Chapter 242: Life’s Guardian
“Everyone.”
Just as everyone was transforming into gold miners, a male voice suddenly spoke up.
“We’re about to battle, so it’s best to group up now for better coordination and contribution tracking. That way, everyone can compete for the boss’s loot according to their abilities.”
Zane glanced over.
The speaker was a level 31 knight with the ID “Kongqingshi.” He looked somewhat familiar and should be from Qianyancheng.
He’s already thinking about the aftermath before the fight has even begun?
“Kongqingshi? If I remember correctly, you were the one who took down the much-discussed Gale Demon yesterday, right?” An assassin leaned against the wall about five meters away, looking at him with a smirk.
Gale Demon? Sounds unfamiliar, probably something from Qianyancheng, perhaps similar to that boss in the demon secret?
“Yes, that’s me. What’s it to you?” Kongqingshi quickly admitted.
“Hehe… Others may not know, but I can see it clearly! When the boss was on its last legs, you deliberately held back your control skills, only striking after your teammates had all fallen, hoarding at least two-thirds of the loot!” The assassin chuckled greedily, speaking nonchalantly.
As soon as he said this, at least five or six people looked over.
You need to know that the death of the Gale Demon had caused a world announcement—it was the third gold-grade boss to fall, right after the Demon Knight.
And the killer was Kongqingshi!
“Stop slandering! Not to mention that I didn’t do what you’re accusing me of, but you, a lowly golden assassin, have no right to judge anyone!”
“What’s wrong, feeling guilty? Answering questions with questions?” The assassin, whose ID was “Insidious Watermelon,” looked somewhat handsome but spoke with a somber tone, fitting his name.
“You…!”
In online games, disputes over loot distribution are numerous. Even if the assassin spoke the truth, it’s not surprising.
If it were Zane, it’s hard to say he wouldn’t do something similar. Of course, the reward needs to be enticing enough.
“Enough! This is not the time for personal grudges! We’re about to face the Shadow Lord, and just the lack of healing is troublesome enough. If we fight individually, we might as well give up!” Sword Fire Burning the Plains interjected, cutting off their argument.
“…Insidious Watermelon closed his eyes, seeming unwilling to speak further.”
“I support grouping up. This isn’t the time to dwell on personal issues; we can address the distribution of loot after defeating the boss.” Chuxiao Ghost chimed in.
“I’ll listen to the boss!” Lian Lian echoed in agreement.
“I’m fine with whatever.”
“Up to you.”
“+1”
“+2”
Four more people agreed.
“Starry girl, what do you think?” Chuxiao Ghost brought the conversation back after seeing no response from her.
He noticed that Fenghuayue, Endless Sea, and the Forgotten Memories, as well as the two NPCs, had deep connections with her, so her opinion was crucial.
“…Lan Chen was puzzled, seeing you all chat so well, why ask me?”
“…Sure, how about one of you create the group and reorganize directly.” Starry thought for a moment and nodded.
“Alright, with this, over half the people have agreed. Who wants to be the leader?” Kongqingshi asked.
“…No one spoke for a moment.
“I’ll do it,” Sword Fire Burning the Plains volunteered. “As for command experience, I have a bit, plus…”
Ding!
System Notification: You are under the effect of the leader skill “Life’s Guardian,” increasing your maximum health by 7%.
Once in the group, the system displayed this notification, and a flower icon appeared in the buff bar.
This was the first time Zane had seen someone other than Starry possess a leader skill.
“Hehe… Uncle, where did you get your leader skill? I’ve never heard of it!” Insidious Watermelon grinned, as even currently, not even a song leader could increase health limits!
“Haha, it’s nothing, just a skill I got from a hidden map.” Sword Fire Burning the Plains casually replied.
“…Now it seems impossible.
However, with this, Starry’s total health increased to 9320, which is quite impressive, nearly breaking the 10k mark!
The others were also astonished, thinking about when they could also acquire a leader skill.
“Hey girl, wait, that’s… something feels off.” Kurei suddenly extended his hand to stop Zane, staring at the stone on the right.
“What…”
Crash!
The boulder shattered under immense force, and the broken pieces became flying projectiles, indiscriminately attacking everyone.
Clang! Clang! Clang!!
The sounds of blocking were continuous, and those who reacted quickly had successfully blocked most of the attacks. Even so, several people still lost over a thousand health.
Those who reacted slowly found themselves down to half health.
One slow-moving brawler was even taken out instantly by the flying stones!
As the dust settled, a tall figure blocked the light from the exit.
Of course, that exit was torn open temporarily.
“Knock down… that guy!”
With an emotionless tone, the enemy simply elongated the sounds while wielding its weapon and whirled around!
In the moonlight, the closest Zane barely managed to see the monster’s true form; it was a slimy-type creature. Unlike what they encountered before, this boss was a headless one!
A level 40 gold boss, with 400,000 health, attack fluctuating between 1500-1800, and high defenses beyond 600. It was similar in attributes to the warriors encountered in Moonshadow City. However, its information bar also included a (Summon) suffix, indicating it was a specter summoned by the Shadow Lord.
Oh no, the situation is different now; visibility is extremely low. The magical little fire lantern was destroyed by the exploding rubble, leaving only faint light.
Moreover, the space was already quite cramped. If the boss came in and spun around, how could they avoid it?!
“Control it!” Sword Fire Burning the Plains urgently shouted; failing to control it could lead to heavy casualties in one encounter!
But… these people weren’t members of the Eavesdropper team, and no one moved.
Except for Fenghua, everyone else was in melee roles. To control it, they would have to get close. Even charging would mean taking the damage from the spinning attack. Who could guarantee they wouldn’t be taken out instantly?
What a joke, this was an attack limit of over 1800!
[Starry] wasn’t moving either, not out of fear of death but because…
Zane boldly stepped forward, watching the approaching dark figure, calmly reciting, “Wish—Mire!”
The muddy ground suddenly became damp.
As the spinning figure approached, its feet easily sunk into the ground, spiraling in place, which doubled the size of the opening, now enough to accommodate at least five people simultaneously.
Fortunately, the mire was a special area control that could change terrain and continuously apply an effect similar to binding, so it wouldn’t disappear due to level suppression.
The skill’s effect of the giant ax face was controlled first, disappearing.
“Wish—Vine!” Without hesitation, Zane immediately followed up with control.
Miss!
Unfortunately, the control failed.
Fenghua then threw an Armor-Piercing Arrow. With no other ranged support, her armor-piercing shot was exceedingly vital.
-469
The damage was pitifully low, but the next moment, a purple corrosive effect had already entangled the enemy; the armor-piercing had succeeded!
“Is this little girl’s control too strong!?” Kongqingshi’s mouth twitched; did one skill really waste the spinning attack?
However, this also greatly reduced the risk of dealing with the boss.
“Don’t even think about hurting the lady!”
Kurei shouted fiercely, rushing out with the Poison Blade.
“Get him back!” To everyone’s surprise, [Starry]’s expression changed as she anxiously shouted, simultaneously positioning herself, ready to charge.
