Tatata-tat!
“Craksas has fallen!”
“It seems the outer sealing magical circle has been released! Where are the intruders?”
From Area 2, the guards were extremely vigilant.
Whether the fact that Deputy Craksas had fallen spread within the territory or not, numerous Demon Elite Troopers began to move in search of the intruders.
“Hmm…”
I hid behind a supply box, lost in thought.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be easy to reach the Named Enemy Boss Room.
Should I advance while slashing through all the monsters and demons? That’s absurd. Even if I could, it might take me all day alone.
Despite the impenetrable guard stance, fortunately, most of the Demon Elite Troopers were moving toward Area 1.
Currently, the main guard, a regular Demon Soldier, was wandering around with a chimera that looked like a dog.
If they’re that level, I can quickly take them out before they call for backup.
Whoosh, whoosh.
I advanced stealthily, weaving between the boxes, just like I did in Area 1.
Peek.
As I slightly poked my head out from behind a box, I saw a regular Demon Soldier with a chimera. There were no other ones around.
The time given is short. In less than 10 seconds, I would cross paths with another guard. I have to take this one down quickly and move.
Tatata-tat!
“Huh, who’s there?!”
I quickly approached, and before the enemy could spot me, I executed a counterattack from behind.
As the moonlight flickered for a moment, the starlight slashed through the demon’s body.
Kugh!
Gruh!
The chimera, now without its master, charged at me.
Slash!
Grr!
Oh, it looks like a dog, but it really makes a dog sound?
Having dealt with the regular Demon Soldier and the chimera in an instant, I had no time to waste.
In just a few seconds, another guard’s patrol would pass this way.
I immediately shifted my body.
The storage area I had seen upon entering Area 2 was now within reach.
“Hmm…”
I arrived at what seemed to be a decent stone building, but how to proceed.
The Demon Lord’s Forward Base wasn’t just composed of barracks. There were warehouses scattered around for storing supplies as well.
However, the building I was facing didn’t look like a warehouse. This stone structure definitely looked out of place compared to the wooden warehouses around it.
A smell of food wafted from inside?
Sniff, sniff.
“Ugh.”
I grimaced at the scent.
It smelled like food, but something was off.
I had searched other warehouses once. There’s nowhere left where a Named might be.
Though the smell was unpleasant, I had no choice but to enter.
Knock, knock.
Steeling myself, I timidly knocked on the door.
In my hero days, my companions would usually do things like this for me.
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Can I come in…?”
“…Hehe, whoever it is, come in.”
A male demon’s voice came from inside.
Thank goodness. The demon inside seems to be friendly.
As I opened the door and stepped inside, I discovered the source of the scent.
Large pots were seen everywhere, bubbling with an unknown green liquid.
This scene was like…
“…A kitchen?”
“Oh, a human girl. The commotion outside about an intruder was you, huh?”
In front of me stood a male demon holding a dagger. Its shape resembled a chef’s knife more than a dagger.
His long ears reminded me of an elf, but his dark brown skin clearly indicated he was not just a simple elf.
A demon that looked like a dark elf, holding a kitchen knife.
So that demon is the cook?
He smiled and spoke to me.
“I heard Craksas fell. You may look small, but it seems you’ve got strong power.”
That guy was pretty strong too.
“I take on the role of the quartermaster here because I love cooking meals for our dogs. What do you think the ingredients for this dish are?”
“Gasp.”
I jumped back in place.
My eyes, trembling, shifted towards the pot behind him.
The bubbling object inside looked like the bones of a large mammal?
The demon in front of me revealed his teeth with a grin.
“Good cooking ingredients just walked in. I can treat the chimera to a special meal.”
—
Clank, clank, clank, clank!
“Hahaha!”
Galroban’s body moved swiftly side to side as he slashed repeatedly with the dagger in his hand.
I stepped back, calmly blocking his attacks.
His movements resembled an elf ranger, reminiscent of the ‘Orc Assassin’ from my past, a four-hit combo pattern.
In monster class terms, he too was an ‘Assassin’.
Clang!
Having blocked the final strike, I shifted to offensive mode. Lowering my stance, I executed a Starlight Slash towards him.
Swish.
“What?!”
His body became blurry, and my Starlight Slash cut through thin air.
Clang!
I quickly turned and blocked the incoming dagger.
Seeing that I had blocked his attack, surprise flickered in Galroban’s eyes.
But it was only for a moment; he resumed moving side to side and unleashing his combo attacks.
Just like with the Orc Assassin. This guy, appearing to be an assassin class, had rear ambush patterns as well.
His HP was lower than Craksas, but due to his swift movements, it was difficult to find an opening to attack.
Why is the kitchen guy so strong?
I grumbled internally while methodically blocking his successive attacks, searching for a chance to counterattack.
Clang!
The final strike of the combo.
Blocking it firmly, I decided to change my response to the next pattern.
Galroban’s body began to shimmer after finishing his combo.
Rear ambush pattern.
Before his form could completely vanish, I activated the skill I had prepared.
[Counterattack (D)]
[Can be used from ‘Sword Drawing Technique’]
[Seizes the opponent’s rear (Cooldown: 8 seconds)]
[Invincible while casting (D-rank)]
Swish.
Having used his rear ambush first, Galroban shifted behind me, and my counterattack, cast a moment later, moved me to Galroban’s rear.
Slash! BAM!
“Ugh!?”
Startled, Galroban turned to re-capture me as my Starlight Slash cut into his body.
Oh. It worked, just as I hoped.
It’s like those old cartoons where the protagonist fights in the afterlife. They keep teleporting around to strike from behind.
Even though he seized my rear first, my delayed counterattack managed to seize Galroban’s rear again.
Galroban’s rear ambush pattern was broken. With using the counterattack, I didn’t even have to turn around to block.
Boom, boom, boom!
Excited by the way the battle was unfolding, I used counterattacks whenever he attempted a rear ambush pattern, putting Galroban at my mercy.
Tat!
In the midst of it all, Galroban pulled back.
Hum.
Simultaneously, a small purple orb floated above his hand.
“What!?”
Special pattern?
I quickly checked Galroban’s HP again.
[Named Enemy]
[Level 33 Quartermaster Galroban]
[HP 2,471,120/2,610,000]
Not much time had passed since the beginning of combat.
It didn’t seem like a special pattern should come out now?
Just as I questioned, I began to focus on the purple orb floating above Galroban’s hand.
Fwoosh!
It soon shot towards me.
There was no way I could block that.
It might trigger a combo like with Craksas, but first I had to use backward evasion to see the next move.
Tat!
My body shifted backward from using the backward evasion, and the purple orb circled back to me with high speed from where I had been.
“Eep!”
Tatata-tat!
I dodged the purple orb that was chasing me.
Fortunately, the orb couldn’t approach me while I still had the speed buff from the backward movement.
Hum!
Just as the magical orb was chasing me, it suddenly shined brightly and hovered in place.
“……?”
I stared at it with a dazed expression.
It wasn’t chasing me to explode, it just hovered there motionless.
What does this mean?
But Galroban didn’t give me a chance to think.
Clang!
As soon as the purple orb stopped moving, Galroban launched his combo attacks again.
The battle dynamics continued without significant change. His rapid attacks filled with combos and rear ambushes continued to pressure me.
Even while calmly trailing Galroban’s movements and chipping away at his HP, I couldn’t shake off the mystery of the magical orb hovering in the air.
—
Before long, I discovered the true nature of that orb.
Boom!
My body rolled across the kitchen floor.
HP loss was significant.
Clang!
But I couldn’t afford to be in pain. I rolled and stood up without a moment to regain my composure as Galroban’s attack came crashing down.
Galroban smirked between dagger swings.
“How does it feel? My magic mine?”
Just as he said.
The magical orb exploded as I approached, inflicting massive damage.
I couldn’t activate the ‘Invincible’ state of the counterattack or backward evasion.
The orb detonated upon recognizing me within its explosion range. I tried to use backward evasion right before it blew, but the mine stopped detonating the moment it lost its target.
Now, within this kitchen, I could see dozens of magical orbs floating around.
There was literally no room to stand.
Movement was extremely restricted. Counterattacks had been sealed. I couldn’t find any opening to properly attack.
“I-I’ve gotta retreat for now.”
I cautiously began to maneuver my body between the orbs.
“Haha! Where do you think you’re going?!”
Clang, clang, clang!
Struggling to shift my body between the bounds of the magical orbs while barely blocking Galroban’s attacks, I managed to reach near the kitchen entrance.
“Ah, goodbye!”
Bam!
And then, I slammed the door shut.
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