Doom Breaker – The Egoist

Screeeech.

The boss room door slowly opened. The raid team gripped their weapons tightly and formed ranks. From the center of the boss room, a thudding sound could be heard.

“Twin Head!”

The raid leader shouted. The Twin Head Ogre was the boss this time. Larger than a regular ogre, it had two heads and four arms. In its hands, it held a sword, a club, a spear, and a hammer.

Whuuush!

The Twin Head crossed its arms and swung them. It roared fiercely at the intruders.

“Grrrrrooooaaa!”

“Raaaaoooorrrr!”

With two heads, the roars split into two.

“Scatter!”

The raid members spread out, creating distance between each other. The Twin Head scanned the raid members’ positions with its four eyes.

“Uraaachaa!”

The raid leader shouted loudly. The shout drew the Twin Head’s attention.

Swish!

The Twin Head Ogre relentlessly swung its four arms. The raid leader held his shield with both hands and crouched. Just enduring the fierce attacks felt like his body was breaking.

“Attack! Attack!”

The others launched ranged attacks.

‘Not very efficient.’

Jagun clicked his tongue as he observed the fight. The Twin Head had two heads. Against such an opponent, it’s better to divide the raid into three teams for assault. Simply splitting into front and rear ranks is inefficient.

As Jagun anticipated, the Twin Head monitored both the front and rear ranks simultaneously. Most ranged attacks were knocked aside with precise timing.

Thud!

The raid leader continued to take hits with a grimace on his face. The Mimic’s Tooth Shield continuously spat out teeth. It was no exaggeration to say this item could be effective up to C-rank dungeons.

Rattatattatta!

The Twin Head’s body was peppered with bumpy protrusions from the Mimic’s teeth.

‘Getting an item like this for just a regeneration potion is incredible.’

The raid leader grinned. Gaining confidence, he advanced, pressing the Twin Head.

Smirk.

Jagun, standing afar, smirked. He crossed his arms and revealed his teeth in a grin.

“That’s the most common mistake newbies make when they first get a good item.”

Jagun said. Big Bo, still fuming, looked at Jagun with puzzled eyes. Jagun watched the Mimic’s Tooth Shield with sharp eyes.

“When people get a good item, they become overconfident and obsessed with it. That shield has already reached its limit.”

The Twin Head swung its four weapons simultaneously. It pounded the raid leader’s shield repeatedly, like a rain of blows.

Smash!

The Mimic’s Tooth Shield shattered. Continuous abuse had pushed its durability to the limit.

“Huh? Wh-what?”

The raid leader looked up at the Twin Head Ogre. As soon as the shield broke, fear engulfed him. Only now did he feel the true might of the boss he was facing.

“Aaaahhhh!”

The raid leader stumbled backward in an attempt to flee. The Twin Head’s blade grazed his thigh.

Slash!

Both of the raid leader’s thighs were nearly severed in half. He collapsed forward, screaming.

“Aaaagh! Aaaargh! Help me!”

He struggled desperately. Other raid members quickly rushed to rescue their leader. They grabbed his arms and dragged him away.

“Damn it! Reform the front line! Don’t let it reach the rear!”

The raid team moved frantically.

Hisssss!

The raid leader poured a regeneration potion on his legs. Flesh began to regrow over the gaping wounds. It would take about three minutes for him to return to combat. Meanwhile, more casualties occurred.

“The monster is badly injured too! Keep pressing!”

“Focus more firepower!”

The Twin Head Ogre was also severely wounded. Its bleeding wouldn’t stop, and its movements had noticeably slowed. The raid team poured all their strength and resources into the fight.

With a final push, they managed to bring the Twin Head to its knees. It breathed heavily, exhausted.

“Decapitate it!”

The raid members were also exhausted. They struggled to approach and deliver the final blow to the Twin Head’s neck. Jagun, who had been observing, began to move. He stretched his body, shaking his head.

Crack, crack.

The sound of bones popping could be heard.

“Big Bo, watch carefully.”

Jagun set down his large bag. He drew a sword from his waist.

“Boss?”

Jagun slowly advanced. His steps gradually quickened. In the distance, the raid team managed to sever one of the Twin Head’s necks. The Twin Head thrashed about, shaking off the raid members clinging to it.

‘Now is the time.’

Jagun mouthed the words. He calmly uttered an incantation.

“Unbind.”

Jagun declared the unbinding. The experience share was nullified. A low laugh escaped his shadowed lips.

“What the hell is he doing?”

The raid members were clueless. They stared at Jagun in bewilderment. Though brief, the moment was enough for Jagun. He burst through the raid members and closed in on the Twin Head Ogre.

“Stop that bastard! Stop him!”

Raid members rushed to block Jagun.

Swish!

Jagun twisted his body. He moved through the raid members’ blades as if he could read the future.

‘I’ve already figured out your habits.’

Everyone has unconscious attack patterns. The first strike made in a moment of panic follows the most familiar pattern. Jagun hadn’t been fooling around until now. He had been observing the raid members’ actions closely.

Thunk!

An arrow embedded itself in Jagun’s back His vision blurred. One more hit could kill him.

Clang.

Jagun dragged his blade along the ground as if striking it down. His target was the Twin Head Ogre’s remaining head. The plan was simple. Unbind and then kill the Twin Head Ogre.

The Twin Head was now weak enough for Jagun, at level 9, to take down.

“Phew.”

He inhaled and exhaled deeply. His muscles relaxed as he gripped the sword. When he swung, his arms moved like whips; at the moment of contact, they became like steel. His head remembered the technique for slashing.

Attributes were just numbers. Light shone from Jagun’s pupils. A spiral gleam brightened within them.

Slice!

A clean cut.

The Twin Head’s neck fell. Blood gushed out from the red wound.

Woooosh!

A turbulence of energy surged within Jagun. It was a sign of rapid level-ups in a short time. Jagun felt the power vividly.

“Heh, heh heh. Hahahaha-!!”

Jagun laughed with his arms spread wide. He grabbed a sword that the Twin Head Ogre dropped.

『Chamado』

Commonly used by ogres. It has a wide and heavy blade. In the hands of an ogre, it can cut down a horse in one blow. The raid members immediately understood what had happened.

“That crazy bastard! He’s hogging all the experience?”

Jagun had finished the boss monster in the unbound state. All the experience points had concentrated on him.

“He’s got a death wish. Is he nuts?”

Hogging experience is sometimes used for leveling someone up quickly. It’s rarely done in typical raid teams. Even selfish individuals avoid this tactic. It’s a death sentence; the remaining raid members would kill or punish them.

Madness flickered in Jagun’s eyes. This was different from how he had quietly bowed his head until now.

“Hah, so what are you going to do about it?”

Jagun exhaled mockingly. His teeth shone brightly in the wide grin spreading across his face.

“If you break the rules, you get punished. Kill him!”

The raid leader shouted.

Thunk!

Jagun raised the Chamado. He deflected arrows with the sword acting as a shield.

“Punishment is something the strong give to the weak. And right now, I’m stronger than you. So who here thinks they can punish me, huh?”

Jagun’s current level was 21. A level that would normally require more than ten trips through an E-rank dungeon. His solo experience hoarding had made this rapid level-up possible.

Even at level 21, he was still below the average level of the raid team. In terms of pure stats, there was no way he could win a one-on-one fight. A normal raider might think this way.

‘But I am Shin Jagun.’

His arrogance was palpable. However, he had the skills to back it up. He possessed experience and abilities that couldn’t be captured merely by numbers and words. Jagun believed more in his own strength than what the eye could see.

Crunch!

An unbelievable event unfolded. Shin Jagun swung the Chamado. He cleaved through the nearest raid member.

“He sliced through the armor…!!”

Another raid member gasped in horror. Shin Jagun had sliced through the person, armor and all. His stats alone couldn’t explain this feat.

‘The crack in the armor. The weak point.’

The raid members were already fatigued from the battle. Their equipment wasn’t in perfect condition either. Jagun’s eyes missed nothing.

“Stop him! Stop him! Kill him!”

The raid leader commanded. He too raised his sword, positioning himself along with the others to encircle Jagun.

“This sword cuts nicely.”

Jagun wiped the blood off the Chamado with his palm. He licked the blood pooled in his hand, grinning.

“Do you think you’ll survive after doing this? Aren’t you afraid of reta… Gah!”

Jagun swung the Chamado, sending the speaker sprawling.

“If any of you leave here alive, then maybe. Wow, this is incredible. Ten people struggling against just one. What’s my level again? Oh right, only 21.”

If the raid members decided to flee, there was nothing Jagun could do to stop them. Killing them all while chasing was impossible.

‘He’s only level 21.’

To the raid members, fleeing was not an option. Despite his rapid level-up, Jagun had only gone from level 9 to the early 20s. For raid members around level 30, there was no reason to run.