The Strongest Player is a Demon Lord

Clearing a Hurdle

There are reasons for Merlin’s advantage in the fight.

The primary one is because he’s Merlin. The name has a weight on it – that which carries the title of the Emperor of Requiem. Unlike his former guildmates who climbed their way through the ranks with the use of money, Merlin is able to achieve this solely through the use of his skills.

A large portion of which is his vast knowledge of the world of Requiem. There isn’t any other player who has reached his level of understanding of the game. Sure there are guides and other sources of information, but there are certain things that only Merlin knows. Things which he learned by understanding the game’s logic. The same thing that drew [World’s End] towards him.

That’s not all. There is actually a factor of equal importance that made the entirety of this bout flow in his favor. That is, the other skill that he has. Not the one that he kept on using since the beginning. No. The other skill which you, dear spectator, have not been told of yet – [Demonic Eyes].

[Skill Name: Demon’s Eye]

[Skill Type: Passive]

[Mana Cost: None]

[Cooldown: None]

[Rank: F]

[Information: Gives sight in darkness.]

That’s it. That’s the only thing that this passive can do. Yet in a fight where light is scarce, vision is everything. And that is what Merlin has. Eyes that can see everything, even in the deep darkness of that cave.

These eyes gleamed. Crimson in color and almost ruby like in luster. Eyes of a predator that stared at its prey. The four remaining kobolds that are slowly being cripple by fear. An effect unintentionally instilled by Merlin to them. Because in the head of the half-demon, he is merely enjoying himself.

“Well?” He began. “Aren’t you going to attack?”

This roused the kobolds into action again. Breaking them free from their current state as they began their assault. A full frontal decision that Merlin has been waiting for. This is the easiest part of the fight. When he has established his dominance and his opponents are already in a state of panic, fear, or anxiety, it makes them even easier to read. It makes their movements clunky; slow. Their thinking is also affected – limiting them to basic options of attack.

Proving this, Merlin began to step forward. This froze the kobolds momentarily. Just a single step is enough to make his enemies pause for a split second. Merlin used this and suddenly sped himself up, dashing forward which caught the remaining kobolds by surprise.

Then, as if to play with them further, Merlin casted Flicker. Going behind the group where the club of the fallen kobold sits idly on the ground, waiting for him to pick it up. He did. He grabbed on to the weapon and swung it horizontally, hitting the neck of a kobold from behind.

The creature dropped to the ground and the other three turned to see what’s happening. Not fast enough as Merlin dashed to the side, taking him out of the field of vision of the monsters. Club still on hand, he smashed the head of another kobold.

“Flicker.”

Merlin rapidly switched to the right side. Making another vertical swing that made the third kobold fall unconscious. And with only one of these monsters remaining, all that the half-demon had to do is dash a bit forward to land a hit on this final kobold’s face.

The four monsters drop to the ground. Not completely killed. Just damaged to an extent where they won’t be able to do anything else. You might think that this makes the kobolds look like easy creatures to kill. And while that is true for some part, it’s not easy to do what Merlin just did.

Taking them down in just a couple of hits. This is only possible if the vitals of the monster are memorized. Every monster has a certain vital part in their body. Landing a hit on this multiplies damage. In short, it is a critical hit. If a strike is strong enough, it can even kill the intended target.

Merlin did something along these lines. As low-level monsters, kobolds have multiple weak spots. Most of which are easy enough to access. Hence every strike he made is done at these exact spots. As for the remaining four, he simply stunned them.

The half-demon made quick work of his four prey. Killing them one by one and doing so quickly. Making sure that it’s only the vitals that he hits. Because there’s something else that’s still left on his plate.

“Help…me…” The woman whom he came there for pleaded.

The blood stains the part where she got stabbed. The weapon used to do so lies in her hand. Gripping on to it which Merlin easily read as a sign that the woman doesn’t fully trust her. He can’t blame her. He does look a bit intimidating considering what he just did. Nevertheless, Merlin decided to speak with her in a casual tone – pointing at the wound.

“We need to take care of that wound quickly.” He began. “Do you have any healing potions with you?”

“I-I don’t.”

The woman is clearly flustered. Just from how she talks and her body language as well. But Merlin’s sudden decision to initiate a conversation reduced this. Making the woman loosen her grip on the blade – an opportunity that Merlin didn’t miss.

He used Flicker. Closing the distance between them. And in one fell swoop, stabbed her chest. There is a look of shock on the face of the woman. An expression that froze on her face as she breathed her last.

The act should’ve made Merlin vomit. It should’ve roused some kind of reaction within him. But it didn’t. He owes this to the demon that has been mixed within his body. Making his heart colder than it already is.

“I’m sorry.” Merlin said as he stood up. “Don’t get me wrong. You’re already dead before I got here. The wound you sustained came from a poisoned kobold blade. That’s mixed with their blood and it’s as lethal as it can get. That’s why I asked if you have a potion. If you did, then we’d at least have enough time for me to help you level up and clear the poison from your veins.”

Merlin knows that he’s explaining this to a corpse. The dead can’t hear him. Yet he continued handing out the explanation nevertheless.

“You still had around a minute. After that you’d be experiencing the excruciating level of pain from the poison which’d kill you another minute later.”

The reason why he knows this is because of his former guildmates. The members of Avalon. Within Requiem, whenever they disliked something that Merlin did, or if they just felt like it, they would place him in the torture chamber and inflict him with this poison.

The pain will surge from the point of the poison’s entry. Then it will begin tearing through the veins. Making them protrude on Merlin’s skin. Shortly after comes a hellish experience – where he feels as if his whole body is being burnt over and over again.

The worst part is that, the poison keeps the affected host awake. Falling unconscious is impossible because of another toxin within the kobold blood. Keeping the brain alert. Keeping it sharp and heightening the senses further. Bringing the level of pain to the maximum.

Just remembering it makes the half-demon’s legs weaken. Despite his familiarity with pain, it’s never something that he numbed to. Nor does he think that something like this is possible.

“I wouldn’t be able to reach you quick enough to stop you from getting hit. Nor will getting your attention through shouting help as well. You’d probably look at me and be an easier target for the kobold that had the poisoned knife.” Merlin added. “Rest assured, I’ll make sure that everything you own will be put to good use.”

With that, he finally made peace with the corpse. Just in time as well because the woman began turning into mana particles. Turning into a soft blue light before spreading into countless particles of mana that flew in the air and vanished. Leaving behind the things that belong to her.

[Proof of Darkness Completed]

[Rewards:]

[500 experience points]

[You leveled up!]

[You leveled up!]

“Guess that’s all that I can get for this achievement.” Merlin muttered as he stretched his hands. Feeling the increase of power that came with the double level up.

[You have reached the level requirement.]

[A new Main Quest is unlocked]

[Processing information…]

“Can I at least have some breathing space first?” Merlin added.

He’s not that tired. But Merlin wants to sort through the loot first. There’s a lot for him to pick up after all. From those that are dropped by the kobolds, to the items that are left by the fallen adventurer. Thus, the timing of the system window is impeccable because it appeared right before Merlin decided to prioritize picking up loot. A quest that left another smirk on his lips.

[Main Quest: Kill the Alpha Wolf]