After leaving the warehouse area in the second zone, I arrived at the third zone of the Demon Army Outpost.

In the third zone, there were no barracks or warehouses in sight.

The elite soldiers, regular soldiers, and monsters had all mysteriously disappeared.

At the center of the zone, there was only a wide training field.

A training ground for the warrior demons, perhaps?

Do demons, born with naturally strong bodies, still need to train?

Thud, thud.

I confidently walked into the training field and stood in its center.

This had to be the battle area for the final named boss.

It wasn’t hard to guess that the named boss would be inside the wooden building overlooking the training field.

Having successfully defeated Craksas and Galovan, I felt a surge of confidence. I believed I could handle anything that might appear before me.

With a bold voice, I announced my arrival.

I took a deep breath and prepared to let out a mighty roar, like a lion.

"...I'm here."

But instead of a roar, my voice came out more like a kitten's meow.

No, Rain! You can't let yourself sound so timid, or you'll be underestimated.

Whether it was a lion's roar or a kitten's meow, my message seemed to have reached the boss of the Demon Army Outpost.

Boom!

The sound of the wooden building’s roof shattering echoed across the training field, and a humanoid figure leaped out from it.

Tap.

The figure landed gracefully in the center of the training field and faced me directly.

His muscular physique reminded me of Craksas. While Galovan had been fully clothed, both Craksas and this demon were shirtless, showing off their powerful builds.

I puffed out my cheeks in annoyance.

Was it a demon thing to not wear shirts, or was it a matter of pride for warrior demons? Were they showing off their well-toned bodies, expecting admiration?

The demon, completely uninterested in my thoughts, spoke to me.

"I heard Craksas and Galovan were defeated, and I was curious to see who it was... turns out, it's just a tiny human child."

Sorry for being small. Must be nice to have such a strong body, old man.

"We warrior demons pursue strength above all. Even though you are an opponent I must kill, I respect that you've made it this far."

Rumble...

A violet energy surrounded his body, and the entire training field began to tremble.

I took a step back and raised my sword. Was the boss battle starting right away?

"Show me the strength you used to defeat Craksas and Galovan!"

---

[Third Named Boss]
[Level 33 Demon Army Commander Zarkan]
[HP 3,300,000 / 3,300,000]

---

The battle with Zarkan had only just begun, but I immediately felt the difference compared to the previous named bosses.

Whoosh!

I swung my *Starlight Slash* during a gap in Zarkan's high kick, but the strike hit nothing but air.

Zarkan had effortlessly twisted his body to dodge.

"What!"

Clang! Screeech.

Before I could even process my surprise, Zarkan's uppercut came flying at me. I blocked it with my sword, but the force sent me skidding backward.

Cold sweat dripped down my face. It had been a while since I'd been pushed back after blocking an attack. If that uppercut had connected, I would have been launched into the air, likely followed by a devastating combo.

But the real problem was Zarkan’s movement.

Until now, the large-bodied bosses took every hit I threw at them. Even the humanoid bosses had high agility stats but never seemed to dodge attacks.

This was the first time I was up against a boss that could actively avoid my strikes.

My small body gave me an agility bonus. Compared to other swordmaster classes of the same level, my agility stat was likely quite high.

And yet, Zarkan had dodged. That meant his agility was as overwhelming as his strength.

I didn’t have much time to think. My response was simple.

I couldn’t rely solely on my agility and skills. I had to follow Zarkan’s movements closely and make sure my attacks hit.

Slash!

A flicker of surprise crossed Zarkan’s eyes as my blade cut into him after I matched his movement.

Then, with a light step, he leaped into the air.

"?!"

He sailed over me, raining down magic bombs from above.

Just before they struck, I used a backstep to escape.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

I barely had time to recover from the chills running down my spine when Zarkan landed and rushed at me again.

Clang! Screeech.

I blocked another uppercut, only to be forced back once more as Zarkan swung his hand and launched another magic bomb.

Boom!

I managed to block the magic bomb this time, but Zarkan immediately closed the gap to launch another attack.

Desperately defending against his relentless assaults, I wracked my brain for a solution.

His pattern was overwhelming, even more so than Galovan’s. Zarkan's attacks were fast and varied, far beyond anything I’d faced before.

After the uppercut, he would follow up with magic bombs. I could block the bombs fired from the ground, but the ones he launched from the air were nearly impossible to defend against.

At this rate, I was barely keeping up with his onslaught. Even though I’d managed to weave my skills into my movements, I couldn’t find any openings to attack.

I had to take it step by step.

Tap.

Zarkan leaped into the air again, ready to rain down more magic bombs. I used backstep to dodge them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As soon as he landed, he followed up with another uppercut.

Clang! Screeech. I blocked it and used a gap closer to rush him.

Another magic bomb appeared in Zarkan's hand, ready to be thrown at me.

This time, I used *Counterattack*.

Swoosh.

I teleported behind Zarkan and slashed him with my sword during the brief delay while he was casting the magic bomb.

"Urgh!"

Startled by the sudden attack from behind, Zarkan spun around and resumed his fierce assault.

I didn’t release *Sword Drawing Stance*. Other than his uppercut, his regular attacks weren’t much of a threat.

I could handle the damage with potions. Just like with Galovan, I could tank the hits and focus on landing attacks when I had the chance.

Smiling, I slashed at Zarkan, confident that I could handle his regular patterns.

The real challenge would come with his special phases.

---

[Third Named Boss]
[Level 33 Demon Army Commander Zarkan]
[HP 2,970,557 / 3,300,000]

---

"Impressive. You truly have the strength to make it this far!"

A special phase already? That was too soon.

Zarkan’s HP was only at 90%. If he triggered a special phase now, there could be at least eight more phases to go.

Tap.

I glanced at Zarkan, now positioned in the center of the training field, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

Would I have to endure multiple special phases? I hoped it wouldn’t be too difficult.

Rumble...

Violet energy gathered around his body, and the entire training field began to shake.

A wide-area attack, no doubt. What would it be?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Magic explosions erupted from the ground, spreading outward from Zarkan’s body.

A concentric explosion, like a series of expanding rings. The areas that had already exploded wouldn’t be hit again.

In that case...

Boom!

As the explosion reached my feet, I used my gap closer to move in on Zarkan.

Boom!

The next explosion hit the spot where I’d just been standing, but no additional explosions occurred near Zarkan.

Huh, there’s no need to even use a dodge skill?

Grinning, I gleefully attacked Zarkan while he was stationary.

However, the explosions weren’t over yet.

Boom, boom, boom!

The explosions continued all the way to the edge of the training field, then started to return, heading back toward me.

"Eek."

Sweat dripped from my face as I watched the explosions approach.

Finally, the last explosion reached my feet while I was still standing near Zarkan.

Swoosh.

Boom!

I used *Counterattack*'s invincibility to dodge the final blast.

The concentric ring explosions, starting from Zarkan and expanding outward before returning to the center. 

The first wave could be handled with a gap closer.

The second wave could be dodged with backstep or *Counterattack*. It wasn’t as threatening as I had expected, and there were plenty of ways to avoid it.

But I knew it wasn’t over yet.

As I cautiously stepped back, preparing for the next phase...

Tap.

Zarkan leaped into the air again.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

He returned to his pattern of raining down magic bombs from above.

I dodged the bombs with backstep and prepared to counter his next uppercut.

Wait, this was his regular pattern. Could it be that the special phase was already over?

If it kept going like this, it might actually be easier than I thought.

 

 

_________________
TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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