Kael drew his eyes away from the distant commotion and re-aid at the serpent in front of him.
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A huge chunk of the Scaleserpent’s health bar vanished. With Hazel tanking, Kael didn't have to worry about positioning; he could just focus on pure, uninterrupted damage. Two more arrows flew, and the snake's health bar emptied.
[System]: Scaleserpent killed. 190 EXP.
A level 8 mob hadn't even lasted three seconds.
Hazel bounced on her heels and ran over to check the loot.
[Serpent Scale]: A material for crafting armor.
She tossed the scales into her backpack with a grumble. "No gear again. The drop rates in Godpath are so low."
Kael smiled and patiently explained, "The chance of a regular mob dropping gear is practically zero. You'll only occasionally get a piece of Common gear from Elites. Anything Rare or above only drops from bosses."
Hazel scratched her head. "What's an Elite? And what do bosses look like?"
"You can tell by the color of their na," Kael said. "Normal mobs have white nas. Elites are green or blue. Bosses are orange or red."
Understanding dawned on her face. "Ohhh. So that big snake's na was white, which ans it was just a level 8 Normal mob. No wonder you killed it in three hits."
Kael just shook his head, not bothering to explain further.
It's true I killed it in three arrows, but that's with a legendary bow and a legendary quiver. A player at the sa level would be lucky to hit for 30 damage a shot. It would take them almost forty hits to kill it, and by then, the snake would have dealt over a thousand damage in return. Even a Normal white-nad mob is no joke for the average solo player.
He glanced toward the flickering lights of the battle ahead and spoke to Hazel in a low voice. "Kill your torch."
"Okay." She didn't question him, simply stowing the torch in her inventory.
The world plunged into near darkness, illuminated only by the faint glow of nearby crystal-leaf plants and the flicker of fireflies.
"Whoa, there are a lot of people over there," Hazel whispered, her eyes having adjusted.
"Shh," Kael put a finger to his lips, took her hand, and began to slowly lead her closer.
As they crept forward, the scene ca into focus. A group of sixteen players was fighting a massive wild boar. The creature stood upright, easily ten feet tall, and was swinging a six-foot-long stone club that whistled through the air. Above its head, its na glowed in a brilliant gold: Alpha Quillboar.
[Alpha Quillboar]: Level 9
HP: 11513 / 20000
Phys. Attack: 252
Phys. Defense: 123
Mag. Defense: 63
The Quillboar's health was steadily being chipped away.
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Cole wasn't attacking; he stood back, directing the fight like a field general.
"Archer one, watch your spacing! You're too close to the boss!"
"Main tank is taking crits, back off! Off-tank, grab aggro now!"
"Healer, swap your targets!"
"Watch out, he's using a skill! Rogue, get back here!"
"Hunter, don't bother rezzing your pet. It's a waste of mana!"
Watching him command, Kael nodded to himself. That's Cole. He's the one who eventually founds the Aegis Pri guild. They wouldn't place very high in the rankings later on, but for the first year or two, they were a major force.
In Kael's past life, Cole's team had been the first to kill a world boss in starting village #9999.
Hazel leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Dawnbreaker, should we try to steal their boss?"
"Not yet. Let's just watch," Kael murmured, his eyes locked on the fight. He knew things were about to change.
Suddenly, the Quillboar on the battlefield let out a furious roar, its white hide turning a deep brown. It leaped high into the air, reaching a height of twenty or thirty yards, before crashing down to the ground.
BOOM!
A shockwave erupted in a ten-yard radius around it.
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The stomp hit five players instantly. The three with higher health pools managed to survive, but the priest and the rogue caught in the blast were killed instantly.
With 8,000 HP remaining, the Quillboar had entered its second phase. Its attack speed increased, and its basic swings now included a small cleave effect, hitting multiple targets.
The pressure on Cole's team doubled. Their damage output was already barely enough, and their healer was struggling. Now, with two mbers down, the situation was becoming critical.
Just then, a Warlock moved to Cole's side. "Ashveil," he said, using Cole's in-ga na, "I've got a bad feeling. I think there are people nearby."
Cole snorted. "Heh. Amateurs. Trying to gank us mid-fight. They think they're the hunters, but they're the ones walking into a trap."
"You an…?"
Cole didn't elaborate, instead issuing a new set of commands in the team channel. The Quillboar's health continued to drop.
5000…
4000…
Watching from the sidelines, Hazel sensed sothing was wrong. "Why are they fighting while backing up?" she whispered to Kael. "Are they trying to run away?"
Kael smirked. "They're not running. They're kiting the boss onto soone else."
"Kiting?" Hazel looked confused.
Kael just motioned for her to watch.
The Quillboar leaped into the air again for another stomp. This ti, Cole's team was ready. At his command, they all dodged and rolled away from their current position—and directly toward a large, dark bush.
CRASH!
"What the fuck, the boss hit !"
"Shit, they spotted us!"
"Dammit, fight them!"
Five or six players burst out of the bush they'd been hiding in. Three of their companions had been instantly killed by the Quillboar's stomp.
Cole's voice bood across the clearing. "Light 'em up!"
His team imdiately switched targets, focusing all their fire on the ambushers in the bush. Already wounded by the boss's attack and caught completely by surprise, the would-be gankers were overwheld.
The fight lasted less than two minutes. Cole's team lost one mage but completely wiped out the enemy party of six.
Cole let out a cold laugh. “Pathetic amateurs. You really think you can ambush with that little trick?” He raised his voice so his team could hear. “Alright, minions cleared! Everyone focus on the boss! Anyone who took part tonight, alive or dead, gets a $3,000 bonus!”
A chorus of cheers erupted.
"COOOOL!"
"Hell yeah, boss!"
They had thirteen mbers left, the boss was under 3,000 HP, and all outside threats had been eliminated. This boss kill was in the bag. Cole was brimming with confidence.
Hazel, however, was getting anxious. "Dawnbreaker, there are so many of them. I don't think we have a chance anymore."
Kael remained perfectly calm. "It's not over yet. Just watch."
Hazel shot him a puzzled look. How could they possibly ss this up now?
But just as the Quillboar's health dropped to 2,000, it threw its head back and roared, its skin shifting from brown to a furious red.
Cole imdiately barked a new order: "Everyone back off except the tanks!"
The players scrambled back, putting twenty yards between themselves and the boss. The Quillboar suddenly bent low, gripping its stone club in its right hand and sinking into a crouch. Everyone watched, wondering what kind of attack was coming next.
With a sudden, explosive movent, the Quillboar whipped its arm forward, flinging the massive stone club.
"Watch out!" Cole scread.
The club whistled through the air, a blur of motion that tore through the players. Anyone it touched saw their health plumt.
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The single, devastating throw mowed down six people, killing a priest, two mages, and an archer. The two front-line tanks were also left critically wounded.
Seeing the carnage, Hazel perked up imdiately. "Wow, that boss is insane! Too bad the two tanks didn't die."
Kael smiled faintly. "Not necessarily."
On the battlefield, the two battered warriors, having narrowly survived the attack, were desperately calling for the last remaining priest to heal them.
Suddenly, a familiar whistling sound cut through the air, growing louder as it ca from the distance and flew back toward them.
Cole looked up, and the color drained from his face.
The stone club… it was coming back.
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