Chapter 29

"Sacred Missile!"

*Giiii!?*

Several seconds later.

The dazzling light projectile released from Shuna's staff destroyed the Dark Sorcerer's [Dark Enshroud].

I confirmed this and quickly swung my sword five times.

"---Slash!"

This time, the timing was perfect.

The first two strikes shattered the magic barrier, and the remaining three hits landed on the Dark Sorcerer, successfully dealing a significant amount of damage.

Combining the 30% from earlier and the 45% from this time, I should have dealt about 75% damage.

"Alright, one more time."

I whispered this softly.

If I could repeat the same thing one more time, I would win.

I was certain of this at that moment.

*Keaaaaaah!!!*

The Dark Sorcerer reactivated [Dark Enshroud] and suddenly let out a roar.

The sound was eerie, as if it echoed from the depths of hell.

"What!?"

"Kyaa!"

Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Shuna and I involuntarily exclaimed in confusion.

This was a pattern we had never seen in the game.

The anomaly didn't stop there.

In response to the Dark Sorcerer's roar, black magic power began to leak from all the tombstones in the boss room and gathered towards the Dark Sorcerer.

(He's absorbing magic power from the tombstones...?)

A few seconds later, the Dark Sorcerer was enveloped in an aura that was incomparably stronger than before.

His presence was like the embodiment of the abyss itself.

Clearly, he was on a different level from before.

"Status!"

---

[Dark Enshrouded Mage (State: Spirit Power Release)]

- Recommended Level for Defeat: 45

- Dungeon Boss: [Spirit Temple of the Underworld]

- An undead mage who, driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge, continued to hone his skills even after death. Possesses high intellect and skill, capable of performing numerous miracles.

---

Checking the status, I saw that the level had risen to 45.

And there was a new text: [State: Spirit Power Release].

Seeing this, I widened my eyes.

"Level 45... and a state change!?"

This was a system that existed in *Crest Online* as well, where certain triggers, such as a significant reduction in HP, would activate a state change.

When a state change occurred, a portion of HP would recover, the level and specific stats would increase, and some monsters could even gain new skills.

But something was off.

If my memory served me correctly, only certain monsters could trigger state changes.

The Dark Sorcerer didn't have this ability, at least not in the game.

(What's going on here...?)

*Kekekeke*

Amidst the swirling questions, the Dark Sorcerer reactivated [Nether Lock Dark Sphere].

This time, only one appeared, but it was clearly larger than before.

*Keke*

"---!?"

What was even more shocking was what happened next.

The Dark Sorcerer gave me a creepy smile.

A chill ran down my spine as the Dark Sorcerer, instead of targeting me, fired the magic projectile at Shuna.

"What!?"

A strike that completely ignored the hate management we had been maintaining.

Moreover, the speed was clearly faster than before.

"---!"

I saw Shuna's expression freeze.

Considering the worst-case scenario, I had kept enough distance so that if the [Nether Lock Dark Sphere] was fired at Shuna, her speed parameters would allow her to dodge.

However, the increased speed of the magic and the unexpected situation left Shuna unable to move.

(There's no way Shuna can dodge from there!)

In an instant, I slid between the magic projectile and Shuna.

I swung my sword forcefully, attempting to parry.

"Parry---!"

But it was a cruel failure.

The moment the blade touched the magic, I knew this [Nether Lock Dark Sphere] exceeded the maximum power I could parry.

Skill level was irrelevant; his attack unconditionally broke through my defense and hit me directly.

"Ugh...!"

"Z, Zeros!?"

I felt a sharp pain and a significant decrease in my HP.

The biggest drawback of a parry is that, unlike regular defense skills, it doesn't reduce the enemy's damage.

If the parry fails, you take the full damage.

As evidence, my HP had dropped from 300 to 93 with just one hit.

From this reduction, it was clear that the power had increased by about 30% compared to before.

If I took another hit of the same attack, I would be finished.

Furthermore,

"Damn, my body...!"

The [Nether Lock Dark Sphere] had a binding effect, leaving me unable to move.

Amid the pain and pressure, I desperately tried to think.

Why was this happening now, something that shouldn't have occurred in the game?

I needed to figure this out to turn the tide.

(Think, why is this happening? What's different between the game and now!?)

I didn't have much time, but strangely, I had enough mental capacity to think. The world seemed to slow down.

Whether it was like a flash of memories or not, I couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.

I began to recall the systems in *Cleon* one by one.

*Crest Online*.

A popular game that gained widespread fame for its high-quality story, graphics, and combat system.

Another major factor in *Cleon*'s popularity was the presence of artificial intelligence.

The NPCs and monsters in *Cleon* were equipped with high-performance AI, and the NPCs had learning and memory capabilities, making them almost indistinguishable from players.

But what about the monsters?

If they were equipped with AI like the NPCs, could their behavior patterns change through learning?

This was partly correct and partly incorrect.

The reason being, each monster was equipped with its own AI.

Therefore, for the infinitely generated monsters in dungeons, each re-spawn would reset the AI to its initial state, so there was no accumulation of information.

This is why, except for specific raid bosses, the behavior patterns of monsters didn't change significantly.

Especially in terms of hate management, the system was strictly followed, and it was impossible for the target to change in a mocking manner like this.

(Why am I remembering this now?)

At this moment, I suddenly had a question for myself.

Why did I immediately think of AI?

It must be that my instinct told me there was important information there.

Following this intuition, I tried to think deeper and suddenly realized.

(Wrong! This is 1000 years after the *Cleon* world, but it's not a game—it's the real world!)

I understood at this moment that there was a significant change.

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