The darkness is thick.
Hidden beneath the magic of the Dark Curtain’s Red Tassel, I can’t see a thing.
I have to find Go Damho, who must be aiming for me from somewhere, using every sense except sight.
‘At this rate, there’s no difference between keeping my eyes open and closing them.’
Even the detection magic I was usually good at handling did not function properly inside the veil of the Red Tassel.
Even if I got lucky and found Go Damho’s location, it wouldn’t be of much help.
By that point, Go Damho would already have moved somewhere else.
In the end, I couldn’t rely on detection magic or sight.
Then I would decisively give them up.
‘It’s unsettling not being able to see ahead, but it’s fine. Seeing with my eyes isn’t everything.’
Sight is not the only sense.
There is hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
There is also the sixth sense.
In exchange for being unable to use sight, my other senses respond that much more keenly.
Even the faintest sound is clear, the flow of wind brushing against my skin can be traced, and I can feel someone’s gaze.
So I can respond appropriately.
More than anything….
Crackle!
‘He’s here.’
I have Evasion Instinct.
The Gift that senses danger activated.
Reacting to the electric current that swept through my body, I immediately twisted aside.
‘Behind me, to the right.’
The sound of the wind is rough.
A metallic clang followed.
The Indigo Sword I swung at once had collided with Go Damho’s sword.
Feeling the heavy sensation transmitted into my hand, I stepped forward and swung my sword again.
But Go Damho must have retreated in that brief interval, because it ended with me cutting through empty air.
I didn’t feel it catch on anything.
Still, that was fine.
There would be plenty of chances.
‘Next is… behind me, to the left.’
And after that….
The longer Go Damho’s attacks continued, the more I felt myself adapting to moving with my eyes closed.
Not swinging my sword blindly, but how much force I needed to apply or hold back.
How far I needed to extend my foot and move by gauging the distance, and so on.
I was learning how to swing a sword with my eyes closed.
Then, at some point, the terrain centered around me began to take shape in my mind.
‘This is fascinating.’
To think I’m seeing the world with my eyes closed.
It was a feeling hard to explain in words.
It felt as though I had crossed some kind of line.
Until now, unable to grasp the terrain and surroundings, I had prioritized dodging attacks and only counterattacked from time to time, but from that moment on, I changed my stance.
Since I could roughly tell what was where, there was no reason to hesitate.
“Let’s see, around here?”
“…!”
Diagonally from below to above.
Putting just the right amount of strength into my hand, I smoothly swung the Indigo Sword upward.
At the tip of the blade, I felt something as thin as a sheet of paper graze against it.
It was probably Go Damho’s cheek.
‘I’ve got it.’
My sense wasn’t wrong.
Now I can gauge the distance properly.
To confirm that, I brought the Indigo Sword down once more.
Ting!
Go Damho’s sword collided with it.
Catching the sound of metal scraping, I closed the distance in one breath.
Then he tried to retreat backward.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Kh!”
But I couldn’t just let him do as he pleased.
Without hesitation, I chased after his presence and kicked off the ground.
From then on, Go Damho and I clashed swords without pause, exchanging blows in a flurry of blades.
Of course, even if I had gotten a feel for it, there was still a limit to dodging and blocking successive sword strikes.
It wasn’t easy when I couldn’t see with my eyes.
Crackle!
But Evasion Instinct was taking the place of my eyes and informing me of the optimal path.
So I keep pressing forward like this.
Furthermore, I gradually draw up my strength.
Swiftly with speed, unpredictably with variation, heavily with weight, powerfully with force.
Unfolding swordsmanship that combined all manner of principles, I gradually deployed the Beast King Style.
In doing so, I gathered a certain amount of Azure Thunder.
I caught Go Damho off guard.
And exploded my power all at once.
Stepping forward with my front foot, I used that force to leap up instantly.
Rotating my body in midair, I headed straight in the direction where Go Damho was….
Lion Whirlwind (獅子 回風)
I dropped a sword strike enhanced by rotational force.
Soon, amid the savage roar of Azure Thunder, I heard a groan slip from Go Damho.
The sound of something collapsing to the ground followed immediately after.
“Don’t ever call me by my nickname so casually again.”
* * *
It had seemed like I’d gained some enlightenment midway through, and sure enough, when I opened my eyes, a message had appeared.
I checked the message.
[Your level has increased.]
[Neurasthenia Lv 3 → 4]
[You have obtained a skill.]
[Spatial Sense Lv 1]
[Spatial Sense Lv 1]
◆ Skill Classification
―Always Active
◆ Detailed Effects
―Perception ability regarding space.
―Focuses the mind and sharpens the five senses.
―Refines combat experience.
Spatial Sense.
It was a skill that didn’t exist in the game.
Perhaps because of that, unlike the skills that existed in the game, its effects were vague.
‘Should I just think of it as a skill that develops my sensory organs?’
Judging from what I experienced just now, it was an extremely useful skill.
Pleased by this unexpected gain, I lifted the corners of my mouth.
Meanwhile, there was one more gain.
‘I’m not saying I have the same odd habit as Hanbyeol, but I can’t just pass this up.’
I approached Go Damho, who was collapsed on the floor.
Even now, while unconscious, he was still gripping his sword.
As a swordsman, that was worthy of praise.
‘Though Go Damho is a black mage and assassin.’
I smiled bitterly.
In truth, that wasn’t what mattered.
After slapping Go Damho’s cheek several times and confirming that he was unconscious, I carefully pulled the sword free.
Then I untied the red tassel attached to the pommel.
‘I think I understand why Hanbyeol steals weapons from the people he defeats. This is rewarding, and thrilling too.’
The Dark Curtain’s Red Tassel that appeared in the game was an artifact the player could not obtain.
Because the person who fought Go Damho wasn’t Gang Hanbyeol.
But reality, unlike the game, was different.
‘If I want it, I can take it.’
It was an artifact that concealed one’s presence by shrouding the surroundings in darkness.
There was no way I could see such a useful artifact and just pass it by.
Most of all, since the Dark Curtain’s Red Tassel was an artifact that couldn’t be obtained in the game, I wasn’t stealing an opportunity meant for another character.
In other words, I could use it with a clear conscience.
[Dark Curtain’s Red Tassel]
◆ Equipment Classification
―Accessory (Red Tassel)
◆ Detailed Description
―The representative artifact symbolizing Go Damho of the Dark Curtain.
―A treasure of the Black Magic Oh Family.
―The power of the 4-star demon Slayer dwells within the red thread.
―Rabbit Do Gyeonwoo plundered it from Go Damho of the Dark Curtain.
◆ Detailed Effects
―Magic Power +2, Luck +1
―Skill 「Dark Screen」
Not only Luck, but Magic Power increased by 2 as well. It was an extremely satisfying effect.
After closing the message, I attached the Red Tassel to the pommel of the Indigo Sword.
“It goes perfectly with the Indigo Sword, doesn’t it?”
The red tassel dangled and swayed from the end of the dark blue pommel.
After sheathing the sword, the corners of my mouth twitched in satisfaction.
Now then….
“Haneul must be waiting. I should join up with the others before I’m any later.”
It was time to go see Yeon Haneul.
No, it was time to go face Oh Junsu, who had been consumed by the Demon King’s remnant consciousness.
There was no time to relax.
I took a potion out of my pocket and drank it, then headed straight for the Black Magic Oh Family’s villa.
* * *
When I reached the Black Magic Oh Family’s villa.
Against the backdrop of the half-destroyed mansion, I could see people in the middle of battling Oh Junsu.
All of them were in poor condition, their faces filled with exhaustion.
Even so, they were desperately pushing their bodies to bring down Oh Junsu.
‘They must be exhausted from fighting enemies all the way here. Same goes for me.’
While the student council students and the triplets dealt with the demons crossing over from the Demon Realm.
Mana surged from Nam Yuri as she clapped her hands and placed them on the ground.
At that signal, the earth writhed, and pillars rose one after another.
Gang Hanbyeol stepped on the pillars and leapt upward, bringing Lucid down at Oh Junsu.
───!!
Oh Junsu, who had been gliding on two pairs of black wings, deflected the sword strike with his staff.
Wrapped in a black, murky aura, he immediately fired magic at Gang Hanbyeol, who had begun falling toward the ground.
That was when Do Sieun and Yong Haerang moved.
Lion’s Fierce Assault
Using the pillars Nam Yuri had created as footholds, Do Sieun took a movement technique that left behind a winding blue trajectory and sliced through one of the black wings as she passed.
In the meantime, Yong Haerang, who had likewise jumped from pillar to pillar, caught the falling Gang Hanbyeol in his arms and landed on the floor.
Immediately afterward, Do Sieun also rode the wind raised by Cha Eunsol and descended safely.
Almost simultaneously, Min Arin finished her casting.
Third-tier fire elemental magic, Fire Blow.
In that instant, a massive blaze fell from above Oh Junsu’s head.
The range of the flames was too wide to dodge.
Kiaaaaaak!
Engulfed in flames, Oh Junsu let out a scream as though a demon were wailing.
And taking aim at that moment.
Whoosh!
Go Eunbi, who had received reinforcement magic from Lisa, shot an arrow that seemed to be made of a special material.
The arrow flew accurately toward Oh Junsu as he shook off the flames.
Tak!
But the attack ended in failure.
Oh Junsu, who spread black, murky energy around him, extinguished the remaining flames and caught the arrow.
The arrow clenched in his hand shattered and vanished into powder.
Just as he aimed his staff at Go Eunbi to retaliate.
“…!”
Before anyone realized it, Yeon Haneul had ridden Cha Eunsol’s wind and surged upward, occupying a position higher than Oh Junsu.
High in the night sky, her red eyes gleaming, she brought down Sanullim, which she had raised above her head, with all her might.
Crack!
The attack landed squarely.
Oh Junsu, who must have taken the full impact, plummeted vertically from the sky.
He slammed deep into the ground.
‘Haneul really has no mercy….’
Yeon Haneul was cautious.
As if making sure he was dead, she unleashed magic in rapid succession toward the ground where Oh Junsu was buried.
She poured down black bullets without pause.
Normally, he would have died.
‘The phase is changing.’
But Oh Junsu, who was being swayed by the Demon King’s remnant consciousness, had strayed far beyond the bounds of normal.
Even amid the bombardment pouring down, he staggered to his feet.
Blood tears streaming down his face and his body drenched in blood, he revealed an even more unsettling aura than before.
Soon, his tattered wings grew back, and the wing Do Sieun had cut off was restored as well.
After fully recovering his condition, a third wing even sprouted from his back.
‘It’s the fourth phase.’
In the game, Oh Junsu, who rose to become the episode boss, had a total of four battle phases.
The state without wings was the first phase, and each time the phase increased by one, his wings increased as well.
In other words, this was the final phase.
‘Oh Junsu is backed into a corner now. We only need to bring him down one more time.’
Oh Junsu had no more means of counterattack left.
Of course, he must have sensed the end as well, so he wouldn’t go down easily.
In fact, in the game, the fourth phase was extremely difficult.
That meant we couldn’t relax until he was completely finished.
Meanwhile, the others looked dispirited when Oh Junsu recovered.
Their morale had been broken.
Well, for them, who knew nothing about the game, it could only feel hopeless.
I stepped into the scene to encourage them.
“It’s fine. He’s just bluffing anyway.”
“Gyeonwoo!”
“Think about it normally. After taking that much of a beating, do you really think he could be fine?”
Yeon Haneul, who had been fighting so terrifyingly until just now, welcomed me as if none of that had happened.
Starting with her, the others’ faces brightened all at once.
Under their gazes, I walked forward and looked up at Oh Junsu with the night sky at his back.
Oh Junsu was also looking down at me.
“If you don’t think you can move, don’t worry about what anyone thinks and fall back. But come back as soon as you recover.”
“Is this really the last time?”
“Trust me. I guarantee it. Haneul, you fall back too. You must be tired.”
“No, I’m still full of energy.”
“Then I’ll ask you to support me.”
“Okay.”
Yeon Haneul stood beside me.
Do Sieun and Gang Hanbyeol, who had been taking the vanguard, also approached me.
“Do you have a separate plan?”
“No. If I do… it’s to fight with everything we have.”
“I like it. That’s fundamental in battle.”
Do Sieun calmly let out a sigh, and Gang Hanbyeol chuckled.
Like that, we drew up the mana within our bodies to prepare for the decisive battle.
───!!
That was when the world flashed.
In the night sky that had brightened before anyone noticed, particles of light shimmered and drifted.
‘I was wondering why it wasn’t coming.’
Particles of light in all colors seeped into the bodies of the people nearby.
It was the blessing of the World Tree.
In the game as well, when entering the fourth phase, the World Tree bestowed such a blessing upon Gang Hanbyeol and his party.
Feeling power fill me to the brim, I curved my lips into a smile.
[The blessing of the World Tree dwells within you.]
[The effects applied while the blessing of the World Tree lasts are as follows.]
[HP and MP gauges recover up to 30%.]
[HP and MP recovery amount and recovery speed temporarily increase.]
[The probability of being afflicted by status abnormalities temporarily decreases.]
[All attack power and defense power….]
[… ]
[The blessing of the World Tree strengthens the experience accumulated in your body.]
[Your body has broken through its limits.]
[Stamina has increased by 1.]
[Strength has increased by 1.]
[Agility has increased by 1.]
[Magic Power has increased by 1.]
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss