The amber glow surrounding Grifear signified a large skill attack that was about to be released when enraged. It was known as Earthen Blade Cyclone, beginning with Grifear pounding the ground.
The crystalline blades on its limbs broke apart as the ground split opened and spewed fragmented projectiles in every direction.
It was a skill that most players were incapable of dodging because the spacing between projectiles was almost nonexistent. Because of this, Kieran had everyone line up behind him in a straight line to minimize their exposure.
As Kieran mentioned, Grifear was the amalgam of every monster thus far, so remembering the old patterns was the key to surviving against it.
Usually, what Kieran was doing would be handled by the party's tank, but there was none.
Peng! Peng! Peng!
Kieran deflected the incoming crystal and earth projectiles, losing Health every time he did so. However, he had Cygnus apply a Restorative to help replenish the Health he lost frequently.
Cygnus and Sithik would alternate supplying a Healing Light or Mending Aura when needed.
Despite the alarming impacts, Kieran didn't find it unbearable and continued to persist against the consistent bombardment.
'This much is necessary. It's nothing I can't overcome,' Kieran thought. They were too close to the end for him to give up now.
By the end of the storm of crystal projectiles, Kieran's Health had fallen to 15%, but Sithik used Regeneration Burst to quickly return a large amount of Health.
Though Kieran's Health rose quickly, his worried expression didn't change. Contrary to Guraha, who entered a weakened state after unleashing its large skill, Grifear seemed perfectly fine!
Grr!
Grifear growled after seeing that its target had survived its attack. The instinct to rip them limb from limb surfaced in its mind.
All of a sudden, Kieran tapped his interface and disabled his helmet's cosmetic effects, which similarly revealed his deep black ear-length hair swaying with the light wind.
Most individuals assumed that he wore a helmet to hide his sub-par looks, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Kieran wore his helmet simply because it was part of the set supplied to him.
After removing his helmet's effects, Kieran sighed in relief as he felt the breeze against his cheek. 'This game is truly the best outlet, allowing me to release my repressed emotions,' Kieran thought before revealing a satisfied smile.
It had truly set in that he had returned to his glorious battlefield—Zenith Online!
Whoosh! Bang!
While basking in this feeling, Kieran felt a sudden change in the wind caused by Grifear's haphazard charge. Its immense figure pounded the ground and slammed down a few moments later.
Kieran responded by double-handedly slashing his sword up.
Boom!
The ground around Kieran's feet fractured while his feet formed a deep indent. A quarter of his Health vanished, but a Mending Aura replenished a portion of that instantly.
The situation wasn't the best, but Kieran remained calm. Skills on cooldown? It was no issue for Kieran. He was confident in his current STR, AGI, and CTL.
"Heal me continuously," Kieran said.
Afterward, he engaged in a battle of physical might with Grifear, something that made the stream viewers gawk.
Who had the gall to match a Boss pound for pound?! Was he insane?
"More! Fight back more!" Kieran bellowed, challenging the boss with a crazed look seeping into his eyes.
Despite wielding a heavy greatsword, Kieran's attacks gradually accelerated to the point many began to question if he were wielding a normal longsword rather than a greatsword.
Unknowingly, Kieran's expression morphed into one of a smiling demon, and his heart began to pound harder.
Bang! Bang! Ting!
Although his Health continued to rise and fall, like the readings of a heartbeat monitor, Kieran ignored it. This current brutal fight served as an outlet for him to channel many of his resentments.
Because of how focused he was, Kieran exhibited an intrinsic understanding of his skill cooldowns. Approximately twenty seconds later, Kieran ducked underneath Grifear's retaliation and struck upward.
"Force Slash!"
Grifear wasn't Dazed this time, but Kieran linked his movements together seamlessly and triggered the Knockback effect. When Grifear stumbled, Kieran followed up with another attack.
"Charge!"
Thud!
Grifear's Health dropped considerably due to the two attacks, but it depleted further with Kieran's next action.
"Savage Break!"
…Booom!
-1,605! «Critical Hit»
'This is insane,' Altair thought in silence. He looked at Kieran with an unusual gaze and subtly shook his head. 'I thought my combat mechanics were good, but this guy is a monster. I could learn a few things from him.'
There were times when Altair felt Kieran had been put in a predicament where he couldn't dodge or retaliate, but he continued to prove him wrong by unleashing attacks or movements from the most awkward positions.
Any average person would have failed if they were put in such a precarious situation. It took confidence to carry out these actions—confidence that one would succeed no matter what.
Kieran's actions resulted from his years of proper training from reputable combat trainers, which he grew to surpass.
"Did you all survive?" Kieran casually asked before glancing over his shoulder.
Grifear had unleashed a cone-shaped attack earlier that involved several brittle boulders exploding, so Kieran was ensuring that they had survived. Though, their survival was no longer required to clear the run.
It was approaching its last stretch.
"I'm a-okay. But I'm terrified and shocked as well," Sithik said, almost distraught.
Eventually, Aspaira's magic attacks lowered Grifear's Health until its body began swelling and pulsating with a berserk power.
Upon reaching 15% of its Health, Grifear roared to the sky and released an increasingly berserk aura and savage expression, bearing its fearsome fangs.
〈System: «Grifear, King of the Forest» has entered its «Berserk» phase.〉
〈System: Grifear's STR and AGI have increased by 20%.〉
〈System: Grifear's DEF has decreased by 25%.〉
The Berserk Phase was a system available to all bosses, but its effects varied depending on rank, level, and type.
Beasts typically experienced increased STR and AGI at the expense of DEF while going Berserk.
'Finally,' Kieran inwardly remarked.
Although Kieran was happy that this change finally occurred, he could no longer be careless and engage in a frontal assault. A 20% increase in STR meant Grifear's attacks had become incredibly dangerous.
Swoosh!
Grifear's AGI boost hastened its movement, which kicked up a violent gust of wind.
Kieran instinctively activated the Hardened Skin ability attached to the Crystalline Ring. He gained a 10% Damage Reduction, but the damage from a single strike was ridiculous.
-100
Kieran blocked part of the strike, but it claimed nearly a third of his Health. Even with Cygnus and Sithik's healing, Kieran didn't feel comfortable suffering so much damage.
'It's faster, but because it's Berserk, it's also more dangerous,' Kieran thought.
After receiving the attack and being forced back, Kieran noticed that Grifear targeted Altair next. Grifear's attack pattern no longer followed the aggro values; Grifear attacked based on the closest target.
BOOM!
Altair was sent flying from a vicious swipe, losing more than 150 Health. Seeing as Altair's Health barely surpassed 190, it was a massive amount of damage.
Because of Grifear's increased AGI, Aspaira failed to land any spells, which naturally frustrated her.
"It's so fat and fast!" Aspaira scowled and stomped her foot.
"It's deserving to be the Dungeon Boss," Altair commented, rolling his shoulders and grimacing. A Restorative Mist enveloped his body and gradually soothed some of the pain he felt.
"We're close. Don't let your spirits be defeated now. It has less than 2,000 Health remaining," Kieran said.
His words reinforced their desire to clear the dungeon, but it was somewhat challenging to handle the beast until Kieran's skills came off cooldown.
Soon enough, Kieran realized that handling Grifear's rampage fell upon his shoulders. "After two hits, cast Regeneration Burst and then unload your weaker heals."
Kieran met Grifear's advance a second later and unleashed a Heavy Slash.
After three exchanges, a burst of pleasant energy encompassed Kieran.
+192
Bang! Bang!
Another burst enveloped Kieran.
+204
Whoosh!
Kieran unleashed a Force Slash after the second Regeneration Burst appeared but to the party's dismay, Grifear dodged the attack!
"No way! How did it dodge that?!" Sithik exclaimed. His anxiety had increased to the point that he began biting his nails.
If it had become fast enough to dodge at such a close distance, wouldn't that mean his Savage Break could potentially miss?
After following Kieran's direction, the only skill that remained available was Healing Lights, but even if they unleashed it together, it wouldn't save Kieran from a fatal attack.
'Remain calm,' Kieran told himself.
While the others could panic, he couldn't. What he needed was to focus.
As soon as Charge came off cooldown, Kieran coupled it with a Directional Slash, hoping one of them would trigger the Knockback effect.
-250 «Resisted»
-169
Unfortunately, the Berserk Phase made Boss Monsters more resistant to abnormal statuses.
However, Kieran wasn't the type to give up due to one failed attempt. Kieran continued swinging his sword.
Finally, once Savage Break returned from cooldown, Kieran closed the distance until he was eye-to-eye with Grifear.
"This is the end," Kieran remarked coldly.
-1,643! «Critical Hit»
Make sure to point out any spelling errors, grammar errors, or numbers/information that wasn't properly updated so I can immediately rectify those issues.
Thank you, guys!
P.S: A LOT of game terminology will appear in the novel, because well, I'm a gamer. :shrug:
〈System: You have gained 14,000 EXP.〉
Following the shower of EXP, Kieran stood before Grifear's lifeless carcass with a somewhat blank gaze. The dungeon run was finally over!
The surreal feeling hit him as a golden and white banner coalesced above everyone's head.
┌───────────────────
«Special Partywide Announcement»-
Congratulations on obtaining «Grifear, King of the Forest»'s First Blood and «Forest of Beast»'s First Clear on Very Difficult. Would you like to announce your feat within your area?
└───────────────────
Because the Forest of Beasts was a Beginner Dungeon, the notification would only spread throughout the nearby Beginner Zone. Global announcements were reserved for feats large enough to trigger worldwide renown.
Rather than immediately respond to the prompt, Kieran leaned against the tree near his body and slumped powerlessly. His ears droned as his vision blurred slightly.
He was familiar with the condition, but its presence alarmed Kieran. 'No way… this shouldn't appear so fast. I barely triggered my H-COS, so why am I feeling the drawbacks?'
Contrary to his earlier exuberant state, Kieran felt somewhat feeble.
'Don't tell me my circumstances have led to things I couldn't account for… I had my course of action planned out, but if my H-COS is now an early problem, I must prepare to handle it soon,' Kieran thought.
A moment later, he closed his eyes and regulated his breathing to suppress the nauseous feeling rising from the pit of his stomach.
Once he grabbed ahold of the feeling and managed it, Kieran shifted his attention to the frantic stream chat and the stream of donations that followed the diverse comments.
Some viewers congratulated Kieran and others praised him, but many voiced their scorn, contempt, and skepticism.
'Imagine trying to belittle me as you donate. I wonder if they were dropped on their heads as children. If you want to toss money at me in an attempt to reach me foolishly, I'll gladly accept it,' Kieran inwardly thought with a slight chuckle.
The comments intended to shatter Kieran's confidence, but it was impossible. These viewers were more or less insignificant in his eyes—a means to an end. Aside from that, Kieran couldn't care less.
Once the chat seemed to simmer down, Kieran waved and smirked at the audience. "Until the next time."
The chat had several questions, but Kieran ignored them and directly ended the stream.
Many were furious because he ended the stream at the best part. They needed to know what loot dropped! How could he rob them of this joy?! The viewers felt it was incredibly selfish.
After all, he had cut the stream visuals and audio several times during the run, and it happened during several inticing parts which lead to some viewers feeling the urge to pull their hair out.
However, Kieran decided it was the best decision. Allowing the loot and certain knowledge to be displayed would remove the element of surprise and destroy the mysterious aspect that snagged viewers.
In retaliation, many viewers took to the forums and began cursing Kieran for how he blue-balled them. After compiling their thoughts, many players decided to camp in the dungeon entrance lobby, waiting for the moment they returned.
Meanwhile, Sithik ran up to Kieran with eyes full of adoration as he extended his hand with a thumbs up. "You rock!"
Because of Kieran's efforts, the party's average level had reached Lv.13.
However, Kieran was more focused on the notification that he had yet to answer. "I'll be publicizing the results and will most likely announce your names. Even though I streamed the dungeon, there's bound to be people that didn't bother to watch."
"Do what you must. I'm not really worried. In fact, this is what I looked forward to," Altair shrugged.
Kieran nodded but glanced in Aspaira's direction, who looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"I'm sorry for ever doubting you. You accomplished what you claimed you would," Aspaira commented. Like everyone else, Aspaira had her initial doubts during the rocky moments, but they prevailed, which mattered most to her.
Unfortunately, the sparkle in her eyes dimmed a few seconds later as reality assaulted her. 'There's no way he'd be willing to party with me again after learning of my shortcomings. In his eyes, I'm most likely a noob—a replaceable component.'
Aspaira's thoughts weren't completely incorrect.
Kieran's opinion of this party wasn't the greatest, but he did appreciate their propensity to listen and learn from him after exhibiting some of his combat prowess.
Though he didn't hold them in the best light, Kieran understood that everyone possessed decent potential.
But, as of now, Kieran was unsure whether or not their futures would continue to intertwine.
After a few seconds, Kieran announced the results.
┌───────────────────
«Gena Village Announcement»-
Congratulations to Party Members: Aatrox, Altair, Cygnus, Sithik, and Aspaira for obtaining the First Clear of «Forest of Beast» Very Difficult Mode. They have been rewarded accordingly.
└───────────────────
┌───────────────────
«Beginner Zone Announcement»-
Congratulations to Party Members: Aatrox, Altair, Cygnus, Sithik, and Aspaira for obtaining the First Blood of «Grifear, King of the Forest». As a reward, a random Field Boss will spawn within the Fanged Forest soon.
└───────────────────
〈System: You have gained 1 Gold Coin.〉
〈System: You have received 50 World Fame.〉
〈System: You have gained 10,000 EXP.〉
〈System: Congratulations, you have leveled up! [Lv.16→Lv.17]〉
〈System: You have received 5 Unassigned Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points.〉
[Experience: 9,020/22,500]
'A Gold Coin. Nice,' Kieran thought with a faint smile.
He didn't expect the rewards to be so good. But considering that he accomplished a First Clear and First Blood in one, the rewards made sense.
After swiping away the notifications, Kieran stood up, but his frown deepened as an even more violent wave of exhaustion assaulted him.
'This isn't good. I thought I had a handle on it, but I forgot my body is truly fragile,' Kieran thought, simultaneously stowing his Novice Greatsword.
"Let's deal with the loot," Kieran voiced, shaking his head with a slight groan.
This comment made everyone giddy because Grifear's loot was the highlight of this dungeon run! The boss runs were where all the goodies existed.
From what Kieran saw, the loot pile was composed of several Rare Items, but unlike the others who eyed the armor, Kieran's gaze fell upon one item in particular.
"Whoa, why is there so much loot?" Cygnus questioned, blinking her round cerulean eyes.
"It's what happens when you get the First Blood on a Dungeon Boss. The loot experiences a drastic increase," Kieran remarked.
"I see," Cygnus muttered, focusing on a small cross amidst the pile of loot. She looked at Sithik, and their sights met. Naturally, the cross was something that interested them both.
While the two stared at each other, Kieran picked up and inspected a necklace with glistening eyes. It was a simple string necklace, but an amber crystalline gem in the form of a bear's claw dangled in the center.
「 Bear King Pendant (Accessory)
Item Rank: Rare
Health +150
Defense +25
Strength +15, Endurance +10, Vitality +5
Item Ability «Spirit of the Bear King» - Releases a ferocious growl that affects any enemy inside a 12-meter radius, putting them in a «Dazed» state for 10 seconds. This ability has a cooldown of 120 seconds.
Description: A decently made pendant that harnesses the ferocious spirit of a Bear King to an acceptable degree.
Requirements: Lv.15 」
This item had a 100% drop rate on the First Clear, and it was the dungeon's hidden item, which was why Kieran desired the First Clear. An item that could forcibly inflict a Dazed status was an indispensable advantage in combat.
"Is anyone against me taking this accessory?" Kieran asked out of respect for the others.
"Dude, have you taken drugs recently? Do you seriously believe we'll complain about you taking any item you desire? This would have been impossible without your contribution," Sithik scoffed, looking at Kieran in disbelief.
Sithik's opinion was the party's unanimous opinion as well. Without Kieran's suggestions, assistance, and damage, the run would have failed the moment they went against Hrulhar.
Kieran chuckled softly before equipping the pendant. The loot was shared equally, but Kieran let the others keep the additional equipment because he had no use for it. He didn't intend to waste any time trying to sell it.
At this point in time, players were more or less beggars, so asking for an item's actual value was virtually impossible. Kieran would rather rely on quests to increase his wealth.
"I believe it's time for us to end the dungeon run," Kieran said, bringing up the dungeon exit menu.
However, the other's expressions changed when they realized Kieran had ignored the rest of the items. It was too unusual because everyone should be scurrying to obtain better equipment.
Aspaira gently scratched her cheek."Wait, that pendant is all you're going to take? What about the other items? They should be worth a pretty penny to the right people."
"That's true, but it's a hassle that I'm not interested in. You all can sell it as thanks for attending the run with me," Kieran said indifferently.
Aspaira was taken aback by Kieran's disregard for the items and stuttered. "T-this… that's too much. At least add us so we can send you your portion later on."
Kieran's brow twitched, partially surprised by her suggestion. Most people would happily accept the gesture without saying a word. Aspaira, on the other hand, understood humility.
As a result, Kieran decided to add them, which increased his Friend List by three.
Make sure to point out any spelling errors, grammar errors, or numbers/information that wasn't properly updated so I can immediately rectify those issues.
Thank you, guys!
P.S: A LOT of game terminology will appear in the novel, because well, I'm a gamer. :shrug:
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