Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Corps Commander Crow (2)
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Boom! Boom! Boom!
[Retribution 2 Stacks (29s)]
[Taking 2000 damage per second]
I hurriedly drank a potion.
How long had it been since I last drank a potion in combat?
A single stack of Retribution was just barely manageable with the healing from the Lifesteal Ecostone in my weapon socket, but at two stacks, my HP recovery couldn't keep up with the damage without a potion.
I couldn't let up on my attacks for even a moment. The Ecostone's healing depended on the number of hits. To survive, I had to keep swinging my sword.
Thoom, fwoosh!
The jump and breath pattern. I dodged the purple flash coming straight at me with a counterattack, then put some distance between myself and Crow.
Next came the demonic energy explosion pattern—one blast on the outside, then one on the inside. I'd learned that this couldn't be resisted with invincibility skills. The stacks kept increasing. I could somehow manage two, but the moment it hit three, I wouldn't be able to handle it.
Die once, then revive with the Belt of the World Tree. After that, with my HP fixed at 1%, I would activate the Hero's Unique Skill to meet the damage requirement.
This was my formula for victory.
However, the Retribution debuff, which constantly drained my HP, was a problem.
Even if the belt saved me from instant death, the continuous damage from the Retribution debuff would kill me again right after.
At this rate, I couldn't even trigger the belt's effect.
Schick.
Crow raised his hand.
Tap.
I took a final step, putting about five meters between us.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A concentric explosion. A donut shape. Starting from the outside.
I gauged the distance, watching the purple flames erupt in a ring around Crow and me.
Schick.
Crow lowered his raised hand.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A close-range explosion, centered on Crow and me.
Tap, tap!
This time, I used Backstep to get completely out of the blast radius.
The radius of the close-range blast was about twelve meters. A Backstep, which moved me eight meters, wasn't enough to escape it completely. I had to anticipate it and create some distance beforehand.
Of course, I could survive even inside the blast radius by resisting it with the invincibility frames from Backstep.
But the problem was the debuff that applied even if I resisted the damage.
If the debuff applied even through my invincibility frames, I had to get completely clear of the blast radius.
Clang! Clang!
Once I confirmed the explosion was over, I closed in on Crow and resumed my attack. He immediately raised his claws to clash with my sword.
It wasn't a particularly difficult pattern once I knew it. In the end, distance was key. The debuff that ignored system-based invincibility frames was tricky, but all I had to do was get out of range beforehand.
I swung my sword to the left, sending hard feathers flying. Ignoring the claw that grazed my face, I brought my sword down, then slashed diagonally upward. I slipped between his two massive arms as they swung in from the sides, aiming for a spot where his feathers had been ripped away. Flash! Dark blood splattered.
I had now completely learned his normal patterns. Retribution, which pierced through invincibility. It was annoying, but not a problem as long as I knew the range. I suppose I'd been relying too much on the system until now. In reality, you're supposed to avoid dangerous explosions like that. In any case, it was a pattern I absolutely couldn't allow if I wanted to use the Belt of the World Tree.
How long had the fight been going on? About ten minutes?
How long until he enrages?
[Third Boss]
[Level 53]
[Corps Commander Crow]
[HP 269,974,021 / 300,000,000 (90%)]
Crow's HP was now approaching 90%.
An HP threshold that would likely trigger a special phase.
And Crow...
Flap.
...flapped the wings on his back once.
Flap, flap.
With each beat of his wings, the massive body—a monster's frame with a crow's wings—began to rise slowly into the air.
I scowled, looking up at Crow's colossal form, which had already risen out of my attack range.
Are all winged creatures like this?
My eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.
There was no time to complain. I had to immediately assess the changes to the battlefield.
Wooooong!
As he rose into the air, three giant chimeras appeared at the edges of the circular area in the deepest part of the Tree of the Abyss.
Chimeras that looked like a fusion of a pig and a large demon.
Their massive bodies were reminiscent of the Orc King, the boss of this game's first elite dungeon.
Kaboom!
The moment the chimeras appeared, they immediately fired orbs of demonic energy at me. I dodged without hesitation and rushed toward the closest one, at the 12 o'clock position.
[Crow's Chimera]
[HP 10,000,000 / 10,000,000 (100%)]
Grrrrk!
The chimera let out a guttural growl and swung the warhammer in its hands at me.
Its HP was nothing to scoff at either.
Based on my past experiences, if I didn't kill all three chimeras in time, Crow would probably enrage.
I bit my lip.
Even just figuring out the special pattern was difficult. The fight against the third boss, Crow, demanded the damage output of a 12-man party just to handle the adds.
What should I do?
Should I trigger the belt now?
I wanted to minimize the strain on Iseulbi's body.
Using the belt's power would let me use my Unique Skill. With that, I wouldn't lack damage. But if I had to trigger the belt just to learn the special pattern, my body wouldn't last.
I have no choice. If I can't deal with all the chimeras in time, the enrage is inevitable.
Crow wasn't just sitting idle in the air.
Flap, shwwwiik!
With a flap of his wings, feathers detached and shot sharply toward me.
Watching them, I let out a wry smile.
"I get it. I get it."
He's the last one anyway.
Looks like I'll have to push myself to the limit.
*
Thud, thud!
The massive bodies of the Flame Spearman and the Ice Shieldbearer collapsed with a tremendous crash.
The raid members' faces lit up.
"We... We did it!"
"We finally beat them!"
Woooah-!
The Red and White raid members cheered.
"Haaah."
Chris let out a deep sigh.
Unlike the celebrating raid members, she couldn't bring herself to be entirely happy.
They had spent too much time on mere gatekeepers. Even if they had boss-level mechanics, they were still just mid-bosses with no enrage timer. If they hadn't been so greedy for damage and had proceeded calmly, it wouldn't have taken so many attempts.
Clap.
"Go Seung-woo, not bad! You didn't fall off the cliff once, did you?"
"Heheh. You too. Your movement was god-like. Do mid-bosses not drop any items?"
Chris glared at the ranger duo, Seopseobi and Go Seung-woo, who were high-fiving beside her.
"What are you so happy about!? It took us forever!"
"Gasp!"
They sheepishly lowered the hands they had raised for a high-five.
Clomp, clomp.
Without looking back, Chris headed for the third boss's lair.
"We can't afford to waste time like this. We need to make as much progress as possible."
The weekend was almost over. Their raid time would be shorter on weekdays. They had to get a lot done today.
Creeaak.
Chris stared beyond the entrance to the deepest part, which gaped open before her like a maw.
Inside was the final boss of the 'Tree of the Abyss.'
Being the final boss, it surely wouldn't be the kind of enemy they could defeat in a day or two.
Patter, patter.
Beimerung popped out from among the raid members who were organizing their consumables for the boss attempt.
She swayed her short pink hair as she approached Chris and gave her a bashful smile.
"Chris, are you okay today? Are you very tired?"
"Hm? I'm not that tired."
Chris couldn't help but chuckle at Beimerung's cute smile.
Beimerung, who was good at reading the mood, had come to cheer her up.
Step, step.
Beimerung swallowed hard and walked beside Chris as they headed into the deepest part.
"The final boss is just ahead, right?"
"Mmm... I suppose so?"
Chris stepped into the deepest part of the Tree of the Abyss with Beimerung.
The being that revealed itself before them was...
Woooong.
Ominous purple demonic energy flowed from the body of a giant chimera.
As expected, the boss was in the center of the chamber.
It looked just like...
"Oh, it's a giant crow."
"A crow? It has all four limbs, though. I guess it's crow-based since it has feathers and wings?"
"Looks like there's no entrance scene."
The raid members who followed them in exclaimed as they saw the massive crow.
"So this is the final boss, Corps Commander Crow."
Chris stared into the crow's brightly glowing eyes.
[Third Boss]
[Level 53]
[Corps Commander Crow]
[HP 300,000,000 / 300,000,000 (100%)]
Flash!
Fwoooosh!
A flash of purple light shot from the crow's mouth, tearing through the space. The bodies of the raid members in its path evaporated.
[Raid member 'Leroy Hopkins' has died]
[Raid member 'Go Seung-woo' has died]
[Raid member...]
"Th-This thing!"
Chris took out a talisman and immediately used the party buff skill, 'Divine Descent'.
Fwaaaaa!
"Full burst damage! Let's burn his HP down and see the special pattern!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!
Amidst the countless skills the raid members unleashed upon 'Corps Commander Crow,' Chris gritted her teeth.
Speed comparable to the second boss, Zakam. An attack range that surpassed his. Its attack patterns were also diverse.
And.
"What is this now!?"
[Retribution 3 Stacks (20s)]
[Taking 3000 damage per second]
Chris was horrified to see her HP constantly decreasing.
"Kuhuk, I-I don't know! My HP keeps... Kegh!"
Her face pale, Beimerung finally collapsed. She couldn't withstand the continuous damage from Retribution.
[Raid member 'Beimerung' has died]
"Chris! I'm at my limit! Ugh!"
[Raid member 'Death of Death' has died]
Death of Death, who had lasted until the end with Chris, fell.
Crow rolled its eyes and glared at the last one remaining, Chris.
A chill.
"Wh-What!? Is this a ranged pattern?"
Boom!
Chris flung a Sealing Formation, fighting desperately to the last.
A ranged aggro-targeted pattern. I have to at least see this before I die.
"Ugh!?"
But Chris's body, caught in Crow's gaze, froze solid.
A petrification pattern?
Crow reached out a hand toward the immobilized Chris.
Thwack!
With the feeling of something exploding inside her, Chris's vision turned gray.
[Raid member 'Chris' has died]