Chapter Fifty: Dual Blades

As the group launched their swift assault, more than fifty elite monsters, each with a hundred thousand health points, were gradually wiped out.

"Let's go, time to fight the boss. Hopefully, it'll drop a cloak."

"Maybe you'll get a green cloak, how about that?"

"That's harsh. A level twenty-five green cloak is nothing to brag about, especially since we're up against an orange boss."

"You never know. The last squad leader only dropped green gear, and it wasn't even a cloak. These event bosses are garbage."

"True enough. Let's just treat this as grinding for contribution points. Gear is fleeting—best to hunt wild bosses for reliable drops."

The complete fifty-member team, apart from seven or eight supports who focused on healing, joined the attack.

The boss's health dropped rapidly.

"Still, these stationary bosses are easier to handle. As long as someone can withstand the damage, everyone else can unleash attacks. No need to worry about anything unexpected."

"Right, bosses like the Priest are a nightmare—so many control and burst skills that extra people barely make a difference."

"Even so, stationary bosses won't be easy in the future, especially the red ones. Their damage will be terrifyingly high, and holding the line will be tough."

"Better to have more tanks taking turns. Still much easier than dealing with casters."

"That's true."

Under the relentless assault, the elite captain with ten million health saw his HP drop to twenty percent.

The boss entered a frenzy, and its damage soared.

The little secretary was already struggling to hold on. Even with seven or eight supports healing him, it wasn't enough.

His main issue was his low health cap.

With less than ten thousand HP, the boss's triple slash could deplete him completely in one go.

If the triple slash landed at a low moment, he would fall instantly.

"Damn, looks like the tank can't hold out much longer."

"Little Secretary is useless, can't even withstand an orange boss."

"Easy for you to say. Why don't you try tanking?" Little Secretary was quite annoyed.

The boss’s frenzied attacks were too much for him. If he died at the last moment, not only would he miss out on experience, but who knows if the system would even count his contribution for defending the city.

"Don't panic. If Little Secretary goes down, Six Tubes will take over. His threat value has been second highest the whole time—he can keep the boss busy," Fengyun World said calmly, seeing the Little Secretary on the verge of collapse.

"If only I had a purple cloak. Failing that, an orange shield would do. Then I'd be able to withstand the boss easily," Little Secretary lamented helplessly.

He still had a green cloak, and his shield was only a level five orange. As for a level fifteen orange shield, it simply wasn't available anywhere.

The stats on a level fifteen purple shield weren't much better than his level five orange, and the auction house price was outrageous, so he hadn't upgraded—still using the one dropped by the Boar King in the starter village.

"Don't be upset, Little Secretary. If a shield drops, it's yours," someone in the group comforted him.

"What if it's a cloak?"

"Dream on. Cloaks are universally usable, so everyone rolls for it. Who wouldn't want it?"

"Exactly, even a green cloak will be rolled for by everyone. They're just that rare."

As they joked, the boss unleashed a triple slash. Three damage numbers popped above Little Secretary's head, the last one dealing over six thousand.

Just as his HP was low, the boss struck with triple slash, and Little Secretary fell without a chance for the healers to save him.

"Six Tubes, hold the line for a bit. Wind Chime, get Little Secretary back up," Fengyun World said calmly.

There was no need to worry. With the second highest threat securely on Zhang Shan, the boss wouldn’t target anyone else.

As for whether Zhang Shan could take the hits—not a problem. With his seventeen thousand HP and a pack of supports behind him, the boss couldn't bring him down. The only annoyance was the boss's empowered charge, which could stun him and reduce his damage, but that was manageable.

Why hadn't Zhang Shan tanked from the start? First, Little Secretary's health and defense were high enough, so Zhang Shan was better off focusing on damage. Second, Little Secretary’s Guardian’s Heart skill was excellent at drawing threat—as long as he kept attacking, the boss's aggro would return to him eventually. As before, even with Zhang Shan's high damage, he couldn't snatch top threat.

After Zhang Shan tanked a few hits, Wind Chime revived Little Secretary, who immediately landed a Shield Bash to reclaim aggro.

The happy cycle of damage resumed.

The group fought faster and faster, quickly dropping the boss to ten percent, then five.

They were just about to finish it off—another joyful boss battle.

But before Zhang Shan could savor the moment, trouble struck again.

"Shit, the tank's down again!"

"Useless!"

Lying on the ground, Little Secretary was in tears. It wasn’t his fault—just bad luck. Every time his HP was low, the boss used triple slash, giving him no chance.

He was utterly despondent.

Zhang Shan barely had a minute of happy damage-dealing before he stepped in to tank again. As a Hunter, he was turning out to be unexpectedly versatile.

Another support with a resurrection skill prepared to revive Little Secretary.

"Snow Moon, don't revive me yet. Wait until the boss is almost dead. I don't want to die again and miss out on experience, or worse, not even get contribution points!"

"A disgrace to tanks!"

Fortunately, nothing else went wrong. Zhang Shan held the boss's attacks steadily, even timing his panda pet’s combo skill for the boss’s last sliver of health.

A seven-hit combo finished off the boss with a spectacular burst.

Little Secretary was revived just in time to gain both experience and city defense contribution, and not a small amount either—he shot up to eighth place on the contribution leaderboard.

Tanks do deal damage—otherwise they'd never hold threat. His attack power wasn't bad, and with damage taken also counting towards contribution, his score was higher than most.

He was grinning as though he'd just won a fortune.

"Our main tank is hopeless, boss. Maybe it's time for a change."

"Yeah, it's embarrassing."

"You're just jealous. Just wait until I open a chest and get an artifact—then tanking demon gods will be a breeze."

"This fool must be dreaming. Ignore him. Boss, open the loot already—I think I saw an orange glow; there should be orange gear, right?"

"Looks like it. This boss should drop something good."

Under everyone's eager gaze, Fengyun World displayed all the loot.

Two orange items: a Magic Swordsman’s sword and a caster’s bracers, both level twenty-five. The stats were decent, though they'd have to wait a while before they could use them.

But the other two drops made everyone’s eyes light up.

"A blue cloak, for real! I’ve got to get to level twenty-five fast. With a blue cloak, I’ll be a mini-tank!"

"Dream on, with your luck you’ll never win the roll."

"You all roll for the cloak, let me have the skill book!"

"Drop dead."

A chorus of voices responded.

The skill book was for Berserkers—Dual Blade, the same skill as the elite squad leader’s, though not as strong as the boss’s triple slash. Still, for players, it was powerful enough—each attack hitting twice.

Just imagine: a Berserker charges in, uses Dual Blade, follows up with another strike—most squishy targets would fall instantly.

It was a very strong and practical skill.

Overall, the boss’s loot was excellent. The cloak and the skill book elevated the drop quality by several tiers.

"Alright, time to roll for the first item—the sword. Only the five Magic Swordsmen, roll for it," Fengyun World announced.

The five Magic Swordsmen in the group rolled dice. One of them won the sword, but no one cared much—at level twenty-five, orange gear wasn’t a big deal to these elites.

The caster’s bracers went to one of the supports.

"All Berserkers, roll for the skill book."

Twelve Berserkers threw their dice in succession.

Fengyun Blade rolled a perfect 100, crushing the competition.

"Haha, now I can slash anyone I don’t like. Charge, Dual Blade—who can stand in my way?" someone shouted arrogantly.

"Try slashing Artifact Bro and see what happens."

"Can’t you talk normally?"

"Next, time to roll for the cloak. Everyone can join," Fengyun World announced, opening the roll for the cloak.