Chapter 65: An Unexpected Encounter with a Boss

Zhang Shan believed it was highly likely that members of the Heaven and Earth Guild would return here to farm monsters. After all, nobody knew he hadn’t left yet. To them, with Zhang Shan and his companions gone, they were once again the undisputed rulers of Yingtian City, strutting wherever they pleased. Naturally, for leveling up, they’d choose the map most efficient for them, and the Pit of Ten Thousand was the perfect place for their grind.

“They’re on the move—over two hundred of them together.”

“Heh, finally decided to come out.”

“So, what’s your plan? They’re all grouped together and probably won’t split up any time soon. As strong as you are, you can’t take them all alone, right?”

“No rush. Let them farm monsters for a while first. I refuse to believe they’ll stay together the whole time.”

“That’s true. It’s impossible for over two hundred people to stick together killing monsters. That’s utterly inefficient.”

“Exactly. Once they enter the Pit of Ten Thousand, they should scatter. I’ll wait half an hour before seeking them out.”

“Brother Six-Barrel, you’re so cunning.”

Heh heh.

Cunning or not, Zhang Shan didn’t care. Achieving his goal was all that mattered. After all, the Heaven and Earth Guild was full of unsavory characters. He still harbored resentment over the time Little Bunny from their guild ambushed him while he was channeling to return to the city. At that moment, the strange barrel was in his backpack—had he died, and it dropped, the divine artifact would have slipped from his grasp. It was precisely because of that peculiar barrel that he later ventured to Dongdu City and acquired both the divine hand cannon and the spiritual Midas’ Touch. Without those, Zhang Shan would just be another ordinary player in the New World, nowhere near the status and freedom he currently enjoyed. So, even without the bounty from Heart Follows Me, he’d still find an opportunity to strike back at the Heaven and Earth Guild.

“Should we move deeper into the map to farm monsters? We can’t let them discover I haven’t returned to Anyang City yet.”

Zhang Shan was wary of being discovered too soon. If Heaven and Earth caught on, and were on guard, it’d be tough for him to pull anything off alone. Worst case, he’d have to channel back.

“Let’s head further in. They don’t know you haven’t left—there’s no reason for them to search the entire map first.”

Zhang Shan and Heart Follows Me steadily pushed inward as they farmed, growing ever farther from the map’s entrance. The monsters inside were densely packed; with Heaven and Earth unaware, there was no way they’d stumble upon their location.

Not long after, Heart Follows Me regained level twenty-one. Dying had cost him over a million experience points. He’d nearly reached level twenty-two, but one death knocked him down to twenty. Now he’d leveled back up, though his experience still lagged far behind where it would have been.

“It’s faster leveling with you in the party, Brother Six-Barrel. Your attack speed is insane—your efficiency at killing monsters is almost double mine.”

“My attack speed is indeed higher than most. I’ve got a special item that boosts it, a spiritual-grade one.”

As he spoke, Zhang Shan revealed Midas’ Touch.

“No wonder! I was wondering how you could possibly be so much faster. So you have a spiritual item in addition to your divine artifact—your luck is enviable.”

“Heh, it’s alright. I just rely on these two pieces of gear. The rest are mostly purple-grade. I don’t bother buying expensive gear at auction; there’s no need.”

“Of course there’s no need! You’re already so strong that swapping in a few orange items wouldn’t make much difference.”

The two chatted as they farmed monsters. Zhang Shan intended to wait a while before stirring up trouble for Heaven and Earth Guild, letting them grind in peace for a bit.

Hmm? That wandering soul looks rather unusual—could it be a boss?

“Brother Heart Follows, look at that wandering soul. It looks different—is it a boss?”

“Ah, we’d better keep our distance. We can’t take on a boss, just the two of us.”

“Let’s check first. If it’s a purple boss, we can manage. For an orange one, we’ll have to see.”

Zhang Shan crept closer to the peculiar wandering soul—it really was a boss, and an orange-grade one at that.

But this orange boss was odd. Normally, bosses were several times larger than regular monsters. This one was the same size as the small ones, and if not for the distinctive glow emanating from it, Zhang Shan might have mistaken it for an ordinary wandering soul.

A level twenty-five orange boss—this would be tough. There were only two of them, and without any support to heal, neither could withstand the boss’s attacks.

“What should we do? Should we call for backup? We can’t defeat an orange boss alone.”

Heart Follows Me had never fought a boss in New World, but he’d seen plenty of videos on the forums. Orange bosses were formidable, and without a tank or support, it was nearly impossible to win.

“Even if we call for help, it’s not easy for them to get here. Heaven and Earth’s people are farming monsters at the entrance. Our allies would be discovered as soon as they arrive.”

“Maybe we should just forget it and focus on leveling.”

Heart Follows Me wasn’t interested in boss fights or the loot they dropped. If he needed gear, he’d simply buy it at the auction house—a true tycoon’s mindset. Some enjoyed the thrill of boss battles and seeing their name in announcements; others, like Heart Follows Me, weren’t interested, preferring to grind for levels in peace, even more so than Zhang Shan.

“Brother Heart Follows, how much health do you have?”

Zhang Shan still wanted to give it a try. Bosses didn’t come by often, and their spawn times in New World were random—there was no fixed schedule or way to camp them. Now that they’d found one, it would be a waste not to at least attempt it.

“A bit over ten thousand. Don’t tell me you want me to tank the boss—I can’t. A level twenty-five orange boss should have nearly fifteen hundred attack; seven or eight hits and I’m dead.”

Of course Zhang Shan didn’t intend for him to tank.

A level twenty-five orange boss likely had close to two thousand attack, and with skills, the damage would be even higher. Heart Follows Me certainly couldn’t withstand it. Zhang Shan planned to have his Panda Baby tank instead. The Panda Baby now had nearly fifteen thousand health, and its defense was high, plus it possessed a passive skill that greatly reduced incoming damage. It should be able to take quite a few hits from the boss. Without a healer, it couldn’t last until the boss was defeated, so Heart Follows Me would need to step in for a while, giving Zhang Shan time to re-summon and feed his pet, then continue tanking. They’d likely need to repeat this cycle several times to bring down the boss.

“I’ll try with my pet first. If it’s doable, we’ll take it on together—two people means a lot of experience from a boss.”

With Heart Follows Me uninterested in the boss, Zhang Shan resorted to enticing him with the promise of experience.

Without waiting for a reply, Zhang Shan cleared the nearby wandering souls, then directed his Panda Baby to attack the boss. He’d first reveal the boss’s stats—without knowing its attributes and skills, he couldn’t be sure it was possible. In any case, there was no real danger.