Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The Alternative Kite Runner
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The boss took twenty seconds to move from the second platform to the first. Despite the three of them unleashing a mad flurry of attacks, they only caused a little over two hundred points of damage. Compared to the boss’s total of seventy-five thousand hit points, their efforts were rather insignificant.
“Pupil, get to the second platform,” Li Yao hastily instructed as he saw the boss about to ascend the first platform.
Although Pupil was young, her game skills and awareness were exceptional. They had all learned the Climbing Skill Book in advance. Also, being a Goblin, her body was small and agile.
The watcher saw Pupil swiftly climb the rope to the second platform.
The boss stepped onto the platform and Li Yao and Qin Feng Yi lost sight of it, unable to attack.
Li Yao didn’t need to say anything as the pair shared an incredible understanding and without a word, they quickly moved to the second platform.
Climbing the rope might have been strenuous, but it was still the shortest distance.
Meanwhile, the boss had to make several diversions. The spiral corridor was filled with arcs, seemingly like a spiral staircase that covered a significant distance.
Upon reaching the platform and finding no one, the boss began to climb the internal stairs to the dome, only to realize there was no one there either. By then, Li Yao and his team had already reached the second platform.
It was precisely this reason that gave the three of them extra time to attack.
“This boss is so stupid,” the naive Pupil remarked as she watched the Arcane Guard clumsily reach the mouth of the dome and fail to climb further. Then he saw the trio on the other platform and clumsily descended again, returning to the corridor.
“He is an Arcane Guard, his intelligence isn’t very high, he can only carry out simple commands,” was the response.
“Oh, it’s just that the staircase entrance is too small. If it were bigger, he would have slid down from the platform. It would have been so much better if he fell straight down. Now we have to continue fighting for a long time,” a cute Pupil complained, staring blankly at the boss’s unchanged health bar.
“Just be grateful. We should be relieved it’s this kind of boss. If it was a humanoid boss, it wouldn’t just slide down; it could directly cut our ropes,” Li Yao explained, aiming and preparing to attack the boss as it returned to the corridor.
“Is it really that smart though?” Shadow Dance interrupted.
“You really are stupid.” Pupil was annoyed with Li Yao’s comments and immediately began to reclaim her dignity as the boss. “Didn’t you see those elites cutting the lasso earlier? You’re such a moron. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have bothered bringing you. You’re making me lose face.”
“I was wrong. I am indeed a little stupid,” admitted Shadow Dance, no longer daring to counter.
“Alright, enough about picking on poor Shadow Dance. The boss is out, let’s attack quickly. I’m not sure how many more rounds we must endure,” Qin Feng Yi laughed.
“OK, let’s do this! For the better equipment!” Cute Pupil started chanting spells immediately.
The banging sound echoed from the boss’s body, followed by single-digit damage figures. The damage was pitifully low.
“Feng Yi, get ready,” Li Yao involuntarily called out her real name.
“I know,” Qin Feng Yi didn’t show any reaction. Her real name wasn’t a secret.
Her eyes gleamed in anticipation, watching closely the boss’s every move.
As the boss lifted his arm and the Arcane bullet began to form in his hand, she started chanting her summoning spell.
Boom…
The newly summoned Skeleton tragically collapsed once again, falling to the ground and raining down like a shower of bones.
Because Li Yao’s damage was the highest, the boss’s hostility was focused on him, and his solitary ranged skill was aimed at Li Yao.
Of course, if anyone blocked his path or he saw other players, he would not hesitate to use a skill to send that person’s soul back to the graveyard.
Viewers in front of the TV and fans watching the live broadcast were stunned.
Although the damage was minimal, the boss’s health was slowly declining. Now, thev could see a small decrease in the boss’s health bar.
Channel Station.
Viewing numerous texts, Tian Na cracked a smile and asked: “The audience is asking, dear KB, what’s your view on this? Many of them seem to relish the fact you’ve been proven wrong by Prairie Fire once again.”
KB was initially relaxed, but now he was on the verge of tears. Each time he confidently presented facts and reasoning to prove that Prairie Squad couldn’t overcome the challenge, he was proven wrong.
This time, it was a double slap in the face. It felt like the left cheek had just stopped stinging when the right was slapped. Not just anyone could climb to the second platform, yet they started to whittle away the boss’s health.
Heaven and Earth, this boss was supposedly unbeatable by players at this stage. Where on earth did Prairie Fire come from? Watching Li Yao’s slightly upward-curving lips, KB felt terrible. After the seemingly impossible achievement today, what else is possible? Can’t you just let me live a little? I am merely acting as a commentator. Can I no longer do my job happily?
Nevertheless, he couldn’t let his emotions show.
He could only grit his teeth and force out a smile, saying, “This Prairie Fire sure is full of surprises, but this method of fighting the boss isn’t anything extraordinary.”
Tian Na laughed, “But Xiao Ze has messaged that Prairie Fire is quite impressive, calling him a genius. Seems like you guys have differing opinions.” Argh…
KB’s face darkened instantly. Tian Na had caught him off guard once again. But what was said was said, all he could do was to clarify, “This boss just isn’t smart enough. It’s a creature of creation. If it were a humanoid boss, this method definitely wouldn’t work, and it can’t be generalized.”
“Hmm? That sounds like exactly what Prairie Fire said.” Tian Na shrugged…
KB looked up at the ceiling…
“Haha, don’t be mad KB. It’s just a joke.” Tian Na changed the topic, saying, “Dear viewers, I’m sure you all know, Prairie Fire’s pioneer strategy does carry substantial value. As we saw just now, the experience is exceptionally high, and levelling up is incredibly fast. All the guilds have fielded their best Hunters to explore the first platform, and a multitude of battle reports have been sent in. Those blue equipment really make your mouth water, don’t they?”
KB asked, “What’s their progress like now?”
He knew very well that if this exploration method was used properly, leveling up would be incredibly fast. Despite many failures and heavy losses, powerful treats like experience and high-level blue equipment were enough to keep the guilds from giving up easily. Additionally, exploring the first platform had many possibilities, it just had a high requirement for Hunters.
“Many powerful guilds, including those from other administrative regions, have passed the first platform. But they can’t even get past the second one.”
A series of clips were then shown of guilds trying to explore the second platform. The audiences were cheering and enjoying the sight of guild members and teams suffering defeat at the hands of elite monsters. It was an oddly satisfying spectacle.
The clips showed all sorts of situations.
Either the Shaman and Necromancer’s skills weren’t in sync, or the Hunter couldn’t cooperate perfectly.
These big guilds were well-resourced, not only getting their hands on crossbows but also arbalests.
But being able to accurately hit the knees from a distance using the arbalest, and at the right time, was still too hard for the Hunters they currently had at hand.
Thus, the exploration squads all suffered miserable deaths, and even lost the experience they had just gained. Many large guilds were worried. Prairie Fire had devised the method to fight the boss right at the second platform, but the damn second platform could not be cleared.
Meanwhile, watching Prairie Fire’s team consistently deplete the HP of the boss, the heads of these guilds and clubs were turning white with worry. The huge benefits were right there, but they just couldn’t grasp them.
KB sighed, “It seems like these guilds will have to stop here.”
Tian Na asked with uncertainty, “There are so many players in the game, isn’t there a single Hunter who can match Prairie Fire?”
“There is one, Spark of Fire, his archery is pretty impressive, he might be able to manage the arbalest well.” KB replied.
“What about others? There are so many players, it can’t be just these two, right?”
KB forced out a grin, “The thing about the Hunter profession, is that it’s quite awkward. Not just the guilds, even Prairie Fire himself has admitted it. Under equal gear conditions, a Hunter’s output is weaker than other damage dealing professions. But that’s not the important part. The main thing is that in free mode, many of the past archer experts are essentially useless now. They might still have the consciousness, but their accuracy just can’t keep up.”
Tian Na said with realization, “You mean to say, as long as they get through the adjustment period, then these experts can recover?”
“Something like that, but it would take a long time. Hunter weapons are too complex. I guess we’ll probably see experts specializing in one or two types of weapon in the future, but ones like Prairie Fire, will likely be few. Also, remember why people play games, how many people are willing to spend months or even years learning archery? Basically, those who play Hunters are filled with faith.’
Seeing the messages, a bunch of texts asking to switch back to Prairie Fire Squad’s live broadcast, Tian Na said, “Looks like other guilds have failed. Let’s return to Prairie Fire’s squad now and see how things are going.”
At the top of the dome.
“Big brother, I’m out of mana.” Dumbbell girl said reluctantly, then adding, “I’ve already drunk a potion.”
Having depleted around a fifth of the boss’s HP, Dumbbell girl had run out of mana.
“If you’re out of mana, let your totem attack first. Once we get to the first platform, you go down to the ground to exit combat and restore mana. Have
Shadow Dance take your place.” Li Yao instructed while continuing his attack.
“Why don’t we set up four ropes instead? That way I can keep dealing damage.” Shadow Dance asked.
Feng Yi replied, “There are no suitable positions left. We could add another rope, but the location would be too close to the corridor and would attract the aggro of the elite monsters. It’s not feasible. Anywhere else on the dome can’t support the additional load of more players. Two players moving around is just about right, adding a third player climbing the rope would likely cause confusion.’
“Let me add something.” Dumbbell girl didn’t need Li Yao’s direction anymore. Seeing the boss preparing to move to the second platform, she swiftly climbed up the rope to the first platform, “You’re a rogue, you can only deal damage with a hand crossbow up here. Your damage output is too weak, whether you’re here or not makes no difference. Plus, you would mess with the aggro. If big brother wasn’t kind, you would’ve been kicked out a long time ago. If there were three of us attacking the boss, we could’ve reduced its HP down by ten thousand more.”
Li Yao quickly retorted, “Dumbbell girl, don’t say things like that. Everyone has their own role to play. Shadow Dance is limited by his class, and it’s just not suitable for exploring here. But since he’s our teammate, we can’t just abandon him. What if next time Shamans will not be suitable for exploring, are we going to kick you out? As a team, we share the glory and the dishonor. Only such a team can last.”
“Thanks, boss. I won’t say anything more, you can judge me by my actions.” Shadow Dance was moved. He knew there was honor in exploring, even in the real world his reputation score would increase. He knew if it were any other guild, he would’ve been kicked out by now.
“Big guy, don’t be so melodramatic. Get ready, Dumbbell girl is going down and you’re taking her place. You saw the process already, got it?” Li Yao chuckled. Since he got to have Thief God on his team, why would he let him feel betrayed or left out? Even if it meant having ten thousand more HP to deal with, or the risk of failing this attempt, he would still be making a huge gain.
“No problem, you just watch me perform.” Shadow Dance was brimming with confidence….