In the northern part of the Graveyard lake, a congregation of twenty players stood poised in 2 rows of lines. At the forefront, a lady adorned in a pristine white priest gown commanded attention, her seductive curves defying the sanctity of her attire, revealing a captivating allure that belied her holy role.
However, the onlookers, a group of determined individuals, regarded her not with frivolous thoughts, but with a solemn respect towards the lady, Sora.
Sora's quest had led them uphill into a fog-shrouded forest, within a valley pass Blue Burn Forest, overlooking a lake called Graveyard lake. Undead creatures were lurking in the ominous atmosphere of the dark fog. Her quest centred by the Light church was to defeat an undead boss near the lake, and to clear the ominous fog surrounding the valley.
In front of these 20 players was a peculiar configuration, four pillars arranged like cardinal points, forming a square around a colossal guardian. This guardian, the undead Boss, stood sentinel-like in the center.
“We would win this time around,” Sora spoke aloud so everyone could hear, then she led the party to the monster.
Within the 100-square-meter expanse devoid of fog, under the pillars, the ground beneath was paved with bricks, creating a stark contrast to the misty surroundings. As the group entered this cleared zone, they more clearly saw the guardian, an undead Lizardmen, towering at over three meters. The creature's skeletal frame, have only loincloths, and in his two hands it gripped a menacing pitch-black scimitar embellished with mysterious runes.
Silently surveying the intruders, the Lizard Skeleton exuded an aura of ferocity. Its skeletal form, shrouded in a dark hue, cast an intimidating pressure upon the players.
[Giant Lizard Skeleton] (Great Elite)
Level 4
HP 360/360.
The thought that it had seemingly low HP for a Great Elite had made the group's mindset last time very lax when they saw the Boss. The group, having underestimated the Lizard Skeleton's formidable might, succumbed to the creature's prowess in a mere 60 seconds, except Aoi who had managed to escape.
Sora, aware of the past misjudgment, addressed her teammates with authority. "We follow the plan to the letter, no missteps, no delays. Understand?" Her gaze swept across the team, seeking affirmation, and met with a resounding roar of agreement.
As Sora's smile lingered, the command echoed, "Good. Now, let's begin. Crost, go."
In response, a middle-aged Guardian, clad in blue armor, walked forward, the team in tow, ready to face the Lizard Skeleton.
As Crost stepped into a circled area of red bricks on the floor, the colossal creature, previously indifferent, suddenly sprang into motion. The others held their positions outside the crimson boundary, keenly observing with a white ball in their hands.
The Lizard Skeleton's velocity defied perception, its movements too swift for these players to track.
Crost, quick on his feet, executed a swift defensive repertoire of skills, deploying [Block], [Reduce Damage], and [Defense] to shield himself from the impending assault.
Despite his efforts, the onslaught proved relentless, with +35, +33, and +35 damages inflicted upon him in rapid succession.
Guardians were a class that chose Defense as their main stats so it was very rare to see a Guardians taking damage that was 10 % of their max HP, but the Skeleton Lizard strength was as such that it was causing more than 30% damage on each slashes to the Guardian.
In the blink of an eye, Crost's HP plummeted, in mere seconds. In one more blow he was about to die but suddenly Crost glowed in a burst of radiant white light, dealing a parting blow of +3 damage to the Lizard Skeleton.
As the skeletal monster staggered under the unexpected counterattack, a barrage of white balls rained upon it. Precision strikes landed, making a puff of white smoke with each contact, dealing additional +10 damage, provoking a howl of apparent rage from the Lizard Skeleton. It redirected its focus toward another Guardian who had breached the red brick area, launching a determined charge.
The skeletal assailant's advance to attack the Guardian. This brief time when the Boss stopped to attack the Guardian proved pivotal, as another wave of white balls, unleashed by the coordinated efforts of the party at the back, zeroed in on the distracted adversary, inflicting further damage. A swift replacement of another Guardians was ensured after the other one died.
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Minor Ice bomb (Lesser Rank Item): Explode on the target and cause 10 Ice damage, also cause 1 reduction in Movement speeds for 5 mins, can be stacked up to 50% of the target movement’s speed. Upon activation it needs 3 seconds to explode. Cooldown. 5 seconds
Sora had invested in 30 Minor Ice Bombs before coming here again. A strategic choice that, although expensive with 10 Bronze coins each and costing a total of 3 silvers, promised potential rewards. The prospect of defeating the Great Elite hinted at even greater gains, perhaps beyond mere Silvers.
The relentless assault persisted, as three more Guardians valiantly died, sacrificing themselves strategically to divert the skeletal Boss’ attention. Amidst the rotation of guardians, a bald man took the last place, donned in a white shirt adorned with blue pattern embroidery and a silver round shield. It was the Snow Leather Shirt and Dawn Shield.
Opting for a more agile approach, the bald guardian refrained from defensive skills, relying instead on nimble dodges to evade attacks. Swiftly raising his shield for a solid block, he seized moments of respite to replenish HP with consumable Mountain Flowers. The Lizard Skeleton, now slowed by the cumulative effect of Minor Ice Bombs, resembled a lumbering turtle compared to its prior speed.
The tactical shift allowed the mages in the rear ranks to unleash their spells, launching a coordinated magical assault that swiftly diminished the Great Elite's HP from 60% to a precarious 47% in one single barrage of spells.
In a sudden twist, the Lizard Skeleton underwent a dark transformation, intensifying its black aura, with the ominous energy extending to its blade. Sensing the heightened threat, Sora swiftly issued orders to the party.
"Healers, prepare to consecutively heal Boulder Bear. Melee, persist with the Ice bombs, and mages, after consuming Blue Mushrooms, unleash your spells!" The strategic coordination unfolded as the Lizard Skeleton, though not as swift as in the initial encounter, gained newfound speed, catching Boulder Bear off guard.
Boulder Bear endured a relentless barrage, facing the Skeleton's accelerated attacks. Timely heals spared him from the brink of death, nursing his HP from a perilous 10% to a sudden recovery at 70%. The Ice bombs, though no longer hindering the Skeleton's speed, continued to inflict a consistent 10 damage, complemented by the relentless onslaught of mage spells. The combined assault drove the Lizard Skeleton's HP down to a critical 15%, triggering yet another transformation.
In a blur, the skeletal form split into two entities, the newfound doppelgänger proving deadlier. A single strike dealt a staggering +90 damage to the Guardian, and before healing magic could intervene, a fatal blow ensued, claiming the unfortunate Guardian's life. The battlefield dynamic shifted once again, as the party grappled with the consequences of the Lizard Skeleton's ominous metamorphosis.
Suddenly, their eyes shifted to the remaining player and then ran towards them with lightning fast movements. Their empty eyes glowed a dark sinister aura as they watched for the next prey.
"Ok, plan B," Sora declared with unwavering calmness.
"Finally!" Aoi, radiating a wicked intensity in her eyes, charged toward the Lizard Skeletons wielding a 3-meter odachi with a blue hilt.
In a display of effortless skill, she swung the massive blade at the two oncoming monsters, but they deftly blocked with their schimters, and attempted to close in on her. Aoi's speed, dexterity or her instinct, almost animalistic, allowed her to counter with precise sword movements, blocking both Lizard Skeletons simultaneously.
Her next swing landed true, dealing a +17 damage, followed by the execution of a skill, [Slash], which inflicted a formidable 24 damage. She evaded a retaliatory slash by jumping and while in mid air she unleashed another swing, causing an additional +16 damage.
With two final slashes, Aoi expertly kill the main Lizard Skeleton Boss, her powerful horizontal strike dealing a critical +37 damage. The once-threatening monster crumbled into loot under Aoi's relentless assault, marking the successful execution of plan B.
Throughout the confrontation, no mages contributed damage, and clerics refrained from healing Aoi. Even Sora, aware of her sister's competitive nature, withheld her healing abilities. She also believed that her sister's beastly instinct could win against the slower Boss monsters.
Aoi's rush towards Sora with a bright smile that radiated innocence, her beastly grin now gone, she praised the newfound odachi, expressing, "This odachi is something else, Nee-san. I think I'm in love with odachi now."
However, Sora's thoughts turned to the one who gifted Aoi the weapon — Rem. She was puzzled by the generosity and the motives behind the free ‘gift’.
Aoi persisted with her inquiry, "Sister, did you say thanks to that man who gave this to me?".
Sora's wry smile revealed a complication – Rem had left her message unread for the last 16 hours despite her intent to express gratitude and offer compensation.
Sora sighed, reflecting, "If only ‘thank you’ could solve anything, then there wouldn't be so many complicated things in this world. I mean, Aoi, look at the loots of this Lizard Skeleton. It drops only level 4 (Iron) rank equipment; that means the odachi is very valuable."
"Hmm... I see, so it's valuable. Then I need to keep it safe and use it properly," Aoi acknowledged.
With a nod and a reassuring smile, Sora affirmed, "Yes, of course, you have to keep it well." A sense of concern surfaced as Sora pondered her sister's occasional clumsiness, contemplating whether it played a role in the extra care their mother bestowed upon Aoi.
As Sora looked around, the runes carved on the four pillars and the circular expanse of red bricks emitted a radiant blue glow. As the dissipating fog revealed the transformed landscape, Sora eagerly anticipated the system notifications heralding the completion of their quest.
After a brief wait, a notification finally chimed in:
System: Congratulations, you have completed the Hidden Quest, "Purify the Frost Lake Wasteland."
Rewards: Favorability with the Holy church +50, Title "Priestess.", +1 mastery points
Title "Priestess": Holy elemental skill amplified by 1.5 times.
Elated by the additional rewards and the prospect of further recognition from the church, Sora's joy was interrupted by an urgent message from her informant. Urgently scrolling through her system panel, a sense of urgency overtook her expression.
"We need to go to Red Burn Town immediately, hurry up!" she exclaimed, urgency etched across her face as she started to run while walking.
"Nee-san, what happened?" Aoi inquired from the side.
"It's lesser potions, and... and 2 Bronze equipment are on sale," She gave Aoi a deep gaze and continued, “This might be related to him, the one that gave you your Odachi”