After explanations from Doran and Red Coral, the team finally understood the situation.
The Fallen Treant Lord had a skill that devoured nearby trees to restore a portion of its health.
It triggered whenever its health dropped to certain thresholds.
Each time it consumed a tree, its size and attack range increased, making it a troublesome ability.
“Last time we fought it, it grew as big as a small building.” Doran described roughly, giving everyone a mental image of the scene.
Imagining facing a monster of that scale, most team members, who had never reached this point, grew anxious and tense.
“No worries, we have that cross, right?” Mushui said, recalling the gleaming cross from earlier.
“But how do we use it?” An Tong asked, pulling the cross from her inventory and raising a critical question.
The team froze.
They hadn’t considered this.
The cross’s description only mentioned weakening the boss’s strength, with no details on how.
There was indeed a magic circle in Treant Territory, to the left-front of the sleeping Fallen Treant Lord, surrounded by six unknown totem pillars.
It resembled a small altar more than a magic circle.
“Do we place the cross on the magic circle?” Scarlet Rain wondered.
“No clue where exactly.” Elk replied.
“Probably the center. That’s usually how it works.” White Rabbit Candy suggested.
“But what if it’s not? Without it, the main tank’s durability drops significantly.” Bullhead cautioned.
The team debated noisily, throwing out guesses without solid evidence.
No conclusion emerged.
Finally, An Tong offered a practical suggestion. “Since we’re unsure, let’s not rely on it for now. It’d be worse if we mess up and lose more than we gain.”
“Hm… sticking to a safer approach makes sense.” Fallen Sunny agreed.
Morning Season nodded, taking a rational stance. “The item’s exact weakening effect isn’t specified. Keeping the cross unused is the most reliable option for now.”
It was a pity to not use the item from the hidden quest.
But for the team’s sake, this seemed the only way.
“Well, we might figure out how to use it during the fight.” An Tong said with a slight smile, offering a glimmer of hope.
Seeing some potential, the hesitant team nodded, agreeing with her suggestion.
What they didn’t know was An Tong’s true plan—
There won’t be time to think about anything else once the fight starts. She smirked inwardly.
Unbeknownst to her, several teammates were quietly watching her.
Seeing that sly grin, Doran, Autumn Waters, and Nightwish exchanged knowing looks. “This little one (Teacher) definitely knows how to use the cross.”
They weren’t sure why she withheld that knowledge despite knowing how to weaken the boss.
But given her past actions, she never did anything unnecessary.
She likely had a plan to tackle the boss.
“Then it’s settled. Shuiyan, you’re the main tank since you have the highest defense. Equip the cross to withstand a few hits. Other warriors and holy knights, assist her. Healers, prioritize the front line. Stand by at the magic circle’s east side (701, 5112).” An Tong instructed, handing the cross to Shuiyan. “Backline, move to (650, 5007) and wait for my signal to attack. Nightwish, come with me.”
“What are we doing, Teacher?” Nightwish asked, following behind, puzzled by her plan.
“Pulling the boss.” An Tong replied, winking back. “And giving you some hands-on practice.”
“Hands-on… practice?” Nightwish paused, not quite catching on.
Her confusion didn’t matter, as An Tong’s next move clarified everything.
As the team approached, the sleeping Fallen Treant Lord began to stir.
The team finally saw its name and health bar clearly.
Fallen Treant Lord [Boss]: Level 10, HP 8000/8000.
Dungeon boss monsters were weakened compared to regular bosses.
Otherwise, standard dungeon teams, limited by player count, couldn’t face them head-on.
Even so, aside from Doran and others who had cleared it, the boss’s thick health bar left the team in awe.
But what shocked them more was An Tong’s next move.
With little terrain to obstruct, rogues excelled at leveraging agility, second only to warriors’ charges.
An Tong swiftly closed in to about thirty yards, catching the boss’s attention, then shouted to Nightwish. “Nightwish, head back toward the altar.”
“Damn… pests…” The awakened Fallen Treant Lord growled, fixated on the “pest” before it.
In a rage, it grabbed a nearby tree—larger than itself—and hurled it at her.
“Watch out!” Nightwish called, but An Tong slowed deliberately, deftly dodging the tree with fluid movements, seamless and pleasing to the eye.
Seeing its attack fail, the Fallen Treant Lord’s roots erupted from the ground.
With a rumbling roar, it chased her, swinging thick vines.
Nightwish watched, stunned, as the petite figure nimbly evaded the boss’s fierce attacks—rolling, leaping, sidestepping, curving, and stopping abruptly.
Basic moves, executed with flawless precision.
She imagined herself in An Tong’s place and could only picture failure.
“So strong.” Nightwish admitted, feeling a mix of frustration and admiration.
It only proved how much she could learn from her teacher.
She realized the meaning of “hands-on practice” just as a barbed vine swung toward her.
The Fallen Treant Lord, chasing An Tong, noticed another “pest” in its sight and attacked without hesitation.
Less swift than An Tong, Nightwish relied on years of experience, rolling to dodge the vine and following An Tong toward the altar.
Under An Tong’s deliberate guidance, the boss focused mostly on her, with only occasional attacks hitting Nightwish.
These served as perfect training for her footwork and reflexes.
Seeing Nightwish keep up despite less polished moves, An Tong raised her estimation of her talent. “No wonder she created a god-tier technique in her past life.”
Training was just a bonus, though.
Her real goal was luring the boss to the altar.
That task was nearly complete.
Dodging past a massive totem pillar, An Tong stepped onto the magic circle’s intricate patterns and issued a command. “Shuiyan, charge to the 12 o’clock position. Everyone else, follow. Healers, focus on Shuiyan. Close in and coordinate defense.”
From near the altar, Shuiyan and the others clearly saw their tiny captain deftly dodging the boss’s attacks.
Her fluid movements left them stunned until her orders snapped them into action.
As Roseheart’s reclamation team main tank, Shuiyan reacted fastest.
Before An Tong finished her first sentence, she raised her giant shield and charged to the designated spot.
Meanwhile, the Fallen Treant Lord pursued An Tong, passing between two totem pillars into the altar’s center.
The area’s aura unsettled it, but it was determined to crush the pests disturbing its slumber, just like the last team of ants.
As it prepared to attack An Tong and Nightwish again, it collided head-on with Shuiyan’s charge.
Following An Tong’s words, Shuiyan shifted her weight back upon impact, quickly stabilizing and unleashing a shield bash.
-31, -34
The Fallen Treant Lord’s high defense in Hard mode meant even Shuiyan, with top-tier gear, dealt minimal damage.
As other warriors and holy knights arrived and aggro began to shift, Shuiyan activated her taunt skill, absorbing attacks that might have gone to Bullhead or others.
A small detail, but it showcased her skill as a reclamation tank.
With warriors and holy knights holding the line, the boss’s aggro was firmly locked on them, like an idol swarmed by fans at a signing event.
An Tong shook off the stray thought. “Backline, full DPS now.”
The team didn’t hesitate.
Mages chanted spells, archers drew bows, warlocks prepared debuffs, and after buffing, mages unleashed their strongest skills.
Doran frowned slightly.
Shouldn’t they control their DPS pace?
The Fallen Treant Lord triggered its tree-devouring skill at certain health thresholds.
Below half health, it summoned additional monsters periodically.
Guild reclamation teams typically paced their DPS, saving strong skills to manage the boss’s health and avoid situations where summoned mobs weren’t cleared quickly, disrupting the backline, or where devouring trees increased its attack range, risking one-shots on the front line.
Doran considered speaking up but held back, trusting An Tong had a plan.
Little did she know, she’d soon deeply question that trust.