Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 223

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Chapter 223 – Battle Begins

The next day,

As planned, the group gathered at the entrance to the Entonia Fire Rock Cave early in the morning and marched into its interior.

The long-range units with excess magic power mainly dealt with the monsters along the way, so the melee units didn’t have much to do.

I was personally worried about magic power consumption, but there were magic potions for recovery. I had also taken magic recovery pills just in case.

I gripped my sword, thinking I should take the lead in dealing with the monsters. However, I decided against showing off in such a situation, so I quietly blended into the group.

Still, I felt like I was standing out.

“Hey! It’s just you, Loki-kun! Only an idiot would carry a basket in a boss battle!”

Those were the first words I heard from Joffman-san after the march began, and they stabbed me right in the heart.

I had thought about collecting materials along the way, but that wasn’t my only goal.

To make the boss battle go more smoothly, I decided to stick with my usual commoner outfit until right before the fight.

We should have arrived soon, but nearly two hours had passed since we started walking through the cave.

Looking around, I see that I’m drenched in sweat and clearly exhausted.

That’s why I put my armor in the basket. However, Yuria-san, whom I had never met before at the hunting ground, got really angry at me.

“What if you get badly burned before we get there!?”

That’s true, but with my fire resistance skill at level 8, I don’t feel any damage or heat from the fire.

“Loki-kun, you never wore armor, not even during normal hunts, did you?”

Joffman-san calmly stated the facts, and Yuria-san’s cute face twisted into an ugly grimace.

“If you let the heat escape now, the boss battle will be much easier. I’ll carry the armor for you if you put it in the basket.”

I offered kindly, but she replied, “If I take it off, I’ll be in my underwear…” I was even more shocked.

I don’t know what’s going on under the armor.

It should definitely give me an advantage in the boss battle. Why do I have to be looked at like this? The world is so unfair!

And why is Joffman-san taking his armor off?

I never said I’d carry your armor. Confused by the old man’s bare chest, we arrived at the boss’s room after about two and a half hours.

Upon seeing the room up close, I estimated that it was between 300 and 400 meters long and nearly 50 meters high, with a dome-shaped ceiling.

Based on past experience, I immediately searched for suspicious spots where the hidden boss might appear. However, I couldn’t find anything that looked suspicious.

On the contrary, it felt like there was nothing there.

The only thing present was the boss, who stood alone in the center of the empty space. As I got closer, I was overwhelmed by its size.

It was definitely bigger than Lokish.

Pang!

“All right, split into four groups as planned and move along the walls. When I give the signal, charge all at once. The tank party should go ahead and make sure to draw aggro.”

“Got it.”

“U-Understood!”

Two men wielding huge shields respond.

The two tanks, the key members of the raid, are joined by Fidel, the leader.

It’s a bit concerning that two of them are first-timers, but I’m sure they’ll be fine with Fidel, who seems experienced.

Incidentally, I’m supposed to be in Fidel’s party, but I’ll be acting as a solo hit-and-run fighter.

No job can keep up with me as I move freely in the air, but I gladly accepted this less stressful role.

The hunters scatter in all directions and take their positions.

The space is enveloped in tense silence, with only the sound of rough breathing audible.

Suddenly, someone’s throat made a noise. When I glanced around, I saw that the melee group a few steps ahead of me was gripping their weapons tightly. Many of them were staring at the boss in the center.

…Among them, some closed their eyes and prayed while others trembled.

This was not a game but a raid with real people.

It was a battle to overcome fear and achieve great results.

The hunters’ hearts pounded with anxiety and excitement as they tightened their grip on their swords.

(I can do this. I can do this. I can’t do it alone, but if we work together, we definitely can.)

Pang!

“Charge!”

“”””Uoooooooooo!””””

They don’t care about their surroundings.

The hunters run with a cry from the bottom of their hearts, spurring themselves on.

As I take in the scene around me, I slowly fly toward the center of the room.

In the center, Varakan reacts to the lead tank and turns toward it, starting to run.

Its speed isn’t that fast.

―Encourage―

After fulfilling my role in the first attack, I coordinated and analyzed the information I had gathered beforehand.

I stare intently at the boss’s movements.

I had already heard about the general attack patterns from experienced hunters, but I couldn’t grasp them until I saw them with my own eyes.

With a sharp charge that looked as if it would impale the head, the tank desperately used his shield to deflect the attack.

Varakan took advantage of the tank’s off-balance position and swung its tail with tremendous force in response.

Another tank intervened suddenly, getting pushed back but managing to stop the attack on the spot.

As if to indicate that a heal had been cast, a pale purple magic glowed on the tank’s body.

(The tank that stopped the tail seems to have higher stats.)

From experience, I know that if the tank is defeated, most raids collapse.

Therefore, I marked the man with the red Salamander Leather covering his head as the tank I should prioritize assisting.

More close combat units arrived one after another and joined the battle.

They gripped their weapons and attacked within their reach as they saw fit.

That said, the monster is estimated to be over five meters tall.

Its legs and tail were basically the only vulnerable points when it lowered itself, but its scales blocked most attacks, so it didn’t seem like the blades were penetrating deeply.

(First, let’s see how much damage we can deal with.)

It’s probably an efficient strategy for reducing the burden and magic consumption.

The tank casts Provoke spells at appropriate intervals.

―Body Strengthening―

Thinking it was unlikely to work, I quickly descended and slashed at its thick neck.

―Swordsmanship: Power Slash!―

The sword sinks in.

I can tell that my movements are better than usual.

From the feel of the cut, I know for sure that some kind of buff has been cast on me.

The blade cuts through the scales, and with that one strike, I seem to have easily stolen the aggro.

It roars loudly and looks up, opening its huge jaw. Its gaze is fixed firmly on me.

(Here it comes.)

This is one of the attacks I want to confirm with my own eyes.

If I’m going to experience it, now is the time.

As I watch the black mist in its mouth generate and compress into flames and unstable balls of light begin to glow, I cover my face with my arms and assume a defensive stance.

(Not yet, not yet, not yet… Here!)

—Ignite—

Kaah!

My defensive measures weren’t thorough enough.

The “fire” had already become too resistant. Even when I was intentionally exposed to Salamander’s breath or Firebat’s Fire Magic, I felt no heat or damage.

If Overflame Rock had appeared again, I might have been able to verify it. However, it didn’t conveniently show up in front of me. I also failed to set White Flame alight on Flame Rock to produce more.

Therefore, I had no choice but to test it in actual combat.

Hardening probably cannot increase defense against breath attacks because they are not physical attacks.

But what if I had used Ignite beforehand to cover myself in fire?

At the very least, I could have extinguished the fire at will, so it seems likely that I would have had some resistance to it.

The massive breath attack launched after preparation swallowed me whole and vanished into the sky.

After a moment of silence, I canceled Ignite and looked up at the sky, but there were no scorch marks.

Previous information mentioned that the breath’s range was quite long. However, standing in front and acting as a wall seems to limit its range decently.

If I can identify the signs or patterns, I could steal aggro and escape into the sky.

There’s no need to use the conspicuous White Flame. Judging from the damage to my left hand, which I deliberately didn’t cover in fire, it seems that Ignite isn’t even necessary with this breath.

“Haha! This breath is no problem!”

I looked at my prey, but for some reason, not only Varakan but also many of the hunters were staring at me with wide eyes.

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