Facing Helena's question, Lawrence remained unperturbed, even managing a smile despite his battered state.
"Helena, I really don't understand what you mean, but never mind. Come help me quickly; I truly can't hold on much longer."
The giant wolf let out a howl, its sonic waves almost tangible as they swept out, flinging Lawrence into the air before he crashed heavily to the ground, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Seeing this, Helena's heart twinged.
Perhaps she could never be as ruthless as Lawrence. After all, they had nearly twenty years of friendship. Seeing him in this state, Helena sighed softly and signaled to Exiled Immortal. The two of them charged into the dungeon BOSS area together.
The new challengers' arrival was immediately noticed by the giant wolf. With the increased number of opponents, the giant wolf's HP also multiplied.
But at this point, what else could they do?
"Exiled Immortal, don't let him die."
"Understood."
Exiled Immortal nodded and, with a snap of his fingers, sent Lawrence soaring into the air.
Meanwhile, outside the BOSS area, John stared directly at Yuta, smiling. "Aren't you going in? Your captain and vice captain are fighting for their lives in there."
"I-I'd better not. If I join, the giant wolf's HP will increase again. With my strength, I really can't be of much help. I'll stay here, cheering you on. That's good enough."
Yuta forced a smile, his mind racing. Hearing this, John laughed heartily and slowly approached Yuta.
As John drew nearer, Yuta's nervousness grew, his breath quickening.
"W-What are you doing?"
"Get in there now. I don't want to repeat myself."
"Who do you think you are? What right do you have to order me around? You're not the captain of the Pioneer Squad. Why should I listen to you?"
"Because if I wanted to, I could end your life at any moment. Is that reason enough?"
Glaring at the shadow under John's hood, Yuta gritted his teeth but dared not say more. Reluctantly, he followed John into the BOSS area.
With two more players joining, the giant wolf's HP doubled again. However, unlike the cautious Exiled Immortal and Helena, John seemed much more at ease.
"Yuta, did you come in here just to watch?"
Exiled Immortal waved his hand, sending a wind-imbued sword flying at the giant wolf. The attacks, though relentless, did minimal damage against the giant wolf's tough defenses.
"Exiled Immortal, Helena, fire is this beast's weakness. Can we ignite its fur?"
"Ignite? We don't have a mage here. How are we supposed to set it on fire?"
Helena leaped back with a cloud-stepping technique, creating distance between herself and the BOSS. But looking at the gashes on her arm, she bit her lip as a wave of searing pain hit her.
"I might have a way..."
After a long silence, Yuta finally spoke up, "But I need someone to buy me some time."
"You are not to be trusted. I won't turn my back on someone like you."
John immediately rejected Yuta without hesitation.
"Then what do you propose? To me, you're just here to mess things up. You barged in and did nothing but criticize me. And why are you wearing that hood? What are you hiding?"
"How ironic to hear that from you. You have no right to accuse anyone, understand?"
John removed his hood, and upon seeing his face, Yuta's expression turned utterly grim.
### "W-Why is it you?"
"Why shouldn't it be me? If someone like you can survive this long, then it's no surprise I made it too.
Never mind, it's pointless to waste words on you. Helena, step back. I'll take your place. Keep an eye on these two and make sure they don't escape."
"John, are you really..."
Before Helena could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt the ground shake. When the golem appeared before her, she was stunned.
"You... you fixed that thing?"
"Of course. This is my greatest asset. Did you think it was these two fools?"
John cast a disdainful glance at Yuta and Lawrence, then used his thoughts to command the golem into the battle.
Just yesterday, John had finally repaired the Golem Remains and successfully activated it by installing the [Golem Core]. This one-ton mechanical monster had regained its vitality.
After a simple functionality test, John had learned how to control this big guy, just like now!
With a mere thought, John activated the golem. Energy surged through its magical devices, and it charged at the giant wolf, landing a heavy punch that forced the wolf to retreat!
Seeing this, Exiled Immortal gasped in shock, speechless.
"That... that's incredible."
That single punch had dealt nearly three thousand points of damage, almost one-thirtieth of the giant wolf BOSS's total HP!
"This big guy can do more than just punch and kick."
John maneuvered the golem to dodge the giant wolf's attacks. Sparks flew as claws clashed with metal.
Then, the armor on the golem's chest opened, revealing two dark flamethrowers aimed at the giant wolf. Scorching flames erupted, instantly igniting the giant wolf's fur.
### The smell of burning fur filled the air. The giant wolf wasn't about to sit idly by; with a roll in the sand, it extinguished the flames on its body.
But Exiled Immortal wasn't one to remain idle either.
Taking the last three knight swords from his backpack, Exiled Immortal gritted his teeth and used all his might to control the swords, aiming them at the giant wolf!
Seeing the resilient swords coated in a dark green liquid, the giant wolf felt an inexplicable unease, choosing to dodge for the first time instead of meeting the attack head-on!
In fact, as a swordsman, Exiled Immortal should have been like a medieval knight, closing in for close combat.
But being a Dragonian, who didn't dream of flying swords?
The fusion of the [Windwhisper] talent and the swordsman class allowed Exiled Immortal to perfect this technique.
Although the damage inflicted by the flying swords couldn't compare to close combat, it was much safer.
With the golem joining the battle, the situation reached a stalemate.
The giant wolf could no longer act with impunity; the golem could withstand the pressure and even counterattack.
John and Exiled Immortal were like two pesky flies, impossible to chase away and difficult to hit.
With the current rate of damage, the giant wolf would lose nearly four thousand HP every minute. If this continued, they could successfully defeat the giant wolf in less than half an hour!
But things were destined not to go so smoothly.
Exiled Immortal, having to control the flying swords and use the wind to restrain Lawrence, became increasingly unstable. He had no choice but to abandon Lawrence and focus entirely on the giant wolf.
But this action nearly got Helena killed!
Like a dead dog lying on the ground, Lawrence took advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention.
He reached into a player's backpack, took out a smooth, jade-like pill, and secretly put it into his mouth.
His wounds began to heal at a visibly rapid pace, and his HP swiftly recovered to around 80%.
Despite having regained his combat ability, he did not immediately rejoin the battle. Instead, he waited for an opportunity.
Exiled Immortal and John hardly showed any flaws, always facing the giant wolf and never turning their backs to him.
Only Helena, worriedly observing the situation on the field, stood ready to join the fray at any moment.
And this was precisely an opportunity!
"Sorry, Helena. I didn't want to do this, but you forced my hand!"
In a place unnoticed by everyone, Lawrence suddenly sprang towards Helena, his longsword glinting coldly as he aimed straight for her back!
Just like when he ambushed and killed Qing, today everyone present would be buried along with this secret.
Even if the person before him was his childhood friend!
But...
"Oh stars! Descend your light and protect all beings! Star Guardian!"
An invisible light shield appeared behind Helena. With a dull thud, Lawrence's greatsword was deflected and sent flying, crashing heavily into the ground!