Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented

“Th… this is bad…!”

I hurriedly stomped my feet as I escaped from the Named Combat Area.

What the heck are those magic orbs filling the combat area!?

Back in my hero days, I could simply send those kinds of attacks flying away with a sword swing. But right now, my body is under the control of the game system.

Even though my stats have increased a lot through leveling up and farming, considering my peak power, I feel pathetic.

Galroban is also a being subject to the game system. He did not rush out of the kitchen building to chase after me.

“Ha.”

Longing for the power I don’t have right now brings no answer.

Although it’s set in the Continent of Astria, since this world is a game, I have no choice but to strategize accordingly.

Galroban’s magic orbs seriously restrict the user’s movement based on their position, ultimately covering the entire combat area.

If I get too close, they explode, like landmines.

Simply put, it’s a time attack pattern.

This reminds me of when I faced the Named Enemy ‘Baron Statue’ in the Level 25 Elite Dungeon.

If you can’t defeat the Named Enemy within a certain time, the combat area shrinks or mobs stack up, making things more difficult.

For me, playing solo, this pattern is naturally going to be tough.

The structure of the Named Combat Area is a square.

The magic orb floating from Galroban’s hand chases after me and stops moving about five seconds later.

In the first battle, I didn’t know how Galroban would attack, so I placed the orbs in the center.

“Anyway, the initial orb positioning is crucial.”

Woooh.

A purple orb floated from Galroban’s hand and soon started chasing after me.

I moved quickly, leading the orb.

Where I stopped after five seconds was the edge of the combat area.

Woooh!

The orb that chased me for five seconds shone with a strong light and halted.

Ka-kang!

I approached Galroban, sword facing him.

From now on, there’s no time to worry about my condition.

I successfully moved the first orb to the desired position.
Immediately, I began to throw my body into Galroban’s flurry of attacks.

There’s no time to block all incoming attacks. I won’t drop my Sword Drawing Technique.

By increasing my agility through the Sword Drawing Technique and relying on some reflexive movements, I minimized the damage taken.

Papapat!

Galroban’s dagger grazed my body repeatedly, leaving wounds. But I still didn’t let go of the Sword Drawing Technique.

Like swordsmen who ignore their wounds, I retaliated against his attacks.

This level of damage I can handle.

What I need to block is only the last hit of his powerful flurry.

Ka-ang!

I raised my sword at just the right moment to block Galroban’s final attack.

[Block(A)]

– Blocks attacks in a 180-degree front arc.

– Successfully blocking within 0.2 seconds of using (A Rank) skill grants the ‘Vitality’ buff, increasing all damage for 10 seconds.

The ‘Just Guard’ activation happens when you block an attack at the exact right moment.

A soft light swirled around my body as I successfully blocked Galroban’s attack.

In this state, I could quickly chip away at Galroban’s HP for 10 seconds.

The magic orbs kept piling up. Even if I lay them out from the edges, they would soon fill the combat area.

The initial orb placement was merely a way to create space to unleash counterattacks during combat.

I only block deadly attacks. For the attacks that deal just enough damage to barely recover with potions, I endure them with my body.

Ignoring the pain.

Before the purple orbs fill up,

I will take down Galroban.

[Level 2 Named Enemy]

[Level 33 Food Supply Galroban]

[HP 224,120/2,610,000]

“Graaaaah! You, a mere ingredient!”

Galroban’s HP fell below 10%.

Woooh, woooh.

He didn’t even wipe the blood from his mouth, generating orbs with both hands.

The Milky Way of purple orbs starting from the edges already filled most of the combat area.

The orbs that had chased me for five seconds stopped in place, followed by the subsequent orbs.

Checking the state of the orbs, I approached Galroban again.

There’s still a little room to maneuver.

My unguarded attacks paid off.

My body, in perfect synchronization at 100%, cried out in pain each time cut by the blade, but this was bearable.

“Heh.”

I found myself laughing for some reason.

I’m in pain, yet I laugh; has my mind finally gone haywire?

But I feel like I was like this before.

A boiling feeling surged through me as I recalled the last year spent living without purpose.

The blood of the courageous hero, shy in daily life yet brave in battle, was bubbling up.

“GRAAAAH!”

Galroban, drenched in blood, let out a furious scream and generated his final orbs.

This time, a total of four.

But at the same time, Galroban’s HP was flickering near empty.

I do not dodge.

As the orbs charge towards me, I counterattack.

And then, I cleave through Galroban’s body with a single strike.

SHWAAAACK!

Despite enduring countless attacks, Galroban was cleanly sliced in half.

“Oh.”

Looks like the finishing blow can split him in half.

I guess it’s pretty brutal in this 19-year-old game.

I crouched down before the halved Galroban’s body and poked it.

Of course, it didn’t get back up.

*

Go go go go go.

A mighty orb filled with power was generated above Craksas’s hand.

“This time, I have to succeed!”

With Chris’s shout, the party members began to time their backward evasions.

KA-BOOM!

The purple orb, packed with formidable power, smashed into the ‘Chris Raid’ party members.

Ta-tat.

KWAAANG!

“Whoa!”

“AAAAH!?”

Chris and Deathly Death successfully dodged. But Cherni and Bae Merong were swept away by the explosion’s aftermath.

Neither of them died, but their HP was hitting rock bottom.

“I… this is bad.”

Chris gritted her teeth.

As Cherni and Bae Merong remained dazed, Craksas’s merciless second attack came crashing down.

KWAAANG!

“Isn’t this difficulty way too high!?”

THOCK, THOCK!

Chris kicked the tent of their barracks in frustration.

Bae Merong, furious at Chris, spoke up to comfort her.

“Now we definitely need to make full use of the ‘Invincibility During Casting’ judgment, right?”

“Seems so. The synchronization rate makes it very tricky, and the invincibility duration is extremely short, but with repeated practice, it should be manageable.”

In fact, Deathly Death had nearly avoided the first AoE attack after a certain point. He had mastered the use of the invincibility during casting.

“I-I’m sorry!”

Bae Merong squatted down. She felt responsible for her failed evasion that led to the party’s near wipe.

“The timing of the damage isn’t very intuitive, making it tough. However, with various tries and familiarization, evasion is possible. Still, if the invincibility time were just a bit longer…”

“Right! The wizard’s backward evasion invincibility time is way too short!”

Bae Merong fervently agreed with Cherni’s excuse.

Chris pondered, rubbing her chin.

The plan was to evade the first attack individually and absorb the second strike with their bodies.

This method allowed them to surpass the first special pattern.

Though swept away by the second attack, they wouldn’t die.

From then on, they could take their time recovering with potions while dodging.

It felt risky, but for now, this was the only way.

Chris let out a sigh.

“Only three successful attempts of all four evading at once.”

“And even if we get through this pattern, elite troops get refilled, and another special phase awaits. It feels like a mountain of troubles.”

Cherni, deep in thought, finally spoke up.

“But doesn’t something feel off? Up until now, Astria Online hasn’t thrown in any unmanageable patterns, right? Even the Black Wyvern had sensible attack methods using the surroundings.”

“That’s true. But the first Named Enemy doesn’t have any environmental assets. The barracks were blown up as soon as we started, so the combat area is just open space. Maybe if we carefully examine the skills…”

“Huh?”

Bae Merong made a sound of confusion.

“What’s wrong, Bae Merong?”

“My… my Ice Barrier skill rank went up while facing the elite troops. Can I show you?”

Chris looked at the skill interface window that Bae Merong shared.

[Ice Prison]

[Targets party members within 30m]

[Freezes party members, granting one ‘Invincibility’ judgement against all attacks]

[Cooldown 1 minute]

“See? A derived skill from the Ice Barrier!”

“A party protection skill…!”

Chris moaned as she looked at it.

“Indeed, in Astria Online, until a skill reaches a certain rank, no one knows what derived skills or additional effects will emerge.”

“Currently, nearly all mage users are using the powerful fire tree. It has solidified to that extent. Since I often play the role of crowd control in parties, I’ve had to use the Ice Barrier often to fend off close-range attacks.”

“If you use a variety of skills, it seems you’ll naturally obtain it around level 30!”

The faces of the party members brightened.

Bae Merong’s ‘Ice Prison’ provided a way to endure one AoE attack.

“Due to gamers’ tendency to prioritize efficiency, they probably won’t realize it.”

“No, surely a user in the level 30 advanced party would have information on party protection skills.”

“There are inefficient and neglected property trees among summoners too. So, there’s a high probability those trees might also have it…”

Chris nodded. While melee classes might not have it, for magic classes, the probability was high.

It was possible that parties with this knowledge had gotten ahead of Chris’s raid party.

“But now isn’t the time to experiment with skill training, right? We definitely need to use backward evasion first. The method of tanking with bodies is very unstable. Even if I dodge direct hits, my HP would drop to zero, and with that state, even a single grazing hit from the elite troops would take me down.”

Utilizing the ‘Invincibility During Casting’ tied to backward evasion.

In this aspect, Chris’s raid party would undoubtedly be at the forefront.

Chris rolled up her sleeves and smiled with confidence.

“Alright! I’m feeling pumped! Now that we have a method, let’s wipe them out!”

---