Under Reese Meril and his sister Tina Meril’s lead, the party pushed through the forest toward the cliffs in the southeast, and soon arrived at a relatively open clearing near a river where a clearly makeshift log cabin stood.
Not far from the cabin, a gray-robed figure sat at the river’s edge on a carved magic circle, immersed in meditation.
Reese halted at the shrubs bordering the clearing. “The person up ahead is the mage I mentioned. While meditating, his perception spikes; if we get any closer he may notice us. Also, his injuries look much better now, so taking him down won’t be easy.”
“We’re not used to taking orders. We’ll support each other as needed. Adventurers, you can work out your tactics here and let us know when you’re ready,” he added, then he and Tina began checking their gear and adjusting stances and spells.
“Hill” spoke up. “The upcoming BOSS fight is tricky. I’ll take command.”
No one objected. It was everyone’s first time facing an Abyss-difficulty dungeon and this BOSS.
Even Doran’s group had broken their spears on this BOSS many times, never pushing past 50% HP—and that was only on Nightmare difficulty. In terms of familiarity, they were no match for Hill, veteran of the Irresponsible Strategy Team.
Seeing the tension creep across a few faces, I smiled slightly and offered a calm word. “Relax. We’ve got the Meril siblings on our side, and Reese’s weapon has a special enchantment. With Sister Hill’s command, no matter how hard it is, it won’t be that hard.”
The soft, sweet lilt of a cute loli can lift spirits; only then did the team ease up a little.
From Hill’s brief rundown, they grasped what this so-called Secret Rune Council defector could do.
The BOSS’s defense and HP were only a little higher than the weakened Fallen Treant Lord, but he possessed a powerful Arcane Shield that regenerated periodically. While the shield was down, his defense dropped, but the damage he dealt went up.
The BOSS’s main attack was Arcane Orbs, which would gain area-of-effect damage once his HP fell below 75%. Under no circumstances could the backline pull aggro, or the hefty damage would instantly delete the squishy DPS. Below 50%, he would summon Mutated Creatures to fight alongside him.
“We just need to support the Meril siblings’ damage output. Don’t tunnel on maximizing our own DPS,” Hill concluded with the key point. “Reese’s weapon is enchanted; if we manage aggro correctly, it won’t spill. Paladins cover the frontline for each other. Priests focus heals on Reese. Slow the tempo and it won’t be hard.”
Once everyone understood the core plan, we signaled the Meril siblings.
Reese wiped his weapon and stood. Just as he was about to lead the way out of the trees, I tugged his sleeve. “Mr. Reese, never let a mage be interrupted while meditating. It’s underhanded, yes, but if we can land a sneak attack, we can catch him off guard and make the fight easier.”
He pondered for a beat. “Makes sense. Tina, prep your spell.”
At his words, Tina, a nature mage, carefully gathered power. Despite the distance and the forest’s cover—and despite the enemy being an arcanist—the elemental convergence around someone in meditation was obvious. Her approach was sound.
“Holy Word mage, bless her. Warlock and Shadow Word mage, prep your armor-breaks,” Hill ordered, first placing a spell-damage buff on Tina.
Autumn Waters lifted her staff and granted Tina a “next-skill damage increase” buff. Otaku Source hurried to ready an armor-shredding skill. I yawned, then began weaving the sole defense-reducing spell available at Tier 10 of Dark Magic.
“Cast.”
As the light on Tina’s staff grew brighter, Hill’s voice gave me and Otaku Source the signal.
Two globes of black light fell one after another onto the robed BOSS in the distance, and the next instant a ghostly green leopard sprang from the woods, lancing through him like lightning.
-1397
A four-digit damage number popped up, snapping him from his meditation. “Who!”
At the same time, the BOSS’s information finally revealed itself to all.
Arcanist Gilbert [Leader]: Lv. 10, 13,603/15,000
Nearly 10% of his HP was gone in a single exchange. Yes, the meditation break and stacked buffs helped, but it also showed that Tina’s spell power outstripped everyone else’s.
Jarred from meditation, Gilbert reacted quickly, springing to his feet and turning toward the forest. Upon spotting the Meril siblings, his expression flickered. “You, Reese—why ambush me?”
Perhaps out of regard for past aid, Gilbert did not strike immediately even after being ambushed, but sought an explanation.
“You really need to ask, you traitor of the Secret Rune Council?” Reese had no patience for sentimentality. He hefted his greatsword and charged from the trees toward Gilbert. “I can’t believe I helped the very culprit behind this mutation outbreak. I’ll take responsibility and bring you down!”
Startled, Gilbert chanted at speed. An Arcane Shield bloomed in front of him, stopping Reese’s rushing body cold. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have never done such a thing.”
“You think I’ll believe you? Die!” Reese roared, bringing his greatsword down on the Arcane Shield. Metal scraped across the barrier with a screech, showering sparks and shaving nearly 10% off the shield’s capacity.
Seeing this, Gilbert could only muster Arcane Orbs, and the battle truly began.
At the very moment Reese launched his charge, and under Hill’s command, Shuiyan, Scarlet Rain, and Bullhead waited a few seconds—only moving in once Reese had fully anchored aggro.
“Keep Taunt up. No need to pop defensives. Paladin blessings go on Reese first.”
At the voice from behind, they obeyed in unison, using shields and armor to body-block Gilbert’s movement, giving the other paladins time to step in and link up. Holy radiance poured over Reese, solidly boosting his defenses.
Only after every possible buff was applied did they start considering their own positioning and nearby teammates.