I couldn't move. My mind was racing, trying to make sense of what was going on. The room, the throne, the boss who seemed to know me... it was all too much. How was it possible for a virtual counterpart to have memories of the real world? No, it had to be a coincidence.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, holding my Soultaker out in front of me. With our stats slashed in half and the water restricting our movement, the carefully thought out strategy we had concocted beforehand seemed laughable now.

"I'm not mistaken, am I?" Levius tilted his head curiously. Normally, he would've charged at us, but stalling for time gave me a chance to come up with a new plan. "It had been centuries since I've fought someone who continued to return after death. You had always tried a combination of various Skills and weapons, but I recognize your energy."

[!!! Wait, Luquier, don't tell me he has memories of when you played the game counterpart?]

"It... seems that way," I whispered back, unable to believe it myself. It would explain why Levius halved our stats immediately, instead of waiting for us to get his Health low. But it was still freaky to think that he knew who I was, knew what I'd done in the game...

Levius casually strolled from his throne towards us, each step taking him deeper into the water. I glanced over at Gigi and Phoebe, both looking equally confused and terrified. The weight of the situation began to settle heavily in my stomach as I realized that we were in far over our heads.

"Steel yourself, Immortal!" Celine shouted, casting a red light of warmth over us. "We need you and Avarice to keep sharp!"

The light Celine casted seemed to jolt us out of our shock. Aurora grimaced, standing up and making her broadsword glow green. She glanced at me, and we shared a nod.

"That is your name? Immortal?" Levius smiled thinly, snapping his fingers to call monstrous sea creatures from the water. "Quite fitting. No wonder you continue to return to face me."

Aurora and I dashed forward, the lesser mobs being kept at bay by Phoebe's ice magic and Gigi's sentry turrets. We directed our attention at Levius, swinging our swords at him.

With ease, the boss caught both of our swords, tossing us back like we were mere dolls. We collided into the water with a loud splash, and I felt the cold seep into my clothing. I quickly rolled out of the way, taking in the situation. Levius was unharmed, but Aurora had taken advantage of the distraction to slash at his legs with her broadsword. The boss countered with a kick, deflecting the attack.

Levius suddenly frowned as green light enveloped him, and he glanced at Aurora.

"Stealing my stats?" Levius grinned, stalking towards her. "By all means, go ahead."

[Health: 375000 | Strength: 375000]

[Speed: 18750 | Magic: 7500]

Even after stealing 25% of his attributes, Levius was still stronger than Aurora and I. Still, I hoped that my sister would be able to tip the odds in our favor.

Levius lunged forward, his fist aimed at Aurora's face. The attack was powerful, but Aurora managed to dodge it by a hair's breadth, rolling out of the way. Her broadsword slashed at his side, but the boss simply sidestepped, the blade biting into empty air.

Fuck. Aurora still came up short stacked against Levius. I knew she needed to steal more from the mobs around us, but the boss seemed to have caught on to this as well, directing all of my sister's attention to him. The only thing I could do was buy her time by distracting him with ranged Reaps.

"Aurora, focus on the lesser mobs for now!" I shouted. "I'll draw his attention while you steal more stats! Gigi, Phoebe, help cover me! Celine, keep the buffs and healing coming!"

"Use the name, Lu!" Aurora yelled back even as she was struggling against Levius. For real? My sister was hellbent on making me keep the bet, in this situation?

"Ugh, please, Awra!" I consented as my face burned. There wasn't any point in arguing.

A smile flashed on Aurora's face before she drew Levius over to me, the both of us seamlessly swapping places as if we'd done this a hundred times. Well, if I thought about it, we technically did in the games we'd play together.

"Oh? You'll be my opponent again?" Levius grinned, his deep-blue eyes fixed on me. "Very well."

The boss immediately swung his fist at me. His Speed wasn't higher than mine, but because of the water restricting my movement coupled with the fact that I wasn't really trying to avoid the hit caused me to take his punch directly to my side.

Pain blossomed throughout my body in an explosion of agony as I was sent flying across the arena. Through the pain, I managed to get one Death's Shadow off, slowing Levius down.

[Divinity passive has nullified 10% damage. Damage taken: 337500]

[Tough Skin passive has converted 168750 damage to temporary shield.]

[Cloak of the Guide has stored 16875 damage.]

[Soultaker damage: 913965]

Holy shit. In one hit, Levius managed to drain a large chunk of my reserve Health and Soultaker damage. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. My vision blurred, and my body felt like it was on fire. I struggled to get back to my feet, but every time I tried, a wave of nausea would overwhelm me, forcing me to double over. I couldn't believe it. Well, at least I managed to hit him with a slow. Now my sister would be able to outpace him.

"I'm disappointed, Immortal."

I managed to get my bearings to see Levius zip towards me, but Aurora jumped in between us to block him from hitting me again. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I wanted to take another hit. Levius sneered at my sister, engaging in combat with her once again.

Aurora's Speed and Magic stats were much higher than Levius, enabling her to dodge all of his attacks, though it seemed like the boss was just as adept at reading her movement.

"Immortal! Are you okay?" Celine shouted as she ran towards me. I stopped her with a hand.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Don't focus on me, keep buffing and healing the others!" I gritted my teeth. "I've got another plan up my sleeve."

"I really hate your plans, Immortal," Celine made a face, but didn't argue back as she repositioned near Gigi and Phoebe.

Aurora was a whirlwind of movement, dodging every single one of Levius' attacks, but it was only a matter of time before she'd grow tired. Her movements were starting to slow down, and she was beginning to breathe harder. Levius was relentless, his every attack precise and fast. It was like fighting a machine.

The fodder mobs that had spawned were more or less being wiped out by Gigi's turrets, which allowed our party to focus everything we had towards Levius. It was a grueling fight, but slowly, Aurora was starting to gain the upper hand. She dodged another one of Levius' attacks, the water slashing past where she had been standing mere moments ago. Her movements were growing faster, more fluid.

The stats she stole from the fodder mobs were coming in handy as she whittled the boss's Health down. Her Skills also seemed to weaken his other stats, causing Levius to grow perplexed with every second.

[Health: 205400 | Strength: 255000]

[Speed: 13000 | Magic: 7100]

"Nice!" I shouted to my sister, joining forces to launch a duo attack on Levius. We charged at him together, Aurora aiming for his left side while I went for his right. My sword slashed against his clothes, leaving a trail of sparks as it scraped against the enchanted material. Aurora's broadsword sliced through the air just as quickly, her movements fluid and precise.

Green and black flashed through the air as my sister and I weaved our Skills in our attacks, joined by fire, ice, and golden bullets from our other three party members. Levius displayed visible shock at the turning tide of battle.

But... something felt off.

[Health: 200550]

Despite our gradual dominance and Levius's growing desperation, there was a feeling of dread welling up within me. As I hacked and slashed alongside my sister, I couldn't help but overthink.

[Health: 198500]

Throughout my experience of gaming, I knew of a trope that was always present in virtual reality. The situation at hand didn't seem to go that way, but my gut was telling me to trust it.

[Health: 154200]

The expression on Levius's face immediately changed to one of glee, confirming my suspicions. Aurora seemed to sense the change too, as she abruptly pulled back, yanking on my cloak to drag me along with her.

[System alert: Herald Sea Serpent God, Levius has activated a stage change.]

The throne room began to crumble, the castle itself breaking down. Within moments, our enclosed battleground had extended to the entirety of the floor around us. The other Players who had been fighting off the floor mobs stared at the scene in disbelief as Levius cackled maniacally.

I had never managed to get Levius's Health this low, but even I knew that this was the stereotypical 'second boss phase'. God... damn it. I had no idea what we were in for now.

[Name: Awakened Herald Sea Serpent God, Levius | Level: 30]

[Health: 1000000 | Strength: 500000]

[Speed: 20000 | Magic: 230000]

"You're kidding me!" Gigi gasped as we watched Levius's stats increase. I had to admit, that was pretty unfair.

"Oh, this is a nice surprise," Levius smirked. "I'm impressed, Players. You've done quite well." His voice boomed through the destroyed remnants of the castle as he slowly stalked towards us. "But now, it's time for you to see what I'm truly capable of."

"Ha-ha... shit..." Aurora swore quietly under her breath. "I'm not sure I can protect you, Lu. If you've got a Warp Cube, I'll buy you enough time to use it."

I blinked at my sister. She was worried about me?

"Don't be stupid," I muttered, feeling a little guilty for making her worry. "You've got to focus on keeping yourself alive. I can handle this."

"You're the stupid one," Aurora stepped in front of me, brandishing her broadsword. "We both know that guy can kill us all in one hit, but my Title got reset. That means I have a fair chance of surviving a bit longer than you can."

"Actually," It was my turn to step forward. I had run the numbers in my head, and I was pretty sure I could pull this off. Maybe. "Can you trust me, just this once?"

Aurora seemed taken aback, giving me a look of surprise and confusion. "What are you planning to do, little bro?"

[Yes, Luquier, what are you planning???]

Ignoring its protests, I put away the Soultaker, checking to make sure I still had the stored damage from my Items and passive. Good. Now to place everything on the line. I gazed at Levius, who smiled softly at me.

"Lu," Aurora began, but I cut her off with a hand.

"Please, Awra?" I begged in my most sincere voice. "Just trust me. I won't let you down. I've got a plan."

In spite of the situation, my sister immediately caved when I used her nickname, grinning stupidly as she relented. "Okay, Lulu. I'll trust you. Don't die on me, little bro."

Fuck! I wanted to snap back when she called me that, but I had to focus. I turned my attention to Levius, who snapped his fingers, calling forth more sea monsters to his side.

"Deciding to take me on alone, once again?" Levius said, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "I'm curious to see what strategy you have in store for me."

"Awra, get all the Players coordinated and handle the fodder monsters. When I give you the signal, that's when you and any other strong Players will jump in to help me." I quietly whispered to my sister before stepping forward.

"Wait, what signal?"

"You'll know," I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the idiotic plan I was going to execute. "Yo, Asswhale!"

Levius frowned. "That's rude. I haven't said anything that offensive to you to warrant that kind of name-calling. I even complimented you and your party quite a few times."

"Er, sorry," I felt a weird sense of guilt, unprepared for his response. Wait, why did I apologize? "I mean, I was just gonna say how you've been relying on your raw Strength this whole time, so why is there a need for your Magic stat to also be so high?"

The boss tilted his head, briefly confused. "Oh? Are you saying you wish for this to be a battle of magic instead? I shall indulge, if that is what you want."

"I do," I grinned, charging up a Reap in my hand and firing it at Levius. I wasn't expecting it to do much, though.

"Very well. I suppose a change of routine before the inevitable can provide me with some entertainment!" Levius roared, throwing out a punch that sent out a blade of dark blue water towards me.

[Oh... I see.]

The water blade easily cut through my attack and hit me directly, opening a large gashing wound across my chest. My screams were mixed in with the cries of my sister and other Players as I struggled to breathe.

[Divinity passive has nullified 10% damage. Damage taken: 207000]

[Tough Skin passive has nullified 168750 damage. Shield has been reset.]

[Cloak of the Guide has stored 20525 (Maxed) damage.]

[Health: 2800]

Oh, fuck. Just barely avoided death.

[System alert: 'Pick On Someone Your Own Strength.' Achievement triggered.]

[Increasing stats by 100% for 1 minute.]

There we go. I smiled through the pain as Levius stared at me in shock, but it slowly turned into respect as he crouched down.

I pulled out my Soultaker, casting the Skill that I'd been centering my entire spontaneous plan on.

[Duplicate has been activated. Cloning Player Luquier Vaunt.]

****

[Updating…]

[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 1148]

[Title: Reckless Immortal (A)]

[Health: 82100 (5600) | Strength: 40500]

[Speed: 40000 | Magic: 45000]

[Risk: 20000 (10000) | Stat Points: 0]

[Experience: 6%]

[Items]

[Soultaker (913965)]

[Cloak of the Guide (20525)]