Chapter Nine: The Ruthless Boss

Chapter Nine: The Ruthless Boss

Ao Jian Zhonghua stared at the Qingfeng Patrol boss before him, excitement impossible to conceal on his face. Judging by the boss’s presence, it was at least a Silver-level boss! He eagerly anticipated the equipment that would drop once they defeated it. As for losing, it never crossed his mind. With such a strong lineup—six of the top twenty players from Frost City were here—surely they could handle a mere boss.

But fate was unkind to Ao Jian’s group. Their highest level was nineteen, since one of their level-twenty members had been killed by Lin Zheng, leaving them a level short. Without the right level, they couldn’t access detailed info on the boss and thus underestimated its strength. This marked the beginning of their tragedy.

“Warriors, charge! Priests, watch the warriors’ health! Everyone else, hit it hard!” Ao Jian Zhonghua shouted with commanding authority. Four warriors under his command charged the boss and used the skill “Taunt” to attract its aggro. This tactic had its merit—it confused the boss’s target, reducing its attack frequency to some extent.

The plan worked. The boss hesitated over whom to attack, while Ao Jian’s team unleashed a barrage of spells—fireballs, ice bolts, lightning arrows—and melee strikes with blades, spears, swords, and axes. Damage numbers popped up—25, 30, 100, 56, 45... Only a few hits surpassed 100, mostly from mages. Before Ao Jian’s team could recover, the boss erupted in fury.

A deafening roar shook the air, forcing everyone to cover their ears. Those surrounding the boss were horrified as their health plummeted by 200 points per second. Ao Jian Zhonghua yelled, “Priests! Heal! Hurry!” The four priests hurriedly raised their staffs to heal, but there were over ten attackers and only four healers—far from enough. Several fragile players tragically fell during the boss’s five-second roar.

Just as Ao Jian’s team caught their breath and prepared to regroup, the boss roared again, startling them. This time, no health dropped, and the attackers relaxed with a curse, “Why the hell shout for nothing? Scared the hell out of us!”

“Run! Run fast!” shouted the ranged players. The melee fighters hadn’t noticed what they did—the boss’s eyes glowed red after the roar, signaling an activated buff. From experience, this meant its attacks were significantly enhanced.

Unfortunately, they realized this too late. The boss swung its axe and struck a warrior, dealing a staggering 1,125 damage—instantly killing him.

“Whoa...” Lin Zheng and his friends gasped. The damage was absurd! The boss was in Berserk mode: attack power doubled but defense dropped 75%. In this state, defense didn’t matter. One axe blow could kill anyone before the boss’s health ran out.

“That damn monster! How are we supposed to kill this?!” Long Ya stared in disbelief at the boss that had already slaughtered several players.

“This is a Gold-level boss, you think it’s easy? Probably only those fully equipped with Silver gear stand a chance!” Chun Feng analyzed. “Everyone’s in White gear now. I don’t think anyone can kill this boss at this stage.”

“Hm... maybe not!” Lin Zheng stared at the boss for a long moment. He had a rough plan but it was tricky to execute—worried his team lacked the skill. Then an idea struck him.

“I know a guy named Red Dust Mist. Should I call him for help?” Lin Zheng asked, needing the team’s consent since they’d discovered the boss together.

“Red Dust Mist?!” The others were surprised—he was ranked in the top five players!

“Yeah,” Lin Zheng nodded. “He lives with me now. Great reputation, no complaints. What do you think?”

“If you vouch for him, it’s fine. But even if he comes, can we really beat that monster?” Bawang pointed at the boss that was nearly wiping out Ao Jian’s guild. The melee fighters were all dead, and most ranged were down. The boss was chasing a sharpshooter, slamming him with an axe that instantly killed him.

Damn! This boss was brutal! Lin Zheng wasn’t confident either. But no matter what, he had to call Yang Qi, the seasoned player, and see.

He requested a chat with Yang Qi, and soon the connection was established.

“小 Lin! What’s up? Want me to help you level up?” Yang Qi’s teasing tone made Lin Zheng’s forehead twitch. He sighed and said, “There’s a damn monster here. Come help!”

“A damn monster?” Yang Qi blinked. “What monster? Did you get PK’d by a pro?”

“Could you please use your imagination a little more?”

“Boss!?” Yang Qi instantly perked up. Lin Zheng confirmed with a “Yeah!” She jumped up excitedly, shouting, “Wait for me! I’m coming! What? You’ve a team? That’s fine! I know the rules. Alright, gotta go!”

“See? He’s on his way!” Lin Zheng shrugged at the group.

Yang Qi was leveling in Qingfeng Forest but deeper in, where monsters were tougher, and experience richer. After Lin Zheng’s call, she activated friend tracking and headed straight for him.

Meanwhile, Lin Zheng and his friends were pondering over the scattered equipment left by the almost wiped-out Ao Jian guild. While the boss chased the remaining ranged attackers, they swiftly looted everything. The downed players watched helplessly as their gear was taken by these “bandits,” flushed with frustration—well, they couldn’t blush dead—and respawned elsewhere.

Lin Zheng’s group quickly hid to avoid the boss’s attention and happily divided their spoils.

Ao Jian’s guild was well-known in Frost City for their wealth; many bronze items lay among the loot—likely costly purchases now cheap for Lin Zheng’s team. Originally armed with a dagger alone, Lin Zheng now had full armor. Others filled their gear gaps, and several leftover pieces went to Bawang to sell. Their grins stretched wide—they might not have killed the boss, but they profited.

After dealing with Ao Jian’s people, the boss returned to its patrol spot. Yang Qi hadn’t arrived yet, so Lin Zheng’s group avoided provoking it, chatting to pass time. Soon Yang Qi contacted Lin Zheng, announcing her arrival and asking them to show themselves.

Lin Zheng stepped out from the bushes and spotted Yang Qi across from the boss. The rogue had somehow acquired a helmet that covered her whole head. If not for the four glowing characters “Red Dust Mist” on it, Lin Zheng might not have recognized her. Yang Qi saw Lin Zheng and circled around, running away from the boss toward him.

“Here! Let me introduce—this is Red Dust Mist, currently ranked third. Rogue, meet my new friends: Bawang Heavy Armor, Tifa, Little Cat, Several Springs, and Long Long Long Ya!” Lin Zheng introduced everyone.

Yang Qi smiled warmly. “Hello all! Nice to meet you!” They returned smiles. Yang Qi suddenly glanced at Lin Zheng. “Hey, when did you start stuttering? You’re talking weirdly!”

“Me? Stutter?” Lin Zheng was puzzled, quickly realizing why. Everyone except Long Ya burst out laughing. Lin Zheng scolded Long Ya, “You! Next time do the introductions yourself! Damn it!” The laughter grew louder; only Yang Qi looked confused and Long Ya sulky.

“Enough joking! Rogue, what’s the plan for that boss? By the way, can you hide that helmet? A young lady wearing that looks terrible!” Lin Zheng wanted to get serious but couldn’t resist a jab at Yang Qi’s ridiculous helmet.

“Hide it? Sure!” Yang Qi opened her character interface, hid the helmet, revealing her fresh, delicate face. She grinned mischievously, hooked her finger at Lin Zheng, and teased, “What, missed me already after just a morning? If you like me, just say it! We’re friends—I’ll give you a chance!”

“Get lost, show-off!” Lin Zheng bumped her head playfully.

The others were stunned. None expected the “rogue” Lin Zheng mentioned to be such a beauty. Seeing their dumbfounded faces, Lin Zheng warned, “Don’t be fooled by her looks—she’s a tomboy rogue who’ll do anything shameless!”

“Friends or not, if you keep lying about me, I’ll sue for defamation!” Yang Qi glared. “If you want me to go easy on you, hand over your money!”

Lin Zheng said nothing, just shrugged at the group. See? A real rogue!

“Forget the money! Focus on how to take down that damn monster!” Lin Zheng pointed at the boss. “Quickly! Or someone else will come kill it first!”

Yang Qi finally grew serious. She’d inspected the boss and knew its stats well. After a moment’s thought, she said, “A direct kill is impossible. No one can withstand its attack power, especially with Berserk mode—it can kill in seconds. So here’s the plan—exchange parry.”

“Exchange parry? What’s that? How do we do it?” Chun Feng frowned.

“It’s a tactic for humanoid bosses,” Yang Qi explained with a sly smile. “Humanoid monsters usually wield weapons. When our weapon parries theirs, both get knocked back and off-balance for a second—that’s when we strike! But this boss has high attack and Berserk mode. Since the weaker side during parry takes damage, at least two people must parry together to avoid one-shot kills.”

“Yeah, I’d thought of that but worried one person can’t handle it,” Lin Zheng nodded.

“Then everyone tell me your attack power for positioning!” Yang Qi said.

“228!” Bawang. “335.” Tifa. “296!” Chun Feng. “375!” Long Ya. “547!” Lin Zheng. “291.” Little Cat.

“Wow, your team’s damage output is strong!” Yang Qi was surprised, then even more so. “Hey Lin, how much attack did you say?”

“547.”

“No way!” Yang Qi’s eyes widened. “I wield a Black Crow Sword at level 20 with 594 attack. You have 547? What weapon do you use? Show me!”

Lin Zheng displayed his dagger’s stats. Everyone was stunned. Aside from the absurd base attack, it had a unique passive: no healing from hits and 10 extra skill proficiency per hit. And what was this? A newbie dagger? Could such a newbie dagger be this broken?

End of Chapter Nine.