studiobondurri Chapter 76
Chapter 76
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each time the massive front paw of the Green Dragon came crashing down towards me, I evaded it with a light movement of my body.
Tap.
As the dragon’s third and final stomp came down, I lightly placed my hand on its enormous foot and used it as a springboard, launching myself upward while rotating mid-air.
Whoosh!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Sword strikes, sparkling with starlight, rained down around me, hammering into the dragon’s scales.
Thud!
The recoil from hitting what seemed like a barrier sent a shock through my sword and into my arms. I swung my sword with all my might, and using the rebound, I landed some distance away on the ground.
The defense of the scales covering the dragon's entire body was indeed formidable. Its HP was an overwhelming 200 million, but its defense made it impossible to break down with raw numbers alone.
This is what they call a world boss.
Even with more than a hundred players attacking it, the HP barely seemed to decrease. But still...
Hoooom!
As the dragon lifted both its feet, preparing to stomp down with its entire body, a massive shadow loomed over me. It felt like a giant building was collapsing on top of me.
Using the recoil from hitting its scales earlier, I had created some distance. A quick backward dodge combined with a swift strike should be enough to escape its stomp pattern.
Tap.@@@@
Though I had dodged backward, I was still within the massive shadow of the dragon. But if it were to collapse fully onto the ground, its neck would be right next to me.
The neck—the only part of the dragon that could be critically damaged despite its immense defense. However, chances to strike it were rare.
Thrust.
Ignoring the dragon's massive body now looming just above my head, I assumed the preparatory stance for my flash strike.
Flash!
Boom!
Crack!
My blade dug into the dragon’s neck, leaving a thin but long wound. My body, now a flash of light, had slipped between the dragon's scales, tearing into its vulnerable neck area.
Kraaahhh!
The dragon, feeling the sharp pain, immediately reared up and thrashed its head, twisting violently as if trying to shake off the agony.
I grinned at the sight.
If it hurts that bad, maybe you shouldn’t have let me attack like that.
Thud!
"Rain! I’m joining you!"
As the second guardian fell with a crash, I heard Chris's voice shout out.
I scanned the battlefield at her call.
This time, it wasn’t a solo play.
This was my first raid with comrades.
After taking down the first guardian, the ‘Red and White’ guild had split up their team. The melee attackers focused on the remaining guardian, while the ranged attackers began chipping away at the dragon’s HP.
The dragon’s current HP stood at:
[World Boss]
[Green Dragon]
[HP 160,851,050/200,000,000]
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
Green scales that had fallen from the guardian’s body were being driven into the ground by our teammates, forming makeshift barricades.
Kraaaahhh!
At the same time, the dragon entered a special phase, the precursor to its breath attack.
Hoooom! Thooom!
The dragon, leaping backward, landed heavily against the cliffside. Then...
Vwooom!
Crack. Boom, boom!
Massive energy began gathering around the dragon’s gaping maw, and the surrounding ground cracked, with boulders breaking off and floating into the air.
“Ah! It’s a breath attack!”
“Get out of the way! Move to the corners!”
The surviving solo players and unaffiliated parties scattered in panic.
"Rain, over here!"
Chris frantically waved me over.
The Red and White guild members moved in perfect coordination, gathering behind the barricade of fallen scales.
The poison fog spreading across the battlefield in the aftermath of the breath attack didn’t affect our raid party.
I glanced at the faint green aura surrounding my body and smiled.
"The general dungeon gimmick works here, too."
This poison resistance buff was obtained from a gimmick in the 'Poison Spider's Nest' dungeon within the Berberia Plains. By not defeating the boss after obtaining the buff and leaving the dungeon, the buff remained active.
Normally, the constant poison damage from the fog would be a major hindrance, but with this buff, there was no need for antidotes, and the damage-over-time effect was nullified.
With the poison fog handled, the dragon's powerful defenses and resistances had been neutralized.
We had even survived the breath attack without harm.
Now, all that remained was the flying phase.
Kraaaahhh!
I locked eyes with the bloodshot dragon and raised my sword.
---
[World Boss]
[Green Dragon]
[HP 115,476,057/200,000,000]
The solo players had been wiped out in the first breath attack. GG Squad’s main forces were holding off rival factions at the edge of the forest.
Only the Red and White guild's raid team remained in front of the dragon's lair.
But the dragon’s HP was dropping much faster now than when hundreds of players had been attacking it.
Boom, boom, boom!
Kraaahh!
The ranged attackers from the Red and White guild accurately targeted the exposed spot on the dragon’s neck, unleashing their skills.
Flash.
I timed my flash strikes perfectly, using the dragon’s attack patterns to strike its neck whenever it entered my range.
Boom!
Deathmaster, standing next to me, delivered a crushing punch to the dragon’s neck and flashed me a grin. I smiled back.
“You sure you can fight upfront? These patterns are tough.”
“Practicing for the main tank role.”
Whoosh!
Tap, tap!
With those words, Deathmaster smoothly dodged the dragon's incoming front paw with a backward dodge.
Boom! Boom!
Kraaah?!
Just as the dragon was about to stomp with its hind leg, it hesitated for a moment. It seemed confused.
“Grrr! Leroy! Hopkins!”
Boom, boom!
Two fighters, Hopkins and another warrior, had stopped the dragon’s hind leg in its tracks.
Blue flames of energy surged from their bodies.
These warriors were
using the 'Thousand Pound Drop' and 'Strength Contest' skills—skills exclusive to the Tower of Training for warriors.
With their overwhelming strength gear, the warriors had managed to temporarily halt the dragon’s movements.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The moment the dragon stopped moving, the ranged attackers poured their magic into the exposed spot on its neck.
The dragon’s HP finally dropped below 50%.
Kraaaahhh!
Flap!
The dragon’s massive wings unfolded with a powerful flap.
Whoooosh!
“Ugh!”
“What is this!?”
Caught in the gust of wind from the wingbeats, the Red and White guild members were forced to crouch low and scatter.
Flap, flap, flap.
The dragon’s enormous body slowly began to lift off the ground with each flap of its wings.
Seeing a creature of that size take flight was almost unimaginable.
It defied the laws of physics.
The second special phase.
The prelude to the flying phase had begun.