"There really is strength in numbers. Even such a powerful boss is helpless against them."
From a distance, hiding behind the crowd, Zane couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Then, he withdrew his gaze and opened his inventory.
A pair of gleaming boots came into view, flickering occasionally with tiny embers—they looked amazing!
[Blazing War Boots]
Type: Equipment
Tier: Gold
Attributes: Movement Speed +200, Evasion +150, Agility +40
Bonus Effect: Fire Resistance +300 (reduces fire-element damage by 300 points)
Bonus Skill: Meteoric Blaze– Dash up to 100 meters like a blazing meteor. Cooldown: 3 minutes.
Requirements: Lv15
"Wahoo! Time to take off!"
The boots came with a ridiculously strong mobility skill—as a thief, Zane absolutely loved it!
The Flamewing Tiger was truly generous!
Zane was hyped beyond belief.
Without wasting time, he continued stealthily sending out clones to steal more loot.
However, something felt off.
Maybe because the boss was in an unstable state, Zane noticed that his theft success rate had dropped significantly.
Worse, despite it being a Silver-tier Boss, he was now only stealing Bronze-tier items, or worse—just potions and gold coins.
Wait a minute... Did I just steal this thing into poverty?
The thought crossed Zane's mind.
Still, he was more than satisfied.
Look at those poor suckers in front, fighting tooth and nail, and getting nothing in return. Meanwhile, he had already made a fortune.
So, with a laid-back attitude, Zane continued to let his clones do their work.
As time passed, the Flamewing Tiger's HP dwindled lower and lower...
After an unknown amount of time—
Ding!
[Steal Success! Skill Proficiency +20!]
[You have obtained a special item: 'Flame Core' ×1!]
"Huh?"
Zane perked up immediately.
Suddenly, fire erupted in front of him as the Flamewing Tiger let out an earth-shaking roar!
"Oh, shit?"
Zane had a bad feeling.
He quickly opened his inventory to check.
[Flame Core]
Type: Intermediate Material
Effect: Contains rich fire elemental energy, used for alchemy, potion-making, and power sources.
"Ohhh, I get it now—this must be super important to it! No wonder it's so pissed off!"
Zane suddenly realized the truth.
Right then, a system notification confirmed his worst fear.
[Warning: The Flamewing Tiger has lost its sanity due to extreme rage! It has activated Berserk Mode! For the next 3 minutes, all attributes will be greatly increased. Afterward, it will enter a weakened state. Proceed with caution!]
"HOLY SHIT, THE BOSS JUST WENT BERSERK!"
"Hold the line, guys! If we survive this, victory is ours!"
As the boss entered Berserk Mode, players were both terrified and excited.
After all, a Silver-tier Boss first-kill had a high chance of dropping Gold-tier equipment!
But the Flamewing Tiger quickly proved that they had celebrated too soon.
With a furious flap of its wings, it soared into the sky, unleashing a barrage of blazing wind blades in all directions!
This time, the boss's attack range and power had skyrocketed!
BOOM!
The flaming wind blades sliced through the battlefield. Even though healers frantically cast protective spells, dozens of tanks were instantly obliterated!
Then—
Five towering pillars of fire.
A whip of pure flames.
A rainstorm of fireballs from the heavens.
"RETREAT!"
"FALL BACK! DON'T GET HIT!"
"IT'S TOO STRONG!"
The battlefield was instantly engulfed in blazing flames and death, as player after player was reduced to ashes.
"Damn, that's terrifying."
Zane, hiding in the back, watched like a spectator, thoroughly enjoying the carnage.
However, while the boss was insanely powerful, it had one big weakness—long skill cooldowns.
Once its rampage ended, nearly one-third of the players were dead.
Now, it was time for the counterattack!
Mages raised their staffs, chanting spells and launching waves of magic attacks.
Archers drew their bows, firing Piercing Arrows, Shock Arrows, and Multi-Shot Arrows in rapid succession!
BOOM! BOOM!
The Flamewing Tiger found itself under heavy fire, unable to maintain its momentum.
And in Berserk Mode, its defense had dropped significantly—allowing players to deal even more damage!
"CHARGE!"
With eyes burning with excitement, the players rushed in.
Swordsmen, rogues, and even hunters surged forward, replacing the fallen tanks and keeping the boss locked down.
The battlefield erupted into chaos!
The three-minute Berserk Mode was nearing its end.
The Flamewing Tiger, desperate, unleashed one last wave of attacks.
Another quarter of the players were wiped out.
But now—the boss was in a weakened state!
Its breathing was labored, its movements sluggish, and it could no longer fly.
Even better—its HP had dropped below 50,000!
"We're almost there! KEEP PUSHING!"
"First kill is mine!"
"Whoever's got the skills, take it! I'm charging in!"
Morale soared as the players fought harder than ever.
The Flamewing Tiger's desperate counterattacks still managed to kill a few more players, but anyone could tell—
This was its final struggle.
No matter how strong it was before—
Now, it was just a dying beast, waiting to be slain.
At this moment—
Zane's eyes flashed with sharp intent.
He stopped using clones.
Now, he was fully focused, ready to make his move.
Because—he wanted that first-kill too.
As the boss's HP fell below 20,000,
"Now!"
Zane moved instantly, rushing towards the backline!
"Shadow Clone!"
His real body and clone split off—one targeting Domination Guild, the other heading towards Skyfall Guild.
According to his observations, these two guilds had the most surviving healers and mages—the perfect targets!
"Dude, are you lost...?"
A Domination Guild player saw Zane rushing over and asked in confusion.
He assumed Zane was from a different guild, mistakenly running in the wrong direction.
After all, guild members had special name prefixes, making them easy to identify.
Zane didn't answer.
Instead, he responded with action.
A cold flash of steel.
SLASH!
The player dropped dead instantly.
"First blood!"
Zane charged forward, blade in hand.
"WHAT THE HELL?! HE'S ATTACKING US!"
"SOMEONE STOP HIM!"
The Domination Guild backline erupted in chaos.
"Phantom Dash!"
Zane became a blur, dashing 10 meters forward.
As he passed—
A streak of black light flashed.
SLASH SLASH SLASH!
The mages and healers he passed collapsed instantly, their HP drained by his poisoned blade.
And from the Skyfall Guild's backline—
More chaos erupted.
Clearly—his clone had started causing trouble there, too.