"Tch..." Mysterious clicked his tongue in annoyance as the red beam shot from the black hole healed his attack wound.
Across the room, the Goblin King finished its monologue and reached for the metal club at its waist, ready to teach Mysterious a lesson. But as it drew its weapon, Mysterious suddenly lunged forward and stabbed out its left eye again.
Just like before, the black hole at the magic circle’s center fired another red beam toward the Goblin King the moment Mysterious blinded it the second time. This time, Mysterious dodged the beam while swinging his Novice Sword to block its path—only for the light to pass straight through the blade like a ghost, healing the Goblin King once more.
Undeterred, Mysterious slashed the Goblin King’s arm. When the black hole healed it yet again, he abandoned the brute entirely and darted toward the ring of Goblin Mages surrounding the magic circle.
Though Mysterious had struck the Goblin King three times, the mages ignored him completely, still channeling red beams into the black hole.
Seeing Mysterious charge the mages, the Goblin King yanked free its massive iron club and gave chase. Though slightly faster, it couldn’t close the gap before Mysterious reached the nearest mage and cleaved downward—smashing the creature flat. In a real-world fight, that blow would’ve blown its head clean off.
The Goblin King arrived just then, swinging its club down with a roar. Since all damage got healed anyway, Mysterious dodged and circled behind the fallen mage, resuming his assault. The room’s layout and the black hole’s healing made the strategy obvious: *Take out the mages first to beat this boss.*
With the mage’s body blocking its path, the Goblin King had to either crush its own ally or circle around. It chose the latter. As it sidestepped to attack, Mysterious mirrored its movement, still hacking at the mage. They ended up circling the fallen caster like dancers, Mysterious relentlessly striking while the mage stubbornly maintained its spell—even as its health bar plummeted.
Mages had low HP to begin with. Standing motionless under Mysterious’s precise strikes, the Goblin Mage collapsed within seconds.
As its HP hit zero, crimson mist erupted from its corpse, corroding flesh into brittle bones that scattered among its kin. The mist then drifted toward the black hole and vanished inside it.
"*ROOOAR—!*" The Goblin King froze at the sight, then bellowed at Mysterious—only to have its roar cut short as Mysterious’s blade sliced across its snout.
Mysterious dodged the club’s whooshing arc and glanced at the black hole. Seeing it heal the Goblin King yet again, he sprinted toward the second mage. The king’s desperate attempts to stop him were utterly futile.
For ordinary players, dodging a Goblin King while attacking mages would be near-impossible. But for Mysterious? Child’s play. Even with another Goblin King chasing him, it’d only be a minor nuisance. After all, his Level 1 character had dumped every point into agility—his speed dwarfed normal players’.
Within moments, six Goblin Mages lay dead—half the circle. As the sixth fell, the air shifted.
"*You... dare... ruin my plan?!*" The Goblin King halted mid-charge, muttering strangely. Crimson mist surged from its body, amplifying its aura into something feral and mindless. It hurled its club aside and lunged, now twenty percent faster.
Still, it couldn’t touch Mysterious. The frenzied king chased uselessly, its swings missing by inches. Only a freak like Mysterious could solo a raid boss this easily. The game’s difficulty was tuned for average players—and this was just BeginnerVillage, a tutorial zone. That’s why this Superbeing could run wild.
The remaining six mages fell swiftly under Mysterious’s blade.
As the last mage died, the magic circle flickered wildly. The black hole destabilized, spitting black lightning that cratered the floor. The Goblin King, moments ago a raging beast, now crouched trembling, arms shielding its head.
Mysterious didn’t capitalize on its fear. He retreated, frowning at the shuddering black hole.
The circle’s glow died completely. The black hole vibrated with a deep *whirr*, swelling until it touched the ground—then burst like a soap bubble.
Where it vanished stood a two-meter-tall Dark Fiend: bat-winged, crimson-scaled, and grotesque. The Goblin King’s trembling intensified.
Closer inspection revealed the demon wasn’t fully solid—more like a flickering hologram. The dimming light and its oppressive aura masked this detail.
"*Pathetic. Even this simple task fails? Goblins truly are garbage.*" The demon—facing the cowering king—sneered as it materialized.
The Goblin King stayed silent, curled tight.
"*Fine. Failures are worthless.*" The demon’s clawed hand shot out, crushing the king’s skull. "*Squelch.*" It exploded into blood mist without a sound.
A system prompt flashed before Mysterious:
**[Player Nameless One has slain the Level 10 Elite! Experience gained: Level 9 (34%)]**
Three items—a blue and two greens—clattered where the king had stood.
"*Now then...*" The demon—Aidraite—turned its gaze on Mysterious. "*You dare disrupt Lord Aidraite’s plans? I trust you’re prepared to die.*"
Its oppressive aura snapped toward Mysterious like a physical weight.
**[Player Nameless One afflicted by Demon’s Dread! All stats reduced by 80%~~]**
The mental pressure barely registered for Mysterious. But he did raise an eyebrow at the notification’s wavy tildes. *Since when does the system meme?*
"*Hmph? Resisting my dread?*" Aidraite’s monstrous face twisted in surprise. "*Intriguing—*"
Annoyed at the interruption, Mysterious charged, Novice Sword raised. This demon belonged in BeginnerVillage—it couldn’t be meant for direct combat. But backing down wasn’t an option.
"*Daring to strike me? Bold. But—*" Aidraite lifted a claw dismissively. "*—pointless!*"
Blood-red flames erupted around it—then snuffed out instantly. In their place, ghostly gray chains materialized, coiling around its form.
"*The Chaos Emblem can’t break this accursed seal?!*" Aidraite snarled, rattled.
Mysterious closed the distance in a flash, driving his sword forward.
"*Fool! My projection may be weak, but you cannot—*" Aidraite’s mocking laugh died abruptly as the blade *passed through* its chest. Where steel met shadow, dark flames ignited. Aidraite shrieked.
"*AAGH—?! IMPOSSIBLE—! DYING— DYING—!*" Its eyes bulged in disbelief.
"*Die.*" Mysterious finished coldly.
Black fire consumed Aidraite’s projection from the wound outward, burning it to ash like paper in a furnace.
As Aidraite's phantom vanished, a kill notification sounded in Mysterious's ear, instantly leveling him to 10.
But Mysterious ignored it. The moment the system prompt appeared, a strange sensation washed over him—as if someone had materialized behind him and breathed softly on his neck.
He darted aside instantly, then turned toward the source with a trace of fear on his face... This was the first time in his life someone had gotten so close without him sensing it.
Strangely, nothing was there—only goblin bones on the ground. The feeling vanished as quickly as it came, like a mere figment of his imagination.
After carefully checking and confirming nothing lurked nearby, Mysterious suddenly seemed to recall something and logged off on the spot.
Where he'd stood, a ghostly white phantom materialized. It glanced down at its feet, then planted its hands on its hips with an exasperated sigh, muttering to itself.
"To think he sensed even this... No wonder he's... Hmph, logged off in fright without looting anything. Honestly..."
