It was much larger than his own body, dwarfing it, in fact. The size of it, the thickness of its steel, being swung so swiftly, made him freeze for just a moment.

There wasn’t even enough time to use a [Blink Step] as his sense of direction was spiraled in that fraction of a second, only lifting his blade as his one and only defense against the incoming, colossal strike.

SWOOOSH.

“Grrgh–!”

He expected it to be powerful. He expected it to be the most powerful force he had ever felt.

Yet, it still took him by surprise.

Guarding against the strike with a trembling arm, the wind pressure that arrived along with the giant swing pelted against his body like a raging tempest. His feet were lifted from the ground in the wake of the boss’ strength, being sent flying backward helplessly.

[WARNING. Weapon [Blue-Strapped Longsword] Durability is reaching a critical low. Please repair it immediately.]

[Health: -150. Remaining Health Points: 1200/2000.]

I lost health…even when blocking the attack…?! He thought.

Flying back through the stale air of the sealed-off dungeon room, his arms trembled from the force of the guard blow, momentarily making him ask himself if they had been blown away, but fortunately, they were still there.

Upon landing on the ground, he flipped to land on his feet with a safe landing._.

As he attempted to stand, he fell to one knee as pain resonated through his body like a purgatory bell.

“Nngh…!” He winced, grabbing his head.

Just from one attack…? What the hell is this thing? He thought.

Blood dripped from his nose as he felt his entire body quiver from the aftershock of the blocked strike.

“Item: Greater Health Potion!” He yelled out to the system.

Just as the small vial filled with pink liquid manifested into his hand by his call, he leaped back as the Fallen Champion shattered the distance between them with a single, flash step.

He flicked the cork off and guzzled the liquid fully.

[Health Points Fully Restored. 2000/2000.]

I have to think of something. I can’t use “Sage Period”–if just blocking one attack managed to damage me heavily, then a direct hit with double damage? I’d be paste, he thought.

For now, he opted to evade the Fallen Champion with a series of [Blink Steps], however, the downside of the ability flourished in this continuous usage of it as he came to a sudden stop.

Huh? He thought.

He was forced to duck-and-roll forward, evading the downward swing of one of the dungeon boss’ giant blades, narrowly escaping its sharpness.

That’s right–”Blink Step” can’t be used in succession more than five times in a row. There’s a three second cooldown after that, he thought.

“Flinch!”

[Spirit: -20. Remaining Spirit: 2210/2500.]

As he snapped his fingers to attempt to stun the boss as it landed in front of him after a mighty leap, the concussive flash had no effect on the brute clad in dark armor.

“Crap–!” He called out, having to roll out of the way of another slam.

The shock wave of the bladed slam he evaded pushed him further, knocking him as he rolled across the sleek, metallic flooring.

“Cast: Flame Lance!”

[Spirit: -150. Remaining Spirit: 2060/2500.]

As the swiftly generated lance of flames was propelled from his raised hand while he sat on one knee, it crashed against the colossal chest of the dungeon boss in an explosion of orange, aggressive flames.

He looked on with desperation in his eyes as he gathered his lost breath, sitting there on one knee as he prayed for the spell to have done something.

But, it had no effect on the seemingly impervious armor of the overleveled boss.

[WARNING. You’re facing an enemy beyond your capabilities. Make an effort to run.]

“Shut up…!” He yelled out, “You think I don’t know that?! I’m trying my best, dammit! I’m trying…!”

As he rejected the system’s warning, he looked down as the mixture of sweat and blood dripped from his chin.

For some reason, I’ve always had this drive to help others.

I don’t consider myself a good person, or anything. After all, how could somebody who dropped out of high school even be that pretentious?

Still, I’ve always wanted to help others. It’s hard to say why exactly…but, I think it was because of my Mother. She was a pretty prestigious doctor, and she genuinely enjoyed doing what she did.

Even with how successful she was, she wasn’t hard on me.

I didn’t drop out because school was difficult. I had the top grades of my region, actually. But…I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was alone. I drove myself in that corner–I ignored everybody, I left my friends behind, all because of my studies. Eventually, I was alone. And eventually, I just stopped going.

It made me feel horrible.

I wanted her to push me away, and to force me to grow up.

But, she would just tell me, “Take your time, Jeong-Hui. Do your best.”

“Do my best”…it’s a curse she left me with. Even if I don’t want to, I’ll do my best. If doing my best means saving these people that I never even met–then I have to do it. What’s the point of fighting for my own life if it’s not a life I can respect? What’s the point of fighting in this crumbling world if I let my own humanity fade away, too?

There’s no rhyme or reason to any of it; just do it! Toss logic to the side, be stupid, be arrogant, be selfish, and do what you want–that’s exactly what I’ll do! That’s what humanity is all about, and not even Armaggedon can stifle that flame.

—

He knew it himself: he wasn’t operating with a tactical mind, or one of much thought, for that matter. What he followed is what he believed was wanted from him, and what he believed he wanted.

If his Mother was truly gone, along with most of humanity itself, he knew what she would want from him: to use what little strength he had to help others. Even if he wasn’t much of a hero himself, it was simply the torch left to him.

[Activate [Unique Ability]?]

As the system allowed the prompt to appear in his personal interface, he continued to sit there in thought as the massive stomps of the Fallen Champion grew closer.

Trying my best means putting my life on the line. It means doing everything I can, even if I have to die, doesn’t it? If I don’t try my best, I’ll die. If I try my best, I might die. It’s an obvious choice, isn’t it? He thought.

Though before he could make such a choice to activate his unique ability, he witnessed the boss performing a peculiar, new action.

Holding both of its enormous blades upwards, a bountiful, erratic coalescence of verdant energy gathered.

[WARNING.]

There was nothing he could do in that moment; on one knee, the boss already began to perform a swing of both blades, sending forth an onslaught of roaring, verdant energy that carved through the path towards him.

“Cast: Luminate Shield!”

Huh? He thought.

It wasn’t him that yelled out that spell-activation chant, but a feminine voice. To him, it might as well have been a real, benevolent angel that yelled it out.

Manifesting before him, solidified light blossomed like a flower in spring, spreading its pedals out as it shielded against the howling, visceral verdant that attempted to take him out.

I’m alive? He questioned.

Looking to his side, he saw her.

Flowing, silver hair, as serene and beautiful as a sea of seraphic clouds. She wore white-and-gold robes, with knee-high, laced boots of the same color and an ivory skirt.

An angel, he thought in his momentary haze.

[Player Check…]

[Kamou Yoo. Level: 11. Class: [Serene Weaver].]

But he soon recognized her as the girl that was being protected by the other woman. That much was clear by the stain of blood on her left arm, though she held both of her hands forward to bolster the shield.

“Can you stand?” She asked, looking at him with a gentle, warm smile despite the situation.