A ma.s.sive hyena with l.u.s.trous brown fur, at least two times larger than a bear, slept in the center of an open clearing. Layers of dense muscles covered its body. A single swipe of its arm could easily shred through rock, much less human flesh. As a raid boss, such strength was to be expected.(Raid Boss) Hyena Lord - Level 60
Health: 150,000/150,000
Jason leaned against a boulder at the edge of the clearing. Next to him stood Hans and the other Crusaders members. Hans made a quick headcount. "Looks like everyone"s here. Let"s buff up."
As the ascenders with support skills buffed their allies, Hans summoned a ma.s.sive iron crockpot. Upon lifting the lid, the aroma of meat and vegetables filled the air. The stomach of a young woman wearing embroidered robes rumbled. She rushed forward. "Me first!"
The Crusaders members followed after her, each taking out a bowl from their inventory. Hans turned to Jason and handed over his bowl. "Take mine."
"Thanks." Jason took the bowl and waited. When it was his turn, he approached the crockpot and breathed in through his nose. The meat and vegetables mixed with the broth, creating a fragrant aroma. The cook who made this reached at least Apprentice grade. Jason filled his bowl and went back to leaning against a boulder. He lifted the bowl to his nose and took another whiff. This time he could smell the subtle scent of herbs. After savoring the smell, he slowly began to eat, making each bite last.
Health, Stamina, and Mana have risen by 400 and all regeneration is increased by 150% for 4 hours. Primary stat (Vitality) increased by 20. All damage dealt is increased by 2%. All damage taken is reduced by 2%.
Compared to Jason"s favorite restaurant on the thirtieth floor, the buff created by this meal was vastly superior. Jason glanced at Hans. "Your guild"s cook is this good?"
"I wish." Hans shook his head. "My guild master purchased a hundred of these meals from a top-tier guild. He alloted ten to me."
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"Ah. I see." Jason now had a clearer understanding of the top-tier guilds power levels. From this meal alone, he could tell that they had already invested heavily into cooks, blacksmiths, and alchemists.
When Hans finished his meal, he stored his bowl away and handed Jason an inventory ring. "Take what you need from here."
Curious, Jason took a quick look inside. The ring was filled with potions and herbs. In total, everything combined was worth over ten thousand gold. Jason nodded slightly. To be expected of a high ranking officer in charge of thirty ascenders. Preparation is key to success.
"Thanks. I just need a few bloodseal potions." Jason transferred five dark red vials to his own inventory before handing back the ring.
Bloodseal Potion
Removes the bleeding status. 30 second cooldown.
Hans put on the ring as he raised an eyebrow. "You already know the abilities of the boss?"
Jason panicked. Based on the ident.i.ty he created, he had no backing, meaning he would have no knowledge of the skills that monsters had on this floor. Especially a raid boss. Jason quickly put on a casual expression and shrugged. "Just a precaution. It"s a beast monster, so odds are it has a bleed skill."
"Oh." Hans nodded, finding nothing unusual. Seeing that the coast was clear, Jason sighed inwardly and berated himself.
"Here. Take a quick look." Hans summoned a thick folder and took out a piece of paper.
Jason gave it a glance and found that it contained a report about the hyena raid boss. Just in case, he compared the report with his memory. A few moments later, he handed it back.
"We paid quite a bit for this." Hans shook the folder. "One advantage us upper-tier guilds have is that we don"t have to experiment and take things slowly when ascending a floor. Those top-tier guilds already did the legwork for us."
Hans stored the folder away. "You ready?"
Jason straightened his posture. "Let"s do this."
Hans returned the now empty crockpot to his inventory ring before clapping his hands. "Okay, folks. You"ve all read the report, so you know what to do. Just stick to your roles and everything should be fine."
Everyone grew solemn as they spread out and prepared for battle. When everyone was in position, they glanced at Jason. Sizing up the hyena, Jason stepped forward, entering the clearing. His heart pumped with adrenaline. This would be his first raid boss upon time traveling.
The hyena"s eyes snapped open. The beast silently rose to its feet and glowered at Jason. There was no growling or snarling. Just absolute silence. Jason slammed his sword against his shield and activated Taunt. "Bring it on!"
The hyena, previously calm and observant, suddenly felt a compulsion to attack rise from within. Letting out a low snarl, it lowered its posture, then dashed forward in a zigzag pattern.
Jason"s eyes darted left and right. In less than a second, the hyena was at his side, its arm already mid swing. Its claws were as long as daggers, and if they made contact with Jason, he would be severely wounded.
"It"s so fast!" A ranger exclaimed from the side. It was only with a skill that the ranger was able to keep up with the hyena"s movements.
Just in the nick of time, Jason leaned backwards. The claws narrowly pa.s.sed by cheek. Following through with the momentum, Jason performed a backflip, releasing Cleave at the same time. When he landed, he immediately jumped backwards. The hyena"s mouth snapped shut in the place where he just stood.
The hyena stared at Jason, realizing that a mighty foe stood before it. For a moment, time stood still. Jason"s mind raced as his body absorbed all of the stimulus around him. On each side of the hyena, Crusaders" members charged forward. Arrows flew through the air, accompanied by all type of spells. A complete image of everything within thirty feet appeared in Jason"s mind.
Dodging around like he was might look cool, but it wasn"t helping anybody at all. He was currently tanking, which meant that he had to keep the boss as still as possible in order for his teammates to deal damage. As his thoughts reached this point, a bead of sweat fell from his cheek. When it hit the ground, both he and the hyena moved.
Sparks flew through the air. Jason"s arm was knocked backwards, his sword threatening to leave his grasp. Tightening his grip, he raised his shield, just in time to block a bite from the hyena.
-214
Over two hundred health was lost in a single attack, even with the Block skill taking effect. If he took ten more attacks, death was all that awaited him.
Jason tried pulling his shield back, but the hyena"s jaws held it in place. The hyena raised its head, lifting Jason off the ground. Its claws turned red as it sliced through Jason"s legs.
-290
You are bleeding.
-33 Health a second for 30 seconds.
Jason noticed the hyena"s eyes squirm with glee. Instead of feeling like his life was in danger, he chuckled. "Idiot."
Over twenty attacks landed on the hyena. Several arrows pierced its skin. One was covered in poison, while another exploded upon contact. Fireb.a.l.l.s charred parts of the hyena black, while frostbolts burst apart at its feet, slowing it slightly. Daggers and swords left small cuts, while hammers smashed against its body. The hyena cried out in pain, inadvertently dropping Jason.
When Jason landed on his feet, he quickly drank a bloodseal potion, removing the bleeding effect. At the same time, his body began to glow with light.
You have been healed.
+142 Health.
You have been healed.
+22 Health a second for 10 seconds.
A barrier has been cast on you. It will absorb 200 damage. Lasts 30 seconds.
Jason"s plan was a success. He had baited the hyena into staying still, allowing the first wave of attacks to take away a large chunk of the its health. Now the true battle would begin. Jason needed to maintain aggro over the boss. If he didn"t, it would be able to kill someone else in less than five attacks. That was unacceptable. Taunt was still on cooldown for another forty seconds, so he needed to deal damage.
When the hyena recovered, Jason had already used Chop three times, securing aggro. The hyena focused on Jason, unleashing one attack after the other. Unable to move, Jason dodged and blocked as best he could. Still, there was a limit when facing a raid boss, and he was. .h.i.t time after time. Jason"s health fell, only to rise again. This process was repeated continuously. His life was truly in the healer"s hands.
As the battle raged on, the hyena suddenly raised its body. Noticing this, Hans canceled his attack and exclaimed. "Back off!"
The hyena briefly stood on its hind legs and swiped with both arms. Ten thin lines of white energy shot out from the hyena"s claws. The energy continued outward, disappearing only after traveling fifteen feet. As members of an upper-tier guild, everyone was experienced and followed Hans" command, dodging the attack in the nick of time. Well, almost everyone. An ascender donning heavy armor was. .h.i.t, dropping his health to dangerous levels.
Hans" eyes scanned around the battle like a hawk. Upon seeing his ally get hit, he shouted. "Rob was. .h.i.t, quickly heal him!"
It took a few moments for the healers to locate Rob in the chaos of battle. As the healers attention was focused on Rob, Jason had to make sure his health stayed at a healthy level. During moments like these, he used Shield Block, saving Tank"s Bulwark for emergencies. When Rob"s health was restored to full, he unleashed a roar and re-entered the fight.
The battle raged on, with the hyena unleashing its special skills every now and then. Occasionally someone would be hit, only to be healed to full a few moments later. The hyena"s health continued to drop, and inevitably, it fell before the might of Crusaders.
As its body dispersed into light, a plethora of loot was left in its place, forming a small hill. Bloodline vials, equipment, potions, currency, and herbs. A raid boss was truly a raid boss.