The door to the boss room swung open with a thud! Inside was pitch dark. Even with Jin-Woo's vision enhanced by his Perception stat, he couldn't see more than a few feet ahead. All he could see was his own feet. The floor was neatly paved with stone slabs. The tightly packed, ash-gray stones gave off a cold, chilly feeling regardless of the actual temperature. The moment he set foot on those slabs—fwwoosh! Countless torches lining the walls ignited in unison, illuminating the interior.
'Just like... the underground temple.'
Jin-Woo didn't let his guard down. He walked forward cautiously, looking around. On either side, massive pillars stood in rows, and at the deepest end, a tall throne was placed.
'Almost like...'
It reminded him of a king's audience chamber from a movie. The scale was vastly different, though. After a few steps, the door slammed shut behind him with a loud bang! Jin-Woo glanced back briefly but wasn't flustered. He'd expected this. He turned his attention forward again.
'...I feel a powerful aura.'
He had a strong premonition that to complete the job change quest, he needed to reach that throne. And that kind of premonition had rarely been wrong. But then, a figure hidden between pillars about ten paces away slowly stepped out and blocked his path. Thud, thud. The figure stopped and turned toward him. *Gulp.* Jin-Woo swallowed dryly. The fact that this was the boss was clear just from the crimson name floating above its head.
[Knight Commander Bloodlust Igrit]
It was a knight clad in red armor. Like the other knights, it was fully armored, but unlike them, who seemed bulky, this one looked extremely agile. The most striking piece of equipment was the helmet. A long red mane flowing from the top of the helmet to the back resembled a horse's tail, making it very impressive. While examining the helmet, Jin-Woo noticed another difference.
'It has... eyes?'
Whether to call them eyes or pupils. Anyway, from where the eyes should be, a silvery light emanated. The two glows felt cold, like light from a machine. Those cold eyes turned toward him. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end.
'So the source of the powerful aura was this guy...'
Perhaps defeating this creature was the objective of the job change quest. If so, he needed to be even more careful. Jin-Woo watched Igrit's movements closely and raised both clenched fists.
'A dagger won't work anyway.'
What was needed to capture a knight was blunt force. Powerful strength.
'...'
Igrit, who had been staring silently at Jin-Woo, suddenly removed its red cloak. Thump. The cloak fell to the ground.
'What?'
The eccentricity didn't end there. Igrit dropped the long sword at its side and the two daggers at its waist onto the floor one by one. It held them out proudly before dropping each. Clang. Clang. The sound of metal striking stone slabs echoed loudly in the silent boss room. After discarding all its weapons, Igrit then mimicked Jin-Woo by clenching both fists into a fighting stance. Jin-Woo's eyes widened.
'You're kidding...'
Was it saying that since Jin-Woo was going to fight barehanded, it would too? Jin-Woo bit his lower lip.
'...I'm being underestimated.'
His mind grew cold with the monster's taunting challenge. The more intense his emotions, the cooler his head became. Despite his heart rate gradually increasing, Jin-Woo's eyes sharpened.
'Come.'
As if reading his silent thought, Igrit charged straight at him. Tap, tap, tap, tap! It was a speed hard to believe for someone in armor.
'The armor's movement speed penalty only applies if Strength is below 80.'
Its Strength was at least 80 or above! Judging by its movements, its Agility was on par with top-tier Hunters. Igrit, having closed the distance, leaped right in front of him. Tap! The figure jumped into the air, thrusting its knee toward Jin-Woo's face.
'Fast!'
But Jin-Woo, now in combat mode, was also moving at an accelerated speed. He leaned his body back nearly 90 degrees to dodge Igrit's attack. As Jin-Woo straightened up, Igrit, unlike other knights who were sent flying back after charging, landed cleanly on the ground. Thump! There was no time to admire the smooth motion. Jin-Woo rushed in and landed an upward diagonal kick on Igrit's face before it could fully turn. However, even in an unstable posture, Igrit moved its arm with precision. *Crack!* Jin-Woo's right leg was easily blocked by Igrit's left hand.
'No way!'
Jin-Woo's eyes widened. While one leg was caught, Igrit's fist flew straight at him. Whoosh! He instinctively raised both arms to guard, but the impact wasn't lessened at all. *Crack!* His guard broke, and his body was sent flying.
"What?"
A gasp of shock escaped Jin-Woo's mouth. But it soon turned into a groan.
"...?"
Igrit had suddenly appeared right before his eyes. Before he could react, Igrit's left fist slammed into the side of his face. *Crack!* Jin-Woo was smashed to the floor, bounced off, and rolled backward for a while before barely getting up. *Ring!* A ringing sound echoed in his ears. Jin-Woo shook his head vigorously a few times. The ringing subsided somewhat. But a bigger problem was approaching. Through his blurred vision, he saw Igrit walking toward him. Thud, thud. Jin-Woo widened his eyes and tensed his legs. Eventually, Igrit stopped right in front of his nose. Then the slugfest began. Igrit didn't dodge Jin-Woo's attacks. It took hits to its body and retaliated instead. *Thwack!* Igrit's head tilted slightly to the side. But before Jin-Woo could regain his stance, a sharp counterattack came back. *Thwack!* Jin-Woo's body staggered. *Thwack!* This time, Igrit was pushed back a step. *Thwack!* Jin-Woo, hit in the abdomen, folded in half.
"Cough!"
Blood surged up from his mouth.
'This is impossible...!'
Right now, Jin-Woo's total physical damage reduction stat was over 30 percent. Yet each blow from Igrit felt like being hammered. In contrast, his attacks were hardly dealing any damage. The exchange didn't last long. *Thwack!* Jin-Woo, stumbling, finally fell to his knees. Thump. He tried to get up, but his legs wouldn't obey. Thump.
"Ugh..."
Standing before Jin-Woo, Igrit stopped attacking and looked down at him.
'...?'
Ignoring Jin-Woo's questioning gaze, Igrit reached out toward its sword lying some distance away. The sword flew to its hand. Igrit gripped the sword with both hands and moved to Jin-Woo's side. The blade pointed straight up at the ceiling. Jin-Woo realized Igrit's intention.
'Is it going to behead me?'
This guy certainly lived up to its title of Knight Commander. Seeing Jin-Woo seemingly offering no resistance as he accepted his end, Igrit proceeded with the beheading. But Jin-Woo had not the slightest intention of going quietly. The sword fell vertically. *Whoosh!* However, Jin-Woo's raised left hand blocked the long sword. *Clang!* The sound of metal clashing! The gauntlet he'd acquired just before entering protected his hand. *Hic!* Jin-Woo felt Igrit's surprise. Seizing the opportunity, he threw a right-hand punch. As expected, Igrit showed no intention of dodging.
'It'll counter again, probably.'
The calculation that taking one hit was worth delivering one back. But there was something it hadn't accounted for.
'Kasaka's Venom Fang!'
Swoosh. In an instant, Kasaka's Venom Fang was summoned into his hand. Jin-Woo drove the dagger into Igrit's eye. *Squelch!* A scream that didn't sound human erupted. At the same time, intense light burst from Igrit's eye where the dagger was embedded. Jin-Woo got to his feet.
'Now what?'
Losing just one eye wasn't enough to turn the tide. He needed a powerful, decisive blow. Then something flashed through Jin-Woo's mind. That horrifying attack that had almost killed him before! He'd use that on Igrit. His body moved before his mind did. Jin-Woo bent down and wrapped his arms around Igrit's waist. Then he started running. *Aaaargh!* Igrit struggled in pain but struck Jin-Woo's back multiple times. However, Jin-Woo clenched his teeth and didn't let go. Instead, he sped up.
"Sprint!"
[Movement speed increased by 40%.]
Jin-Woo's legs moved even faster. The speed was so great that it shook his entire body.
'Yes, just like this.'
He'd slam it right in! Without loosening his grip on Igrit's waist, Jin-Woo ran with all his might toward the wall. Of course, if he collided in this state, the impact on his own body wouldn't be negligible. But Jin-Woo had one secret passive skill. The distance closed in an instant! Suddenly, the wall was in front. *Crash!* With a thunderous sound, Igrit slammed into the wall. At the same time, a system message appeared. *Ding!*
[Stamina has dropped below 30%, activating skill: 'Endurance'.] [Damage taken reduced by 50%.]
The impact was so powerful that it seemed to shake the entire boss room.
"Ugh."
Jin-Woo took a step back. Igrit, even half-embedded in the wall, was still alive. The spark of life burning within it hadn't gone out yet.
'...I have to finish this.'
Jin-Woo pulled Kasaka's Venom Fang from its eye. During the process, Igrit's body twitched once. Jin-Woo reversed his grip on the dagger and brought it down toward its neck.
'Vital Strike!'
*Clang!* The attack didn't penetrate. Again.
'Vital Strike!'
*Clang!* Sparks flew from the dagger's tip. A small dent appeared on the plate mail protecting its neck. Again.
'Vital Strike!'
*Clang!* Again. *Clang!* Again. *Clang!* And finally.
'Vital Strike!'
*Squelch!* Kasaka's Venom Fang sank deep into its neck.
[Defeated Knight Commander Bloodlust Igrit.] [Level Up!] [Level Up!]
Jin-Woo raised both arms in triumph. Staggering back, he lost his strength and touched the floor.
"Hah, hah."
Jin-Woo exhaled the breath he'd been holding. He'd barely won. It had been incredibly close.
'But... isn't the quest over now?'
After catching his breath for a while, Jin-Woo struggled to his feet. He thought defeating this guy would end the job change quest, but no message had appeared. Looking around, nothing seemed to have changed. The only difference was a few beams of light starting to emanate from Igrit's body. They were item signals.
'Let's grab those for now.'
Who knew what might happen next. It was wise to collect what he could when he could. Jin-Woo reached toward the light.
[Item: Crimson Knight's Helmet] discovered. Acquire it? [Rune Stone: Ruler's Touch] discovered. Acquire it? [Item: Leather Pouch] discovered. Acquire it? [Item: Instant Return Stone] discovered. Acquire it?
Why are there so many? Jin-Woo was puzzled but couldn't hide his joy.
'Acquire all.'
The first to go into his inventory was the leather Pouch.
[Item: Leather Pouch] opened. It contained [1,500,000 gold]. [1,500,000 gold] acquired.
Jin-Woo's eyes widened.
'The reward is on a different level?'
The harder the fight, the greater the reward. He hadn't expected much from the leather pouch, but it contained a whopping 1.5 million gold. That was money he could use usefully at the store. But Jin-Woo's interest lay elsewhere. If an unanticipated leather pouch yielded such a haul, how valuable would the helmet or rune stone be? Jin-Woo calmed his pounding heart and opened the helmet's information. *Ding.*
[Item: Crimson Knight's Helmet] Acquisition Difficulty: S Type: Armor Physical Damage Reduction +15% Stamina +20, Strength +20
"S-rank!"
Jin-Woo let out a cry of ecstatic triumph.