At this very moment, the only thing missing was some ridiculous background music:
Hey-ho, hey-ha, the roar of devotion rings out!
Hey-ho, hey-ha, Ring-Cancel's combos shine bright!
Hey-ho, hey-ha, our beloved Wet Scythe!
Hey-ho, hey-ha, put the Thief Hood back on!
Leon had never fought a battle so suffocating.
Today, he had truly and fully experienced the overwhelming strength of the Ringed Knight Straight Sword paired with Cancel.
Every attack had aftercast. Swing a sword, and the aftercast was the sheathing motion. Loose an arrow, and the aftercast was the draw-back of the bowstring.
But the Ringed Knight Straight Sword with Cancel was different. In the game, all it took was lifting the Banished Knight Shield in the left hand to cancel the aftercast—chaining strikes endlessly. And here, in reality, that meant—
"Clang, clang, clang-clang-clang—!"
The Banished Knight unleashed over a dozen strikes in a single second, sparks bursting in rapid flashes as Leon's shield rang under the relentless blows. No pause. No gap. Not a moment to breathe.
If he dared lower his guard for even a heartbeat, he'd be shredded on the spot.
Where had the shield come from? Drew, sensing disaster, had conjured it with magic. It wouldn't last forever—once it absorbed enough punishment, it would vanish on its own.
Leon had tried to parry, even counterattack, but—
The instant the knight's strike landed, Leon was forced into a brief, irresistible stagger.
Even a fraction of a second's stun was enough to let the next blow land.
It was a no-win scenario. Alone, he couldn't beat the Banished Knight.
But—he wasn't alone!
With his companions, surely they could swarm him together and overwhelm him?
The answer: impossible.
Every time they tried to close in, the fat-armored knight suddenly darted with shocking speed, slipping out of their encirclement. Worse—once free, he hurled throwing knives at them.
It was a raid boss through and through.
The sealed prison wasn't that large, yet they couldn't pin him down. His footwork was absurd.
"You bastard, stop running!"
Maru, fuming, chased him with her twin blades flashing. If he stopped even once, she'd cut him to ribbons.
Meanwhile, Drew fired fireballs from afar—biu, biu, biu—trying to catch him in the open. Leon and Terl circled, blades ready, watching for an opening. From the outside, it looked like their victory was inevitable.
And yet, ten minutes later—
"Huh?"
Leon blinked, stunned.
"How come I'm the only one left…?"
The Banished Knight twirled his blade with smug arrogance, his stance dripping with mockery.
Maru, Terl, and Drew's bodies had already dissolved into motes of light, expelled from the dungeon.
Their second death in such a short time. Even if revived, they'd be drained for days. Repeated death tore at the spirit—headaches, fever, confusion, even memory loss, like the hollowing of the Undead. Only time—or rare relics of mental solace—could mend it.
Leon replayed it in his mind.
Amid the chaos, the Banished Knight had doubled back, ignoring every strike, and gunned straight for Drew—the only ranged fighter. Dwarven toughness or not, Drew was still a mage. He crumpled within seconds.
Then—unbelievably—the knight had pulled out a crimson flask, downed it, and watched his wounds mend almost to full.
A boss that heals!? How was this even fair!?
From there, it had turned into a nightmare marathon. Mistakes stacked up. Maru and Terl were slain in short order. The fight flipped upside down in an instant.
The reversal came so fast Leon could hardly comprehend it.
After a flashy flourish of his blade, the Banished Knight had tossed dung-pots onto the ground, releasing a nauseating stench. Then he spun in circles and performed the single most infuriating gesture of all—
The Point Down.
Not just any point down—the ultimate Point Down. Pure, maximum mockery.
A Cancel marathoner paying his "highest respects" to a party of so-called dishonorable gankers.
Who could Leon blame now?
"Gulp." His throat bobbed, sword hand trembling.
This… this was the power of the Banished Knight? How the hell was he supposed to fight this?
"Pathetic, pathetic. You couldn't even beat me, your big sister~ You'll never amount to anything, hehe."
At that moment, an old memory resurfaced—a painful childhood scene he had long buried.
Like every manga protagonist, with his companions fallen, the flashback reignited his fire. The obsession to surpass his sister surged back, burning through his despair.
His heart hardened.
"…Haaah."
Leon exhaled slowly, steadying himself. He gripped his sword with both hands and leveled it at the Banished Knight.
His golden hair blazed with fiery brilliance, fighting spirit surging to new heights.
"I will win!"
Against the shameless, despicable Banished Knight, the hot-blooded youth hurled himself forward in a fearless charge!
…And then Leon lay sprawled on the ground, consciousness slipping away.
The last thing he saw was the fat knight gleefully squatting over him, dung-pots flung like confetti, reveling in victory as if he had conquered the world itself.
"…You motherfucker."
Cursing with his last breath, Leon collapsed.
(***)
In the lord's chamber, deep within Sein Dungeon—
Wade covered his face with a sigh.
"So I really did make it too strong…"
Originally, the boss was weaker. But after seeing how powerful the raid group was, he had adjusted it on the fly, balancing upward.
He wanted Leon to get the Ringed Knight Straight Sword—but not without effort.
For example, the original design didn't include Estus Flasks. The marathon wasn't endless. The fight wasn't nearly this absurd.
And yet—even then—the party had been wiped out.
"Maybe I overestimated the strength of this world's people…"
Leaning against the altar, Wade muttered as he scrolled through the dungeon panel.
"So… should I even add these monsters in?"
On the monster list, a few he had handpicked stood out:
[Bazelgeuse]
[Wormfaces]
[Curseblade]
[Royal Revenant]
[Rat Archer]
[Fume-shroom]
Truly, monsters as numerous as hemp.
"…Forget it. I'll decide later."
He closed the monster list and opened the dungeon's micro-model.
He had been gathering data these past few days—it was time for an update.
And first on the list, of course, was everyone's favorite: the Gourmet Zone!