VIP Chapter 226: So it’s just a typical mental-type BOSS!
Seeing as Lucifer was determined to spar with him in swordsmanship, Will had no choice but to… compromise with her!
“Just a heads-up, I don’t represent the average Adventurer’s close-combat level. You’d better not use me as a standard for your future improvement plans.”
“Who says they’re giving a heads-up about not being strong before fighting a BOSS?!”
*Clang. *Clang.*
In about ten seconds, Will and Lucifer had exchanged two rounds of swordplay. To be honest… Lucifer wasn’t a BOSS who was “skilled in swordsmanship.” Will also wasn’t an Adventurer who was “skilled in swordsmanship.” If Shuna were watching from behind, she’d probably be shaking her head, and Treya would have only sighed politely. Their movements were slow, lacking fluidity and creativity in their sword strikes; their exchange felt more like a sword drill practiced in class.
However… Will felt a sense of “familiarity.” How to put it? Although Lucifer was encased in this armor, obscuring her “human” movements… And although Lucifer’s sword was actually an extension of her arm, not a “human” wielding a sword… Her sword stances bore a striking resemblance to Entak’s Royal Sword Style that Treya learned from the “demons.” For example, a sweeping strike that combined wide, powerful movements with feints of fast and slow swordplay. Will hadn’t sparred with Treya, but he often saw her making similar moves when she practiced.
What kind of race were these “demons” within the Dungeon? Was this place called the “Tenth Demon City” because… there had been nine other “Demon Cities” before it? Was the sword style Treya learned from the demons a common sword technique among “demons”?
“I told you not to wander off in your thoughts, your mind just drifted off!” Lucifer forced Will back a few steps with a vertical slash.
“How did you know?”
“I’m a mental-type BOSS. Of course, I can read your current thoughts!”
“Is this how you use your mental powers?!”
“If you were more focused, I wouldn’t have the luxury of mind-reading, would I?”
“Actually, it’s because your swordplay… is very similar to a friend of mine…”
Hearing this, Lucifer’s sword strike lessened slightly in power.
“But this is a demon’s… Hmm… Could it be that what I’m seeing in you is a demon…”
Before Lucifer could finish speaking, Will seized the moment of her distraction and aimed a move with his other hand at the “shadow” beneath her feet—
“Light • Tear.”
“!!!”
It was an incantation already stored in his ring, and the energy cost wasn’t high. He had noticed that Lucifer used the shadows beneath her feet as a platform for agile movement. Without her shadow, on just the ground, her high heels, part of this peculiar armor, would surely make her lose balance and fall. So… that was the key!
Will took a step back, and Lucifer’s downward sword strike also caused her to lean forward. *Thump.* Deprived of her shadow’s support, Lucifer fell heavily onto the ground.
“Oof… I hit my head.”
Uh… Will suppressed a chuckle. This was certainly an unconventional BOSS battle with the Dungeon Empress. Usually, the BOSSes had fought far more Adventurers than Adventurers had fought BOSSes. But Lucifer displayed an unexpectedly inexperienced comedic sense, as if saying, “I’m fighting as a BOSS for the first time, don’t laugh.” Because her armor’s base was high heels, and they seemed to be very slippery to allow sliding with shadows, much like roller skate wheels. This… completely disregarded how to recover quickly after falling. Even more critically, her arms were also shaped like swords, making it incredibly difficult for her to support herself and stand up. Will watched her try three times before she ended up lying flat on the ground in a starfish position.
“I… I can’t get up. How do I take this thing off? And stop sneaking attacks while I’m down!”
“No, if I were going to sneak attack, I would have done it already. Would I have watched you fail to get up three times?”
“Okay, the hands are off. Now there’s a chance.”
“I’m going to attack now?”
“No, no, no! You promised BOSSes have invincibility during phase transitions!”
“Then hurry up and transition!”
“Don’t rush me, don’t rush me.”
Watching Lucifer struggle to detach the swords from her arms so she could get up smoothly… Will reminisced about his past life. When testing new BOSSes designed by combat planners in dungeons, it was common to see BOSSes get stuck in the ground after falling. So, dungeons weren’t much different from the games they made in their small workshop.
“Alright, can you give me a pull? I’ll be up in a second.” Lucifer removed the swords from her palms and held out her small hand, seeking Will’s help.
“If you act like this, I worry about what you’ll do if you encounter other Adventurers! Will anyone pull you up if you meet wild Adventurers outside?!”
“The way you’re talking is like a father scolding his child who can’t cook. *Sniffle*… Stop scolding me, stop scolding me.”
“Fine.” Will sighed and walked over. He had some peculiar feelings towards Lucifer. Although he had encountered very entertaining BOSSes in other dungeons, and even knowing from the original story that most Dungeon Empresses enjoyed a pleasant daily life within their domains… Lucifer was the first to display it all so unreservedly. Perhaps months without Adventurers had made her too unguarded. Or perhaps her desire for Adventurers to explore and uncover the deeper parts of the dungeon was too strong. Of course, it was also possible that she was just a naturally friendly Empress to Adventurers. So… he felt a bit sorry for her. Will stepped forward and took the outstretched hand.
“Alright, so now you should show me phase three…” Will’s words were cut short as Lucifer pulled him forward with a counter-force. Then… she deliberately made Will stare into her purple eyes. Oh, right, purple. Ever since she appeared, those purple eyes seemed to carry a strange allure. Now, upon closer inspection, there were circles drawn within her purple irises, like common hypnotic tools. A single glance would draw him, little by little, into that world—
“Finally, I can raise my head. Welcome to, ‘The Fears Deep Within Your Heart’—there are three trials, take your time!”
*!*
Will opened his eyes again. He glanced behind him; Shuna wasn’t there. Mental-type. Right… This was either a “Dreamscape” or an “Illusion” combining reality and the illusory. In any case, it was an illusion Lucifer, a race at the pinnacle of mental-type beings called “demons,” had created for him in an instant. But what kind of illusion was this? Mental-type BOSSes generally created a challenge related to your inner self for you to overcome. So… “The Fears Deep Within Your Heart”… Well, isn’t this just a typical, cliché move of, “Oh, I’m a mental-type BOSS, so I’ll materialize your inner fears”? He’d seen it countless times. But what would his fears be?
Will froze. Because, standing in the thick fog were… the three young girls he knew so well.
