By now, I could get past the first two guards while barely taking any damage. When I reached the second wave, I leaned forward instead of settling back into my chair.
"This time, I’m finishing it."
The moment I activated Mana Barrier at the doorway, the hyena on the right leaped at me. I teleported to the left, causing the two creatures to crash into each other.
The first Venom Priestess died to my Star Arrows before it could finish casting its web. When the second priestess attacked, I stepped backward, and the green web passed only a few inches in front of my character.
"You missed."
Ice Spear struck it directly in the chest, killing the second priestess as well.
One of the hyenas charged at me, but Mana Barrier absorbed the first strike. I used Moonlight Step to teleport behind it and cast three spells in quick succession, bringing the first hyena to the ground.
The second reduced my health below half, but I knew its attack pattern now. Whenever it raised its claws, I stepped back, and whenever it leaped, I teleported to the side.
When the final Ice Spear struck the creature’s head, its health bar reached zero.
[Wave Cleared]
I stared at the message for a second before raising my fist into the air.
"That’s it! Die, you damn pieces of shit!"
Blue stars burst around my avatar. I relaxed against the back of the chair and turned toward the chat window.
"I told you it was easy."
[Caramel: Yes, yes. Congratulations.]
[MoonBun: It only took six attempts.]
[StarCandy: The power of coffee.]
[VoidTea: Without Caramel, she’d still be dying to the first hyena.]
"Don’t get hung up on the details."
I continued playing.
The following chambers contained armored soldiers made of sand, venomous insects that dropped from the ceiling, and giant scorpions with pincers the size of a person.
I struggled with every wave, and my health dropped into the red several times. When one of the scorpions cornered me against a wall, I nearly died again.
However, the controls were gradually beginning to feel more natural. I had learned how to switch targets, and instead of using Moonlight Step in a panic, I now activated it the moment I saw an enemy’s attack animation.
I also started activating Mana Barrier immediately before each battle rather than waiting for the enemies to charge at me. Thanks to that, I managed to clear every wave, even if it wasn’t easy.
Eventually, I reached a massive black door. A golden relief of a cobra with its mouth open covered the surface, while green flames burned on either side.
[Apophion’s Throne Room]
[Complete your preparations before proceeding. There will be no turning back.]
"Finally."
I rubbed my hands together.
"Now let’s kill that snake."
The moment I opened the door, a long cinematic began.
As the elf mage entered the dark hall, the golden lines across the floor lit up one after another. Then the mound of sand rising from the center of the chamber began to move.
Massive black scales appeared first, followed by two golden eyes opening in the darkness.
As Apophion rose from the sand, its head nearly reached the ceiling. It resembled a cross between a gigantic cobra and a dragon, with pieces of golden armor covering both sides of its neck and a red jewel embedded in its forehead.
When it opened its mouth, green liquid dripped from its long venomous fangs.
[Calamity of the Sands — Apophion]
[Level: 25]
[Boss Battle Started]
"Come on, then."
The moment the battle began, I cast Ice Spear. The spell struck Apophion’s scales, but its health bar barely moved.
"What?"
The snake pulled its head back. While I was trying to figure out what it was about to do, its tail came from outside the screen and struck my character.
Eighty percent of my health disappeared in a single hit.
"What kind of damage is that!?"
Before I could get back up, Apophion fired a green beam from its mouth.
[YOU DIED]
The battle hadn’t even lasted ten seconds, and the chat immediately erupted with laughter.
[MoonBun: EIGHT SECONDS!]
[StarCandy: I’m not sure the boss even noticed you.]
[Caramel: Its right shoulder moves before the tail attack.]
[VoidTea: Clearing it in one try!]
I gritted my teeth and restarted without saying anything.
This time, I cleared the entire dungeon in a single run. The previous waves now felt like minor obstacles blocking my path.
I entered Apophion’s chamber again and used Moonlight Step the moment its right shoulder moved, avoiding the tail attack.
"Got you."
I fired three spells in quick succession, but Apophion burrowed into the sand. While I tried to figure out where it would emerge, the ground beneath me turned red.
The snake erupted directly beneath my character.
[YOU DIED]
"Shit!"
I went through the dungeon again. This time, I managed to avoid the underground attack, only to get caught in the poison rain.
[YOU DIED]
"Damn snake!"
On my next attempt, I reduced Apophion’s health to seventy percent. Then the red jewel on its forehead glowed, filling the entire chamber with poison.
[YOU DIED]
"How is that attack fair!?"
I brought its health down to fifty-eight percent on the next attempt and forty-three percent on the one after that, but the result remained the same. After every death, I returned to face it while swearing even more than before.
At some point, I completely stopped looking at the chat and even forgot that I was streaming. The only thing I wanted now was to defeat that damn boss.
With every attempt, I learned another part of its attack pattern. If its right shoulder moved, it swung its tail. If it pulled its head back, it fired the poison beam. When its eyes glowed yellow, it burrowed into the sand, and when the jewel on its forehead turned red, the poison rain began.
I lost, showered it with curses, and challenged it again.
The first time I reduced Apophion’s health below twenty percent, a system window appeared in the middle of my vision.
[Quest Completed]
[You reached 100 concurrent viewers during a livestream.]
[Reward: 3 Eclipsie Points]
[Current Eclipsie Points: 6]
"Get out of my way!"
I tried to push the window aside with my hand. The system messages disappeared, but at that exact moment, Apophion’s tail struck my character.
[YOU DIED]
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"
Without waiting for the system to respond, I restarted.
I had memorized every wave in the dungeon. The masked guards, hyenas, Venom Priestesses, sand soldiers, and scorpions could no longer stop me.
I entered the boss chamber once again.
"This is the last time."
Apophion roared as it rose from the sand, and the battle began.
"Die, die, die, die!"
I fired Star Arrows one after another. The moment Apophion moved its right shoulder to swing its tail, I teleported away, and the tail cut through empty air.
When I fired Ice Spear at the jewel on its forehead, the red stone cracked. The boss raised its head in pain as its health dropped to seventy-eight percent.
Apophion burrowed into the sand, but I had seen its eyes glow yellow at the last moment.
I kept running and escaped the red circle forming beneath my feet. When Apophion emerged behind me, I cast Star Arrow and Ice Spear before activating Mana Barrier.
The poison beam struck my barrier and shattered it, but it didn’t reach my health. Apophion’s health had fallen to fifty-two percent.
The massive snake began circling the chamber as drops of green poison fell from the ceiling. I watched the spaces between them and moved through the gaps, but one drop struck my character’s shoulder.
[You have been poisoned.]
My health began to decrease slowly.
"I don’t care!"
I continued attacking, reducing Apophion’s health first to thirty-one percent and then to twenty-four.
The jewel on its forehead glowed red again, and the poison rain began.
I remembered a small stone ledge near the edge of the chamber that the poison hadn’t reached during my previous attempts. I used Moonlight Step to teleport onto it.
The green rain covered the entire chamber, but my character remained inside the safe area.
"I know all your tricks now."
When Apophion turned its head toward me, its health had fallen to twelve percent.
My staff’s blue crystal was glowing, but my mana bar was almost empty. I only had enough power left to cast one more Ice Spear.
As Apophion opened its mouth and prepared the poison beam, I activated the spell.
"Eat this!"
Ice Spear flew directly into its open mouth, interrupting the snake’s attack.
Its health bar stopped at three percent.
"Why aren’t you dead!?"
My mana was completely empty. Apophion raised its tail while Moonlight Step was still on cooldown, and I couldn’t cast even a basic spell.
When I looked at the keys in a panic, I realized that the only attack I had left was a physical strike with the staff.
It was my only choice.
I made my character run directly toward the boss. When the tail attack came, I rolled aside at the last moment, leaving myself with only a few health points.
As the elf mage stood back up, Apophion’s cracked jewel was directly in front of me.
I struck it with the staff.
Crack!
The red stone shattered, and Apophion’s health bar reached zero.
The enormous snake was thrown backward with a roar of pain. Golden cracks spread across its body before it dissolved into millions of grains of sand that scattered throughout the chamber.
[APOPHION DEFEATED]
[Dungeon Cleared]
I stared at the messages in disbelief for a second before leaping out of my chair.
"HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
I raised both fists into the air.
"I KILLED YOU! YOU’RE DEAD! THAT’S HOW IT’S DONE!"
My avatar jumped around the screen as blue stars and fireworks burst around it.
"I don’t care how many times you killed me! I’m the one who won in the end!"
I pointed at the screen.
"If you ever show up again, I’ll kill you again!"
I didn’t realize I was threatening a game boss that would simply respawn, and I had completely forgotten about the chat.
After letting out a relieved breath, I collapsed back into the chair and rested my head against it.
"Finally..."
I kept my eyes closed for a few seconds before hearing a notification from the monitor. When I opened my eyes and looked at the chat window, they widened in surprise.
[176 Viewers]
The messages were moving too quickly for me to read them all.
[MoonBun: AHAHAHAHA, SHE CALLED IT A SON OF A BITCH!]
[StarCandy: WHAT KIND OF VICTORY SPEECH WAS THAT!?]
[MimiMew: This is the best stream I’ve ever watched.]
[VoidTea: She declared the snake her personal enemy.]
[BlueComet: She finished it with a single staff strike!]
[SandKnight: That one attempt took a little while.]
While I tried to think of what to say, the entire screen flashed with golden light.
A massive golden dragon circled my avatar and roared, shedding star-shaped lights from its wings.
[Caramel gifted a Golden Dragon!]
I stared blankly at the screen. Noctis’s memories told me that it was a very expensive gift.
I cleared my throat.
"Ah... Uh..."
The chat moved even faster.
[Caramel: Good fight. Especially the part where you hit it with the staff.]
[MoonBun: Thank-you speech!]
[StarCandy: Is she going to cry?]
I didn’t know what to say. Realizing that so many people were watching me drained all my energy at once.
"Thank you."
My voice came out quietly.
"Good night, everyone. I’ll see you later."
[MoonBun: Wait, you’re ending it now!?]
[MimiMew: We only just got here!]
[VoidTea: AT LEAST COLLECT THE REWARDS!]
Without finishing the messages, I switched to the streaming program.
[End Stream]
I pressed the button.
[Livestream ended.]
The room suddenly fell silent.
I removed the headset and placed it on the desk. Then I stood up, walked over to the bed, and dropped onto my back.
As I stared at the pink stars on the blue ceiling, I could feel that my entire body was exhausted.
But at least I still didn’t have breasts.