Chris's *Hongbaek Raid* continued to struggle with their attempts.
*Kaahhh!*
*Boom, boom, whoosh!*
*Clang, bang, bam!*
"Argh!"
"Oh no!"
The *Black Dragon* slammed its front legs down and spun its body rapidly. The ranged damage dealers within range of its tail desperately used their defensive skills, but the sheer damage breaking through their guards knocked them back.
The first boss of the *Tree of the Abyss*, the *Black Dragon*, was significantly smaller than the *Green Dragon*, the world boss from the previous zone.
But, of course, smaller didn't mean weaker.
The *Black Dragon* had magic resistance and defense comparable to the *Green Dragon*. Moreover, its smaller size made it more agile, and it wielded a strange power.
*Wooooong!*
A dark aura gathered around the *Black Dragon*, forming into spears.
*Thud, whoosh!*
The twelve spears the *Black Dragon* conjured shot out in erratic trajectories. Chris tracked the path of the nearest spear as it came toward her, and then shouted:
"Now!"
*Whoosh!*
*Boom, boom, boom!*
From the melee DPS side, *Baymerung* activated his spell, while from the ranged DPS side, *Yeonmina* cast the mage’s protective shield, *Mana Barrier*, shielding the raid members from the incoming spears.
Chris grinned at *Baymerung*.
"Nice job, Baymerung! It must be tough on the melee side, right? You're doing great."
"Eh, I've played melee positions before when carrying groups."
*Baymerung* was skillfully covering the melee DPS, helping them survive the boss's close-range patterns.
They couldn't waste powerful invincibility spells like *Frozen Prison* on every attack; those skills had long cooldowns and needed to be saved. For regular attacks, they had to rely on appropriate defensive skills.
Each raid member could rely on their own invincibility spells, but if even one person failed and died, it would severely hinder the progress. Protective skills had to be used proactively whenever possible.
The tank, *DeathGod*, had the hardest job.
Even though the *Black Dragon* was smaller, its head was far enough away that the protection spells often couldn’t reach him.
But *DeathGod* was an expert at using techniques like sidestepping, counterattacking, and backstepping to deftly avoid the *Black Dragon's* patterns.
The *Black Dragon's* normal attack patterns were already brutal in speed and power. It took the raid team quite a while to get used to them.
Whether it's an elite dungeon or a raid, mastering mechanics is a matter of repetition and practice.
How quickly a group adapts determines how fast they can clear the content.
The *Hongbaek Raid Group*, made up entirely of experienced players, quickly mastered the mechanics.
Starting with this attempt, the entire raid team was executing the patterns smoothly.
---
[First Boss]
[Level 53]
[Black Dragon]
[HP: 180,154,007 / 200,000,000 (90%)]
Chris checked the *Black Dragon's* HP and shouted to her raid team.
"Now the real fight begins! From 90%, we enter the special phase. Keep your heads straight and let's figure out the strategy!"
*Rumble, rumble!*
*Flap, flap.*
As the *Black Dragon's* HP dropped below 90%, it began flapping its wings.
*Whoosh!*
The gusts from its wings pushed the raid members back, and the dragon started to ascend into the air.
A flying pattern—making the boss untargetable.
*Flap, flap, flap.*
*Kaahhh!*
The *Black Dragon* soared upward into the boundless sky inside the *Tree of the Abyss*.
Soon after, it unleashed a torrent of dark energy, covering the raid in a storm of magic.
This wasn't a phase that could be mitigated by protective spells or barriers.
It was a complete raid wipe mechanic.
During the previous attempt, four members had died, leaving only eight to face this phase, but they hadn’t figured out a way to counter it.
"This time, we have to."
Chris's eyes scanned the area.
Unlike before, they had more time to prepare for this special phase.
There had to be a special gimmick to bring the dragon down from flight. Or perhaps a protective shield that could block the breath attack.
*Woooong!*
Chris spotted something. Three purple magic circles had appeared around the battlefield.
Each one was only large enough for a single person to stand on.
The three circles formed a perfect triangle at the outer edges of the battlefield.
*Dash!*
Chris sprinted toward the nearest magic circle and gave orders to another *Onmyoji*, *FishCatchOne*.
"FishCatch, do you see the magic circle near you? Step on it!"
"Got it!"
*Tap, tap, tap!*
He responded quickly. The raid’s mage, *Yeonmina*, also noticed and started running toward the remaining magic circle.
As Chris reached her circle, *FishCatchOne* stepped onto his first.
The moment his foot touched the circle, it erupted in a bright purple glow.
*Flash!*
*Boom!*
"Ahhh!"
*FishCatchOne* screamed as his body disintegrated into nothing.
[Raid member *FishCatchOne* has died.]
The magic circle vanished, its purpose fulfilled.
Chris's face paled.
"What?!"
So, stepping on it wasn’t the answer?
That was the only special object available...
*Yeonmina*, who had also seen this, hesitated for a moment before using her personal invincibility spell, *Flame Shield*, and stepping onto her magic circle.
*Zap!*
"Ugh!"
Her shield was instantly destroyed, and she too disintegrated.
[Raid member *Yeonmina* has died.]
Were two of the circles fake?
That would mean this one must be the real one.
*Dash.*
Chris backstepped, activating an *Onmyoji*’s protective charm as she stepped onto the last circle.
*Whoosh!*
Green light erupted from the circle she stepped on. The magic circle soon faded.
Chris opened her eyes, cautiously.
No damage.
What had changed?
*Rumble.*
[Corrupted Ent]
[HP: 100,000,000 / 100,000,000 (100%)]
"What, what is that?!"
"It's the Ent again! Three of them!"
*Roar!*
At the same moment the green light appeared, three Ents spawned in the center of the battlefield. They swung their branches, attacking the raid group.
At Chris’s feet, where the magic circle had been, a small green orb appeared.
[*Essence of the World Tree*]
[*Gimmick Item*]
[*A power implanted by the World Tree into the Abyss Tree, meant to reclaim its stolen life force.*]
*Thud.*
Chris quickly grabbed the green orb and threw it at the nearest Ent.
*Whoosh!*
The orb struck the Ent, causing it to glow with green light.
Soon, its branches grew leaves, and it looked revitalized.
[Purified Ent]
[HP: 100,000,000 / 100,000,000 (100%)]
"This is it!"
But that was just the beginning.
The *Purified Ent* tried to fight off the two *Corrupted Ents*, but it wasn’t enough.
Moments later, the *Black Dragon's* breath attack engulfed the raid team.
*Boom, boom, boom!!!*
The special phase’s time limit had expired, wiping the entire raid.
---
"Let’s take a moment to review what we know."
"The special phase starts at 90% HP. The *Black Dragon* takes flight, and three magic circles appear."
"When *Yeonmina* and *FishCatchOne* stepped on the circles, they were killed by dark energy."
"But when Chris stepped on hers, it activated the *Essence of the World Tree*."
"And that orb purified one of the Ents."
The *Hongbaek* raid members gathered at the entrance to the boss room, reviewing the information they’d gathered from the latest attempt.
*DeathGod* stroked his chin and murmured.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
"Hmm... three *Corrupted Ents*, but only one purification orb. That doesn’t add up."
"The other two magic circles must serve a purpose too."
Chris was watching a recording of the attempt.
*Black Dragon*, 90% HP, flight phase, three magic circles.
"...Huh?"
The magic circles had appeared one at a time, in a specific order.
The one near Chris had appeared first.
She nodded.
In this virtual reality game, with its limited field of view, you couldn’t monitor the whole battlefield by yourself. But with video footage, you could analyze it all.
"It seems like there’s a specific order. In the next attempt, we’ll step on the circles in the order they appear."
---
At the 90% special phase.
In the center of the boss arena, the melee DPS were drawing the attention of the three *Ents*.
*Whoosh! Boom, boom, boom!*
"Still not done?"
"These *Ents* are too strong!"
*Tap, tap, tap!*
*Whoosh!*
This time, Chris stepped on the last magic circle and grabbed the green orb.
"Okay, we’ve activated the last circle! Throw the orbs!"
*Whoosh!*
*Wooooong!*
The three *Ents*, each struck by an *Essence of the World Tree*, were purified and gathered together, emitting a radiant green light.
The purified *Ents* released their power, creating a dome-shaped protective barrier.
Chris's face lit up.
"This is it! Everyone, get inside the barrier!"
The raid members rushed into the dome just as—
*Boom, boom, boom!*
The *Black Dragon's* breath attack swept across the entire arena.
But inside the barrier, the raid members were safe.
*Slither.*
As the breath attack ended, the exhausted *Ents* were absorbed back into the *Tree of the Abyss*.
*Flap, boom.*
*Kaahhh!!!*
The *Black Dragon* landed on the floor of the *Tree of the Abyss*, letting out a frustrated roar.
The raid members cheered.
"We did it."
"We cleared the first special phase!"
Chris shouted triumphantly.
"Alright, let’s push through to the end! The next special phase should be the same!"
---
But today’s attempt ended at 60%.
The first special phase had been relatively gentle.
The second one was the real challenge.
The difficulty spiked exponentially.
Spears of dark energy materialized around the flying *Black Dragon*, harassing the ranged DPS trying to activate the mechanics.
And the number of magic circles and *Ents* had increased from three to four.