—-

Kieran’s attention fell on Guhara while he downed a Beginner Mana Potion. Surprisingly, this was only his second one throughout the entire run. However, it was understandable, as none of his skills possessed an outlandish consumption value. But, that would change once he accepted his Tier 1 class.

The vast disparity between the two tiers made them seem worlds apart. After all, Tier 1 classes possessed faculties that weren’t accessible to basic classes. It was like comparing a newborn to a full-grown adult. One had just been born into the world, while the other could bring new life.

“You see that trait, Quake? It’s extremely dangerous at our level. You need to remain vigilant for any signs of Guhara getting ready to assault the ground. None of us need to be hit by it, understood?” Kieran said in a grave tone. Evidently, this move was difficult to survive if even Kieran was on edge.

“But… what about that other one?” Aspaira muttered while looking at Shibak. Compared to Guhara, Shibak was noticeably larger, and its gems seemed to form a type of full armor. Obviously, it would be much harder to damage Shibak.

“We’ll have to deal with him as well. But, he isn’t our priority,” Kieran said. Afterward, he rushed forward while keeping his senses on high alert. While these bears didn’t specialize in Agility, they were Mini-Bosses, so all of their attributes were comparatively high.

‘At the very least, we should receive some excellent loot from these two. I just hope it’s usable,’ Kieran thought. A moment later, he executed a strike, slashing against Guhara’s chest.

Screeeeee!

Although Guhara didn’t seem as sturdy as Shibak, it was still more durable than anything this party faced thus far. Sparks flew as Kieran’s Novice Greatsword slid against Guhara’s chest.

-24

Groaaahhhhhhh!_-.

Guhara’s eyes glowed ferociously as it glowered at Kieran, who continued to unleash a string of uninterrupted basic slashes.

-24 -24 -24 -24 -24

Guhara’s Health dropped by approximately 3% before Kieran abruptly rolled to the side and dodged a heavy smash from the Mini-Boss’s large paw. Kieran appeared from within the dust while momentarily glancing toward Shibak.

The crystalline gem-like armor surrounding its body seemed to shine with a faint blue glow. Kieran immediately created space, abandoning his attack after seeing this. Shibak’s glowing paw slammed the ground a second later, sending a ripple through the earth.

“Move back, at least 5 meters away,” Kieran ordered, running back quickly. Just as he instructed, this ripple stopped after traveling five meters and then completely subsided. Once that happened, Kieran smiled faintly and promptly dashed back into the fight.

“Wait for my signal,” Kieran said. This message was directed toward Altair, who had yet to make a move. Kieran had yet to deal enough damage to secure Guhara’s aggro. His prodding attacks were only meant to force Shibak’s skill into cooldown. It’d be at least 45 seconds before the skill returned in greater magnitude.

That was the effect of sturdy. All of its attacks would be reinforced after being used or after taking heavy damage. Additionally, it reduced the effect of stunning skills greatly. However, Kieran was just grateful that he wasn’t completely immune; otherwise, this fight would devolve into a complete nightmare.

Kieran’s momentum abruptly increased after coming within three meters of Guhara.

Bang!

-247

Although Kieran successfully landed his Charge, he simultaneously winced and inhaled sharply. ‘Goddamn! Damnit! GODDAMNIT!’

Intense pain ran through his shoulder after colliding with Guhara. After surpassing 100, every stat would reinforce the wielder’s capabilities, whether it be users, monsters, or NPCs. The only difference was how each stat applied to said individual’s battle stats.

More importantly, any damage received by a player’s character in Zenith Online felt almost identical to experiencing it in real life. Although there were currently some slight differences, it wasn’t substantial enough for players to ignore.

‘1.5 seconds?’ Kieran thought after looking at the stun timer. The effect only seemed to be 60% effective on this enemy. But, any period of inactivity was enough in the eyes of Kieran, especially since he had depleted approximately 8% of Guhara’s Health thus far.

“Now!”

Boom!

-442

Kieran launched a devastating Savage Break, lowering Guhara’s Defense and dealing a sizable chunk of damage. Altair changed places with Kieran, wielding his dagger at astonishing speeds for their current level.

All the while, Kieran narrowed his eyes and dashed behind Altair, slashing his sword forward.

Tang!

Shibak tried to attack Altair from the side, but Kieran intercepted that action. As a result, Kieran’s left arm that grasped the greatsword throbbed slightly. What’s more, he lost a quarter of his Health after receiving that attack.

‘So much stronger than Hrulhar. And this is just a basic attack,’ Kieran thought to himself with a slight frown. However, a well-timed Healing Light enveloped his body, rejuvenating half of his lost Health.

Still, a Mini-Boss’s strength was not to be underestimated. Kieran felt Shibak’s Attack Power was no lower than his own. But, one thing remained certain, Shibak’s Strength was far greater.

Nevertheless, Kieran executed a powerful horizontal slash, kicking up a large gale of wind. Now that his Force Slash was Lv.5, even if it wasn’t a direct hit with the sword, the skill’s effect alone generated a considerable amount of damage.

Regrettably, Kieran was appalled after seeing the amount of damage his usually powerful strike dealt.

-199

〈System: The damage you’ve dealt has been reduced by 20%!〉

‘20% Damage Reduction!’ Kieran thought while gnashing his teeth furiously. Part of the Hardened Trait meant that the monster would have some kind of damage reduction. However, the value was randomized. At this point in the game, 20% was the highest reduction a monster could receive. Meaning, this party was just genuinely unlucky.

First, Hrulhar and now a maxed-out damage reduction trait. These five just couldn’t catch a break!

To make matters worst, Guhara broke free from her restraints, and because Kieran and Altair dealt combined damage of almost 20% of her Health, Guhara’s paws shone with an earthen light.

“This is what I mentioned earlier! Do your best to dodge. It’s important that we dodge this upcoming tremor,” Kieran shouted at the top of his lungs.

Everyone shuddered as a result of Kieran’s fierce shout. They focused intently on Guhara while creating as much room as possible. As a precaution, Altair activated Conceal to not generate any future aggro while he retreated.

Shortly after, Guhara slammed her paws against the earth, sending a visible tremor hurtling towards Kieran and his party. It wasn’t a single ripple but a triple-layered one at least two meters in width.

“Jump!” Kieran said, jumping just as the ripple neared his feet. The party followed his instruction, but Cygnus paled in fright when she realized her strength and Agility didn’t let her jump as high as the others.

‘I-I won’t make it,’ Cygnus thought while pursing her lip. If she died here, then the team’s chance of clearing the dungeon would plummet. As of now, none of the Priests possessed the Ressurection Skill, and none of the players owned an extremely rare Revive Token.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Kieran’s greatsword whizzed through the air, impaling the ground beneath Cygnus’s feet at a 45-degree angle. He couldn’t afford to let Cygnus die here. Still, this wasn’t a fix for what was to come.

The ripple passed, but the earth began splitting it apart with decent-sized earth spires appearing rapidly. If the wave knocked the party down, these spires would inflict a one-hit kill. Hence, why he didn’t allow Cygnus to fall.

“Move, don’t stand still!” Kieran ordered.

He dashed up to his sword and ripped it from the earth while lightly pressing his palm against Cygnus’s torso. A light force propelled them in opposing directions as an earth spire pierced the ground between them a few milliseconds later.

‘Such a close call. That’s why Priest should at least put enough attributes in Strength and Agility to form a cushion,’ Kieran thought. He had seen many Priests fall short in the past because of a lack of these two stats. Even a slight increase could potentially buy enough time for some backup to provide assistance.

The spires didn’t stop appearing for a total of 15 seconds, forcing the party to repeatedly dodge. However, after learning that the split earth was a telltale sign of an incoming spire, the party didn’t have much difficulty dodging the attack.

Fortunately, this attack wasn’t one Guhara could use repeatedly. The Mini-Boss grew motionless after unleashing this strike, a sign of expending too much Mana in a short amount of time.

Kieran took this as an opportunity. “Unload all of your skills, NOW!”

Aspaira quickly chanted Fireball, Flame Wave, and Aqua Bullet in quick succession. At the same time, she mustered a cluster of pure Mana without any element. However, because it possessed no element, it made up for its lacking presence with raw power. It was a skill Aspaira recently picked up to augment her arsenal of damage spells.

Additionally, she also acquired the Bind skill Kieran mentioned earlier.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The team quickly emptied Guhara’s Health bar now that her defense was noticeably lower. By the time Guhara recovered from its weakened state, its eyes had lit up with deep yellow light. No sudden actions were made, yet the entire map began trembling.

“Group together,” Kieran directed, moving his positioning so that he lined up with Guhara.

“What now?” Sithik asked worriedly. This entire fight was stressful. They kept having to heal Kieran for deflecting Shibak’s advances and it seemed like Guhara possessed nothing but large AoE skills. The party was beginning to understand why it was nicknamed “Razing”.

The area was absolutely mutilated by Guhara’s attacks.

All of a sudden, two large indents formed on the ground. Once they appeared, Kieran had everyone rush the boss as fast as possible. The slabs then slammed together, leveling the battlefield when it collapsed back onto the floor.

For this attack, the only safe place was in front of the boss. But, if done too early, Shibak would unleash a strike that would prevent the entire party from moving. To ensure Cygnus wasn’t left behind, Kieran had Altair assist her with his superior Agility.

Guhara then entered an extended period of weakness for 15 seconds.