Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

Chapter 19

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*Step, step.*

I continued descending the stairs behind the corridor where the *Master’s Statue* had been.

After walking for about five minutes, I finally saw the end of the staircase.

Beyond that, a faint red glow seeped through.

"Huh?"

Until now, all the torches lighting up this tomb had been emitting a blue flame.

In the generally pale blue atmosphere of the *Lesser Demon’s Tomb*, that red glow felt out of place.

When I emerged from the long staircase, the ceiling suddenly soared high above me.

In front of me was a massive dome-shaped cavern.

And then, I realized the source of the red glow.

*Bubble, bubble.*

"Oh no."

A lava lake, simmering with bubbling magma, stretched across the far end of the dome.

The red light that illuminated the inside of the dome was coming from that magma.

There was lava beneath the desert?

Just how deep had I descended? Surely I hadn’t burrowed down to the Earth's mantle.

I shivered a little.

After dealing with that first named boss, I’d grown to really hate fire.

Judging by the look of this boss room, the final named boss might also use fire-based attacks.

"Ugh, I really hate fire."

I shook my head vigorously, trying to steel myself against the dread creeping into my mind.

Rain, you've come so far.

Once I clear this dungeon, I can sell the weapon I get and make tons of money, buying all the potions I want, and all the fancy outfits I desire. I’ll be living like a queen.

And of course, I’ll eat chicken every day. Gotta nourish my real body, too, right?

I could live the good life in *Astra Online*.@@@@

Thankfully, my greed sensor snapped me back into focus.

*Step, step.*

Feeling motivated again, I puffed out my chest and strode confidently toward the center of the dome.

*Step, step.*

However, the closer I got to the center, the more my body instinctively tensed.

*Step.*

Finally, standing at the center of the dome, I muttered nervously.

"I-I’m ready for the boss now."

*Bubble.*

The first bubble burst from the lava lake in front of me.

*Bubble, bubble.*

The once-quiet magma began to churn, forming a massive whirlpool.

At the center of the whirlpool, flames surged upward, and from within them, a massive shape slowly emerged.

It was... a demon.

A gigantic demon with a pair of enormous horns on its head.

It was even larger than the wyvern.

Chains as thick as tree trunks were tightly wrapped around its body.

There seemed to be some kind of magic enchantment on them because the pale blue glow they emitted prevented them from melting in the lava.

*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*

The demon, half-submerged in the lava lake, opened its eyes.

*Flash.*

Its eyes burned with fire.

"Wow."

Forgetting my fear for a moment, I stood there in awe, admiring the demon’s entrance.

The boss’s appearance was so epic.

This looks like something straight out of an old game. Didn’t *Snowstorm Studios* have something like this in one of their *Diablo* games?

This is supposed to be *Lesser Demon’s Tomb*, right? It feels more like one of the Four Heavenly Demon Lords.

Although, overall, it’s a little different from those classic games.

For one thing, its arms are massive.

The *Sealed Demon* would no doubt have its own special pattern.

How I handled that would determine whether I could clear the dungeon. I knew the time had come to focus closely on the demon’s movements.

And sure enough, it wasn’t long before the demon’s behavior changed dramatically.

*Flash!*

"Eek!"

Unlike its previous sluggish movements, the demon suddenly lunged forward with surprising speed, its massive hand opening wide to grab me.

But I had been keeping my eyes peeled, watching for any signs of a pattern shift, so I reacted perfectly.

*Tatat.*

I instinctively activated *Backward Evasion*, dodging backward as the demon’s hand grasped at thin air.

From a safe distance, I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

Whew, that was close. That could have been really bad.

What would happen if I got caught in that grip? Would it crush my bones? Would it toss me into the lava lake?

Either way, it was clear that my body wouldn’t be left intact.

But this wasn’t over yet.

I kept my sword ready, watching the demon’s next move carefully.

*Kaaahhh—!*

With a roar similar to the one it let out when it first appeared—

*Vwoom.*

The demon’s massive hand began to glow with a purple light.

The light soon took the shape of a sphere.

"That... that’s—!"

My jaw dropped.

I’d seen this kind of purple sphere before.

It was an energy orb imbued with the dark magic of the demons from the *Astra Continent*.

The purple sphere, brimming with dark power, shot toward me at incredible speed.

"Weren’t you supposed to be sealed!?"

It’s a *Sealed Demon* for crying out loud!

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

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*Thump, thump.*

"Th-there’s a ranged magic pattern?"

I sat down at the stairs leading to the entrance of the dome, trying to calm my racing heart.

Luckily, I had anticipated the special pattern and positioned myself near the stairs, ready to run. If I hadn’t been prepared, that vicious attack would’ve killed me instantly.

Unlike in most games, I couldn’t just take the hit and then think, "Oh, now I know what to do next time."

Pain in this game felt very real

.

And I really didn’t want to feel it.

Trying to block that attack wasn’t even an option. Judging by the mechanics, it was probably similar to the *Black Wyvern*’s scale attack.

*Thud! Thud!*

Frustrated, I kicked the stairs a few times.

"Why doesn’t the swordsman class have any ranged defense skills?"

A mage’s *Mana Barrier* or an exorcist’s *Protection Talisman* could probably block it.

Maybe the swordsman class would get a ranged defense skill later at higher levels, but for now, I had no way to counter it.

I propped my chin on my hand, deep in thought.

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[Backward Evasion (E)]

[Dodge backward quickly, avoiding all forward attacks (invulnerable during cast)]

[Cooldown: 8 seconds]

[Increases movement speed for 5 seconds after activation]

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The invincibility during *Backward Evasion* had been a lifesaver against the *Black Wyvern*’s breath attack.

That invincibility probably worked against any attack pattern in *Astra Online*.

Should I save *Backward Evasion* for the magic attack?

But what about the grab pattern?

There was about a 5-second interval between the demon’s grab pattern and the magic sphere attack.

If I used *Backward Evasion* to dodge the grab, the cooldown would still have 3 seconds left when the magic attack came.

"Hmm..."

There had to be another way. I just couldn’t think of it right now.

There had to be another method to avoid that grab pattern.