[Skrastreg]

Blue lines stretched out from the bat’s necks. Their heads fell from the sky before they could even see their attacker.

A man in reddish black armor collected the bats' corpses and vanished once again. While others were unable to follow his movements, Zyrus could clearly see Kyle staring at the bats with his green eyes.

‘Bloodlust and a visual tracking skill,’

Any one of them was fatal to the enemies. It was no wonder that Kyle could dominate the bats with both skills. His silver swords and garnet mail further enhanced his offense, making him a force to be reckoned with.

*KIKiiii*

“Scream all you want, but you’re going nowhere,”

“That doesn’t sound right,” Lauren spoke while giving Zyrus a side-eye.

“Kill more bats if you have the time to joke around,”

“I’ve killed more than anyone,”

Zyrus snorted at her smug remark and focused on the struggling Camazotz. Frankly speaking, the trio was doing better than he expected.

Shi Kun drew the aggro with Mbeku’s shattered pride and took a beating, while Kyle finished off those who escaped his taunts.

The key to this strategy was Lauren. Emerald daggers flew around her and shredded the bat’s wings. Unlike a thug or an assassin, she had a pure offensive class with flying daggers.

‘I’ll ask them about their classes later on,’ Zyrus noted as he used the last bits of his mana. Everything happened so fast that he didn’t have the time to hold a meeting with important players.

*Kiiikiki*

“I’ll give you a minute to escape,”

“What about the rest?” Shi Kun asked as he realized that Zyrus was unable to hold off the field boss.

“I can help with Radiance, but they’ll have to survive till I recover my MP,”

“…Okay,” Shi kun retreated after a bit of hesitation. Kyle and Lauren had left the moment Zyrus told them to.

The four of them knew that they could still fight if they wanted to. But was it worth it to go all out at a time like this?

It might not be the honorable thing to do, but the answer was no. Everyone had to fend for themselves in this hellish place. Just because they were strong didn’t mean that they had to risk their life for others.

“Don’t feel bad about it. All of us had the same opportunity in the first ring. They have to blame their own weakness if they die after all we’ve done,” Zyrus spoke before he burrowed into the ground.

He had a good chance of killing the field boos if he used spatial stab. But he would be weakened after using an all-out attack like that.

A move like that was just stupid on a chaotic battlefield like this. Besides, he had other ways to help his troops.

‘Well, it’s more like training than helping,’

Zyrus sensed Camazotz with his mana and followed behind him. Being underground didn’t prevent him from using the crown skills.

[:] Radiance [:]

Creates an aura field around the wielder of the crown. Allied forces will be strengthened whereas the hostile forces will be weakened.

-Field area = User’s level (21) x 10 feet

-Buff: All stats +3, HP +150

Stolen story; please report.

-Debuff: All stats -2, small chance to inflict ‘Fear’ effect.

A violet sphere formed around the onyx crown. Although 210 feet was a lot of space, it could barely cover the flying field boss.

“It’s amazing! The small bats are fleeing from the radiance,” Ria’s voice sounded in his ears as he approached the outer ring of players.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t give any orders as he was ten feet below the ground.

‘They should be able to hold on with swarm tactics,’

Just like Tauranox, this field boss wouldn’t use any powerful skills before its HP went below a certain percentage.

Zyrus was sure that he could recover his MP before that happened. He also called over the specter scorpions While he waited beneath the Camazotz.

Field bosses were annoying to deal with, but there was a solution for that.

‘Kill them in one shot before they enter the second phase,’

…

While Zyrus was unable to see the battle happening on the beach, it wasn’t far off from his prediction.

Malediction didn’t just trap the opponents. The power of abyss had the ability to corrupt anything in existence. Normally, Camazotz would have retreated after seeing the violet field.

Its attack range far exceeded a mere 200 feet. Why would it fight at a disadvantage without its minions?

But unless it was someone on the glemorax chief’s level, it was difficult to overcome the malediction’s effects.

“All tanks on the front,” Ria decided to go all out on defense against the field boss. Even though it was muddleheaded and crazy due to the abyss' influence, it was a lv 35 field boss after all.

Just a causal screech from it was enough to kill dozens of players. They had to stack hundreds of shields to ward off the vibrational attacks.

No one dared to think what would happen when the monster attacked with its gigantic claws.

“Remember what Zyrus told you, believe in the totem and a miracle might happen.”

The players had no choice but to listen to her orders and go all out. They couldn’t afford to be sitting ducks like this.

They had to finish the mobs while the radiance was active.

“His plan worked after all,” Franken stated as he observed the battlefield besides Ria.

“Indeed, they’re becoming more and more cohesive,”

“Heh, it’s not just that,”

Franken was the only one who could see the changes on the totem. 5000 players were fighting under immense pressure. Every living creature yearned to live.

Even if a player’s individual will was weak, their combined power was nothing to scoff at. The bloody log reacted to their desire for survival and crazily absorbed the surrounding mana.

Without anyone’s notice, a yacht had appeared above the campsite. The magic vehicle was big enough to accommodate all the players below. It was a pity that its beautiful lights and decorations were somewhat ruined by its occupants.

“Did you have to come yourself?” Franken tapped his hooves and jumped to the yacht.

Anansi was the polar opposite of Aurora. He wasn’t the least bit curious about what the players were doing.

“What’s the rush? Send ‘em below when I tell you to,”

“You can’t interfere in players' battles, right? Either wait till the fight is over, or let me accept the supplies on behalf of Zyrus, as a ‘Bystander.’”

*Kiiikiki*

It was at this moment when Camazotz’s HP went below 70%. The field boss was finally able to negate some of the abyss’s corruption.

*WHIRRRR*

And in that short moment of clarity, the monster launched its fatal attack. Camazotz’s wings vibrated with mana as it flew away from the Radiance’s area.

Zyrus also noticed the change underground. He didn’t dare follow the field boos this time.

More than any stat buffs or debuffs, the Additional HP was crucial for the players. 150 points of HP were life-changing for the shield warriors.

‘Should I go up? Maybe the worst won-’

*Grrrrk*

Zyrus’s thoughts were interrupted as the cries of iguana resounded across the forest. It was naive to think that the worst wouldn’t happen.

Protecting the flag wasn’t a simple task. Any species had the chance to evolve to new heights if they consumed the flag. It was like a super tonic that guaranteed their ascension to the next ring.

There was no way that the iguanas would ignore such an opportunity. They ignored their natural predators in the sky and charged at the wall of players.

“I can’t hold on any longer,” Ria’s dejected voice rang in his ears.

Zyrus was unable to give a reply, nor did he need to. The Ophidian warriors were on standby for a reason.

‘Let’s hope they activate the totem,’

He could already sense the mana-gathering spell work on its own. A tremendous amount of mana was drawn to the campsite.

Unlike Zyrus and the leaders who had high intelligence and battle awareness, the players weren’t as composed. Everything was too sudden in their eyes.

The gigantic bat had escaped the violet zone, and even more monsters were charging from the dark forest.

They could see no path to survival.

“Believe in the totem!”

Ria’s desperate plea resonated through the players' hearts. It wasn’t the effect of the conductor’s tiara.

She had gained a [Morale] skill after her class upgrade. And at this moment, that skill was like a fuse that triggered the dynamite.

Be it the humans or trolls, be it the goblin riders who were rescuing players or the rats who were hiding underground, everyone had the same desire at this moment.

They wanted to survive this nightmare.

*SHINE*

Their beliefs triggered the second spell carved on the bloody log. Well, it would be wrong to call the white dome a ‘Spell’ at this moment.

It was a miracle.

“NOW!”

“Now.”

Zyrus and Franken shouted one after another. Thousands of monsters descended from the sky while a lone Sylvarix rose from the ground.