Chapter 82 - The Witch's True Identity (2)

The blurry witch, Princess Alicia.

As her true identity was revealed, the chat messages quickly flooded in.

- I knew she had a certain charm lol

- Charm? Do you mean she's cute?

- Haha, Mini Alicia is indeed cute

- A witch and a princess, really not a good match lol

- Kind of shocking, isn't it lol

Viewers who were new to Elden Soul expressed their surprise at her identity, and even those who already knew were equally shocked.

- They're already revealing this?

- Isn't it a bit too early?

- Ah lol, at least we're free from spoilers!

- No, not yet

- Haha, you'll get banned if you let your guard down

Thanks to the earlier revelation of her identity compared to the original route, the chat window's topic soon narrowed down.

- But why was the princess exiled?

- Why does our cute Alicia have to be exiled!

- Still, she is a witch, so maybe she did something suspicious?

- Mini Alicia wouldn't do that!

- Ah lol, being exiled is definitely worse! Anyway, it's bad!

Why Alicia was exiled.

The answer to this question came surprisingly quickly.

"When I heard that Her Highness had been exiled, I had no idea what was happening. But now, I understand."

"You understand?"

In response to Sophia's words, the protagonist and Alicia turned their eyes to her.

"The Decider abandoned that duty. However, it is clear that he did not want to pass it on to anyone else."

"If Alicia had stayed, she would have become the Decider instead."

The protagonist nodded grimly.

"Her Highness, did you know the Decider's intentions? Did you leave the castle in agreement with him?"

"No, no, I didn't know at all... I really didn't!"

In response to Sophia's question, Alicia protested, looking wronged.

"I don't know what the Decider was thinking. Why did he exile me? Why did he abandon his duty... That's why I'm going back to the castle."

"Her Highness, back to the castle?"

"Yes. I'll get my body back and go to meet him. The mark of the exile can be hidden with a new soul..."

Alicia glanced at the protagonist, but he merely stood there calmly.

- Ah, that's why she needs a soul

- Yeah, in the original route, she meets the eye during the castle entry

- This route with Mini Alicia is better!

- Haha, the Mini version is cuter

Alicia then turned to Sophia, almost accusingly.

"Sophia, now it's your turn to answer. What's really going on? Why is there something like this in the basement of the cathedral? What's the fake dungeon for?"

Despite her attitude, Sophia's kind smile did not waver.

"Her Highness, do you remember the stories I told you? Have you not forgotten the sacred myths of the Elden Knights?"

"Sophia?"

"The ancient knight, the immortal who sacrificed for humanity. In the end, he even shared his immortal soul, a noble saint... I devoted my life to him."

Sophia clasped her hands devoutly. But soon, deeper wrinkles appeared on the old woman's face.

"However, unlike him, humans were imperfect. After the Decider fell silent, humans crumbled so easily. Ironically, it was because of the immortal soul he had shared."

"Sophia...?"

"The number of immortals increased, but the resources they could enjoy were limited. Unfulfilled desires and endless suffering... The souls of the immortals wore down, and the greedy unbelievers became the dead."

Sophia closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

- Is she talking about the dead who became demons?

- There are many others

- Yeah, there were also fallen knights

- The world is full of dead, isn't it!

- Just because you don't die doesn't mean everything is good

- Many people get angry if they can't even have a meal, right lol

The viewers recalled the dead they had encountered during the game, and the atmosphere seemed to be one of empathy with Sophia.

However, the mood changed with the next scene.

Sophia's eyes snapped open, and she smiled broadly.

"But the Elden Knights did not abandon us. His word, His revelation, has come down to us!"

"Revelation?"

"Revelation...?"

The protagonist and Alicia furrowed their brows. The smile on Sophia's face was not a normal one.

Her pupils were dilated, and her mouth was abnormally wide open.

- Damn... This is scary as hell

- Fanatic mode ON!

- As expected, she wasn't normal lol

- Seriously, it gave me chills lol

Sophia let out a maniacal laugh.

"Why did the holy relics of the Knight Order come to us? Why do I hold the precious gem that the Elden Knights shared the immortal soul with...!"

"Are you talking about the dungeon?"

"Yes. Her Highness, the dungeon is the key to saving pitiful souls. Just as the Elden Knights did, the dungeon can store souls."

Sophia slowly ascended the altar.

"The cause of corruption is desire, and desire stems from the flesh. To preserve the soul, the liberation of the flesh is necessary."

She began to unwrap the fabric covering the orb on the altar devoutly.

"If there is a body that does not need desire, the soul can maintain its purity. Even those who have become the dead can have their souls reclaimed and be given new bodies. Then salvation will come."

At this, Lee Kyungbok understood the situation.

"Those white things were the bodies they created."

- That's it

- They were pretending to embalm while stealing bodies

- Did they use the dungeon or some power to modify bodies?

- King-level god skills, indeed

The viewers agreed. Lee Kyungbok understood why the fake saint felt like an inanimate object.

'She was like a puppet.'

Meanwhile, the fabric was completely unwrapped and fell to the floor. The shape of the orb was revealed in the flickering candlelight.

An unreal, pure white oval.

- What is this?

- An egg? Is it an egg?

- Wow! Friends! It's Baldy!

- Haha, is this a muscle gallery crossover?

- The crossover rumor on the forum is coming true here lol

- Cameo appearance, what is this!

- The chat is going wild lol

Lee Kyungbok suppressed a laugh. In contrast to the viewers' chat, the atmosphere in the cutscene was serious.

Sophia reached out to it with a blissful expression. Then, the surface bubbled and slowly enveloped her body.

"Sophia?!"

Alicia jumped down in shock, but the protagonist caught her. He looked at her and said,

"Perhaps that's not the Sophia you knew."

"What do you mean...?"

Before Alicia could finish her sentence, Sophia's form completely disappeared, and the orb began to bubble.

"Her Highness."

A strong vibration echoed throughout the chamber. Mixed voices sounded simultaneously from within. Men, women, old and young, and even children. It seemed as if all of them were speaking together.

Indeed, numerous faces appeared on the surface.

- No... It's getting weirder

- Suddenly, the atmosphere is horror lol

- Damn, this is a boss lol

- What kind of thinking leads to this design?!

- Ah lol, the FromSoftware staff are perverts, indeed!

The viewers sent their own praise (or criticism).

"I was Sophia."

"I was Emily."

"I was Sheldon."

"I was Robert."

Soon, different voices spoke simultaneously. Laughter filled the chamber.

"However, now that we have become one in the dungeon, we are the 'noble humans' that He sought to protect!"

The faces on the surface twisted into smiles, and their eyes, noses, and mouths mixed like muddied paint.

"Salvation will come!"

With a high-pitched scream, a large thorn burst out of the bubbling orb. The protagonist quickly dodged, his face hardening.

With that, control returned. The boss battle had begun.

- Fanatic mode OFF!

- Fanatic special: Master of absurd philosophy

- Let's go, education!

- Seriously, how can you not recognize a god when you see one?

- Haha, when a god is right in front of you, where else would you look for one?

The viewers were excited about Lee Kyungbok's performance. However, some expressed concern.

- This is completely new, damn

- Is it possible to clear it on the first try?

- We don't even know the patterns yet, except for the thorns lol

- It might be tough

- But if GodPlay does it, it should be fine, right?

Since this was a boss that had never been revealed before, there was no strategy or pattern known.

Lee Kyungbok was aware of this and did not rush into battle.

'The thorn attack isn't too difficult.'

As another thorn flew at him, Lee Kyungbok gripped his sword. Despite the short distance, dodging it was not difficult.

He didn't stop there and attacked with his sword before the thorn could retract. The white mass was smoothly cut and fell to the ground.

- Wow lol, as expected, GodPlay!

- His reaction speed is insane

- Dodging by a hair's breadth, look at that lol

- It's surprisingly easy to cut?

- Is it really that easy?

- Indeed, it's a unique-grade weapon

- Just cutting it should be enough, right?

The viewers were relieved by this. However, Lee Kyungbok did not let his guard down.

'Look at this?'

His intuition and divine sense detected a threat from the cut mass. As expected, the fallen mass condensed and transformed into the upper body of a monster.

- What?

- Oh my god!

- Ah! Behind! Behind!

- What the...

The viewers quickly typed their warnings upon noticing this. Of course, Lee Kyungbok was already prepared.

"Quite a reproductive ability."

With a casual remark, he completely shattered the monster's upper body.

- Reproduction ㅗㅜㅑㅗㅜㅑ

- Cutely destroyed it, indeed?

- Haha, how did he know?

- There are no blind spots for the First Sword of Elden!

- Worrying about celebrities and worrying about GodPlay are different things

- Haha, worry about the streamers' future instead!

The viewers expressed satisfaction with the clean response. However, the mood did not last long with the next scene.

- Huh?

- Why is it spinning?

- It can recover, damn

- If this is infinite regeneration, it's a king-level challenge

- Seriously, difficulty lovers, indeed!

The fragmented masses returned to the main body like iron filings drawn to a magnet. The main body then boiled more violently and shot out masses in all directions.

"It seems they're going for a numbers game."

Lee Kyungbok narrowed his eyes. The flying masses transformed into monsters, which surrounded him. Sharp thorns also rushed at him from all sides.

The viewers were shocked by the overwhelming attack.

- No... That's too much!

- How can you dodge this, damn!

- Ah lol, I'd die in a second

- Haha, you'd be killed instantly even if you rolled?

It was a situation where there seemed to be no openings. However, that was only from the perspective of an ordinary person.

Lee Kyungbok took a deep breath and aimed his sword.

'There's no need to dodge.'

The overwhelming numbers could be overwhelming at first glance. However, the actual attack area affecting him was limited.

'Just take them out one by one.'

Literally, by a hair's breadth.

His heightened intuition distinguished the order of the attacks and stored the response sequence in his mind.

Lee Kyungbok drew the optimal sword path according to that sequence.

As a result.

Thud sounds echoed in quick succession as the masses fell to the ground like a rain of stones.

"Hmm."

After finishing, Lee Kyungbok exhaled. The chat window, which had seemed to freeze, started moving again.

- ?????

- What the heck, is this real? lol

- He didn't move a step?

- Haha, I thought it was lag for a moment

- Another legend lol

- For the First Sword of Elden, a sword barrier is nothing!

- Sword barrier ㅇㅈㄹ lol

- Wow, this is truly impressive

Contrary to everyone's expectations, Lee Kyungbok held his ground. He responded to all attacks with just his sword.

The viewers' admiration continued, but Lee Kyungbok's attention was elsewhere.

"Hmm, these pieces are returning. It seems to be a type that can regenerate and transform its body."

The pieces he had cut returned to the main body. This meant that no matter how many times he attacked, it would be a stalemate.

- The FromSoftware devs are ruthless!

- Could it be designed to be broken?

- It's called immortal ㅇㅈㄹ, but it's really an indestructible boss lol

- No matter what, there must be a way to beat it, right?

- Maybe there's a specific item for the strategy?

- Ah! Maybe you need to fight with the knights?

- Oh lol, that's a possibility

- No... You need to defeat the boss to break the barrier! Focus on the stream!

- Haha, immediately countered lol

The chat window was filled with concerns and suggestions. Lee Kyungbok chuckled slightly as he read the chat.

He found it cute that the viewers were worried about him and brainstorming to overcome the crisis.

"Let's try everything and see."

Lee Kyungbok looked at the boss, which was bubbling and absorbing the pieces.

Question marks appeared in the chat. Was there anything else to try?

Instead of explaining, he adjusted his grip on the sword. Soon, flames began to dance along the blade.

- Ah!

- Haha, he hasn't used magic yet

- The Dragon Scale Sword's impact was so strong, I forgot about the magic lol

- Haha, he cut everything with just the sword and forgot about the magic

- Is the Dragon Scale Sword's option to enhance fire attributes?

- Yes, that's right

- Oh? But the color is different?

The flames that danced with Lee Kyungbok's magic covered the sword. However, the flames were not the familiar red but burned blue.

- The color changes with the grade lol

- The lowest grade is just red, and the higher grade is probably white

- Ah, so it's blue because it's unique grade?

- Wow, so cool

- The Dragon Scale Sword is black, so the flame color really stands out

- Ah, I get it! The color changes based on temperature!

- Haha, that's right! Blue is the hottest!

- Another FromSoftware detail!

The viewers' questions were quickly resolved by their contributions. Meanwhile, the boss turned its attention back to Lee Kyungbok.

He bisected the flying thorn pillar in one strike.

"It's effective."

With a thud, the fallen mass showed a different reaction. Bubbles formed on the cut surface, and its movement stopped.

The threat detected by his intuition also subsided.

- Ohhhhh!

- 555555

- Indeed, it's a unique grade!

- Ah lol, if physical attacks don't work, magic will!

- It's a boss that's vulnerable to elemental attacks

- Ah lol, you're done for now!

- ???: Receive the baptism of fire!

- KingGnoros?

- What kind of penetration power is this!

The viewers were not hiding their joy.

Lee Kyungbok smiled at the viewers' happiness.

"The education you desire."

The next words drew the viewers' attention. Blue flames like wings rose behind Lee Kyungbok.

"I'll show you properly."

The fire he could control was not just one.

With the magic 'Rising Dragon Flame,' the altar turned blue.