Traveling through the game world, starting out as a third-rate villain

"I'm ready."

I whispered, looking at the results of my hard work over the past month.

I was fully prepared to defeat the boss and dismantle the camp.

"The Time Guardian is indeed a tough opponent."

This is a mid-level third-tier monster, which is relatively weak physically. But strangely, its true strength is not reflected in its body, but in its affinity with time. After all, the strength of most boss monsters is determined by their mana and body, but some special monsters are identified as higher levels due to their unique characteristics.

The Time Guardian is one of them. If it is ranked in an orthodox way, it should be a mid-level third-order monster, but due to its unique characteristics, it is ranked as a low-level fourth-order monster.

'However, as long as you are well prepared, it is not too difficult to deal with it.'

I collected small stones as I walked around, and I made arrowheads from these stones, and I checked them one last time when I started.

I double-checked my gear, making sure everything was in place. Artifacts, potions, and supplies were all vital for the upcoming battle. Now I thought back on how far I had come since I first arrived here. It felt like an eternity.

My body was completely rested, I even took a shower and felt refreshed. Everything was arranged, and all that was left was to face the Boss.

Walking out of the woods, I blended into the shadows and activated [Shadow].

Today is a cloudy and rainy day, although it was very hot yesterday. According to my observation, this weather will continue for another day.

I walked cautiously deeper into the woods, alert to everything around me. As the final test approached, the tension grew.

'There shouldn't be so many monsters anymore.'

My goal over the past month has been not only to improve myself, but also to clean up the monsters in this place bit by bit.

I delayed the progress of exploration, and since I am good at stealth and ranged attacks, it is not difficult for me to clear these monsters even alone.

Therefore, I was sure that no monsters would stand in my way when I faced the Keeper of Time.

rustle

The shadows followed me closely as I went deeper, providing a reassuring sense of concealment.

As I expected, I eventually made it to the center of the woods, where the boss was waiting. I didn't encounter any other monsters here.

A shiver ran down my spine, the boss's strange presence chilling me to the bone. Its flickering form made it hard for me to lock onto the target, demonstrating its ability to manipulate time.

“It’s coming.”

Da da da

The rain continued to fall, creating a dreary atmosphere perfect for the upcoming showdown.

I stepped forward cautiously, ready to face the Keeper of Time.

My senses were focused, every muscle ready for the battle that would determine my fate in the Forest of Time.

'The first stage should be relatively easy.'

I thought to myself, readying my bow and keeping my eyes fixed on the Boss monster in front of me.

The Keeper of Time stood before me, a creature that broke with convention.

Its form flickers and shifts constantly, its spirit-like appearance betraying its deep connection to the manipulation of time.

The monster looks like an ancient and mysterious being, its outline blurred, its edges seeming to dissipate into the surrounding air. Its form seems to be in constant change, making it difficult to capture its specific appearance.

In fact, I later learned that the Time Keeper is the ancestor of the [Eternal Ghost] and the [Time Changer]. They are all monsters that inhabit this place.

Therefore, the Time Keeper has characteristics of both of them.

Its color is a combination of the blue of Eternal Ghost and the silver of Time Changer, reflecting the ever-changing nature of time itself.

The tones swirl together like a whirlpool.

The Guardian of Time emits a faint light, which, as the sunlight shines through the clouds and is refracted by the crystal, creates a mysterious atmosphere.

“It’s a wonderful sight.”

I muttered to myself, admiring its form while preparing myself for the upcoming confrontation.

[Sharp Eyes]

Activate the skill, feel the mana entering my eyes, and focus my sight on the Boss in front of me

This skill should have revealed the boss's weaknesses, but because it was not a high level skill, the effect was not ideal. Even so, my eyes were still moving on the boss, and my characteristic [Perception Insight] was also working.

I watched the monsters and combined the information from the game with my observations.

I remained hidden in the shadows, and the Boss didn't react.

"call……"

Taking a deep breath, I pulled an arrow from my quiver, put the bow on the string, and stared at the flickering Guardian of Time.

My heartbeat gradually calmed down. Facing the upcoming confrontation, I am a hunter, and a hunter cannot lose his composure.

I took careful aim, determined the Boss's twisted form, and released the bowstring.

whoosh!

The arrow flew through the air and hit the Guardian of Time accurately.

However, the arrow did not make the expected collision sound and seemed to slow down. The Boss's manipulation of time changed the trajectory of the arrow.

The arrow lost speed and the Time Keeper's form shifted slightly, allowing the arrow to pass through it harmlessly.

"Sure enough, it's not that easy."

I muttered to myself, quickly picking up the next arrow and preparing to fire again.

'Time manipulation itself changes speed and direction.'

I adjust my aim, anticipating the boss's timing abilities. I need to predict where it will be, not where it is now.

The boss hasn't even fully awakened yet, but its natural form is already difficult to deal with.

I add green mana to the arrows to provide mana for them. Since green mana is the most stable mana, it is my best choice.

whoosh!

The arrow shot out and flew towards the Guardian of Time. This time, I saw its form shake slightly, and it successfully hit the target.

Through my eyes, I could see green threads forming in front of me, connecting me to the Boss's position.

roar!

But before I could celebrate, the boss counterattacked, and the distorted time wave attacked me. The speed of the attack was extremely fast, almost accelerating instantly.

【Speed】

Whoosh

I activated my skill and quickly dodged, feeling the disturbance in the air and the wave passing by.

The power of the Time Keeper is quite strong and I cannot underestimate it.

However, the first arrow is the most important. When I was training with the Time Changer, I tried to find a way to counter its form changes, and I found one.

My green mana counteracts the monster's changes, marking the "real" part of it that hasn't left this dimension.

Thanks to this, from the moment my first arrow hits, the rest of the challenge will be easy.

whoosh

I continued firing, carefully calculating with each arrow the boss's likely position and its time-varying abilities.

My eyes kept moving around the space, observing every fluctuation in the environment.

This is a habit I developed in this ever-changing space, and I also learned a lesson.

'Never be sure of anything, always be prepared for change.'

At this point, the shadows were almost useless, which I expected. The boss is very sensitive to mana. Since I started using mana attacks, it was easy for it to locate me.

So, instead of walking through the shadows, I activated the [Sprint] skill and moved along the woods, constantly changing my position.

Da da da

The sound of rain and my footsteps on the mud echoed in my ears. The battle had just begun, and this was just a preliminary confrontation.

roar!

The Time Keeper yelled and started throwing a bunch of rocks at me.

Whoosh, boom! Boom!

Thanks to its ability to manipulate time, the stone moved faster, causing me to have less time to dodge.

However, my skill [Sprint] came in handy, and I moved quickly around the field, dodging the rocks flying towards me.

Bang, snap

"ah……"

Even so, I still couldn't dodge every attack. A stone hit my leg, and I couldn't help but let out a painful groan. My body shook violently due to the pain and I almost fell down.

'My bones are broken.'

I immediately assessed the injury.

Snap

Without hesitation, I crushed the pill hidden in my mouth, which was specially prepared for this situation.

Feeling the potion enter my mouth, I forced myself to move, and I could feel a stream of arrows coming towards me.

Just as I was adapting to it, the Time Keeper was also adapting to my attacks, and with its unique eyes, it was able to see my movements clearly.

However, all this was within my expectations.

"It should be soon."

Just then, the Time Keeper seemed to gradually adapt to my strategy, and a new variable suddenly appeared in the environment.

'Here we are.'

In this place, the unstable gravity suddenly changed, altering the trajectories of raindrops, my arrows, and the rocks thrown at me.

As the raindrops defied gravity, falling downwards or upwards, I paused, observing and adjusting to the change. I had studied this place and prepared for this attack, and now I was finally seeing its effect.

I adjusted my aim, taking advantage of the strange gravity and firing my arrows at unconventional angles.

In my mind, I simply imagined the trajectory of the arrow based on my observations and simulated the course of the battle.

Whoosh

The arrow bent and twisted, flying along the strange path caused by the distorted gravity.

Therefore, it is difficult for the Time Keepers to predict and dodge these unpredictable shots.

whoosh

My arrows hit their mark, and the Time Keeper roared in pain, its form beginning to destabilize. Each blow weakened the creature, and green liquid dripped from its wounds.

roar!

The Time Keeper released a massive roar in rage, the effect of which shook space.

Whoosh

I was thrown back by the aftershock, feeling my body being pushed away while seeing a strange barrier covering where the Time Keeper was.

'The second phase begins.'