*Clang!*  
*Whoosh!*

I blocked Craksas's double fist attack, narrowly dodging his spinning back kick. The malevolent energy in his strike that barely grazed my chin sent chills down my spine. 

Craksas seemed to be a martial-type demon. As soon as the battle started, he closed in on me, continuously launching attacks with his magic-infused fists and feet.

Each strike was swift and threatening, but it wasn't impossible to counter.

The problem was—

*Boom!*

“Ugh!”

I barely managed to block a magic blast coming from behind, immediately using my backward dodge.

*Whoosh!*

Craksas's kick swept through the spot I had just been standing in. I quickly regained my stance and refocused on Craksas’s attacks.

This fight was eerily similar to the second named boss of the *Orc King’s Cave*, *Orc Assassin*.

Right now, I had to focus not only on Craksas’s attacks but also on the magic blasts from the demon elite soldiers.

The elite soldiers weren’t coming any closer, but they kept firing magic blasts whenever they spotted an opening, preventing me from fully concentrating on Craksas’s patterns.

*Whoosh!*

Craksas performed a wide-spinning kick. It was a big movement—perfect for me to dodge and switch to my *Sword Drawing Stance*.

*Shing!*

After executing *Moonlight Slash*, my body shifted into *Sword Drawing Stance*. I swiftly dodged Craksas’s incoming punch and moved toward a specific direction.

*Tap, tap, tap!*

“Kuhahaha! Where do you think you’re running?”

Craksas quickly chased after me. I continued moving, carefully assessing the surroundings.

The elite soldiers were positioned in a square formation, each standing at one corner of the boss area.

If I fought Craksas in the middle of the field, I would constantly have to worry about the magic blasts coming from behind.

Unlike the *Orc Assassin*, Craksas didn’t have a pattern where he circled around to attack me from behind.

In that sense, he might even be easier than the *Orc Assassin*.

*Tap.*

I swiftly reached the position at the 7 o’clock corner, where one of the elite demon soldiers was standing. He panicked at the sight of me approaching and swung his spear.

*Whoosh!*

Now, time for a *Counterattack*.

*Swish!*

I moved behind the elite demon soldier, just as Craksas’s next attack came crashing down. 

*Clang!*

I blocked the strike, smiling behind my sword held at an angle.

This is it.

From this position, I could face both Craksas and the four demon soldiers head-on.

All I had to do was maintain my position and take out the elite soldiers one by one.

Just like with the *Orc Assassin*.

With no surprise attacks from behind, I could simply block their attacks and counter with *Moonlight Slash*.

Though I couldn’t use the powerful single-target skill *Starlight Slash* in this stance, I could steadily take down the four demon soldiers without much risk.

Once they were all down, I could focus solely on Craksas.

*Clang, clang, clang!*  
*Slash!*

Craksas’s ferocious magic-infused attacks, along with the magic blasts from the elite soldiers, clashed against my sword. But I remained calm, focusing on the soldier in front of me.

With each successful block, I chipped away at the demon soldier’s HP using *Moonlight Slash*.

Finally—

“Grrk!”

*Thud.*

The first elite soldier collapsed.

*Tap, tap!*

I immediately dashed toward the next one.

Slowly, steadily, I took them down, one by one.

---

“Kraaah!”

At last, the final elite soldier fell, leaving me alone to face Craksas in a one-on-one duel.

“You dare kill my subordinates?!”

As purple energy flickered in Craksas’s eyes, his attacks became faster and more powerful.

*Clang, clang, clang!*

His punches and kicks came at me with increasing speed and intensity, making it hard to keep up.

*Tap!*

Craksas jumped into the air, raising his fist high.

A sign of an area attack.

*Tap, tap!*

I used a backward dodge.

*Boom! Boom!*

As his fists slammed into the ground, shockwaves erupted from the impact, creating craters.

One dodge was enough. I had moved far enough back that the second shockwave didn’t reach me.

Quickly, I closed the distance, shifting back into *Sword Drawing Stance*, and began whittling down Craksas’s HP once again.

[1st Named Boss]  
[Level 33: *Craksas, Lieutenant of the Outpost*]  
[HP: 2,104,103/3,000,000]

Craksas’s immense HP was steadily decreasing.

But I was growing more cautious.

Named bosses usually had a special phase once their HP reached certain thresholds.

When would Craksas enter his special phase?

He hadn’t triggered any patterns at 75% or 70% HP, so it was most likely going to happen around the two-thirds mark.

*Slash, slash, slash!*

I dodged his spinning kicks, moving to the right while landing continuous *Starlight Slashes*. Craksas’s HP quickly reached the two-thirds mark.

*Shing!*

After my final slash, I saw his HP dip below the two-thirds line. I immediately stepped back, raising my sword, ready for whatever came next.

“Krrrk, you pesky rat…!”

*Whoooom.*

A massive energy began gathering around Craksas.

This had to be his special pattern.

I watched him closely, eyes wide open.

*Rumble.*

The ground shook as powerful magic swirled around Craksas’s body.

And then—

*Whoom.*

He began floating in midair…?

“No way…! Not again!”

I stomped my feet in frustration.

Another airborne boss with an aerial phase!?

But there was nothing I could do. I had no choice but to wait for Craksas to unleash his special attack.

Smirking down at me from above, Craksas raised one hand high into the air.

*Rumble, rumble.*

Purple magic gathered above him, forming a large sphere.

Seeing that, I bit my lip.

It was just like the *Black Wyvern’s Breath*.

An enormous area attack that would hit the entire battlefield.

The counter was simple enough.

*Boom!*

A massive purple energy ball hurtled toward me.

Just as it was about to hit—

*Flash!*

[Backward Dodge (C)]  
[Quickly move 8 meters backward to avoid a frontal attack (Invincible while casting)]  
[Cooldown: 8 seconds]  
[(E-rank) Increases movement speed for 5 seconds after casting]

*Boom, boom, boom!*

Using *Backward Dodge*, I managed to evade the massive explosion unscathed.

The invincibility frame had saved me.

As the dust cleared, I saw Craksas still floating above, unharmed.

That was terrifying.

If that had been it, the fight would’ve been too easy, though.

*Whoooom.*

“Huh!?”

What!?

It wasn’t over!?

Craksas was already forming a second magic sphere, smirking all the while.

*Boom!*

It came straight for me.

There was only a three-second gap between the two attacks.

But my *Backward Dodge* still had five seconds left on its cooldown.

*Boom, boom, boom!*

“Aaaahhh!”

---

*Cough, cough.*

After being caught in the blast, my body rolled across the ground several times before coming to a stop.

My entire body ached as if it had been shattered.

My HP was at critical levels.

I wasn’t dead yet, but I was in bad shape.

“Ugh!”

Coughing up blood, I shakily pulled out a potion and drank it.

The potion gradually restored my HP over ten seconds, easing some of the pain.

But the battle wasn’t over yet.

I ignored the lingering pain and forced myself to stand up.

*Tap.*

Craksas descended from the air, landing on the ground.

“For a human to survive that… You’re not half-bad.”

I bit my lip at his mocking words.

I hadn’t been able to dodge his attack.

My HP wasn’t fully recovered yet. If I took even a small amount of damage now, I could be knocked out.

*Tap, tap, tap!*

“Kuhahaha!”

But Craksas had no intention of giving me time to recover. His hands and feet glowing with malevolent energy, he charged at me once more.

And then—

*Tap, tap, tap!*

Four more elite soldiers emerged from another tent, joining Craksas.

I ground my teeth together.

“This… this is impossible.”

*Scurry!*

Without looking back, I fled the boss area.

---

“Huff, huff.”

Leaning against a small tent, I gasped for air, my tiny frame trembling from the ordeal.

*Gulp, gulp.*

After drinking two more potions, I could feel most of the pain receding. My HP had recovered significantly.

But still—

“How am I supposed to dodge that!?”

Two back-to-back area-wide attacks.

And the gap between them was so short. I couldn’t even wait for *Backward Dodge* to come off cooldown.

I could dodge the first attack, but how was I supposed to avoid the second one?

*Creep.*

Peeking out from behind the tent, I observed Craksas.

He stood in the center

 of the boss area with his arms crossed, while the four elite soldiers scanned the surroundings.

Apparently, after the first encounter, the boss simply remained idle for subsequent tries, waiting for players to engage.

That wasn't important, though.

I was lost in thought.

It wasn’t that there was no way to avoid it.

There *was* something I could use.

[Counterattack (D)]  
[Usable from *Sword Drawing Stance*]  
[Move to the opponent’s rear (Cooldown: 8 seconds)]  
[(D-rank) Invincible while casting]

*Counterattack*.

Since the rank increased, it now had an invincibility frame, but I hadn’t needed to use it until now.

As a skill that primarily moves me to the opponent's rear, it was already a great evasion tool.

That’s why the invincibility frame hadn't been particularly useful in previous battles.

But to avoid Craksas’s full-area attack, I’d have to rely on it.

However, during his special phase, Craksas is…

“Floating in midair…?”

*Counterattack* is a skill that moves me to the enemy’s rear. Naturally, I can’t use it unless my target is within range.

But Craksas is out of reach during his special phase.

I need a target…

I need someone I can use *Counterattack* on.