[Level 50 Ice Ogre King]
[HP 2,114,017 / 15,000,000 (14%)]
**Grkrk-!!**
The Ice Ogre King’s body began gathering cold energy again, signaling the start of its second ice burst special pattern.
I had managed to endure the first eight bursts using *Astaroth’s* cooldown reset ability. I expected there would be a second ice burst pattern, of course. Normally, if I’d reached this point at a higher level, I would have minimized the level penalty and used the torch gimmick to reduce the number of bursts. But, at my current low level, I didn’t have time for that. I had to keep pushing my damage output non-stop.
The initial ice burst came, and I resisted it with a backward dodge. The white hexagonal crystals filled my vision, each delicate snowflake sweeping past me in sharp clarity. Using a movement skill, I closed the distance and slashed at the Ice Ogre King.
Silver and starlight flowed as I swung my sword—left, right, and then a diagonal slash downward.
The second ice burst followed. Was the interval 2.7 seconds? Maybe 2.8? Either way, if I timed my *Flash Slash* correctly, I could narrowly reset the cooldown for my next backward dodge.
**Srrk**, I executed a counterattack, my body cutting through the snowflake-like crystals as I shifted behind the ogre.
The third ice burst came. My sword sliced cleanly through both the ogre and the falling snowflakes, as if splitting them in half.
The invincibility window was short, but it felt natural to me, like breathing. It was a physical acceleration technique, harnessing explosive energy from my feet to propel me forward. It was one of my favorite techniques, both in the past and now. The feeling of becoming a streak of light, cutting through the air, always felt exhilarating.
The fourth and fifth ice bursts came, but I resisted them with a sequence of backward dodges and counterattacks.
At that moment, the bracelet on my arm, a gift from the dwarf Ain, glowed. The "Hammer and Anvil Bracelet" allowed me to reset the cooldowns for my dodge, counter, and *Flash Slash*.
For now, Ain was the only one with me, but someday, I’d have other comrades too.
The sixth and seventh ice bursts followed, but I continued slashing between dodges and counters, never missing a beat.
**Bang!**
The Ice Ogre King stomped the ground and leaped into the air, clenching both fists together.
The eighth and final ice burst came. The pattern ended with a ground slam after the aerial jump.
If I had failed even once in resisting the ice bursts, I would have been frozen solid and shattered into pieces by that last attack.
Narrowing my eyes, I lowered my stance, preparing for my final *Flash Slash*.
I had done enough damage during the bursts. There was still some time before the ogre’s final berserk pattern.
**Flash!**
My slash cut through the Ice Ogre King’s body as it descended to the ground.
**Krrraaah!**
**Thud.**
Without glancing back at the fallen body of the Ice Ogre King, I made my way to the upper floor.
---
[Ice Tower, 10th Floor]
**Wooooong.**
The familiar scanning process began, and a radiant glow gathered in the center of the Ice Tower’s hall.
From within that light, a figure appeared.
[Level ??]
[Ancient Hero ■■]
[HP ???/???]
I smiled.
"Long time no see."
The figure before me, radiating explosive power within its small body, was a golden silhouette—*Hero Rain*.
Even though the light still obscured its face, I could almost feel her smiling back at me.
"I’m here to save this world again."
The continent of Astria had manifested in the form of this game, but a clear threat existed.
That threat was still vague, a shadow of its true form, but even though all the players were tasked with saving the world...
Perhaps I was the only one who could really do it.
"I’m going to carve the names of my comrades—and mine—into Astria once again."
To do that, I needed more power.
A strength that set me apart from the others.
Was this a trial to make me stronger? Or a barrier meant to block my path?
**Tap. Tap.**
I stepped forward, raising *Astaroth* toward her.
"So, give me my power back."
To reclaim what was once mine from my past self, I stepped to the edge of the *Hero’s* aggro range without hesitation, then turned away.
**Tatat!**
I executed a backward dodge.
**Papapapapap!**
A storm of slashes erupted from the *Hero’s* sacred sword, barely grazing me as I dashed toward her.
In a split second, my body traversed the space between fantasy and reality, reaching the hero. Twisting my body, I swung *Astaroth* with full force.
**Clang!**
Our eyes met—or at least, it felt that way.
The hero, who never reached completion.
You are stuck, while I move forward.
**Clang! Clang! Clang!**
She was more dangerous than last time. Her movements were sharper, more refined. Her swordplay dug into every weak spot of my body, stabbing and slashing in ways that felt like a snake coiling around its prey.
**Fwoosh, clang!**
She was showing me a display of swordsmanship that she hadn’t the last time we met.
But my body, affected by the game’s "stats" system, had also grown faster since then. Unlike before, when I could barely manage to find openings behind my blocks, now I was able to follow her movements—though just barely.
**Clang! Clang!**
Her sword paths became clear to me. They were, after all, set patterns.
Now, I could duel with her properly.
**Clang!**
Golden sparks flew as I parried her sword, aiming a strike at her side with my silver blade. **Clang!** The hero raised her sword diagonally, blocking my attack.
Unlike before, when she would allow a few hits to land, the hero was now skillfully guarding against my strikes.
The golden aura surrounding her body acted as a protective barrier. Like last time, I’d need to wear it down with multiple hits. Even though I could see her swordplay clearly, landing hits on her was more difficult than before.
Maybe I should try a different approach.
**Clang!**
I struck her sword hard, trying to create an opening. But she used the rebound to lightly lift her body into the air. **Woom**, golden energy surged around her sword. She was preparing for a sword wave shock attack. I couldn’t block this.
It was time for a counterattack.
**Srrk.**
**Boom!**
The impact of her sword’s energy wave shook the ice floor, sending a powerful shockwave in all directions.
It was a strong attack. This would create an opening. I aimed for her back and swung *Astaroth*.
**Scratch, spin.**
"!? What?!"
Instead of the feeling of striking her protective barrier, I heard the sound of blades scraping against each other. The hero’s sword moved in an arc, smoothly deflecting my blade downward before stabbing toward me.
I reflexively used my *Guard* skill.
**Clang!**
Wow, that was terrifying. If I had reacted even 0.1 seconds slower, I’d have been skewered like a kebab.
I hid behind my guard, nervously watching the hero. For about two seconds, she remained in her thrusting stance, then began her sword swings again. **Clang! Clang! Clang!** Back to the familiar pattern, the first sequence.
I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
I could have landed a few more hits!
After activating the sword wave, she had used a counterattack thrust. If I timed my attacks correctly, I wouldn’t have to see that thrusting pattern at all.
But activating the counter gave me a two-second window to land hits. It was a "forced" counterattack pattern.
At this point, my best chance to land hits on her was during those two seconds when her guard dropped after the counter.
---
**Papapapapap!**
Two seconds was a longer time than it seemed. I unleashed multiple slashes at the hero’s unguarded body after she activated her counter.
That was nine hits, ten hits. **Tat!** I then used a backward dodge to create distance.
The reason I used the dodge was to prepare for the special pattern that would trigger after the tenth hit. During the special pattern, she wouldn’t launch any fast sword waves. Well, it was possible she’d throw out some other sword-based special move.
Last time, when I’d hit her ten times, she had activated the *Rebound Sword Wave*, which had shredded me to pieces.
This time, it wasn’t the rebound sword wave. So, what would the special pattern be?
**Wooooong!**
Suddenly, light gathered around the hero’s body.
Was this a prelude to an AoE attack? My backward dodge cooldown was far from ready. It was too late to close the distance and counter her. The light was already starting to burst forth.
In a panic, I lowered my stance and used *Flash Slash* as a defensive move.
**Boom!**
With *Flash Slash*, I cut through the golden light and advanced to the hero’s immediate proximity.
I raised *Astaroth*, ready to strike her down, but she raised her sacred sword horizontally
.
**Woom!**
The resonance of the sound made cold sweat drip down my back.
**Boom! Boom! Boom!**
Golden energy erupted from the hero’s body.
Her sacred sword was now fully charged with extreme golden energy.
This was the preparatory stance for a sword dance imbued with pure sword energy.
I couldn’t counter this. I’d be sliced into pieces.
**Srrk!**
I immediately activated the cooldown reset function on my bracelet.
**Screeeech!**
At the same time, the hero’s accelerated sacred sword came crashing down toward me.
I couldn’t dodge. I couldn’t block.
Thinking I could read her sword path was a mistake. The hero, who had drawn upon all her mana, wielded her sacred sword with a single purpose—to kill me.
Facing this overwhelming sword dance, all I had was the game’s system to rely on: invincibility frames.
How long would this sword dance last? Could I resist it if I used all my invincibility skills? *Astaroth*'s cooldown reset was still available. If necessary, I would use that too. There was no room for hesitation. This sword dance, imbued with pure energy, was that dangerous.
**Srrk, papapapap!**
Using *Counter*, I slipped through the gaps in space, the hero’s golden sword grazing past me multiple times.
The speed of her slashes was incredible. Even worse, her sword energy was concentrated to its absolute limit. I couldn’t counter this pattern. If not for the invincibility frames, I’d have been torn apart into four or five pieces.
The invincibility of my counter was ending. Without hesitation, I immediately used a backward dodge.
**Tat-tat.**
The hero pursued me, launching sword strikes as I retreated 8 meters backward.
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**Screeeech, papapapap!**
During the short invincibility window of the backward dodge, I saw her sacred sword slicing through the air, narrowly missing my sides. The relentless sword dance hadn’t ended yet.
How many strikes does she have?
As I completed the 8-meter retreat, I lowered my stance.
I still had one final invincibility skill left: *Flash Slash*.
I had to keep cycling through invincibility skills. The moment my invincibility frames ran out, I’d die.
**Flash!**
As soon as the invincibility frames from the backward dodge ended, I activated *Flash Slash*.
A chilling sensation crawled down my spine as I realized that the hero’s sword dance still wasn’t finished.
I had no time to turn or recover from the *Flash Slash* stance.
The invincibility frames for *Flash Slash* were brief, and the hero’s sword dance was maddeningly fast.
At that moment, the after-delay from using *Flash Slash*, which had never been an issue before, suddenly became a fatal flaw.
This is bad.
I need to use *Astaroth*'s cooldown reset now.
But before I could act, the hero’s sword, still tracking me at the speed of light, pierced my body the instant the invincibility frames vanished.
**Thud.**
"Guh!"
I heard the sound of flesh being pierced. My body trembled as my mouth opened wide in shock.
Ah, this feeling... I’ve felt it before.
Through my blurred vision, I saw the golden sword protruding from my chest.
As expected, she was an impossible opponent.
I guess overcoming this in one go was too much.
Fine, just wait.
**Thud.**
As the sword vanished from my sight, my body collapsed forward.
Not a single ant could be seen on the floor.