Chapter 79: Battle with the Warlord

“Mad Bull, draw the boss’s attention. Use the Flame Crystal, but watch your distance—wait until you’re close before using it.” As he ran toward the team, he shouted these instructions to Dragon Soaring Mad Bull.

“Understood!” Dragon Soaring Mad Bull replied, not daring to slack off. Gripping the Flame Crystal tightly, he charged straight at the Rock Lord. He knew they couldn’t afford to waste the precious crystal. Only when he was right in front of the Rock Lord and absolutely certain did he hurl the Flame Crystal with all his might.

With a loud crack, the Flame Crystal shattered upon the Rock Lord’s body. Violet-red flames erupted skyward, engulfing the Rock Lord like a wildfire sweeping across a plain.

“Ding! The special damage effect of the Flame Crystal has taken effect. All of the Rock Lord’s attributes are reduced by thirty percent for half an hour.”

The Rock Lord let out a pained howl, immediately abandoning its pursuit of Ye Chen and turning to lunge at Dragon Soaring Mad Bull.

“Mad Bull, defensive stance—brace yourself, focus only on defense!” Seeing this, Ye Chen quickly stopped and shouted to Dragon Soaring Mad Bull, who was about to engage the Rock Lord at close quarters.

Though Dragon Soaring Mad Bull didn’t quite understand why he shouldn’t attack and draw aggro right away, his trust in Ye Chen prevailed. He positioned his staff diagonally across his chest and assumed a defensive stance as directed.

Bang!

-356. The Rock Lord’s fist slammed into Mad Bull’s chest, sending a violent tremor through his body. Fortunately, his defensive stance prevented him from being knocked back.

“Priests, follow my command—prepare your healing spells, but don’t heal unless I give the order.” Ye Chen signaled the melee fighters to move up as he sternly instructed the three priests.

The Rock Lord raised its massive fists again, roaring as it hammered down at the still-defending Mad Bull, one blow after another, each faster than the last.

Bang! Bang!

-312, -318. Two blood-red numbers rose above Mad Bull’s head, his face draining of color in an instant. His health plummeted to just over 850, and the Rock Lord’s assault was far from finished—a third punch was imminent.

The entire team tensed at the sight. Even Loot Goblin and Dragon Soaring Star stared wide-eyed at the combatants, fearing Mad Bull wouldn’t hold out.

Ye Chen watched Mad Bull closely, but he wasn’t overly anxious. He knew that if Mad Bull could withstand this third punch, the Rock Lord’s attack speed would drop immediately. Even if the third hit was a critical, Mad Bull’s health would be enough—so long as none of the priests accidentally triggered the earth spikes…

“Don’t be afraid, Mad Bull—the priests are holding… Dammit.” Ye Chen had just started to reassure him when one of the priests, unable to withstand the tension, accidentally cast a healing spell early.

+585. The healing number had just appeared when the Rock Lord’s third punch landed: -365. At that very moment, with a crash, an earthen spike erupted from beneath Mad Bull’s feet.

-985.

The devastating earth magic attack instantly drained all of Mad Bull’s health. If not for Ye Chen’s attribute aura and the resilience skill he’d acquired, Mad Bull would have died on the spot—spelling certain doom for the entire team.

Mad Bull was flung through the air by the earth spike, crashing to the ground and losing another 10 health. His face was ashen with fright.

“Don’t panic, take a potion! Priests, heal!” Without bothering to blame the errant priest, Ye Chen quickly directed the remaining two to cast their healing spells on Mad Bull.

+591, +583.

Mad Bull’s health surged back over a thousand. The Rock Lord had already caught up, landing another punch on the barely-recovered Mad Bull.

-325. It was still a heavy blow, but at last, the Rock Lord’s attack speed slowed.

“Mad Bull, counterattack and hold aggro! Melee fighters, move in and follow his lead!” Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief. The first danger had passed, and until the next critical phase, there shouldn’t be further mishaps. He glanced back at the priest who had made the mistake—a young woman whose face was now noticeably pale, clearly aware of her error.

“We’ll let it slide this time, but I don’t want to see mistakes like that again. A wipe would be a loss for everyone.” Ye Chen sighed softly. He couldn’t very well berate the poor girl, especially as she wasn’t one of his subordinates; a gentle reminder was all he could give.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward. The members of Dragon Soaring all felt somewhat embarrassed. Dragon Soaring Star hastened to ease the tension. “Brother Nightfall, it looked just now as though the Rock Lord’s earth spike skill in this King-level dungeon is somehow linked to the priests’ healing?”

“That’s right. At certain moments, priest healing will trigger earth spikes. For example, during the Rock Lord’s triple assault, you must wait until he’s finished before casting healing spells. Each extra healing triggers another earth spike. If all three priests heal at once, no tank could survive it.” Ye Chen nodded. These strategies were well documented—essential knowledge for King-level dungeons. Without this awareness, clearing the instance was impossible. Since they were all in it together, there was no reason to keep secrets, so he spoke quite casually.

“Truly enlightening! Did your friends discover all these patterns themselves, Brother Nightfall?” Dragon Soaring Star asked curiously.

“Of course. I’ve never run this dungeon myself; how else would I know?” Ye Chen replied while throwing another black fireball at the Rock Lord. He thought to himself that he wasn’t really lying—after all, 2058 was his friend.

“Brother Nightfall, if you’re not satisfied with Dragon Soaring Star’s group, I can arrange for the Elite First Squad to join you in the dungeon tomorrow. I guarantee they’re the most capable members of Dragon Soaring, both in equipment and discipline. Would you consider it?” Loot Goblin suddenly suggested in the team channel, causing the Third Squad members to freeze. The errant young priest nearly burst into tears at the mention of “discipline”—clearly, the comment was aimed at her.

“No, no, absolutely not!” Dragon Soaring Star immediately protested in the channel. Annoyed, he exclaimed, “Come on, Loot, just because you’re First Squad’s vice-captain doesn’t mean you can poach from Third Squad! What, are we the unwanted stepchildren here? We’ve finally got our chance to shine; you can’t do this to us.”

“How is it poaching? We’re all one guild. If Third Squad benefits, you can’t expect us to be left behind.” Loot Goblin landed a fire blade on the Rock Lord, taking off another 300+ health, and marveled at the boss’s insane defense before continuing, “Besides, discipline-wise, First Squad is definitely superior. For instance, I can guarantee that random healing wouldn’t happen in First Squad.”

As vice-captain, Loot Goblin had long harbored this idea. Previously, Third Squad had performed admirably, so he couldn’t voice it. But now that they’d made a mistake, he felt justified in speaking up for his team—even if it meant upsetting the young priest. Competition is everywhere, after all.

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