Even though it was the first boss of the first dungeon... but the name was so hard to remember that Aiwass had long forgotten it completely.
Not to waste his teammates' time, Aiwass always skipped all the cutscenes in this four-player dungeon.
He had no idea what Admar looked like outside of battle mode. He only remembered that he was a hunched giant, with skin covered in purple webs.
They used to call Admar Little Purple.
Because this was the first enemy in the Transcendence Path. In the early stages, players rarely saw other bosses and NPCs with purple light effects, so they named them in a straightforward manner.
He was called Little Purple because there was another "Da Zi" later in the dungeon; and in another dungeon, there were enemies called "Old Purple" and "Purple Sister." Once version 1.2 started, with more enemies in the Transcendence Path, they stopped using these names.
Along with the recovery of his memory, there also came the simple mechanics of the "Evil Bartender"—
Admar was seen leaning on the counter, his arms swelling at a visible rate, bursting through his sleeves.
He slammed his right hand out with incredible speed, as if whipping up a gale.
"[Steadfast Demeanor]."
And Aiwass, even before Admar could swing, preemptively commanded from behind.
At the moment she heard the order,
Hayna's body moved reflexively, her pupils' rings spinning rapidly. She turned her sword sideways, left hand bracing the front half of the blade. She sank her weight, pushing off with her right foot. In the blink of an eye, she assumed a posture to withstand the impact.
— Clang!
The sound of a hammer smashing into an anvil rang out, despite it being a mere contact between palm and rapier.
The blade, empowered by Rhythm Tactics and the path of Authority, solidly blocked the strike!
Hayna could clearly feel a tremendous force surging down the blade.
Had she not instinctively followed Aiwass's command and used "[Steadfast Demeanor]," she probably would have been blown away, crashing into Aiwass sitting in his wheelchair behind her!
But at that moment, her body stood firm like a foundation poured into the ground, directing all that strength into the earth!
After the strike, she instinctively found the right moment within his attack and launched a sharp counterattack!
With a backhanded sword strike, she sliced from the underside of the repelled right arm all the way to the left shoulder.
Blood spurted out as the Evil Bartender stumbled back in pain, colliding with the liquor cabinet behind him.
Bottles fell from the collision, shattering crisply on the floor.
Remembering her instructor's teaching not to be rash, she instinctively wanted to return to the standard stance she started with.
However, Aiwass gave a perfectly timed command.
"[Mighty Blow]."
— Can I really do it?
A brief moment of hesitation flashed through her mind.
[Mighty Blow] required charging, and before the slash, movement and parrying were impossible; after the slash, it was also impossible to change attacks, making it easy for a nimble enemy to dodge and counterattack.
According to her instructor's teachings, this move should be used when it is confirmed that the opponent is either unable to counterattack or dodge, forcing them to choose defense—then smashing through their defenses.
After gaining an advantage in the first engagement, [Sharpen Blade] should be used to temporarily increase the sharpness of the blade, or [Intimidation Skill] to intimidate the opponent further in their losing state, rendering them powerless. One must control the distance from the opponent, not too close, not too far. Always keep the opponent within the range of [Charge Slash] while ensuring there is enough space behind to retreat, evade, and parry.
... Oh, that's not right, Mr. Aiwass is behind me. Should I first step aside then?
But then, wouldn't that expose him...
As her mind quickly processed complex thoughts, Hayna, distracted for a moment, realized that her body, trained through countless drills, had already moved on its own.
Upon receiving Aiwass's command, she took a deep breath, held the short sword with both hands, and her back slightly hunched over like a cat about to pounce.
After about half a second of charging, her figure shot out like a bolt of lightning.
A crescent moon-like sharp and cold arc of white light burst in the air, and the counter in front of the Wild Elf Bartender was cleaved in two by her slash.
The immense force of the impact made the bartender's body freeze in place.
Even the left arm he reflexively used to guard, which was in front of him, was severed in one go!
His forearm had a chillingly clean break. His purple, swollen-looking left hand fell to the ground as he let out a piercing scream, with the purple veins rapidly receding along their paths.
The scream was so agonizing that it startled Hayna.
And his posture, shifting out of combat mode, left Hayna uncertain whether she should continue fighting him.
But then, Aiwass's stern voice came again.
"Hayna, move."
She stepped nimbly to the side, taking a half step away.
— A gunshot rang out.
The bartender's left eye was pierced by the bullet, blood blossoming from the back of his head. The blood, like a flower, spread across the liquor cabinet behind him.
His body slipped down helplessly, trailing a deep red stain.
She didn't even see where Aiwass had hidden the gun. He was still sitting in the wheelchair, motionless, with a wisp of white smoke coming from his black cape, a slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth under the cloak.