*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Using *Counterattack*, I deflected the shockwaves imbued with sword energy and swiftly swung my sword left and right.

*Slash!*

With that, I reached my 20th hit. As the last strike connected with the hero's protective aura, I immediately used *Backward Dodge*.

*Slash, slash, slash, slash!*

The storm of sword energy erupted from the hero, sweeping in all directions. Thanks to my *Backward Dodge*, I barely escaped the storm’s range.

Good, this is the rhythm: hit 10 times and dodge at the same time as the sword energy storm.

As the storm subsided, I rushed forward to close the gap with the hero. Any delay would mean my waist would be split open by the long-range sword energy.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The relentless barrage of lightning-fast slashes began once more. It wasn’t just about blocking now; I needed to memorize the paths of the strikes. I had to engrave the trajectory of every slash from all 40 exchanges into my mind.

Reaching the 30th hit, I used *Backward Dodge* again.

*Slash, slash, slash, slash!*

After the sword energy storm, the battle returned to the initial pattern. If this continued until the end, victory was certain. But this boss, the "Ancient Hero," wasn't ordinary. There had to be more patterns hidden within.

*Ooom...*

Just as the third storm ended, I noticed a tremendous surge of energy concentrating into the Sacred Sword.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The sword began radiating massive beams of sword energy, each over several meters long.

It felt as if the sword itself was declaring that no one would be allowed to stand before it, wielding a terrifying, absolute power. Standing in front of that power, I felt like a mere insect trying to stop a cart.

I couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

Wow, I’m jealous. I used to be able to do that. But after pushing my body to its absolute limits back then, with all the ultimate techniques, I ended up completely broken. The damaged legs were just the cherry on top.

If only my body were still intact, I could have used that strength to make a living, even by doing manual labor. Well, I suppose I’m lucky to be able to make a living in a game now.

But before I could let my idle thoughts wander too far, I steeled myself and returned to battle mode.

There was no blocking this. The Sacred Sword, with its several meters of sword energy, would slice through me like paper.

40 exchanges. I had spent that time memorizing the sword's path while hiding behind my guard.

From now on, I had to dodge everything.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

With the bone-chilling sound of slicing wind, the giant blades of light came for me.

As the first diagonal slash came from the upper right, I twisted my body downward to the lower left to avoid it. The next two horizontal slashes followed, and I ducked my head. The third and fourth slashes came, and I spun to my left as if dancing. I didn’t forget to strike back when I spotted an opening.

*Whoosh, whoosh!*

After the diagonal slashes came the 360-degree spinning slash, followed by four vertical strikes.

The spinning slash didn’t track, meaning it stayed in place. I could use *Counterattack* during the spin to find a brief opening for an attack.

The problem was that using *Counterattack* now would leave me defenseless against the shockwave pattern.

But there was no turning back. Memorizing the sword paths was all for this moment—to reset the pattern by triggering the sword energy storm after landing 10 hits.

I had been gradually stacking up the necessary hits. Even though I had memorized the sword’s path, there was no way to avoid the pattern that swept across the entire battlefield. I had to use *Counterattack*.

*Whoosh!*

*Swipe!*

Ignoring the 360-degree slash imbued with sword energy, I used *Counterattack* to dodge it and positioned myself behind the hero, narrowly avoiding the four vertical strikes. The angle at which the Sacred Sword covered the battlefield was about 300 degrees, leaving me a 60-degree space directly behind the hero.

A chilling sensation ran through my torso as the slashes grazed me four times, but I didn’t flinch. I seized the moment to strike at the hero’s protective aura.

One hit short. The next pattern would be the 360-degree spinning slash again. I couldn’t use *Counterattack*. I had to save *Backward Dodge* for the sword energy storm.

Before the sword energy could cut me in half, I needed to finish the 10 hits to break the pattern.

Ignoring the searing pain in my waist, I swung my sword as quickly as possible.

"Guh!"

A sudden, burning sensation flared up at my waist.

I almost screamed in pain, but I managed to land the 10th hit before the sword energy fully sliced me in two.

How’s my waist? How much HP do I have left? This is a game, so at least my guts wouldn’t spill out, right?

There was no time for idle thoughts. I had to dodge the rebound sword energy storm.

*Tatat!*

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I used *Backward Dodge* to put distance between me and the hero.

The hero’s protective aura was now flickering faintly, almost gone. The massive sword energy radiating from the Sacred Sword had disappeared as well.

The end was in sight. Maybe not the complete end, but at least the protective aura phase was almost over.

"Wait."

But then.

There was no rebound sword energy.

Instead, the hero bent their knees and lowered their stance.

Their heels touched the ground, grounding them like a deeply rooted tree in a stable stance.

One hand gripped the hilt tightly, while the other lightly ran along the blade.

The hero became one with the sword.

I recognized that stance.

*One Flash* (Ilseom). A technique I had once frequently used.

I bit my lip.

Could I avoid it with an invincibility frame? Maybe.

But both *Backward Dodge* and *Counterattack* were still on cooldown. I couldn’t rely on invincibility frames now.

*Ooom.*

The hero’s body began radiating a tangible aura.

*Rumble.*

The entire 9th-floor hall started to tremble.

Even without being struck by the blade, the mana storm accompanying *One Flash* would shred anything standing in its way.

Suddenly, a strange, childish feeling of jealousy surged within me.

That’s my move.

I lowered my stance to match.

If that’s a copy of my past self...

If this world is just a game...

I can use it too.

*Ooom.*

I felt an unprecedented surge of energy coursing through my entire body.

The energy flowed from my toes, up through my legs, waist, and shoulders, and all the way to my fingertips. I could feel the explosive power building up inside me.

Then, at the moment I planted my foot.

*Flash!*

The hero’s body became a streak of light.

*Boom, boom, boom, boom!*

A massive storm of mana followed in the wake of the hero.

At the same time, my body also became a streak of light.

*Flash!*

In a blinding flash, past Rain and present Rain switched places.

*Crack!*

I heard the sound of the protective aura shattering, and the golden glow surrounding the hero’s body dissipated.

*Ooom.*

Simultaneously, the hero’s form began to fade.

In an instant, the hero was gone, leaving nothing behind.

I collapsed to the ground, clutching the wound at my waist, staring blankly at where the hero had been.

*Ding.*

The system notification sounded, and a skill interface appeared before me.

[One Flash (Ilseom)]  
[Cooldown: 1 minute]  
[Invincible during use]  
[???]

"Hah!"

I couldn’t help but laugh.

The system wins again!

I wanted to shout it out loud, but this time, I had only seen a fragment of the hero’s strength.

I had a strong feeling that "it" would appear before me again one day.

Fine, come whenever.

I can handle it.

---

After the battle, I drank a potion, and the pain in my waist subsided, the wound disappearing. My HP was nearly depleted—just one more inch of sword energy, and I would have been dead.

If this had been reality, I would’ve been dead for sure. Thank goodness for games.

"Hmm."

*Flash!*

After clearing the tower, I tried out the newly acquired *One Flash* skill a few times.

A powerful, forward-charging skill with a one-minute cooldown. It could even be used as a mobility tool, and I was invincible during its use. Definitely a good skill.

But...

"Something felt stronger back there, like I was overflowing with energy."

It felt different from using mana in my hero days. But I could definitely feel the explosive power coursing through my body earlier.

[One Flash (Ilseom)]  
[Cooldown: 1 minute]  
[Invincible during use]  
[???]

"Is it this?"

The question marks at the bottom of the skill interface bothered me. Could this skill have a condition to become stronger?

Well, I’ll figure it out as I go.

---

*Whirrr.*

As the capsule opened, I carefully propped myself up and laid my body onto my newly bought latex mattress.

I’d planned on just getting the skill and resting today, but I ended up playing longer than

 expected.

*Drip.*

"Huh?"

Oh no, I was getting a nosebleed. It’s been a while since that happened.

I thought I’d been eating well lately, so I figured I was fine.

I stuffed some tissue into my nose from the roll beside my mattress.

I felt weak and drained.

Still, I’d gotten a powerful new skill today, so it was a pleasant kind of exhaustion.

Rest. Rest will fix everything.

Before falling asleep, my thoughts drifted back to the boss I encountered on the 9th floor.

It seemed like a mirror of my past self.

A clash between past and present.

If it hadn’t been me, would someone else have gone through a standard mirror match?

Maybe it was just dummy data or something. Was this some kind of glitch in the system?

Should I call customer service and report it? Ha, as if. I’m not exactly a regular player. If I mess with the system’s synchronization adjustments, I’m finished. If I lose this immersive reality, I’d lose all my motivation.

But I had a theory: someone created the base data, and based on that, they patched and updated the world of *Astra*. Whoever made the base data might be some god-like being in this world or something.

Whoever it is, I’d love to meet them someday.

They sure put in something special.

 

 

______________________

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~!