Chapter 92

Chapter 92

[What do you think you’re doing, rookie! You’re following me!]

Came Luna’s panicked telepathic voice.

A voice that was clearly in shock.

She was obviously worried about my safety.

This is weird, I thought. This person is the head of a criminal organization.

She must have a story.

Not every villain has a backstory, but I’m pretty sure Luna does, at least, because I’ve already filled in some blanks.

For example, the murder of the Empress.Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

Even though Luna is the head of a criminal organization, it still felt like an abrupt development.

Also, with the Inner Lunatic becoming a reality, these flashbacks are very important.

It’s entirely possible to come to certain conclusions based on information that I didn’t discover while playing the game.

But in the meantime, I’m constantly looking for opportunities.

Even at this very moment, several simulations are playing in my head, interrupted and repeated.

What would be ideal?

How should I fight to defeat the enemy, what are the weaknesses of Paimon?

Am I really missing something?

I looked at Paimon, trying to stall for time.

“I heard you were one of the weaker demons sealed by your father, and from what I’ve heard, you’re not even worthy of the title of Grand Duke.”

[...That’s a funny thing to say, on a childish topic......!]

Pajik-!

Immediately, a tendril sprouted on Paimon’s forehead, revealing his emotional agitation. As expected, he’s overly emotional, just as he was described in the game.

I need to take advantage of this.

But first, and most importantly, I need to learn my enemy’s stats and counter them. I quickly use Insight.

__________________

[Basic Info]

Name: Paimon

Gender: Male

Age: ???

Race: Demon

Primary Element: Fire

Achievements: [72 Demons]

[Traits]

Positives: [Mana-sensitive genius] / [Speculative] / [Robust]{1}

Neutral: [Pure Evil]

Negative: [Cruelty] / [Madness] / [Murderous] / [Supremacism]

[Stats]

Physique: 23

MP: 29

Luck: 6

Willpower: 27

Charm: 16

[Skills].

Passive Skills: [Pyrotechnics].

Active Skills: [Karmic Flame] / [Catastrophic Flame] / [Condemnation]

__________________

As expected, his stats and skills surpass every other villain I’ve encountered so far. No wonder. I’ve only encountered demons so far.

Aside from low-level demon imps, I had never encountered a ‘real’ demon.

Calmly, but quickly, I analyzed the creature.

Basically, its stats are quite a bit higher than Noah and Luna’s, and its skills and talents are not negligible.

His Ability [Karmic Flame] is the same one I blocked earlier, a straight line of life-draining fire.

[Catastrophic Flame] is a dot-damage skill that explodes on the target directly hit by the attack. It’s random, but dangerous.

In the case of [Condemnation], you attack your foe with a sword made of flames.

A bunch of monsters, all of them. In Inner Lunatic, we call such monsters Archdukes.

The problem is, I’m fighting one right now.

Shit.

(jegilal)

‘Besides, Professor Lars’ thesis hasn’t been published yet. I can’t risk my life fighting him without the proper equipment.’

Actually, Luna and Noah should have no trouble taking down a single Paimon.

Based on the source material, this makes sense.

The difference in stats isn’t that extreme, and it’s all about numbers.

Plus, Paimon was always weakened.

This means that he should be reduced to ash without being able to fully utilize his power.

[A large impact shakes the attribute ‘Master of Acting’].

Even the [Master of Acting] is shaken.

I focused my mind to the limit and parried his attack with my sword.

His sword, which had already reached the ground, sent me stumbling back a couple of steps.

But he doesn’t panic, just smiles.

‘I’m not at full strength yet, and he doesn’t know the full extent of my skill. His greatest talent is magic.’

Even if I use a sword, it’s made of magic.

So he has no idea how far I’ve come in swordsmanship. Nor does he.

Theo von Reinhafer.

Paimon who has seen with his own eyes the power of the sword that once sealed him. That’s why he’s keeping me in check.

‘I can do it.’

Even if it’s a crapshoot, even if the odds are close to zero, I repeat to myself.

‘I can do it.’

I may be a cub, but I’m a tiger cub.

My damn father is a villain, but that’s reason enough for him to fear me.

‘I can do it.’

I smirked, tensing my sword, and looked him in the eye.

“So that’s all the power you have. What difference does it make?”

I taunted, pulling back as hard as I could. Watching his sinewy expression, I lighten the load of my power.

I can change the trajectory of the attack at any moment.

For now, this is the best way to stall.

Paimon bursts into laughter.

[You... you’re such a trickster. Did you think you could bide your time against me...? Did you think you were your own father...?!]

-Your opponent grants you the negative trait [Fear].

[You’re welcome, your father was many times stronger than this...! Even he couldn’t kill me, only seal me... you will be crushed in an instant!]

I gripped my sword tightly.

“That’s something you won’t know unless you try.”

-Positive trait [Steel Mentality] negates negative trait [Fear].

“I don’t want you to forget that I’m here, Paimon.”

With Luna joining in, the battle began.

After about five minutes of hand-to-hand combat, Noah pulled out his freezing magic. With a crackle, the area around us froze completely.

Luna and I bided our time, deflecting and parrying Paimon’s swords again and again.

‘Curses....’

(‘Cheuk...’)

Of course, my body can’t be normal. I’m already reduced to rags, and I’m coughing up a steady stream of blood.

My blue school uniform, which symbolizes the old-fashioned aristocracy, is stained with blood.

My wounded left arm is tied up with my already torn shirt to stop any more blood from escaping the wound. Expensive uniform, but what the hell. Shit.

My vision is blurry like a firefly.

Despite my vision being as blurry as a broken streetlight, I keep swinging my sword, thinking about my only chance of defeating Paimon.

The one person who hasn’t woken up yet, and I’m calling out to her desperately over and over again.

‘Damn it... it’s time to wake up. I have my limits.......’

You can sleep later, but please wake up soon.

I’m at the end of my rope.

‘Marin.’

I stared at the demon with venom in my eyes as he grinned and swung his sword at me.

‘Whether you are an Extra or not, prove it here.’

Even if she was an Extra, even if she was dead and gone from the game. I hope she’s not dead.

‘No, it’s ridiculous to hope.’

This isn’t about personal feelings.

She deserves to live.

She deserves to have a life of her own.

[The artifact ‘Stormbringer’ has drained your magic to the limit!]

[You have no mana left in your body].

[Caution! Replacing your energy, your life will begin to rapidly decrease!]

I ignored all the messages I heard.

At that moment, I remembered the detailed backstory of Marin that I had heard from Luna not long ago. Perhaps a single trauma that caused her to mishandle her powers as a Mermaid.

Perhaps she would have to overcome it before she could awaken.

But depending on when that happens, everyone here could die.

With that thought in mind, I stared at the filthy boss mob with three shields in front of me.

Why the hell am I holding on to this bullshit?

I cleared my throat with a harsh breath as I slashed at the creature with another swipe. Because it’s the only option I have right now.

{1} : 강강약강/gang-gang-yaggang : strong, strong, weak?