NOVEL NEXT Chapter 97
[Named Enemy Level 2]
[Level 48 Lesser Demon]
[HP 45,560,771 / 50,000,000 (91%)]
Facing a Named Enemy for the first time is always tough.
It’s important to learn patterns by confronting them and establishing a damage cycle tailored to those patterns.
For example, when the demon swings its arms side to side, you only need to block the second hit that has knockback. You can take the first hit and patch it up with a potion, or if you’re physically capable, you can evade it while continuously attacking with your agility stat.
Then, you take advantage of the delay after the next attack to slip in a strong skill and maintain your damage cycle.
For Fighters, after countering the knockback pattern, use two Burst Kicks, two Straight Kicks, a Spinning Kick, and a Ground Smash while evading backward, then approach with an Uppercut.
In this way, the most efficient damage cycle is established through repeated practice. Once you are skilled, you can deal more than double the amount of damage you pulled off on your first try.
In that sense, the Level 2 Named Enemy, ‘Lesser Demon,’ in front of the ‘Chris Raid’ is a fantastic punching bag.
Chris’s party had fought a similar creature to boredom in the second Elite Dungeon of Astria Online, ‘The Sealed Tomb of Demons.’ The HP was much higher now, and the patterns were faster.
Bang, bang! Pow, pow, pow!
Standing firm in front of the demon, Deathly Death continued to attack fluidly, while Cherni and Bae Merong avoided the threatening frontal fire pattern and endlessly shoved in damage.
Chris gripped her talisman and smiled.
This was a favorable condition for Chris’s party.
Since the start, Rain’s overwhelming damage output had always pushed them back, but when they faced a familiar Named Enemy, Chris’s party could exceed Rain’s damage output when he was alone.
The problem, however, was the special patterns. It would undoubtedly differ from ‘The Sealed Lesser Demon.’
The demon’s HP had reached 90% in no time.
Chris warned her party members.
“Now’s the important part! There’s no way you’ll take down this much HP with raw damage alone! Remember what we saw against the mid-boss? Keep an eye on the combat area! Special objects or adds could appear!”
Tap, tap!
The three ranged damage dealers, excluding Deathly Death, spread out in all directions. They had no idea where the special objects would pop up. Quick positioning was crucial for responsive action.
As Chris predicted, upon entering the 90% threshold, the Lesser Demon initiated its special pattern.
Grurhhhhh!
Woosh! Bang!
After a dramatic roar, the demon jumped, landing with its back facing the door leading to Area 3.
Woooom, whooosh!
A massive red magic began to gather in the demon’s giant grasp. Simultaneously, the demon’s body became engulfed in a powerful blaze. Even the eternally frozen ice floor of the Ice Castle was gradually beginning to melt.
Deathly Death, who was trying to close the distance to the demon, furrowed his brows as he pulled back.
“Ugh, I can’t go any closer! There’s fire damage coming from a certain distance!”
“Is it a pattern that prevents us from getting closer?”
Thump, thump! Whoosh!
“It’s a ranged projectile immunity judgment!”
The flames radiating from the demon enveloped the projectiles of the ranged dealers.
Chris’s order came down.
“From now on, don’t focus on the demon! Keep an eye on the combat area!”
This was a type of pattern that prevented them from dealing damage during the special phase. They had to execute a gimmick. What would happen if they failed? The magical energy the demon was gathering would manifest as total annihilation upon the party.
Woooom.
Chris’s predictions were spot on.
With a resonant sound, three ‘Lesser Demon Illusions’ appeared from three directions in the combat area.
If the Named Demon is placed at 12 o’clock, then they formed at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock.
In a moment of clarity, Chris made a decisive judgment.
“Deathly Death, take the one at 9 o’clock! I’ll take care of the one at 6 o’clock! Cherni, send the Spirit to the 3 o’clock demon! Bae Merong, keep an overall watch from the center!”
Tap, tap, tap!
Except for Bae Merong, Chris’s party members moved fluidly, each taking one illusion.
Bang, bang, bang!
The pattern of the illusions was very simple. It was the same as the mid-boss. They continued to unleash magic bolts. Chris’s party had no trouble tanking their respective illusions.
But.
“Our HP is at 20 million! It’s the same as the mid-boss!”
“This one doesn’t seem to be taking raw damage either?”
Hearing Cherni and Bae Merong’s voices, Chris seized the opportunity and executed a downing move on the illusion in front of her.
Much like the Named Enemy they just vanquished, if this one was afflicted with a debuff, it might perform a special gesture as well.
It could vanish entirely or vomit out objects used for the gimmick.
Tap, tap, tap. The talisman began to lodge around the illusion, forming a magical circle while the Yin-Yang orb circled around, targeting the lower body. The goal was to trigger a down effect through a ‘Status Effect Link.’
Boom! The talisman exploded, and the Yin-Yang orb swept past the illusion’s legs.
The demon’s illusion still stood firm.
“Status effect immunity!”
“It didn’t take the stun either! What should we do?”
Chris bit her lip and glanced at Deathly Death.
“For now, Cherni and Bae Merong focus your damage on the illusions that Deathly Death is handling! Keep the Spirit attached!”
Boom!
While the party’s damage focused on one of the illusions, Chris scanned the battlefield.
There were no special objects to be seen. Status effects were ineffective.
Could it really be the ideal strategy to defeat it with raw damage?
It was undoubtedly not the case.
Goooooo!
The Named Demon, gathering magic alone while spewing flames, made its move before Chris’s party could even deal with one illusion.
Pwaaaah!
A massive red sphere of magic formed in the demon’s grasp shone brilliantly. It soon fell into the central combat area, powered up.
Kwaaaaaaa!
Almost immediately, the entire combat area was engulfed in hellish flames.
The unending flames swallowed even the party’s protective skills.
Special phase, time over. Total destruction of the party.
“Ugh.”
“This is frustrating.”
“Rain handles it on the first try, but why can’t we?”
The members of Chris’s party, resurrected at the entrance of Area 2, began to complain.
“Well, this is normal. We need to unravel the knots one by one as we make attempts.”
Chris nodded her head.
Because of Rain’s overwhelming prowess, their benchmark has risen, but that doesn’t mean Chris’s party is slow at progressing. In reality, within the scope Chris knew, only Rain and Chris’s party have managed to clear the Level 1 Named Enemy.
“Even if an answer sheet was released through the stream Rain broadcasts, adapting to the patterns and breaking through the Named Enemy requires repetitive practice.”
“Whoosh, whoosh, I’m reminded of that guy who was like ‘It’s super easy, right?’ while drawing. It’s definitely not easy! Heheh.”
Bae Merong’s playful comment made Chris smile a bit.
Cherni peeked at Chris, opening a streaming site.
“I wonder how Rain is doing?”
“Hmm….”
Truthfully, Chris was very curious about that part as well.
No matter how Legendary the weapon was, this time would not be simple.
Rain’s advantage.
A crazy adaptability to land full damage against new Named Enemies at breakneck speed, evading the erratic patterns of multiple Named Enemies while dealing overwhelming damage with divine-like movements.
However, the ‘Lesser Demon’ was a single boss with familiar patterns for users.
A boss that diminished the advantages Rain had, plus the newly encountered special patterns. Would Rain be able to break through in one go?
Chris had complicated feelings.
A bit anxious, but also wishing to see it through herself out of pride.
In the end, she let out a sigh and turned on Rain’s broadcast.
“Let’s see what the answer sheet the teacher Rain is providing.”
“Cough. I’m definitely curious.”
The party members huddling together brought up the streaming screen in front of Chris.
Tatatatat!
The screen showing the entire Area 2 combat zone came into view.
A Named Demon gathering magic while spewing flames, illusions appearing from three directions, and at high speed, a silvery-white figure darting around.
The Named ‘Lesser Demon’ had its HP at 30%.
Chris groaned.
“It’s the special phase at 30%…!”
“Our party got wiped in the first special phase! How did we get past the previous special phase?”
“We’re about to find out.”
Deathly Death’s keen eye followed the white figure, Rain.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Dodging magic bolts from the approaching illusions, Rain quickly reached the first illusion. Immediately lowering his body, Rain kicked the illusion’s legs and swung his sword to slice at its lower body.
Thwack! Boom.
The downed illusion shimmered brightly before vanishing.
Chris was astonished.
“Wh-What!? When I did it, it had a down immunity judgment!”
“Wait, Chris. Do you see? The appearances of the three illusions are slightly different.”
“Ah…!”
The demon’s illusion currently sprawled and vanishing on the floor had thinner legs compared to the others.
Cherni and Bae Merong were left speechless.
“No way…!”
“They really do look different!”
Tap, tap!
After defeating the illusion at 3 o’clock, Rain immediately turned, executing a backward evasion. In a blink, he found himself in front of the illusion at 6 o’clock.
Gripping the shimmering ‘Astaroth’ with both hands, Rain delivered a powerful upward slash. Simultaneously, he crouched down, placing his hands on the ground, and with both feet, he kicked forcefully upward.
Boom!
The illusion that had been lifted into the air dissipated in a brilliant flash.
“This illusion is also slightly smaller. It seems to be lightweight enough for an aerial lift.”
Flash!
Before Deathly Death could even finish, Rain, glimmering with light, arrived at the illusion at 9 o’clock. He closed the distance using One Flash.
“Using backward evasion and One Flash as movement methods.”
“Since he’s soloing. In a party play, it would be ideal for each class to take on an illusion corresponding to their debuffing abilities.”
Gooooo!
Solo play. Time was definitely tight.
While Rain dealt with two of the illusions, the Named Demon continued to gather magic to its limit.
If even a little more time was delayed, the technique that wiped out Chris’s party would strike.
The last illusion was one with a slightly larger head. It probably needed to be stunned.
In order to get rid of the illusion, two stun techniques needed to be executed consecutively.
Two stuns were required, but the skills Rain possessed for stuns were limited to just ‘Pommel Strike.’
What would he do?
“Rain…!”
Chris held her breath, looking at Rain standing before the last illusion.
Tap!
Rain swiftly swooped in close to the illusion, hitting its abdomen with the hilt. Thwack! The Pommel Strike landed perfectly. The staggering illusion raised its hand to unleash magic. Woooom!
Tap. Rain slightly jumped into the air and elegantly spun, extending his legs outward. Boom! The illusion, struck on the temple by Rain’s kick, halted and subsequently faded away.
“It seems I’m better at kicking than Fighters,” Deathly Death remarked in admiration.
Virtual reality game, ‘Astria Online.’
Theoretically, it’s possible to create a status effect not just through skills but also by striking vital points directly with bodily movements.
However, that was just theory. To skilfully target vital spots in practice was not an easy feat, even for Deathly Death, who had boxing experience.
But Rain? He effortlessly targeted those vital spots.
As if it were a technique that he should be using.
Gooooo!
The red sphere of magic from the Named Demon had taken shape completely.
Rumble!
Simultaneously, a massive ice mirror emerged in the central combat area.
All illusions vanquished, objects appeared.
Rain hid behind the ice mirror.
Kwaaaaaa!
The magic sphere that then struck was absorbed by the mirror, transformed into cold, and shot back at the demon.
Fwoosh! Split!
With the absolute zero cold that extinguished even hell’s flames, parts of the demon’s body began to freeze. The demon’s HP began to decrease continuously.
As the ‘Frostbite’ state affected the demon, Rain’s starlight poured down.
The demon could no longer resist.
Whoosh.
Turning her back on the awe-struck group, Chris stood up.
Then, looking back at her dazed party members, she grinned.
“What are you doing? Teacher Rain showed us the answer sheet. We need to solve the problem!”