Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: First Named Boss: Black Dragon (2)
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Chris's 'Red and White Attack Squad' was continuing their difficult attempts.
"Kaaaah-!"
*Thud, thud, swoosh!*
*Clang, thwack, thwack, thwack!*
"Ugh!"
"Aah!?"
The Black Dragon slammed down its forelegs and rapidly spun its body. The ranged dealers within its tail's reach hurriedly used their defensive skills, but they were stunned by the immense damage that pierced their guards and were inevitably knocked far back.
The first named boss of the Tree of the Abyss, the 'Black Dragon', was less than half the size of the previous region's world boss, the 'Green Dragon'.
It might seem obvious, but its smaller size didn't mean it was weaker.
The Black Dragon's magic resistance and defense were on par with the Green Dragon's. Its smaller frame made it more agile. It could even wield a strange power.
*Wooooong!*
A dark energy gathered around the Black Dragon, soon taking the form of spears.
*Fwoosh, shwwweeeek!*
The twelve spears created by the Black Dragon shot out in all directions, tracing bizarre trajectories.
Chris, who had been tracking the spears' paths, shouted the moment one drew near.
"Now!"
*Wooooong!*
*Thwack, thwack, thwack!*
From the melee dealers' side, Beimerung; from the ranged dealers' side, Yeon Min-ah. The Mage's ranged protection skill they cast, 'Mana Barrier', shielded their party members.
Chris gave Beimerung a grin.
"Beimerung, nice! It's tough on the melee side, isn't it? You're doing great."
"Eh, I've played melee positions a lot while carrying people."
Beimerung skillfully handled the melee attacks that slipped past the tank, protecting the other melee dealers.
Precious invincibility skills with long cooldowns, like 'Ice Prison', couldn't be used recklessly. Normal attack patterns had to be dealt with using the right skills at the right time.
They could rely on each member's personal invincibility skills, but if even one person failed to resist and died, progressing through the fight would become incredibly difficult. Any skills that could protect party members had to be used proactively.
In truth, the tank, Death of Death, had the hardest position.
No matter how small the Black Dragon was, he was positioned at its head, too far for protective skills to reach him.
But he skillfully countered the Black Dragon's attacks, making full use of Left and Right Steps, resistance checks after countering, and backward evasions.
The 'Black Dragon's' attacks were terrifyingly fast and powerful, even its normal patterns. It took quite some time for all the party members to get used to them.
Whether it was an elite dungeon or a raid, it all came down to mastery through repetition.
The final clear time depended on how quickly everyone adapted.
And the Red and White Attack Squad, composed entirely of skilled players, learned the patterns in a relatively short amount of time.
Starting with this attempt, all the party members were skillfully handling the patterns.
[First Named Boss]
[Level 53]
[Black Dragon]
[HP 180,154,007 / 200,000,000 (90%)]
Chris checked the Black Dragon's HP and shouted to the raid members.
"This is where it gets real! Special phase starts at 90 percent. Get it locked in your heads, and let's figure out the strategy!"
*Rumble-!*
*Flap, flap.*
As its HP dropped below 90%, the Black Dragon began to flap its wings.
*Whoooosh!*
The gale created by its wingbeats pushed the raid members back, and the dragon's massive body began to rise into the air.
A flight pattern. It was untargetable.
*Flap, flap, flap.*
"Kaaaaaaah-!"
The Black Dragon's body soared into the open space of the Tree of the Abyss, where the ceiling was out of sight.
A moment later, a storm of demonic energy unleashed by the dragon would descend upon the party.
The breath attack, which would continue relentlessly until the entire party was wiped out, was not the kind of pattern that could be countered with a party protection skill.
It was, in short, a wipe mechanic.
In the previous attempt, four raid members had died, and the remaining eight faced this pattern, but they couldn't find a way to counter it.
"This time for sure."
Chris's eyes scanned the surroundings.
This was different from the last attempt, where they had been caught off guard by the special pattern.
There had to be a special mechanic to cancel the dragon's flight. Or perhaps a protective shield of some kind that would let them survive the breath attack unscathed.
*Wooooong!*
Soon, Chris's eyes spotted three purple magic circles rising up in the battle area.
The magic circles were small, barely large enough for one person to stand on.
The three circles, which appeared on the outer edge of the combat zone, formed a perfect equilateral triangle.
*Tat-tat-tat!*
Chris sprinted toward the magic circle that had appeared near her and gave an order to the other Yin-Yang Master, 'TopCatch'.
"TopCatch, you see the magic circle near you, right?! Go step on it!"
"Okay!"
*Tat-tat-tat-tat!*
He reacted quickly. The raid's Mage, Yeon Min-ah, also assessed the situation and started running toward the remaining magic circle.
Just as Chris was about to reach her circle, TopCatch, who had been closest to his, arrived first.
The moment he stepped onto the magic circle.
A powerful purple energy erupted from it.
*Flash!*
*Kwaaaaaa!*
"Ugh, uwaaaargh!!"
TopCatch's body evaporated with a scream.
[Raid member 'TopCatch' has died]
Afterward, the magic circle vanished as if its job was done.
Chris's face went pale.
"What!?"
You can't step on them?
But those are the only special objects here.
Yeon Min-ah, seeing what happened on the other side, hesitated for a moment, then cast the Mage's personal invincibility skill, 'Flame Protection', on herself and stepped on the magic circle.
*Fwoosh!*
"Kuaargh!"
The Flame Protection was instantly stripped away, and Yeon Min-ah's body also evaporated.
[Raid member 'Yeon Min-ah' has died]
Were two of the three magic circles fakes?
Then, is this one the real one?
*Tap.*
Chris used a backward evasion, simultaneously wrapping herself in a Yin-Yang Master's protective talisman before stepping on the magic circle.
*Fwoosh!*
When she stepped on the last magic circle, a green light burst forth. Then, it quickly vanished.
Chris, who had squeezed her eyes shut, slowly opened them.
No damage came through.
Any changes in the battle area?
*Creeak.*
[Ent Stained by Demonic Energy]
[HP 100,000,000 / 100,000,000 (100%)]
"Wha-what!?"
"It's those Ents from before! Three of them!"
"Ooooooh-!"
At the same time as the first magic circle reacted, three Ents spawned in the center. They swung their wooden limbs, attacking the raid members.
Where the magic circle had disappeared at Chris's feet, there was now a single green orb.
[Essence of the World Tree]
[Mechanic Item]
[The power planted by the World Tree within the Tree of the Abyss that stole its life force]
*Snatch.*
Chris immediately picked up the green orb and threw it at the nearest Ent.
*Fwoooosh!*
A light burst from the Ent that was struck by the orb Chris threw.
Soon, life returned to the Ent's limbs, and green leaves began to sprout.
[Purified Ent]
[HP 100,000,000 / 100,000,000 (100%)]
"S-so this was it!"
But that was all.
The single Purified Ent fought valiantly against the two stained Ents, but it was outnumbered.
A moment later, the Black Dragon's breath attack mercilessly engulfed the Red and White Attack Squad.
*KWAKWAKWAKWA!!!*
Special phase time limit expired. Raid wipe.
"Let's take a moment to organize our thoughts."
"Special pattern starts at 90%. Black Dragon takes flight. Three magic circles appear."
"Demonic energy erupted from the circles that Yeon Min-ah and TopCatch stepped on."
"And the magic circle that Chris stepped on released a green light and gave the mechanic item, 'Essence of the World Tree'."
"The Ent that was hit by it changed into a Purified Ent."
The members of Chris's Red and White Attack Squad gathered at the entrance to the first boss, organizing the information they had gained from their latest attempt.
Death of Death stroked his chin and muttered.
"Hmm... Three stained Ents, but only one purification item. The numbers don't add up."
"The other two magic circles must have a purpose."
Chris was reviewing the video she'd recorded of the attempt.
Black Dragon HP at 90%, flight pattern begins, then three magic circles spawn.
"...Huh?"
The three magic circles had appeared one by one, with a slight delay between them.
The order was: the magic circle near Chris was first.
Chris nodded.
Because it was a virtual reality game with a limited forward field of view, one person couldn't watch the entire combat area alone. However, it was a different story with a recorded video.
"It looks like there's an order to step on them. On the next try, let's do it in the order they appear."
90% special phase.
In the center of the first boss's combat area, the melee dealers were each holding the aggro of an Ent.
*Swoosh! Thwack, thwack, thwack!*
"Ugh, are you done yet?!"
"These three Ents hit way too hard!"
*Tat-tat-tat-tat!*
*Fwoosh!*
This time, Chris stepped on the last magic circle and obtained a green orb.
"Okay, last magic circle is done! Throw them all!"
*Fwooooosh!*
*Woooooong!*
Struck by the Essences of the World Tree secured by the ranged dealers, all three Ents were purified. They then gathered together and began to emit a green light.
The green energy radiating from the three Ents soon formed a dome-shaped protective barrier.
Chris's face brightened.
"This is it! Everyone, get inside!"
Just as all the raid members entered the green dome.
*KWAKWAKWAKWA!*
The Black Dragon's breath of demonic energy poured out mercilessly, blanketing the entire combat zone.
The raid members took no damage.
*Sssshhh.*
As the breath attack subsided, the exhausted Ents were absorbed back into the Tree of the Abyss.
*Flap, thud.*
"Kyaaaaaaak!!"
The Black Dragon finished its flight and landed on the floor of the Tree of the Abyss.
It then let out a shriek filled with frustration.
The raid members' faces lit up.
"W-we passed it."
"The first special phase is over!"
Chris shouted confidently.
"Alright, let's take this all the way to the end! The next special phase should be the same!"
However, their attempts for the day had to end at 60%.
The first special pattern had been gentle.
The real fight began with the second special pattern.
The difficulty rose exponentially.
Spears of demonic energy spawning around the flying dragon harassed the ranged dealers who were performing the mechanic.
The number of magic circles to step on and Ents to purify had increased to four.