-62,535 (Clone)
…
Even with over 10K magic resistance, Kael was still taking that much damage. The spell’s power was terrifying.
A moment ago, Kael had been kicking himself for not bringing a team. But after witnessing the full-screen lightning storm, he knew coming alone had been the smartest possible choice. Anyone else, even his normal, unbuffed self, would have been instantly vaporized.
But right now, Kael had 2.02 million health. His clones had 1.4 million. A paltry twenty or thirty thousand damage was a drop in the bucket.
It was Kael's 2 million HP versus Simbra's 50 million. The passive on Galeharrow was useless, and their movement speeds were nearly identical. There weren't many complex tactics to employ here. Kael didn't waste any mental energy, simply planting his feet and unleashing a relentless stream of damage.
-51,731 (Main Body Normal Attack)
-32,612 (Clone Normal Attack)
-170,134 (Main Body Critical Hit)
-127,496 (Clone Critical Hit)
Between his Main Body and the clones, an average volley dealt around 350,000 damage.
Normally, Kael's attack interval was 0.8 seconds. With the 100% attack speed buff, it was down to 0.4 seconds. The arrows flew in a continuous, blurring stream; the next was loosed before the last had even found its mark. At this rate, he could kill Simbra in seventy to eighty seconds.
In contrast, Behemoth_Simbra had an attack interval of one second, for an average of about 20,000 damage. It would take at least a hundred seconds for the boss to pose a lethal threat to Kael.
On paper, victory was assured.
But Kael didn't let his guard down for a second. In fact, the lower Simbra's health dropped, the more uneasy he felt. Why hasn't it used any other abilities? Is it because the fusion is still new and unstable?
When Simbra’s health hit the five-million mark, it finally did something different. It lowered its body, planting all four limbs on the ground. Its eyes locked onto Kael, every muscle in its massive frame coiling like a spring.
Kael stuck to his plan, maintaining the steady, rhythmic barrage of arrows.
ROAR!
The beast launched itself forward like a cannonball.
Kael was ready. He activated his Warp Emblem, blinking to the side. But the boss didn't falter after missing. The moment its hind legs touched down, it kicked off the ground with explosive force, changing direction in an instant and slamming into Kael.
-32,716
The damage was low, but the impact came with a stun effect.
[System: You have been struck by Simbra’s
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
[System: [Spell Ward] has been triggered. The effect of
It was his Diadem of Unyielding Will! Kael initially felt a wave of relief. A five-second stun wouldn't have been fatal, but he preferred not to be a sitting duck. Then he saw what Simbra was doing, and his blood ran cold.
The beast was crouched on the ground, gnawing on something. Something Kael recognized all too well. It was the very same Behemoth Corpse he had dug up on Dozing Mountain.
A series of terrifying numbers began to pop up over the monster’s head:
+500,000
+500,000
+500,000
…
Its health was regenerating at a rate of half a million every tenth of a second. In the blink of an eye, its health bar shot back up past eight million. And it wasn't just healing; its stats were increasing as well.
This was bad. Kael immediately unleashed his ace in the hole.
[Arrow of Dawn] + [Primal Core Arrows]!
-203,818 (Stone Arrow Critical Hit, Knockback Immune)
Kael had hoped to knock it away from the corpse to stop the healing, but the beast couldn't be moved. The good news was, the healing had stopped. The beast was still consuming the corpse, but for how long, Kael didn't know.
He didn't have time to think. He and his clones went into a mindless DPS burn.
-237,414 (Fire Arrow Critical Hit)
-60,331 (Ice Arrow Normal Attack)
…
After the ten-second duration of Arrow of Dawn ended, Simbra finally stopped eating. At its previous healing rate, ten seconds should have been enough to restore all fifty million of its HP. Thankfully, after the initial burst of healing, the anti-healing debuff from Arrow of Dawn had prevented it from recovering a single point more.
Now, Behemoth_Simbra’s health was below one million, while Kael still had half a million left. The beast's entire body glowed blood-red, its eyes burning with a malevolent green light. It lunged at Kael, swiping with its claws.
-88,315
After consuming part of the corpse, its attack power had skyrocketed, and it had gained the ability to ignore physical resistance. A single swipe had taken off nearly 90,000 of Kael's health. If it had managed to heal to full, Kael would have been dead without a doubt.
But it wouldn't get the chance. Two more volleys of arrows, and Simbra finally collapsed.
[System: Congratulations on defeating Behemoth_Simbra. You have been awarded 50,000,000 EXP.]
"NO! "
Behemoth_Simbra wasn't dead yet. It was kneeling on the ground, roaring in agony as its form began to shrink, reverting to Simbra's original human shape. Seeing the system notification, Kael stopped paying attention to him. He was more concerned about the loot.
But there was nothing. Not a single drop. Not only that, but the Behemoth Corpse he had brought was now gone, devoured. He wondered if this would affect his quest.
Kael looked around, searching. Suddenly, a hearty laugh echoed through the air.
"Hahaha, well done."
Apollo materialized before him, no longer a spirit but in a solid, physical form.
Kael immediately dropped to one knee.
"Mentor."
"Rise."
"Yes, sir." Kael stood. "My apologies, Mentor. I failed to protect the Behemoth Corpse."
Apollo laughed again. "That thing was never important. This was all a test for you."
Then Apollo's expression suddenly turned serious. With a wave of his hand, the body of the Guardian Elder of Behemoth's Watch floated gently to Kael's side. "He used his entire life force to grant you strength," Apollo said, gesturing to the Elder. "Do you wish to claim that power as your own, permanently?"
Kael knew exactly what that meant. The "Unknown" duration on the [Blessing of the Guardian Elder]—this was the moment of truth.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Mentor, if I refuse this power, can you save him?"
"I can," Apollo replied.
Kael fell into deep thought. The real dilemma wasn't whether to save the Elder, but whether this was a trap.
In his ten years playing "Godpath" in his past life, he'd seen some insane buffs, but he had never heard of a permanent stat increase this powerful, at least not before [The Warchief Invasion] expansion. And comparing it to the effort he'd put in today, the reward was completely disproportionate.
To gain such incredible power, there was always a corresponding price.
Having reached his conclusion, Kael made his decision. He looked Apollo in the eye and said, enunciating every word, "I refuse."
Apollo looked at Kael with genuine surprise. He hadn't expected the young man to resist such a temptation. A look of satisfaction crossed his face, and he nodded.
With another wave of his hand, a golden light flowed from the Elder's body and entered Kael's.
System: ...
Kael read the new system notification and finally let out a long, slow breath of relief.