WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈
Chapter 63: Are You Seeing Things?
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Wilhelm and Astoria were fairly high-level themselves.
I thought that lasting even five minutes against Cecilia would count as doing well.
“...It’s over.”
Charlotte spoke with a grim expression.
Maybe it had been wishful thinking. Neither of them had lasted even three minutes before being taken out.
Astoria had been slashed up so badly that the Soul Binding had nearly faded.
“W-Wilhelm?”
Gulp. Isabella’s throat bobbed.
Wilhelm was a powerful fighter on par with Carleon, the Old Castle’s mid-boss.
Of course she’d be nervous if Cecilia could take someone like him down in an instant.
‘Cecilia really is a monster.’
She had rendered all the traps I’d painstakingly redone on the upper floors useless all by herself.
She’d crushed the undead floor with ease too, leaving me speechless.
“There are no undead that can still move. The pincer maneuver has failed.”
From the Extermination Party’s perspective, getting surrounded from both sides would’ve been a life-or-death crisis.
The plan had been for Charlotte to remotely revive any undead that remained after the Extermination Party cleared the undead floor but failed to finish them off.
That plan was out of the question now that every last one had died.
Even if the Soul Binding remained intact, a Dullahan couldn’t be revived remotely.
To stop Cecilia, we had no choice but to face her head-on.
I looked around.
About two hundred Minions of the Night, led by Carleon.
The dungeon’s defenses alone would’ve struggled, so I was glad they were here.
‘Still, I need to stay alert.’
We were on the defensive, but that didn’t give us much of an advantage.
There was no wall, not even a palisade.
The space wasn’t suited for defense.
The passage was too wide, and building a wall would take too long.
...Right.
There was no point getting discouraged. I’d gathered all our forces on the fifth floor from the start, prepared for a direct clash.
It would be a brute-force fight, but we had more than enough chance of winning.
Because I had Enhancement.
‘...Though she seems even stronger than I expected.’
At first, I considered destroying everyone else’s weapons, isolating Cecilia, and taking her Holy Relic.
That thought only lasted an instant.
Trying to claim loot before I’d even won went beyond getting ahead of myself. It was suicide.
Cecilia was a one-woman team.
Knowing that and leaving her alone while trying to secure victory would’ve been reckless arrogance.
I decided that, if necessary, I’d have to destroy the Holy Relic.
Just as I resolved to focus solely on Cecilia’s weapon, countless footsteps echoed from the distance.
Thud, thud.
Once the noise stopped, the Extermination Party came into view, just as expected.
Knights heavily armed with weapons stood at the front of the formation, while mages and priests filled the rear.
[Lv. 64]
[Lv. 67]
[Lv. 71]
They were all elite judging by their levels, but I didn’t care.
“Isn’t that bastard... the monster of the Abyssal Palace?”
“A Death Knight with the Holy Sword. That confirms it.”
“W-Why is the boss here? Isn’t something wrong?”
Most of the levels above the people looking at me turned black.
Some even stepped back as though they’d lost their will to fight. I’d unintentionally seized the psychological advantage.
Then I turned my gaze away from them.
A woman stood alone in front of the Extermination Party.
[Lv. 93]
I’d expected it deep down, but... she really was at the level of an Abyssal Palace boss.
Cecilia’s level was stained with thick killing intent.
The Extermination Party didn’t matter.
I pointed at Cecilia.
The officers standing at attention beside me followed my gesture with their eyes.
“Watch that woman.”
Sacrifices would be unavoidable if we fought Cecilia.
Still, I hoped no one would die.
Cecilia’s Moonlight Sword scattered dim moonlight.
It was such an enchanting glow that it stole my attention even when I tried not to look at it.
The aura of Luna I could feel from it surpassed even the Holy Sword’s holy power.
[Moonlight Sword Lunatic(No.4)]
[Enhancement Chance: 0%]
[※Warning! Applying Enhancement to the target will destroy it without fail!]
[If Enhancement fails, the cooldown is reset.]
[Would you like to enhance Moonlight Sword Lunatic(No.4)?]
[YES/NO]
If I got greedy for the Holy Relic, that blade would surely cut off my head.
Level 93 was on par with a Seven Palaces of the Abyss boss.
She had reached a level where she could easily wipe us all out alone.
I decided that destroying the Moonlight Sword right away was the correct choice.
Swoosh!
In an instant, Cecilia vanished.
The status window vanished with her.
When she reappeared, she had plunged her sword into a Vampire’s neck.
I fixed my gaze on her again, and a status window appeared.
[High Vampire Bloodstone (B+)]
[Enhancement Chance: 15%]
A strange notification appeared, so I turned my gaze away again.
[Mid-Grade Leather Pauldron (B)]
[Enhancement Chance: 20%]
[Well-Honed Longsword (B)]
[Enhancement Chance: 22%]
[Superior Werewolf Artificial Claws (A)]
[Enhancement Chance: 13%]
I nearly cursed out loud.
The condition for using Enhancement was to keep the target in sight.
And the status window didn’t appear the moment I fixed my gaze on something. It took a full second to activate.
Keeping up with Cecilia’s speed with my eyes was already hard enough, and the monsters around her kept obstructing my view.
That was why strange notifications kept appearing.
Damn it. I’d fallen for my own trick.
If I slipped up even once and succeeded, I’d be stuck with a one-hour cooldown.
I tried to keep the Moonlight Sword in sight, but useless notifications kept popping up instead.
This had never happened before. My mind only became more chaotic from the confusion.
“Go! Front line, keep formation and charge! Rear line, hold your positions!”
“Kill all the children of the Abyss!”
“Uwaaaah!”
The Extermination Party, which had been hesitating, began to advance.
Cecilia’s display of force had sent their morale soaring.
Soon, hundreds of people collided with one another, making it even harder to find Cecilia.
‘Get a grip.’
One mistake meant certain death. If I delayed, everyone could die.
If I followed her with my eyes just once, Cecilia would be left empty-handed.
“Immovable.”
Dozens of people froze at once.
I tried to find Cecilia among them, but she was nowhere to be seen.
A sharp sound cut through the chaos.
Moonlight raced across the battlefield like a gale, then vanished from my sight.
Her speed was superhuman, almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
I’d tried using the Dragon Speech Immovable on her, but it had done nothing.
The gap in our levels was even greater than I’d expected.
What should I do? If I could just stop her movements, I could manage somehow.
I steadied my chaotic thoughts and looked toward the three around me.
“Subdue that woman.”
The moment I spoke, Isabella and Balutak kicked off the ground.
Charlotte began chanting beside me as well.
I believed those three could restrain Cecilia, even if only for a moment.
“Dragon Scale. Double.”
Scales burst across my black iron armor.
At Cecilia’s terrifying speed, I might not even notice the attack before dying in a single strike.
My life was in danger unless I covered myself in Dragon Scale twice over.
Even this was dangerous. It was only a temporary measure.
‘Please, just let me enhance the Moonlight Sword.’
The battle hinged on whether I could tear off Cecilia’s wings with Enhancement, an unforeseen variable I had never accounted for.
* * *
Slice!
A tingling sensation traveled through Cecilia’s fingertips along with the sound of flesh being cut.
As Luna filled the blade, the blood and flesh clinging to its tip vanished as though evaporating.
Without a hitch in her breathing, Cecilia moved freely through the battlefield.
The Luna within the Moonlight Sword had dramatically enhanced her physical abilities.
With that power, she continued her slaughter as though performing a sword dance.
Wherever she passed, blood sprayed wildly behind the silver path of her blade.
‘That bastard.’
Cecilia swept through the battlefield without pause, but cast her gaze into the distance.
A Death Knight stood there arrogantly, watching her.
The Abyssal Palace boss who had stolen the Holy Sword.
By its very nature, that Death Knight should have been a wicked undead.
Yet the Holy Sword’s radiance shone brilliantly.
It looked just like her master’s Holy Sword, and that only made her hatred grow.
It wasn’t because the Holy Sword had been stolen.
An undead dared to take an object that bore traces of that person.
Even the holy power reminded her of that person. She wanted to tear that bastard apart right away.
Crunch.
Cecilia gritted her teeth and swung her sword down.
A streak of sword light flashed through the darkness.
Screeech!
A crescent-shaped slash carved through the ground as it rushed forward.
It didn’t travel far before scattering into the air.
Carleon, the Dullahan who had blocked the slash with his whole body and been pushed back two steps, stepped forward.
He adjusted his grip and stared directly at Cecilia.
“The boss comes last.”
Swoosh!
Cecilia suddenly vanished.
Clang!
She reappeared as her sword met Carleon’s.
Clang! Clang!
Their locked blades separated. Carleon ducked and caught the falling sword just before it hit the ground.
Carleon immediately swung it as though bouncing back, but Cecilia stepped away instead of blocking. The slash barely brushed past her hair.
Clang!
Each time their swords collided, Carleon was pushed back another step.
Before long, Carleon was responding entirely on the defensive.
Three exchanges were enough to tell.
Her swordsmanship was graceful and flawless.
Cecilia’s blade left no opening, no matter how small.
Shhk!
A flash-like thrust shot forward.
Carleon narrowly avoided it and tried to counterattack, but Cecilia pulled her hilt back and spun quickly.
Slice! Moonlight drew a half-moon as it cut Carleon’s body in two.
‘Truly astounding.’
That was Carleon’s final thought.
Carleon couldn’t rise again and lost consciousness.
After confirming that the light in his eyes had gone out, Cecilia leaped backward.
Boom!
A thunderous sound rang out where Cecilia had been standing.
Balutak, who had struck the empty ground, launched themself into the air again.
“Kieeek!”
“Bug. Quiet.”
Cecilia casually swung her sword.
In an instant, the air flashed silver. As a single curved line vanished, Balutak’s arm fell away.
Gushing blood obscured her vision, but Cecilia followed with a horizontal slash.
With a brief slice, Balutak’s torso was severed.
The upper and lower halves rolled across the ground.
Cecilia glanced at Balutak indifferently.
There was no groan or scream, only a twitching that seemed closer to a physiological reaction.
Rumble!
Cecilia immediately turned and raised her sword.
A rushing torrent of blood surged through the air toward her.
Even in the face of the violent Blood Arts, Cecilia stared beyond it with half-lidded eyes.
She met Isabella’s eyes, filled with rage.
An oppressive Luna that seemed to crush all five senses pulsed inside her body.
Feeling that exhilaration, Cecilia stepped forward.
Before Isabella could react, Cecilia had closed the distance.
“!”
Isabella’s eyes widened abnormally.
In contrast, Cecilia thrust her sword forward with a blank expression.
Spurt!
The blade pierced Isabella’s neck and came out the other side.
Luna flared like fire from the wound it had pierced.
“Ghk, ghk.”
Only a mouthful of blood and broken groans escaped Isabella’s lips.
Cecilia lightly nudged Isabella with her foot, and she crumpled without resistance.
Cecilia turned her head.
The Witch and the Death Knight entered her sight.
A question arose within her.
The boss had only watched while the subordinates were dying.
Even now, the boss’s gaze continued to follow Cecilia.
Until now, only those eyes had moved. The boss hadn’t moved at all.
Cecilia had the momentum now.
The Abyssal Palace boss would have to step in soon to break it.
Yet despite her caution, the boss only kept watching.
‘...Why?’
Was there something the boss hoped to learn by watching her more closely?
Or was the boss looking down on her and letting her act as she pleased?
Cecilia pushed the thought aside.
Here, she needed to move her body, not think.
Tap!
Cecilia kicked off the ground and rushed toward them.
* * *
The air rippled every time Cecilia swung her sword.
It created the illusion that the air itself had been split apart.
Carleon had lasted only three exchanges against Cecilia before being taken out.
‘The Holy Sword, even now... no.’
Using the Holy Sword to support them would only be a blind attack.
I couldn’t even follow her with my eyes. If I fired the Holy Sword now, I’d only cause more damage.
The only thing I could do now was use Enhancement.
But because of an unforeseen variable, I couldn’t use it even though I had it.
Terrifying speed. Obstacles blocking my view.
The sounds of fighting from all directions made it even harder to concentrate.
One mistake, and there would be no taking it back.
I had to accept some damage and wait for the one moment I was sure.
Balutak jumped in at one point, but lasted only seconds before being cut in two.
All Cecilia needed was a gesture as casual as swatting away a fly.
‘Fuck, fuck, fuck...’
Curses flooded my mind.
Whenever I tried to keep the Moonlight Sword in view, it jumped somewhere else immediately.
Even now, with Carleon and Balutak easily subdued, the Moonlight Sword remained firmly in her hand.
Their levels showed that they were still alive.
Barely clinging to life, that was all.
If I couldn’t stop Cecilia, not just those two, but everyone would die.
Whoosh!
Cecilia suddenly kicked off the ground and targeted Isabella.
I tried to follow her with my eyes, but I was late again.
From where I stood, Cecilia was hidden behind Isabella.
“Ghk, ghk...”
Like Balutak, Isabella fell without even being able to fight back.
Despair coiled around my mind and body.
The moment Cecilia looked my way, her body sprang forward like a coiled spring.
“My Lord. Please.”
Charlotte stepped in front of me.
I could feel her resolve to keep Cecilia from reaching me.
The mana pouring from Charlotte’s fingertips gradually thickened until it formed a snowstorm.
Crackle! Lightning mixed into the snowstorm.
Blizzard Storm seized the area, and over a dozen Magic-Sealing Formations appeared with it.
Black energy rose from within them and shot toward Cecilia.
Screeech!
A crescent-shaped slash swept before me, obstructing my view.
The slash, trailing a cloud of dust, physically shattered Charlotte’s magic.
That too was Luna’s influence. The mana of the night pierced through every magical phenomenon.
Charlotte bit her lip and prepared to chant again.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, Charlotte’s body was sent flying.
She slammed into the wall at the end of her flight.
There was no time to worry about Charlotte.
“Why are you still standing there?”
The moment I saw Cecilia in front of me, my body froze.
Even my thoughts stopped.
A status window appeared when I looked at her, not the sword.
I couldn’t even read its contents. I just clung to a futile hope.
Maybe it was one last desperate struggle before death.
[Enhancing Raurava Ruby Crystal (S).]
[Enhancement failed. Raurava Ruby Crystal (S) has been destroyed.]
Even that betrayed my hope.
At the beginning, I’d clearly had a chance to enhance the Moonlight Sword.
The price of hesitating for even a moment had come back as death.
Without a doubt, I was an idiot.
My vision filled with overflowing moonlight.
Once it vanished, a surging pain struck me.
The pain made my nonexistent eyelids feel heavy.
I thought undead couldn’t feel pain.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to close my eyes even when I died, but apparently that wasn’t true.
Through my fading vision, I saw a pair of eyes stretched wide in shock.
My figure, losing the light in its eyes, was reflected in them.
“Ah... No... No, no, no... I-I... Why did I...?”
An unfamiliar tone reached me through my fading hearing.
At the same time, I felt a faint sensation. It was as if trembling hands had touched my body.
Strange.
Cecilia was looking at me like she was about to cry.
I didn’t know whether my vision was simply distorted, or whether I was seeing things because I was dying.
“...Cecilia.”
“Y-Yes! I-It’s me! Ah... Why, why did I... Master...?”
“B...”
I wanted to call her a fucking bitch.
Footnotes:
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