Samar did not like being thrust into situations unprepared. Usually, he analyzed the opponent and made a foolproof plan, with multiple outcomes, and then charged into a battle.
This was the secret behind his success.
Yet, here he was forced into a spontaneous battle without even having a chance to analyze the terrain, the opponent, or even his allies!
All because Stivi thought that making the boss come out of the lake for dramatic effect was a good idea. That idiot!
However, this was not the first time she had done something stupid like this, and neither was this his first rodeo.
Samar quickly adapted to his current reality and first analyzed the boss while distancing himself from its attacking range.
—-
Sanguine Serpent, Vormi
Lv 15 (Tier 1)
Attack: ★★★★
Defense: ★★★☆
HP: 9500
Skills: Blood Vortex, Draining Arrow, Red Tide.
—-
Vormi was not an actual serpent but a medusa-like humanoid serpent creature with scales covering her entire body. Even her human face was covered with scales, and her eyes had turned into slits, like that of a snake.
Her appearance was truly the stuff of nightmares but the most horrifying part was that she was a genuine Tier 1 Boss Monster!
Samar didn't know which one of these two idiots had come up with the plan to go against a Tier 1 Field Boss with just 3 players but they were severely overestimating their capabilities and underestimating the Boss's!
A huge red 90 that popped above his head after being hit with the Draining Arrow only reaffirmed his belief.
Any monster that could take away 40% of his health in one go was not a monster he should be messing with without adequate preparation. Even more so, when that particular monster had a life-stealing skill like Draining Arrow!
As Vormi unleashed one Draining Arrow after another like it was no big deal, Samar could not help but curse. If this continued, forget the reconnaissance on the boss, they would be wiped out in this round itself!
"Red Queen, Violent Bear, take cover behind the trees!" Samar shouted, pointing to the forest 400 meters ahead of them. He saw no other solution than disengaging from the fight for now and attacking again when he had a better understanding of his new teammate and his skills.
The three of them no longer circled around Vormi but ran straight to the forest. While running, they also had to dodge an occasional Draining Arrow that whizzed at them.
Soon, the Draining Arrows stopped. Before they could breathe a sigh of relief, a bigger problem confronted them - Vormi had used the skill Blood Vortex, creating a miniature cyclone!
"Damn! I thought Blood Vortex was only effective in water. It could be used like this as well?" Stivi exclaimed upon seeing the disaster rapidly approaching them.
Samar was also shocked by the Vormi's ingenious use of the skill. She had made him question his understanding of the game, but this was not the time for introspection.
He had to do something to slow the Blood Vortex down before it swallowed them all.
Samar stopped in his place and readied his bow. Activating the skill Homing Power Shot, he released one of the Rune Arrows, targeting Vormi's face.
The Serpentine Boss shrieked as a large, red -333 popped up above its head. The damage was much lower than he had expected, but it had achieved its goal and removed her control over the Blood Vortex.
Unfortunately, the vortex had reached too close to him, and it did not seem like he would be able to outpace it. That's when he remembered Stivi's latest skill.
"Red Queen, use Tempest Blade on Blood Vortex!"
"Huh?" Stivi was puzzled by his command but she followed it without a question. A tiny whirlwind formed around her sword and she launched it at the huge Blood Vortex.
The gust of wind was nothing in front of the Blood Vortex; however, tens of them influenced the surrounding airflow into doing their bidding. They arrested the Blood Vortex's momentum, buying them just enough time to outrun it.
"RUN!" Samar shouted at the gobsmacked Stivi, dragging her by her hand. "Run like your life depends on it!"
After his shout the three broke out into an intense sprint, taking advantage of the slowed Blood Vortex and finally crossed into the forest. The huge Blood Vortex followed after them but was hindered by the trees and dissipated on its own, leaving behind a puddle of bloody water.
Samar and the duo panted heavily. They were in a sorry state and had lost more than 60% of their health.
Yet, Stivi and Violent Bear were grinning like maniacs, sharing a smile like they shared a secret.
Samar did not care about their grins nor did he have the time to scold them. As he gulped down the Health recovery Medicine provided by Violent Bear, he could hear the angry shrieks of Vormi and knew she would not let them go.
Samar focused on the Sanguine Serpent waiting outside for them and keenly observed her. He noticed that her serpentine body was coiled at the edge of the lake, but the end of its tail was still submerged in the blood-red water.
Even after she changed her position several times, her tail end never came out of the water.
This seemingly insignificant detail provided Samar with a lot of information.
Either Vormi needed to be connected to the water body to use her powers or she was hiding her tail because it was her weak spot. Whichever one was the case, he had now found a weakness to exploit and win them this battle.
Before he formulated a plan, he needed to know the information of his teammates, in particular Violent Bear.
Violent Bear was a top-ranking Tanker, possessing the best mechanics of the three. He was also an R4 member so his stats and skills could not be shabby.
However, Samar could not make a decision on how to use him if he did not have his concrete data. Such data was extremely sensitive and no R4 would share it with some other player and risk his life.
Despite knowing this fact, Samar had to ask for his plan and his future.
"Violent Bear, can you reveal your skills?" Samar asked with a little hesitation in his voice.
"Yes, Guild Master." Violent Bear said frankly and started to share his skill info with him. He spoke the words so naturally that it made Samar question whether he had misheard them!
The way he addressed him also reminded Samar of another teenager from his past, Pepico. However, he just could not superimpose that youthful face on this mature and rugged face of Violent Bear.
In the end, Samar gave up on trying to connect the dots and turned his attention to the data of skills that Violent Bear had shared.
—-
Shield Wall (Tier 1)
~ Create a defensive barrier, raising the defense for self by 150% and raise the defense of all the players in a straight line by 50% for 60 seconds.
—-
Thorn Halo (Tier 0)
~ Increases defense by 25% and reflects 10% of the damage received.
—-
Insidious Embrace (Tier 1)
~ Hug the target and lower the target's attack and defense by 10% until attacked. When attacked, it draws hatred towards the embracer.
—-
The first two skills were fairly standard, but the third skill was what caught Samar's attention. It was a debuffing skill and a taunting skill packed in one.
If Violent Bear used this skill, he could completely focus the attention of the boss on himself. As for his survivability, Samar never doubted it.
Violent Bear had nearly 500 HP thanks to his Lv15 Bronze-Copper grade Chainmail armor. His defense power had also reached as high as 80 points!
Even if the rest of his equipment was mediocre, Violent Bear was ranked #23 in the Global Tanker Rankings. One could not achieve that rank relying solely on superior equipment.
His mechanics combined with his abnormally high defense and HP gave Samar the confidence to take down the boss.
With a plan in mind, he quickly informed Violent Bear and Stivi of the roles they would play. He answered all of their doubts and they were ready to face the Sanguine Serpent Vormi.