Chapter 4

[Field Boss]

In Leore, the Field Boss is a bit different from the bosses in other RPG games.

As the name suggests, it’s a boss that’s out in the field. It’s so strong that it can be compared to a Raid Boss. The difference is that there’s no limit to the number of players who can join.

Raids are usually done with 20 players, but for the Field Boss, anyone nearby can enter the Field Boss area.

The Field Boss is special because it’s in a level-restricted zone, meaning no matter how high your level is, it will be adjusted to the Field Boss’s level.

That’s why, no matter how high your level is, you can’t kill the Field Boss in one go.

Streamer Kang Hangeul came down from the higher-level area to the lower-level area to take on the Field Boss, the Orc Chieftain.

Of course, it was for content, and he planned to broadcast clearing the Orc Chieftain with just 5 players.

So far, the smallest party to defeat the Orc Chieftain was 6 players, and he was heading to the Orc Chieftain’s location to break that record.

[Thank you for the 5000 won donation, ㅇㅇ님.]

-Is it possible with 5?

“I think there’s a 99% chance of success.”

-But that Raid Party had 6, right?

-It seems like there’s no healer, can the healing be managed?

-Theoretically, if you parry all the attacks, one healer could handle it.

-Make sense.

-What kind of nonsense parrying is that?

[Thank you for the 5000 won donation, ㅇㅇ님.]

-Another parry fanatic here.

“That’s right. I’m going to parry.”

-Wow. Kang Hangeul has finally lost it lol

-LOL parrying? Crazy.

-Now that I look, there’s one one-handed sword user.

-So are the two of them planning to parry?

Parrying.

Parrying is deflecting an attack with a weapon or shield by timing it right.

It consumes much less health than just blocking with a weapon or shield, and if you time it perfectly, there’s no delay, making it a great method.

The problem is when you fail.

If you fail to parry, you have to take the attack head-on. While it’s fine when hunting regular monsters, in a Raid situation, the damage can be fatal, making things tough.

Moreover, if you parry at a bad time, you can get knocked back or suffer a delay, leaving you defenseless against the next attack, so failing a parry in a Raid often leads to death.

That’s why usually, multiple people parry at once to reduce the delay, or a sturdy tank blocks the attack with a shield.

Even the top veterans in Leore rarely use parrying in Raids unless it’s a specific parry pattern, and even then, it’s mostly used when hunting regular monsters.

“Hey, who do you think I am? Plus, Demok is here this time.”

-Demok? That one-handed sword master?

-Wait, are the two of you really planning to parry? Can you handle the delay?

-It feels like the damage will be lacking from the start.

-Who’s doing the damage?

-This is 100% going to fail lol

“Whoa!!!”

As we got closer to the Field Boss, the Orc Chieftain’s roar signaling the start of the battle echoed through the field.

“Huh? Is there another team here?”

-Huh? For real.

-There was no mention of a Raid Party in the forums.

-Maybe some clueless newbie joined? LOL

-Probably? LOL

One of the bosses newbies in Leore underestimate is the Field Boss. In other games, Field Bosses aren’t that significant.

But in Leore, the Field Boss is more like endgame content, testing your skills, and it’s a Raid that newbies absolutely can’t clear.

Of course, with level adjustments, it’s possible, but you need a perfect Raid Party and composition.

“Should we go check it out? If it’s a newbie, we should help them right away.”

-Let’s go.

-Another newbie’s head is about to roll.

As soon as we arrived at the Orc Chieftain’s location, we saw a young girl who looked like a middle schooler charging at the Orc Chieftain.

“Ah!”

-Oh, one more for the Orc Chieftain lol

-LOL for real, it’s a newbie.

-See you later, another mosaic incoming~

Everyone expected the young girl to be sliced by the Orc Chieftain’s massive axe, but what happened next defied all expectations.

Clang!!!

A sound everyone recognized.

The Orc Chieftain’s axe swung upward, and the young girl was pushed back.

“Parrying…?”

-??

-What? What did I just see?

-What the hell?

-Is this a prank?

It wasn’t a perfect parry, but it was recognized as one. The fact that a single player parried a boss’s attack was unbelievable.

The level and nickname above the young girl’s head.

Level 5, Arang.

A young girl with a level that didn’t match the boss’s level and a nickname that looked like her real name had countered the boss’s attack with a parry.

An attack that should have killed her in one hit left her with half her health.

If this had happened in a Raid, everyone would have cheered and covered for her, but the girl was alone.

As Kang Hangeul was about to move to help the girl, she narrowly dodged the Orc Chieftain’s attack.

-Is what I’m seeing real?

-Is that a regular Orc, not the Orc Chieftain?

-Can’t you see the red name above her head? Are you blind?

-Wow…

-Crazy.

The young girl was fighting the Orc Chieftain one-on-one. And it was evenly matched. In a fight where even a single mistake isn’t allowed, the girl dodged every attack with no error and dealt damage.

Perfect timing for attack delays and cooldowns. Moving as if she could see the attacks, and landing every damage catch without fail.

“Is she even human?”

Even I only have about a 50% success rate when trying to parry regular monsters. Against a boss, it’s less than 10%, but this young girl hasn’t failed a single parry.

And then.

Clang!

A crisp sound.

A perfect parry. As soon as she was knocked back, the girl charged in without delay and, after a few attacks, finally decapitated the Orc Chieftain.

-???????

-She did it alone? Is that possible?

-Is she an NPC?

-Can’t you see the color above her? She’s a player.

-Is that even possible? A solo clear?

-Theoretically, yes.

-I’m theoretically possible too;;

-What the hell, crazy.

After soloing the Orc Chieftain, the young girl jumped around happily like a child and then logged out, disappearing.

“Ah.”

==

As soon as the Orc Chieftain was defeated, Anna called.

As soon as I pressed the logout button, everything went dark, and I felt like I was sinking into the depths of the ocean before a bright light hit my eyes.

It was the ceiling of the hospital room I had seen earlier.

“Ah, Arang…”

Turning my head at the familiar voice, I saw Arang’s parents with worried and emotional faces.

“Uh, Mom, do you recognize me?”

“…Yes.”

Still unfamiliar with Arang’s emotions, I answered as if a doll was speaking.

“Ah… Thank you. Thank you. Thank you…”

Arang’s mother hugged me and cried, while her father stood behind her, tears streaming down his face as he looked at me.

Now that I’m Arang, my parents. They’ve been through so much because of Arang.

If my parents come by, I should at least talk to them.

“Arang, did you like the game you played this time?”

After calming down a bit, my mother gently stroked my head and asked.

Arang, who had lived without emotions for so long, seemed to have come alive after playing Leore, so they must think highly of the game.

Well, since I don’t have much aversion to games, they must have spent a fortune to get this end-of-life access device.

Nod.

“Really? That’s good. I’ll put some allowance in the access device. You can buy whatever you want, okay?”

Nod.

My mom is the best.

“But can you stay with the family today?”

Nod.

“…Yes.”

I thought we’d go home after agreeing to stay with the family, but they said I couldn’t leave the hospital room because of the unpredictable illness.

I don’t know why, but I know my current condition is perfectly healthy. But no one else knows that.

Future medical technology is advanced, so my body is free of impurities, and the end-of-life access device allows for nutrient intake, so theoretically, I could play games 24/7 in perfect health, but they don’t know that…

Anyway, as I was being cared for by my family, various conversations happened…

I started to understand a little why Arang died.

I realized for the first time how inconvenient it is to not have limbs. I didn’t notice it because I kept moving my body in Leore.

As I kept moving around in my parents’ and Anna’s arms, all I could do was turn my head and wiggle my body.

‘At this point, I’m more like a doll than a person.’

After about an hour in this situation, Arang’s emotions started to rise strongly.

Even if I didn’t want to, my emotions felt like they were being pulled into the depths of the ocean. The feeling of coming out of the access device into reality grew stronger.

My senses started to fade, and my body didn’t respond as I wanted. It felt like I was trapped inside a doll.