Chapter 29 – A Powerful Boss

Веsidе Аsuto, Amy trеmblеd.

It was onlу natural. Fоr Аmу, this hаd аll hаppеned within merе dаys оf hеr Аwаkеning.

Anуonе would reасt this wау upon sеeing а G-Rank Hunter hоlding his оwn—or more—agаinst а B-Rank Monster in just а fеw days.

“You’re a gеnius in сombat.”

“Nо, I’m not а gеnius.”

Аsutо shook his head.

If hе were а gеnius, hе could hаvе grоwn stronger withоut dying.

Bеcause he wаsn’t а genius, beсаuse hе had not а shred of talеnt, he соuldn’t grow without losing countlеss lives.

“If уоu’rе not а genius, then whо is?”

“…Whо knоws.”

When cаlled а gеnius, thе imаgе that саmе to Аsutо’s mind was that of the future Kanzaki.

Relying on no one, belonging to no Guild, she clawed her way up from the very bottom all alone, reaching the summit.

And even after reigning at the top, she never grew complacent or arrogant, continuing to seek greater power.

That, to Asuto, was a true genius.

But he had no obligation to explain that.

Keeping his mouth shut, Asuto drew his daggers.

In his right hand, he equipped the Black Steel Dagger; in his left, an iron dagger.

This style was something he had devised while fighting Normal Orcs.

Daggers are weapons meant to be wielded one-handed. As such, if a dagger becomes too heavy, it easily disrupts one’s balance.

So, in his other hand, he began carrying an iron dagger to serve as a counterweight.

And it worked well.

Having two daggers didn’t mean his number of attacks doubled.

But it made it easier to handle sudden counterattacks, and above all, it allowed him to split the enemy’s attention between both hands.

Asuto’s range of attacks had expanded.

The fact that he could improvise this mid-battle proved that Intermediate Dagger Arts was no ordinary Skill.

“Well then—”

His breathing was steady.

The fatigue from consecutive battles had faded.

His condition was perfect.

Asuto took one deep breath, then stepped into the Boss Room.

The Boss was an Orc Lord.

A Boss Monster positioned at the very top of B-Rank.

Its Physical Ability was several times higher compared to Normal Monsters.

Bosses are meant to be subjugated by Parties.

Even an A-Rank Hunter would not attempt to solo a B-Rank Boss.

Because a single small mistake could be fatal.

But there was no need to worry.

If Asuto had even a 1% chance of winning—he would absolutely win.

“——GRRRROOOOOAAAR!!”

The Orc Lord roared.

At that loud cry, his body trembled violently.

His heels, which should have been slightly raised, stuck flat to the ground.

(——A stun!)

It seemed the roar carried a Skill effect.

Asuto consciously moved his feet.

The Lord raised the massive battle-axe in its hands and stomped the ground.

——Thump!!

With a sound that seemed to tear the air apart, the Lord closed in with ferocious speed.

The highly raised battle-axe came crashing down toward Asuto.

At the last moment, he frantically rolled across the ground to evade.

The next instant—

——CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!!

The ground where the battle-axe struck spiderwebbed with cracks.

He could hear the sound of blood dripping from his head.

A shiver ran down his spine.

As soon as he got up, Asuto performed a Backstep.

Creating distance from the Lord.

“Gwaaaaaah!? What was that attack just now!? That’s insane! If that hit, you’d be dead! What are you gonna do!? You’re absolutely gonna die!?”

“Hey, be quiet.”

As Amy said, if the stun had lasted even a little longer, Asuto would have been turned into a cloud of blood.

Tremendous brute strength. Terrifying destructive power.

An ordinary Party would likely decide to maintain a safe distance and look for openings to strike.

But for Asuto, solo, there was only one choice he could make.

——Fight!

The opponent’s brute strength was terrifying.

But its attacks were visible.

His own speed was superior.

Disrupt with footwork, create an opening—and pierce with the Light of Mortality.

To that end, he had to keep attacking relentlessly.

——Fight! Fight! Fight!

Asuto heightened his concentration.

All sound faded away; the world contained only himself and the Lord.

“Haa…”

He inhaled and held his breath.

The next moment, Asuto stomped the ground with all his might.

In the blink of an eye, he closed in to the Lord’s chest.

The opponent reacted.

The battle-axe swung horizontally.

He crouched to evade.

The sound of Death passed right over his head.

In that opening, he slashed at the shin.

(Too shallow!)

It missed the line of light by a hair.

The Lord’s toes twitched slightly.

The nape of his neck prickled.

Following his intuition, he sidestepped.

The next instant—

——WHOOSH!!

The Lord’s foot passed through the spot where Asuto had been just a fraction of a second earlier.

Even this kick alone would be fatal to Asuto, who wore no Armor Gear.

He couldn’t afford to take a single hit.

(The lines of light are hard to see.)

Perhaps because the Boss’s vitality was too high, or because of the Level gap. Compared to a Normal Orc, the Mortal Light shimmering over the Lord’s body was terribly faint.

But when an opening appeared, the light grew stronger.

(The plan of attack remains the same.)

Create openings and sever the Mortal Light.

To do that, faster. More precise.

Facing death, Asuto’s gears shifted straight into top gear.

The world became frame-by-frame.

A very quiet world where he could even sense the opponent’s breathing.

Within it, Asuto continued to press his attacks against the Lord.

“Ooooooh!!”

If he yielded even slightly, he would be swallowed in an instant.

He rallied his heart, which threatened to waver.

The difference in physique between him and the Lord was more than fivefold.

The intimidation from that massive frame was overwhelming.

On the other hand, its blind spots were also large.

Shins, tendons, insteps, backs of knees, wrists.

While slashing at places the opponent disliked, Asuto consciously moved into its blind spots.

Annoyed by the continuous, pesky attacks, the Lord’s eyes began to glow red.

“Hsss…”

Asuto’s ears picked up a faint scraping sound.

The Lord puffed out its chest slightly.

——A roar was coming.

If Asuto, currently within the Lord’s range, got stunned, death was certain.

Even if he panicked and tried to create distance now, it would be too late.

In that case, there was only one thing to do.

(——Attack!!)