly Death wore a look full of skepticism.

“I just can’t understand it. No matter how legendary the weapon is, Rain is alone while we are four. Why is his damage output so high?”

“Because he’s hitting both Golem monsters with area-wide attacks. The Swordsman’s One Flash and the Ice Palace skill are both range-based.”

“As I tested earlier, if you try to overlap attacks as a party, the total damage actually decreases. It’s difficult to respond to patterns when facing multiple bosses at once; aggro naturally ping-pongs, making it hard to properly target. It’s strange how Rain can bombard enemies even while facing multiple Named Enemies.”

“And he has to calculate the timing, targeting the exact enemy to put them down. It’s a play only Rain can pull off.”

“How did he realize he could use his down techniques to pass the Named Enemy to the opposite side?”

“I guess that came from solo play. When there’s no target nearby to attack, there’s a distinctive stance just before he casts that big jump—Rain would never miss that.”

The more they analyzed, the more they could only admire.

The four members of Chris’s party were moved by Rain’s prowess, while simultaneously drowning in a deep sense of defeat.

“The fact that Rain decided to stream his gameplay today means he’s confident he can get the first clear even after revealing all his strategies.”

Chris clapped once and wore a confident smile.

“I want to make him pout. We can’t just stand here and admire him, we need to make him pay for his arrogance, right?”

“Y-yes! We may have lost to the Level 1 Named, but if we go all the way, the four of us will have the advantage!”

“…Somehow it feels miserable to have to struggle against a solo player.”

“Can you hold on a moment? I want to replay some past scenes and analyze them. Look, the shield-raising pattern overlaps with the spear-swinging pattern; first, he bows his head. Okay, then if he evades… ugh, wh-what are you doing, Chris?”

Chris grabbed the collar of Deathly Death, who was shaking his head side to side, and urged him to hurry.

“Oh my, oh my! Sister Chris! Look at Rain’s live stream right now!”

“Bae Merong… stop watching and let’s move forward! Why are you also like this?”

Chris, who had been looking at Bae Merong with a face of ridiculousness, quickly covered her mouth.

“Gah…!”

Rain, staring directly at the video stream screen, wiggled his fingers and displayed two V signs with both hands.

And then, he flashed a wide grin.

Chris clutched her chest. Bae Merong wrapped her hands around her cheeks and let out a high-pitched scream.

“Kuh!”

“Kyah! So cute!”

“…Didn’t we say we were moving forward?”

“Leave it be, Deathly Death. The ‘sisters’ seem to be losing their minds. I’ll be dealing with the minor mobs first?”

*

Seeing something like this certainly gives off a game vibe.

A translucent sphere drifting around me. This drone-like thing can stream in real-time and capture screenshots.

Through this screen, many people are likely watching my gameplay.

For a moment, I posed towards the window connecting this world to the outside.

I made peace signs with my fingers, smiled sweetly, and even jumped around a little.

“Kh, cough.”

I turned around, my face slightly reddened.

I did something embarrassing.

However, other than the streaming function, there’s no setup for any broadcasts, so I don’t really feel like others are watching me.

When I check other people’s streams, UI elements pop up showing buff durations, and chat windows or regional displays—there’s a whole lot to see in front of them.

But doing that would dampen the immersion. I live with all UIs turned off. The only window to view the world is through my own eyes.

Still, even so, I’m trying to have my own communication time.

At the end of the corridor, I turned my gaze to the ‘Lesser Demon’s Apparition’ straight ahead.

A demon monster with incredibly large forearms and horns sprouting from its head.

Is it that same type I saw in the desert, the ‘Sealed Lesser Demon’?

But the word ‘sealed’ is missing from its name. The chains that were wrapped around it are gone. And since it’s an apparition, it’s slightly translucent.

“Hmm.”

[Level 48 Lesser Demon’s Apparition]

[HP 20,000,000 / 20,000,000 (100%)]

Strange.

For a mid-boss, it has more HP than a standard Named Enemy.

Then…

“A gimmick monster.”

I smirked as I raised my sword.

And then quickly launched a thrust towards the Lesser Demon.

Kuhh!

Whooom!

The Lesser Demon rose up, roared, and began gathering mana in its hands.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

Even as I got close to attack, it continued gathering mana. Then it started lobbing mana projectiles at my feet.

I nimbly darted around, positioning myself freely in four directions around the demon. The mana projectiles exploding where I had just stood, yet it didn’t actually swing its arms to attack.

Could it be that the attack pattern is just firing these mana projectiles four times?

Whooom!

Soon enough, from a little distance away, a monster appeared with a magical circle.

[Level 45 Demon Cavalry]

[HP 800,000 / 800,000 (100%)]

A demon race wielding a purple sword and a purple shield. It looked like something summoned by the Lesser Demon’s apparition.

If I can just take that guy down, surely something good will happen.

Slash!

I quickly created space from the apparition and swiftly dealt with the cavalry.

“Graah!”

The cavalry fell quickly under my harsh sword strikes. It left behind a purple shield in its place.

Special objects can all be used as gimmicks.

This must be it.

Crack!

Rolling away from the incoming mana projectiles, I immediately twisted my body and picked up the shield.

Even without mana or the Holy Sword, I can move this well now.

This is the movement of a hero.

I raised the shield directly against the mana projectiles.

This is experience and knowledge from being a gamer.

Whoooom!

The mana projectiles were absorbed into the purple shield. After absorbing a total of four mana projectiles, the shield began to shine brightly with a strong purple glow.

I admired the shield absorbing the mana projectiles.

“Oh.”

Indeed, it operates on the same mechanics as the charging gimmick from the Level 2 Named ‘Akan’ in the Ancient Temple.

However, unlike last time where it charged into a sword, this time I can’t attack with the shield, so is it a throw?

Whoosh!

As I tossed the shield charged with mana, a powerful purple light blasted from the demon struck by it.

BANG!

Kraahh-!

Amidst the strong explosion of mana, the mid-boss ‘Lesser Demon’s Apparition’ vanished in a glow.

The immense HP it had as a mid-boss was merely a bluff. If I had gone in with pure damage, it would have taken ages.

Understanding the game’s design, I smiled slyly.

It’s almost as if this mid-boss is teaching me how to proceed.

So kind.

This gimmick will definitely be used against the Level 2 Named.

Finally entering the combat area of the Level 2 Named. In the center of the room completely covered in ice stands.

A contradictory being with flames so intense they could melt ice—its enormous forearms could easily grip someone my size, and the large horns rose atop its head.

An unsealed, complete Lesser Demon.

Not an apparition, but a being with a clear and definite existence.

Growl.

With a rumbling growl, a breath filled with hellfire rippled from its mouth.

Its HP stands at a whopping 50 million.

Compared to the Level 1 Named, its HP has skyrocketed.

Clearly, this is a boss that you can only defeat by whittling down its HP through gimmicks.

This boss arrangement reminds me of ‘Lion Balgard,’ the Level 2 Named from Aspero’s Fortress. That one used a cog object to stack bleed damage for defeat.

While it was easy to acquire a shield from the mid-boss apparition, this one is a Named Enemy. It won’t easily lend out mana charging objects.

I have to perform some actions. How much HP I can cut will be determined by testing it out first.

5%? 10%? Regardless, I need to chip away at a certain amount of HP directly.

The key is how much I can minimize the time spent slicing HP solo. Completing the gimmicks is secondary.

It would be preferable if the general patterns are difficult as well.

If it’s easy, it becomes all the easier for the party players to pull ahead.

So this is the enhanced version of the ‘Sealed Lesser Demon’ I saw in the desert.

If it’s unsealed, just how strong could it become?

Ching, grasping Astaroth in my hands.

Shining silver, I charged towards the ‘Lesser Demon.’

KRAK!

With the Lesser Demon finally acknowledging me, the Level 2 Named battle commenced.

[Level 2 Named]

[Level 48 Lesser Demon]

[HP 50,000,000 / 50,000,000 (100%)]

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