Chapter 204 – Performing at the Royal Palace
by Salted FishThe harmonious atmosphere lasted until the boss transformed. The sudden increase in size brought with it an overpowering two-hit single-target attack! Even Dutch Souvenir couldn’t withstand it—after the first hit, he fell straight down, and the boss immediately delivered the fatal second strike to Mocha! Just as Mocha was hit, War of the Gods rushed forward with his greatsword, taunting the boss almost seamlessly after Mocha’s death! The boss’s aggro was firmly transferred to War of the Gods, while Rain Ceases had already resurrected Dutch Souvenir, and Little Willow was chanting Remote Resurrection on Mocha!
Fang Zheng was stunned by this seamless coordination—genuinely stunned. At this moment, he just wanted to grab Don’t Stop the Meds by the shoulders and shake him violently: Are you sure this is your team’s tacit understanding and not the game being put on auto-pilot?!
Don’t Stop the Meds didn’t notice Milk is Mom’s excitement because this kind of coordination was commonplace for them. If the “non-professional friendly team” hadn’t been distracting his teammates with idle chatter, the transition would’ve been even smoother.
Amidst the Dutch Guild Leader’s internal grumbling, the boss began chanting its AoE attack.
Following the usual pattern, this would be a continuous AoE attack lasting over ten minutes. As long as at least one of Dutch Souvenir, Mocha, or War of the Gods survived, wearing the boss down wasn’t impossible.
Fang Zheng had already placed his finger on the shortcut key for Ten Thousand Blossoms—this was the prearranged tactic. Since the first hit of the boss’s AoE was the most lethal, he was responsible for the AoE heal at that moment.
Finally, the boss finished chanting, and a dark green skill effect exploded above all the teammates!
Fang Zheng pressed Ten Thousand Blossoms at the same time! The system message bar immediately filled with a neat queue—
[Combat] Polly has died.
[Combat] X has died.
[Combat] Refined Into a Demon 715 has died.
[Combat] …
[Combat] …
[Combat] War of the Gods has died.
Twenty obituaries in total—no one escaped.
Fang Zheng stared in disbelief at his black-and-white screen. His Ten Thousand Blossoms was an AoE heal, not an AoE attack!!! And even if it were an attack, there was no reason for the caster to be wiped out along with everyone else!!!
This wasn’t the first wipe for the Ghost Server Legion or the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, but since they hadn’t been prepared at all, the shock was overwhelming. As a result, all teammates lay stiffly on the ground, with no sound in the YY channel and no roars in the megaphone chat—everyone was stunned.
Fang Zheng was snapped out of it by a notification—
[System] Festive Lantern has chosen to resurrect you. Accept?
Though surprised, Fang Zheng still chose to accept and thanked the player as soon as he got up.
[Local] Festive Lantern: No problem. Thought you guys could clear it, but turns out you couldn’t handle it either.
Fang Zheng broke into a cold sweat and was about to reply when someone beat him to it—
[Megaphone] Mad Lad: You knew this boss’s AoE was a one-shot kill?
[Local] Festive Lantern: We wiped here too, but when we tried with ten people earlier, this attack wasn’t this strong. So we weren’t sure if it was random or if the damage scaled with twenty players.
[Megaphone] Mad Lad: So you kept quiet just to see what would happen to us guinea pigs?
[System] Festive Lantern has chosen to resurrect you. Accept?
[Megaphone] Mad Lad: Screw you. Milk is Mom, resurrect me.
[Local] Milk is Mom uses Resurrection.
The moment Mad Lad stood up, he chugged a limited-edition cash-shop Major Health Potion along with a Speed Scroll. Instantly, the Assassin, now at full HP and free of Resurrection Sickness, lunged at Festive Lantern like a madman, immediately unleashing Bloodseal Strike!
Festive Lantern hadn’t expected to be ambushed—no, this wasn’t even an ambush. It was a full-on frontal assault!
Though caught off guard, the number one healer of Frostbite Canyon wasn’t undeserving of his reputation. His fingers moved faster than his brain, casting Trickling Stream on himself! At the same time, he leaped high into the air, dodging out of Mad Lad’s melee range. Now, if the Assassin wanted to keep attacking, he’d have to chase him down first…
[Combat] Mad Lad uses Frost Arrow.
Fuck, forgot Assassins have a ranged attack too!!!
Festive Lantern had forgotten, but Mad Lad executed it with practiced ease. Watching the bastard healer slowed by Frost Arrow, he flipped forward and struck from behind with Backstab + Bloodseal Strike!
Festive Lantern had already anticipated this move, so the moment he was hit, he started chanting Revival of the Withered. Timing-wise, this heal would land right after the two-hit combo, and by then, the Frost Arrow debuff would’ve worn off. He could then proceed to torment this guy with full HP—something he’d been wanting to do ever since Sky Arena…
[Combat] Milk is Mom uses Crimson Lotus Holy Fire.
WHAT THE HELL KIND OF ONE-SIDED INTERFERENCE IS THIS?!?!
He was just a healer, not a Blood Warrior! He couldn’t withstand the insane combo of Backstab + Bloodseal Strike + Crimson Lotus Holy Fire! TAT
[Combat] Ice on Fire uses Revival of the Withered.
[Combat] Festive Lantern uses Revival of the Withered.
When the dust settled, Festive Lantern was still standing, as were Ice on Fire, Mad Lad, and Milk is Mom. This meant Ice on Fire’s skill had perfectly slotted between the Assassin’s two-hit combo and the opposing healer’s Crimson Lotus Holy Fire, healing the damage from the two hits and allowing him to survive the Crimson Lotus Holy Fire. Then, his own Revival of the Withered kept him standing there as if nothing had happened.
[Local] Ice on Fire: A few hits are enough. No need to go all out.
[Local] Milk is Mom: If I hadn’t stepped in, who knows who’d be the one getting wrecked.
[Local] Mad Lad: Why do I feel like there’s a lot of subtext here? Let me think…
[Local] Festive Lantern: Stop thinking. With your IQ, you can only scratch brainless lottery tickets! Ugh, what did I even do to deserve this? Trying to help and getting punished for it!
[Local] Grave Sweeping Scroll: Just watch quietly. Who told you to meddle? ╮(╯_╰)╭
[Local] Festive Lantern: Good people get struck by lightning these days!
[Megaphone] Rain Ceases: Good person, resurrect me.
[Local] Festive Lantern: No! I’ve lost all faith in this cold, unfeeling society. From now on, I’m never helping old men again!
Midnight warriors still battling across Lover’s Constellation couldn’t see the “Local” chat—only the “Megaphone” messages. Of course, by now, most players in Lover’s Constellation knew there was a whale named “Mad Lad.” For someone who could endlessly draw lottery tickets, spending a few bucks to chat via megaphone was perfectly normal. But oddly, the megaphone content wasn’t idle chatter—it seemed like he was arguing with someone? Fine, you’re rich, you can argue via megaphone if you want. But if you choose a platform where the whole world can watch, at least have a proper back-and-forth with context! Just you spouting one-sided lines isn’t a livestream—it’s a scam!
[Constellation] Rabbit Next Door: I’ll pay 100 Huaxia Coins to kneel and beg for the hidden person’s next line!!!
[Constellation] Blue Phoenix: Same! Can’t you just use the megaphone too? We’ll pay!
[Constellation] Coldwater Blade Wanderer: I’ll add 200 Huaxia Coins to the pot.
[Megaphone] Rain Ceases: Good person, resurrect me.
[Constellation] Rabbit Next Door: …
[Constellation] Coldwater Blade Wanderer: …
[Constellation] Blue Phoenix: I feel like this counts as fraud =_=
[Constellation] Flying General of Dragon City: Clearly, they’re not even reading what we’re saying—they’re just chatting among themselves. But isn’t Rain Ceases from the Dutch Chamber of Commerce? How’d he get mixed up with Mad Lad?
[Constellation] Only One Truth: From what I’ve observed, the top sixty on the leaderboard are all stuck at 59%. They must’ve hit a roadblock somewhere, shared misery, and bonded over it.
[Constellation] Dao Dao Dao: Mad Lad’s tone doesn’t really match your last two descriptors =_=
[Constellation] Six Immortals of Peach Valley: Hate people like this. Just play quietly—why spam megaphones for attention? Showing off their progress?
[Constellation] Only One Truth: My gut says Mad Lad doesn’t brag about progress.
[Constellation] Qiao Feng: Same. All his bragging opportunities are dedicated to “I’m filthy rich.”
[Constellation] Six Immortals of Peach Valley: Then why spam megaphones? Use your gut to figure that out too.
[Constellation] Only One Truth: Probably wiped. Dead people can only talk via megaphone.
[Constellation] Six Immortals of Peach Valley: …
[Constellation] Dao Dao Dao: …
[Constellation] Flying General of Dragon City: …
[Constellation] Blue Phoenix: Somehow, I feel like I’m witnessing a crime scene =_=
The group in the Royal Palace had no idea they’d stirred up a minor storm in the World Chat. With so many people talking, they could barely keep up with the local chat, let alone pay attention to anything else.
By then, the Dutch Ghost Squad had all been resurrected at full HP. Aside from Iceborn and Silent Hill, who had claimed they were logging off to sleep but had been spectating the whole time, Five Peaks Pavilion, War Banner, and Huaxia Dominion had also quietly retreated to a corner of the palace, posing as a group of silent, handsome men.
[Local] Milk is Mom: So what’s the deal with you two teams? Not fighting, not logging off—what’s the plan?
[Local] Drink Till You Drop: Take a break, take a break.
This guy isn’t Drink Till You Drop—he’s Ikkyu-san1“Don’t worry, don’t worry, take a break, take a break” is a well-known catchphrase from the Japanese anime Ikkyu-san!
[Local] ice Iceborn: Five Peaks Pavilion and the others couldn’t handle that AoE either. The situation’s clear now—the boss will definitely use an AoE attack. Until we figure out how to counter it, we can only rest.
[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: Solutions aren’t thought up—they’re tested.
Don’t Stop the Meds’ words sounded less like a reply to Iceborn and more like a declaration of his own resolve. He didn’t wait for Iceborn’s response, instead speaking directly in YY:
“When we fought with ten people earlier, that AoE was weak. Now with twenty, it’s lethal. It must be tied to the boss’s HP—if we deal too much damage early on, making the boss lose too much HP, it triggers this lethal AoE. So we’ll try again, slacking off early and going all out later.”
Don’t Stop the Meds’ deduction aligned perfectly with Meng Chudong’s, but the aura he gave off in this moment was entirely different. If Meng Chudong had said the same thing, it would’ve been just an expert’s accurate judgment. But when Don’t Stop the Meds said it—and phrased it not as “We should try again” but as “We will try again”—it wasn’t a discussion. It was a notification. This was the true presence of a Legion Commander. No matter how casual he usually was, when it was time to be serious, he was calm, steady, and commanding without anger.
The Dutch Chamber of Commerce stayed silent because their Commander had declared they would try again—their job was to execute.
The Ghost Server Legion also stayed silent… Yeah, right →_→
Fang Zheng: “How much slacking off are we talking about?”
Your Sister: “Are you sure you want healers slacking off too?”
Passing Master: “For me, as long as I’m casting, it’s not slacking. Such a dilemma…”
Mad Lad: “Fuck that. I’m not joining if it’s just slacking. What a waste of my Purple Set.”
Crossplayer: “If slacking just means Rallying and nothing else, I’m a pro at that!”
Your Uncle: “Do verbal or mental attacks count as slacking?”
438: “What… does slacking mean? (⊙o⊙)?”
At first, Don’t Stop the Meds had been willing to answer Milk is Mom’s question, but now…
“Dutch Souvenir! Pull!!!”
[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: I think his voice trembled.
[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: His soul must be crumbling.
[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: You’re using full sentences now?
[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Simple phrases can’t convey this feeling.
[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: We’ve become corrupted too…
[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Can’t help it. Teaming up with the Ghost Server Legion is just…
[Whisper] March to Liangzhou: So satisfying.
[Whisper] No. 4 Coffin Shop: So satisfying.
The boss had been pulled, and even if they didn’t want to fight, there was no turning back. Not that the Ghost Server teammates were unwilling—they just genuinely felt Yao Yao’s strategy wasn’t detailed enough! So everyone had to interpret “slacking” based on their own understanding. For example, 438 summoned the Mountain Spirit he’d captured in Vanilla Forest, Mad Lad equipped… no, wore a completely stat-less Scottish kilt, Your Uncle used Ice Shatter for slow, single-target DPS, and Crossplayer didn’t even Rally, standing around with Birdy staring at the sky.
It wasn’t that Don’t Stop the Meds’ strategy lacked detail—he just didn’t know how much slacking was needed to prevent the boss’s ultimate. But with the ten “friendly” teammates now fully slacking off, he had to adjust his own team’s approach—
[Team] Don’t Stop the Meds: Dutch Chamber of Commerce, stop slacking. Output at 80% capacity.
Since ten people going all out wouldn’t trigger the ultimate, it was better to deal as much damage as possible without crossing that threshold.
Finally, the boss finished its phase of one AoE and two single-target attacks and began chanting its lethal ultimate!
A few seconds later, the dark green skill effect exploded for the second time…
No obituary queue this time!!
Everyone immediately went all out. Mad Lad switched gear in 0.1 seconds, Fang Zheng cast Ten Thousand Blossoms, and even Crossplayer buffed War of the Gods with Ironclad and Fervor!
Yet five minutes later, another AoE wiped them out.
This time, it was Summit of Mount Tai who resurrected them.
But no one tangled with Summit like they had with Festive Lantern because they were too focused on figuring out whether this second lethal AoE was random or avoidable like the first one.
After a quick discussion, Dutch Souvenir pulled the boss again.
They maintained the same ten-person slacking output, survived the first AoE, then went all out—only to be wiped by the second AoE again.
This time, they left a backup plan. Just before the second AoE, Rain Ceases ran outside the palace—partly to avoid bothering “outsiders” for resurrections, and partly in case he could quickly return to revive everyone and continue the fight.
Half of this plan worked. Rain Ceases avoided the AoE and revived the team, but the boss had already regenerated its HP.
Refusing to give up, they tried another approach—slacking until the second AoE, reasoning that if the first AoE was triggered by low HP, maybe the second one followed the same logic. But the boss wasn’t that kind. Even with over 80% HP left when the second AoE hit, it still wiped them without mercy.
“Is this a boss or a fucking bug?” Dutch Souvenir was the first to speak—unsurprisingly, since he was always on the frontlines.
“This makes no sense. There must be a way to prevent this AoE, or this quest would be impossible,” Rain Ceases analyzed calmly, but analysis without a solution was useless.
438 suddenly asked Fang Zheng: “Commander, does this boss drop good loot?”
Fang Zheng didn’t hesitate: “Definitely. Why else would they design something this broken just for a quest chain?”
438 fell silent, quietly closing his inventory window, just as Thousand Mountains said: “Even if this AoE can be avoided, who knows what the trigger is? Slack the whole time? Then how do we kill the boss?”
Don’t Stop the Meds: “So what’s your suggestion?”
Thousand Mountains: “Tank it.”
Don’t Stop the Meds: “How?”
Polly: “Solid as a Rock.”
Birdy’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried weight—not just confidence, but absolute certainty.
Thousand Mountains smirked and said no more. Don’t Stop the Meds, however, was intrigued: “You mean entering Solid as a Rock right before the boss’s lethal AoE?”
“Yes.”
“If I recall correctly, the boss’s sustained AoE before the lethal one takes two-thirds of your HP per hit. You can’t trigger Solid as a Rock from that, and the second hit would kill you outright.”
“I can use potions.”
Don’t Stop the Meds didn’t press further—he understood. Solid as a Rock triggered at critically low HP. If the boss’s first AoE took two-thirds of Polly’s HP, leaving him with one-third, a Health Potion could restore another third, bringing him back to two-thirds. Then the next AoE might push him into Solid as a Rock range.
But this was theoretical. In practice, it required extremely precise calculations of the boss’s damage and his own HP. If the potion healed too much, Solid as a Rock wouldn’t trigger. Too little, and the next hit would floor him.
Yet Polly said he could use potions—not “try” or “see,” but could.
With the Zombie’s confidence, the team decided to attempt it. After all, they’d already died and revived countless times—giving up now would make all their effort meaningless.
“Dutch Souvenir.” Don’t Stop the Meds called his Blood Warrior again.
Dutch Souvenir was all too familiar with this tone: “Got it, pulling now!”
“Stop!” Don’t Stop the Meds facepalmed. “Can’t I call you for something else?”
Dutch Souvenir was baffled: “What else would you call me for?”
Don’t Stop the Meds: “Can’t we just chat?!”
Dutch Souvenir was aggrieved: “But you only ever chat with Thousand Mountains, or discuss tactics with Rain Ceases, or talk dungeon prospects with Keychain. With me, it’s always ‘Dutch Souvenir, pull!'”
Don’t Stop the Meds: “…”
[Team] Crossplayer’s Blessing: Why does the atmosphere feel weird all of a sudden.
[Team] Drink Your Sister 3X: If even you think it’s weird, it’s definitely weird.
[Team] Refined Into a Demon 715: Is Dutch Souvenir… sulking with their Commander?
[Team] Dutch Souvenir: Hey, I can see this =_=
[Team] Mocha: So what’s Boss Yao’s deal? What does he even want?
[Team] Polly: He probably just wanted to casually ask why there seem to be more people around and reflexively called the name that’s been popping up a lot lately.
[Team] Don’t Stop the Meds: I just wanted to ask if you’ve noticed more spectators!!!
[Team] Scholar Lu: …
[Team] War of the Gods: …
[Team] Little Willow: …
[Team] Rain Ceases: …
[Team] X: …
[Team] Rain Through the Woods: …
[Team] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: Are you two sharing a computer?
[Team] Milk is Mom: No!
[Team] Don’t Stop the Meds: No!
[Team] Polly: Are we pulling or not?
……
[Local] Wandering Miracle Doctor: What are they even doing? They’ve been hesitating forever—why aren’t they moving?
[Local] Purple Star Lord: Probably discussing tactics. Every attempt is a gamble—one misstep means a wipe.
[Local] Dragon Slumber: I feel like they’ll wipe even without missteps =_=
[Local] Festive Lantern is My Male God: They’ll never clear it! This boss’s first kill belongs to my male god!!
[Local] The Wind Rises: Either way, they’ve eliminated countless failed strategies for us. That alone makes the trip here worth it.
[Local] White Rhino: Yeah, all these attempts are helping us avoid pitfalls!
[Local] Left Eye Sees Ghosts: Commander, that TXT doc you sent has issues. They weren’t purely slacking early on—they maintained ten players’ worth of damage. But I suspect the first AoE might not trigger at >10 players. Since all their wipes happened at full 20-player output, maybe the threshold is 11, 12, or 15. Too bad they’re not testing that anymore—they’ve stuck to ten players these last few tries.
[Local] One Night Resurrection: Wrong channel!
[Local] Blue Skeleton: Wrong channel!
[Local] Alps: Wrong channel!
If the Dutch Ghosts hadn’t understood why the spectator count had suddenly surged, they did now—everyone was here to study their tactics! At first, it might’ve just been Iceborn, Drink Till You Drop, Silent Hill, War-Snow Wolf, but as time passed, more and more players realized this progress point had stalled the top-ranked teams. That meant it would eventually stall them too! Rather than going in blind later, why not observe and learn now? And this observation was definitely worthwhile. Just look at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce throwing themselves at death’s door, the Ghost Server Legion scattered and breathless—enough to move anyone to tears…
Why does this mental image just make me sadder?! Screw this!
Shaking off their gloomy thoughts, the Dutch Ghosts pressed on. Though they’d gone from valiant warriors to street performers, with so many spectators watching, they had to clear this boss now—or they’d never live it down!
Don’t Stop the Meds: “Dutch Souvenir.”
Dutch Souvenir: “OK.”
This time, the boss was truly pulled.
Every teammate stared intently at their screens, afraid of making mistakes.
The first AoE was successfully avoided!
Everyone equipped their best gear and went all out!
“438!” The Ghost Server Deputy suddenly shouted. “Put away 502, switch to 520!”
“Got it!!” 438 seemed prepared, instantly swapping pets.
438 was prepared, but the Dutch Chamber of Commerce wasn’t! What the hell are these numbers?! The only number they could make out was “715,” which wasn’t even in Polly’s instructions!
Not understanding the numbers didn’t matter—the next moment, golden light filled the entire Emerald Kingdom’s royal palace.
Phoenix Seeking Phoenix!!
Spectators who’d seen it once by the lake were still dazzled, and back then, it hadn’t even attacked—just flapped its wings and stunned everyone. Now, it beat its wings, summoning scorching flames as if to burn the palace to ashes!
Those outside the fight only saw the skill effects, but those in the thick of it felt the damage firsthand!
Don’t Stop the Meds: “Why didn’t you bring this pet out earlier?!”
438: “Deputy said it wasn’t needed during slacking.”
Don’t Stop the Meds: “But after the first AoE, when we started DPSing, it still wasn’t out!”
438: “Deputy said we’d wipe anyway, so it’d be a waste.”
Don’t Stop the Meds: “Is your Deputy some kind of all-knowing emperor whose every word you obey?!”
438: “Deputy told me to explain that my ID is 715 now, but it used to be 438. 502 is the pet with Airborne—it sticks to enemies like glue. This Phoenix Seeking Phoenix is called 520 because ‘I love you,’ to commemorate getting it in Lover’s Constellation.”
Don’t Stop the Meds: “…”
438: “Deputy says he’s a bit tired and wants to focus on preparing Solid as a Rock.”
Don’t Stop the Meds: “I hope he exhausts himself to death =_=”
Fang Zheng was also surprised by 438’s Phoenix Seeking Phoenix, but after hearing the explanation, he realized Birdy must’ve checked the pet’s stats in advance and arranged with 438 to switch on command. Truthfully, 438 had been reluctant to show off his Purple-tier pet, wanting to save it for a more critical moment. The Ghost Server teammates respected that, so despite repeated wipes, no one had suggested switching pets. Besides, given how the wipes had gone, one pet’s extra damage might not have made a difference. But if Birdy had a plan, Fang Zheng trusted it.
The boss’s sustained AoE was nearing its critical point.
Polly’s HP was exactly at two-thirds!
The lethal AoE unleashed!
Fang Zheng’s screen turned black-and-white, and the message bar filled with death notices—but Birdy was still standing!
[Combat] Polly uses Solid as a Rock.
It worked! The trigger worked!!!
The fallen Dutch Ghost teammates’ souls whooshed to the respawn point. Two minutes later, they returned to the palace one by one and resumed DPS!
The boss’s HP was down to 50%!
[Local] Silver-Tongued: Holy shit, that actually worked?!
[Local] Indian Mane: I’m convinced. Completely convinced.
[Local] Suzhou River: Now I get why the Zombie class fell out of favor—what kind of monster can pull off this level of precision?!
The next seven minutes were the most intense in history. In all of Huaxia Online, you’d be hard-pressed to find another team like this—the Dutch Chamber of Commerce’s ten members each had at least two Purple-tier gear pieces, whether bracers, boots, or accessories, while Thousand Mountains wielded a top-tier Purple weapon! On the Ghost Server side, March and Mad Lad had full Purple Sets! With the healer’s Golden Hoop and 438’s pet, it was practically a sea of purple!
Spectators watched as the boss’s HP steadily dropped—victory was in sight!
Boss HP: 40%!
30%!
20%!
10%!
Every teammate’s heart threatened to leap out of their chests!
Some celebrated prematurely—
Mad Lad: “Hahaha, we’ve got this!”
Others remained cautious—
Your Uncle: “I feel like bosses usually have one last desperate attack when they’re about to die…”
[System] Gilrugar: Aaaaaah—
In the blink of an eye, the already-large witch-demon boss grew several times bigger, its head hitting the palace ceiling! Its black robes then summoned countless swords raining down on the twenty teammates!
“Fuck you, Your Uncle!!” Mad Lad now wanted nothing more than to find Your Uncle’s address and demolish his house!
Rain Through the Woods: “It’s fine! The Zombie’s still in Solid as a Rock. Even if we die, it won’t be a wipe!”
Before the words even faded, the swords pierced through the team. The damage far surpassed the previous AoE—even Dutch Souvenir, No… Even Dutch Souvenir wearing March’s Purple Set, couldn’t withstand it!
Polly stood alone amidst the corpses again, but this time, his composure was gone: “Hurry to the respawn point! Solid as a Rock only has three minutes on the counter—by the time you run back, you’ll only have about one minute left!”
One minute? They’d fight even for one second! After half a night of struggle, they’d never been this close to victory!
Two minutes later, everyone regrouped at the palace center!
Formations didn’t matter now—they just attacked with everything they had!
Boss HP: 7%!
Solid as a Rock: 40 seconds left!
Boss HP: 5%!
Solid as a Rock: 20 seconds left!
Boss HP: 3%!
Solid as a Rock: Expired!
Birdy unleashed Netherworld Ghostly Claws + Specters and Ghouls!
At the same time, teammates’ skills roared forth!
Even Passing Master used Crimson Lotus Holy Fire!
Boss HP: 1%!
0.9%!
0.8%!
0.5%!
0.3%!
0.2%!
The Dutch Chamber of Commerce’s eyes lit up—victory was within reach. The Ghost Server Legion’s eyes narrowed—they remembered their teammate’s words:
[I feel like bosses usually have one last desperate attack when they’re about to die…]
So when the boss’s final ultimate landed, nine people gasped—You’re doing this NOW?! Ten people sighed—Of course it’s happening now. And one person gasped, then sighed, fully accepting that he’d truly met his “destined rival.”
[Combat] Polly has died.
[Combat] X has died.
[Combat] Refined Into a Demon 715 has died.
[Combat] …
[Combat] …
[Combat] War of the Gods has died.
Another twenty obituaries—no survivors.
The YY channel was shrouded in gloom, completely silent. The cruelest thing wasn’t hopelessness—it was coming this close and failing.
Spectators also lamented. Though they couldn’t see the boss, the Dutch Ghosts’ damage intake suggested the boss had been pushed to the brink. They griped as if they wished the boss’s final attack had hit them instead.
Rain Through the Woods, usually blessed with good luck, had never faced such frustration. But his mindset was solid, so he comforted the team: “Maybe this is the darkness before dawn. As the saying goes, ‘Beyond the mountains, another village.’“
Before he finished, someone in the team posted—
[Local] Rain Ceases: Why hasn’t the boss regenerated HP?
Following his lead, everyone checked—the ceiling-touching boss’s HP bar was still at a sliver!
Usually, a boss not regenerating HP meant its aggro wasn’t cleared, and aggro not clearing usually meant its target hadn’t wiped or had resurrected quickly enough to remain in its attack range!
[Combat] Milk is Mom uses Golden Hoop Resurrection.
Fang Zheng’s heart nearly stopped when his black-and-white screen suddenly turned colorful. Reading that tiny combat line, he was moved to tears—Months of devoutly headbutting this thing finally paid off!!! TAT
Your Uncle: “Commander, watch the boss!”
It was unclear who noticed whom first—Your Uncle’s warning and the boss’s skill landed simultaneously.
Fang Zheng had just healed himself to full with Ten Thousand Blossoms and was now chanting Crimson Lotus Holy Fire, but he had no idea if he could survive this hit.
Rain Through the Woods: “Ghost Server Commander, you’ve got this! Hang in there!”
The boss’s skill effect arrived, brutally interrupting the two-thirds-chanted Crimson Lotus Holy Fire—but it didn’t kill Fang Zheng.
With Ten Thousand Blossoms still on cooldown, Fang Zheng chugged a Major Health Potion and stubbornly resumed chanting!
Meanwhile, the boss also began chanting!
Your Uncle & Rain Through the Woods: “Go!!!”
Fang Zheng was flustered, feeling like his fate rested in the hands of the gods! TAT
Both progress bars advanced, the difference a mere hair’s breadth…
[Combat] Milk is Mom uses Crimson Lotus Holy Fire.
[Combat] Gilrugar has died.
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