Labyrinth Boss Monster (1)

[Triggers the effect of the artifact 'Moonshadow'].

[Craft the player's alter ego].

[Customize the appearance of the alter ego].

Actually, the last of the three in the Labyrinth strategy.

It never existed in the first place.

The reason was simple.

The boss here?

Because I already killed it.

There were many reasons, but one was the most important.

I wanted the boss's reward.

"Random stat 0.3." That was the reward for beating this boss.

This left me in a quandary.

If I were a player, I wouldn't have had this problem.

I would have just killed the boss.

But now I'm the villain.

I'm Nox von Reinhafer, a specialty villain for Lunatic.

He says he can't help the students by defeating the boss.

'But I can't give up the reward either.'

This led me to the following decision.

I decided to use the appearance-altering artifact called the Moon Shadow to create another me, an alter ego, and 'pretend' to be the boss.

This way, I could eat the rewards and take them as I please. I can also control the time and....

It's a win-win situation.

I stifled my glee and pulled up the status window that showed me a new stat of 0.3.

__________________

[Basic Info]

Name: Nox Von Reinhafer

Gender: Male

Age: 15

Race: Human

Primary Element: Darkness

Achievements: None

[Traits].

Positives: [Genius with Swords and Martial Arts] / [Genius with Mana Sensitivity] / [Insightful] / [Master of Memorization] / [Steel Mentality] / [Master of Acting]]

Neutral: [Manifestation of Darkness]

Negative: [Time Limit] / [Weakling] / [Hand Cold] / [Possession]

[Stats].

Physique: 6.5 (+2)

Mana: 13.2 (+3)

Luck: 10

Willpower: 11.3

Charm: 26.3

[Hidden Stats]

Agility (uncivilized): 8

[Skills] – Active Skills: [Genius's Time] / [Loser's Intimidation] / [Shadow Family Intermediate Swordsmanship] / [Southern Swordsmanship] / [Ignite] / [Metamorphosis] / [Dragon Speech]]

*The remaining player's lifespan is 147 days due to the [Time Limit] trait.

__________________

The mystery of the new stat is Stamina.

As Instructor Hans said, Stamina is national strength. While not a dynamic effect, swinging the sword is much lighter than before.

Thanks to this, both magic and swordsmanship are progressing smoothly.

At this rate, it might be easier to survive… ....

'Oops. I shouldn't have said that. Tempts fate.'

Repeat after me. I am f*cked.

With that, the team made their way through a rectangular, narrow, damp passageway.

Before long, they reach a point in the labyrinth.

This is where the boss monster (formerly) was supposed to be.

But not now.

Waiting there now is none other than my new alter ego.

His name is Sean. {1}

"What is it, you guys?"

Sean said.

He's my alter ego. But it can think on its own and make its own judgments.

He's a bit dangerous in that regard, but....

At this point, it's best to use him.

Sean said.

"You can't get through here. If you want to get through, you'll have to take me down."

Hey, wait a minute. That's a pretty standard line.

I mean, it's not like... is that unimaginative?

Oh, come to think of it, he's modeled after me. Classics are the best. I don't know who it's from, but it's good.

"Who is that…?"

"No."

I said, cutting off Talia's attempt at conversation.

"That's not a person."

I declared boldly to my alter ego.

That's not a person.

It's not a person. ... Because, technically, it's not.

"Well… it can't be human, not with that kind of unnerving energy."

Leon added. I felt a little hurt.

That asshole. Does he usually look at me like that?

They're all the same here.

I almost feel betrayed.

"So what do we do? This doesn't seem like an easy opponent."

"We need to take him down."

Princess. Penelope's words were immediately answered by Echidna.

That's another minus one.

To treat my alter ego like that… Anyway, I feel pretty bad.

I don't think I should use this often.

It was then.

Eleanor took a step forward and spoke.

"Who are you?"

"Sean. I'm a traveling wizard. I happened to be near Eldain when my magic was triggered… and I was swept away."

My alter ego was stammering out a useless explanation as if my foot was numb.

Damn it. I wondered where my remaining questions and worries had gone.

Whatever.

"We have to kill it."

I said it again, more forcefully, and the uneasy eyes of my companions swept over me. They have little experience killing people.

There's no way they'd be able to jump right in. ….

Bang!

(kwaang!)

There was ....

The skeleton soldier that Leon had conjured up swung his dagger at him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Leon shouted back, which made me angry.

"…Yes, but didn't you say we should fight?"

"...I did, but, um… I mean, what I meant was, why did you suddenly come out of nowhere when you were supposed to attack the enemy from behind?"

"I think my attack was surprising enough...."

"Shut up."

I interrupted their train of thought appropriately.

Shit.

In many ways, though, it's easier to be the villain in times like this. Not a single one of them responded to being told to shut up.

Eleanor's brow furrowed.

"Sean…? I've never heard that name before."

No wonder. Sean was a warm man with waves of brown in his hair. There are no characters like him, at least not in Inner Lunatic.

There's no way you've heard of him. Originally, I was going to create a more memorable character, but I didn't have a choice.

My magical accomplishments weren't quite there yet.

Shit.

" It looks strangely like someone… but then again, it's not like that person...."

Eleanor muttered and looked at him for a moment. She's blushing for some reason, but I'm not sure why.

Anyway, I was in a position to fight, so I charged.

I drew my sword and slashed at Sean.

However, he lightly dodges my blade.

There are many reasons for this, but the biggest one is that my alter ego has basically taken 50% of my abilities.

And that my stats have been reduced by 50%.

That being said, I can still somehow beat the guy in front of me, but not without going all out.

As for the others, I don't know what to say.

And there you have it, a boss for stalling.

Taas!

I quickly backed away, sheathing my sword.

"Looks pretty strong."

"For some reason, your sword seems to have slowed down as well."

Eleanor somehow analyzed my movements with a sharp gaze.

I felt a little uneasy, but ignored it.

"It's only because I'm not feeling well. And since when do you say that you've been interested in me?"

With that snarky line out of the way, I watched in silence as my coworkers battled my alter ego.

In the process, I realized I'd overlooked two things.

'...That hurt like hell, huh?'

The first is that it hurts when my alter ego gets hit.

In the middle of the fight, as I was holding the place where my alter ego had been hit, Talia, Eleanor, and Penelope looked at me in disbelief, and I had to keep my head up while being hit.

The second is... a bit of a big deal.

The butterfly effect of the character named me meant that the villain moved faster than I thought he would.

As a result, Paimon's eyes opened even faster.

* * *

Dark Hollow.

The interior of a stone chamber sealed by Noah's freezing magic.

An aged man's voice spoke.

"So you've finally been resurrected, Paimon...…."

I recognize the figure of a boy in a newsboy cap.

Rick.

Eleanor's squire, the Emperor's minion, and a demon, is there.

He is currently sacrificing the demon he brought with him, offering its blood on an altar, completely oblivious to Noah and Luna fighting outside the ice wall.

Slowly, the seal begins to crack, allowing the spirit stone to absorb the magic. The magic absorbed by the demon's blood slowly seeps through.

'I hadn't originally planned to do this, but… Nox. I can't help but feel sorry for him.'

Normally, he wouldn't have sacrificed so many demons to resurrect Paimon.

But Rick knew in his gut.

Nox von Reinhafer.

If he was any good, he would have broken through the Lunatic's layer interference magic by now and reached this place.

Of course, as a mere student, he never thinks he's capable of anything great.

But unexpected things always happen.

Luna, fighting outside, was such an example.

A mere abandoned child, she's grown up to become a swordswoman, and she's only twenty years old.

This alone should tell you something.

Things happen in the world that we don't understand.

That's why Nox should be wary.

His victory over the First Emperor, Louis, has already convinced him that his every move is being monitored.

As such, his actions now are in your best interest, even if they are somewhat damaging.

-Ah, do you hear me, Rick?

"Yes, sir. My lord."

Rick replied dryly to the voice coming from the crystal ball he'd set up across from the spirit stone. It was Louis, the First Prince.

He had leaked information that he would soon be raiding this place from Lunatic, and he wanted to somehow resurrect the Archdemon and plunge the world into war once more.

Why?

He wants to play the hero by slaying the Archdemon himself.

He also plans to increase the authority of the imperial family and reduce the taxation of Eldain Academy.

'Foolishly, he believes he can defeat the Archdemon....'

Of course, there was some logic to his actions.

For example, the Paimon that would be resurrected now would not be at full strength.

It takes a while for a resurrected demon or beast to regain its full strength.

Therefore, the prince plans to summon the paimon and defeat it, utilizing the reputation of the swordsman and sage who sealed it in the past.

"One man averted a catastrophe that three men could barely avert…" is how he wants to sell it.

But it's not going to happen.

Rick's goal from the beginning was to use the Prince to bring down the Empire.

Helping him is the pinnacle of evil. The one who stands above the Archduke.

To invoke Baal.

It was the desire of all demons.

"Don't worry, Prince, things are in good hands."

-It will be handled well. This is my chance to be a hero! This is a chance that may never come again, so make it count!

"I understand."

Rick only smirks as he answers.

Soon.

Just a little while... just a little while, and the first Archduke will be back on the continent.

That was the moment.

With a crackling sound, the giant spirit stone shattered, releasing an enormous wave of magical energy.

kwakwakwakwang!

[Aaah....]

Rick immediately bowed his head with an ecstatic expression.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Mr. Paimon. My name is Mein Auschulz de Nefer."

Rick revealed his original name.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as the hulking demon who had appeared cleared away the fragments of the spirit stone.

[What a… trashy body.... No. Rather… is it a miracle I've been resurrected?]

He turned his head and asked.

[Did you say Auschulz?]

"Yes."

[Outside those ice walls... I smell a familiar human scent, tell me].

His brow crinkled, and he spoke in a voice that threatened to eat Rick alive.

[I wonder if the one out there… is one of the three idiots who sealed me away].

Rick smirked, not at all intimidated by the authority.

"That's right."

* * *

After a good beating(?), quite a bit of time had passed.

I was about to hide my alter ego, Sean, when I heard a huge explosion that shook the earth.

It sounded like a giant was rolling on the ground.

Why?

In that instant, I felt a chill run down my spine, along with an enormous amount of horsepower.

"What?"

Sean and I both blurted out at the same time.

Bam, bam, bam!

(kwagwagwagwagwa!)

The earth shattered. And with that, the physically exhausted legs of the group loosen up.

I pretended to flop down, too.

In fact, I was dizzy from the situation, not from anything else.

Damn....

There's something wrong with this again.

No matter how much I feel it, this energy....

"Aaaahhhh!"

Suddenly, Eleanor's scream erupted. She was about to fall to her death on the broken ground.

I felt my heart sink; if she fell from here, she would be seriously injured at the very least.

What should I do....

"Are you okay?!"

It was the moment.

Before I could even launch myself, my alter ego. I mean, Sean stepped in and saved Eleanor. Out of breath, he managed to pull her to her feet.

"Wha… why… did… you, my… enemy, save me...."

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

'Crazy.'

(michin)

Then.

I was stunned by two things.

The first was the matter of the alter ego created by the artifact [Moon Shadow]. It was created in the likeness of my personality, but it moved in the likeness of my original personality itself.

Therefore, the one who rescued Eleanor and greeted her warmly is Yuchan. That's me as a modern person in the past.

The second problem was much more difficult to solve, but sadly, it was also the most certain.

'The Great Demon Paimon has been resurrected.'

F*ck.

Shit, where did this go wrong?

Apparently things happened faster than I thought.

The Archduke, a ninth-ranked demon.

A monster that three mythical beings could only manage to seal away. Paimon.

Shit. What the hell is going on where I'm not?

I took off running.

Now was not the time to care about my alter ego or my units.

There was no time to explain why.

What if I couldn't stop him somehow?

Game 28 would be over from here. I can't reload my save file, I can't salvage it, and everything is gone.

Game over.

As a gamer, these words were unacceptable.

{1} : 셰인/syein = Shawn/Sean Bean