We emerged onto the Deus Plain from the south gate and dashed across the field.
we advanced to the southwest of the field without stopping.
During that time, Ringo wouldn’t let go, so I kept her hand in mine. However, the enemy level on the Deus Plain was 50. For us, who had updated our armor, it was harder to struggle than to win. It was just like the way back home.
As soon as monsters appeared, Ringo dealt with them effortlessly with lightning strikes, and we reached the large rock without even batting an eye.
Part of the large rock had collapsed, and instead, rubble made of rock fragments was piled up there. That was a seal, in a sense. By piling up the rubble of the collapsed rock, we destroyed the pop point located there, and the possibility of a certain monstrous monster appearing from there.
“Ringo. Can you break that rubble over there?”
When I asked, Ringo asked back with just her gaze, “Is it okay?” I nodded slightly.
“…Understood.”
With that, Ringo pointed the wakizashi at the rubble.
Immediately, lightning struck from its tip, shattering the rubble into pieces. Since the last time we broke the rock, Ringo’s level and the power of her weapon had increased. The power was on a different level.
“As expected…”
The rubble was destroyed in an instant, and there were no more obstacles to the pop point. Now, monsters would begin to appear from here again.
“Well then, shall we move away from here a bit?”
When I suggested, Ringo obediently followed. While mass spawning is different, normally, new monsters don’t spawn near the pop point. Relying on the feel of the game, we distanced ourselves from the large rock.
“…It’s here.”
However, it didn’t seem like we needed to think too much. As we moved a certain distance away, Ringo looked back. She shouldn’t have been able to see it, but Ringo seemed to have keenly sensed the presence of the monster that appeared behind us.
As I squinted my eyes, I could see a new monster popping out from the recess of the large rock. Unfortunately, it was a miss. The monster that had finally appeared from the large rock’s pop point after a long time was instantly eliminated by Ringo’s lightning strike.
Well, with this, we knew the necessary distance. From here on, it’s just a waiting game. We set up chairs and such a little ahead of where Ringo turned and prepared for a long battle.
And of course, we couldn’t waste this waiting time. I took out a wooden stick, the Torch Sisyo, and a spear I had obtained earlier from my bag.
I had raised my proficiency with weapons like swords, odachi, daggers, and ninjato, as well as my proficiency with fire, wind, and light. However, I hadn’t had much time for anything else. Of course, there are preferences and strengths and weaknesses for weapons. For example, as someone who had used a sword throughout the game, I didn’t have many opportunities to use a spear, but it’s better to have more options in case of emergency.
As our levels increase, the efficiency of raising weapon proficiency decreases. Before I level up further, I wanted to raise my proficiency with the Torch Sisyo as much as possible. I continued to prod the torch with the spear, and Ringo watched without moving… or so I thought.
“…I’ll do it too.”
Ringo, unusually, actively expressed her desire to participate.
“Well, wanna come over here?”
“…Mhm.”
It wouldn’t be very effective for Ringo, who primarily attacks with lightning, to raise her weapon proficiency, but there was no reason to refuse. Ringo and I stood shoulder to shoulder, relentlessly poking a single torch.
And then, it finally happened. It had been a while since Ringo and I started poking the torch side by side. After dispatching five low-level monsters, I was contemplating switching weapons to use on the Torch Sisyo. I felt a tingling sensation on my skin as I looked up and saw a white colossal figure appearing near the large rock.
Looking at Ringo next to me, she had already noticed and her expression had stiffened slightly. And rightly so. Because that monster was our fated enemy, the one that had nearly killed not only me but Ringo as well.
—King Butcher.
It was a high-level boss monster that shouldn’t have been in such a low-level field, appearing due to a mistake by the “Nekoneko” staff. Even so, the dungeon it belonged to was level 150, so it could be considered an appropriate opponent for Ringo and me at our current levels.
However, in “Nekoneko,” where game balance is notoriously skewed, level is only one indicator. Based on personal experience, there was a terrible trap where a low-level monster that looked weak in a high-level dungeon was by far the strongest. Even worse, that monster apparently granted over five times the experience points of surrounding monsters. However, most players, due to level modifiers, could only obtain a minuscule amount of experience.
That aside, the King Butcher is considered a strong boss even among those of the same level, and it’s a tough opponent, especially for melee classes that mainly use physical attacks. It has strong resistance to pure physical attacks, and physical attacks without any elemental attribute deal almost no damage.
(But that’s precisely why…!!)
I stopped Ringo, who was about to walk forward with a grim expression, and stood before her.
“Please wait here.”
“…But.”
To Ringo’s discontent and unease, I shook my head.
“It’s necessary.”
With that, Ringo said with concern, “…Don’t push yourself,” and watched me go.
“…Thank you.”
As I thanked Ringo, I simultaneously sent a silent apology in my mind.
—The reason it’s necessary is half true and half a lie. Logically, there’s no need for me to fight alone here. It would be more sensible to fight together and grow stronger safely. My desire to fight alone was simply my own selfishness.
There are several reasons why I am fighting the King Butcher now. One is simply for leveling up. My current level is 156. The Butcher’s dungeon is level 150, so one might think that experience points wouldn’t be gained due to level modifiers. However, boss monsters are typically about 10% higher in level than the monsters in their region. Given the high experience points of the boss itself, I can probably level up with it until around level 170.
The second reason is related to its resistances. The Butcher has strong resistance to simple physical attacks. Normal physical attacks barely have any effect. However, that is precisely why I don’t intend to use elemental attacks this time.
(…Did you notice?)
As I approached, the King Butcher also sensed my presence and turned towards me. Facing the white giant, I hesitated for a moment.
(—Should I use ‘that’ from the start?)
I thought about it and glanced at Fire of Sh, but immediately shook my head. That skill has various risks. Relying on something from the start that I might not be able to use in the fight against the Demon Lord would be foolish. Having made up my mind, I began chanting a spell as usual. In the meantime, I gauged the distance to the opponent. I planned my actions in my head, repeating chants and setting up actions, then…
“Step!”
I immediately moved. (First, close the distance!)
To defeat the King Butcher for sure, the easiest way would be to use Zetsutou Shikisaigaes when it charges, just like last time, and land an elemental attack. The counter-skill Zetsutou Shikisaigaes is outstanding in single-hit power, and it’s easy to unleash an elemental attack. By maintaining distance, it should be possible to bait the opponent’s charge attack.
However, I’m not using that tactic this time. Because “the Demon Lord also uses ranged attacks.” Yes, that’s another reason I’m fighting the King Butcher. It’s to test my current abilities by treating the King Butcher as a simulated Demon Lord.
When fighting the King Butcher as a virtual Demon Lord, I imposed two restrictions on myself. One is not using elemental attacks. The Butcher has strong physical resistance and high defense, but an unweakened Demon Lord’s defense surpasses that. If I can’t defeat the King Butcher with physical attacks alone, I’ll never be able to face the Demon Lord.
The other restriction is to stay within a radius of 3 meters from the opponent. This is due to a characteristic of the Demon Lord. The “Solitary Demon Lord,” or “SBK,” or also known as the “Demon Lord of Doom,” is an enemy that is not suitable for solo defeat. Normally, when fighting a boss with a large group, the boss’s HP and abilities tend to increase, but the Demon Lord is the opposite. It gets conspicuously powered up when fought one-on-one.
The slogan “One person cannot save the world! The power of bonds that support the journey!”—whether that’s the intention or not, I don’t know—the Demon Lord is weakest when fought by six or more people, and its power increases by 40% for each person less than that. When fought completely solo, its combat power becomes three times that of when fought by six or more people. Honestly, there’s no way I can win.
Actually, the Demon Lord was originally human, but due to a terrible betrayal, they resorted to forbidden experiments and became a demon… setting aside that kind of backstory, it seems they are weak to humans they are on good terms with. Expressions like “So that’s why you’re interfering with my marriage,” “How petty…,” or “Perhaps you’re reviving the Evil God because you’re lonely?” have been said, but their characteristics should not be underestimated. In practice, when fighting the Demon Lord, one must always bring “five companions.”
There’s a reason I decided to bring along Sahzan, whom I wasn’t sure would be useful. However, bringing companions means putting them in danger. Especially the Demon Lord’s attacks, which are not sufficiently weakened, are all powerful. If Sahzan were targeted, she would be killed in an instant. To prevent this, I need to constantly draw aggro by exploiting the Demon Lord’s tendency to “prioritize targets within a 3-meter radius.” This means I can’t recover or regroup by creating distance, which significantly increases the difficulty of combat. It’s certainly not something one can do without preparation against a Demon Lord whose weaknesses haven’t been exploited.
Therefore, this fight against the King Butcher is a litmus test for that. As I approached, the white giant began to move in response. For my first blow, as a greeting, I inserted Oborojyuuji during my movement, closed the distance with High Step, and then canceled the High Step with a Jump.
“—Oborojyuuji!!”
I followed with a Horizontal Slash, activating Power Up. This combo, which had defeated even level 170 enemies in a single blow…
“G-GWOOOOOOOO!!”
…was not enough to defeat the King Butcher. Although it staggered slightly, it immediately unleashed an attack as if nothing had happened.
“Monster…!”
While evading sideways with the Air Hammer that I had pre-booked, I couldn’t help but blurt out. As expected, the King Butcher’s physical resistance is formidable. However, it’s not entirely ineffective. If I repeat this again and again, I should eventually win. Believing so, I began to book Power Up following Air Hammer, when…
“…?!”
The Butcher’s second attack approached.
“Step!!”
At the last moment, the knockback from Air Hammer ended, and I narrowly dodged the attack. However…
(Am I in trouble next…?)
As expected, the 3-meter radius restriction is taking its toll. Since I can’t retreat, I can’t escape the Butcher’s attack range. In that case, the knockback from Air Hammer, which has difficulties with movement speed and travel time, is dangerous. If I use Air Hammer again when I’m in front of the Butcher, I’ll likely be caught this time. I felt that way.
(Then, I just need to get behind it!)
I connected Step to High Step, circling the Butcher, and activated Shukuchi.
“Damn it!”
I realized I had jumped out of the 3-meter radius of the Butcher. I managed to get behind it, but it was pointless. I deliberately didn’t attack and bit my lip as I was propelled away by the subsequent Air Hammer. The excellence of Shukuchi backfired. Considering the 3-meter radius constraint, Shukuchi, with its long movement distance, couldn’t be used. This effectively sealed off one of my fastest movement methods.
“Damn it, then!”
I returned to the Butcher’s side with Step, and this time, I tried to circle around with Godspeed Cancel Movement. However, the white giant managed to keep up with my speed. Twisting its body, it brought down the Meat Cleaver.
“Gah! High Step!”
I managed to dodge the incredibly heavy blade that approached with a roar by desperately using High Step. This completely disrupted my attack rhythm. However, once I used High Step, I couldn’t connect it to Godspeed Cancel. At this point, I had no choice but to press on.
(Th-this… Jump Horizontal Slash!)
I canceled the landing with a Jump and unleashed a Horizontal Slash. But…
“What!?”
It was stopped by the King Butcher’s left leg. My timing was off, so Power Up wasn’t applied, and I couldn’t aim for its weak point, its head. The damage dealt was so low that the skill was deemed a failure. And as I was frozen due to the skill interruption, the Butcher’s giant right foot came crashing down. Unable to move, I could only watch as it bore down on me with a roar.
“G-guh…!”
The next moment, I was kicked by the Butcher like a soccer ball. I was blown away helplessly and rolled on the ground. I had been blown away by it like this before. It was a sensation that almost felt nostalgic.
“Soma!!”
Ringo’s scream echoed from afar.
“Don’t come!!”
I shouted at Ringo, who was about to rush over, and got back up. The me “back then” was on the verge of death from a single blow and couldn’t move properly until I recovered. But the me “now” is different from the me “back then.” My level has increased, and I’m equipped with excellent armor. I won’t be taken down in one hit.
However… (Of course, that’s how it is.)
Gazing at the white giant calmly walking towards me, I nodded. The distance between the Butcher and me had naturally opened to over 3 meters. In this state, I couldn’t possibly protect my companions against a Demon Lord. Even though I’ve grown, my strength and speed are still insufficient. Facing the Butcher, which is several tiers below a true Demon Lord even with the imposed restrictions, my current performance is pathetic. This is my current strength.
“As expected, I’m no good as I am ‘now’.”
Then I must become stronger. I must become stronger, even at the risk of losing all my past efforts and abilities. Because I have already obtained the means to do so.
Staring at the approaching Butcher, and the shadow of the Demon Lord visible beyond it, I slowly opened my mouth.
“This time, I’ll show you the ‘me from now on’.”
Now, let’s shout. Let’s shout the name of the skill that was called a “balance breaker” in the game era due to its extraordinary effects. The name of the skill that I, who had used almost all the skills available in “Nekoneko,” had never used.
“—Incarnation of Rage!!”
