Everyone stood in silence in the brightly lit tomb hall, a heavy quiet settling over them.
A long moment passed.
"Brother Feng, what do we do now? This boss is way too terrifying. There's no way we can take it down," Hei Zi said, looking toward Shi Feng.
"Qingxue, looks like we can't get past this," Zhao Yueru said helplessly.
The others nodded in agreement. There was no point in doing something you knew was impossible—that was just foolishness.
"Are we really just going to give up?" Bai Qingxue's slender eyelashes trembled slightly as her bright eyes drifted back to the Kobold King. They had fought so hard to get this far; giving up now would be a terrible waste.
Kobold King Patchy Leo — Leader rank, Level 6, 120,000 HP.
Never mind the horrifying HP total, the words "Leader rank" alone were enough to make any player tremble. It meant the monster was terrifying in at least one regard—whether it was speed, strength, or magic. Just judging from the terrifying aura radiating off the Kobold King, his bulging muscles like steel, and that pitch-black greatsword standing one man tall, its blade sunk deep into the ground—even without exchanging a single blow, they knew they couldn't win through brute force.
"Let's at least give it a try. Guizhan, go test the boss's capabilities. Everyone else, fall back out of the hall," Bai Qingxue said after a moment's thought.
She still wanted to make an attempt first, to see if there might be a way to beat it.
"Let's step out then," Shi Feng said. Bai Qingxue's idea was exactly what he had in mind—let the tank test the waters first while they observed. That way, he would also have a reasonable opening to explain the strategy for beating the boss.
With that, Shield Warrior Guizhan activated his video recording and charged alone toward the Kobold King.
At the same time, the heavy stone doors of the hall began to close.
Guizhan was only halfway through his charge when the Kobold King's eyes snapped open. With a casual crack, he effortlessly pulled the pitch-black greatsword from the ground, his thick legs surging with power as he too lunged toward Guizhan.
The speed was like a violent gale barreling straight at him.
Guizhan's blood ran cold. He reacted quickly, raising his shield to guard his chest.
In a split second, a streak of black light accompanied by a deafening boom hammered into his shield.
BOOM!
Guizhan's entire body went flying. A damage number of 633 popped up above his head, and his whole arm had gone numb. If he hadn't had that shield, he would have been one-shot.
Guizhan considered himself a skilled player—one of the elites of Snake of the Body, no less. He wasn't trying to kill the boss; if he couldn't even scout out its capabilities, that would be utterly embarrassing.
He scrambled to his feet and chugged a basic healing potion, restoring his HP to just over half. He was about to strike the boss when he suddenly realized the Kobold King was already standing behind him, greatsword raised high, swinging down with devastating force.
Shield Wall!
Guizhan had no room to dodge. He could only use his life-saving skill to tank the hit.
Shield Wall reduced incoming damage by half and lasted for 12 seconds.
The black runic greatsword crashed down once more. Although Guizhan blocked with his shield, he was driven straight to his knees. The stone tiles beneath his feet shattered in a web of cracks, and his HP plummeted by 426 in an instant, leaving him barely alive.
The Kobold King then kicked Guizhan in the side, slamming him into the wall without the slightest resistance. His HP hit zero in the blink of an eye.
The entire fight had lasted less than three seconds. A tank in the best equipment currently available had been wiped out.
The stone doors hadn't even had time to fully close before they opened again.
Seeing Guizhan embedded in the wall, everyone was stunned silent.