Chapter 10

Hiro dashed toward the boss monster, intending to launch a direct attack. Desmodus did the same; the monster let out a loud hiss as it dashed toward him.

And thus, the real fight between Hiro and the [Dark Forest Dungeon] boss began.

Whoosh!

Splat!

Hiro’s blade managed to slash through the monster’s chest, causing a slimy green liquid to gush out from the long streak that spread to its sunken belly.

However, as he had to advance to injure the monster, Hiro couldn’t avoid the creature’s sharp claws attacking his left shoulder.

[Health -550]

Fortunately, the pain wasn’t really unbearable.

He had no plans of giving the monster a break. Now that he had gone so far, he didn’t want to waste any time.

Hiro pointed the tip of his blade at the bat monster and held it for a second while Desmodus was still groaning from the wound he received.

“Release!”

Whoosh!

Hiro swung his sword swiftly. After using the Aspd-enhancing skill card from the Garden Golems, his attack speed increased drastically, his Aspd currently standing at 69%.

Without an ounce of mercy, Hiro slashed the monster’s body from every direction.

Splat!

[5x Hit Combo] [Health -1,000]

Splat!

[6x Critical Hit Combo] [Health -2,000]

Splat!

[7x Critical Hit Combo] [Health -4,000]

He was pretty satisfied seeing the damage numbers he inflicted on the monster.

“Hyatt!!”

The monster didn’t move an inch. After all those, all it did was try to block Hiro’s sword slash by covering its face and the front of its body with the backs of its arms. Even so, it was in vain; instead, its hands were torn apart by Hiro’s slashes.

Meanwhile, Hiro saw that his HP was still full and kept blinking. The lifesteal he got from his passive skill [Bloodsteal] worked well. As long as Hiro dealt damage to the enemy, his HP would continue to increase by 5-8% of the physical damage he dealt.

Shh!

Hiro stopped his attack just as his Energy reached 0/100. Attacking with the combo skill drained his energy quite fast. However, Hiro didn’t care anymore.

[Energy Potion has been consumed.]

After drinking the energy potion, Hiro’s body felt refreshed and his energy became full again. The taste of the potion was easy to accept as it tasted similar to the energy drinks he would often buy in the real world.

Desmodus was beginning to get furious. Suddenly, his arms deformed and returned to their previous form.

However, due to the heavy injuries it sustained, the wing membranes appeared to be hollow, preventing the monster from flying properly.

“What are you doing, you brainless boss!” Hiro mocked and laughed at Desmodus, who was flying low with difficulty.

Whoosh!

The monster suddenly shot toward Hiro like a rocket with its head as a weapon. Hiro, who didn’t have time to dodge, could only block the attack by using his greatsword’s wide blade.

Bang!

A violent collision occurred. Fortunately, Hiro was still strong enough to withstand the monster’s push, his feet only having shifted slightly from their place.

“Is that the only thing you can do, Desmodus?”

Clank!

Hiro knocked the Desmodus boss down hard. After some resistance, the boss was quickly thrown back.

Its wings had become too weak to use.

Ding!

[The Boss’s HP has been revealed.]

[5000/15,000]

‘So, it needs to be dying first to reveal how much health point it has, huh?’ he inwardly complained.

Hiro had already jumped forward again when a new notification popped up.

Ding!

[The Boss is starting to charge.]

[Prepare for the Ultimate Skill.]

“I won’t let it happen!”

Splat!!

Hiro mercilessly slashed the boss’s body in its charging phase with his greatsword, slashing from all directions at full speed without pause. He knew that ultimate skills could be canceled, and the best time to cancel them was now.

Splat!!

[5x Critical Hit Combo

BOOM!

A huge wave of air suddenly shot out from the boss’s body. Hiro was thrown back together with his sword, and his ears buzzed loudly.

When Hiro managed to land perfectly, he looked back at the dungeon boss. Desmodus’ body had been completely torn apart by his sword.

Ding!

[NightFall obtained Batarang (Level 15) – Tier A.]

[Liberty obtained [Bat Wings (Acc)].]

When Hiro looked toward the two girls, the magic ropes that bound Liberty and the little girl by her side had disappeared.

It seems that these things disappear after the dungeon boss is defeated.

Hiro smiled upon seeing Liberty free. The girl also seemed happy. She immediately ran over and suddenly hugged him tightly, startling Hiro and even causing him to suffocate a little.

“Hiro! You really are a hero! You saved me!”

Hiro looked at Liberty’s tail wagging with joy. Again, it looked so soft and fluffy that he wanted to catch her tail and squeeze it, but Liberty suddenly let go of her hug and pushed him away.

“Ah, I forgot! The little girl!”

Liberty immediately left Hiro and returned to the girl she wanted to save.

Hiro only smiled from afar. He felt that Liberty was overreacting a little. The girl they saved was of course an NPC, but Liberty asked about the girl’s condition attentively, even bending her body to match the young girl’s height.

‘Is she always like this when she plays games? So immersed in the game’s storyline.’

Hiro walked over to Liberty and the NPC girl he had just saved. As Hiro approached, the young girl suddenly jumped into Hiro’s arms while saying thank you.

“…?”

Liberty also seemed surprised by the girl’s reaction. A moment after, she quickly pulled the little girl’s body to let go of him and succeeded.

“What are you doing?” Hiro asked, confused by Liberty’s sudden annoyance.

“I saved her too, and yet…”

It seemed that she was annoyed that she didn’t get a hug while he did.

Hiro suddenly felt his heart struck when he saw Liberty pouting. His hand reflexively moved to stroke the top of Liberty’s head between her pointed ears and pet her like a puppy.

“Good job, Liberty. You saved her.”

Liberty’s face turned red and she immediately pushed Hiro’s hand away.

“Aaahh, your hands are dirty, Hiro!”

Hiro couldn’t help but grin while examining his really dirty hands. His blood, Desmodus’ slime, and earth were mixed altogether.

Meanwhile, with the boss defeated, light from who-knows-where shone into the forest area, dispelling the previously eerie darkness. The three of them were able to walk back to their starting place to meet NPC Ron easily.

Ding!

[Congratulations! NightFall’s Party: NightFall, Liberty has successfully cleared the rare quest [Lost Girl].]

[Untradeable Item [Special GPS System] has been awarded to NightFall and Liberty.]

The notifications didn’t appear in Hiro’s HUD as usual. Instead, the notification appeared in the form of billboard-like writing moving in front of Hiro, Liberty, and all other CBT players who were in the game at that time.

It was a global announcement, and Hiro couldn’t wait to get the system to announce his name again soon.

Hiro checked his inventory.

[Batarang (Level 15) Tier A, a roughly bat-shaped throwing weapon. Can be used by all job classes.]

“…”

“Not bad.”

[Balance 3,250LSC]