I steadily progressed through the 2nd zone of the 'Abyssal Tree.'
As Chris had informed me, there was no mid-boss. There was simply a path leading toward the heart of the tree.
'A 12-player raid dungeon.'
True to its difficulty, the area was filled with numerous high-HP monsters. But it wasn’t much of a problem. Just like in the first zone of the Frozen Palace, all I had to do was handle the gatekeeper monsters in front of the black trunk dividing each zone. With 12 players, you could take your time and clear them all.
Not long after, I arrived at the area in front of the 2nd named boss.
*Whooooosh!*
A figure emerged from the dark magic.
Wearing black armor, wielding a giant greatsword almost as big as my body, and a Viking helmet with a sinister purple glow radiating from within.
That was the 2nd named boss.
"Death Knight Zakham."
Big body, lots of places to strike.
I had encountered Death Knights several times during my time as a hero. They are a type of undead that’s incredibly powerful, always obedient to the commands of whoever raised them from the dead. They also retain a portion of their skills from when they were alive.
In terms of strength, they rival at least a demon general.
If they possess intelligence, they’re even more troublesome.
The 2nd named boss of the Abyssal Tree, Death Knight Zakham, was one of those with intelligence.
Zakham, facing me, let out a grotesque voice from inside his helmet.
- You’ve come here alone. Do you trust in your strength, or are you simply fearless?
"Who knows? Maybe both."
I quipped sarcastically.
It’s been a while since I’ve spoken so informally.
There’s no need for respect toward something that should’ve died.
A **Master**.
A title given to someone who has reached the pinnacle.
In the continent of Astria, where both swordsmanship and magic coexist, only one person per era could reach this level. Their abilities were always deserving of admiration. Unlike me, who gained power through a holy sword, they reached this level through painstaking training.
But the being before me now is a fallen soul, one who succumbed to the demons.
Though I could still recognize the remnants of a swordsman, as a fellow warrior, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disgust.
- I can feel the immense power in that small body of yours. You will be a worthy opponent.
Even in his decayed state, Zakham could sense something within me.
*Whoosh!*
Zakham’s massive greatsword sliced through the air with a single swing.
*Thud.*
I drew my sword, Astaroth, gleaming silver, and pointed it directly at him.
A surge of determination boiled up from deep within my soul.
A duel of swords.
But there’s an undeniable difference in our power levels.
Of course, I have my ways of bridging that gap.
*Click.*
There’s no point in talking further.
There’s no useful information to gain from him.
"Bring your superior."
I immediately charged toward Zakham.
*Flash!*
[2nd Named Boss]
[Level 53]
[Death Knight Zakham]
[HP 500,000,000 / 500,000,000 (100%)]
*Bang, bang, bang, bang!*
Zakham’s giant greatsword kept slamming down toward me. I narrowly dodged out of his attack range, my armor clanking from the impact.
He’s definitely fast. Not as fast as I was with the holy sword, but still quick.
It seems he’s using dark mana to strengthen his body instead of the mana he had in life.
The most troublesome thing is his attack pattern.
*Crack! Clang!*
The sound of his massive sword shattering the ground and the screech of metal on metal echoed as his greatsword clashed with my armor. Zakham, with his overwhelming HP, was indeed formidable. Was I even dealing any meaningful damage?
I twisted my body to avoid his sword’s range and slashed at his waist, getting behind him.
*Whoosh!*
Without even turning around, Zakham swung his sword horizontally. A cold shiver ran down my spine as I ducked just in time. A few strands of my silver hair fluttered in the air. His blade had just cut off two or three strands of my long hair.
*Chris really likes my long hair!*
I growled inwardly and swung my sword fiercely.
*Clang! Clang! Whoosh, crash!* As Zakham twisted his body, his sword came down again, barely missing me as I dodged. I silently complained.
The biggest problem was his wide attack range. Just twisting my body wasn’t enough. I had to completely avoid his attack radius.
The undead swordsman, Death Knight Zakham.
I don’t know how he fought when he was alive, but now, he trusted his heavy armor completely and swung his greatsword recklessly.
Instead of slicing, he was slamming the blade down.
A rather peculiar attack style.
If this was a 12-player raid, the melee damage dealers standing near the tank would definitely be in danger. Perhaps this is a typical pattern for raid bosses.
*Swish.*
My sword sliced through empty space.
Zakham’s large body dissolved into dark magic and reappeared 8 meters behind me.
*Whoosh!*
Zakham swung his greatsword horizontally.
*Splat! Crash!*
A powerful half-moon shaped dark energy wave swept across the entire front.
Dodging backward, followed by a sword energy release.
If it weren’t for Chris’s information, I would have been caught off guard.
The moment Zakham disappeared in front of me, I swiftly turned my body without hesitation.
[Backward Dodge (A)]
[Quickly leap 8 meters backward to avoid a frontal attack (Invincible during casting)]
[Cooldown 8 seconds]
[(E-Rank) Increases movement speed for 5 seconds after activation]
[(B-Rank) Transition to 'Sword Drawing Stance' after use]
[(A-Rank) Adds 0.5 seconds to invincibility duration]
*Tap, tap.*
Moving through the spatial rift, I avoided the sword energy and quickly arrived right in front of Zakham.
*Clang!*
Each pattern in this raid dungeon is dangerous. Normally, I would have approached more cautiously, but Chris’s information was a huge help.
So, these are the basic patterns.
At first glance, they might seem random, but there’s a repeatable structure.
Even this guy follows a set pattern. It’s just that his cycle is long, with a few branching paths.
There’s also a sword energy attack that targets long-range damage dealers. Since I’m alone, everything is aimed at me, but I could sense slight variations in the way he released his sword energy.
Chris said Zakham’s patterns felt irregular. But they’re definitely there. As I analyzed Zakham’s movements one by one, I found the reason Chris might have thought it was chaotic.
Other bosses have about six basic patterns that they repeat, but Zakham has around twelve.
The number of patterns is overwhelmingly higher.
Moreover, if the tank moves out of range, he immediately resets to pattern 1. Even if the raid group dies and the pattern gets disrupted, it still resets to 1. That’s why it feels irregular.
Of course, for me, it’s not much of a problem, but analyzing it for the sake of the Red and White Raid Team is necessary.
I smirked.
"In the end, you’re just a monster."
- How dare you compare me to a mere monster! I am a loyal servant of the great Northern Legion Commander!
*Whoosh!*
Zakham angrily swung his sword.
*Splat, crash!*
I lightly leaped into the air, landing on the blade of his greatsword as it slammed down.
- What!?
He panicked and tried to shake me off by swinging the sword, but I used the momentum to leap upward, slicing directly between the eyes of his helmet.
*Slash!*
Got it.
Even if he was a Master in life, he’s still just an undead.
I’ve seen his special phase, checked his berserk timer, and now it’s time to get serious.
I smiled sweetly.
"So, how long before you lose your temper?"
---
Chris woke up.
She blinked and glanced around.
This is the living room near Rain’s room.
Chris sighed softly.
"Fell asleep here again."
The sunlight outside the living room balcony was as bright as midday. Actually, it was midday. The time was approaching noon.
Chris rarely slept for this long. She had stayed up for two nights straight, so her body was clearly exhausted.
But Chris was the raid leader of the Red and White Raid Team. Even on weekends, she couldn’t afford to rest too comfortably. She had to finalize the raid strategy and prepare for today’s run.
As she scratched her head and got up, something slipped off her body.
"Huh?"
A white blanket had been covering her.
This is Rain’s blanket.
Why was it draped over her?
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Chris quickly glanced toward Rain’s room.
There was a note on the door.
But—
"The note has changed."
It wasn’t the same "Do not enter" note that had been there yesterday.
Chris read the neatly written message.
---
[Death Knight Zakham]
[Repeating normal pattern]
[Pattern 5 - Backward sword energy or forward slash]
[Pattern 7 - Uppercut or downward smash]
[Resets to pattern 1 if aggro changes]
[Always uses sword energy on long-range targets]
...
...
[Special phase - Time-based]
[Appears after 4 minutes of combat]
[Can wipe 20% of HP in one go through a gimmick]
[Low damage requirement]
[Surviving the normal pattern is the key]
[Dark mana injection -> 12 stacks -> Mana rampage]
[Absorption target is one player]
[12 players method unknown]
[Some special method might be needed?]
[Berserk timer: 15 minutes]
...
...
[Thanks to you, I cleared it]
[Thank you]
[Good luck on today’s run!]
---
"Waahhh!"
Chris clung to the door and burst into tears.
Warm affection filled her chest.
It was different from messages sent via messenger.
This classic form of exchanging notes showed how much they cared for each other, not wanting to disrupt the other’s time. It made the sentiment even stronger.
Chris caressed the note stuck to the door repeatedly.
She wanted to open the door right now, hug Rain, and smother her with kisses.
But she couldn’t. Rain was probably exhausted after a tough raid.
And Chris had to be a raid leader.
*Swipe, swipe.*
Roughly wiping her reddened eyes and barely calming her overflowing emotions, Chris’s eyes gleamed with determination.
"Raid members, today you’re really dead."
______________________
TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!