The greater the risk, the higher the reward. As long as a Boss or Hero was killed (especially the strong ones), the killer would be rewarded with Reputation Points, and that was the key to advancing in Boss Mode and Hero Mode. Boss Mode was denoted using skeleton symbols and Hero with stars. Xiao Yu had Three Skeleton Levels because he had killed some NPC heroes.
Also, killing a Boss or Hero in the plot would grant the killer all the items the other party had, even special weapons. For example, the Demonic Blaze Hammer of Xiao Yu would only have a 7% chance of dropping if he were killed by normal Adventurers, and it would just be a mimic version. However, if a Hero killed him, the weapon would be genuine.
However, the reward was not enough to compensate for the risk as a dead character meant that it was game over for real. Therefore, Hero Mode players and Boss Mode players would try to not engage with each other unless one had absolute confidence in winning.
Dragon Epitome should be a player—how could he be so confident that he could win the fight? Xiao Yu felt uneasy. Looking at all the equipment and team formation, he did not really have any chance of winning.
When he was coming up with a strategy, the boss fight was already in its midway mark.
Dragon Epitome got all the aggro of Garix, while the rest scattered around to prevent getting damage from Lava Breath. They focused on attacking Garix's middle head first. In less than five minutes, one of the heads exploded.
They were indeed well prepared.
Each of Garix's heads had independent HP. Some teams would just attack randomly and the DPS would be scattered around. When enough damage was dealt, Garix would be enraged. This team, however, knew every detail of the Three-Headed Lava Hound!
With one less head, Garix had an even tougher fight against Dragon Epitome. In less than 20 minutes, he was taken down.
The Adventurers quickly skinned Garix and looted all the rare materials.
World announcement: Firmament Age 1375, Human Hero Dragon Epitome has killed the Three-Headed Lava Hound Garix in Blaze Canyon. This event has been recorded in the Firmament Archive.
System prompt message: Congratulations on killing Three-Headed Lava Hound Garix. You have received 375 Reputation Points. This is the 10th hound-type boss you have killed, you have earned the title Dog Slayer.
"Dog Slayer? What a lame name. Well, at least I got a huge amount of Reputation Points. I should be three stars after completing this dungeon."
Dragon Epitome thought to himself while standing beside the corpse of Garix.
"Move away, let me see what drops we have," Dragon Epitome said and then checked the loot.
Garix's Collar (Epic Belt), Hound's Tooth (Epic Dagger), Garix Core Soul (Epic Accessory), Garix's Stomach (20-slot bag), High Grade Devil's Core (Epic Material)…
Looking at all the loot, Dragon Epitome felt extremely excited. Making plot kills was really enjoyable! There was no system-adjusted drop rate, the boss would drop everything!
Suddenly, he received a message.
Demonic Blaze Overlord Lagrios: "Hey, pal, are you a player?"
Dragon Epitome was shocked for a moment. A boss was privately messaging him?
Dragon Epitome (Dark Avenger): "Oh? You are a player? Three Skeleton Level Boss player… that's rare. How much did you buy it for?"
Demonic Blaze Overlord Lagrios: "I didn't buy it, I grinded all the way from a normal monster."
Dragon Epitome was shocked. He had grinded all the way to become a Boss? Seriously? His Hero Mode had cost him $800,000 and he had asked the studio for help in killing some bosses for plot kills to obtain his two stars. He used to be proud of himself before finding out that this boss used to be a normal monster and had a higher level than him. He was envious and shocked at the same time.
He scoffed, "Wow, that's cool. Getting a Three Skeleton Level Boss from scratch. First time seeing that. You are good."
Xiao Yu did not sense the saltiness in the sentence and continued trying to negotiate with the Hero player. He was just a normal player that earned a living from the game, he dared not take the risk.
Demonic Blaze Overlord Lagrios: "That's why. I need this game to earn a living, so can you stop advancing?"
Dragon Epitome (Dark Avenger): "No way! I spent $50,000 to buy all the Fire Resistance Potions and $500,000 on my equipment. Who are you to tell me to retreat?"
Demonic Blaze Overlord Lagrios: "All I need is for you to exit the dungeon first. You just need to destroy the Flaming Alter, right? The moment you exit, I will return to the Elemental Plane and let you destroy this place. You can complete the plot by destroying the altar and you will get your Reputation Points. I'll just go somewhere else. It is a win-win situation. How about that?"
Xiao Yu's proposal was perfect indeed, but Dragon Epitome was not someone who would just give up.
Dragon Epitome (Dark Avenger): "Nah, how much Reputation Points can I get from your little alter? I prefer plot kill."
"F*ck you!" Xiao Yu scolded in his mind. He tried his best to stay calm and be friendly as he really needed to negotiate it through.
Demonic Blaze Overlord Lagrios: "How about this: I let you kill two of my bosses—that would be a lot of reputation too."
Dragon Epitome (Dark Avenger): "Bullsh*t. They are only One Skeleton Level. Their equipment is nothing compared to mine."
Demonic Blaze Overlord Lagrios: "What do you want, then?"
Dragon Epitome (Dark Avenger): "What I want? To kill you, of course! Why are you scared? Why even start a dungeon when you cannot win?"
"@#$%^&!" Xiao Yu was finally triggered and was mentally prepared for a gruesome fight.
He was not the type that would keep giving in.
Demonic Blaze Overlord Lagrios: "So that's the end of the discussion? Fine. Do not regret it later."
Xiao Yu closed the chat.
"Guild Leader, what happened?" the female Paladin asked. Dragon Epitome looked at the concerned Paladin and said, "Someone asked me to spare his life. Too bad, I'm in a bad mood. Let's go!"