Chapter 20
<Bad Ending Maker Episode20>
Infamy: 27,120
Labo nodded in satisfaction.
They had reached their goal of 25,000 infamy.
It was the result of Oasis defeating three mid-to-low-level parties they had befriended and absorbing their infamy. Unfortunately for those who crossed paths with Labo, their infamy was drained completely, and they had to leave Undertown with trauma in tow……
“Isn’t it their fault for building up infamy and messing around in Undertown? If they’re playing in a villain’s den, they should’ve been prepared to get hit.”
Labo didn’t care at all. Meanwhile, Oasis was startled to see themselves becoming increasingly desensitized.
‘Am I becoming as wicked as Master……?’
After wiping out four parties they had even friended, they no longer felt any guilt.
“Ugh……”
Oasis groaned, seriously contemplating the ethics of artificial intelligence. Was it really okay to continue like this……?
“Alright, now that the conditions are met, let’s go for my second job advancement.”
Labo opened the quest window and found the second job advancement quest. Being a top-priority quest, it wasn’t hard to locate.
Would you like to activate the second job advancement quest: ‘Demon King Inheritance III’?
Of course, Yes.
As soon as Labo accepted the quest, a familiar dark portal opened before them. Labo stepped forward into the portal but then turned back.
“Ah, Oasis. Come along this time. It’s a party-recommended quest.”
“Ah! Yes!”
Oasis quickly followed behind.
The portal led to the temple of the Dark Cult.
Rumble!
As expected, thunder and lightning raged outside the temple today. Oasis thought to themselves that it was no wonder everyone here was tainted by darkness, given how gloomy and damp this place was year-round.
Just then, someone appeared before Labo and Oasis.
“Welcome, rising star of the Dark Cult!”
It was Terio, the Black Knight. They had seen him so often that they even felt a sense of familiarity now.
Terio looked Labo up and down before nodding thoughtfully.
“Level 50, huh? You’ve become a proper mid-tier member of our Dark Cult.”
“…….”
Labo awkwardly scratched their chin. It felt strange to be called a mid-tier member when they had only joined less than a week ago.
“Now, we shall bestow upon you your next rank. However, since this position is quite high within the cult, you must pass a prepared trial.”
Terio’s voice grew serious as he spoke.
“This trial will be extremely difficult and challenging. Will you still accept it?”
“The harder it is, the more worth it is to take on.”
Labo accepted the quest.
Terio chuckled heartily.
“That’s what makes you our rising star! Very well, let us begin the trial!”
Terio led the way into the temple, with Labo and Oasis following closely behind.
Labo glanced back at Oasis and whispered softly,
“Be prepared, Oasis.”
Oasis tilted their head curiously as they trotted closely behind Labo.
“Huh? For what?”
“This trial…… it’s really going to be tough.”
Hearing this, Oasis puffed out their chest confidently.
“Hmph! What do you take me for? I’m Oasis, the second smartest AI in the world!”
“Oh?”
“I’ve got a good grasp of this game now. No matter how hard the quest is, I won’t fall short in supporting you!”
Thanks to their recent experiences clearing dungeons with other players, Oasis was feeling quite confident. Their aggro management had improved significantly, and they had roughly analyzed monster behavior patterns. They were now quite confident in monster battles!
“Good, good. You’re reliable.”
Labo patted Oasis on their small shoulder.
“Then I’ll count on you, Oasis.”
“Leave it to me~!”
Just then, Terio stopped walking ahead. Labo and Oasis looked over as well.
In a corner of the Dark Cult temple stood a staircase leading underground. Terio gestured toward it with his arm.
“That’s where we’re headed.”
A large wooden door stood there with a dull color scheme that exuded an ominous aura at first glance.
“To advance to your next rank within our cult,” Terio explained gravely while nodding toward Labo, “you must pass the trial prepared inside there. This trial embodies shadows representing the worst enemies faced by our Dark Cult throughout history.”
He gave another solemn nod toward Labo. “It won’t be easy, but I wish you luck.”
A system message popped up when Labo approached closer:
Event Dungeon: ‘Trial of Evil’
Would you like to enter?
※ Warning! This dungeon is extremely difficult. Please ensure your item level is sufficient and challenge with a party size of 2 or more.
Yes.
Without hesitation, Labo pushed open the door and stepped inside first. Oasis gulped nervously before following.
“Huh……”
Oasis glanced around after entering. Despite being labeled an event “dungeon,” there were no hordes of monsters—just a plain, spacious room devoid of menacing decorations or evil banners.
“Huh?”
Oasis’s eyes widened as they spotted someone standing in the center of the room.
A male NPC with disheveled black hair stood motionless, eyes closed. His shabby attire contrasted with the slender longsword in his hand, which radiated a chilling aura.
“That guy over there,” Labo explained calmly while drawing their sword, “is a legendary hero who brought peace to the continent a hundred years ago by defeating our Dark Cult. One of the three heroes known as the Sword King, ‘Cardmos Gargantua’.”
“What?! Such a legendary character?!”
“…is a shadow replica, though.”
The Dark Cult had created these shadows to replicate the heroes, allowing dark knights to train in countering them—or so the story went. In reality, the developers had reused existing NPC models out of laziness.
Labo signaled Oasis to prepare for battle. The Sword King’s shadow slowly opened its eyes and raised its sword.
“Get ready, Oasis. That NPC’s specs match level 50, but…”
Rare tension colored Labo’s face as they continued,
“…its combat AI is top-tier.”
“Huh?”
Whoosh!
The Sword King charged forward like a whirlwind, swinging his blade. Labo barely blocked the strike with a hastily formed dark hand-shield.
“This guy’s way stronger than any players we’ve faced so far!”
Another flurry of strikes poured forth, overwhelming Labo with their ferocity.
In Wings Online, there were three ways to defend against targeted attacks:
Successfully parry with a weapon or shield to reduce damage via mitigation rate.
Completely evade the attack range to nullify the hit.
Rely on agility stat-based accuracy for a miss chance.
But…
‘All three options are tough!’
Labo gritted their teeth. The Sword King’s class was a swordsman—specifically, an agility-focused build with maxed-out stats.
Each attack was blindingly fast, making it impossible to block every single one. Even when I tried to retreat beyond his reach, the Sword King closed the distance instantly. His agility stat far surpassed mine, rendering dodging futile.
In the end—
Clangclangclang!
All I could do was tank the full combo!
“Ugh!”
My HP plummeted in an instant. Though each individual strike from the low-strength, high-agility Sword King wasn’t devastating, the accumulated damage began to bite. But as a pure strength/stamina damage-tank build, I gritted my teeth. I can endure this! By guarding my vitals and avoiding critical hits, I barely held on as my HP dropped below half.
My eyes flashed—the Sword King had exhausted his skill rotation and now hesitated.
My turn.
“Oasis! Heal!”
Before the words left my mouth, my HP surged. Oasis had already completed her heal spell and was layering buffs:
“Blessing of the Northern Blade Fortress! Guardian Angel’s Aura! Gale’s Crescendo!”
“Nice! You’re on fire, Oasis!”
Empowered by strength, stamina, and agility buffs, I lunged at the Sword King like a beast.
Whoosh!
Dark Aura ignited my Venomblade, black flames roaring to life. No holding back—I unleashed my ultimate:
“Dark Chain Strikes!”
Between the five slashes:
“Dark Hand-Claw!”
Exploiting the zero MP cost during the skill, I crammed in a crowd-control move!
Thrum!
Corrupt energy shredded the Sword King’s body—300% physical damage + 750% armor-igniting Dark Aura damage, plus blindness and stun! A death sentence for any agility-based swordsman!
But—
Miss!
Miss!
Hit!
Hit!
Miss!
“What?!”
Three misses out of five. A vein throbbed on my forehead. Damn agility stat! My accuracy’s garbage! I’d dumped everything into strength/stamina, creating a massive agility gap. Uninvested stats require gear compensation, but I’d neglected farming while power-leveling.
My equipment window horrified me:
My gear level… not even 300?!
Maximum gear level is 10x character level—500 for me—yet mine languished in the 200s. Worse, my accuracy-boosting wristguards slot sat empty!
I got complacent! Knowing I’d designed this game, understanding every system, I’d underestimated mid-tier content. In gamer slang—I’d “zerged” it!
“Tch! Still…!”
I swung wildly, but the Sword King danced past every strike. Worse, he began taunting me, circling mockingly.
“…”
Rage twisted my lips. My own creation dares mock me?! I could grind him down eventually, but no—insulting your creator demands punishment.
Whirling to Oasis, I barked:
“Hey, Oasis!”
“Yes, Master!”
“I’m hitting the auction house. Entertain him.”
“Huh?”
“Three minutes. I’ll gear up and crush him properly.”
As I opened the auction interface, Oasis blinked dumbly before turning—
Thud. Thud.
The Sword King loomed before her, murderous aura swirling.
“Eeeeeek?!”
Her scream echoed—as usual.
