A Familiar Foe’s Farewell

Ice spikes, scattering a chill so profound it was visible to the eye, rained down precisely where I had stood moments before. The brittle ice shards shattered upon impact, blossoming into fleeting, pale clouds before dissipating into thin air. Watching them fade, a faint satisfaction stirred within me.

Evading the magic with a swift roll, I immediately drew my bow from the inventory and loosed an arrow at Kabra’s wings. It was a simple wooden bow, paired with an ordinary iron arrow. Whoosh—! The arrow tore through the air, striking Kabra and causing him to falter mid-flight. Seizing the moment, I scaled the building wall, leaping high with my sword raised.

“D-damn it! Already!?”

“Your reaction speed has improved since last time, I’ll admit. But you’re still far from good enough.”

Hovering in the air, Kabra deftly dodged my attack and retaliated with a fireball. I made no move to evade it; there was simply no need. Despite being a named entity, the attack only chipped away about 10% of my health, leaving me at 80%.

My target, after all, was never Kabra himself. It was always his wings.

Bringing my raised sword down, I slashed at Kabra’s wings. The severed wings, cleanly sliced as if scraped from his back, fluttered downward like maple seeds. Those translucent wings, shimmering with a myriad of colors like opals, lingered in the air far longer than their owner.

Regrettably, Kabra, the true owner of those wings, was instantly flung to the ground with enough force to crater the stone floor.

Landing precariously just above Kabra’s head, I rolled away, creating a safe distance between us.

“You always deal with an aerial demon’s wings first. If you can’t use the terrain like in this situation, then even if you can’t sever their wings, just throw anything to chip away at their health.

“Alternatively, you can simply endure by dodging their attacks. Fundamentally, demons cannot unleash their full power in the mortal realm. That’s why high-ranking leaders establish nests, acting as conduits to link Hell with the human world.

“The further demons are from these leaders, the more restricted their power becomes. In short… if you wait, they’ll always come down eventually, so just hold out patiently.”

“Isn’t this hardly the time for such a leisurely explanation? Why are you waiting for him?” Nocturne yelled.

“Because he asked for a proper final battle.”

I opened my inventory, checking how many of Kabra’s wings I had collected. Around six hundred remained. Considering the potions and other items used, I must have slain Kabra roughly seven to eight hundred times by now.

“Having died to me seven hundred times, surely I can grant you one graceful send-off, can’t I?”

Despite being a demon, Kabra possessed a perfectly human form and striking beauty. Moreover, his rank was merely that of a ‘named’ entity—equivalent to an executive, a mid-boss, or perhaps an elite version of a regular monster in other games.

In other words, he was an easy target. Even casual players, uninterested in combat, made sure to defeat him at least once.

On a side note, the screenshots and videos of me drawing graffiti on his body were taken down for ‘posting obscene content.’ Damn it! I didn’t do anything lewd! What’s wrong with just stripping him and drawing a few doodles?

As the flames clinging to my body finally died down, Kabra staggered to his feet. His mouth was stained with the black blood he had spewed. Wiping it away with his sleeve, he managed a smile.

“Even in Hell, I wouldn’t be able to guarantee victory against you.”

“If my Debora doesn’t take me, the only place left for me is Hell. So, we might just meet again there.”

“Thousands of gods reject you?”

“No. It’s simply that if it’s not Debora’s paradise, I have no intention of going.”

“That is truly… a lamentable state of affairs.”

They say the pinnacle of tuning is returning to the original. Sometimes, I find this sentiment quite agreeable. Even playing the role of a foolish hero from an ancient tale, engaging in utterly pointless yet refined conversations with an enemy while exchanging blows, felt strangely satisfying.

As if nothing had happened, Kabra mimicked a dignified posture, stretching both hands towards the sky. Behind him, crimson, almost black, fireballs began to coalesce, swirling into dense masses. The heat was so intense it felt as though my skin was being pulled taut.

“Is there truly a need to fight us to this extent? It would be far better for you to side with the End. Those beings do not deserve this comfortable garden. They are utterly weak and cowardly. Did you not say so yourself? They are ungrateful creatures. They simply forget what they’ve received, greedily devouring it as if it were their due. Is there truly any reason for you to endure such sacrifices for their sake?”

I scoffed at his seductive whispers. Was there truly anyone who would fall for such a classic line? Perhaps if they were merely curious enough to check, but otherwise, I doubted it.

“Do you know the phrase, ‘Nevertheless’?”

With a flick of his wrist, the fireballs followed. Having lost his wings, Kabra could no longer perform water-elemental attacks, but his fire-elemental magic was still formidable. While I could endure some hits, too many would prove fatal. As I’ve said countless times, this game’s difficulty, specifically concerning demons, is utterly insane.

Where I had rolled away, the stone floor sizzled and melted, leaving behind black scorch marks. The surrounding air shimmered with intense heat, distorting the view.

As I dodged with a roll, closing the distance, long, black claws extended, slashing towards me. Clang, clang, whoosh—! I parried twice with my sword, and he swung once from the opposite direction.

See? No matter how much stronger he claims to be, his patterns never change. Even irregular attacks are entirely manageable. This is not difficult at all.

I could end this right now by severing his neck. A single graze to his solar plexus in this state would tear his clothes off and send him sprawling. Both Kabra and I knew this.

We were engaged in a truly sigh-inducingly tedious and clichéd battle. Yet, precisely because of that, I found myself enjoying it.

No matter how many novelties the world offers, sometimes, one simply craves the classics, doesn’t one?

“Your grip’s weakening. Want a heal? Or perhaps a buff?”

“What, is that, exactly?”

“Like health recovery, or a speed boost.”

“No, I’ll, decline. I never know, when your, mind might, change, and I’d be humiliated.”

It was a shame, but it seemed my opponent wasn’t interested in prolonging this. Why ask, when I could have just done it? When you’ve played a game for a long time, you can’t always prioritize efficiency.

I was a demon hunter, and this one was an old adversary who had requested a proper final battle.

We had seen each other for longer than anyone else. Though it was closer to me unilaterally slaughtering him, I wanted to say that I would go to any length for him if it suited my concept.

Most named-tier entities are often aerial types. Their wings are both their strength and their weakness; simply severing them can instantly reduce their health by a third. In fact, it was remarkable that Kabra was still holding on. Given the vast difference in our levels, his health should have plummeted after just a few parries against my sword.

The disparity in our levels was simply too great. Even I was deliberately avoiding fatal blows.

Thwack, one of his horns was severed, and Kabra created some distance. It wasn’t far, merely a slight gap. From that narrow space, he extended a hand and unleashed a fireball, which I took head-on.

There was no pain; I had consumed Cogi. However, the scorching heat was transmitted entirely. It was hot enough to be irritating. In the recoil, my head snapped back involuntarily, and I reflexively swung my sword.

Slice—! Splatter—!! As the blade cut, black blood sprayed into the air as if discharged from a gun. That dark fluid scattered everywhere, emitting thin tendrils of black smoke.

“That one… surprised me a bit. I cut you down. I wanted to keep going a little longer.”

“Cough, gasp… Haa, ha… Ugh… Just, just once, was it…?”

“I pulled out a fancy move, but perhaps I should have used something weaker.”

“No… No. It was, enough.”

“Well, if you’re satisfied, then there’s nothing more to be done.”

My health was at 65%. Losing this much certainly made me feel a bit dizzy. Despite my basic fire resistance, I had taken a powerful hit at point-blank range. The front of my armor was now blackened with demon ichor and soot, my own blood clotted grotesquely upon it.

Ah, my blood must have been steadily draining. My face must be a mess. Kabra slowly crawled, barely managing to lift his head while on his knees. He looked like a prisoner awaiting execution.

“This bastard is unnecessarily handsome for a mid-tier named entity.”

“If I had known you’d like my face, I would have tried to tempt you instead.”

“No. What does it matter if a demon’s face is handsome? Without your wings and horns, it means nothing to me.”

I pressed my sword against Kabra’s neck. He continued to gaze up at me, now covered in blood. A thick, black, pus-like fluid dripped from his chest. His once neatly dressed, noble appearance was utterly ruined.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Humans are hopeless. I hope you realize that too.”

“I’ve known that for a long time. As if it’s some profound revelation.”

I snorted, and his mouth fell open.

“Why, did you, fight?”

“Nevertheless, I like it here.”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, is there? It’s just a game. A world overrun by demons wouldn’t be enjoyable. Hunting demons was far more fun, and I liked the idea of my cherished characters living happily. Playing along with utterly useless lore wasn’t such a bad thing either.

“This world, you see, is far more lovely than you imagine.”

Slice, I pulled the sword across his neck, and his head detached with astonishing ease. Kabra’s body toppled forward, plunging into the ground. A black mist, like a rising flame, enveloped Kabra’s form, consuming it.

The scant ashes that remained were scattered and vanished by an unseen wind.

[Void State has been deactivated.]

The void, which had been just under 7%, disappeared. I quietly opened my status window to check.

[Change Title.]

[Unable to execute.]

[Change Title.]

[Unable to execute.]

[Change Title.]

[Unable to execute.]

Despite having enjoyed a fun battle after a long time, my spirits sank. I had worried about this internally. I knew the system was broken, and I had anticipated such a situation.

I knew, yet it felt strange.

My blood had dried and shriveled, leaving only faint traces. The sensation of liquid flowing inside my armor was peculiar. My hand, brushing against my chest, tingled. Something black had stained it.

Even as I gathered Kabra’s scattered wings and horns into my inventory, I felt as though I was submerged underwater.

[Logout.]

[Unable to execute. Please check the main quest.]

[Logout.]

[Unable to execute. Please check the main quest.]

[Logout.]

[Unable to execute. Please check the main quest.]

NPCs began to emerge, one by one. I saw Jack and Faust, staring at me as if dazed. With strange expressions, peculiar gazes, and lips merely parting, everyone was looking at me.

[Logout.]

[Unable to execute. Please check the main quest.]

What kind of game is this, anyway? A bitter laugh escaped me.

My memory ended there. I must have fainted. I couldn’t recall why, or what had happened. The void was gone, and I was fine, truly fine…

So why did I feel this way?