Helperth was a demanding opponent.
The toughest one I’ve faced so far.
“O light, come to me.”
As soon as Helperth’s voice sounded, I took a step back. The moment he started speaking and moved, a faint gleam of light enveloped his greatsword—a kind of skill that each boss character possessed.
Since it was a new skill pattern that I’d never seen since the fight began, I decided to hang back for a moment to respond cautiously.
Helperth’s next attack came swiftly—the greatsword swung with ferocious momentum. However, it was within reactable speed, so I attempted parrying without hesitation.
Ugh!
Instead of the sharp clang of metal that I expected, a groan slipped through as my warrior rolled across the temple floor.
“What is this? A parry-impossible attack? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
[dddd It seems like we have to dodge no matter what.]
[New pattern]
[If the parry backfires, won’t that reduce stamina?]
[Is it because the blade is on fire?]
“It seems to be due to the fire. This game mostly relies on parrying, so there’s no reason it should fail continuously. This skill probably has a duration, so if we avoid it until it fades, that should suffice.”
The pale light clinging to Helperth’s weapon gradually turned into a blazing white flame—the sacred flame often used by clerics. It was the exclusive tool of the Inquisition, used to judge wrongdoers.
<GrandmaCartOverturnedByMollu has donated 10,000 won!>
—Mollu purified by the sacred flame… shouldn’t you behave better?
[Devil-like Lian…]
[It’s odd that she isn’t purified.]
[Mamma Tong suggests she might be a succubus?]
[Oh dear]
[Goodbye, lol, the manager is here]
[When did they come?]
[I didn’t notice because they were silent.]
With the introduction of the flames, Helperth’s attacks weren’t as sharp as before, giving me enough breathing room to evade. As the flames gradually faded from the sword over about twenty seconds, I watched for the right moment. The moment the fire dissipated, I quickly charged in, landing two slashes.
Looking at Helperth’s health bar, there was still an enormous amount of HP left.
“His HP is insane.”
Better to reduce the health pool and make the patterns more challenging. The way things were going, all this would do is extend the clear time.
Someone once said that combat was akin to turn-based games. Since I had just attacked Helperth and moved in close, it was now Helperth’s turn to counterattack.
Whoosh!
The air wailed.
The heavy greatsword swung by Helperth sliced through the air, cutting it with such velocity and force that instead of a slicing sound, it emitted a deep whoosh, like a cannon firing.
No warning, just a swift and lethal attack. Most people would have fallen victim to such an unexpected strike—but I managed to evade.
Since parrying would be far too risky given the speed, I pivoted my strategy to evading instead.
A vertical slash came toward my left shoulder. Quick stepping to the right, I dodged the blade. As I moved to the right, believing I had evaded, Helperth shouted in a thunderous voice.
“Did you think I’d miss?”
The blade that I had evaded now arced toward me, changing direction abruptly—a straight cut from high to low suddenly swerved. The force of the attack didn’t diminish despite the sudden shift.
“What the hell…!”
As if this were some sort of Brazilian kick, how does a sword change its course mid-air? Facing an attack that could be fatal with a mere brush, I took a risky dive forward.
As I tumbled away to safety, I found behind me a trench dug deep into the ground where Helperth’s blade had landed. His weapon had dug into the ground, embedding itself into the fractured soil. I had barely dodged by a hair’s breadth.
However, the turn wasn’t over yet because my forced defensive maneuver had destabilized my stance, exposing a gap.
Helperth wasn’t the kind to let such an opportunity pass.
“I won’t let you escape…!”
After wrenching the greatsword out of the ground, Helperth charged at me with ferocity, a fierce thrust of the blade rushing toward me. My warrior regained its footing from its prior wobble.
Clang!
Underestimating me—such an attack.
Though it came straight toward me, it lacked the force due to its hurried execution. I parried it easily.
I raised my sword, deflecting the tip of Helperth’s greatsword. The dull clang of metal was accompanied by a brief disruption in Helperth’s stance when the parry succeeded.
Due to the heaviness of the greatsword or the immense strength Helperth possessed, the hand holding the sword shivered violently.
Just like the earlier instance when my attack was blocked, it happened again.
“What? Stamina reduction again? Does it happen when I parry too?”
Lacking sufficient stamina, I couldn’t launch a powerful counterattack. I backed off after striking the dazed Helperth a few more times.
[How many patterns are there?]
[Is this boss even meant to be defeated?]
[The greatsword seems to apply a stamina debuff when hit.]
[Being a paladin is tough.]
[Not just anyone can qualify.]
[This feels more like a berserker than a paladin.]
[Legit lol]
[The game design is intentionally making it difficult.]
[Is it realistic for a sword to swerve mid-air? How strong must this guy be?]
[It’s messing with the physics engine.]
[The game feels rigged.]
[Highest praise.]
[At first, I thought it was a trial where a senior paladin was letting the novice win, but this is more like grabbing them by the throat.]
[Ah, he’s instructing through teaching.]
[He’s disciplining the new recruit.]
Still, my health hadn’t taken a single dent because I avoided every attack. Adjusting my grip on my sword, I stepped back and faced Helperth.
Surely, there wouldn’t be any additional patterns at this point, right?
“Tough, so tough.”
I muttered sitting astride Helperth’s fallen corpse. Luckily, aside from the shifting blade path and stamina deduction upon parrying, no other patterns emerged. Once you understood the pattern, it was… easy.
It just required methodical planning. Though it was prolonged due to Helperth’s substantial health pool and many non-defeasible attack patterns.
[MOLOOOOO! MOLOOOOO! MOLOOOOO! MOLOOOOO!]
[You onehitted this guy lol, crazy!]
[He’s certainly tough; how many health bars does he have?]
[Almost dragon-level.]
[Dragon Knight indeed.]
[Fast runs are impossible for this.]
[So this is why you chose Paladin?]
[Onward, Paladin!]
“Now, the notification should pop up.”
– The trial has been completed!
Hidden challenge cleared!
– Additional options have appeared!
#Guiding Light
– “The guiding one who follows the light shall possess it.”
[Class Effect: Enables the use of Paladin-exclusive skills. Power increases with proficiency.]
#Fallen Berserker
– “Why can I not die? The more I bleed, the sharper my mind grows.”
[Class Effect: Enables the use of Berserker-exclusive skills and traits. Power increases with proficiency.]
“Helperth was a berserker this whole time.”
[Sure enough.]
[What just happened? Why two options?]
[Recite the challenge conditions.]
*Overwhelming Strength!
– Subdue Paladin Helperth (Condition: Do not allow any damage to Helperth and eliminate.)
“That’s right.”
I showed the emerged system window to the viewers and spoke.
[The Paladin’s techniques do seem unusual.]
[It seems he was originally a Berserker turned Paladin.]
[A typical trope.]
[Without Mollu, we wouldn’t have seen this path.]
[Who else could take down such a boss without taking a single hit?]
<ToughGuySpecial has donated 10,000 won!>
– What will you choose? Obviously the Berserker, right?
[ToughGuySpecial) Berserker.]
[Mollu is female.]
[It doesn’t matter since she plays the game so aggressively.]
[The true ToughGuy’s charm lies in the Paladin’s romance.]
[Would you give up the heavy armor’s cool factor?]
[Considering the Sacred Flame use, Paladin doesn’t sound bad.]
[If you’re not going to be a berserker, you’ve got issues.]
[Fact: No one knows.]
[Mollu’s style fits the Berserker.]
[But if she’s dodging everything, Berserker usually requires taking hits.]
[It’s absurd seeing this demon-like person as a Paladin.]
Exactly.
I don’t think I suit the Paladin class either. My connection to piety is tenuous at best. Casting spells while cutting down enemies and praying to the gods?
It’s a picture too far-fetched to conjure.
On the flip side, what about the Berserker?
The true demon of the battlefield grows stronger as they bleed, drenching themselves in both enemy and their own blood while refusing to fall.
I favor efficient combat. I give my enemies no openings and avoid their attacks entirely. Thus, my playstyle doesn’t align with the Berserker’s.
Considering all of these aspects, the class I should choose is…
“I…”
