Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: I've Opened a Path
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[Title]
My Review of Riding Chris's Attack Squad Fortress Bus.txt (+368)
[Content]
First off, if you're trying to run a 3-person bus, the 1st named monster is a problem from the get-go.
You know how hard it is to break all the eggs in time with just three people.
But if the hatchlings wake up, it's a hell party, so you can pretty much consider it a wipe, right? You can't break all the eggs, so you end up chasing hatchlings and dying to AoEs.
But Chris's Attack Squad doesn't break the eggs.
I don't know if it's only possible because of their firepower, but they save the cooldowns on their new Tower of Training skills and unload everything the moment the hatchlings wake up.
Their grouping of the hatchlings is a work of art.
They calculate the party members' paths to gather all the hatchlings in one spot and then unleash their skills all at once;
They're dodging AoEs and kiting mobs while pulling adds.
Well, I guess other parties could do this too with enough practice and coordination, but the 2nd named monster is the real spectacle.
Their firepower as a 3-person party is way stronger than most 4-person parties, so as long as they maintain the bleed stacks, they won't see the enrage phase. But the speed is on a whole other level compared to my regular party.
I peeked down from the upper-level stairs and saw all the sawblades pass through the center of the combat area.
You think a melee dealer or a tank would survive that?
But they didn't die. It didn't even look like they had any bleed stacks. The bleed stacks build up so fast that Balgar just melts;
For the 3rd named monster, even during the desperation phase, all three of them rotate their invincibility skills with perfect timing, like a work of art.
Since you only need one person alive to clear it, you could technically do it if one person plays perfectly, but all three of them didn't make a single mistake.
Of course, since they only have one party protection skill, they have to tank one hit, but I don't think the tank got hit at all?
This is actually what confuses me the most.
A Swordsman's invincibility skills are basically just Counterattack and Backstep, so how is it possible not to get hit?
[Comments]
- You didn't take any screenshots or videos? I heard they're crazy fast, but their strategy is just... It's not like you're just playing with your mouth.
ㄴ What does 'playing with your mouth' mean? I'm new to the forums.
ㄴ It means playing Astria Online with your mouth lol
ㄴ (OP) Chris's bus party has screenshots and videos disabled via an in-game function. Once you enter the dungeon, you can't record without the party leader's permission. You can spectate the fight, though.
ㄴ Can't you use an external program to record videos or take screenshots?
ㄴ You can, but do you guys not know who Chris's father is? He's pretty famous. He might actually track your IP and hack your capsule...
ㄴ What the... Are they trying to stop their bus tactics from leaking? That's kinda lame. Besides, Chris's Attack Squad lost the world first clear to a no-name party, didn't they?
ㄴ No-Name! No-Name!
.
.
.
- Usually it's the older PvP players who take the bus, so forum regulars with fixed parties don't really have a reason to. But why disable screenshots?
ㄴ I rode it once to learn some tactics, and I think I know why they disabled them. The owner of the Orc Warrior costume is in there; the one with the white hair and small body customization.
ㄴ (OP) Yeah, that cute female Swordsman is there. She's the tank.
ㄴ Huh? Wasn't Death of Death the tank? Why are they running with her?
ㄴ Dunno? But she's amazing. I'm a Swordsman too, so I tried to watch and learn, but her skills are just weird. The damage and even the hitboxes seem different from mine. I know what skills she's using, but I just can't copy them. She chains three or four skills in the blink of an eye. Maybe it's possible in an old PC game with a keyboard and mouse.
ㄴ (OP) She wears a super cute outfit while running the bus;;; They probably disabled screenshots because some people would go crazy?
ㄴ Yep. If you want permission to take screenshots, you have to sweet-talk her, not Chris. But do you guys even have the money for the bus? The bus fee is expensive since the dungeon just came out. It's for the big spenders lol
ㄴ Hah... Hah... lololol I'm gonna start saving up to ride Chris's bus today.
ㄴ Nggggghhhhhh lololol I'm going too.
ㄴ You're not human...
ㄴ They should really arrest people like this.
***
"So Cherni was... and Sister Beimerung went *smack*! Kicked him right in the shin."
"I feel bad for Mister Cherni."
"Hehe, so Beimerung is 'sister' and... is 'mister'? They're the same age, you know. Why don't you call him 'brother'?"
"Hehe..."
If they were both first-year university students, they'd be around the same age as 'Iseulbi.'
Setting aside my aversion to the word 'brother,' I doubt the me from the other world would have called Beimerung 'sister' either.
In this reality, I don't really feel like an adult. The Iseulbi from that other world might think differently.
We share memories, but 'she' and I are distinctly different beings.
But lately, her body's condition affecting me has been really annoying.
If I can earn money, go to the hospital, and improve our living environment, I'll have less to worry about.
After all, Rain exists because Iseulbi exists.
But still, the sisters' voices sound like they're cutting out a little.
"...Haha! See? We can clear it faster with me contributing to the DPS, right?"
"Ah, so you have a regular party."
"Lately we just... haven't been clicking, so I have no choice but to take this bus."
The Warrior class was popular with older men, but today's client was a young man.
Among our bus clients, there were some who would help with DPS like this, as long as it didn't interfere with the strategy. Up until the Forward Base, it was almost all older PvP players, but now that we were running the Fortress, we were seeing more young clients.
Some had even tried to send me friend requests or give me sweet desserts they'd bought from the capital's cafes. Chris always shut them down.
After some idle chat, we arrived before the second named monster.
Today's client, the young Warrior, seemed particularly motivated.
"Oh, Balgar! I think I can show you something good!"
The battle began, and Balgar's ferocious attacks started raining down on me.
But our 3-person party's firepower was now quite formidable. And the Warrior client was even helping with the DPS. Balgar's HP quickly reached the 95% mark.
*Kiiiiing!*
The first sawblade began to move and was guided toward Balgar to stack bleed. Just then, the axe-wielding Warrior's movements changed abruptly.
"Wooooah!"
*Smack, KABOOM!*
He slammed his body hard into Balgar and brought his axe crashing down on the ground.
For a moment, Balgar's movements stopped.
It was a Warrior's status effect skill, a stun.
*CRASH!*
The Warrior threw himself in the path of the sawblade and began a 'power struggle' with Balgar.
"Haaaaahp!"
*Screeeech!*
*Shk-shk-shk-shk!*
With a battle cry, the Warrior pushed Balgar's massive body with great force.
As the Warrior shoved Balgar into the path of the sawblade, Balgar's body was instantly covered in wounds from being repeatedly scraped by the blade.
"Wow, I'd heard Warriors could do that, but this is the first time I've seen it in person."
"He stacked a ton of bleed all at once!"
Chris and Beimerung exclaimed in admiration.
The Warrior repeated the same move when the sawblade came around again. Balgar's HP began to drop at a rapid pace. A single sawblade had inflicted an incredible amount of bleed stacks.
The Warrior client, who had taken the sawblade hits along with Balgar and was now fully stacked with bleed, quickly ran out of HP and collapsed. But Balgar was already a gruesome sight.
Thanks to the Warrior client, I didn't even need to lure any additional sawblades.
*Groooaaar-!*
Not long after, Balgar fell. The resurrected Warrior client returned to the combat area, his shoulders puffed out with pride.
"Oh."
*Clap, clap, clap.*
I gave the Warrior client a round of applause. He laughed heartily and raised his axe.
I thought Warriors were only strong in PvP, but they can contribute to dungeons in this way too.
On the way to the third named monster, Chris and I led the way, carefully advancing past the cocoons.
We had to be even more careful here. The cocoons in the tower section of the third boss area were much larger and more densely packed than in other areas.
If we touched a cocoon, things far stronger than the hatchlings from the first boss would emerge.
The Warrior client was following behind with Beimerung.
The Warrior client seemed to be in a dangerously good mood.
"Hahaha! If you use... consecutively like this, you can even inflict status effects on a named monster!"
*Woosh, woosh!*
The sound of him lightly swinging his axe came from behind. Beimerung seemed to be humoring him.
Chris glanced back slightly to check on them.
"Still, please be careful here. They're mechanic monsters, so... we need to proceed safely."
"I bet our party could take them all even if they all woke up! Wooooah!"
*Thump.*
I turned my head.
The Warrior client had raised his axe and stomped his foot hard.
"Leeerooooooy! Hopkiiiiins!"
Shouting his own nickname, his body shot into the air.
And then, he came crashing down into the center of the densely packed eggs and cocoons.
*Kreek, kreek, kreek, kreek!*
Dozens of Chimeras began to awaken, starting from that spot.
The wave instantly spread throughout the entire tower.
Every Chimera in this area was waking up.
The high-spirited Warrior client had finally caused a disaster.
Chris and Beimerung were shouting something.
The Warrior had a very panicked expression as he was swarmed by the Chimeras. Their concentrated attacks fell upon him. The Chimeras didn't fall easily to his powerful axe swings.
*Tat-tat-tat!*
I quickly moved and started firing Moonlight Slashes at the Chimeras around the Warrior.
*Pak-pak-pak!*
Their defense is beyond imagination. They were monsters designed as a mechanic to be avoided in the first place. There was no way we could kill them in a short time.
Soon, the four of us were gathered together, busy fending off the concentrated attacks of the Chimeras.
A wave of Chimeras was crashing down on us.
Chris gestured toward the stairs on the upper level. The path there was also filled with Chimeras.
Dozens of them? More than a hundred? It was impossible to break through. The stairs still looked to be over twenty meters away.
It would be better to just wipe and restart from the entrance.
But.
*I'll just go alone. I don't want to get hurt.*
If I linked Flash and Backstep, I could get to the upper level by myself.
*Twitch.*
My hand trembled.
*Go alone? Abandon my comrades?*
I shook my head.
A visceral rejection rose within me.
I began to advance, disregarding the attacks of the Chimeras.
It felt like Chris was shouting something from behind me.
The Chimeras swarmed like bees, tearing at my body.
My legs, my shoulders, my side.
Large and small Chimeras sank their teeth into every part of my body.
"......!"
My eyes shot open from the excruciating pain, and my entire body trembled.
The vicious, grinding agony of being eaten alive consumed me, a pain so intense that a quick death would have been a mercy.
In the midst of the pain piercing my mind, in the sensation of my body rapidly dying.
I grasped a feeling I had felt once before.
With this sensation now, I was sure I could use 'that.'
*Chk.*
I took the ready stance for Flash.
The technique used by the ancient Hero I had seen on the top floor of the Tower of Training.
Ignoring the teeth of the Chimera gnawing on my leg bone, I planted my feet firmly on the ground.
A sensation as if an unprecedented energy was flowing through me.
That energy started from the tips of my toes, traveled up my legs, through my waist and shoulders, and reached my fingertips.
An immense power condensed throughout my entire body.
The moment I stomped my foot hard.
*FLASH!*
*KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA!*
My body shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
A great storm of mana followed in my wake, raging along with me.
The hard, tough bodies of the section three Chimeras were helplessly cut and torn apart before that absolute storm.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud.*
A rain of flesh fell, forming a straight path all the way to the upper-level stairs.
Iseulbi's body sends a danger signal.
*Just a little longer.*
*I'll let you rest after we clear this.*
Covered in blood, I turned around.
And I sent my comrades a smile.
"I've opened a path."