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

Chapter 276

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Chapter 276 – Special Skills Revealed

Resets are a pain, but I’m glad I figured this out now.

I accepted reality with surprising calm.

Ever since the suspicion of monster respawning arose, I no longer thought of this world as completely real.

It felt like reality was interwoven with a game—or maybe the other way around. Such a bizarre, twisted world!

To keep defeating bosses going forward, I needed to confirm whether leaving and rejoining was actually effective whenever I had the chance.

Every main boss so far, whether it was the Queen Ant or Varakan, had existed in a vast, isolated boss room.

What would happen to the boss if I escaped that space or if everyone was wiped out and no one remained to continue the fight?

The answer varies by game, but for bosses, an environmental reset is the most likely outcome.

In other words, “start over from the beginning.”

I’d hoped for a more realistic scenario where the boss retained its damage even if the attacker escaped, but judging by this result, that’s clearly not the case.

The instant return of the water level means this space has been reset.

If the damage had carried over, I could have used all sorts of sneaky teleportation escape tactics.

“Guess it doesn’t work that conveniently.”

Muttering that, I promptly tossed a pebble into the lake to dispel the water.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

The Gargouille coils like a snake, raising its upper body and opening its massive jaws.

Nearly 10 meters tall, it poses a significant threat to melee classes with its attack, where sharp claws and a huge mouth capable of swallowing humans whole descend as if from the sky.

It activates an auto-counter against attack magic with unpredictable reflection points, which can cause friendly fire on the caster and distant allies. This renders ranged magic units unable to engage.

To make matters worse, high-pressure water jets assault from the wall surfaces like spears, likely an innate skill of the Gargouille.

(Is this random, too?)

Though infrequent, the firing positions were so erratic that predicting the next shot was impossible.

It was clearly locked onto me as its target. Even with my Water Resistance maxed out, the pain contorted my face.

Still, as long as the jets didn’t pierce my body, it wasn’t a problem. I swung my greatsword wildly and relentlessly attacked Gargouille’s neck, widening the wound.

Then, after only about five minutes…

“GAAAAAAAAAA…!”

The Gargouille’s long neck snapped straight up, and it let out a huge cry.

It was a cry unlike the screams before. As if taking that as a signal, massive amounts of water gushed out from the countless holes where water had been flowing before.

It was clearly a phase transition into the second stage.

“Targeting the neck really does speed things up. Wait, oh, ohhhhhhh!”

Thanks to my Presence Detection, I immediately noticed the massive amounts of water gushing out of the hole above the underground lake.

But the volume was too great to dodge. Water poured over my head in a torrent, and I was immobilized as if swallowed by the muddy flood.

(Oh, crap. If this keeps up, I’m done for.)

I felt surprise and cold, but the strongest feeling was sheer panic.

If I were swallowed by the water, I’d fall into the lake, which was rapidly returning to its original state.

If that happened—

“Giant tornado, repel the water!”

It was an instinctive decision.

A whirlwind centered on me spun, drawing in the water and creating a small pocket of open space.

I dodged the water pouring down from above, weaving through it somehow, and made it to the ceiling of the boss field.

―Ignition―

“Brrr… Challenging this boss in winter… Haahh… Maybe I shouldn’t have…”

I began to regret the timing of my challenge slightly. But as I caught my breath and watched the water gushing out of the hole beside me, the lake instantly filled with water. Yet, the discharge didn’t stop.

It swallowed the small patches of land surrounding the area. While the discharge from the hole in the ceiling eventually stopped, the water level steadily rose.

What if I hadn’t been able to fly?

Seeing the shadow of the gargoyle swimming slowly underwater made me think about how much more freedom of movement I had.

The hellish underwater battle would have surely already begun.

The entrance was the only escape route, but if everyone fled, the boss would reset, making escape a risky option.

Moreover, in a situation like being swallowed by a waterfall, it was impossible for everyone to conveniently escape through the entrance.

I was suddenly flipped from the first stage, where I was the hunter, to the second stage, where I was the hunted.

Even here, barely able to move properly, I could easily imagine many hunters losing their lives.

Even for me, clinging to the ceiling, the meaning of suffocation finally dawned on me.

“Hey, hey, hey… Seriously?”

I thought that, even if the water level rose, it would stop somewhere, leaving at least the upper part of the room exposed.

But that hope was in vain. The entire room was filled with water. Realizing this was bad, I used Spatial Magic to carve a small, makeshift hole, but water seeped in through it, too.

I realized that the only safe zone was the original hole in the ceiling where the water had stopped draining earlier. But it was too late by then.

The water suddenly began to flow with intense force, like a whirlpool, robbing me of my freedom.

This was one of those innate, unfamiliar skills that had appeared when I peeked at the skills!

“Guh… Stop… the water’s… movement!”

I couldn’t speak properly underwater.

Still, I conjured an image of manipulating the water and tried to halt the flow with water magic. But perhaps my magic was no match for the boss’s ability, as the spell I hastily cast was insufficient to halt the water’s movement.

Just as I managed to move slightly…

(Swift Blade!!)

With the light source extinguished by the current and my vision nearly destroyed, I intercepted the charging Gargouille in a split second.

Even if I thought calmly, the fate of those who couldn’t reach the safe zone was pure despair:

Vision destroyed, unable to breathe, barely able to move—being devoured by a giant dragon.

If this continued, escape would be impossible.

I had to go against the current and swim upward at all costs.

Even for me, relying solely on Presence Detection in this situation was extremely dangerous. Yet, the water flowed downward with overwhelming force as if being drained to the bottom.

Above, the water should no longer exist.

I fended off the Gargouille’s repeated attacks with Water Magic, Hardening, and Swordsmanship. Frustrated by the delay in activation, I finally moved to the ceiling above the room.

I regulated my breathing and tried to assess the situation.

“Hah, haah—!? Y-you bastard!”

Instinctively, I crossed my arms to shield my face.

The moment I let my guard down, this happened.

Two compressed, needle-like water spears flew in from separate directions, slightly apart in timing. I darted into an upper opening to survey the situation.

Then, as the water drained away, the Gargouille gradually calmed down.

(I see. Endure the attack and resist the flow of the draining water. If you survive unscathed, you enter bonus time. That’s one set, huh?)

After all, it’s a water monster. Without water, it seems it can do very little.

Once it enters this mode, the auto-counter will probably reactivate.

Then, you’re just a big, easy target.

“Now, I’ll finish you off right here!”

As I descended, I gripped the greatsword with both hands and slashed down hard, adding to the wounds I had already inflicted.

“Guggaaaaaaaa!”

The neck twisted and shifted in an instant, though it hadn’t been particularly thick to begin with.

This alone should have inflicted considerable damage, but the real battle begins now.

Just as with Varakan, I threw my weapon aside.

―Sacrifice―

―Hardening―

I immediately used a combination of Martial Arts and Claw Techniques, thrusting my hand shoulder-deep into the scarred flesh with Thunder Blast.

“Gooaaaaaaaaa!”

And then―

“Ah-ha! Gotcha!”

I forcefully moved my hand around inside its neck, found the target bone, and gripped it with all my strength.

It was pretty thick, but I was determined not to let go, no matter what.

“Burn every bone and ounce of flesh in its body! Explode, Thunder Blast!”

“Goooooahhhhhhh….”

Smoke billowed from Gargouille’s body.

“Ahaha! The Mirror Water skill is useless if the magic hits inside the body, right!?”

I only observed the skill; I don’t know its actual effect.

But, judging from several attempts, it seems to be a defensive barrier that activates just before touching the body’s surface.

If it requires a water membrane, firing it into the body—where there’s no space to create such a thing—makes the skill irrelevant.

“Ooooh! Thunder, shatter the cells in its head and explode! Thunder Blast!”

“Guuuuuuuuuu…!!”

Even so, its base magic defense must be high. When I used a Level 8 Lightning spell for the first time, it didn’t blow its head off.

The meat probably won’t be usable, but as long as usable parts like the hide for equipment are intact, that’s fine.

Even after discarding my weapon and losing some magic power recovery, I still have more than enough.

I’ll keep firing as many shots as I can.

“My head’s tingling… Guh!”

Suddenly, my neck jerks violently. I’m being swung around, and my hand is still stuck inside its neck.

Hanging upside down, I look up. Gargouille’s head is pointing straight up.

“GOAAAAAAAAAAAA…”

I’ve heard this cry before; it’s different from a scream.

Ah, it seems the phase has shifted to the “third stage.”

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