Chapter 33

Suddenly, an Extra Boss, an unnamed knight, appeared before me.

As I faced him, I let out a small sigh.

To begin with, why did the Extra Boss appear at this moment?

The Extra Boss only appears when various conditions are met, and is far more powerful than a regular dungeon boss.

According to prior investigations, there was no confirmation of an Extra Boss appearing in the Kenzaki Dungeon...

No, I actually know the reason.

Encountering this Extra Boss must mean I was the first to do so.

From the system sound I heard earlier, I can tell that the conditions were quite complex.

Well, there’s no point in thinking about that now.

The issue is whether I can defeat this thing.

After using the appraisal skill, the recommended level for defeating it was displayed as 1000.

For me, who is only level 700, winning is honestly quite difficult.

Still, I can’t just not fight.

This is the boss room. The door won’t open until the monster is defeated or I am killed.

And most importantly—

“―――”

“!”

The unnamed knight, wielding a silver sword, was advancing towards me.

“Damn it, is there no choice but to fight!”

Resolve yourself.

Now that it’s come to this, there’s no other option but to defeat this thing.

I readied my Dream Dagger and took a stance to defend.

First, I tried to block the unnamed knight’s sword with my dagger.

However—

“Damn, what weight!”

The weight of the sword itself, combined with the overwhelming strength of the unnamed knight, was too much for my stats and dagger to handle. I had to try to deflect the force as best I could.

“――!”

But the unnamed knight’s relentless attacks didn’t end there.

Unlike the High Orc, who wielded a club with both hands, the unnamed knight held his sword with one hand, allowing him to swing it rapidly and continuously.

Despite this, the power of each strike far exceeded that of the club.

I barely managed to dodge the attacks in time.

But if I keep this up, I’ll only be on the defensive.

I need to find a moment to counterattack!

“Now!”

I spotted a slight opening and swung my dagger at the enemy’s side.

Clang!

“...Are you serious?”

But the result was cruel.

The light blade was easily deflected, leaving only a scratch on the armor.

“――”

“!”

In response to my confusion, the unnamed knight’s next move was unexpected.

After a feint with his sword, he delivered a powerful kick with his right leg.

I managed to guard with both arms at the last second, but my body was still sent flying.

“Ouch...”

At the moment of impact, I heard a disturbing crack.

It doesn’t seem like any bones are broken, but I can’t take another hit like that.

As evidence, my HP dropped from 5650 to 4980, even though I guarded with both arms.

That’s the difference in strength between me and the unnamed knight.

However, I was able to grasp the enemy’s characteristics from this exchange.

He is likely a build focused on attack power and durability.

In terms of speed, I still have a slight edge.

I was caught off guard by the unexpected attack.

So, the strategy is the same as with the High Orc.

I need to avoid the enemy’s attacks as much as possible and look for openings to counterattack.

The target areas are the elbows and knees. Even the best armor would have difficulty protecting these joints.

“Alright, from here on, I won’t let you have your way.”

And so, the intense second round began.

From then on, the battle continued with a mix of advances and retreats.

I dodged the unnamed knight’s sword strikes and repeatedly slashed at him with my dagger.

Although I was the only one attacking the unnamed knight, I was actually at a disadvantage.

The unnamed knight’s strikes were too powerful. One direct hit and I would lose.

In contrast, my attacks, even after dozens of strikes, showed no progress.

Still, I didn’t give up and continued to attack.

My concentration gradually increased, and my nerves were stretched to the limit.

Gradually, my strikes began to overwhelm the enemy.

“Just a little more...!”

Thanks to my efforts, the armor around the unnamed knight’s elbows was becoming quite brittle.

One more solid strike should be enough to break the armor.

And finally, the moment arrived, and I didn’t let it slip away.

“Here—!”

The enemy’s stance, after swinging his sword, was more off-balance than usual.

I took a larger swing with my dagger than before and aimed for his right elbow.

As expected, the enemy’s armor shattered, and I successfully severed his right arm.

With this, I just needed to sever his left arm to finish him off—

“Huh?”

—But as I thought this, my left wrist was suddenly grabbed by something.

There was no one else in the room besides me and the unnamed knight.

Naturally, it was the unnamed knight who grabbed me—

“――”

“!”

His face was hidden by his helmet, but for some reason, I was certain he was smiling.

“No way—”

Was this all part of a plan!?

Having realized he couldn’t outspeed me, he used his right arm as bait to create an opening.

Then, as I delivered a powerful strike, he grabbed my left wrist during the moment of post-attack stiffness.

I couldn’t understand how a monster could have such intelligence or so easily sacrifice its own body.

But by the time I realized this, I was already in his trap.

Monsters are not beings that can be easily understood by humans.

My thoughts went no further.

The unnamed knight’s sharp kick hit my stomach, and I couldn’t even guard against it.

I was sent flying far back by the force of the impact.

“Gah, hah”

I hit the wall with my back, and the air was knocked out of my lungs.

I could feel blood flowing from the back of my head.

My HP plummeted from 4980 to 1315.

I could barely move.

Even if I wanted to use a health potion, the intermediate ones I had could only restore up to 1000 HP, and I would need to wait 10 minutes before using a second one.

The unnamed knight, having picked up his sword with one hand after temporarily discarding it, was slowly walking towards me.

The time until he reached me might be my last chance.

...Is this the end? Here?

I don’t want to admit it, but reality is cruel. The being that will deliver the final blow is right there.

While I can still move a little, I can’t perform the quick, precise movements I did earlier.

There’s no chance of winning.

“No... there’s still one more option.”

At that moment, I remembered one possibility.

A power granted only to me—dungeon teleportation.

The wall I was leaning against happened to be the door of the boss room.

Normally, the door only opens when the boss or the challenger dies, but with dungeon teleportation, I might be able to escape to the other side of the room.

What happens to the boss room if the boss doesn’t die and the challenger disappears is unknown, but I don’t have the luxury to worry about that.

Ah, right. That’s what I’ll do.

Because it’s probably the best move in this situation.

It’s the smart, correct choice.

So, I—

I—