The moment I had anticipated upon entering the boss room had finally arrived.
Just one chance.
I can defeat this thing.
The body of the ‘Nameless One’ transformed into Black Mist.
“He’s coming.”
The opponent’s ultimate technique.
Ten Thousand Shadows Kill.
What appeared to be a duplication technique at first glance was actually something different. Every assassin surrounding me was ‘real.’
How could a single assassin become many? Naturally, it didn’t make sense.
But ‘Nameless One’ made it possible. The level of an absolute expert who could alter reality. The one I faced was such a being.
“Honestly, what kind of C-rank dungeon does a creature like this spawn from?”
At least, he was humanoid and an assassin, which was why he was here — because a human-like body meant there could be an exploitable weakness.
A solid hit could work.
Puck.
“Aaaah!”
Small blades surged from all sides, piercing my heart.
Located in the left side of my chest, the heart ceased its function and spewed out blood.
“Laura, sir… Now’s the time!”
At that moment, the dozens of assassins surrounding me disappeared and only one remained. His skill Dispel had been countered.
I used Telekinesis to pull his dagger-wielding hand towards me. His blade passed through my chest and his hand pulled near my heart.
Restraining his arm, which could move freely earlier, was difficult due to the need to apply force in all directions. However, by applying force towards a single direction, I could hold him down far more effectively.
The assassin’s face betrayed confusion when his arm wouldn’t come free. I quickly grabbed and held his remaining free hand.
Now, one hand of mine remained.
The hand gripping my war mace.
He tried to wiggle free and attempted to convert back to Black Mist, but nothing happened.
“What? Why?! What sorcery is this?!”
I smirked.
“Your turn.”
I mercilessly smashed his head with the mace. Strike after strike until any semblance of a head disappeared.
Soon, a red jewel appeared at his chest. I reached for it.
The assassin, now encased in blue flames, turned to ash.
————-<Succession>————-
[Strength 113 has permanently increased]
[Agility 164 has permanently increased]
[Intelligence 040 has permanently increased]
[Luck 002 has permanently increased]
———————————–
————-<Conclusion>—————–
[You have defeated ‘Nameless One’.]
—————————————
“Khk.”
I collapsed on the ground. The wound from the assassin was severe.
Laura asked me,
“To give up your heart so easily is daring. Did you know you wouldn’t die?”
“Yes… Yongcheonhwa survived losing her heart too.”
To sacrifice the flesh but gain the bone.
It was my strategy to defeat ‘Nameless One’. Perhaps it was a bit reckless.
In a nutshell, when Laura merged with my body, I was no longer fully human. Half of my being transformed into dragon-like attributes, with my human heart coexisting with the Dragon Heart. The assassin didn’t realize this and stabbed only the left-side heart, which became his undoing.
“If only I could meet that Yongcheonhwa. I’d love to see her face.”
“I believe we will soon.”
‘Boss Mob of B-rank’, ‘Nameless One’, was too tough to defeat conventionally, so much thought went into it. So, this approach was devised — utilizing the fact that I had two hearts and could counter his skills.
Telekinesis was too weak for sustained combat use, so it was saved for the deciding moment.
Perhaps if these advantages had been exploited from the beginning, the assassin might have prepared sufficiently. However, revealing everything at the deciding moment left no time for reaction.
I struggled to sit up, retrieved and drank a potion.
Flesh grew over the pierced chest.
“Phew, I might live.”
The potion was excellent, but in the situation of a solo player like me during combat, it wasn’t possible to drink leisurely without inviting instant doom.
I sifted through the assassin’s ashes. My hand touched something.
A book and the dagger the assassin used.
<< Item Acquired >>
————-<Item>————-
Name:
Skillbook: Mist Shadow Martial Arts
Rank:
—C
Description:
Martial art founded by the prodigy assassin ‘Nameless Master.’
Effect:
Gain the skill ‘Mist Shadow Martial Arts.’
————————————-
————-<Item>————-
Name:
Dragon Sword
Rank:
114A
Attributes:
Strength 300
Agility 300
Luck 200
Description:
A sword rumored to be crafted by a legendary artisan. Its true power will awaken with increased affinity.
Effect:
Ignores the opponent’s armor.
XXX.
XXX.
———————————–
“Haha.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Armor Ignoring. Incredible against tankers who rely heavily on defense.
“But if it ignores armor, my bulletproof vest would have been ineffective anyway.”
A perfect bone-sucker.
Still, I had won, right?
With this op skill and item, I’ve now entered protagonist-tier.
The skillbook was in my hand, and Laura advised,
“Hold on. Can I analyze it?”
“Sure, why not.”
I tucked away the mace and grabbed the Dragon Sword. Something empowering flowed through me. Was it from the additional stats?
“Status Window.”
————<Status Window>————
Name:
n̶̡̡̛̟̠͈͎̟̍͜͝͡͠͠ṵ̢̭̲̋͒̓͊̀̒́͘͡l̴̳͙͓̞̻̝͇̥͆̋͂̉̕͡͠͠l̨̛̫̖̝͓̮̳͓͆̃̈̈́̈́͆̈̕
Attributes:
[Strength 914B] (+300)
[Agility 661B] (+500)
[ Intelligence 024C]
[Luck 149 F] (+200)
[Overall C]
Skills:
[Succession 811A]
[Dragon Heart — A]
[Telekinesis 623 C]
[Magic Imprint — B]
———————————–
With the 200 agility from the Leather of the Sage, and 300 agility from the Dragon Sword, a total of 500 points were added. Thanks to the items, my strength and agility are now A-ranked. Intelligence and luck are not so important, so calling myself an honorary A-tier isn’t too far-fetched.
“Hehehe.”
Can’t help but laugh.
I decided to exit the dungeon. With the boss defeated, it shouldn’t be difficult. Just retracing my steps.
*
Park Hayeon stared at the cold, empty seat across her dining table with a dull gaze.
It was now 8:30 PM. She’d prepared the meal and waited for Shinnoda nearly two hours ago.
The savory pork stir-fry and hot doenjang soup were now completely cold.
“Should I eat first…?”
She had sent text messages an hour ago but received no replies.
‘He didn’t miss them, right…?’
With no choice, Park Hayeon picked up her spoon and began eating.
Then sudden news flashed on the TV.
“<Gate Reappears in the Heart of Seoul!>”
The anchor announced the situation in an urgent tone.
“In the OO intersection of Seoul Special City, a gate has appeared for the first time in nearly ten years! With numerous citizens involved, according to eyewitnesses. A-grade heroes ‘Metal Man’ and ‘Office Lady’ are present but seem reluctant to enter. We now turn to an expert.”
An interview with a university professor was broadcast.
“Once an awakener enters a gate, limited entry times apply, and soon entry becomes impossible until the awakeners inside perish… Academia interprets this as evidence of the transcendent existence behind the gate…”
The screen returned to the gate emitting dark energy. The anchor spoke.
“Alright. Who will be the first hero to enter? Can the citizens be saved? Oh, we have breaking news. The identity of the awakener who entered is confirmed!”
A heavily distorted image appeared — a figure in a black robe.
Park Hayeon knew who it was.
“Dark Knight.”
The news anchor provided a brief explanation for those unaware of ‘Dark Knight’ and relayed the latest report.
“The notorious villain ‘Dark Knight,’ infamous for private penalties, has entered the gate. We will continue analysis with experts.”
In the newsroom, a former A-rank hero appeared, wrinkling his brow.
“To put it bluntly, while ‘Dark Knight’ is at best B-rank, it’s unfortunate to say that clearing a C-rank dungeon alone is near impossible.”
“Hmm… Is that so? Then what about the safety of the civilians who were dragged in?”
“Survival is unlikely.”
The anchor nodded solemnly. The former hero continued with contempt.
“An amateur with delusions like ‘Dark Knight’ is the most dangerous kind. If he had waited patiently for heroes, lives wouldn’t have been needlessly lost…”
“Ahaha… As this is a live broadcast, could you tone down your remarks a bit? Recently, there’s been considerable support for ‘Dark Knight’ online. It may be the time to remind netizens of the hazards of amateur vigilante actions.”
Sitting alone at the table, Park Hayeon murmured while eating the cold soup.
“Who exactly is ‘Dark Knight’?”
At that moment, the anchor excitedly flashed an image.
A figure in a black robe emerged from the black fissure.
“Breaking news! The dungeon has been cleared! ‘Dark Knight’ is coming out of the gate!”
