Igniting the Second Phase
Shwick-! Boom-! The battle between the Snow Drake and the raid team unfolded at a blistering pace. The raid, split into four teams, pressed their assault. Luna, from Team 1 serving as the flanking unit, prepared to breach from behind a massive structure on the side.
First phase precautions: two key points. One, don't touch the reverse scale. Two, don't go all out. The goal is to stress the Snow Drake—use only the power needed for that.
Those two warnings from Black Dragon had been drilled in from the briefing. The reverse scale attack, which had effectively tormented the Snow Drake when he claimed its legacy, was off-limits. And he'd even added not to use full power. It was to fool the Snow Drake's eyes, which learned from enemy strength, and drive it straight into the final second phase.
"Strike low! Hit the joints precisely! Not the frontal scales—chip away at them!"
Black Dragon's orders rang clear across the battlefield. Team 2, built around raw strength as their main stat, focused their onslaught on the joints of both legs as commanded.
"Hup!"
The man with the hammer and the woman with the axe dove in simultaneously, unleashing their skills. Clang-! Thud-! The impact reverberated as it glanced off the tough scales. Even without their aces, the concentrated barrage proved effective.
"Left leg swing incoming!"
Kruk-! Right on cue with Black Dragon's call, the Snow Drake whipped its foreleg hard. Retaliation for the cracks forming in its scales.
Kwaaang-! The charge ripped up the icy floor. A standard pattern from the briefing.
Whoosh-! The pair shifted to the positions Black Dragon had described, and the beast's foreleg grazed past them. Thud-! The other three team members, who had circled right in advance, struck the opposite leg's joint. At the same instant, spells and skills rained down on the nape above its neck.
Pzzt-! Poomf-! Team 3 kept attacking from range, maintaining distance at their posts. The vanguard specialists wielding magic and bows. Rapina stood at the team's core, her expression deadly serious.
Kwaaang-! Her wind magic conjured razor-sharp whirlwinds that slammed into the weak point. The spot with the softest scales, excluding the reverse scale. Perfect for solid results.
Kieeeek-! The Snow Drake's movements grew larger as effective hits landed almost simultaneously. The key wasn't damage—it was stress. Proven by the new patterns it unleashed.
"Tail attack! Team 4, defend in front of the left leg—the rest of you, flank to the right leg side!"
With Black Dragon's voice, the Snow Drake twisted its waist. The raiders moved in near unison at the order.
Thud-! They took their positions. In that moment, the beast's eyes flashed as its massive tail whipped out wide.
Whoosh-! The strike hurtled in at speed belying its bulk. But that enormous tail failed its duty.
Clang-! Team 4, led by Mars, blocked it with flawless coordination. The recoil lifted the Snow Drake's left leg slightly.
"Now!"
Thud-! Right after the tail rebounded, Team 2—the strikers—split to both legs from behind the right one. Pre-planned strategy.
Kang-! Poomf-! The raiders poured skills into the already battered spot. The airborne leg was even more vulnerable now. That tiny difference sparked change.
Drip-! Suddenly, the scales' gap, overloaded with damage, warped wide open.
At the same moment, Black Dragon approached Luna.
"Team 1, breaching."
Thud-! The special unit, raid leader at the fore, charged straight in. Luna ran abreast of Black Dragon and stole a glance at his profile.
...He's something else.
She'd witnessed plenty of top-tier players directly and indirectly during her vanguard runs. But Black Dragon felt utterly different. Eyes that read every minute shift, orders without the slightest hesitation. The briefing had hinted at it, but it was like he'd fought this battle countless times before.
Even watching him closely since yesterday, this display only fueled her curiosity.
Swish- Lost in thought, Luna never lost focus on the hunt. Frigid white mist trailed her lowered sword. She reached the beast's left foreleg in no time.
Shwick-! Kicking off, Luna thrust her sword—now gleaming crystalline white—at the joint scales. In that instant, ice erupted from the tip like an explosion.
Kwaaak-! The ice-attribute strike burrowed into the scale gap, but the Drake's cold resistance couldn't fully hold. Exposed flesh offered far less defense than scales.
Shwick-! Black Dragon followed into the right leg. His blade sliced the gaps like a gale.
Whirl-! Flowing from the motion, he spun and drove his two-handed grip into the crevice. The edge that had traced a sharp line now unleashed a storm.
Kwaaang-! The intruding gusts churned back up through the gap.
"Those legs must be killing it."
Haemu, lounging casually at the rear, slid in low toward the torso. He eyed the exposed scale gaps on both legs and swung his fan through the air.
Tap-! With a crisp sound, mist etched a vertical line. It delivered shockingly potent impact.
Kwajik-!
Kieeeek-! Acute pain flooded both legs, wrenching a scream from the Snow Drake. Blood sprayed, and its rage intensified.
Thud-! The Drake stamped back, eyes blazing.
Kwaaduk-! Dozens of ice spears materialized overhead in an instant—crystals of its chill.
Shieeeek-! They rocketed toward the exposed raiders at terrifying speed. Luna leaped straight into the barrage.
Shieeeek- Her pure white arc through the air scattered frost in a beautiful trajectory. At its end, hundreds of flower buds bloomed.
Poomf-boom-! The ice spears shattered on impact, scattering everywhere. The Drake's power was stronger, of course, but Luna could twist trajectories even with weaker force.
Kruk-! Blocked, the Drake's confusion and fury swelled. It pressed the next attack without pause.
Whip-! Twisting, it swung its tail wide.
"AoE incoming! Fall back to marked spots!"
The moment Black Dragon called the tell, everyone moved as one.
Thud-! The tail slammed down right after, faint light seeping from the cracks. Then, razor ice erupted across a dozens-of-meters radius.
Kwaaang-! A massive AoE that blanketed their vision. The vanguard gaped at the ice spiking right before them.
Black Dragon's distance calc was eerily precise.
"Resuming attack! Team 2, extra hits on both legs—Teams 1 and 3, focus the nape scales!"
No time to marvel—the orders flowed seamlessly. The vanguard snapped back into the hunt, moving in perfect sync.
Kieek-! Poomf-! Focused firepower piled damage steadily. Not full power, sure—but mid-vanguard strength was plenty to max the Snow Drake's stress.
"How long we gotta just watch?!"
Blood's frustration erupted from afar, but Black Dragon ignored it. Meanwhile, Luna hammered the left leg relentlessly.
"Fall back!"
The back-and-forth raged on briefly. Then Black Dragon's voice boomed again.
Slide- The wildly thrashing Snow Drake coiled its massive tail around itself. It reared its head, jaws gaping wide.
Pop-! A pristine white crystal formed above. It began spinning rapidly, stirring faint winds.
Whoooosh-! The frigid vortex from above intensified.
Thud-! At the promised pattern, players zipped to Black Dragon's position.
"As explained, we'll use just one heart. Form up."
The raiders aligned at his order. Team 4 with the highest cold resist on the outside; others inward by resist rating. Black Dragon, holding the White Wyvern heart, stood central-up top.
Slide- Alignment complete, the vortex slowed. As hazy vision cleared—
Hummm-! A sharp resonance pierced from the overhead orb.
Simultaneously, Black Dragon raised his sword and slammed it into the White Wyvern heart on the ground.
Kwajik-! The blade pierced clean through. Condensed cold burst forth right after.
Kwaaduk-! Potent chill invaded everything. The instant the entire raid froze—
Boom-! The Snow Drake's crystal detonated overhead.
Kwaaang-! The ferocious cold storm spread with terrifying momentum, blanketing the fortress in a heartbeat.
Kwaaduk-! The whiteout storm shattered the fortress walls at the edges before dissipating.
Whooo- Only biting frost swirled in the frozen space. Ice blanketed the vast fortress.
Whoooosh- The Snow Drake had encased itself in thick ice for recovery. Moments later, change stirred.
Crack- Something shattered amid the settling white chill.
Ice crumbled from one side. Drip-
Black Dragon stirred within. Nearby raiders shook off their frost steadily.
"This side's thawing slower, huh."
Team 4's vanguard, short on heart protection, remained trapped in thinner ice.
"Don't they look breakable?"
Haemu snuck up and poked the frozen ones with his fan. Controlled strength, but one slip meant death.
"Don't wanna burn? Get out."
Black Dragon approached, palm out. In a gentle tone, he called the spirit's name.
"Salrist."
Fwoosh- The little flame wolf appeared at his summons. Without a word passed, it padded lightly before the frozen group.
Fwoom-! Flames bloomed without warning, engulfing the vanguard. The thin layer melted in seconds.
"...Hot."
Mars and Team 4 broke free.
"Thanks."
Black Dragon dismissed the spirit and gave them a quick once-over. He stepped forward, facing the full raid.
"Second phase starts now. Remember the briefing—go all out from here. The Snow Drake will get erratic, so I'll call dangerous tells."
Shk- After the quick recap, he pulled a oddly hued orb from inventory. Gripping it, he crushed it lightly.
Shaaa- A clear, soothing chime rang in their ears. Golden motes spilled out, drifting down over everyone's heads.
Ding-
[Transcendent Sound buff applied.]
[Keen Senses effect granted.]
[All stats increased by 50%.]
[Remaining time: 30min 00sec]
The buff matched the info Black Dragon had shared. Unreal even on second look.
"Luna, you sure about this?"
Black Dragon drew close, eyeing the Frenzied Dance Mask in her hand.
"I'm good. Worst case, you'll handle it, right?"
"Obviously, but like I said— the displeasure debuff worries me."
"Don't sweat the displeasure. Grew up around plenty of gross humans."
Luna's smile eased some tension, but Black Dragon looked more concerned. It was refreshingly novel, tempting her to tease further—but her confidence was no bluff.
Drip- Then, change hit the frozen Snow Drake.
Plop- drip- Shattering ice sloughed off its bulk swiftly.
Shaking its head back to form, it fixed bloodshot eyes on the raid.
"Disperse. Stick to the handouts and my on-site calls."
Black Dragon drew his sword mid-speech; raiders snapped to positions.
"Luna, you're up. I'll monitor and counter any issues. Blood, over here."
"For real?"
Thud-! After his caution and duty words, Black Dragon headed to his spot. Finally called, Blood bounded after him.
"Eyes going all white like a berserker? Hope I don't catch it."
Haemu halted his stroll, teasing lightly. Luna replied with ice-cold composure.
"Go mad for real, and I'll carve you up after the hunt."
"That's assault, not respect. Kids these days are scary."
Haemu sighed, fanning himself as he walked on. Last remaining, Luna climbed the structure for ambush.
Thud-! Poomf-boom-! The battle, already underway, showed a whole new face from the first phase. The Snow Drake had changed—and the raiders, buffed, were stronger too.
"So that's Keen Senses."
Melee players facing erratic patterns showed markedly sharper reflexes. Impressive even for non-agility builds.
Thump- A thrill she hadn't felt in ages. Factoring the buff and mask, her shift was unpredictable. Combat prowess for lost control—what form would it take?
Kwaang-! Then, the Snow Drake's pattern flipped in reverse. True second phase underway.
Shk- Luna checked her sword, steadied her stance. Heart pounding, she donned the Frenzied Dance Mask.