Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: The Spearman of Lightning and the Shield Bearer of Earth (2)
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Tat-tat-tat!
Kuaaah!
Shhhk, tat!
I weaved between the roaring Ice Trolls and Ice Ogres.
There was no need to kill all the mobs in the trash section.
The path to the first named boss room split in two.
Each path was divided into three large sections.
The problem was that a closed gate blocked the way to each new section.
To open the gate, you had to operate a lever in the opposite section.
Pulling the lever on the left path opened the gate in the right section.
A four-person party would have to split up to proceed. With only one body, I was at a huge disadvantage.
But the important thing was that I didn't have to kill all the monsters. Just pulling the lever would open the gate on the opposite path.
"In that case."
I'll just quickly hit the lever and get out.
Shwaaaak!
Kaaaah--!
I instantly dealt with the two Ice Trolls standing on either side of the lever with a Flash Strike, then lightly tapped the lever with my sword and slipped back toward the entrance.
The gate to the second section on the opposite path should be open now. I would operate the lever there and then come back here.
Like this, just two more times.
Thud.
Having reached the first named boss, I stared directly at the 'Spearman of Lightning'.
Standing on the other side of the cliff was the 'Shield Bearer of Earth'.
A dual-boss structure, first seen in the Ancient Temple.
The first named boss of the 'Frozen Palace of the Tundra' was also a fight against two bosses.
At first glance, the two rings separated by a massive cliff looked like independent combat zones.
Even if I took down the spearman in front of me, it seemed there was no way to attack the shield bearer on the other side.
"This company is good at designing patterns."
I trusted my experience up to this point.
The shield bearer across the cliff.
If there was only one person to attack, it would definitely cross over to this side.
Jo Hyeon-su's party had given me a lot of information.
Even a way to solve the paralysis that occurred at four stacks of 'Current Overload' and 'Rock Overload'.
Clang.
I drew 'Astaroth'.
The simulation was already over.
All that was left was verification.
Shwaaa!
My body shot toward the 'Spearman of Lightning' at high speed.
[1st Named]
[Level 48 Spearman of Lightning]
[HP 15,000,000 / 15,000,000 (100%)]
[1st Named]
[Level 48 Shield Bearer of Earth]
[HP 15,000,000 / 15,000,000 (100%)]
Thud, thud, thud!
Under my feet, awls made of rock repeatedly shot up.
As expected, it had a ranged pattern that attacked the user on the other side when there was no opponent on its own ring.
Hop, hop, hop.
I hopped sideways to escape the range of the 'Shield Bearer of Earth's' rock awls and twisted my body to dodge the 'Spearman of Lightning's' thrust.
Kang!
Soon, the four rock attacks stopped. Blocking the spearman's attack, I glanced over at the shield bearer across the cliff.
Thud, whoosh!
The shield bearer, who had fallen flat on its back in a comical way, quickly straightened its body and jumped powerfully.
The expected landing spot was the 'Spearman of Lightning's' combat zone, where I was.
Immediately, I used Counterattack, targeting the spearman.
Kwaaaang!
The shield bearer landed where I had been and immediately began swinging its shield at me.
Both were now in range. From now on, I just had to deal with both the spearman and the shield bearer.
I deflect the spear, get behind the shield bearer as it raises its shield, and use Starlight Slash one, two, three times. As the spearman slams its spear down, the shield bearer also turns. Here, Flash Strike. Paat! Then I move back slightly, checking the travel distance of Flash Strike.
The distance between me and the named bosses was 7 meters, the exact range where their ranged patterns wouldn't activate, and I could bait them into walking towards me. A sort of kiting position. But I had no intention of standing still until they reached me.
I lowered my stance, holding my sword in a reverse grip.
[Starlight Sword Aura]
[Cooldown 1 minute]
[Fires 5 waves of starlight-infused sword aura in a 15m x 3m area in front of you (4 waves at 500% of Starlight Slash's power, 1 wave at 2000%)]
Papapapat!
From my reverse-gripped sword, a sword aura imbued with starlight erupted. As the colossi approached me, they were defenselessly exposed to my attack.
Kwaaaaa!
Then, I unleashed the final wave of sword aura with force. The recoil pushed my body back slightly.
Thwack!
The bodies of the colossi shuddered violently. While they were momentarily stunned, I closed the distance and unleashed another sword strike at the shield bearer.
Woooong.
One minute of combat time had passed.
Both colossi crouched simultaneously, entering a timed special pattern.
A buff pattern that covered the entire ring. The buff couldn't be resisted with invincibility skills. Naturally, I didn't bother dodging. I just kept attacking.
Crackle! Paaat!
Two types of buffs were applied to my body at once.
[Current Overload Stage 1 (1m 30s)]
[Rock Overload Stage 1 (1m 30s)]
Buffs that increased attack power and defense power, respectively.
But this sweet buff would turn into a deadly poison the moment it reached four stacks.
In that case.
I just needed to take the sweet and spit out the bitter.
[Current Overload Stage 2 (35s)]
[Rock Overload Stage 2 (35s)]
Papapat!
I fed both colossi an equal share of my blade while checking my buff status.
55 seconds had passed since the second buff was applied. And, 5 seconds until the third buff.
This was the important part.
Currently, I was fighting a 2-on-1 battle on just the left ring.
However, I could also use the right combat zone across the cliff.
I couldn't cross over myself, but there was a way to send the named bosses.
During Jo Hyeon-su's attempt, I clearly saw that the Warrior's 'status effect combo' worked to stun them during normal patterns.
The move the shield bearer used to fly over to me initially. A powerful jump after lying down.
If I could inflict the 'Down' status effect on the named boss, I should be able to trigger the 'Jump' pattern that would send it to the opposite ring.
The buff infusion pattern couldn't be interrupted. However, the pattern right before the buff infusion could be interrupted with a down.
Whoosh!
Right before the third buff, the shield bearer raised its shield high.
Here, I lowered my stance, supported myself with my arm on the ground, swept the shield bearer's legs, and then sprang up to slash its legs with my sword.
Thwack, thwack! Thud!
I looked down at the sprawling shield bearer and grinned.
Sir Shield Bearer, you should work on your legs.
Even my short legs can trip you up easily.
Shhhk, kwaang!
Of course, I didn't have much time for taunting. I confirmed the shield bearer was arching its back to jump up, then quickly looked at the spearman thrusting its spear at me and used Counterattack.
The shield bearer's body soared powerfully, easily crossing the massive cliff. Disappearing from my sight in an instant, it landed on the opposite ring and crouched down.
At the same time, the spearman in front of me also crouched down.
The third buff infusion pattern.
In this position, the shield bearer's 'Rock Overload' buff only applied to the opposite ring.
Crackle, paaat!
[Current Overload Stage 3 (1m 30s)]
[Rock Overload Stage 2 (30s)]
"This is it."
I smiled brightly as the battle unfolded just as I had planned.
The shield bearer would use its ranged pattern four times, then cross back over here.
But by the time the fourth Rock Overload pattern came, the existing Rock Overload buff would have disappeared.
That solved the Rock Overload.
So, what was the solution for the paralysis I would face at the fourth stage of the spearman's Current Overload?
The battle continued.
Again, the shield bearer used its ranged pattern four times, then jumped over here. Thud!
It was soon time for the fourth Current Overload and Rock Overload pattern.
[Current Overload Stage 3 (35s)]
'Rock Overload Stage 2' had expired.
Currently, the only buff I had was 'Current Overload Stage 3'.
I looked at the spearman and lowered my stance.
This time, spearman, it's your turn to go.
Thwack, thwack! Thud! Whoosh!
After I downed the spearman, it crossed to the other side and cast its buff there, while the shield bearer remaining here cast its buff simultaneously.
[Current Overload Stage 3 (30s)]
[Rock Overload Stage 1 (1m 30s)]
With this, a rotation strategy that prevented reaching four stacks of the buffs was established.
All that was left was to repeat it.
The starlight erupting from the tip of Astaroth surged toward the spearman and the shield bearer.
*
The guild master of the GG Clan, 'We Got Married', couldn't believe his eyes.
The entire streaming screen he was broadcasting was filled with starlight and silver light.
Dancing within it were only two colossi, deep scars being carved into their bodies, and a blurry, white flash.
The chat window was also quiet, as if everyone was holding their breath, with only a few analytical comments popping up here and there.
[Is what we're watching really 'Astria Online'?]
[Seems like it]
['4-Person Party Recommended' meant this? lololol]
[So 4 people is just a recommendation, and you can solo it?]
[But it's too fast. I can't see.]
[Gotta save the video and analyze it at 0.25x speed]
[It's not stat-padding. They're definitely parrying almost everything with skills]
[I'm a Swordsman, but I don't even know what skills Whitey is using?]
[Didn't they say you get paralyzed at 4 stacks? They're not getting paralyzed?]
[They downed it and sent it over. Looks like it uses the buff on the other side and then comes back?]
[The fight looks so different from a party run... I have no idea how they're doing it]
[But was it even possible to get a first clear solo?]
[No, more importantly, what's with that sword aura? lolol A Swordsman is using a ranged skill!! It's a bug!!]
[It's probably a new skill from the Ice Crystal Tower?]
[I thought even Whitey wouldn't be able to clear it, but seeing this today, they must have cleared the Ice Crystal Tower too]
The guild master, We Got Married, and the rest of the GG Clan's vanguard party of four did not re-enter the named boss's combat area after reviving from their second attempt.
[Yin-Yang Master 'Chris']
- Mr. We Got Married, you're streaming right now, right? My girl Rain from the 'Noname' party is going to be broadcasting their elite dungeon run in real-time. Would you like to use it as content for your stream today?
A message from 'Chris', the master of the Red and White guild, had changed We Got Married's streaming content.
But.
"Is... is this even possible?"
"We're witnessing something incredible."
We Got Married couldn't help but agree with the strained groan from the GG Clan's Swordsman.
The GG Clan was strong in PVP wars, but they didn't have that many PVE-oriented users. It was more beneficial to learn the strategy than to keep attempting it endlessly.
We Got Married had thought it was killing two birds with one stone—promoting the GG Clan guild and learning the strategy—so he had started broadcasting Rain's stream with Chris's permission.
[Mr. We Got Married... if you can contact Whitey, please ask them to open the chat...]
[No Super Chat? Guess it's an account with only live streaming permissions]
[Guess we have no choice but to commentate in this room lololol]
[It really seems like it's purely for broadcasting the video... Whitey, please stream yourself]
[Rain, let's communicate]
Flash!
Rummmble.
A silver flash grazed the colossi's bodies. The starlight sword aura tore them apart.
And finally, their bodies were sliced in half and collapsed.
We Got Married let out a groan.
"C-Clear!"
"With a solo play...!"
At the same time, the chat window exploded.
[omg they really cleared it]
[One try? Solo?]
[No, this isn't right! Other 4-person parties are dying trying!]
[Today, the common sense of Astria Online has been shattered]
[Whitey! Whitey!]
[Rain! Rain!]
[I'm just gonna quit being a Swordsman... I can't even learn this, let alone do it]
[It's not a Swordsman problem... it's that user that's the problem]
[Are they the daughter of Hana Games? How does a character move like that?]
['Just copy them' lololol]
[Soloing an elite dungeon... was this even a game where you could do that...]
[You can actually solo lower dungeons after farming the new ones]
[But that's only possible for the top 0.001% of users]
[Are they the furthest along right now? Any news on Chris's party?]
[Is Whitey the only member of the 'Noname' party?]
[It's only the first named boss, but yes, they're doing a solo first clear run]
[Have they been getting all the first clears solo until now?]
[There's no other explanation]
[I heard a rumor that Whitey was solo busing people through the temple....]
[I thought it was just because of the legendary weapon lololol]
[Hana Games, release the legendary weapons! Even if they're temporary!]
[Temporary! Temporary!]
[How grateful we are for a fate that will disappear!]
[Do you guys think you could do it if you had a legendary weapon?]
[This isn't a damage issue....]
[Streamer, aren't you going to do a strategy analysis?]
"This... how am I supposed to analyze this."
We Got Married gave an awkward laugh at the chat.
Fortunately, the Swordsman from the GG Clan party approached and broke the silence.
"The only thing we can take from this for party play is the fact that you can send the named boss to the other side with a down status effect."
"Hmm, that's right. If two people on both sides apply a down at the same time, you can swap the positions of the two named bosses. But the timing has to be tight. Maybe around 55 seconds after the buff pattern. If you send them over too early, they'll come back and use the buff, and if you're too late, the buff will activate."
"Yes. The buff infusion pattern can't be interrupted. So we have to apply the down between 52 and 56 seconds... in that 4-second window. Should we calculate it by checking the remaining buff time with the status visualization mode?"
"If you send them over at 3 stacks, the fourth stack buff that causes paralysis will..."
"be applied to the people on the other side. Then we can continue the fight."
"There shouldn't be a problem in party play then. But how do we explain what we just saw?"
We Got Married broke out in a cold sweat.
Putting aside the physical skill that was impossible to replicate, the problem was her intuition.
She sent the shield bearer over right before it cast its third stack buff. Then, while dealing with the shield bearer that returned after wasting its buff, she also sent the spearman over to cast its fourth stack buff on the other side.
It was as if she was playing with a timer in her head. She was calculating the buff duration while fighting two named bosses at the same time. Even using the status visualization mode, you'd have to check the time down to the second while frantically reacting to the patterns of two named bosses.
An act that was absolutely impossible for a normal user to do simultaneously. Did she have two or three brains in her head?
We Got Married shook his head.
"With my abilities, I have no confidence in analyzing Rain's gameplay."
"Umm, I thought I was a pretty decent Swordsman myself, but I can only think the same as the viewers. I can only hope this doesn't reflect badly on the Swordsman class."
Awe, the collapse of common sense.
The streaming screen was already showing Rain's back as she headed toward the second named boss's area.
They had only watched the first named boss fight, but one thing had become certain.
Rain, she was.
Living in a different world from ordinary players.