It had been some days since the completion of the first floor. Just a bit. Currently, they were on the fifth floor. They had been making continuous progress so far but…
Dantes couldn’t help but notice how he had been… acting a bit depressed these days.
Acting?
Anyways, this was just like that time a guy said ‘Yoroshiku!’ — Dantes had to actively try to stay positive, to stay active and happy. If he chose to be unhappy, he would not be happy — those who do not wish to be helped cannot be helped, after all. The blindfold too was a way of approaching peace in these dark times. A small vision of light in the darkness.
It was good. Functionally, and psychologically.
It had been many days since he last saw blood. It had been many days since he took off his blindfolds at all. Even when sleeping, he kept them on. Even now.
In front of him sat Svirit. Crownslayer was away grinding in a nearby dungeon — whose diligence greatly accelerated the progress of the party, carrying the ARK all the way to floor 5. The two of them were sitting around a campfire, cooking a piece of meat to share once Crownslayer returned. While Dantes could replenish the health points of others, he could not replenish their hunger.
Speaking of their hunger — was this really alright? Of course, it may be a bit ironic to point this out in a death game, but those IV drips or whatever they’re called can’t be that good for you, especially over extensive periods of time.
Oh well, what else could they do? Even if the meat was false, Dantes could still smell it, feel it and taste it. What more could he ask for? If anything was the spice of life, it was spice — especially in this world. Eating was one of the few moments of mundane peace, just sitting around.
…
Silence.
There was no ThyTube in this virtual world, so there existed no distractions from the deafening silence that inhibited the meal.
“...So, how was it during the raid?”
…
She probably didn’t want to hear about his personal experiences, rather, she wished to experience what he witnessed — or maybe she just wanted to break the silence. For her, the tales of battle, of bravery, of sacrifice — but only the epic kind, not the meaningless sacrifices of those who fell from the edge from staggering back in fear, those who dodged a second too late, those who tripped at an unfortunate moment. Those he did not see, never did see.
Ah… Fuck.
Dantes was beginning to feel down again.
He always had this feeling that he had an obligation to stay happy, to stay on the up, for he was the one who survived. All those people who died probably would want him to live to the fullest, to stay upbeat. Why live to be depressed, to depress? However, he did not wish to kill himself, not yet. The fear of death was far greater than the fear of life and besides, he had his sister to take care of.
As long as she was here, he would be fine. He would be fine. He would be fine. He was fine.
Dante wiped his face with both of his hands from top to bottom, as if washing his face with his palms. How realistic it was, this sensation. It was almost calming too, almost…
“Alright then!” suddenly shouted Dantes, slightly frightening Svirit, “Let me tell you about the story of the battle at the edge of the first floor, against the demon lord Whatever-its-name-was!”
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Crownslayer held his katana tightly within his sweaty palms, clenching it to the point the end of his fingers turned white with pressure. The intensity of the beast before him was immense, and the calamity to occur was obvious to all spectators nearby.
His teammate and… sister, the healer Dantes stood on the sidelines, healing the injured. The battle was currently in their favour, but they were not at a safe advantage as the ARK did not have enough information on the boss enemy. Did it have multiple phases? Did it have any sort of healing or resurrection capabilities?
This was why he could not risk it. Crownslayer could not risk using 120% of himself.
“...Then so be it.”
A hand appeared from behind the hero to hold his shoulder in assurance. Crownslayer somehow expected it to be Dantes, but instead, it was the clan leader Kiritsu-something.
“Heh, don’t go acting like the biggest fish around, alright?” said Kiritsu(masaki?), “What I mean is… You have my blade as well.”
Words of assurance. Crownslayer wiped the sweat off of his face and prepared his stance. Left foot forward, right foot back, body opening to the right, right elbow tilted up, left elbow tiled down. Everything began to flood his mind as if it were second nature — the kendo classes were worth it.
“Alright then, let’s go!”
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The true battle began as Crownslayer lunged forward in a powerful step, his blade slicing through the air as if cutting through a torrent of water. However, the edge maintained unwavering, and his form was perfect to deal critical damage to the skeletal beast as well.
However, at the last moment, the enemy was able to sacrifice one of its many arms to block the strike, the material of the bone and the blade being nearly equal in strength.
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“You fell for it fool! Cross split attack!” shouted Kiritsu(giri?) from behind the beast.
Kiritsu… was a master of blades as well, though he had the original paladin role unlike Crownslayer, who entered the virtual world post-update. Therefore, he wielded an Excalibur-like blade, the self-dubbed Yggdrasilion, a high-tier weapon crafted by the efforts of the entirety of the ARK. However, even such a formidable blade was once again tainted by an unworthy opponent as the blade failed to reach its target, the bones of the monster rearranging themselves in order to avoid the attack. They were arranged in a rib-like structure creating an unbreakable armour.
“Damn it… it’s fucking invincible!”
Crownslayer clutched his blade as he fell into deep ponderance — almost a trance — regarding the situation. Then suddenly, it hit him; a moment of inspiration.
Immediately, Crownslayer began to put his plan to work.
An image flashed through his mind — a recollection of the past, of his dear… sister, Dantes. A formidable warrior… she was.
Anyway, this wasn’t about her, or rather, it was about what she did.
In the past — a few days ago — Dantes had bested Crownslayer once. On the grounds of ARK, Dantes had demonstrated a unique strategy to overcome the grand warrior.
“...I hope that only my flesh and blood will be enough.”
Crownslayer charged toward the monster with incredible confidence, immediately gaining the attention of the beast. Whenever the skeletal monster attempted to strike the hero, he was able to parry each attempt. However, each block cost him precious time and stamina — a single point difference could’ve been the difference between life and death. He had to act fast.
Finally, the moment of synergy. As he entered the melee range, Crownslayer stabbed the ribcage of the boss directly,
Leaving not a dent.
The blade swung back behind him, and the hero was left open with no defence.
And so, the terrible beast took immediate retaliation and used its entire arsenal to pierce the hero. Blood began to pool beneath him, but Crownslayer continued to struggle, waiting for his plan to come to fruition before his HP dropped to naught.
“Crownslayer!”
Thankfully, Dantes immediately jumped into action and began healing him. However, the rate of healing was slightly lower than the rate of damage over time, and the hero held on in borrowed time.
“Finally, it’s my turn to shine!” shouted Kiri-something,
The leader of ARK jumped into action and began stabbing the beast’s core, left vulnerable due to the fact that some of its ribs were wedged within Crownslayer’s flesh. When the skeletal monster attempted to pull back and defend itself, the hero held on tightly to the bones impaling him.
After the beast turned all of its attention to the three warriors, the rest of ARK began to join in, attacking the beast from all sides without rest.
It was a battle of attrition, and the first to perish would lose.
The entire arena’s eyes were on two numbers…
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 203322
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 30322
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 199922
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 28912
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 178299
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 27832
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 149239
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 25023
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 103242
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 22343
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 73221
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 17231
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 33454
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 13232
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 13221
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 9231
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 9123
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 7123
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 5231
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 5082
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 2983
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 2778
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 123
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 98
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 26
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 25
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 5
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 2
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 1
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 1
Aldrian Beast (Lvl 99): HP 0
Crownslayer (Lvl 122): HP 1
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“And that’s how it went,” said Dantes.
“Uh… Are you sure this is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?” asked Svirit.
“Well, I might’ve taken some artistic liberty here and there, but that’s how it mostly went.”
From the horizon, the two could see Crownslayer’s shadow extending toward them. The sun was low and the day was about to end, and it seemed that the hero’s training and farming had ended as well.
“...Sure, I suppose it’s plausible.”
Svirit did not care much for the validity of the story, and Dantes knew it as well. He wasn’t a particularly great storyteller, and he knew so. However, it was successful in turning a silent meal into a captivating one — perhaps he’ll retell it to his sister just for the laughs.
“...Next time, I promise to return with better stories.”
“I’ll be waiting for the day then, hero.”
“Hm? Hero?”
“Well, aren’t you a hero now? According to your story, Crownslayer would’ve never survived without your healing, right?”
“I mean, it was everyone’s efforts — everyone’s a hero—”
“Don’t downplay yourself, Mr. ‘Level 120’” said Svirit, “As much as we depend on Crownslayer, we depend on you too, so don’t feel like you’re a side character, okay?”
“...Fine then.”
“Ah, the meat’s done,” said Svirit, “Well, here’s to nine hundred and however more floor to come, clink.”
“...Nine hundred and ninety-four floors to come,” said Dantes, “Hurrah.”