Chapter 215 – The Final Battle (Part 1)

The maze vanished, the ice shattered, and the Demon King Azazel slowly rose from the now-flowing lake water, emerging fully before floating forward to stand in front of the players. Suspended in midair, beneath its feet lay what had once been a maze, now blanketed in pure white snow. Its face was that of a goat, but its horns were enormous and twisted. Its body was humanoid, yet its nails were hard and sharp. Twelve gray wings stretched out from its back, casting a gloom darker than pure black. It wore no expression—its goat-like face resembled a mask, but the longer one stared, the more it seemed to be grinning, sinister and eerie.

The Ghost Server Legion had been standing beneath the Demon King’s feet, craning their necks to observe for quite some time. They strolled leisurely as if sightseeing the Leshan Giant Buddha, occasionally offering commentary—

Milk is Mom: “Looks like this won’t be easy to fight~~”

Mad Lad: “No shit? Anyone can tell just by looking at its face that its combat stats are insane.”

Drink Your Sister: “Is this really a ten-man dungeon?”

March: “Looks like it.”

Coffin Shop: “Dutch Chamber of Commerce and Iceborn have already made it here, but we can’t see any of them now. So this isn’t a world boss or a quest boss—it’s a dungeon boss.”

If it were a world boss, everyone would share the same map and fight the same boss. If it were a quest boss, everyone would share the same map but fight their own individual bosses. Only a dungeon boss meant each party had their own instance, fighting their own boss. And now, with no sign of Don’t Stop the Meds or ice Iceborn anywhere, only one possibility remained—they were already inside their own instance.

438: “But dungeons usually have a clear entrance, right? Like the Hanging Gardens or Lusong Coal Mine—you have to click to confirm entering.”

Polly: “If I had to guess, the maze entrance was the dungeon entrance. That’s why the number of people was limited when we entered, and why we didn’t run into anyone else inside. Random PvP doesn’t count, of course.”

Drink Your Sister: “Deputy, no need to be humble. You’ve literally never guessed wrong before…”

Confirming this was a ten-man dungeon didn’t bring the Ghost Server Legion much joy, because while they had the numbers, their class composition… was seriously lacking.

Crossplayer: “Times like these make me miss Sister Blood Bull and 2B Fighter Jet even more.”

Drink Your Sister: “Sigh. Even Dutch Souvenir and Mocha would’ve been decent alternatives…”

Milk is Mom: “Don’t lose heart, everyone~~ Even though we don’t have a Blood Warrior or Berserker, we do have zombies, zombies, and more zombies~~~”

March: “…”

No. 4: “…”

Polly: “…”

Based on their experience fighting Gilrugar, the three zombies in the Ghost Server Legion had assigned themselves numbers. Birdy would go first, stabilizing aggro with Solid as a Rock. Once the effect expired, March would immediately take over, followed by Coffin Shop. If the boss hadn’t died by the time all three zombies exhausted their Solid as a Rock durations, well… the Ghost Server comrades would be on their own.

“Ready?” Fang Zheng asked.

“Everyone stay back, don’t move,” Birdy said, then charged straight at Azazel with a Netherworld Ghostly Claw.

The Demon King, struck by the attack, let out a roar that was neither human nor beast. A massive black serpent suddenly burst from behind him and lunged at Birdy, biting down hard! The zombie’s HP instantly dropped by more than half! Unfazed, Birdy followed up with Specters and Ghouls + Hellfire, this time targeting the serpent. But the next second, the serpent whipped its tail and smashed into Birdy, emptying his HP bar in one hit.

[Combat] Polly has died.

Since the rest of the team stood far away, the serpent vanished, Azazel regenerated his HP, and peace returned.

Crossplayer used Remote Resurrection to revive Birdy near the group. The latter stayed silent, and everyone knew he was replaying the fight in his head to calculate the damage. No one disturbed him.

Three minutes later, Birdy launched a second attack on Azazel. This time, he used the zombie-exclusive premium HP potion alongside his self-healing skill No Rest for the Dead, managing to survive five rounds of attacks before inevitably falling again. Still, it was enough for him to gauge the boss’s attack power.

And so, for the third attempt, the entire Ghost Server squad joined the fray!

Birdy served as the main tank, with Passing Master, Your Sister, and Crossplayer providing heals and support from the periphery. Though Fang Zheng was also a healer, the team’s DPS was so lacking that he had to abandon his Florence Nightingale¹Founder of modern nursing. dreams, switching to DPS gear to join the suicide squad alongside Your Uncle in long-range attacks. 438 controlled his pet from mid-range, Mad Lad was unquestionably the melee DPS, while March and Coffin Shop acted as melee DPS while remaining ready to transform into their “beautiful girl” forms at any moment.

Ghost Server Legion Leader: “Ready?”

Entire Team: “Ready!”

Ghost Server Legion Leader: “Close the gates, release Birdy!”

[Combat] Polly uses Aggro Scroll.

[Combat] Polly uses Hellfire.

[Combat] Polly uses No Rest for the Dead.

[Combat] Polly uses Specters and Ghouls.

[Combat] Polly uses Netherworld Ghostly Claws.

[Combat] Polly uses Restoration Pill.

[Combat] Polly uses Solid as a Rock.

Everything went surprisingly smoothly. Birdy successfully triggered Solid as a Rock, causing the serpent to coil around him with unwavering devotion. The Ghost Server comrades poured everything into their DPS, clearing the serpent’s HP bar in just over two minutes!

The moment the serpent vanished, one of Azazel’s wings suddenly unfurled and lashed out toward Bir… no—his wing bypassed Birdy entirely and struck Your Uncle instead!

The delicate, squishy Spirit Master coughed up blood and died instantly!

Before Your Uncle could even wail in despair, the quick-handed Your Sister had already resurrected him. But the next second, the Demon King targeted Your Sister, wiping out half her HP in one blow!

Your Sister quickly cast Silent Nourishment on herself and was about to chant Revival of the Withered when the Demon King targeted Your Uncle again!

The freshly resurrected, still weakened, even squishier Spirit Master fell once more.

“Why does it love me so damn much…” Your Uncle was on the verge of a breakdown, suddenly tempted to sing a line to the boss like his Legion Leader would: The greatest love is letting go~~~~~~

Yet Meng Chudong, still in his Solid as a Rock state, was even more frustrated. He had used an Aggro Scroll before activating Solid as a Rock, so theoretically, the boss shouldn’t have lost aggro—at least not this soon, since it had only been three minutes and the team hadn’t built up much aggro yet. If it wasn’t an aggro loss, then only one possibility remained—

“Its aggro reset!”

Fang Zheng voiced Meng Chudong’s thoughts.

An “aggro reset” referred to certain bosses in battle suddenly clearing all aggro at specific moments and attacking randomly. This wasn’t an especially difficult mechanic to handle—any party with a Blood Warrior could easily pull aggro back with a Taunt or Deception is Fair in War. After all, who would run a dungeon without a standard-issue tank?

Answer: The Ghost Server Legion.

And the consequence of lacking a standard tank was March finally stabilizing aggro and prematurely activating Solid as a Rock, only for the boss to reset aggro again. Coffin Shop failed to regain control, and chaos ensued as the team wiped one by one. In the end, only Birdy and March remained in their Solid as a Rock states. Once the ten minutes were up, they too met their demise.

Azazel was once again at full HP, floating gracefully in midair.

A heavy silence fell over the Ghost Server squad, the YY channel suffocatingly quiet.

Fang Zheng took a few deep breaths, forcing his voice to sound cheerful: “Sure, wiping sucks~~~ But look at it this way—even though we wiped, we didn’t get kicked out of the instance! That’s actually kinda sweet~~~”

The tail end of his sentence practically drifted off to Siberia before a teammate finally took pity on him and responded, saving the Legion Leader from freezing solid in the icy atmosphere—

Drink Your Sister: “This is a time-limited Valentine’s Day event, after all. Even though it’s structured like a dungeon, it’s still a quest at heart. If they added a cooldown here, no one would ever finish all 100 rounds.”

“But no cooldown doesn’t help either,” 438 sighed. “We can stand here staring all we want, but we can’t kill the boss by looking at it.”

The low morale wasn’t due to the wipe—for the Ghost Server Legion, wiping was practically second nature. Your Uncle could say one wrong word, 438 could pluck a random blade of grass, Crossplayer could summon the wrong thing, and disaster would strike in seconds. But in the past, after wiping, they could always pick themselves up and try again. This time was different—they knew full well that without a real tank, standing up again would only mean falling right back down.

It wasn’t about losing hope—it was about there being no hope to begin with.

“What if,” Meng Chudong suddenly asked, “we don’t get the First Kill? What happens then?”

The Deputy’s question made the entire team pause and reflect.

As family, the Legion Leader was the first to speak: “We won’t get to show off in World Chat! So painful!”

Your Sister followed closely: “We won’t get to mock White Dragon Horse. A little disappointing, but whatever.”

Crossplayer: “I haven’t thought about what would happen, but I’m even more confused by Your Sister’s logic. So conflicted =_=”

Your Uncle: “I can’t think of anything either. The First Kill rewards probably wouldn’t do much to protect me anyway…”

Passing Master: “I wouldn’t care at all. Just playing with everyone is already fun!”

March: “I don’t care.”

Coffin Shop: “Does it involve me?”

“So,” Meng Chudong smirked, “if we can’t take it down, then we can’t take it down.”

After the Deputy’s question, everyone suddenly realized—yeah, so what if they couldn’t kill the boss or get the First Kill? The Lover’s Constellation was vast. They’d seen what they wanted to see, played what they wanted to play, and even made friends they probably shouldn’t have…

“I already said I’d be in agony from not being able to show off!” How could they just ignore him?!

Birdy: “Oh, the Purple-Gold Red Gourd still has one use left.”

“I was just kidding, 438, don’t you dare—impulse is the devil!!”

438: “So… do we use it or not? Deputy, I’m so confused TAT…”

……

In the end, the Ghost Server Legion unanimously decided—no.

The Ghost Server Deputy explained the team’s reasoning: The First Kill was a reward the game company gave to players. Even if they might not get it, they couldn’t let it flow back to the company. After all, players and players were the real family.

The Ghost Server Legion Leader explained his personal reasoning: Compared to the game company that designed such a bullshit boss, whether it’s Don’t Stop the Meds or ice Iceborn, they all seem as cute as Chibi Maruko-chan!

The decision was easy to make, but the boss remained just as hard to kill.

Crossplayer: “So… do we retreat now?”

Drink Your Sister: “Even though I know we can’t beat it, after coming this far, turning back feels so unsatisfying.”

438: “When Deputy’s Solid as a Rock worked so smoothly earlier, I really thought we had a chance >_<"

Polly: “A good start doesn’t guarantee success. Silence, who never got hit by Random PvP, is still stuck in the maze.”

It made sense that they could confirm Silence was still in the maze via the quest progress tracker, but how did he know whether they’d been randomly selected for PvP or not?!

Polly: “Just chatted with Silent Hill for a bit.”

Fang Zheng: “…”

Your Uncle: “Looking at the quest progress, you can tell Silence’s team is stuck in the maze. Compared to them, we’re actually kinda lucky. At least people looking at our progress will just see we haven’t killed the boss yet—they won’t know we can’t even last ten minutes, and they definitely won’t mock us…”

[Megaphone] Mo Gong: The Ghost Server losers don’t even have a tank, yet they’re still circling the boss without retreating. Is this a raid or a comedy show? HAHAHAHA!

Coffin Shop: “Lucky Charm, can I get your autograph? I want to gift it to my business rival.”

……

How could spectators suddenly see what was happening inside the instance? The story began twenty minutes earlier.

When they first entered the maze, players could only infer each team’s progress from the quest tracker. For example, 98% meant still in the maze, while 99% meant they’d found the exit. But whether the 98%ers were lost and bumping into walls or engaged in heated PvP, whether they were on the verge of 99% or miles away from the exit—no one knew. However, the moment Dutch Chamber of Commerce reached the maze exit, a small icon quietly appeared on the interface of every player scattered across the Lover’s Constellation: The Azazel Livestream.

This icon appeared without fanfare, tucked discreetly among the usual icons for the Item Mall, trading platform, party recruitment, and more. Its timing—right as World Chat flooded with the notification “Demon King Azazel has left the Secluded Lake and returned to the mortal realm!“—only made it even more inconspicuous.

But Huaxia Online was never short on bored players, and the tiny change was eventually discovered.

Who the first curious soul to enter the livestream was remained a mystery, but soon the entire server knew they could spectate the First Kill in real time without leaving their seats.

The Azazel Livestream, as the name suggested, broadcasted live footage of any player who successfully exited the maze and triggered the Demon King Azazel. All Lover’s Constellation players could tune in to watch the boss fight. Currently, three teams had triggered the boss, so spectators could choose between three channels and switch or exit at any time.

The Ghost Server squad had muted the constantly refreshing World Chat to avoid distractions during the boss fight. If not for the troublemaker’s megaphone, they’d still be oblivious to the spotlight now shining on them.

“Game designer, what the hell were you thinking putting surveillance cameras in the dungeon?!!” The truth brought tears to the Ghost Server Legion Leader’s eyes.

In another dimension, Xiao Zhang seemed to sense the emotional feedback and flashed a bright smile at Xiao Zhao: “My gut tells me players are gonna love this feature!”

Those being livestreamed felt the pressure, the designers anxiously awaited user feedback, while the spectators enjoying the feature snacked on melon seeds, sipped Red Bull, and occasionally cheered for their favorite teams. More often, they just spammed World Chat with commentary, thoroughly entertained.

[Constellation] Caramel MM: Anyone watching Dutch Chamber of Commerce? How’s it going?

[Constellation] Deception is Fair in War: Can’t you check yourself?

[Constellation] Caramel MM: Iceborn’s team is locked in a fierce battle—can’t look away!

[Constellation] Officer Big Bear: Dutch Chamber of Commerce is the same. Tsk, as expected of the number one guild in the Holy Land of Light, their strength is absolutely solid.

[Constellation] Moriarty: Damn, am I the only one still watching Ghost Server?

[Constellation] Suzhou River: Probably.

[Constellation] New Moon Like a Hook: They don’t even have a tank, what’s there to watch?

[Constellation] Moriarty: I’ll watch what I want, fuck off.

[Constellation] Wandering Monk: Hey, Moriarty.

[Constellation] Moriarty: HAHAHA, knew you’d be here too!

[Constellation] Spring Field Blossom: Guess you’re not alone =_=

[Constellation] Brother Eastwind: Looks like we’ve got enough for mahjong.

[Constellation] Iron Abacus: Uh, what do five people play then?

[Constellation] Silk Road Traveler: Six.

[Constellation] Self-Made Man: Seven.

[Constellation] Fair and Square: Eight.

[Constellation] Weiming Lake: Nine.

[Constellation] Mouse of the Gods: Ten.

[Constellation] Ghost of the Gods: Eleven.

[Constellation] Fist of the Gods: Twelve.

[Constellation] War-Snow Wolf: Nineteen.

[Constellation] Big H: Twenty-nine.

[Constellation] Drink Till You Drop: Forty-nine.

[Constellation] Duke Rum: Fuck’s sake, if you’re gonna count, at least do it properly! Who skips numbers like that?!

[Constellation] War-Snow Wolf: Who skipped numbers?

[Constellation] Big H: The bros brought the whole squad to spectate~~~

[Constellation] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: The Legion Leader’s wife is in Ghost Server ╮(╯_╰)╭

[Constellation] Spring Breeze Doesn’t Get It: Do I smell… vinegar?

[Constellation] Brother Eastwind: Whether it’s vinegar or soy sauce, hurry up—the show’s about to start~~~

[Constellation] One-Cent Dog: What do you mean?

[Constellation] Coldwater Blade Wanderer: Holy shit, holy shit—Ghost Server’s starting the fight again!

[Constellation] Two Elders of Beiming: They still haven’t given up? Didn’t they wipe like five times already?

[Constellation] Kill All Who Block Me: They switched tanks this time.

[Constellation] Only One Truth: A boss that randomly resets aggro won’t care if they have ten Solid as a Rocks.

[Constellation] Kill Gods If They Block Me: But a whale… one is enough =_=

Lured by Kill Gods If They Block Me’s cryptic tease, players who’d written off Ghost Server tuned back in out of morbid curiosity—only to be stunned by what they saw.

The Ghost Server raid had begun, but the original tanks—March, No. 4, and Polly—had all stepped back. The vanguard was now Mad Lad!

In theory, Assassins weren’t as squishy as Spirit Masters, but they were nowhere near as tanky as Blood Warriors. His HP and defense were even lower than a top-tier pure healer Wandering Physician’s. Yet now, this very Assassin was withstanding Azazel’s relentless attacks! Even more terrifying, not every attack brought him to critical HP—some only chipped away a third to half his health, matching the defensive rhythm of a standard tank!

[Constellation] Only One Truth: Since when are Assassins this OP?!

[Constellation] Dead Demon Refiner: That’s no ordinary Assassin! Look at his gear! Look at his accessories! Look at his blade!

[Constellation] Shovel Roams the World: I can see that too! I need details!

[Constellation] Dead Demon Refiner: How should I know what he did?! It just looks insane!!!

The equipment dazzling the spectators hadn’t always looked like this.

As a PK-loving, battle-crazed whale Assassin, Mad Lad had happily built all his gear for max DPS. A melee fighter who didn’t chase high damage? Might as well be salted fish.

Until the team wiped again and again at the boss’s feet.

Crossplayer timidly asked if they should retreat. No one answered directly. Even though it might’ve been the only option, the thought was… unbearable. The First Kill wasn’t this team’s ultimate goal—that wasn’t just lip service. Compared to the title, they cherished the moments of striving together for the same objective more, savoring the joy, frustration, excitement, and facepalms along the way. So even if the First Kill went to someone else, as long as they gave it their all, there’d be regret but no anguish.

But now, they’d been robbed of even the chance to try. Without a Blood Warrior, it was as if they weren’t even qualified to challenge the boss. Who could accept that?

Yet even in this hopeless situation, the team could only stare at the boss helplessly. No one said to him, “Hey, Mad Lad, why don’t you spend some cash and upgrade your gear? Maybe we’ll have a shot.”

From the moment he joined the Ghost Server Legion, the word “whale” had been stamped all over him.

From the moment he joined the Ghost Server Legion, no one had so much as glanced at the word “whale” written all over him.

In this guild, no one ever told him, “Hey, you’re part of this team, you should do this,” or “Hey, you’re part of this team, you must do that.” He could be Mad Lad, the mediocre Assassin, the uncle who liked teasing younger men, the spendthrift who threw money around like water. He played however he wanted, knowing that even if he caused heaven-shaking trouble, his teammates would just shrug and say, “Oh, that’s just our Mad Lad, hahaha~~~~”

He wasn’t just anyone—he was the Ghost Server Legion’s Mad Lad.

He stripped all the DPS Enhancement Stones from his Goddess of Fortune Set and replaced them with top-tier Defense Stones from the Item Mall. He discarded his godly DPS dagger for a short sword that boosted max HP. Earrings, necklaces, rings—all trashed, replaced with the pink quartz Blood Warriors loved for defense. Finally, he cleared his quick slots of all DPS-boosting food and scrolls, swapping them for defensive consumables and Aggro Scrolls.

Assassin Mad Lad had become Blood Warrior Mad Lad. Though his aggro-generation was still slightly weaker, his other stats matched a standard Blood Warrior’s—some parameters even surpassed it, rivaling high-end tanks.

All these changes happened while the Ghost Server team frowned at the boss, silent and swift. It wasn’t until Mad Lad volunteered to be the tank that everyone realized their Assassin had become a completely different person.

The seemingly hopeless First Kill attempt now had a sliver of light thanks to Mad Lad’s sacrifice. The team was so moved they could barely speak coherently—

Milk is Mom: “You really are… blinding no matter what you wear ╮(╯_╰)╭”

Drink Your Sister: “Zero taste.”

Crossplayer: “Whale.”

438: “The dagger was kinda nice, though…”

Mad Lad: “That’s a sword!”

More and more players flooded the Ghost Server channel, all just to witness the spectacle of an Assassin tank!

[Constellation] Silver-Tongued: How’s it going? What’s the progress?

[Constellation] White Rhino: Already took out a fifth of the boss’s HP.

[Constellation] Wandering Miracle Doctor: What the hell is that Assassin wearing?! I’m dying of curiosity!!!

[Constellation] Dragon Slumber: Goddess of Fortune Set, obviously. Can’t you tell?

[Constellation] Dryland King of Hell: It’s glowing like a damn gold ingot from head to toe—how could anyone tell?!

[Constellation] Blue Phoenix: I’ve seen the Goddess of Fortune Set’s stats. No way it could tank this long.

[Constellation] Durian Noodles: If the stats aren’t enough, just socket stones. Duh.

[Constellation] Blue Phoenix: Even with max-tier Defense Stones, impossible!

[Constellation] Kneel on Keyboard: That sword looks familiar…

[Constellation] White Peony: The accessories are definitely pink quartz, but the color seems off…

[Megaphone] Duke Rum: [Mad Lad] Post your gear!

[Constellation] Manicurist: They’re in the middle of a heated battle—like they’d answer you.

[Megaphone] Mad Lad: [Goddess of Fortune Set] [Ultimate Invincible Pink Quartz x3] [Life-Saving Short Sword] [Golden Powder Family] [Flying Kiss]~

[Constellation] Waiter Chen: HOLY SHIT THIS GUY’S INSANE!!!!!! He socketed his entire Goddess of Fortune Set with Ultimate Defense Stones!!!!!!

[Constellation] Giordano: If an Assassin wants to tank, of course they’d socket Defense Stones. What’s the big deal?

[Constellation] Lonely Alien: Dude, are you new? Ultimate Stones are only sold in the Item Mall—not only are they outrageously priced, but once socketed, they’re permanently bound to the gear!!!

[Constellation] Giordano: So you’re saying this purple set can only be used for tanking now and can’t be changed back? But the Goddess of Fortune Set is DPS gear. Modified like this, its defense is only on par with a standard Blood Warrior’s—a high-tier one would crush it.

[Constellation] Waiter Chen: So this purple set is basically trash now! What a waste!!!!

[Constellation] Savage Traveler: You think only the stones are from the mall? The pink quartz and short sword are cash shop items too! This is the definition of “rich and reckless”! [Mad Lad] Need a tea-pourer? College-educated, preferably?

[Constellation] The Wind Rises: What the hell is the last one?

[Constellation] Flying General of Dragon City: A flying kiss, obviously!

[Constellation] The Wind Rises: I mean this! [Golden Powder Family]

[Constellation] Quicksilver: “…”

[Constellation] Shovel Roams the World: “…”

[Constellation] Fog City Ghost: “…”

[Constellation] Bunny Next Door: “…”

[Constellation] Silver-Tongued: Just click and see for yourself.

[Constellation] The Wind Rises: “…[Mad Lad] You absolute degenerate!!!”

……

[Golden Powder Family]

Price: 99 yuan

Effect: Using this item coats the player’s entire outfit with a dusting of gold, making every piece shimmer with lavish flair.

Duration: 30 days

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  Founder of modern nursing.