Chapter 51

“Hyahhhh!”

With a roar, I squeezed every ounce of strength in my body to endure the clash with the boss. Baedeokgae and Palgili were also gritting their teeth, holding their ground.

As if displeased with the situation, a new arm sprouted from the boss’s body. Naturally, that arm was holding a sword.

“——–!!!”

The boss let out a loud cry and raised a massive greatsword to strike. I quickly assessed the situation.

The boss’s HP was almost depleted. This was the perfect moment to deal significant damage. The “Clash” mechanic was in play.

No matter how I looked at it, this was the timing to clear the boss.

The problem was that everyone except me, Baedeokgae, and Palgili needed to deal damage to take down the boss. But right now, it seemed like we couldn’t block the next incoming attack.

‘We just need a little more time…!’

The three of us were holding off the boss’s attack, but we were slowly being pushed back. If the boss’s next attack came while we were barely holding on, we’d be wiped out in an instant.

Then it hit me!

In the middle of the clash, I twisted my body and the Tashim Sword. It wasn’t a perfect stance, but a black effect began to emanate from the Tashim Sword.

I had met the minimum conditions to activate [Annihilation Strike], Soma’s most powerful skill, and shouted:

“Parry!!!”

Kaaang!!!

Baedeokgae and Palgili, understanding my call, used their own skills and, like me, mustered their strength to deflect the boss’s sword and scythe.

“——-!?”

The boss, visibly flustered, was pushed back and combined all its weapons into one, raising it high above its head.

“…Ready!”

I raised the Tashim Sword over my right shoulder and prepared.

The three of us charged forward, kicking off the ground simultaneously with the boss.

In that brief moment, all the buffs from our raid members had been applied.

The massive greatsword that seemed capable of cutting through anything, my one-handed sword, Baedeokgae’s dagger, and Palgili’s shield clashed with the boss.

Kwaaaaaaaang!!!

A deafening sound echoed, shaking the ground as a storm raged.

The second clash.

Even with all the buffs, our HP dropped by 90% in an instant. The healers frantically poured out heals.

I checked the boss’s HP.

[Abyss Artamin]

[■□□□□□□□□□]

We had whittled down the boss’s HP to a level we hadn’t reached before. During its berserk phase, the boss went so crazy that we couldn’t deal proper damage.

But in the clash phase, except for those engaging in the clash, everyone else could focus on dealing damage, which is why the boss’s HP was dropping faster than usual.

‘We have to clear it this time.’

This was the best opportunity. If we missed this, it would take a long time before we got another chance like this.

The condition that the first person to be attacked by the boss during its berserk phase must parry the initial strike.

It’s a very tricky condition. Parrying itself is already quite challenging, and with our current gear, one person alone couldn’t hold out. At least three people were needed to parry.

We were incredibly lucky to have made it this far. Out of all the raid members, the boss had targeted me first.

And with Sunchoo’s help, Baedeokgae and Palgili had successfully parried with me.

That’s how the clash began, leading us to this point.

“We’re being pushed back…!”

As Palgili said, the boss’s attack was draining the HP of me, Baedeokgae, and Palgili, even with all three healers focusing on us.

On top of that, the healers were pouring out strong heals, causing their mana to deplete rapidly.

But the boss’s HP was dropping just as fast.

In this state, it was certain that the boss would die before the healers ran out of mana and we perished. But then, an unexpected situation arose.

When the boss’s HP dropped to 3%, a massive glowing yellow bag began to emerge from the giant cave where we were fighting.

Then, tentacles sprouted from the boss’s body and charged toward the bag.

“Sunchoo, block it!!!”

As soon as I saw the boss’s movement, I instinctively knew it would eat that bag to recover its HP.

Sunchoo, who had been attacking the boss, immediately turned and rushed toward the bag, clashing with the boss’s tentacles.

“Forced Clash Mechanic! We can’t do anything but hold out!”

Sunchoo quickly explained her situation.

‘Oh no, this is bad. Could it be…?’

As I feared, the boss’s tentacles didn’t stop at just one.

When another tentacle emerged, I shouted:

“Those with lower DPS, block the tentacles!!!”

After Sunchoo, the last remaining tank blocked the tentacle.

And so began the boss’s mechanic.

One by one, tentacles emerged, and raid members started blocking them.

The problem was that each time, our DPS decreased.

Only one person was left dealing damage.

The boss’s remaining HP was just 1%.

Every time the boss extended a tentacle, its attack power decreased, and there was no HP loss during the clash.

The issue was that all the healers had gone to block the tentacles, and the only pure DPS left, Mozzawaper, was frantically pouring out damage.

But even at 1%, the boss’s 1% HP was vastly different from any other monster’s 1%.

This damn boss pulled out yet another tentacle.

“Are you kidding me!? It’s still going!?”

Mozzawaper screamed in frustration.

The tentacles were getting thinner and weaker, but knowing that even one of them reaching that glowing yellow bag would heal the boss, Mozzawaper poured out every bit of damage, stacking DoTs and blocking the tentacle.

Now, only me, Baedeokgae, and Palgili were left holding off the boss.

“Kwararaaa!!!”

The boss, weaker than before, broke free from the clash and, with its last bit of strength, sent two feeble tentacles rushing toward the bag.

Having seen this tentacle pattern before, Palgili and Baedeokgae rushed to block them.

[Abyss Artamin]

[■□□□□□□□□□] (0.3%)

The boss’s body began to split apart. As its body crumbled, unable to hold together, the boss’s gaze turned toward me.

No, toward the massive bag behind me.

I couldn’t tell if this situation was something Leore had planned or if it was just a coincidence.

But it sure made this raid exciting.

The boss began to shrink, no longer able to maintain its massive form. But it wasn’t just shrinking…

It took on my appearance. The boss now looked exactly like me. Apparently, it transforms to resemble the last remaining player’s character.

“Wow! Two cute Arangs!?”

Ignoring Baedeokgae’s voice beside me, I prepared for the final one-on-one battle with the boss.

The boss now wielded the Tashim Sword, just like me.

Leore probably designed the final phase to match the last player’s job and its patterns.

In this case, it would use Soma’s skills. The same skills. The same height.

In that case, I absolutely wouldn’t lose.

The boss and I, now identical in appearance, raised our swords to our right shoulders in perfect sync.

The blades of both Tashim Swords emitted a purple glow.

Soma’s skill, reworked to allow five consecutive attacks with a single use—[Pentagon].

The boss’s [Pentagon] and my [Pentagon].

The trajectories of our [Pentagon] skills were identical. Purple light exploded in the cave as we executed the same attack, at the same timing, with the same trajectory, and the same effects.

The system AI had produced the perfect [Pentagon], and there was no difference between it and mine.

The crisp sound of two swords clashing echoed.

Our [Pentagon] skills clashed, sending both swords flying back.

This time, the boss and I moved in sync again. Soma’s charge skill, [Whirlwind], with its green light.

Our swords clashed, not deflecting but locking together in a cross.

In this situation, where even a slight loss of strength would mean death, the impact of our skills began to fade.

As the skills ended, it was now a pure close-quarters fight.

The moment the [Whirlwind] effect surrounding our locked swords disappeared, the boss paused due to skill cooldown.

I overlapped the cooldown of [Whirlwind] with the pre-cast of [Square Queller], naturally aiming my Tashim Sword at the boss’s body—!

Kang!

“Kuuoooooo!!!”

The boss roared and completely countered my [Square Queller] with its own [Square Queller].

‘Are you kidding me!?’

No matter how you look at it, this is insane. Even for a final season boss, this level of precision is madness.

My [Square Queller] was cast about a second earlier than the boss’s. Yet, the boss somehow managed to counter it entirely.

This is beyond human capability.

Oh, wait, the boss isn’t human… Did you think I’d say that!? In a one-on-one situation, if the boss can do that, who can win!?

I need to stay calm.

Looking at the situation now, the boss is mimicking my skills perfectly.

In that case, I can’t rely on skills. It’s all about chain attacks now.

Without skills, combat adjustments, forms, or techniques, just pure, savage chain attacks. The boss countered them all through the system AI.

‘This is seriously broken…!’

Our swords began to graze each other’s bodies.

More precisely, more decisively!

The scene before me slowed down.

The trajectory of the sword became clearer.

Gritting my teeth through the headache, I focused even harder to finish this decisively.

As the boss’s Tashim Sword aimed for my head, I used the crossguard near the blade to deflect the attack, twisting my hand to redirect it.

The boss’s Tashim Sword narrowly missed my right head and embedded itself in the ground. I stepped on it with my right foot.

The boss had a slight delay in retrieving its sword, and I used that moment to slash the boss’s neck with my Tashim Sword.

[Abyss Artamin]

[■□□□□□□□□□] (0.1%)

[Abyss Artamin]

[□□□□□□□□□□] (0.0%)

The boss’s body crumbled, and the message [Abyss Artamin] Cleared appeared, signaling the raid’s completion.

==

Later, I found out that the final one-on-one mechanic was designed to slowly drain the boss’s HP. If a tank or healer had been left to hold out, we could have cleared it easily. Realizing this, I couldn’t help but feel utterly dumbfounded…