Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part Two]

CHAPTER 201: The Hidden Guardian

[Sheen | Lvl 85 | Homunculus | HP: 46270/46270]

Daisuke exhaled sharply. "Well, that's just fantastic." If there's a homunculus here, then this place is definitely connected to the Mhaledictus somehow.

Tiphanna took an instinctive step back, her fingers gripping the hilt of her weapon. "What—what is that thing?"

The creature cocked its head in their general direction, locking onto them like a predator that had just spotted prey.

Daisuke's smirk was humorless as he materialized his daggers. "Guess we're about to find out," he said as he shot her a glance. "Stay back."

Before she could protest, the fiend lunged, its molten veins pulsating with a sinister glow. The floor quaked beneath its sheer weight, and the air grew suffocatingly hot. But Daisuke didn't retreat—he held his ground, his gaze sharpening like a blade drawn from its sheath.

Suddenly, his presence shifted.

A wave of invisible force pulsed from his mana core as he exerted his Intimidate skill. The air grew thick with an oppressive aura, pressing down like an unseen hand. The fiend faltered, its advance stalling for a fraction of a second.

Seizing the window, Daisuke darted forward fearlessly, his daggers flashing in an arc of silver. His eyes squinted as sparks flared from his blade's clash against the monster's armor, but the cuts barely scratched the surface.

Shit! His eyes narrowed.

It was tough—far tougher than expected.

The fiend responded with terrifying speed, a grunt-like curse spilling from its ugly head. One colossal fist came crashing down like a steel hammer. Daisuke twisted away at the last second—

BOOOOOMM!

The floor shattered, sending marble shards flying like shrapnel. The impact rattled the walls, reducing furniture to splinters and décor to fragments.

Despite her apprehension, Tiphanna's lips slightly curled into a grim smile as debris rained down all around her. Seeing the room's destruction—the room where children had been broken and molded into playthings—felt like justice.

Daisuke, however, had no time to savor the moment. The fiend was relentless in its pursuit, its bulk defying logic with its surprising agility. Daisuke was faster, but it didn't matter—his weapons couldn't breach the creature's thick tide.

Tiphanna also knew the truth of it as she looked on in a mix of awe and unease. Daisuke's power was every bit as formidable as she'd imagined, but it was clear that his weapons were the weak link.

As a blacksmith, her trained gaze quickly assessed the low-tiered daggers in his hands, noting how they lacked the necessary edge, density, and destructive force to pierce the creature's hard exoskeleton.

If they survived this, she thought, her heart heavy with resolve, she would make it her personal mission to craft weapons worthy of his extraordinary skill. She clasped her hands together in a silent prayer, her vow firm in her mind.

Suddenly, she screamed and ducked her head as another assault sent shockwaves and debris hurling though the chamber like a hurricane.

The fiend was like a natural disaster. Without pause or hesitation, it twisted and lunged again, another devastating blow aimed directly at its infuriating prey.

Daisuke crossed his daggers in defense—

CLANGGG!

The impact sent a wave of energy rippling outward.