*Bang! Bang!*
[Punishment, 2 Stacks (29 seconds)]
[Inflicts 2000 damage per second]
In a hurry, I gulped down a potion.
How long had it been since I last drank a potion during battle?
One stack of *Punishment* could barely be offset by the healing from my Bloodsucking Echo Stone embedded in my weapon’s socket. But once the second stack hit, the rate of healing couldn’t keep up with the damage. Without potions, I wouldn't survive.
I couldn’t afford to slow down my attacks. The healing power of the Echo Stone was determined by the number of hits. To stay alive, I had to keep swinging my sword.
*Boom, fwoosh!*
As I dodged the oncoming blast of violet light with a counter move, putting distance between myself and Crow, the next phase of *Magical Explosion* began—first from the outer edges, then toward the center. I had learned by now that this attack couldn’t be countered with invincibility skills. The stacks kept increasing. I could withstand two, but once it reached three, there was no hope.
I had a plan—die once, then revive using the *World Tree Belt*. Afterward, my health would be locked at 1%, triggering my hero’s unique skill, allowing me to deal massive damage.
That was my winning formula.
But the issue was the continuous health drain from the *Punishment* debuff.
Even if the belt could prevent an instant death, the moment *Punishment* dealt its constant damage, I would die again immediately.
This meant I couldn’t even afford to activate the belt.
Crow raised his hand.
I took a step back, putting about five meters between us.
*Boom!*
The *Magical Explosion* detonated, starting from the outer edges of the circular battlefield like a donut-shaped blast. As I calculated the distance, I noticed the violet flames surrounding us.
And then, Crow lowered his hand.
*Boom!*
The explosion detonated around us, this time closer to my position.
*Swish!*
This time, I perfectly timed a backstep, moving completely out of the blast zone.
The radius of the explosion was about 12 meters, and my backstep covered only about 8 meters. I had to account for that and put more distance between us in advance.
Of course, even if I were caught within the explosion’s radius, the invincibility granted by my backstep would allow me to escape unharmed.
But the debuff was the real issue.
If even the space beyond the explosion's reach couldn’t shield me from the debuff, I had no choice but to fully escape its range.
*Clang, clang!*
As soon as the explosion cleared, I charged back toward Crow and resumed my assault. He retaliated immediately, striking with his talon-like claws.
As long as I understood the mechanics, the pattern wasn’t particularly difficult. Distance was the key. The fact that *Punishment* ignored my invincibility was annoying, but all I had to do was step out of its range ahead of time.
I swung my sword to the left. His tough feathers scattered into the air. As his massive claws scraped past my face, I ignored them and brought my blade upward in a diagonal slash. I slipped between his enormous arms, targeting the spot where his feathers had been ripped apart. A flash of silver, and dark, murky blood splattered.
I had now fully adapted to the normal phase. The *Punishment* debuff was unsettling, but as long as I understood the range, it wasn’t an issue. I had been relying on the game’s system for too long. In reality, avoiding dangerous explosions should be standard practice. There was no way I could afford to trigger the *World Tree Belt* with that kind of attack in play.
By now, the battle had lasted about ten minutes.
How long until Crow enters berserk mode?
[3rd Boss]
[Level 53]
[Legion Commander Crow]
[HP 269,974,021 / 300,000,000 (90%)]
Crow’s HP had finally reached 90%.
A special phase would likely trigger soon.
And then, Crow—
*Flap.*
His wings flapped once.
*Flap, flap.*
With the beating of his wings, the monstrous body—now covered in raven-like feathers—began to ascend slowly into the air.
I frowned, looking up at his massive form now out of my reach.
Of course, flying enemies are always like this.
My eyes quickly scanned the battlefield.
No time to complain—only time to adapt.
*Woom!*
As Crow took to the air, three gigantic chimeras appeared around the perimeter of the circular arena, their massive forms hulking toward me.
These chimeras looked like grotesque hybrids of a boar and a muscular demon, reminiscent of the *Orc King* boss from the first elite dungeon in this game.
*Boom, boom!*
As soon as they emerged, the chimeras hurled orbs of dark energy at me. I swiftly dodged and rushed toward the chimera directly in front of me, positioned at the twelve o’clock mark.
[Crow's Chimera]
[HP 10,000,000 / 10,000,000 (100%)]
*Grrr!*
The chimera growled, raising its massive war hammer to strike.
Their health wasn’t insignificant.
Based on past experience, if I couldn’t defeat all three chimeras within a certain time, Crow would enter berserk mode.
I bit my lip.
Even identifying the special patterns was a challenge. The fight against the 3rd boss, Crow, required enough DPS to deal with these adds—assuming I had a 12-person raid party to rely on.
What should I do?
Should I activate the belt here?
I wanted to minimize the strain on Seulbi's body if possible.
With the power of the *World Tree Belt*, I could use my unique skill. That would easily give me enough damage output. But if I used it now, before I had fully identified the special patterns, I would be wasting Seulbi’s health.
There’s no other way. If I don’t defeat the chimeras in time, berserk mode is inevitable.
Crow wasn’t idle in the air either.
*Flap, screeeeech!*
With another flap of his wings, sharp raven feathers shot toward me like projectiles.
Seeing this, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
"Alright, alright. I get it."
After all, this is the final fight.
I’ll have to push myself to the limit.
---
*Boom! Boom!*
The hulking bodies of the Flame Spearman and the Ice Shield Bearer collapsed with a resounding crash.
The raid members’ faces lit up with joy.
“We did it! We finally brought them down!”
“Yesss!”
The *Hongbaek* raid group erupted in cheers.
After hours of attempts, they had finally managed to take down the mid-bosses, which were as tough as full-fledged bosses.
“Phew.”
Chris let out a long sigh.
Unlike the others, she couldn’t fully enjoy the victory.
They had spent too much time on mere gatekeepers. Even if these mid-bosses had boss-level mechanics, they didn’t have a berserk timer. If only they hadn’t been greedy for damage and had stayed calm, the battle wouldn’t have dragged on for so long.
*Clap.*
“Hey, Goseungwoo, nice work! You didn’t fall off even once crossing that gap.”
“Heh, you too. Your movement was on point. Do we get any loot from the mid-bosses?”
Chris shot a sharp glance at the ranger duo, Seopseop and Goseungwoo, who were giving each other high-fives next to her.
“What’s there to be so happy about!? It took way too long!”
“Gulp!”
They slowly lowered their hands, looking sheepish.
*Step, step.*
Without turning back, Chris headed toward the 3rd boss's lair.
“We don’t have time to celebrate. We need to make as much progress as possible.”
The weekend was nearly over. Weekday raid times were shorter, so they had to clear as much as they could today.
*Creaaak.*
Chris stared at the gaping maw of the final chamber.
Inside lay the final boss of *The Abyssal Tree*.
The last boss would surely take more than a day or two to defeat.
*Thud, thud, thud.*
As the raid members busily prepared for the upcoming battle, Beimerung skipped over, her pink bob cut bouncing as she approached Chris with a grin.
“Unnie, are you okay? You look tired.”
“Hm? I’m not that tired.”
Chris couldn’t help but smile at Beimerung’s adorable expression.
Beimerung, always attuned to the mood, had come to lift Chris’s spirits.
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*Step, step.*
Swallowing nervously, Beimerung walked alongside Chris toward the final chamber.
“The last boss is inside, right?”
“Probably...”
As Chris and Beimerung entered the innermost part of the *Abyssal Tree*, they were greeted by an ominous figure.
*Woom.*
A dark, violet energy oozed from the massive body of a chimera.
And at the center of the chamber, as expected, was the boss.
“Oh, a giant crow.”
“A crow? It’s got all its limbs, though. Well, it does have feathers and wings, so I guess it’s crow-based?”
“Doesn’t seem like it’s getting a big entrance scene.”
The other raid members who had followed behind them let out awed gasps at the sight of the enormous crow
.
“This is the final boss, Legion Commander Crow.”
Chris narrowed her eyes, focusing on the crow’s glowing gaze.
[3rd Boss]
[Level 53]
[Legion Commander Crow]
[HP 300,000,000 / 300,000,000 (100%)]
---
*Flash!*
*Boom!*
A violet beam shot from the crow’s beak, ripping through the air. The raid members caught in its path disintegrated instantly.
[Raider 'Leroy Hopkins' has died]
[Raider 'Goseungwoo' has died]
[Raider...]
“Damn it!”
Chris quickly pulled out a talisman and activated the party buff skill, *Divine Intervention*.
*Shine!*
“Go for maximum damage! Let’s knock down its HP and trigger the special phase!”
*Boom, crash!*
As the raid members unleashed their skills toward *Legion Commander Crow*, Chris gritted her teeth.
Crow was as fast as the 2nd boss, Zakham, and his attack range was even bigger. His attack patterns were also much more complex.
And then—
“What the hell is this!?”
[Punishment, 3 Stacks (20 seconds)]
[Inflicts 3000 damage per second]
Chris, realizing her HP was dropping steadily, felt a surge of panic.
“Damn, I don’t know what’s happening either! My HP just keeps dropping, ugh!”
With a pale face, Beimerung collapsed, unable to withstand the continuous damage from *Punishment*.
[Raider 'Beimerung' has died]
“Chris! I’m at my limit! Urgh!”
[Raider 'Deathmaster' has died]
With *Deathmaster* now dead, only Chris remained standing.
Crow’s eyes rolled, locking onto Chris, the last survivor.
A chill ran down her spine.
“What... is it a ranged attack?”
*Bang!*
Chris fired off a *Binding Seal*, making one last desperate effort.
At least we need to see the ranged threat mechanics before we wipe...
“Ugh!?”
But as Crow’s gaze fell upon her, Chris’s body froze in place.
A petrification effect?
Crow reached out his hand toward the immobilized Chris.
*Slam!*
With the sensation of something inside her bursting, Chris’s vision turned gray.
[Raider 'Chris' has died]