A journey to another world starting from a sword

The whip-like attacks lashed against the shield, producing a crisp "clanging" sound.

After they had prepared their defenses, they were finally ready to launch a counterattack, but this was actually the most difficult part of the battle.

Because the tentacles always retreat quickly after a failed attack, the timing of the attack must be precisely calculated to hit the target.

However, the fact that the Boss's HP could be reduced without attacking its main body was a relief.

After more than ten minutes of fighting, the second HP bar was finally destroyed. At this moment, Kraken let out an even stronger roar, and the circular sound waves swept through most of the room. At the same time, a low-frequency vibration, like the rolling of a cellar barrel, came from under Kraken's skin.

"We're about to switch attack modes! Everyone be careful!" Dante shouted, and Asuna, who was holding a sword beside him, reminded him in a very urgent voice.

"The flowers are in bloom."

The predatory flowers at the tips of each tentacle opened as wide as possible. If they could easily swallow a person's head before, they could now swallow a person whole. Of course, this refers to girls; it might not be enough for a big man wearing plate armor.

Dante leaped onto the nearest tentacle, its tough keratin splattering red blood beneath the blade of "Melancholy Nocturne".

"Are there three bars of health left?"

Chapter 192: What Does He Want to Do?

"This is getting a little tricky." Mito swung his scythe, repelling the attacking predatory flower. "Asuna! How's it going?"

The open predatory flower is very unfriendly to thrusting sword techniques, especially for weapons like rapiers whose main attack method is thrusting.

"I can only use single-hit sword techniques now." After delivering a "meteor" to the petals, Asuna retreated and returned to Liz's shield protection.

"Wow, thank goodness I used the largest tower shield." With an unsteady tone, Lisbeth kept checking the location of the tentacles' attacks from behind the shield and moved the shield to defend. She could only cover two or three tentacles at most. Fortunately, the space in which the monster could attack was only a fan-shaped area in front of her.

"Mite, I can't attack from here." Slinging her revealing crimson robe behind her, Koharu, kneeling slightly bent, cautiously gripped her short sword, but could only manage to move Lingyin to a safer spot. "Do you need to move out of the shield's protective range?"

Facing the predatory flower with its tentacles head-on prevented her from attacking effectively. The short sword was originally a critical-hit weapon that relied on multi-hit attacks to apply debuffs to monsters, but it couldn't be used in this situation because the attack range was too short. It would be bad if she were swallowed by the flower.

"Don't leave yet." Mitt turned his head to assess the battlefield environment. "If we leave, there might be free tentacles attacking."

At this moment, staying safely behind her and ensuring there's no attack from behind is much safer than rushing out rashly. Eliminating this worry allows her to better focus on the battle at hand.

Meanwhile, Asuna employed the same strategy to keep Silica from going out. Even though the rapier itself was difficult to use, Asuna was still able to find an opening to launch a counterattack.

The slender sword, gleaming with silver light, relentlessly pierced the periphery of the hollow flower's center from the middle.

Every attack she launched hit its mark precisely, and the Boss's HP decreased accordingly.

Although the power of a single strike is not very great, the number of strikes is by no means low.

"I'm telling you, we can't possibly defeat the Boss with just this few people, can we?" Lisbeth shouted.

Her implication was that she was asking when she would retreat, because the prolonged focus on defense had severely depleted her energy and stamina.

"Wait a little longer, and let me know when you feel it's about to fail." Asuna seized the opportunity to glance at the Boss's HP bar, which was now halfway down.

"learn!"

If they maintained this state, they might be able to defeat the Boss in another twenty minutes of fighting, but Asuna knew that was almost impossible.

The further you progress, the stronger the boss's attacks become, especially in the final stage, where their overall condition is generally insufficient to cope with sudden changes.

However, since the person who actually decided whether to evacuate had not yet given the order, she could only continue to focus on the enemy in front of her.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Leafa, standing on the outermost edge, exclaimed in surprise. "Is this everyone's true strength?"

There are many things that look simple but are actually difficult to do. People who think this are usually called "ambitious but incompetent." However, Leafa doesn't have this idea at all.

Just because it looks so difficult, anyone would admire the fact that they've managed to fight this far in front of such an intimidating boss.

“This is all thanks to everyone’s training. Leafa, if you follow us and conquer another ten floors, you should be able to do about this level too.” Jeliska glanced back at Leafa and smiled. “Of course, you can also have Dante give you some special training.”

"Special training?" Yuki's pointed ears twitched with curiosity.

"Yeah, it's about PVP and PVE combat skills. Our guild leader is proficient in almost every weapon. After a little practice, he can immediately master one-handed swords, two-handed swords, rapiers, spears... I really don't know what he does in real life."

“Okay, then I’ll ask him for help when I get back,” Leafa nodded.

“Me too,” Yuki replied with anticipation.

Leafa looked back at the battlefield and saw Dante dodging all of the Boss's attacks with his elegant, left-right movements, while also launching counterattacks at will. The visuals were as smooth as movie-level CG.

"Speaking of which, what's Dante's level?" Leafa realized she hadn't asked that question yet; she was already level 17.

"I don't know either, maybe it's level 40?" Jeliska said with a slightly troubled expression.

“40?” Leafa’s voice rose sharply. “But…but…”

She remembered that Dante had mentioned that his brother's level was around 50, but Dante's own level shouldn't be that low.

"And what about you, Jeliska?"

"Because I use this flag a lot, I have relatively few opportunities to gain experience, so my level is not very high, only 43."

"Where is Asuna?" Leafa asked again, even more confused.

“47?” Jeliska tilted her head and asked.

At this point, no one pays much attention to the guild's ranking system. The person who knows the most about it is the vice president, Asuna, who regularly compiles relevant statistics to help plan the guild's next steps.

"Then why is Dante's rank so low?" Leafa asked, puzzled.

“Because of that sword, ‘Melancholy Nocturne,’ it absorbs the player’s experience points. Dante’s current level 40 is maintained by staying up all night every night… well, not really staying up all night, but spending the whole day grinding monsters in the dungeon.” Jeliska’s crimson eyes flickered.

The drawbacks of that sword will gradually become apparent as you progress, especially when critical hit damage is added, but its attack power still lags behind that of mainstream weapons. Although we haven't reached that point yet, we still need to prepare in advance.

"I see." Leafa nodded, continuing to observe the battle while nervously swallowing.

When the boss's third HP bar disappeared, Kraken roared again, and the tentacles that were originally raised above his body joined the battle, making the fight even more difficult.

"Um, I might have reached my limit." Under the sudden increase in pressure, Lingyin immediately asked Mit for help. She usually doesn't use a shield, but now she was being attacked by flowers from the left, right, front, and top, and some were fast and some were slow. It was like playing a rhythm game on hell difficulty. Sooner or later, there would be a time when she couldn't defend herself.

"I understand." Mit replied and unleashed the advanced sword technique "Wrathful Judgment" of her scythe against the attacking predatory flower. The hurricane-like attack enveloped the predatory flower in an instant. After the entire attack was completed, the flower in front of her suddenly froze, and then the entire tentacle turned into fragments. This unexpected event stunned her for 0.1 seconds.

“The tentacles seem to be severable!” she shouted.

“I understand!” Asuna replied.

But Mitt immediately realized that even if she could destroy the tentacle, it would be of no use, because the Boss would add a new one a few seconds later. This despairing fact instantly cast a shadow over her heart.

With their current numbers, they can't eliminate the tentacles as quickly as they replenish them.

"It's time to retreat!" Asuna realized this and immediately shouted to Dante.

He rolled over to avoid the flowers' attack, and Dante replied loudly, "You all retreat first."

With more energy than in his previous attempts, he roared and swung his sword. The moment the blade embedded itself in the tentacle, it broke through the keratin and cut a red wound. Before the tentacle could disappear, new tentacles immediately attacked wildly.

Sensing the attack from behind, he turned around again, took a half step back, bent his knees to gather strength, and jumped away while swinging his sword down. The blade drew a golden arc from bottom to top, which complemented his golden eyes.

One, two, and when the third attack landed on the same tentacle, it too turned into blue fragments.

Then he suddenly used the tentacle that was swinging down from mid-air as leverage to leap up, his heel tracing a crescent-shaped trajectory as he kicked another tentacle that was rushing towards him.

As he leaped into the air, he raised the sword hilt to his chest with a backhand, using the sword technique "Avalanche," which propelled his body forward to the predatory flower directly in front of him.

Swing the sword.

Using the recoil, he flipped in mid-air and landed perfectly, his feet slamming heavily on the floor as he immediately ducked to avoid the next attack.

"Hey, we've already retreated." Asuna initially thought Dante planned to wait for them to retreat before returning, but she gradually realized that wasn't the case.

"Asuna." Mito approached Asuna, carrying a scythe.

"What is he planning to do?" Asuna, hands on her hips, was a little angry, but more worried.

"No time to retreat... that shouldn't be the case." This is pretty much how reconnaissance battles have always been, and we've covered the rear countless times. Mitt doesn't think Dante, with his strength, would be unable to retreat.

There is only one explanation: he seems to want to continue fighting.

"Asuna, should we do something?" Leafa clasped her hands together, and a melancholy expression could be seen on her face from the side.

"Rest first." Asuna's beautiful eyebrows furrowed as she took out a bottle of potion from her pouch and sipped it to restore her HP, which hadn't decreased much to begin with.

The main problem is that the skill proficiency in "recovering during combat" is not high; otherwise, the lost HP would be quickly restored without needing to drink potions.

When the boss's fourth HP bar was depleted, although the boss's attack logic remained unchanged, the tentacles waving everywhere were truly terrifying.

"Does he intend to witness the final stage of the Boss?" Mitt still considered the conservative approach, or rather, no one had anticipated what was about to happen.

Chapter 193: Will Be Recorded in Epic History

"This is too reckless!" "Asuna, shouldn't we do something?" "If this continues..."

Everyone started discussing it, and finally Jeliska seemed to want to say something: if things continue like this, what if the Boss really only has one HP left...

By then, they really won't want to retreat. Who can resist such temptation and monopolize the benefits and glory of an entire Boss?

"Hey, someone's here." Argo's voice suddenly came from outside the open door, adding another twist to the already precarious situation.

"Who?" Asuna instinctively became alert. She had been hearing a lot of information lately, especially about the activities of certain criminal guilds such as "Laughing Coffin." She had even experienced player-versus-player combat with Dante before, so it was hard not to overthink things at this moment.

Argo's next words dispelled her concerns: "It seems to be those guys from the Knights of the Blood Oath."

"So...they are indeed close to here." Asuna thought for a moment. Yesterday, she had inquired about the Knights of the Blood Oath's progress, and this morning Argo had even sold them the map data for a high price...

So it wasn't surprising that they arrived at the Boss's room in the afternoon.

Sure enough, two fully armed squads emerged from the passageway in the distance. Asuna recognized several of them: Frotz, Seguro, Murdal...

These are all veteran members of the Knights of the Blood Oath who participated in the final boss raid, and of course there are some new faces, possibly a second team that is currently being trained.

“That is…” She seemed to see Yuna’s childhood friend among them, whose name was Nochiras.

"What should we do?" Standing beside Asuna, Mito asked calmly.

"Since it's the Knights of the Blood Oath, it shouldn't be a problem to leave it alone," Asuna thought. If it were a guild like the "Dragon Journey," she would have to consider a different strategy.

After passing through more than a dozen floors, the "Dragon Journey Group" was no longer the group that inherited Diabel's will. It was common for them to act arrogantly because of their seniority. Things like monopolizing the entire training area and driving away players from other guilds often happened. Sometimes, even Asuna would have to mediate.

The word "Knights of the Blood Oath" is much more reassuring. As a newly established guild, it is said that each member is carefully selected by its guild leader, Heathcliff.

Asuna stood there waiting for the other person to come over, but more importantly, she needed to stay there and keep an eye on someone's situation.

"Hey, what's going on, Miss Asuna?" Godfrey, the squad leader and also the leader of the Allied Forces' attack squad, asked in surprise. What had he seen?!

The boss's HP has dropped to only two bars!

If he remembered correctly, Nautilus had purchased expensive intelligence that the Evergarden was only discovered as the Boss's room yesterday, but he didn't expect to be conducting a reconnaissance mission alone today.

Moreover, given the current situation, if more people joined, it's not impossible that we could easily defeat the Boss.

Thinking of this, Godefli looked around suspiciously. Maybe the other party really did invite a few guilds and solo players with whom they had good relations, leaving out the Knights of the Blood Oath.

"There's no one else here," Asuna said speechlessly. "We don't do things we're not sure we can handle."

Everyone in the guild is like family. She always makes sure to plan things properly when arranging operations. Even when faced with attacks from criminal guilds, such as "Smiling Coffin," she manages to hold on until reinforcements arrive.

This is basically the policy of small guilds: everyone knows each other and cherishes each other.

"So what are you doing now?" This puzzled Godefli. He rubbed his eyes and squinted at the figures in front of him.

Isn't this a "knight"?!

How come he's dealing with the Boss all by himself?

Godefley even considered the absurd possibility that the guild had betrayed him and left him inside, but he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.

"No comment," Asuna replied coldly. She wasn't in the mood for small talk and stared straight ahead.

"Mr. Godefley, what should we do?" the deputy asked in a low voice.

What should they do in this situation?

"Let's observe further," Godefli replied briefly. The situation was unclear, and there was no time to go back and report. It would take at least an hour to get out of the maze area from here.

Besides, they were seeing the Boss's attack methods for the first time, so they could only observe them for now.

If given the opportunity, you can team up with the other party to finish off the weakened boss.

Alternatively, stepping forward to cover the enemy's retreat is a good way to do them a favor.

"..." And so the two groups stood there, clearly separated, and the scene turned out to be so exciting, almost like something out of a movie.

"Hey, did you see that, Nochiras?" Sansa, a newcomer to the guild, exclaimed to Nochiras, "He can't hit me at all! Does the guild leader of Eternal Garden have eyes in the back of his head?"

"Ah, um." Nochiras was silent for a moment. He was also shocked by the other party's smooth dodging movements. It was even more terrifying than the "parkour" videos he had seen online, especially since it happened right in front of him.

There seemed to be something else that caught his attention: "His...his eyes, did you see them?"