Chapter 761: Chapter 761: The Secret Garden (2)

The stage came together shockingly fast.

As people stepped back, a circular arena formed, and a few final touches were added by some spectators with special talents.

「Reit Nymon has cast 4th-tier defensive magic [Barrier of Flowing Water].」

「Kelde Rius has cast 4th-tier black magic [Wall of the Dead].」

「Murta Elverita has cast [Skyward Guardian Seal]...」

Dozens of layers of overlapping barriers, as mages and psychics activated their skills.

Some skills obstructed the view, but those were swiftly removed thanks to complaints from the audience.

"Hey! Are you kidding me? I can't see because of that corpse wall!"

"If it’s not transparent, don’t cast it at all!"

"Ah, I mean... everyone else was doing it, so I thought... it’s safer this way..."

"Cut it out! If anything breaks through the barrier, you're getting your ass beat!"

Some would-be show-offs looked visibly deflated after being shut down, but the market's law is ruthless.

Others quickly took their place.

"Rise forth! [Veil of Twilight]!"

"Oh! Bit yellowish, but way better than the last one!"

"But why'd you say 'rise'? Looks more like fog gathering..."

"...Difficult question."

Regardless, the impromptu duel arena that emerged was surprisingly high quality.

Well, minus the barriers, it looked no different from a village market square.

"Ooooooooh!"

"Deputy Commander! Show them your power!!"

"I’m finally seeing the 'Evil Eye' with my own eyes!"

Cheers erupted from beyond the barrier.

Some were for me, too.

Just one person, actually.

...Maybe two?

"BJOOOOOORN! GREAT WARRIOR!!! Auyen! What are you doing?! Yell already!"

"I-I support you, Commander...!"

Auyen seemed to say something, but it was hard to hear clearly through the barrier and Ainard’s thunderous voice.

Not that it mattered.

'Slip.'

I turned my head slightly to glance at Amelia.

When I stared at her with a look that clearly asked Why aren’t you cheering?, she sighed and muttered something quietly.

Reading her lips, it looked like: Do your best.

'Really, she’s fun to tease.'

I gave a faint chuckle in response, then tilted my head up to check the rooftop of the three-story building.

The moment our eyes met, he grinned and shouted:

"What are you waiting for?! Fight already!"

He looked exactly like one of those punk kids who pit two quiet classmates against each other just to watch the drama.

In hindsight, it was pretty ridiculous.

Deputy Commander of Orkulis vs. me.

And this fight had turned into street entertainment thanks to some chaos agent.

'Seriously, what a goddamn wildcard...'

At a glance, he might seem childish, but I never underestimate him. Because I know his childishness is calculated.

It’s not unlike when I deliberately act like a brain-dead barbarian to get what I want.

If something's more efficient, you do it—no hesitation.

'Problem is, I have no clue what he’s trying to gain here, and it’s driving me nuts.'

I looked away from Ibaekho, who was lounging on the roof chewing on jerky like he was at a movie theater.

Thinking about it wouldn’t help. Not right now.

So I left that problem to my future self and—

'Focus.'

I decided to pour all my attention into the immediate issue.

Roland Banossant, the Evil Eye.

Not much is known about him publicly, except that his class is "Psychic."

And...

'Taurobrude.'

He possesses a Tier-1 Essence.

***

Taurobrude.

This monster is similar to a “Doppelgänger” in some ways.

Not in ability, but because it doesn’t appear in regular fields—it only spawns in specific rifts.

'Hell Fortress.'

Taurobrude is the guardian of one of the ninth-floor rifts, the “Hell Fortress.” In other words, like the doppelgänger, it only exists as a “guardian essence.”

So how the hell did he get it?

Didn’t matter.

'So this is why people keep hyping up the ‘Golden Generation’...'

Just a few decades ago, there were clans in this city that routinely explored the eighth... even the ninth floors.

Back then, leveling was easier. High-tier Essences were cheaper too.

I mean, it was a time when punks like the “Dragon Slayer” could hit level nine.

Of course, one dimensional collapse wiped out the whole generation.

Anyway.

“You look calm, but I can tell you’ve been driven into a corner.”

The Evil Eye spoke from a short distance away.

“To accept this duel despite knowing it’s unfavorable... you must’ve had no other choice.”

“...Huh?”

Took me a moment to understand what he meant.

But...

'He actually believes that.'

Makes sense, in his position.

This guy is a veteran, one of the top elites from the legendary Golden Generation. No matter how well-known I am now, to him I probably still look like some rookie who hasn’t even touched the ninth floor.

'And yeah, there’s also the class matchup problem.'

Tanks suck in 1v1s.

Sure, you can build for PvP, but at that point, what’s the point of being a tank?

Tanks exist for team play. Their strength shines when backed by allies.

That’s common knowledge—well, old knowledge, anyway.

So...

“Well then, shall we begin—”

Before that ancient boomer psychic could finish—

“BEHELL—RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

I charged in with a roar.

Boom—!

After activating [Giant Form], my massive body surged forward in giant strides, closing the distance in seconds.

Then—

「Character has used [Swing].」

Like a boxer tossing out a jab in round one, I threw a basic attack.

“There are things that cannot be overcome by sheer will.”

Of course, the hit didn’t land.

「Roland Banossant has used [Green Evil Eye].」

His eyes turned green.

Ka-boom—!

A translucent green wall materialized between us, blocking the hammer.

Then—

「Roland Banossant has used [Red Evil Eye].」

The moment his irises turned red—

Like a mutant in a sci-fi movie, he shot a crimson laser from his eyes.

Fweeeen—!

Didn’t hurt too bad.

Felt like getting zapped by one of those toy stun guns you’d find in a stationery store.

Still, it stung on bare skin, so I raised my shield and guarded.

“UWOOOOOO—!!!”

I barreled forward, shield raised, and his eye color changed again.

「Roland Banossant has used [Blue Evil Eye].」

The moment they turned blue, a swirling aura wrapped around his skin like a vortex.

And then—

Whoosh—!

He vanished from sight.

But not far—

Behind me.

Zzzzzzt—!

Sensing a presence, I turned and saw him frying me with his red laser eyes.

“You cannot defeat me.”

Says the guy who’s barely been fighting for two minutes.

I wanted to smash that mouth shut, but instead I focused silently, blocking with my shield.

'It really is a broken Essence.'

Taurobrude’s Essence is unique.

It has no passive skills—but seven active ones.

[Green Evil Eye] for defense, [Red] for offense, [Blue] for movement. Basically, it covers offense, defense, and utility all in one.

'What did he pair it with...?'

Dungeon & Stone isn’t a game where you can coast by with just one Essence.

The real key lies in what secondary Essences you equip.

Taurobrude’s is just top-tier raw material.

He could’ve stacked attack buffs for [Red Evil Eye], or focused on [Green] to boost survivability.

So what did this guy do?

“Tough shield, just as they say.”

He muttered, and his red eyes glowed brighter.

I knew instantly what it was.

「Roland Banossant has used [Light Refraction].」

A tier-3 conversion skill that turns projectiles into light, allowing them to curve instead of traveling in straight lines.

If the projectile is already made of light? Damage increases significantly.

Fweeeen—!

Just like a homing missile in a game, the curved red laser avoided my shield and hit my body.

And I realized—

'I’m already under its effect.'

Actually, I already had a rough idea of his Essence setup.

Ainard had told me a little.

That red eye wasn’t real.

It just looked red to me.

In reality...

「Roland Banossant has used [White Evil Eye].」

...it was white.

It casts “hallucinations” on everyone within line of sight.

Of course, since it’s a tier-1 Essence, this isn’t just any illusion.

「Accumulated damage has exceeded a set threshold.」

Unless I break out of the hallucination, all the damage I take here is real.

And the worst part?

'He can use skills endlessly until I break free.'

Unlimited—not in terms of cooldowns or mana, but in mechanics.

In the game, once hallucination is active, he can freely use up to nine tier-3-or-lower skills without cost.

「Roland Banossant has used [Light Refraction].」

So those curving lasers?

They’re not real skills—just illusions powered by his setup.

He probably used the same trick to one-shot the last deputy commander.

Anyway, the important part is—this guy min-maxed his sub-Essences perfectly.

Even I didn’t realize I was under a hallucination until I’d taken damage—and my mental resistance is high.

'If he’s a true illusionist, he’d have [Reality Escape] slotted for sure... plus a few debuffs to reduce mental resistance.'

Most people wouldn’t even get the chance to fight back before dying.

There are ways to counter it, but they’re hard.

1. Overwhelm the illusion with raw power.

2. Survive until his MP runs out.

3. Break the illusion manually.

I knew exactly which option I’d go with.

「Accumulated damage has exceeded a set threshold.」

Take hits.

Fweeen—!

And take more.

Fwoosh—!

Sometimes I screamed and charged with meaningless hammer swings so he wouldn’t suspect anything.

「Accumulated damage has exceeded a set threshold.」

Took another hit.

If I’d still ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) had [Aegis Dragon Scale] stacks left from when I got hit by Urae, I wouldn’t need to do this. But those fade over time.

It had been hours since then.

So...

「Accumulated damage has exceeded a set threshold.」

I kept stacking it up.

Until—

'Okay. That should do it.'

The moment I reached the target threshold.

“I must admit, no one has lasted this long—”

What’s this junkie talking about?

“Is that your last words?”

Instead of responding, I reached into my subspace inventory and pulled out a piece of gear.

Put it on my head.

“......?”

He still didn’t get what I was doing.

How careless.

Dungeon & Stone values gear just as much as Essences.

「Character has equipped No.???? – Crown of Anguish.」

「Character gains bonus: Mental Immunity.」

My mind, as clear as a sky after a storm.

I looked ahead—and there he was, eyes glowing white, still staring at me.

'Ugh, creepy.'

Like an alien.

Disgusted by the uncanny valley, I immediately activated the second item’s effect.

「Character has used [Aegis Dragon Scale].」

「Accrued damage is reflected.」