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Chapter 66
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Whoosh!
Tendrils shot out in every direction.
If I tried to deal with them all individually, I’d run out of stamina and lose the fight.
‘Even in the game, cutting down those tendrils was always a mistake.’
The best approach was to carve out just enough of a path and focus on targeting the core body.
I concentrated Qi into my legs and then explosively propelled myself forward.
Bang!
The sheer speed of my charge surprised even me.
Focusing my mind, I sent my will to Black Lotus.
The shadow squirmed and split into two blades.
I imbued the wind’s will into the sword gripped in my hands.
「Wind Wave Style」
Countless tendrils were severed, and the Chimera’s main body was slashed apart.
The Chimera had high stamina and regeneration, but its defense wasn’t particularly noteworthy.
Even the relatively low-damage 「Wind Wave Style」 cut through its body like paper.
It’s useless!
The Chimera’s divided body began to reform, morphing into the shapes of various monsters.
Goblins, Orcs, Gargoyles, Gnolls, Werewolves….
“Heh.”
This, after all, was what made the Chimera so annoying to deal with.
It could detach parts of its body and use them to create monsters it had ‘learned.’
Not only did it gain a numerical advantage, but it also forced its opponent to adapt to multiple monster strategies.
“No wonder they call this thing the ‘Newbie Crusher.’”
If I had NPC companions in a party, the difficulty might drop slightly.
But in this situation, that wasn’t an option.
‘So, does that mean I have no chance?’
Not a chance.
If “Team Play” were the only viable solution, I wouldn’t have even suggested fighting the Chimera alone.
‘Besides, I’ve always preferred solo play.’
In Valdeon Saga, NPCs could die.
Once dead, they wouldn’t respawn until the next cycle, and if they were a variable NPC, they might be gone forever.
It was almost indistinguishable from death in reality.
“……”
Even if it was just a game, I could never get used to the idea of losing a bond I had formed so easily.
So unless the situation left me no choice, I fought alone.
As the cycles accumulated and time passed—
‘I perfected it.’
The ultimate solo strategy guide.
“Kyaaaah!”
“GROOOAR!”
The Chimera’s split-off monsters charged at me.
It was just as chaotic as any major monster wave, but—
Huuuuuu!
No problem.
I had something saved for this very day.
From the depths of my Danjun, I drew it out.
A chilling, sky-blue energy.
Whoooooosh!
The frost-like aura gifted to me by Reina Winter, capable of freezing everything.
Frost Qi
“Hoo…!”
As I exhaled, white mist spilled from my breath.
“Gah?!”
The creatures charging toward me hesitated.
This was the first time they’d encountered such an energy.
‘Remember.’
The flawless movements Reina had shown me that day.
The elegant destruction, freezing the very air itself with her cold power.
Szzz—!
It felt like my heart was freezing solid.
A stabbing pain pierced my lungs.
But I had to endure it.
One who seeks to freeze their enemy must be prepared to freeze themselves.
This was the creed passed down through the Winter family.
To wield such merciless cold power properly—
One must be willing to embrace the frost.
Shhhhh!
It felt like pouring coolant directly into my veins.
Clenching my fists, which felt as though they could shatter at any moment—
“Hmph…!”
I swung my sword.
「Frost Style: Release」
Blue energy spread outward from my body.
Crack-crack-crack!
In an instant, the entire area froze over, forming an icy wasteland.
“Gah…!”
“Keek!”
The split-off monsters caught in the sword’s trajectory were instantly frozen.
All those creatures—every single one of them—became ice statues.
“Huff…! Cough-cough! Keuk!”
My body was immediately overwhelmed by a suffocating pressure, forcing me to collapse to the ground.
A metallic taste of blood spread from my throat.
“Bleh!”
Only after I coughed up blood did my head start to clear.
‘As expected.’
It was insane.
I looked around the frozen kingdom I had created with a bitter smile.
「Frost Style: Release」 wasn’t some refined sword technique.
I had never even trained in the 「Frost Style」 itself, so there was no way I could unlock advanced techniques through mastery.
「Frost Style: Release」 was essentially an original technique I had developed myself.
‘No, that’s not quite right.’
If I dared to call such a reckless move a technique, Reina might actually hit me.
All I had done was pour every ounce of Frost Qi into the 「Frost Style」 and unleash it all at once.
It was a risky move that could have frozen me to death, but—
“The situation worked out.”
Thanks to it, I had managed to incapacitate all the Chimera’s split-off monsters at once.
Ignoring the lingering cold pressing against my chest, I walked through the frozen Chimera fragments.
“Killing these things one by one won’t matter.”
Among them, only the core body was vulnerable to my attacks.
“Black Lotus, I’m counting on you.”
“Hiss!”
Black Lotus, which had been in the form of a sword, quickly reverted to the shape of a snake and began scouting the surroundings.
It didn’t even take a minute.
“Hiss~ Hiss~!”
Black Lotus identified a split-off body presumed to be the core.
“…Ha! This insane bastard.”
When I saw the core’s appearance, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
It had transformed into a small goblin, resembling a human newborn, and was being carried on the back of another goblin split-off.
Frozen in place, it looked like a baby taking a nap.
“You’ve already learned that much?”
Intelligent animals protect their young or smaller individuals.
They don’t attack recklessly or touch them unnecessarily.
This creature was exploiting that behaviour.
‘Honestly.’
It was so disgusting, so revolting that it made my blood boil.
Barely suppressing the overwhelming emotions that surged from deep within me, I muttered,
“This ends Phase Two.”
I drove my sword into the core’s chest.
Dark red liquid oozed out.
Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!
A long, ear-piercing scream reverberated.
I watched the Chimera thrash and struggle without changing my expression.
You bastard!
How dare you! How dare you do this to meeeeeee!
The Chimera’s core is its nucleus.
Specifically, it is the original point where the initial ‘erosion’ occurred, which then became the central node for its mutation.
‘In any case.’
That’s its weakness.
And just now, I sliced it in half.
I will kill you!
I will ensure you suffer eternal torment in the void between worlds!
It spouted lines straight out of a third-rate villain.
I replied in a deliberately mocking tone,
“Go ahead and try. I’ll just cut you down again like I did just now.”
The Chimera, with its core damaged, hastily began a core restoration process.
At the same time, its survival instincts kicked in, triggering a transformation into the strongest lifeform it had learned.
Grrrrrrr!
The most potent transformation the Chimera could muster began.
‘In this state, the Chimera burns through its life force rapidly.’
It’s essentially its final form.
As long as the core remains intact, it can recover, even from this.
Gurgle!
A viscous black substance gathered around the damaged core.
‘Alright, here’s a quiz.’
What does a boss monster that can transform typically become in its final form?
A giant dragon?
A legendary knight from long ago?
A great sage who vanished without a trace?
None of the above.
The correct answer is—
‘Me.’
Crunch! Crackle!
From the mass of flesh, human arms and legs emerged.
Shockingly, they looked just like human skin.
This was proof that the Chimera’s transformation ability had reached its peak.
“In a way, it’s a cliché.”
Fighting an enemy that looks exactly like the protagonist.
It’s something you’d find in any fantasy game, and in Valdeon Saga, the Chimera fills that role.
Grrrrr! Crack!
The Chimera completed its transformation, making grotesque noises all the while.
A monster that had perfectly taken the shape of a human.
“Uh… Uh?”
But as I looked at the Chimera’s form, I couldn’t hide my confusion.
“Why, why take that form…?”
Standing atop the debris was the Chimera’s new form.
With slightly long ash-gray hair and a delicate, handsome face.
The creature holding a sword and staring down at me coldly was…!
“Alben Oldeire!”
Why hadn’t it taken the form of Lan Black, but instead transformed into Alben Oldeire?
“With this devilish form, I will utterly destroy you.”
“No way….”
Hearing such ominous words in Alben’s face and voice felt entirely out of place.
‘Is there an error with Hypocrite’s Veil?’
…That’s impossible.
I’ve fought Chimera after Chimera wearing Hypocrite’s Veil, and not once did it transform into a pre-modification form.
‘What the hell is going on?!’
Before I could even begin to make sense of the chaos in my mind—
“Are you just going to stand there dumbfounded?”
The creature.
The Chimera.
‘Alben.’
It attacked with a sword strike.
Bang!
The blade, imbued with violet energy, sent a shockwave hurtling toward me.
“Damn…!”
I barely managed to dodge, but my confusion only deepened.
‘I don’t have a sword style like that.’
And the violet energy—
‘That’s the Witch’s power!’
At least now one thing was clear.
The Chimera hadn’t transformed into the me I knew.
That Alben wasn’t the version of Alben I recognized.
It was me, yet not me.
“Damn it, this is so complicated…!”
I decided to push understanding aside for now.
What mattered most was taking down that cursed thing.
This time, I would unleash my full killing intent—
“Lan!”
“We’re here to help!”
At that moment, voices came from behind me.
I turned to see Angela and Jane, who had left earlier, returning.
And standing beside them was—
Elma.
So you were looking for me too.
“Leaving everything to the junior didn’t sit right with us!”
“I’ve regained my strength! I can help you now!”
Angela, her eyes sparkling, stood ready with her sword.
“Haha. Now that we’re here, why don’t you let us seniors take the lead while you rest in the back? Right, Elma?”
“……”
“…Elma?”
Jane called out again to the unresponsive Elma.
But Elma remained silent.
“Elma? Are you okay…?”
“Al… ben…?”
Elma Oldeire.
Her breathing grew ragged.
“Senior?”
Even when I called out, Elma didn’t respond.
She simply extended her hand and, step by step, approached.
“Alben…? Is that really… Alben?”
As if possessed, she moved forward.
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