Chapter 81 Chapter81-Kobold Captain
"-1792!"
A four-digit damage number emerged, and a layer of frost quickly spread across the Kobold.
With a crisp sound resonating, in just the span of a few breaths, it had been enveloped by the frost, transforming into an ice sculpture.
Yet, witnessing this scene, Mike and Nick, who were next in line to strike, found their pupils constricting, and they stood there, rooted in shock.
"What just happened? How did it deal such massive damage?"
"..."
"Strike now!" It wasn't until Howard urged them that Mike and Nick snapped back to reality, launching their attacks with a hint of embarrassment.
Nick gripped his sword and charged at the Kobold, now a frozen statue. Propelled by sheer momentum, his blade mercilessly struck the icy figure.
With a sharp crack, the frost shattered, taking along with it a palm of the Kobold, which fell lifelessly to the ground.
Simultaneously, Mike's form flickered. As an assassin, his agility was at its peak.
His base speed was barely any slower than a Charge skill. He quickly circled to the Kobold's rear.
His dagger, swift and lethal like a venomous snake, continuously struck the frosty figure, piercing through the ice and assaulting the Kobold's flesh beneath.
Though his onslaught might not seem as ferocious as Nick's, the damage numbers continuously popping up above the Kobold's head were far greater than those from Nick's blows.
It was inevitable. After all, while Nick delivered one strike, Mike had already landed five or six.
"-566!"
"-217!"
"-277!"
"-235!"
"..."
As the damage numbers appeared in quick succession, a hint of redness crept onto Nick's cheeks.
He had managed to sever the Kobold's wrist, delivering a considerable blow. Yet, in reality, the damage Mike inflicted was more than twice his own.
But the show wasn't over yet!
As Abby's arrow whistled through the air, striking the Kobold squarely in the face, a fiery red brilliance erupted, instantly shattering the encompassing frost.
The frozen Kobold burst apart, disintegrating in a radiant white light.
"-7800!"
"Was... Was that an instant kill?!"
"My God, Abby, you just obliterated a Level 20 Platinum-grade monster in a heartbeat!"
Witnessing the explosive disintegration of the Kobold, both Nick and Mike were utterly taken aback.
If they could comprehend Howard's damage, this instantaneous annihilation was something that left them utterly astounded.
Fortunately, their lineage from prestigious families allowed them to quickly regain their composure, understanding the cause.
Elemental Reaction!
Unlike in games, in this digitized reality, many elements interacted with one another.
For instance, when Nick's sword severed the Kobold's wrist, it wasn't because of his overwhelming strength, but because the flesh, once frozen, would break along with the ice if shattered.
Abby's ability to vanquish the Kobold instantaneously was due to the explosive reaction between Pyro and Cryo elements, pulverizing the monster's limbs and torso.
While monsters and humans alike had quantifiable health points, if the heart or the body was utterly compromised, the damage wouldn't depend on attack power or defense values. In such cases, instant death was a possibility.
It was based on this principle that Howard's SS-level skill, the Icy Touch of the Winter Goddess, could instantaneously exterminate monsters under certain conditions.
Once they grasped this, the respect in Nick and Mike's eyes for Howard deepened significantly.
They realized that without Howard freezing the Kobold first, their attacks wouldn't have been nearly as effective.
Abby exclaimed with excitement, "Howard, I can't believe I took down a Platinum-grade monster with just one arrow!"
"Well done!" Howard responded with a fond smile. Without missing a beat, he approached the Kobold, picked up the silver coin and the blade that had dropped, and tucked them into his backpack.
Before Nick and Mike could even chime in with their praise, the remaining five Kobolds sensed that something was amiss.
Their eyes darted in their direction.
Luckily, the spot Howard had chosen was well-concealed by bushes, preventing the Kobolds from seeing exactly what had transpired.
However, what Howard hadn't anticipated was that the Kobolds didn't rush over as a group. Instead, they approached one by one.
This only heightened the excitement of Howard and the team. Dealing with a single Kobold was certainly more manageable than handling five at once!
So, before the approaching Kobold could make a sound, the piercing chill was already transformed into an arrow, fiercely striking its body.
Frost appeared once more, turning it into a frozen sculpture.
"Boss, you're incredible!"
"I remember that the control effect of this skill has an extremely low chance. The fact that boss can freeze the monsters every single time is just mind-blowing."
Even Nick and Mike, being disciples of renowned families, couldn't fathom how Howard managed to achieve this.
If it was just based on luck, it was rare for anyone to consecutively succeed in freezing!
What they didn't realize was that Howard's attributes didn't just overpower the Kobold's, they far surpassed them. That's why the hit rate of his skill was so formidable.
After being frozen by Howard, the fate of that Kobold was pretty much sealed.
After enduring a few hits and then being met with the explosive reaction between the flaming arrow and the frost, it was instantly defeated once again.
While it's true that the monsters in this world differ from those in games and possess some degree of intelligence, lower-level monsters are still quite limited in their cognitive abilities.
Astonishingly, the remaining Kobolds still approached one by one to investigate.
After just a few repetitions of this process, all the regular Kobolds had been defeated, leaving only the one that had been seated by the campfire!
By this point, Howard and his team no longer saw the need for concealment and confidently approached the campfire.
Mike, stepping forward, cast a skill on the Kobold, sharing its attributes. The data formed into a panel that hovered before the group.
[Kobold Captain] (BOSS)
[Level: 25]
[Tier: Platinum]
[Description: A squad leader within the Kobold tribe. Compared to ordinary Kobolds, its physique has evolved to be much stronger, yet it still lacks intelligence.]
[HP: 48500/48500]
[Attack Power: 2511 - 3673]
[Defense Value: 1500]
[Skills: Kobold Charge, Death Strike, Whirlwind Strike]
Being a Platinum-grade BOSS, its attributes were noticeably stronger than regular monsters, which immediately made Nick and Mike wear serious expressions.
With a peak Attack Power of 3,673, if it were to strike them, they'd be down in just two or three hits.
Fortunately, its skills were limited to just three. If it resorted to regular attacks, they felt confident in their ability to dodge.
However, Abby and Howard, having previously tackled LV50 BOSS, seemed utterly unconcerned about the Kobold Captain.
Mike whispered, "Boss, how should we approach this one?"
"How else? I'll control it; you all focus on damage," Howard replied with an air of nonchalance.
With his spirit nearing 2,000 points, his skill's accuracy against low-level BOSS was commendable; there was no reason to worry.
Nick and Mike exchanged a look, their faces set in determination. "Understood!"
As they strategized, Mike's form once again became ethereal, entering stealth mode, while Nick gripped his sword with both hands, positioning himself protectively in front of Howard and Abby.
Although it's usually the duty of knights and shield bearers – the tank classes – to protect magi and archers, in their absence, this responsibility fell upon Nick, the warrior.
He wasn't an agile warrior or a specialized swordsman. His output would surely be less than Howard's or Abby's. Keeping them safe was crucial for successfully defeating the BOSS!
Nick's reasoning was sound. However, what he hadn't considered was that Howard's current attributes matched those of a LV50 awakened, so he hardly needed any protection.
Seeing Nick and Mike assume their battle stances, Abby didn't hesitate. Drawing her bow and nocking an arrow, she fixed her gaze firmly on the Kobold Captain.
Since the Kobold Captain hadn't been frozen, Abby chose not to release a fire arrow. Activating her innate talent, Heart of Elf, a golden feathered arrow formed, and with a whoosh, it shot straight towards the Kobold Captain.
The golden gleam was piercingly sharp.
The arrow embedded itself deep, causing the Kobold Captain to jolt upright, letting out an anguished and chilling scream, its eyes turning blood-red.
In this world, the concept of elements wasn't solely based on local lore.
It also encompassed the Chinese civilization's theory of the five elements, albeit with different terminology.
"Metal" signified an unstoppable force, and this arrow inflicted almost a thousand points of damage!
The staggering damage numbers left both Nick and Mike in awe.
However, after feeling the pain, the Kobold Captain was filled with fury.
Grabbing the axe beside the fire, it bent its legs, and in the next moment, like an arrow released from its bow, it leapt high. The axe swung mid-air, creating a sonic boom.
Feeling the gust and seeing the rapidly approaching axe, Abby, Nick, and Mike all instinctively took a step back.
But before the Kobold Captain's attack could land, its massive body suddenly descended, along with the axe, crashing to the ground and raising a cloud of dust.
This unexpected turn of events left Nick and Mike utterly perplexed.
It was only when Howard waved his wand, exerting a mysterious force that pinned the Kobold Captain to the ground, rendering it immobile, that they realized what had transpired.
They exclaimed in astonishment, "Is that the Geo skill, the Gravity spell?! Or is it Gravity Halo?"
"I thought the boss was a Cryo magus?!"
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