[Level ??]  
[Ancient Hero ■■]  
[HP ???/???]

I clenched my teeth.

The figure standing within the glowing light, whose outline I could now recognize...

"Ancient Hero."

No name, no level, no HP displayed.

Instinctively, I took a step back.

Fear of the unknown? No, this was fear of something all too familiar.

That figure shouldn’t exist in this place. No, it shouldn’t exist in this world at all.

Why is *I*—or rather, what *I* once was—here?

At the top of the *Tower of Training*, what awaited me was...

The Hero, Rain.

I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts.

The top floor of the *Tower of Training*, scanned by the magic circle.

It was likely that each player faced a mirror battle against a boss that matched their class and stats.

But the "Rain" who existed in this world wasn’t just the current me.

There was "Rain," the player in *Astra Online*, and "Rain," the hero from a thousand years ago.

This boss was the latter.

Fundamentally, they were the same entity, but from different points in time.

"Sigh."

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on.

I knew "that" all too well.

The enhanced body, fortified by the power of the Sacred Sword, surrounded by a golden protective aura. Ordinary attacks wouldn’t even scratch it.

The sword, infused with mana from the Sacred Sword, unleashed lightning-fast, devastating strikes—likely the same one that had split my waist open earlier.

Though I couldn’t see it yet, at some point during the battle, the Sacred Sword would start releasing sword energy that would sweep across the entire battlefield. Those attacks couldn’t be dodged, nor could they be blocked.

"Of course, it’s just me on hard mode."

I muttered a small complaint.

This world always seemed to make things more difficult for me.

But knowing the opponent also meant I could think of a way to counter it.

If "that" were the real deal, there would be no way I could win. But...

"It’s just a game."

As long as this world was *Astra Online*, "that" too was just a boss within the game’s system.

In that case, I just needed to learn its patterns, deal damage, and defeat it.

However, with the current player stats, there was no way I could match "its" attack power or speed. My tried-and-true method of "see and respond" was entirely blocked.

Perhaps I’d have to die a few times to figure things out.

I gripped my sword tightly and swallowed hard.

Even if it’s just a game death, for me, it hit harder than for others. But...

"It doesn’t hurt."

If I die cleanly, it’s fine.

There’s no agonizing sensation of my body burning, splitting in half, or my head flying off, or my heart being pierced.

"Eek."

I almost let out a scream just thinking about death.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared of a fight where I knew I was going to die.

But I steeled myself.

For the past year, I’d been living in a state of extreme fragility.

At first, even dying in the game was terrifying, but I’d gradually regained my old mindset.

As the Hero, I’d fought many battles knowing I could die.

And yet, I’m still alive.

Game death wasn’t true death. My life was less valuable than it had been back then. The only thing that frightened me now was the realistic sensation of death.

"As long as it doesn’t hurt too much, I’ll be fine."

I’d just need to learn the patterns, one by one, by dying repeatedly.

Other players did the same. Some people fought bosses dozens, even hundreds of times before they succeeded.

Rain, you’re no different.

This isn’t real death.

Just do what everyone else does.

I tightened my grip on my sword and approached it.

"Hmm."

Now that I was facing it again, how should I begin?

The "Ancient Hero," still bathed in light, seemed to be looking straight ahead.

It was surely bound by the game system, just like any other boss. It would have an aggro range.

Step by step, I cautiously approached the hero.

The flash of light that had split my waist earlier—likely a sword energy attack.

It was probably a pattern that triggered when the opponent was out of melee range, unleashing sword energy that swept across the field.

The devastating sword energy that tore through everything in its path. Even if I used a block skill, it would slice through me.

11 meters.

No reaction.

So, its aggro range is 10 meters.

I turned around.

Taking a deep breath.

[Backward Dodge (C)]  
[Evasive movement of 8 meters backward, dodging all frontal attacks (invincible during execution)]  
[Cooldown: 8 seconds]  
[(E Rank) Movement speed increases for 5 seconds after use]

*Tatat.*

I executed the backward dodge.

*Slash!*

Simultaneously, three crescent-shaped sword energy waves shot out from the hero, narrowly missing me.

The first step had been executed perfectly.

As expected.

No matter how overpowered the enemy was, this world was still a game, and no attack could bypass an invincibility frame.

If I had recklessly approached, I would’ve been sliced in half by the sword energy before even reaching the hero.

Using the backward movement, I closed the gap in an instant, still invincible as I faced the hero.

*Shing!*

In the blink of an eye, the Sacred Sword came slashing toward me. I raised my own sword to block it.

*Clang, clang, clang, clang!*

A flurry of strikes rained down on me—six? Seven strikes in a second? Compared to the attacks I had faced from previous bosses, which were spaced out over about a second, the hero’s speed was almost incomprehensible.

But my "Block" skill reacted faster than I could think, flawlessly deflecting the hero’s blows. Fortunately, the sword energy hadn’t been triggered yet.

For now, I was protected by the "game system." No matter how strong the opponent’s attacks were, they couldn’t bypass the absolute rule of "skills."

However, blocking alone wouldn’t win the fight. I had to land my own attacks.

When? When would there be an opening?

*Clang, clang, clang!*

As my mind raced, the hero’s sword suddenly shifted.

A rapid upward slash knocked my sword out of my hands.

"Ah...!"

A guard break skill.

With my weapon lifted, my torso was left completely exposed. The hero’s lightning-fast thrust drove straight into that gap.

*Stab.*

"Guh."

The cold sensation of the sword piercing my heart made my body convulse, and everything went dark.

---

[*Tower of Training, Ninth Floor*]

"Ugh...!"

After a brief moment of regaining my breath, I rubbed my chest where the Sacred Sword had pierced through, looking despondent.

Rain, you idiot. I should’ve known it had an ability like that.

If I had thought a little more, I could’ve avoided having a hole punched through my chest.

Still, though I hadn’t landed any attacks yet, I had learned a few things. I’d made decent progress for the cost of one life.

*Smack.*

I slapped both cheeks with my hands.

Reinvigorated, I approached the hero again.

"Alright, let’s see what other patterns you have."

---

*Clang, clang, clang!*

39 exchanges, and then the guard break skill.

*Clang!*

Using the momentum from the sword knockback, I spun to the left.

*Whoosh!*

The hero’s thrust missed me by a hair, and without thinking, I swung my sword back. It wasn’t a skill, just a clumsy swing.

*Clang!*

My sword struck the hero’s protective aura. There was a strong rebound, but it was clear I had landed a hit. The aura flickered slightly in response.

Seeing that, I smiled faintly.

A game. A system. A boss.

This wasn’t an untouchable entity. It could be beaten.

I could use a counterattack after the guard break, but I couldn’t rely too much on invincibility frames. There could be a no-guard pattern at any moment.

*Ooom.*

My brief moment of satisfaction was interrupted as the Sacred Sword was raised above the hero’s head, glowing with light.

An attack imbued with sword energy. I couldn’t block this.

Dodging by sight was impossible, but I had been prepared for it. I managed to shift my body just in time. The Sacred Sword slammed into the ground instead.

*Boom!*

The ground cracked from the impact, sending shockwaves everywhere. Even though it was just a vertical slash imbued with sword energy, the devastation was massive. Was this how the demons who once fought me had felt?

It was undoubtedly an area-of-effect attack. Backward dodge? No, too far. The sword energy would strike again. I needed to use *Counterattack*.

*Swipe.*

*Boom, boom, boom!*

The ground exploded around me as the hero’s sword energy obliterated the area. But my *Counterattack* granted me invincibility, so I remained unharmed.

The hero paused for a moment, recovering from the aftereffects of the sword energy slash.

One second? Two seconds? I had no time to waste. I immediately launched a series of *Starlight Slashes* at the hero’s exposed back.

*Slash, slash, slash, slash!*

Four direct hits. One more?

 No, the recovery time wasn’t long enough. I quickly shifted back into a guard stance and surveyed the situation. The hero soon returned to the initial pattern.

*Clang, clang, clang!*

Ah, I could’ve squeezed in another hit or two.

Setting aside my regret, I calmly responded to the hero’s attacks, looking for the next opportunity.

The hero’s strikes were too fast to react to, but they couldn’t break through my guard. The sword energy pattern had a significant recovery window.

If overwhelming speed and devastating sword energy were the hero’s weapons, then my weapon was the "game system" itself. Victory was within reach.

After 40 exchanges, the guard break skill reappeared. Even without using a skill, I noticed that direct hits had an effect on the hero’s protective aura. It wasn’t necessary to deal damage—simply hitting the aura enough times would break it.

I wouldn’t need to use skills to wear down the aura.

My agility and reaction speed were my true weapons.

*Clang!*

On the 40th exchange, the hero’s upward slash broke my guard, and using the recoil, I spun and delivered three quick strikes to the hero’s body.

*Slash, slash, slash!*

The protective aura flickered with each hit. Then, I dodged the sword energy slash using *Counterattack*.

*Boom, boom, boom!*

As I positioned myself behind the hero, I struck the protective aura again.

*Slash, slash, slash!*

"Guh!?"

Suddenly, a whirlwind of sword energy erupted from the hero’s body, tearing me apart instantly.

---

[*Tower of Training, Ninth Floor*]

"Phew."

I took a moment to catch my breath.

A rebound sword energy attack, triggered after absorbing a certain amount of force with the protective aura. It wasn’t based on the number of hits. It seemed the system had simply turned my own fighting style from the Hero days into a pattern.

So, the rebound sword energy storm is triggered after 10 successful hits.

I’ll make sure to remember that.

"Alright, let’s go again."