Part-time Boss

The guardian of the Obsidian Hall was the second boss, the Dragonvein Ogre Mage, Durie Il.

Morphis did not harbor much hope for this Ogre boss, but the Ogre Mage's special skill, Lightning Storm, dealt high damage and might cause some casualties to the enemy, reducing some of the pressure for the battles ahead, so he still paid close attention to this fight.

[System Announcement: Durie Il (Dragonvein Ogre Mage) has chosen the battle strategy "Cluster Casting."]

Cluster Casting: All friendly units on the field share mana points, the mana regeneration rate increases by 30%, and casting range extends by 30%.

This strategic choice was wise. As an Ogre Mage, Durie Il's minions were all spellcasters too—four Goblin Pyromancers, four Ogre Flame Bearers, and eight Kobold Flame Masters.

However, both Goblins and Kobolds, strictly speaking, were not particularly outstanding spellcasting races with low mana points; in other words, they easily ran out of mana.

Moreover, since the range of arrows was typically greater than that of magic, this "Cluster Casting" would maximize the sustainability and reach of their firepower.

When the Adventurers entered the Obsidian Hall, Durie Il immediately responded:

Durie Il (Dragonvein Ogre Mage): "It is unexpected that you managed to defeat the foolish brute, Borax, but don't celebrate too soon. You stand no chance before the great Durie Il. My magic will tear you to shreds.

Storm, lightning, and fire, heed my call!"

With a loud roar, dense lightning enveloped Durie Il, as if Thor himself had descended. His minions, the Goblin Pyromancers and Ogre Flame Bearers, also raised their magic wands, beginning to cast their spells.

A vast magic circle emerged beneath their feet, linking everyone's magic power together.

Suddenly, the Obsidian Hall was aglow with magic light, and the luminance of flames and thunder lit up simultaneously, making for a formidable sight.

The Adventurers were also well-prepared. The Midnight Mage lifted his wand—Advanced Flame Barrier!

A massive red dome encased and protected everyone inside.

And at the same moment—

Lightning Storm!

Flame Missile!

Exploding Flame!

A barrage of spells hurtled toward the Adventurers, but the sky full of flame magic was blocked by the dome; the explosions were incessant, yet the red dome stood firm.

Fortunately, the barrier proved ineffective against the Lightning Storm.

The Lightning Storm violently descended, lightning bolts slicing through the barrier, striking individuals who either convulsed or had their hair stand on end.

But they were high-end players above level fifty, with health points generally above eight or nine hundred, some even over a thousand, so they could withstand a strike or two from lightning.

As the lightning fell, the white light of healing spells also illuminated the scene.

The majority of the fifteen Mage Class members were healers and supporters; now they started casting simultaneously—Healing Waves, Healing Barriers, Rain of Tranquility... There was even a Bard singing a healing anthem.

Under the myriad effects of healing magic, those scorched black by lightning seconds before were rejuvenated by a flash of Holy Light, immediately looking spry as not a single one had their health drop below 50%.

At the same time, ten sharpshooters began to unleash a volley of arrows on the enemy monsters.

Spellcasters typically had low defenses, and the monsters were no exception. The concentrated arrow barrage left them no chance to survive, as they were shot into hedgehogs and fell one by one.

Durie Il watched helplessly as his minions died off one after another, he was in such a panic that he could only cast his spells with all his might.

"Lightning Storm! Lightning Storm! Lightn—" A figure dashed over, delivering a soaring cleave.

Fearless Strike!

Crack! The Dragon Slaying Sword sliced from the throat downward, cleaving Durie Il's body diagonally into two halves.

-95000 (Lethal Strike)!

[World Announcement: In the year 1437 of the Azure Sky Epoch, the human hero wielding the Dawn Divine Sword slew the Dragonvein Ogre Mage Durie Il and the Black Dragon Nest, and the event has been recorded in the Chronicles of the Azure Sky.]

Mo Fei was speechless. He thought the first three boss battles might wear down the opponents' strength, but it seemed he was too optimistic. The average fight didn't even last three minutes; at least the last one took three slashes, but this time it ended with a single strike.

Is this an exploration or a high-level player power-leveling a lowbie?

At the same time, he also harbored deep doubts about the second set of tactics he had chosen. The effect of the Advanced Flame Barrier was too strong; its counter to fire attacks was a bit outrageous.

All three tiers of his AOE damage were fire-based, and it was clear he was being targeted.

Those Adventurers were not easy marks either; their healing capacity was too formidable. Even if his triple-tier flame attacks breached the enemy's barrier, it would likely be an effort in futility, especially since Magma Jet only lasted for 60 seconds. Overcoming them within that time seemed daunting.

Moreover, those ten archers posed too great a threat to the juvenile black dragons, which only had less than eight thousand health points and couldn't withstand two rounds of concentrated fire.

Once all the juvenile black dragons were dead and the magma spray time ended, it would just be me, a single dragon left, and I'd probably be done for again.

No, no, I had to switch tactics.

The live stream's chat once again erupted in activity.

[This Midnight Mage is so OP, magic damage that high and defense against magic so strong, makes adventurers seem like trash compared to heroes, and that Dawn Divine Sword, can you even one-shot a BOSS with that?]

[Duh, they've spent a ton of money, Gold Tier heroes, that's got to be at least a couple of million, right?]

[Dream on, a Gold Tier hero costs 2.5 million just to create, and these two are almost advancing to Epic heroes, plus they're max level, and they've got top-tier gear, you'd have to at least double that, I doubt it would be less than five million.]

[Damn, really rich to spend five million on a game.]

[Five million is nothing, I have a friend who spent more than five million on Legendary alone.]

[These two heroes are a natural nemesis to Morphis, one with barriers to block the Dragon Breath, and the other wielding the Dragon Slaying Sword, going for the kill; it feels like there's no chance for our Dragon bro, moment of silence guys, Dragon bro, rest in peace.]

[Dragon bro, rest in peace.]

[Dragon bro, rest in peace.]

[Dragon bro, take it slow.]

[Dragon bro, you will live forever in legend.]

[Dragon bro, you will forever live in our hearts.]

[Hey Dragon bro, why not just give up, sign the Dragon Knight contract, I'm actually quite curious about what a Dragon Knight looks like.]

As he watched the barrage of "Dragon bro, rest in peace," Mo Fei cursed in his mind.

These guys couldn't say anything nice.

Signing the Dragon Knight contract was absolutely out of the question, if they were female heroes maybe he'd consider it to save himself, but two grown men, that would be too humiliating.

Although both were working to make money, he still had his standards.

He continued to ponder the composition of the team clearing this part of the game for the first time; in this world, there was no such thing as a perfect team—the opponent's peculiar lineup was sure to have a vulnerability.

After some study, he indeed found a weakness.

The team seemed strong, slaughtering monsters like chickens, chopping down BOSSes like slaughtering dogs, all thanks to their incredibly powerful output capability.

But compared to the usual teams, they had a fatal flaw—they had no tank.

Out of the thirty adventurers, only five were melee, and they were all agile types like rogues or scouts, not suited for taking hits.

The only one who could tank was the hero with the Dawn Divine Sword, but that hero was a Dragon Slayer Knight, wielding a two-handed weapon, strictly speaking, not a real tank—this guy didn't even have a shield, nor did he wear armor.

At a glance, a body full of muscles looked intimidating, but his defense probably wasn't very high.

The reason they had made it this far was mainly because the opposing side's output was too ferocious; monsters didn't even get a chance to approach before being annihilated, so there was no opportunity to deal damage to the team.

If there was a way to take that guy down, then the rest would be mere cannon fodder, easy to kill even with just normal attacks.

But this guy's flame resistance must be very high, previously untouched by Borax's spray of blood, he definitely had equipment that boosted his flame resistance.

And with the Midnight Mage providing a protective barrier, it would be unlikely to take him out with Dragon Breath.

Or perhaps I could take care of him with a physical attack?

Mo Fei carefully considered the feasibility of this plan. He hadn't invested in any melee combat talents, but the Black Dragon Lord was still a giant BOSS, so its physical attack power remained quite considerable.

If coupled with the right combat strategy, it might be possible to take him down.

Mo Fei quickly thought of a tactic.

Shape Transformation: Warbeast + Berserk of Death + Summoning Dragonkin Priests.

As a Warbeast, I would have a 50% physical damage bonus, and attacks came with a crushing effect; then with the 50% damage boost from Berserk, my melee damage would reach a terrifying number, and the Dragonkin Priests could cast Bloodthirst on me, another 30% boost to attack speed.

At that point, a single normal attack from me could deal thousands of damage. No matter how strong the Dawn Divine Sword hero, with just over six thousand health points, I could squash him in two or three hits.

As long as the Dawn Divine Sword hero died, the rest would be easy pickings; it would be a massacre.