The colossal door of the boss room now served as a canvas of desperation, with players relentlessly pounding on it, their pleas for escape echoing through the chamber. However, with each new death notification that appeared, the grim reality grew increasingly undeniable—escape was an unattainable hope.
Ivan had exhausted his three lives, miraculously being alive until now. Death loomed ominously, a persistent shadow. As he sprinted, desperately trying to evade the boss's attention, a chilling realization settled upon him. Unless he found a way to escape this nightmarish place, death would claim him permanently.
A surge of blue lights flooded the boss room as many players respawned, their eyes immediately fixating on the door, their yearning for freedom palpable.
"I'm down to my last life! Please, someone save me!" a player's anguished cry cut through the cacophony of despair, straining to be heard amid the sea of similar pleas.
"Everyone, regroup and reform the formation! Defenders, raise your shields!" Leon, having respawned to the fight, desperately attempted to restore order amidst the chaos.
While some disregarded Leon's words, frantically continuing their search for an escape, others swiftly fell back into formation, driven by a newfound determination to fight back. The defenders raised their shields in unison, bracing themselves as Vorgath closed in, his sword poised to strike. The defenders stood resolute, drawing strength from Leon's unwavering conviction.
The realization of their foolish decision struck with brutal force. Before they could react, Vorgath swung his weapon once more, obliterating their feeble shields and extinguishing the lives of every player caught in the path of his devastating attack.
Death notifications inundated their vision once again, intensifying the terror that gripped their hearts. As players respawned and cried out for help, a chilling understanding settled upon many of them: this was their final life. If Vorgath struck again, there would be no more respawns, only permanent death.
Ivan, who had desperately fled to the far side of the boss room in an attempt to evade Vorgath's gaze, was closely followed by his team.
"What are you all doing?" Ivan asked, his voice tinged with a mix of frustration and desperation, addressing Diorzo, Denvar, and Eline, who had steadfastly stuck by his side.
"You have a plan, right? There must be something we can do!" Eline pleaded, her voice trembling with fear.
"What plan? There's no plan in the world that can help us defeat that monstrosity," Ivan replied bluntly, retrieving a mana potion from his inventory.
"So you're saying we have no choice but to die?" Diorzo's voice cracked with panic.
"From the moment you idiots voted to increase the difficulty, we had no choice," Ivan retorted, frustration seeping into his words. He handed the mana potion to Eline.
"Drink this now," Ivan instructed urgently, his eyes scanning the floating screens before him, searching for a glimmer of hope.
"So, you do have a plan?" Denvar inquired, hope flickering in his voice, as Eline swiftly consumed the potion without hesitation.
"Not exactly a plan, more like a desperate last resort. It probably won't work, but if we're facing certain death anyway, it's worth a shot," Ivan replied, his fingers still scrolling through the long list on his screen.
"My mana just increased by fifteen," Eline reported after drinking the potion, her voice tinged with a glimmer of anticipation.
"How much total mana do you have now?" Ivan asked urgently, a spark of hope igniting within him.
"Twenty-four," Eline responded, her tone filled with determination.
"We can work with that," Ivan declared, a hint of confidence lacing his words.
"Yes, this should work," Ivan murmured, his scrolling coming to a halt.
"Quickly, give me your bow," Ivan urged, his voice urgent.
Eline handed over her bow to Ivan, a flicker of anticipation in her eyes. As the bow exchanged hands, a resounding eruption of screams echoed throughout the large room, accompanied by a shockwave unleashed by Vorgath's devastating attack.
"They're gone... They're really gone this time," a surviving player muttered, grief and despair dripping from their words, as the notifications of death flooded their screens once again. But this time, some of them did not respawn.
Panic gripped Scarlet, who had just one life remaining, as she turned to Leon, who found himself in the same precarious situation.
"What do we do?" Scarlet exclaimed, her voice filled with desperation, seeking guidance from Leon, their self appointed leader.
"I... I don't know," Leon replied, his voice trembling with uncertainty.
On one side of the boss room, Eline observed as the bow she had given to Ivan disappeared, leaving him staring into space with an empty yet unprecedented level of concentration.
Ivan's gaze remained fixed on his system interface, his focus intense.
[Bow (Rank: D+) (ATK: 5) - All energy converges at the tip of the arrow, capable of piercing through tough materials. Piercing power can be amplified through mana.]
A prompt appeared before Ivan, offering a potentially game-changing merge.
[Would you like to merge this item with (The Royal Bow)?]
[Y/N]
Without hesitation, Ivan chose "Yes," but a sinking feeling washed over him as a timer materialized on the screen.
[Crafting and merging in progress (Time left: 9:57)]
Ivan couldn't help but contemplate the slim chances of surviving for another ten minutes in their current state.
"We have to wait for ten minutes," Ivan announced, his voice laced with a mix of determination and unease.
"Ten minutes? We'll be dead by then!" Diorzo exclaimed, panic creeping into his words.
"I know, but there's nothing else I can do until then," Ivan replied, his tone tinged with resignation.
In a sudden moment of realization, a player caught sight of Ivan and his unscathed team, stationed in their seemingly safe spot. With a sense of urgency, they swiftly made their way towards them, followed by others who had also noticed the refuge.
"Stop!" Ivan exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency.
"Don't spread out!" Ivan repeated his warning, but his words fell on deaf ears. The players pressed on relentlessly, driven by their desperate quest for safety.
Vorgath, observing this unexpected movement, thrust his sword into the ground.
[Vorgath's skill (Iron Rain) is active.]
"Shit, get down!" Ivan bellowed to his team as he dropped flat onto the floor, his voice tinged with urgency.
In an instant, a multitude of iron rods shot forth from Vorgath's surroundings, hurtling towards every angle at a terrifying speed, piercing through anything unfortunate enough to be in their path.
The rods displayed unwavering relentlessness, continuously firing without pause. Notifications flooded in once again, announcing the demise of players who fell victim to the onslaught. For some, it marked their final demise, while others respawned only to be impaled before they could even react. Among them was Diorzo, who failed to lie down in time.
Eline and Denvar dared not even steal one last glance at their dying friend, fear gripping their hearts as they buried their heads deep into the ground, desperate to avoid the onslaught of the unrelenting iron rods.
After what seemed like an eternity, the relentless barrage of projectiles finally ceased. The once numerous group of players, now reduced to less than ten, huddled close to the ground, including Ivan, Eline, and Denvar, who clung to the earth alongside five others.
However, Vorgath had no intention of allowing them to remain alive for long.
Without a moment's hesitation, Ivan sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him, desperate to distance himself from the impending danger. There was no time to warn his remaining teammates; he knew all too well what would come next.
Closing in on the players, Vorgath brought down his colossal iron sword upon the very spot where they lay.
Some players failed to respawn, their lives permanently taken by the attack, while three managed to revive. Among the survivors were Eline and Denvar, who found themselves on their final life.
[Bow has been crafted successfully, please give it a name]
"Give me the damn bow!" Ivan demanded urgently, frustration seeping into his voice.
[(Bow) will be added to your inventory.]
[Bow (Rank: D+) (ATK: 10 <+15>) - All energy converges at the tip of the arrow, capable of piercing through hard materials. Piercing power can be amplified through magic. 50% chance of an ultimate critical hit if infused with mana.]
The bow materialized in Ivan's inventory, its potential power and capabilities now their only hope.
Ivan retrieved the bow from his inventory and swiftly tossed it to Eline, his instructions laden with a sense of urgency and dread.
"Aim for the head, and for the love of God, don't miss," Ivan emphasized, his tone carrying the weight of their desperate situation.
With a thunderous scream, Ivan attempted to capture Vorgath's attention, grabbing his spear from his inventory and hurling it towards the armored giant.
"Over here, you stupid piece of metal!" Ivan shouted, his spear striking Vorgath's armor, successfully diverting the boss's focus toward him.
As Vorgath drew nearer to Ivan, Eline struggled to steady her trembling hands, her aim fixed on the boss's head.
Ivan's plan was simple but contingent on a critical strike. Vorgath's heavily armored exterior compensated for his weak durability. If they could penetrate the armor and strike a vital point, victory might be within reach, but it had to be a critical hit.
Eline released the arrow just as Vorgath closed in on Ivan, and the projectile found its mark, piercing through the boss's armor.
Vorgath abruptly halted, and an eerie silence seemed to descend upon the battlefield as everyone held their breath.
"Did we get him?" Eline anxiously inquired, her voice filled with hope and uncertainty.
The answer came swiftly, cruelly snuffing out their optimism. In a single devastating swing, Vorgath's sword cleaved through Eline, Denvar, and another player, extinguishing their lives.
The arrow had indeed pierced the armor, but luck had forsaken them, as it failed to deliver a critical hit capable of taking down the formidable boss.
Ivan couldn't help but emit a hopeless laugh, his voice tinged with resignation as he muttered, "So, this is where I meet my end... in the bloody tutorial."
In an unrelenting display of precision, Vorgath's massive iron sword descended upon Ivan, sealing his fate.
[Player has died]