Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

Alparion Empire, Eastern Region ‘Erin’s Canyon’.

Monsters inhabiting the canyon terrain are mainly flying types. Massive flying monsters that form nests are very troublesome foes for adventurers.

Especially when climbing a cliff’s edge with a sheer drop on one side.

Kiiiiiick—!!

In the sky, a massive flap sliced through the wind with a scream. The brutally sharp eyes of the raptors locked onto their target, scanning the area.

A flock of Griffins.

The rulers of the canyon, with the fuzzy body of a lion, sturdy talons of a hawk, and heads of eagles.

Chris was hanging on the cliff’s edge, crying out to me.

“Whoa! …Ugh! The bottom is so far down…! Rain, be careful! Don’t worry about me!”

“Don’t worry! Take care of yourself, sis!”

Swoosh!

Clang!

My sword flew toward a Griffin that was approaching Chris. The Griffin deflected the sword with its claws, screeching at me with fury.

I was using ‘Unarmed Fighting Technique’ to divert their attention away from Chris, ensuring they wouldn’t focus on her.

Like a seasoned hunter, the Griffins were waiting for the perfect moment. If they all rushed me at once, I could slice them all down with ‘Starlight Swordsmanship’, but after seeing two Griffins cut in half by my sword, they were clearly being more cautious.

I couldn’t spam Starlight Swordsmanship either. The cooldown was long, and the number of times I could reset the cooldown was limited.

It seemed they were planning to deal with me first, as I posed an immediate threat. If Chris got her bearings again, they would target her, being capable of unlimited ranged attacks. But for now, I was the one causing them trouble. Is that a sign of intelligence or stupidity? Usually, we call dimwits “birdbrains.”

Flap, flap, screech! One of the Griffins hovering around let out a roar and swooped in at me. Clang! A flash of silver from my waist defended against its vicious claws. Flash!

Kaaaah!

“Dang.”

That was a bit too shallow. The Griffin received a long gash on its body but didn’t fall, returning to the flock. In its place, another Griffin charged in.

Clang, clang!

[Level 55 Commander Griffin]

[HP 5,000,000 / 5,000,000 (100%)]

[Level 53 Griffin]

[HP 1,274,007 / 2,500,000 (51%)]

…

The combat area was unfavorable. The HP itself was low, but the green light magic enveloping them provided high defense. Even I, at my current level, couldn’t take one down in a single hit with a standard skill. In the center was the Commander Griffin. Is it a sort of field boss mob? Anyway, monsters influenced by the magic of the new expansion area ‘Erin’s Canyon’ were all incredibly strong.

My eyes darted rapidly over the Griffins.

To deal with these crafty attackers in the sky, I needed an innovative strategy.

What’s the spacing between them? What’s their formation as they swoop in? If I fall below the cliff, I would definitely die. However, if I used both the “Cooldown Reset” functions of ‘Astaroth’ and the ‘Hammer and Anvil Bracelet’, I could have a fighting chance.

Ta-ta-ta-ta!

With a plan in mind, I started running along the cliff’s edge. One by one, the Griffins began to swoop down toward my exposed back.

Swoosh!

I kept running.

I didn’t look back.

A Griffin was right on my tail.

Just before its claws punctured my back.

Whoosh.

Only then did I turn my body.

And.

Leaping lightly, I jumped off the back of the Griffin in front of me.

Kreeeek–!?

The first Griffin I used as a springboard let out a startled shriek.

Ta-ta-ta-ta!

I continued soaring along the line of Griffins. Around me, flashes of silver flickered. Taking advantage of the moment when the wounded Griffins were stunned, I approached the Commander Griffin.

Ta-ta!

Then, with a final leap, I finally faced the Commander Griffin head-on.

Kaaaah!

Flap.

Whooooosh!

“Ugh!?”

When the Commander Griffin flapped its wings, a strong gust imbued with green energy hit my whole body. My lightweight form felt like it could be blown away at any moment. But in that powerful wind, I opened my eyes wide and shifted my sword to my waist.

Stretch.

The distance to the Commander Griffin was 12 meters.

Within range.

I cast ‘One Flash’.

Flash!

My body, now a flash of light, passed through the shoulder blade of the Commander Griffin. Blood burst forth from the wound and splattered across my face. It was red. Once, I thought it looked like milk.

Kaaaah!

Arriving behind the grievously injured Commander Griffin, I turned my body again. Then, I activated Astaroth’s cooldown reset function.

Flash!

Second ‘One Flash’.

Kaaaaah–!!

Poor Commander. Just watching with dignity but then got blindsided, I bet it feels terrible.

Yet, it didn’t go down easily. Its defense was impressive. But I figured another ‘One Flash’ might just do the trick. However, if I went for a third ‘One Flash’, I might not make it back.

Flap, whoosh!

With one of its tattered wings flapping in an unstable manner, it launched a powerful magical wind toward me.

There’s no way to evade that.

If I can’t use ‘One Flash’, then it’s ‘Starlight Swordsmanship’.

I stayed airborne and unleashed sword energy straight ahead.

Pash, pash, pash!

Not enough. I had to use the bracelet’s cooldown function too. And once more.

Splat, splat, splat!

The wounded Commander Griffin could not evade the barrage of my sword energies and took all the hits.

Kaaaah—

“Bye-bye, Commander Griffin.”

I gave a wink to the Commander Griffin that was crashing down, screaming.

The remaining Griffins, now leaderless, panicked and scattered in all directions.

Without delay, I executed Backward Evasion toward the cliff. Whoosh! I reached out. Not quite enough. I was just barely short of the cliff’s edge.

I’m falling. Off the cliff.

“Ugh.”

Ah, so this is how I die.

A so-called hero who soloed a raid dungeon, only to fall to my death fighting a field boss. Though, if I respawn, I might come back, right? I wonder which respawns faster, those monsters or me?

“Rain…!”

Whoosh!

Just as I thought I grabbed at nothing in the air, my hand closed around a round orb. It was Chris’s amulet.

Ta-ta!

Chris rushed over and grasped my small hands in her grip.

Hanging.

Chris sighed deeply, her face troubled as she looked at me dangling from her hand.

“Haah, I’m glad. What reckless thing have you done…! Do you want me to worry myself to death!?”

“Heh.”

I looked up at Chris and smiled brightly.

“Oh.”

“Whoa…!”

Finally, we reached the summit of ‘Erin’s Canyon’, and we gasped at the breathtaking view of the massive canyon sprawling beneath us.

Looking down, it was a spectacle that seemed to stretch endlessly. The deep and steep canyon cast shadows that could easily be called the wrinkles of the earth. The ancient layers of rock gleamed in hues of red and orange, showcasing the passage of time through nature’s signature.

In the presence of these natural formations formed over millions of years, my mere thousand-year absence from this world felt like a ‘blink’ in time.

“I’ve seen something similar.”

“Really?”

I was stunned. Did Chris really see this kind of terrain on Earth?

“Heh-heh, you know I’m from America, right? They have something called the Grand Canyon there.”

“Oh. I’ve heard of it.”

Thinking about it, I’ve heard that there are vast canyon areas on Earth too.

The sheer overwhelming power of nature, which humbles people, exists equally in both this world and Earth.

“Haaa.”

As I blankly admired the beauty of Erin’s Canyon, Chris rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned.

Now that I think about it, it’s pretty late. She must be tired from playing after work again today.

“You should go ahead and sleep, sis.”

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I’ll look around a bit more before I do.”

“Uhh….”

Chris hesitated.

I chuckled, knowing why. It seemed she’s developed an affinity for sleeping together with me these days.

I snuggled up close to Chris, stood on my tiptoes, and whispered in her ear.

“I’ll come to your room later.”

Then I twisted my body playfully and gave her a small wink.

“Let’s sleep together again tonight.”

“Ugh!”

Chris clutched her chest.

In the Eastern Wasteland, you can get to anywhere in the canyon, but there aren’t that many places where a person can properly set foot. If luck runs out, you might even have to endure attacks from packs of Griffins dwelling on the cliffs. Perhaps because of that, there seemed to be hardly any users here at this moment. The vast majority were likely still hunting in the wasteland.

“Looks like no one’s here after all.”

Flap, flap.

As I was left alone, I walked along the canyon’s edge.

Somewhere in this vast canyon, there should be an Elite Dungeon. And in the raid dungeon, the Commander Crow must lie in wait.

Do I have to discover this Elite Dungeon and raid dungeon first?

“Hey?”

While scanning the expansive area surrounding the canyon, I suddenly spotted a single person.

Another user had made it to the upper part of the canyon.

My social skills had improved significantly lately. Approaching someone and striking up a conversation wasn’t too great a feat anymore.

I approached the user who was looking down at the canyon.

But.

“Oh.”

It was a woman.

And somehow, her profile looked familiar.

Bright brown hair and a wizard robe fluttering in the wind blowing from the canyon below. A beauty with a sharp impression radiating charisma.

It was none other than the commander of the ‘Skada Raid’, Skada.

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