Boom boom boom!
[Severe Punishment 2 stacks (29 seconds)]
[Take 2000 damage per second]
I hurriedly drew out a potion.
How long has it been since I drank a potion during combat?
The recovery amount from the vampiric Echostone equipped in the weapon socket was barely enough to cover 1 stack of Severe Punishment, but from 2 stacks, I couldn't keep up with the decreasing speed of HP recovery without drinking potions.
I can't rest from sword strikes even for a moment. The recovery amount of Echostone is determined by the number of hits. To survive, I have to keep swinging my sword continuously.
Thud, whoosh!
After the jump and breath pattern, I avoided the purple flash flying straight at me with counterattack and slightly distanced myself from Crow.
Then, the demonic energy explosion pattern that bursts from outside and inside. I learned that this cannot be resisted with invincibility skills. The number of stacks keeps increasing. Even if I can somehow endure up to 2 stacks, I won't be able to handle it the moment it becomes 3 stacks.
I die once and revive through the World Tree's Belt. Then with HP fixed at 1%, I activate the hero's unique skills to meet the damage requirements.
This is my formula for victory.
However, the Severe Punishment debuff that continuously decreases HP is a problem.
Even if I block instant death through the belt, I'll die again the moment I take continuous damage from the Severe Punishment debuff.
Like this, I can't even trigger the belt.
Swish.
Crow raised his hand.
Tap.
I also took my last step, distancing myself about 5 meters from Crow.
Boom boom boom!
Concentric explosion. Donut shape. From the outside.
I glanced at the purple flames bursting while wrapping around the outside of me and Crow, measuring the distance.
Swish.
Crow lowered his raised hand.
Boom boom boom!
Close-range explosion centered on Crow and me.
Tap tap!
This time, I completely escaped outside the explosion range through backward evasion.
The radius of the close-range explosion circle is about 12 meters. Backward evasion that moves 8 meters back can't completely escape it. I need to prepare in advance and distance myself a bit.
Of course, even if I resist inside the explosion range, I can be safe due to the invincibility judgment of backward evasion.
But the problem is the debuff that enters even if I resist.
If the debuff enters even me positioned beyond space, I need to completely escape the explosion range.
Clang clang clang!
After confirming the explosion had completely ended, I approached Crow and continued my attacks. He immediately raised his claws to clash with my sword.
It's not a particularly problematic pattern if you know about it. In the end, distance is important. The debuff that ignores invincibility skills that are completely invincible in the system was tricky, but it's just a matter of escaping outside the range in advance.
To the left, I swung my sword. Tough feathers fluttered. Ignoring the claws that barely brushed past my face, I swung down the sword and diagonally swung it up, diving between the huge arms swinging in from both sides and aiming for where the feathers were dug out.
Flash! Dark blood splattered.
Now I've completely learned the normal patterns. Severe Punishment that penetrates invincibility skills. It feels bad, but there's no problem if I grasp the range. I may have relied too much on the system until now. In reality, such dangerous explosions should be avoided in the first place. Anyway, it's a pattern I absolutely can't allow to use the World Tree's Belt.
How long has the combat time been so far, about 10 minutes passed?
How many minutes until his berserk mode?
[3rd Named Boss]
[Level 53]
[Army Commander Crow]
[HP 269,974,021 / 300,000,000 (90%)]
Crow's HP has already reached 90%.
An HP value where a special phase is likely to come out.
And, Crow.
Flap.
He flapped the wings on his back once.
Flap, flap.
In sync with his wing flaps, the huge body with crow wings attached to a monster's body started floating up little by little.
I frowned heavily looking up at Crow's giant body that had risen to a place where my attacks couldn't reach.
Are all winged things like this?
My eyes instantly scanned the surroundings.
There's not much time to complain. I need to grasp the changes in the combat area right away.
Woong!
As he floated in the air, three giant chimeras appeared at the edge of the circular space in the deepest part of the Tree of the Abyss.
Chimeras that looked like a fusion of pigs and large-bodied demons.
A giant body reminiscent of Orc King, the Named boss of this game's first elite dungeon.
Boom boom boom!
As soon as the chimeras appeared, they immediately threw demonic energy spheres at me. I left that spot without delay. And, I rushed in towards the chimera at 12 o'clock closest to me.
[Crow's Chimera]
[HP 10,000,000 / 10,000,000 (100%)]
Grrrr!
The chimera growled ominously and swung the battle hammer in its hand towards me.
The HP value is not insignificant either.
Judging from experience so far, if I can't take down all three chimeras in time, Crow will probably go berserk.
I bit my lip.
Even confirming the special pattern wasn't easy. The 3rd Named boss, great Crow battle is forcing a 12-person standard from the damage required to deal with the adds.
What should I do?
Should I trigger the belt here?
I wanted to minimize straining Seulbi's body.
If I borrow the power of the belt, I can use unique skills. With that, there won't be a lack of damage output. But if I trigger the belt from the process of confirming special patterns, my body won't last.
It can't be helped. If I can't deal with all the chimeras in time, berserk mode is the set course.
Crow wasn't idle in the air either.
Flap, swish!
As he flapped his wings once, feathers that fell off the crow wings shot sharply towards me.
Looking at that, I smiled wryly.
"Alright. I get it."
This guy is the last one anyway.
I'll have to overdo it a lot.
* * *
Thud, thud!
The giant bodies of the Flame Spearman and Ice Shieldman collapsed with a thunderous sound.
The faces of the raid members lit up.
"We, we did it!"
"We finally took them down!"
Woohoo-!
The Red-White raid members cheered.
After hours of attempts, they succeeded in defeating the intermediate bosses that were as tough as Named bosses.
"Haah."
Chris let out a deep sigh.
Unlike the rejoicing raid members, she couldn't be purely happy.
They were held up for too long by mere gatekeepers. Even if they had Named boss level gimmicks. They're intermediate bosses without berserk mode. If they had proceeded calmly without being greedy for damage, they wouldn't have needed to attempt for this long.
Clap.
"Ko Seungwoo, not bad? You didn't fall even once while crossing the cliff?"
"Kuku. You too. It was god-like movement. Don't intermediate bosses drop items?"
Chris glared at the Ranger duo, Disappointing and Ko Seungwoo, who were high-fiving next to her.
"What are you so happy about!? It took so long!"
"Ugh!"
They slowly lowered their hands that were raised for a high-five.
Tap tap tap.
Chris headed towards the 3rd Named boss's quarters without looking back.
"We don't have time for this. We need to make as much progress as possible."
The weekend is almost over. Attempt time decreases on weekdays. They need to solve many things by today.
Creak creak.
Chris looked beyond the entrance to the deepest part that opened its maw in front of her.
The final boss of the 'Tree of the Abyss' is in here.
Being the last Named boss, it surely won't be a boss that can be taken down in a day or two.
Tap tap tap tap.
Bae Merong popped out from among the raid members preparing consumables and such for the Named boss attempt.
She approached Chris while swaying her pink short hair and smiled brightly.
"Unnie, are you okay today? Are you very tired?"
"Hm? I'm not that tired."
Chris ended up smiling at Bae Merong's cute smile.
Bae Merong, who reads the atmosphere well, came to cheer her up.
Tap tap tap.
Bae Merong swallowed and walked next to Chris heading towards the deepest part.
"The last Named boss is ahead, right?"
"Hmm... I guess so?"
Chris entered the deepest part of the Tree of the Abyss with Bae Merong.
What appeared before them was.
Woong.
Ominous purple demonic energy flowed from the body of a giant chimera.
As if it was natural, there was a boss in the center of the cavity.
Its appearance was like.
"Oh, a big crow."
"A crow? It has all four limbs properly though? The base is crow because it has feathers and wings?"
"Seems there's no entrance scene."
The raid members who followed in exclaimed seeing that huge crow.
"So this is the final boss, Army Commander Crow."
Chris glared at the crow's brightly shining eyes.
[3rd Named Boss]
[Level 53]
[Army Commander Crow]
[HP 300,000,000 / 300,000,000 (100%)]
Flash!
Boom!
The purple flash that gushed out of the crow's mouth split the space. The bodies of raid members in its trajectory evaporated.
[Raid member 'Leroy Hopkins' has died]
[Raid member 'Ko Seungwoo' has died]
[Raid member...]
"Th-this!"
Chris drew out talismans and immediately used the party member enhancement skill 'Divine Descent'.
Whoosh!
"For now, extreme damage! Let's see the special pattern after shaving HP!"
Boom boom boom, bang!
Amidst the countless skills pouring towards 'Army Commander Crow' from the raid members, Chris gritted her teeth.
Speed comparable to 2nd Named boss Jakam. Attack range surpassing him. Attack patterns are also diverse.
And.
"What is this now!?"
[Severe Punishment 3 stacks (20 seconds)]
[Take 3000 damage per second]
Chris was appalled when she confirmed her HP was continuously decreasing.
"Ugh, I, I don't know! My HP keeps, kuhk!"
Bae Merong, who turned pale, finally collapsed. She couldn't endure the continuous damage from Severe Punishment.
[Raid member 'Bae Merong' has died]
"Chris! I'm at my limit too! Ugh!"
[Raid member 'Deathly Death' has died]
Deathly Death, who remained until the end with Chris, collapsed and.
Crow rolled his eyeballs and glared at Chris, who remained last.
Creepy.
"Wh-what!? A ranged pattern?"
Boom!
Chris struggled until the end while throwing Demon Sealing Technique.
Ranged aggro target pattern, I need to see this much at least.
"Ugh!?"
But Chris's body stiffened after receiving Crow's gaze.
Petrification pattern?
Crow reached out his hand towards Chris who stopped moving.
Bang!
Along with the feeling of something bursting inside her, Chris's vision turned gray.
[Raid member 'Chris' has died]