Tap tap tap!

"Craksas has fallen!"

"It looks like the sealing magic on the outer perimeter has been lifted! Where are the intruders?"

From the second area onward, security became extremely tight.

The news of Lieutenant Craksas' defeat had spread throughout the base, and many elite demon soldiers began to search for the intruder.

"Hmm..."

I hid behind a supply crate, deep in thought.

At this rate, reaching the second named boss room wouldn't be easy.

Cutting down every monster and demon as I advanced? That was impossible. Even if it could be done, it would take all day by myself.

The security was airtight, but fortunately, most of the elite demon soldiers were moving toward the first area.

Currently, the main patrol was just a regular demon soldier accompanied by a chimera that looked like a large dog.

I could take them out quickly before they called for reinforcements.

Swoosh, swoosh.

Like in the first area, I moved stealthily between crates, making sure I wasn't detected as I continued forward.

Peek.

From between the crates, I spotted a demon soldier with a chimera by his side. No other patrols were in sight.

I didn’t have much time. In less than ten seconds, another patrol would cross paths with this area. I had to take them down quickly and move on.

Tap tap tap!

"Who goes there?"

Before the demon could react, I closed the distance and used *Counterattack* to take his rear.

A flash of moonlight followed by a streak of starlight cut through the demon’s body.

"Guh!"

"Rrraaagh!"

The chimera, having lost its master, charged at me.

Slash!

"Yelp!"

Wow, it really does sound like a dog despite its monstrous appearance.

Although I had dealt with the demon soldier and the chimera swiftly, there was no time to linger.

In just a few seconds, another patrol would pass through.

I immediately moved onward.

The warehouse district, which I had been eyeing since entering the second area, was now within reach.

"Hmm..."

I reached the front of what appeared to be a rather impressive stone building, but now what?

The demon army outpost wasn’t just filled with barracks; there were warehouses scattered around for storing supplies.

But the building in front of me didn’t look like a regular warehouse. Unlike the wooden structures surrounding it, this one was made of stone, standing out with its unusual design.

And from inside, I could smell… food?

Sniff sniff.

"Ugh."

The smell made me scrunch up my face.

It kind of smelled like food, but something was definitely off.

I had already checked the other warehouses. This seemed like the only place where a named boss might be hiding.

Even though the smell was strange, I had no choice but to enter.

Knock knock.

Steeling myself, I timidly knocked on the door.

Back in my hero days, my companions would have handled this sort of thing for me.

"Hmm? Who’s there?"

"May I come in...?"

"Heh heh heh, whoever you are, come on in."

A male demon’s voice echoed from inside.

Phew, it sounded like the demon inside might be friendly.

When I opened the door and stepped inside, I immediately discovered the source of the strange smell.

Large cauldrons were scattered around, filled with bubbling green liquid of unknown origin.

The place looked like...

"A kitchen?"

"Oho, a human girl. There’s been quite a commotion outside about an intruder. So that’s you, huh?"

Standing before me was a male demon wielding a dagger.

Though, it looked more like a butcher’s knife than a regular dagger.

His long ears reminded me of an elf, but his deep brown skin clearly marked him as something other than a mere elf.

A demon in the kitchen, holding a butcher's knife, resembling a dark elf.

Could this demon be the head chef?

He grinned as he spoke to me.

"I heard Craksas has fallen. You may be small, but it seems you possess great strength."

Yeah, that guy was pretty strong.

"I’m the quartermaster here because I love cooking meals for our beasts. Can you guess what I’ve used for this dish?"

"Gasp."

I jumped back in shock.

My gaze shifted toward the cauldron behind him, where something resembling the bones of a large mammal was boiling.

The demon smiled wickedly, baring his teeth.

"A fine meal has walked right into my kitchen. My chimeras will have a feast tonight."

---

[Second Named Boss]
[Level 33 Quartermaster Galovan]
[HP 2,610,000 / 2,610,000]

---

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

"Kahahaha!"

Galovan's body moved swiftly from side to side, his butcher’s knife swinging relentlessly.

I retreated, calmly blocking his strikes.

His movements reminded me of an elven ranger, or even the 'Orc Assassin' I’d faced in the past with his four-hit combo pattern.

In terms of monster classes, this guy was clearly an assassin too.

Clang!

After blocking the last strike, I switched to offense, lowering my stance and launching *Starlight Slash* at his body.

Swoosh.

"Hah!?"

His body blurred, and my *Starlight Slash* cut through empty air.

Clang!

I quickly spun around and blocked the dagger coming at me from behind.

Galovan’s eyes flashed with surprise as I blocked his ambush.

But it was only for a moment, as he began darting side to side, launching his combo once again.

Just like the Orc Assassin, this assassin-class monster had a rear ambush pattern.

While his HP was lower than Craksas', his quick movements made it hard to find an opening to attack.

Why is the head chef this strong?

I grumbled internally as I focused on blocking his combo, waiting for a chance to strike.

Clang!

After blocking his final strike, I decided to change my approach for the next phase.

As Galovan's body began to blur once more at the end of his combo, signaling another rear ambush, I activated my prepared skill.

---

[Counterattack (D)]
[Usable from *Sword Drawing Stance*]
[Teleports behind the enemy (Cooldown: 8 seconds)]
[(D-Rank) Invincibility during use]

---

Swoosh.

As Galovan used his rear ambush to teleport behind me, my delayed *Counterattack* activated, teleporting me behind him.

Slash! Slash!

"Guh!?"

Galovan, stunned as my *Starlight Slash* sliced through him, turned around in shock.

Oh, it worked!

It’s just like in those old anime where characters teleport and constantly try to catch each other from behind.

He used his ambush to get behind me first, but my delayed *Counterattack* let me teleport behind him again.

This meant I could counter his ambush every time. I no longer needed to block his attacks head-on.

Slash slash slash!

Excited by how well my plan was working, I used *Counterattack* each time he initiated his rear ambush, cutting into him over and over.

Tap tap.

Then, suddenly, Galovan stepped back.

Whirrr.

A small violet sphere appeared in his hand.

"What!?"

A special pattern?

I quickly checked Galovan's HP.

---

[Second Named Boss]
[Level 33 Quartermaster Galovan]
[HP 2,471,120 / 2,610,000]

---

It hadn’t been long since the battle started.

It didn’t seem like the right time for a special pattern to trigger.

Confused, I focused on the violet sphere forming in Galovan's hand.

Flash!

Suddenly, it shot toward me.

There’s no way to block that.

It could trigger a combo like Craksas’ attacks, but for now, I had to use backstep to see what came next.

Tap tap!

As I used backstep to move away, the violet sphere circled the spot where I had been standing, before quickly flying toward me again.

"Eek!"

Tap tap tap!

I ran, dodging the violet sphere that was chasing me.

Fortunately, while the movement speed buff from backstep was still active, the sphere couldn’t catch up to me.

Whirrr...

Then, without warning, the sphere stopped, hovering in midair and glowing brightly.

"......?"

I stared at it, dumbfounded.

It wasn’t exploding or chasing me anymore. It just stayed there, floating.

What’s going on?

But Galovan didn’t give me time to think.

Clang, clang, clang!

As the sphere stopped moving, Galovan resumed his rapid strikes.

The battle continued without much change—Galovan pressured me with his rapid strikes and ambushes, and I chipped away at his HP.

But the floating violet sphere was a constant mystery.

It didn’t take long for me to discover what it was.

BOOM!

"Argh!"

My body rolled across the kitchen floor, my HP dropping significantly.

Clang!

But there was no time to writhe in pain. I quickly got back on my feet and blocked Galovan’s incoming strikes.

Galovan grinned between his daggers.

"How do you like my magic mines?"

Just as he said, the violet spheres were magic mines.

Whenever I got too close to one, it exploded, dealing massive damage.

Neither *Counterattack* nor backstep's invincibility worked against them.

If I got within range, the mines would detonate, but if I tried to backstep before they exploded, they stopped.

Now, there were dozens of magic mines scattered throughout the kitchen.

There was barely any room to move.

My movements were extremely limited, and with *Counterattack* effectively

 disabled, I couldn’t find any openings to attack.

"I... I need to retreat."

Carefully, I began to weave my way through the minefield.

"Kahahaha! Where do you think you're going!?"

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Dodging through the mines and fending off Galovan's attacks, I finally reached the kitchen entrance.

"Goodbye!"

Slam!

I shut the door behind me.