[Red Arremer: Elite Template, Demon Realm Denizen. HP: 200, MP: 35. Strength: 10, Agility: 15, Spirit: 7, Charisma: 5.]
[Demon Trait: Flame Gargoyle]
Since Chris lacked any reconnaissance skills, he couldn't see the Red Arremer's specific stats.
However, that didn't stop him from knowing that the Red Arremer was a high agility unit that far surpassed his own.
In the original NES version, the Red Arremer was infamous for its high movement speed, erratic patterns, free flight, and its ability to spit fireballs. It was a terrifying opponent.
This was the primary reason Chris hadn't opened with [Polymorph].
Unlike the version in World of Warcraft that applied directly to the target, the Space's version of the spell had a travel time and a projectile trajectory. The probability of it being dodged by a high agility unit was extremely high.
True to Chris's memory, the Red Arremer's first move was to gain distance. It took to the air, hovering high above and looking down at him with a predatory gaze.
What Chris didn't know was that the demon's caution was largely due to Chris himself.
From the Red Arremer's perspective, a human wearing the kingdom's knight armor who charged straight at a real demon with a twisted, predatory grin was... counter intuitive, to say the least.
Though often mocked as "regular mobs," the Red Arremer clan had survived countless battles and passed down a wealth of combat experience.
The demon had seen many human knights, including Arthur himself. Even when Arthur had stormed the Demon King's castle to steal the map, he had never behaved with such reckless abandon.
This made the Red Arremer suspicious. It chose to stay back and observe.
However, just as the demon thought the human below could do nothing but stare, Chris suddenly hurled the Little Demon Cleaver with a savage, backhanded throw.
The blade spun clockwise, tracing a parabolic arc toward the hovering demon.
Strangely, even though Chris had thrown the cleaver, an identical blade remained in his hand.
In an instant, the Red Arremer recognized the technique, and a feeling of confusion washed over him along with his alarm.
Wait, isn't Arthur supposed to have a massive beard? Did he take the time to shave it all off?
Confusion aside, the demon's mercenary experience kicked in. It executed a rapid mid-air sidestep, allowing the cleaver to sail harmlessly past the peak of its arc.
Seeing his opening, the Red Arremer folded its wings and dove, a red bolt plunging toward the earth.
By now, the demon was convinced: this man was either Arthur or his successor, but he was currently wielding a "trash" weapon. The threat of Arthur's throw depended entirely on the weapon he held.
In the original game, most players favored the Dagger, its straight flight path and high fire rate could solve 99% of the game's problems.
The Spear that came as starting gear was decent, straight trajectory, moderate speed. Not ideal, but usable.
But the most "useless" weapon of all was the Fireball.
The Fireball traveled at about the same speed as the Spear, but it flew in a shallow, parabolic arc. Its range was abysmal, and it often sailed right over an enemy's head.
While the Fireball would ignite into a small wall of flame that lasted for a second after hitting the ground, that didn't change the fact that it was a terrible weapon.
Against a zombie or a crow, it was barely functional. Using it against a Red Arremer was essentially suicide.
The parabolic arc of Chris's cleaver put it in the same category as the Fireball in the demon's eyes. This meant Chris was no longer a threat.
Arthur was famous for having zero melee capability. A demon who managed to get close to Arthur usually resulted in the knight's armor shattering, a man in strawberry boxers running around in a panic, and finally, a skeletal frame being left in the dirt after a single blow.
As the Red Arremer dove, Chris threw a second spectral cleaver in a panic, but it missed by a mile. The demon was as agile as a fighter jet, banking forty-five degrees to the right to weave around the projectile.
At this point, the Red Arremer decided Chris was out of tricks. Even if he had one more throw left, the demon's physical durability was high enough to tank it. There was no need to dodge.
In another second, the demon would crack open the human "can" and feast on the meat inside.
Extending its razor-sharp claws, the Red Arremer felt the victory within its grasp.
Suddenly, a wooden cane that looked vaguely familiar appeared in Chris's left hand.
Before the demon could complete the mental search for where he had seen it before, a hexagram shaped magical missile erupted from the tip of the cane.
"SWEET SATAN!!!"
The Red Arremer's eyes bugged out as he finally recognized the source of the spell. But because he'd already committed to the dive and refused to dodge, his momentum was too great. He couldn't veer away in time. He slammed head first into the hexagram.
With a small POOF of smoke, the Red Arremer was gone. In its place was a "summer duck" with vibrant red feathers and a curiously sharp, bird like beak.
The Polymorph had landed!
Chris had taken advantage of a specific inventory mechanic of the Heaven's Selection Space.
Simply put, a player couldn't instantly swap their current equipment for something in their inventory while in combat.
For example, if Chris wanted to swap his cleaver for a baseball bat, the two items would exchange places, but the bat would have a 6 second "countdown" during which it was unusable. It was a mechanic similar to one found in Dota.
However, Chris had found a workaround. He had entered the battle with his off-hand empty, having placed his off-hand weapon into his inventory beforehand.
Equipping an item into an empty slot was instantaneous.
By using this trick, Chris had successfully hidden the existence of the Gentleman's Cane. Combined with the Red Arremer's own bias, assuming Chris only had one weapon, the result was inevitable.
There was no witty banter, no wasted movement. What awaited the "pointy headed red duck" was a display of Chris's absolute, unyielding brutality.
Chris dropped the cane, lunged forward, and snatched the struggling duck by its wing. Then, he raised the Little Demon Cleaver and brought it down with savage force right at the base of the wing!
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]