Chapter 24

Amon was a very rational human being.

This was a natural characteristic of a veteran.

In speedruns or hardcore modes, a single mistake could send you back to the beginning.

Therefore, even if he had countless veteran tricks or bug exploits in his head, he wouldn’t attempt them in hardcore mode unless the success rate exceeded 80%.

He would save that section in easy mode, practice repeatedly, and only use the strategy when the success rate exceeded 80%.

This strategy of his was also applied in the first playthrough of a new series.

He wasn’t particularly fond of failure.

Before the vanguard’s strategy was revealed, he preferred to overwhelm the boss with sheer level rather than relying on numerous tries and precise controls.

He always entered at least 10 levels above the recommended boss level and didn’t even tilt his head until he had the final boss’s endgame set.

And this cautiousness only increased after the game became reality.

There were no saves, no revives, and no strategies, so it was only natural.

The reason he could bring down the Hixen Group in a single night while avoiding harm was because the success rate wasn’t 100%.

Only when the Hixen Group crossed the line and became desperate did he take the risk.

Invading Megacorp without knowing the strategy or being fully prepared wasn’t his style.

It was only because there was a relatively high chance of success by simply adding a spoon to the nuclear bomb the Hixen Group had created that he took action. He never jumps into a fight with less than a 50% chance of winning.

Moreover, Amon knew well.

How reckless it would be to challenge the dungeon boss who easily subdued the guards he couldn’t defeat.

How foolish it would be to attack without knowing the strategy or being fully prepared.

After all, the opponent is a dungeon boss.

Even if he doesn’t defeat them right now, they won’t run away.

Calmly exiting the dungeon, becoming stronger, and returning is a much safer and ideal solution.

But.

– Since the Goddess is an outdated coward, her apostles must be running away too.

Upon hearing words that should never be crossed, he changed his mind.

‘What kind of child would stand still while their parents are insulted to their face?’

Throughout history, insulting one’s parents is an unforgivable sin.

From the moment he heard those words, Amon had only one plan.

He would cut off that bastard’s head and hang it in the square as crow food.

That was the only thought in his head.

“The Lord wills it.”

In the midst of raging anger, Amon calmly assessed the battle with the dungeon boss.

First, his condition.

Although he was defeated by the Security Chief without being able to lay a hand on him, his eyes followed the Chief’s movements.

The problem was that he didn’t have a proper weapon due to the hasty infiltration and didn’t know any of the Security Chief’s patterns.

But now it’s different.

In his hand is the sword of the dead(?), or rather, the monster-transformed Security Chief.

The pattern…

‘Not certain, but it’s probably similar to the final boss of Punk City 1.’

More precisely, a downgraded version.

The summoning method is the same, and the appearance and manner of speaking are similar.

The amount of sacrifice is less, so the pattern might be more monotonous or weaker.

Something like that.

Reaction speed is at the minimum, the weapon is sufficient, and the pattern is known.

The conclusion is that it’s doable.

Of course, he didn’t confirm it.

If he were so confident and even one new pattern appeared, he could immediately log out of life, so he decided to only use it as a reference.

Amon observed the dungeon boss’s movements from behind the cross made of twin swords.

‘Don’t be mistaken.’

He is not a strategist, but a challenger.

He doesn’t know the boss’s patterns and has only one chance.

If he were a strategist, he would have rushed in first, valuing time.

He would have rushed in first, noticed the boss’s every finger movement and breath, and responded accordingly.

He would have optimized the route to the millimeter and squeezed in damage.

But a challenger doesn’t have that initiative.

A challenger must run away according to the boss’s patterns, attack only during safe times, and wait for the next pattern.

So Amon waited.

After all, it’s the dungeon boss who should be anxious, and that arrogant demon will show his hand on his own.

Sure enough, within a minute, the first pattern appeared.

As she gestured, Amon immediately rolled to the side.

Crack!

With the sound of glass breaking, a cross-shaped scar was etched where Amon had been.

‘Phase 1. Stigma pattern.’

Amon rolled twice more in that spot.

While avoiding the pattern, the thought that it was doable lingered in his mind.

‘Reactable speed.’

Check.

As he approached the boss while rolling, he swung his sword twice.

The sword bounced off with a clang.

It was a barrier.

At first glance, it was a disappointing result, but Amon took it as a positive sign.

‘If it wasn’t threatening, she wouldn’t have deployed the barrier.’

Moreover, it felt like the barrier had slightly weakened after one attack.

Equipment and strength are sufficient.

Without getting impatient, he stepped back and waited for the next pattern.

‘Don’t get greedy.’

No barrier has infinite durability, and time is on Amon’s side.

If he gets greedy and takes a hit, it’s Amon who will be in trouble.

The boss was puzzled by Amon attacking only twice and retreating, but continued the attack.

This exchange between Amon and the boss repeated several times.

The barrier broke, and Amon finally succeeded in wounding the boss’s palm.

‘Phase 2!’

As soon as he slashed her hand, Amon distanced himself.

Sure enough, the demon, enraged by the wound Amon inflicted, pulled out a staff and spoke.

“How sad. My wound. So I say, this is truly a trial. Must I endure this?”

Though spoken elegantly, the conclusion was that it hurt, she was angry, and now she was going all out.

That was the meaning.

Phase 2 began as she tapped the ground with her staff.

In response, golden light poured down from the sky.

At first glance, it seemed like a holy scene.

But Amon knew well that golden light doesn’t necessarily mean holy light.

‘If that’s the case, thermite can also be dyed golden.’

You can’t trust what you see.

If that were the case, a robber could wear a police uniform and use a police gun.

What’s important is the substance, not the holy effects.

After all, divine power isn’t exclusive to the holy.

Entities, demons, and even evil beings handle divine power under the name of mystic power.

They too can fake holy effects.

A golden light pillar struck where Amon had been.

Amon dodged, leaving behind a sinister, decaying mark.

‘If it were truly holy light, I wouldn’t have dodged.’

Starting with that light, Phase 2 proceeded in a holy atmosphere.

As if claiming to be a true saintess, the boss room transformed into a bright, white temple.

Grumbling about the blinding light, Amon swung his sword.

Clang!

The wall, invisible due to the white background, shattered.

‘Phase 2 is a bit different.’

The white wall pattern wasn’t used by the final boss.

If anything, it was a technique used by her mid-boss equivalent, the Four Heavenly Kings.

From the moment the white background took over, it seemed like a buildup, and sure enough, that pattern emerged.

‘Well, it’s reality.’

Unlike a game, there’s no reason to stick to predetermined techniques, nor would they avoid certain techniques for balance.

Even Amon was using a dual-sword technique exclusive to dual-wielding, and you couldn’t call that cheating.

With that thought, Amon danced around, dodging attacks.

While doing so, he occasionally slashed the demon’s flesh.

The peculiar thing was that the demon didn’t regenerate the wounds he inflicted.

At first, Amon was cautious of traps and didn’t act rashly, but seeing that the sword deeply cut the demon’s thigh without regeneration, he became confident.

‘She can’t regenerate.’

Most likely.

This was good news for Amon.

At least, it’s much easier to deal with than a regenerating enemy.

Amon calmly increased the wounds on the demon’s body.

The demon swung her staff, summoning pillars of light,

rained down a shower of spears from the sky,

and set fire everywhere, leaving no place to step.

But as Amon dodged all of this, she desperately created a blade of light at the tip of her staff and swung it.

But a magic-focused demon wielding a spear wasn’t much of a threat.

It would hurt if hit, but just dodge it.

Amon dodged even that and swung his sword at the demon’s neck.

“Ahhh!!”

“Tch. Missed.”

He aimed for the neck, but the boss dodged, and it missed by a hair.

It was a critical hit, but not enough to finish her.

The demon wailed, black blood pouring from her eyes.

“Ahh!!! Ahhh!!! Why are you taking the light from me! It’s the only thing I have left, why are you so cruel!!”

Mother! Mother!

The blind demon called for the Goddess.

She vented her resentment at the unresponsive Goddess, then turned her target to Amon.

“Ahhh! Amon!! Amon!! Why are you persecuting me!!”

It was an incredibly shameless statement.

She started the fight, even intending to kill, and now she’s playing the victim.

But Amon didn’t bother to argue point by point.

‘Shamelessness is a basic trait of demons.’

Amon kept his eyes on the demon.

He wanted to finish her by aiming for her neck, but seeing the black blood dripping, he lost the desire.

It wasn’t out of pity.

But judging by the black smoke rising from that blood, it was time for her to transform.

Amon wasn’t one to respect transformation manners, but charging in without knowing what she would transform into could lead to a blind, desperate attack that would send him straight to the grave.

The wait wasn’t long.

The black tears from the demon’s eyes covered her lower body.

The sticky black tears gathered, transforming her lower body into a long, black snake.

‘Good thing I waited.’

Her slime-like lower body oozed a thick black liquid.

The liquid corroded everything it touched.

If he had charged in, thinking her final form would be like the Antichrist, he would have been swallowed by that liquid.

Her lower body wriggled, sliding towards Amon.

‘Now she’s not even trying to hide it.’

Shedding the pretense of holiness, Phase 3 began.

Phase 3 was a transformation form he had never seen before.

But that didn’t give Amon a reason to give up.

He had already prepared for the reality to be different from the game.

‘No need to push too hard to attack.’

After all, entering Phase 3 meant she was also cornered.

There was no need to push aggressively; a defensive approach would suffice.

The problem was that without knowing the patterns, he couldn’t dodge all attacks, so he had to parry the monster’s spear.

If you ask if he had the reflexes and strength to block the monster’s spear…

‘He has to.’

If he doesn’t, he dies.

Amon calmly adjusted his grip on the sword.

He sheathed one of the twin swords and aimed at the demon with a single sword.

Soon, Phase 3 began.

The demon swung her spear.

Whoosh!

With a sound like air tearing, Amon was pushed back.

Amon quickly checked the condition of the sword he was holding.

He thought it would be sturdy since it was looted from the Chairman’s personal guards, but it held up better than expected.

The problem was that his muscles would give out before the sword.

‘It hurts like hell…’

Suppressing the searing pain, Amon blocked the next attack.

Clang!

This time, his arm went numb.

The only consolation was that the demon’s attacks were broad and not rapid-fire due to her blindness.

At least he had enough time to recover from the arm damage.

The demon, feeling impatient as Amon kept blocking her spear, gripped the spear with both hands and swung it hard.

As if daring him to block this.

But Amon didn’t block such a spear; he jumped or ducked to avoid it.

Thus, the fierce battle between the two continued.

The demon used magic while swinging her spear, but Amon distanced himself at the slightest hint.

Without eyes, she couldn’t use precise magic to hit Amon, only indiscriminately throwing magic in all directions.

Ironically, for Amon, such magic was harder to block.

Without patterns or knowledge, it was quite troublesome to dodge.

As a result, the magic that never hit him when she could see landed on Amon for the first time.

“Ugh!”

A blind laser burned Amon’s side.

A sharp pain ran down his spine.

The clothes he was wearing melted and stuck to his burned skin.

But he showed no sign of it and silently endured the attack.

Then, the moment he had been waiting for arrived.

The demon made a bold thrust.

Amon dodged to the side and stepped on the spear, preventing her from retrieving it.

“?!”

As the demon panicked at the sudden weight on the spear tip, Amon threw his sword at her.

Thud!

The sword embedded itself in the demon’s forehead.

She writhed in pain, but not dying from that showed she was indeed a demon.

Amon grabbed the spear under his foot and took it from the demon’s hand.

As her hand suddenly felt lighter, the demon reached out pitifully, but Amon felt no sympathy.

Amon’s divine power flowed into the spear.

The spear generated a much larger blade than when the demon wielded it.

Though she couldn’t see, the demon hesitated at the immense divine power, and Amon stepped forward.

“Go back to hell, demon!”

He slashed diagonally upward with the spear.

A trail of light was etched in the air.

The trail extended beyond the demon to the wall behind her.

The demon, struck directly by Amon’s slash, froze with a golden line across her body.

Amon silently watched.

Crack.

In that silence, cracks began to form along the golden line on the demon’s body.

[Kyaaaah!!]

With a final, undignified scream, she turned to ashes.

Only then did Amon confirm his victory and let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew…”

Having twisted his entire body to defeat the demon, the first thought that came to Amon wasn’t a sense of accomplishment or superiority.

The first thing that came to him was…

“Ugh… I need to calm this temper down.”

The post-rage clarity.

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