The bodies of Orion, Hazel, Lila, and Kael lay still upon the ground.

  But the fight wasn’t over. Kael’s three clones and his Ghostly Form were still standing, still pumping out damage.

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  A ninety-thousand-damage volley. The boss had 600,000 health left. The clones would need another seven or eight volleys to finish the job.

  The Mawflower, however, wasn't about to give them the chance. It turned its attention from the corpses to the clones.

  Thwip!

  A single attack, and a clone vanished.

  The remaining three continued their assault.

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  Thwip!

  Another clone disappeared.

  One by one, they were picked off. By the time the last clone faded away, the boss still had over 400,000 health.

  Inside the Thorn Wall, the three-headed Elite Mawflower stood alone, victorious.

  Was it over? Inside the wall, yes. But Kael’s team had five members.

  His order for Rena to retreat wasn't just so she could recover her mana. She was their final hope. The very instant Kael had fallen, Rena had begun casting—a spell with a ten-second channel time.

  [Mass Resurrection]!

  It was the skill Kael had chosen as a special reward for completing the teleport nexus quest back in Starlight Village. What should have been a standard resurrection spell had been upgraded to its mass-revival counterpart.

  Ten seconds later, four pillars of golden light erupted within the Thorn Wall. Kael, Lila, Orion, and Hazel all scrambled back to their feet.

  The moment he was conscious, Orion tossed an [Effigy of Substitution], drawing the boss's aggro for three precious seconds. Kael's clones were still on cooldown; he had to rely on his own shots.

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  Four arrows in three seconds, ripping away another 140,000 of the boss's health. Hazel, meanwhile, was sprinting forward. Just as the effigy crumbled, she reached the Mawflower.

  [Taunting Roar]!

  The taunt granted her 5000 bonus armor and forced the Mawflower into physical attacks against her for three seconds.

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  In this state, Hazel was practically invincible. Kael used the window to pour on more damage, carving off another 160,000 health.

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  Only 100,000 left! Two or three more seconds and it would be over. If the boss followed its previous pattern of attacking the closest target, Kael would have more than enough time.

  But this time, the boss didn't play by the rules. The second Hazel's taunt wore off, it ignored her completely and locked onto Kael. The ground at his feet instantly froze, a meteor forming above his head.

  His Warp Emblem was off cooldown. He activated it, blinking to the side. He raised his bow and fired.

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  No crit. A shadow was already rushing toward him before he could even draw his next arrow—the nut from the gray flower. Getting hit would hurt, but getting slammed into the poisoned wall would be fatal.

  Just then, his clone ability came off cooldown. Kael summoned them instantly. With his duplicates by his side, there was no more need to dodge. It was time to end it.

  Four arrows flew as one, and the Elite Mawflower was finally silenced.

  System: You have defeated the Elite Mawflower. You have gained 15,000,000 EXP.

  The colossal plant crashed to the ground, its body dissolving into a shower of loot. No one moved to inspect the spoils. They just stood there, catching their breath.

  Hazel collapsed onto the ground. "Whoa… we finally did it. That was way too close!"

  Rena wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. "Yeah. I think that was even tougher than the Soul-Devourer."

  Orion immediately sidled up to her, laying on the praise. "It was all thanks to your Mass Resurrection! We would've been toast without it."

  Rena smiled. "Your decoy skill wasn't half bad either."

  Lila walked over and gently rapped Rena on the head. "Are you two done building your mutual admiration society? Who do you think got you that resurrection skill in the first place? And could we have even beaten the boss without Dawnbreaker's DPS?"

  Rena stuck her tongue out. "Right, right. The leader is always right." She shot a teasing glance back and forth between Kael and Lila.

  Lila just rolled her eyes at her. Then she turned to Orion. "Wizard-boy, go see if any of your materials dropped."

  Orion’s face lit up. He didn't seem to mind the nickname in the slightest as he dove toward the pile of monster parts on the ground. Lila, meanwhile, gathered the equipment and shared the item list with the party.

  Thanks to Kael’s insanely high Luck, the haul was outrageous: two Ascendant items and three Legendary ones. One of the Ascendant pieces was especially unusual.

  [Primal Core Orbs (Ascendant)] - Level 30

  Contains 1 Ice, 1 Fire, and 1 Earth Orb.

  Physical Attack: 3000

  Magical Attack: 3000

  Hazel looked at it, confused. "What do these orbs do?"

  "They can be used as ammo for things like slingshots or firearms," Kael explained. "Or as a high-end crafting material."

  "Oh, I know!" Orion chimed in, looking up from his pile of materials. "Socketing, right? A lot of games have gem-socketing systems."

  Kael shook his head. "It's a crafting component, not a socket gem. You use it when you're forging the weapon itself."

  "Can you use it to craft a bow?" Lila asked.

  Kael nodded. He'd upgraded almost every piece of his gear since starting the game, but his bow was still the generic one the system provided. It was time for a change.

  The other Ascendant item was just as unusual.

  [Grasping Bloom Quiver (Ascendant)] - Level 30

  Physical Attack +1000

  Magical Attack +1000

  Strength +300, Constitution +300

  [Auto-Retrieve]: Arrows fired are automatically returned to the quiver.

  Kael's current quiver was a relic from the Fantasy Hidden Realm. This was a massive upgrade.

  The three legendary items—a robe, a staff, and a heavy armor helmet—were distributed to Orion, Rena, and Hazel, respectively.

  After equipping their new gear, they continued onward. With Orion's [Guardian Possession] and Rena's [Mass Resurrection] both on a thirty-minute cooldown, they steered clear of any other Elite Mawflowers, opting to clean up the weaker Mirage and Fruiting variants instead.

  After about ten more minutes of walking, they spotted a lone, standing stone etched with the symbol of a hearth.

  Hazel pointed excitedly. "Mr. Dawnbreaker, I recognize that stone! It's a Recall Stone, like the one we saw before."

  Kael nodded. "You're right. We can use it to go back to town. Does everyone want to head back and resupply?"

  Hazel and Rena looked to Lila for the final say.

  Lila considered it for a moment. "Let's go back. We can clear our bags, sell the materials, and stock up on potions."

  "Yay!" Hazel cheered, hopping in place.

  Kael agreed. To avoid a repeat of the last time he was ambushed, he decided against logging out in the field and opted to return with the group.

  They all placed their hands on the Recall Stone, and in a swirl of light, they were back in Starlight Village.

  Kael walked over to Lila and traded her the [Primal Core Orbs]. "Could you have the guild blacksmith craft some arrows for me with these?"

  Lila took the orbs, a hesitant look on her face. "We don't have a level 30 arrow schematic. Isn't it a waste to use Ascendant materials on a random craft?"

  "It's fine," Kael said. "Just use any level ten or twenty bow schematic you have."

  "Alright," Lila replied. "But don't blame me if the stats suck."

  Kael waved off her concern, his mind already elsewhere. He wasn't thinking about a single Ascendant item. He was thinking about the Hidden Realm itself—a map that all players could access.

  Who knew what other monsters—or rivals—were lurking inside?