Chapter 38: Dungeon (12)
'The usual formation… and here I thought you couldn't get worse,' Blake thought as he ran alongside Scarlet Tornado.
He quickened his pace to catch up with the healer and the mage.
"There's no need for you two to stay in the middle," Blake said. "I doubt this boss will summon any minions. If anything, keep an eye out for ice sculptures overhead."
The mage grimaced at Blake's suggestion, while the healer listened closely and nodded before dropping back behind everyone else. The mage reluctantly followed her lead.
Meanwhile, a bestial roar erupted from the tank's shield, provoking the boss. It was hard to tell if the taunt had any real effect, since the boss seemed to be reacting mostly to the nearest targets.
As the boss charged, he unsheathed his ice sword and slashed at the tank's shield. Although it looked like a light strike, its speed and precision left the tank momentarily dazed.
While various messages overwhelmed the tank's interface, the boss followed up with three more blows, chipping away at the shield. It clearly wouldn't last through a lengthy fight.
Fortunately, the tank's passive skill allowed him to boost his damage reduction while remaining anchored in one spot with his shield braced. It helped him endure.
His teammates finally converged on the boss. Silver Dash and Scarlet Tornado lunged at the boss without much planning, aiming to inflict any damage they could. In contrast, Blake targeted the boss's dominant arm joint. The moment he struck, the boss gave him a brief look, then sprang back to his starting position.
This caused the mage's fire bolts to miss. Before the mage could complain, the boss swept his left hand, sending another wave of frigid air across the arena and further reducing everyone's stats.
He then released a thick slash of ice that traveled along the same path and struck only Blake.
'I'm sure I blocked that… Is it one of his unavoidable patterns?' Blake wondered.
Just then, a small healing zone appeared beneath him. The healer was finally performing her role effectively, restoring teammates exactly when they needed it.
"Thanks," Blake said, even though he felt it wasn't strictly necessary. It was her job, after all—but her genuine smile made him realize that showing a little appreciation wasn't so bad, even for routine work.
Still, he let out a frustrated curse under his breath. Silver Dash said nothing, muttering only about the debuffs he'd picked up while tangling with the boss in close quarters. Was he supposed to be the team's leader, or were they all just winging it?
Blake shouted, "Our tank needs to stick to the boss at all times! And you—since your aim isn't great, keep tossing your fire bolts around him so he stays thawed!"
"What did you say?!" the mage snapped.
Blake grinned. "Just calling it like I see it."
The ice debuffs wore off rather quickly, but they still needed a rotation to avoid getting bogged down again. The tank would hold the boss's focus, and the others had to move in, deal damage, and retreat before collecting too many debuffs.
"That unavoidable slash seems to focus on one person," Blake continued. "If you take two doses of the boss's debuffs, you won't be able to move fast enough to dodge or protect anyone."
Since Blake wasn't hindered by many debuffs, he could still move freely. But he couldn't guard everyone alone—he needed to figure out the boss's targeting pattern, especially given how swift its slash was. They had to work together to survive.
"How do we tell who's next?" Scarlet Tornado asked.
"We need to watch for signals," Blake said, glancing at the portrait above them.
"Got it!" Scarlet Tornado replied.
The tank and the healer nodded at him, leaving the mage and Silver Dash no choice but to go along with Blake's plan.
The fight resumed. Everyone stuck to Blake's rotation strategy—attack, then fall back. Meanwhile, the mage's fire bolts helped keep the tank from freezing solid, allowing him to manage the boss more effectively. Whenever the boss tried to counter one of the damage-dealers, the tank rotated his shield just in time to block, earning a quick commendation from Blake.
Eventually, the boss returned to his initial position. That unavoidable slash loomed over them again.
Only Blake felt an urge to check the portrait. Sure enough, its eyes were now animated, and they were locked onto the healer!