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“…I expected a formidable enemy… I did… but I never thought… it would be a king-tier enemy.”

 

What descended was a demon.

 

However, it wasn’t like an ogre, it wasn’t so shabby looking.

 

It was a king.

 

Stirring up a cloud of sand, it appeared from above in a dungeon where there should be no sky. Its body, thrice the size of an adult man, and its skin hard as rock.

It seemed impossible for any sword to pierce its seemingly tough hide that bespoke of a veteran warrior.

 

Its distinctive, elephant-like tusks identified it as an ogre.

 

So, it must belong to the ogre species.

 

The ogre, with an extravagant red mantle befitting a king, bent its knees from the impact of the fall, and then lifted its face as if nothing had happened.

 

“GYAAAAA!!”

 

It exuded a certain aura of death.

 

“!?”

 

Every hair on my body stood on end, and my instincts rang alarm bells telling me to run.

But there was nowhere to run.

 

This was the boss room, there were no escape routes.

 

I tried to check my status, concentrating.

I didn’t want to see it; I felt like I would regret seeing such dire numbers.

 

Even so, I couldn’t look away from it, and with my golden eyes…

 

I looked at that king of demons.

 

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

Name: Demon King

Magic Power: 30,000

Skill(s): Physical Enhancement

Attack: Reflection Rate▶50% = 15,000

Defense: Reflection Rate▶50% = 15,000

Speed: Reflection Rate▶50% = 15,000

Intelligence: Reflection Rate▶50% = 15,000

Equipment

・Demon King’s Armor = Defense + 2,000

・Demon King’s Axe = Attack + 2,000

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

 

“Are you serious…”

 

Those stats easily surpassed B-Rank and even exceeded my own A-Rank stats.

My attack power and intelligence were barely on par.

However, I was outmatched in all other stats.

 

Without a doubt, it was an opponent touching the mid-level of A-Rank.

 

“GYAAAA!!”

 

The Demon King roared and charged at me, who was still in a daze, not yet mentally prepared or resolved for battle.

 

“Damn it! Mirage!”

 

Yet, based on his past experiences, Kai managed to react immediately.

 

Mirage, a skill that obstructs recognition, is almost invincible against inferior opponents.

 

However,

 

“Damn! Of course, you can see through it!”

 

Against superior opponents, its effectiveness is limited.

 

The Demon King momentarily lost sight of Kai, but gradually saw through Mirage and swung his axe.

The effectiveness of Mirage is almost null when the opponent’s intelligence exceeds oneself. Furthermore, its effectiveness decreases with continued activation.

 

So, Kai deactivated the skill once.

Kai thought it would be better to use Mirage, which already had a limited effect, at the right moment instead of keeping it activated.

 

“Haah!!”

 

I swung at the Demon King’s leg, which had left an opening from the axe swing.

The shallow cut caused blood to flow, but it was merely a scratch.

 

“Damn! It’s tough!”

 

The sword strike, swung only with the power of the arm without involving the waist, had almost no effect.

The sharpness of Aya’s artifact is undoubtedly top-notch, but I can’t harness its power properly.

 

And so begins a life-or-death struggle between the Demon King and Kai.

However, the stakes with each swing of the sword are overwhelmingly unfavorable for Kai.

 

Even with full concentration, evading and counterattacking has little effect.

On the other hand, if Kai takes a single blow from the enemy, it could be fatal because the difference in attack power between the demon king and Kai’s defense power is more than 6,000.

 

Kai doesn’t know how much the difference in numerical values affects, but it’s impossible to get out unscathed with a difference of 6,000.

 

“Hah, hah, hah…”

 

Even so, Kai and the Demon King continue to hack away.

 

The Demon King is puzzled.

He should be stronger, but his attacks don’t land.

On the contrary, he is counterattacked, albeit superficially.

 

He cannot accept it.

 

What are these eyes?

 

What is the flame in the depths of these eyes that shine in golden color?

 

“Hah, hah… this is a reenactment of the Trial of Strength.”

 

Kai recalls the day he truly made up his mind for the first time.

 

The opponent was a hobgoblin, an enemy that he could now kill with a single finger.

However, for Kai at that time, it was undoubtedly a formidable enemy.

He fought and overcame that wall, risking his life, time and again.

 

“But this time…”

 

The giant axe that cuts life is swung down.

 

What doesn’t avert is the eyes of resolution staring straight ahead.

 

“The wall is too high!!”

 

Kai, dodging to the side while cursing, is different from before in that he is already prepared to risk his life in battle.

He now has the power, experience, and meaning to fight.

He can now clearly answer why he fights.

 

Yet a massive wall that he may not be able to reach stands in his way.

 

Even so, he will never look away or give up again.

Because he’s Kai, and because he was given these eyes.

 

“Guuh!!”

 

However, power was not something that could be overturned by the heart alone.

Despite himself, fatigue made Kai’s legs heavy and weakened his grip on the sword.

 

He failed to dodge the giant axe, and he endured it by holding the sword aloft with both hands.

 

The impact made his bones creak and drove his feet into the ground.

 

He fights off the desire to collapse right there.

 

“Aaaaaah!!”

 

With a loud shout, he repelled the axe.

 

“Gyyy…”

 

The Ogre King glared at Kai.

 

Kai glared back at the Ogre King.

 

Suddenly, time was born between the two of them.

Then, the truth slipped from Kai’s mouth.

 

“Hey… I don’t think you can understand words, but… what are you guys?”

 

It was something he’d been curious about for a long time.

 

“Why do you fight people? …No, I guess that’s what you want to ask. After all, we’re the ones who suddenly break into your homes and attack…”

 

“Gyyy…”

 

“If you guys have hearts, there’s no doubt we’re the villains.”

 

It was something Kai had wondered about.

What are Cubes? What are monsters?

 

The reasons humans defeat monsters are clear.

They want magic stones, and they want to eliminate entities that pose a threat to their own lives.

 

That’s all there is to it.

 

So, what are they?

When they meet our eyes, they come to kill.

As if it’s a predetermined destiny.

 

The questions are endless.

Nevertheless, Kai has a reason to fight, a reason he must win.

 

“Even so, I have a reason… a reason why I have to defeat you. A reason why I have to clear this… because there’s someone I want to save.”

 

Immediately after, Kai’s eyes shone with a golden glow that even the Ogre King could see.

 

He opened his eyes wide and stared straight ahead.

As if embodying what he had told Aya, just by doing that, the world seemed to change.

 

The world sparkled in gold, and the Eye of God demonstrated its true power.

 

“So!!”

 

Immediately after, Kai started running.

He ran at full speed towards the Ogre King to slash him.

 

“A downward swing from the right…”

 

Kai focused on the Ogre King’s right hand.

Concentrating, squinting as if to see, Kai could see the magic power cloaked around the Ogre King’s body.

 

And even its flow.

 

Something of the Ogre King was converging into his right hand.

It was intuition.

But it was also a conviction.

Kai knew before the swing that an attack was coming from that hand.

 

He ducked and avoided it, striking a counter in the Ogre King’s side, and for the first time, he inflicted a deep wound.

The timing was perfect because he knew in advance about the attack.

 

The Ogre King cried out in surprise, but Kai was equally surprised.

 

“…What was that?”

 

Questioning the action he had just taken subconsciously, Kai took a step back.

The Ogre King, possibly deeply wounded, used his axe as a cane and was panting.

 

“…Did I see the magic power flowing? How did I know the attack was coming now?”

 

Kai looked at his own hand.

There, the magic power that had been swirling around the Ogre King appeared to be in turmoil.

It swirled and flowed like fire, or like water.

 

Until now, he had vaguely seen the contours of magical power.

But he had never seen it so clearly, now he could see the flow of magic.

 

The flow is like a river, like a flame.

 

“Could it be… is this the flow of magic?”

 

Kai focused on his right hand, and immediately, something that looked like magic power flowed towards his right hand.

To focus power now means to focus magic power.

Magic power can be manipulated by sensation, it circulates the body just as we can’t explain why our right arm moves.

 

And Kai could certainly see that flow.

 

“…I could sort of see the magic power… but I didn’t realize I could see its flow so clearly. Like water? No, like a flame.”

 

Seeing that flow meant.

 

“Gaaa!!!”

 

It was synonymous with seeing the future.

 

He easily dodged the frenzied strike of the Ogre King.

Whether it contained a feint, the flow of magic power could not lie.

Whether power was being applied or not, all was clear as day.

 

And another thing.

 

Magic power is both attack and defense power.

If you clad yourself in it, it becomes a spear, a shield, and that magic power flows throughout the body.

 

And if there is a flow, there will be “stagnation”.

 

In other words, that is.

 

“…Haah!!”

“Gyaaa!?”

 

A vital point.

 

Relying on his intuition, Kai attacked an area where the magic power seemed relatively thin. His attempt was successful, and he was able to inflict a deep wound more easily than in previous areas.

 

“…So, this is the power of these eyes. I hadn’t mastered it yet. It’s incredible.”

 

With his eyes shining gold, Kai’s gaze pierced straight through the Ogre King.

His sword, glowing an eerie green, pointed straight at the Ogre King.

 

The Ogre King, panting with his shoulders, took a step back.

Because the being that had been small until a moment ago, the being that was supposed to be weak…

 

“Sorry, but from here on out, it’s probably…”

 

Clearly appeared larger.

 

“Going to be one-sided.”