Episode 3 – King's Road (4)

Creakkk!! Boom! 

Finally, the boss room of the hidden dungeon was revealed. 

The interior was completely covered in darkness. Jaehyuk adjusted his vision by flowing mana into his eyes. When he did, the interior of the boss room became a little clearer. 

'This place is too dark. Even my heightened senses is not enough.' 

Maybe if he used the [Magic Eyes] skill, he would be able to see the interior but he decided against it and thought it was best to save his mana in case of emergencies. After all, he was going to fight a boss monster. 

Then it happened when he took a step forward. 

Swoosh!!

All the torches lining up the walls lit up in a straight line and illuminated the place. The interior of boss room became crystal clear. 

The interior of the boss room was designed with several giant stone pillars placed left and right. The floor covered in stone tiles, coloured silver grey, were arranged in such a manner that left no visible gaps in between. 

The place reminded him of a king's clambers yet there was no throne. On top of that, this place gave off a gloomy and dark vide similar to that of a graveyard. 

More importantly, 

'Huh? What's that?' 

There was something up ahead that caught his attention. He walked further inside the room to get a clearer view. 

SLAM!!! 

The door suddenly slammed closed with force, locking him inside. But Jaehyuk did not panic. He expected something like this to happen. 

He glanced back at the door for a moment and faced his front. 

"?" 

There was a wooden box placed on the floor in the distance. It looked like someone important was kept there because it was designed in an elegant manner. 

Jaehyuk titled his head, confused. Was a dead corpse actually kept there? 

'Hold on?' 

He recalled the name of the dungeon. 

[Ancient Tomb of the Fallen] 

Wasn't a tomb supposed to mean a burial place? Does this mean that an actual person was inside there? 

If that was the case, then was the demons before designed to block intruders from reaching this place? 

'That's not right.' 

Those lesser demons he killed were basically servants serving under a Great Lord. But If that lord was dead, then who was the person pulling the strings this entire time. 

Soon enough, even that question was answered. 

Creaaaakkk!!! 

From the gap between stone pillars, 'something' walked out from its hiding place. It was dragging something heavy that was greater than its own height on the stone tiles. 

It was a giant black broadsword. But it couldn't be called a normal sword. The purple viens adorned on the sword pulsed every now and then as if it was alive. 

Finally, the tall figure appeared infront of the casket as if to block the intruder 'Jaehyuk' from reaching it.

[The boss monster has arrived.] 

[Hidden scenario has been updated.] 

[Defeat the Commader of Demon Knights, Antares the Black.] 

A system message appeared but Jaehyuk full attention was placed on the entity standing infront of him. 

It was a demon knight. But it was notably different from the dark knights he faced in the passageway. 

Unlike the dark knights which were covered in dark-grey armour, this thing was covered completely in onyx-coloured armour and wore a purple bat-like cape. From its body shape, It looked not only strong but also extremely agile as well. 

The glowing flame-like white hair extending back from the top of the helm left a very deep impression. 

While Jaehyuk was examining its helm, he noticed that the helm had an Y-shaped opening that exposed its glowing eyes that matched the colour of its hair. 

Those eyes felt utterly cold, indifferent, lifeless and mechanical as if following a programming. 

Jaehyuk recognised that lifeless look. It was a look of someone that has been fighting for a long time. 

He looked at the armour closely and noticed it looked very dusty and disheveled. How long has it been fighting here? Decades Centuries? A Millennium? 

It seemed like the knight had its own story to tell. 

'A Knight That Guards The Fallen King, huh?' 

The pressure from this creature was powerful enough to knock ordinary beginners. Even Jaehyuk was feeling the pressure. But he wasn't that affected. He was a War god after all. 

Crack!! 

He strengthened his grip on the [Suppressing Iron Sword]. 

Even though the mission was to slay the Knight Commander, he had to be extremely cautious and observe the situation. If he made a clumsly mistake, the results might be irreversible. 

Finally... 

Clunk, Clunk! 

Perhaps it was tired of waiting or was simply bored, the Knight Commander began to move. Then... 

Swish! 

Before Jaehyuk could even blink, the knight appeared infront of him and raised the broadsword. 

His eyes opened wider. Despite being 10 metres away, the knight closed the gap between them literally in an instant. 

What kind of ridiculous speed was that? Especially with that heavy equipment. 

Jaehyuk didn't even think. He reacted quickly and moved the sword. 

Clang!!! 

He managed to parry the broadsword but in the process, his arm holding the sword was swung back powerlessly from the recoil. 

'What the hell?!' 

Not only was it ridiculously fast, it was also ridiculously strong as well. 

There was a hint of surprise on the Knight's face. 

Regaining its footing, the Knight swung the broadsword in a huge arc. 

"Shit—" 

Jaehyuk ducked under the swung, narrowly escaping death's embrace. 

Whoosh!! BOOM! 

The giant broadsword sliced through the pillar behind him as if cutting tofu, and stone fragments scattered everywhere. 

'Are kidding me right now? It cut through the pillars as if it's nothing.' 

If he failed to dodge just now, he would have suffered the same fate as that broken pillar. 

Seeing the Knight trying to regain its footing after that huge swing, Jaehyuk used this launch an attack of his own. 

He got closer to the Knight and then swung the sword at its vital spots. 

"Dismantle."

However, 

Clang!! 

There was an heavy sword as his sword failed to penetrate the thick armour of the Knight Commander. 

'It also has durable armour too.' 

Unlike the Dark Knights that can be cut with little resistance, slashing against Antares' armour felt like swinging the sword against a refined wall. 

Antares discovered him abruptly and swung down the broadsword like a hammer. 

"?!" 

Jaehyuk quickly jumped out of the way and the broadsword struck the ground with a heavy sword. 

Kwang!!! Rumble-! 

The ground shook and dust erupted as if there was an explosion. Although Jaehyuk successfully dodged the strike, he was still affected by the shockwave. 

"Tck." 

Using the shockwave to his advantage, Jaehyuk managed to create some distance away from the Knight. 

Swish! 

A purple energy beam with the form of a slash shot out and rushed towards him quickly. 

Jaehyuk opened his eyes wide. The bastard also possessed a long-ranged attack 

He swiftly moved out of the way and the slash brush past him, parting the ground on the way. 

In the next moment, he raised the sword and blocked the horizontal swing of the black broadsword. 

'Damn, its strong.' 

His entire body trembled. Although he blocked with the sword, the impact was transferred to the rest of his body. 

Upon seeing its strike was blocked, Antares then held the broadsword with both hands and swung it forcefully. 

The result? Jaehyuk was powerlessly sent flying and his back crashed against a wall, hard. 

Slam! Crack!! 

"Urgh..." 

He groaned and blood spurt out from his mouth. It felt like some bones broke from the impact. 

['Tenacity' has activated.] 

[Your attack and defence will temporarily increase.] 

Just a single hit was able to put him such in a miserable state. 

His head shook repeatedly. After getting out from a hole in the wall, the ringing began to tune down somewhat. 

He didn't have time to fully recover from the impact. His blurry vision captured Antares as it rapidly made its way towards him. 

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! 

The Knight Commander rushed forward like a raging bull and shook the earth with each step. 

One would wonder how it was able to move so casually despite wearing all that heavy armour. 

Swish-!!! 

With the sound of the air being ripped apart, Antares thrusted the giant broadsword forward. 

Jae-hyuk opened his eyes and rolled out of the way. 

Boom! Rumble-! 

The broadsword effortlessly stabbed into the wall where he previously at with a loud sound. The impact was so strong that cracks started spreading across the walls. 

Jaehyuk quietly watched as the Knight removed the broadsword from the wall. Dirt was falling from above. 

'Despite my defence being around three digits, it practically ignored it and damaged me directly. Meaning, his strength stats is higher than my overall defense.' 

The same could be said for its agility. Despite wearing heavy armour, it was able to move freely as if it was nothing. 

The Suppressing Iron Sword that easily slashed through the Dark Knights wasn't able to penetrate Antares' armour. Meaning, its overall defense was far superior to his attack power. 

On top of that, the energy-charged attack it possessed was rather troublesome to deal with. Was the source of that attack an ability or was it that sword? 

Either way, he instinctively knew if he got hit by that slash, the results will be extremely devastating. 

To summarise everything, in terms of basic stats such as strength, defense and agility, the Black Knight Commander 'Antares' was far superior to him. 

[Fatigue: 60%] 

As if all those things was not enough, his fatigue was accumulating more quickly. Needless to say, he was at a complete disadvantage. 

However, his chance of victory was not zero. 

'He's only superior to me in basic stats. I'm superior in terms of skills and experience.'

It would be the first time he faced against an opponent that was greatly stronger than himself. And it was not going to be his last either. 

'Okay. Fine.' 

His eyes glowed seriously. 

There was no need to continue conserving mana. If he didn't go all out, he was bound to lose. He started activating skills one by one. 

['Wind Gale' has activated.] 

['Magic Eyes' has activated.] 

['Heightened Senses' has activated.] 

['Rapid Rotation' has been applied.] 

Paah! 

Wind gathered under the soles of his feet and exploded, launching him forward in an explosive manner. 

In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the Knight and stabbed multiple times in rapid succession. 

Clang! Clang! Clang!! 

Despite manipulating the wind to make himself faster, the Knight Commander was still able to react and defend itself. 

After deflecting a slash, the Knight swung the broadsword. But Jaehyuk ducked under the slash, and entered its blind spot before stabbing all its vital points. 

Clang—! 

It was no use though. None of his stabs penetrated the thick armour. 

'Seems like I have to change my strategy.' 

Jaehyuk gathered the wind using [Wind Gale] and transformed into a beam of light. 

Whoosh! 

Moving at the speed of sound, he assaulted the Knight Commander with attacks from all directions. 

Each slash being filled with killing intent. Furthermore, his godspeed sword flashes that looked like thin lines continued a series of attacks.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!!!

Loud sounds of metal meeting metal reverberated noisily throughout the vast chamber of the boss room. 

From a single glance, It looked like Jaehyuk had entered a frenzy and was attacking aimlessly, but that was not the case. He was going to overwhelm the Knight Commander using nothing but pure speed. 

Wouldn't he run out of stamina quickly if he continues this high-speed maneuver? He already accounted for that possibility. 

Clang! Clang! 

Although all his strikes were blocked, the Knight was forced to enter a defensive position. 

[Fatigue: 70%] 

'I have to hurry.'

Jae-hyuk increased the intensity of his slashes. He ran around the Knight Commander and slashed at its vital points. 

Clang! Clang! Clang! 

Slowly, his slashes started to pass through the Knight's defence. 

Even when he knew he couldn't penetrate the armour with those weak slashes, he didn't stop his tremendous assault. 

It was risky. Either he runs out of stamina or this knight falls. 

Clang! Clang-!!! 

Each time his slash was deflected, the speed of his slashes increased. The recoil, power and the force. Jaehyuk stored it up to increase the strength and speed of his slashes.

[Fatigue: 80%] 

'80 Percent now.' 

The wind parted and Jae-hyuk rapidly got closer and closer. 

Clang!! 

The sword was moved in an unpredictable manner and struck Antares' vital spots. 

Crack! 

Slowly, cracks started forming on the Knight's seemingly indestructible armour. 

Before it could even get shocked, more slashes rained on the Knight Commander Antares without break. 

"!!" 

As if tired of being a punching bag, Antares charged its broadsword and unleashed an energy beam in a straight line. 

Swish! 

The slash moved forward with an air-piercing sound and surpassed the speed of a bullet. 

However, Jaehyuk simply dodged using [Wind Flying Gale] before appearing before the Knight blind spot and unleashed his speciality. 

Slash. 

It was no mere slash or dismantle. It was more like a flash of lightning. 

At that moment, Jaehyuk saw some kind of thin line. 

He had experienced the strange phenomena many times before. During his past regressions and even in this timeline. He usually followed it without hesitation. 

The faint line was flowing towards the Knight's chest area. 

'Is this it?' 

Jaehyuk smiled. A chance has appeared. But his normal slashes wouldn't do. He needed a more powerful move to end the battle. 

Second Technique – Single Thrust.

He concentrated all his magic power into the tip of the Suppressing Iron Sword.

"?!" 

As if sensing something ominous, Antares jumped far back trying to get away. It was already too late though. 

Jaehyuk stabbed the sword forward with all his might. His vision was blurry and his breathing was rough but the stab was absolute. 

Boom! Whoosh! 

Something exploded and penetrated through the Knight's chestplate like a cannonball. 

[You have defeated the Commander of Demon Knights, Antares the Black.] 

[You have acquired the skill 'Sword Ki'] 

[You have acquired the skill 'Critical Strike'] 

[You have gained the King's qualifications.]