“It’s over… it’s all over,” whispered Melliandra in her final moments of despair.
Her spirit had been utterly crushed. The wild vines had slowly begun to coil around her, threatening to swallow her into a deep and desperate darkness that seemed never-ending.
“I hate him! This is all because of Broken! My damage output has decreased a lot because I lost my ring!”
It was happening again. Someone had killed her in a fight only days before, and now here she was, defeated again so soon after! This loss felt more crushing than any before. She had never experienced two defeats in such quick succession!
“Everyone, save me!”
She felt herself surrendering to the darkness, but…
A deafening sound filled her ears, each consecutive explosion causing her to flinch. The vines holding her tightly shook before the blazing light of fire illuminated the shadows.
“What was that?” She opened her eyes.
The warmth reached out to her body, burning away the vines as the flames grew larger and brighter. She felt a flicker of hope ignite within her chest and clung to it with all her might. “I’m saved?”
There may still be a chance for victory after all.
Melliandra looked around in awe and disbelief, struggling to comprehend what had just transpired. Then, in the near distance, she spotted Broken standing tall and proud, a bow in his hand. It was then she realized who had saved her from the clutches of death.
“Why him?” she whispered, a mix of annoyance and tears filling her eyes.
Melliandra tumbled headfirst toward the ground, but with a swift maneuver in mid-air, she landed gracefully on a transparent platform. She quickly sprinted further away, ensuring she was in a safer position than before. She should be safe now. Even though the increased distance made aiming more challenging, it was preferable to perishing in battle.
Elincia was still stunned by what Broken had done. “Did he really do it? That skill had incredible potential damage. What kind of skill was that?” she wondered aloud.
“Well done, Broken!” Maylock exclaimed, his voice trembling as he tried to contain his emotional outburst. “We still have a chance, thanks to your efforts! I’m indebted to you.”
Goldrich beamed at Broken. “You’ve done an excellent job, young man! Now let’s conclude this grand battle with aplomb.”
Skywarden, noticing that Broken had accomplished his mission, stood tall and angrily slammed his shield into the monsters. “Tch! That was nothing special!”
“Melliandra, I know you can survive. You’re the best of us!” Elincia shouted over the fray. “You did it, Broken, thanks to you,” Kingsley continued.
Melliandra flashed a determined smile as she raised her rifle and aimed at the encroaching forces.
“I’m not that weak! Do you really think I need help from all of you? Hahaha… Let’s finish this together.” With that, she pulled the trigger, sending a hail of bullets through her target.
The battle raged on, and it was clear their task was far from complete. Broken quickly allocated every stat point he had to intelligence, as his mana requirements had surged with the recent level-ups of his four skills. The increased damage output was evident, and his attacks are now dealing with significantly more devastation.
Goldrich observed this with a thin smile. “What kind of blessing bestows someone with such a massive upgrade in the midst of battle, huh?”
Maylock, standing nearby, responded firmly, “Now you understand why I’ve been so interested in him, don’t you?”
“Your judgment has never been wrong, khi khi khi,” Goldrich replied.
The wounds of battle gradually healed, and the group endured several phases of the Raid Boss’s rage attacks. With each successive strike, the colossal beast began to show signs of fatigue, its weak point now exposed.
“This is it!” Maylock shouted from across the battlefield. “Let’s concentrate our forces and amplify our attack damage! This monster won’t stand a chance! We just need to deliver the finishing blow, and we must ensure that Broken lands the final hit on the monster.” Goldrich echoed the call with equal fervor. “Go forth, Broken! It’s your time to shine!”
As Broken had discussed earlier with Elincia and the others, he needed the chance to land the final blow on the monster. He hoped that by doing so, he could activate his Bountiful Harvest ability and thus reap greater rewards. However, achieving this amidst a dozen other fierce combatants doing the same thing would be challenging.
His requests were indeed extraordinary. Not only did he insist on not being invited into the raid party, but he also demanded the chance to deliver the final blow to the monster. This was an almost impossible feat, especially since he was competing against thirteen high-level players with significantly greater damage output, including three powerful mages.
Despite the odds, Elincia tried to honor his request, albeit with several warnings about the difficulty of his task.
Maylock explained that the other players could not afford to reduce their attack tempo in the final moments just to give Broken a chance for the final blow. If they did, the monster could enter another rage state, making it even harder to defeat.
But Broken was resolute in his decision. He was determined to seize this opportunity, no matter the risk. Only by succeeding in this could he hope to gain the potential rewards that he had expected.
Broken steeled himself, ready for the final push. Polly, who had been fighting nearby, quickly ran to him and shot towards him. He leaped onto Polly’s back, gripping tightly as they raced away from the deadly monster tree, seeking an opening to deliver the decisive blow.
He knew he could only inflict significant damage if he managed to reach and destroy the exposed Monster Core, now visible on the tall creature’s chest. However, he was acutely aware of the challenge: the core was positioned higher than twice the height of Bear Form Kingsley, and he would also have to avoid the monster’s thrashing vines. But he had to try, no matter
the risk.
“Broken, if you want to deliver the last hit, now is the time!” Maylock shouted. “You have a brief window. Seize the momentum.”
“I won’t let him do as he pleases,” Skywarden said, his face contorted with irritation. Keeping his focus on the battle, he added, “Do you think he can out-damage thirteen of us?
Impossible!”
Kingsley responded confidently, “He always surprises us. I believe he can do it.”
Several buffs were quickly cast towards Broken, with support from Goldrich, Elincia, and
Starfall, clearly hoping he could complete his mission.
Even Trison, the drunken healer, threw a glass bottle at Broken’s head. Remarkably, after the impact, Broken received a 100% regeneration buff.
“Is there no other way to buff someone?” he muttered to himself.
Despite everything, Broken, now riding Polly, moved with grim determination. They darted around the monster’s vines, Polly running swiftly and looking for a chance to leap towards the target. With agility, she jumped between the massive vines, dodging and weaving.
They were searching for a gap to reach the top of the monster.
Polly’s body was repeatedly struck by the massive vines, but she nimbly leaped to another
vine each time, drawing ever closer to their target.
“Come on, Polly, please. I know you can do it!”