Unable to stand the shameless bootlicking, Kael broke away from the group and headed straight for the boss.
[Mine Guardian Black Bear]
Level: 37
HP: 1,000,000,000
Physical Attack: 25,000
Physical Defense: 20,000
Magic Defense: 10,000
Twenty thousand physical defense. Level 30 players would barely scratch that. If this turned into a brawl, a hundred players wouldn't even be an appetizer for this thing.
Kael shifted his [Primal Core Arrow] into [Flame Form]. He summoned three clones, aimed, and let loose.
-80,124 (Main Body Basic Attack)
-25,147 (Main Body Explosive Blast)
-50,124 (Clone Basic Attack, Silkbind Shot)
-14,154 (Clone Explosive Blast)
-191,147 (Clone Critical Hit, Silkbind Shot)
-12,134 (Clone Explosive Blast)
...
Equipping the [Primal Core Arrow] in his quiver pushed Kael's attack power to a staggering 100,000. His clones fully inherited the arrow's effects, too. It wasn't perfect, though. First, Explosive Blast couldn't trigger the triple critical hit multiplier. Second, the clones couldn't mimic his bow form switches.
Even with those drawbacks, a single volley dealt four to five hundred thousand damage. Factoring in his attack speed, Kael was pumping out seven hundred thousand DPS. Explosions rocked the bear as massive damage numbers clouded the air, leaving the hundred spectators completely dumbfounded.
They knew Kael was strong, but this was on another level entirely.
"Was that... a hundred and seventy thousand damage? Am I hallucinating?"
"I swear on my mom's life, that was a hundred and seventy k."
"Holy crap, another two hundred eighty thousand just popped!"
"I haven't seen a carry this hard since... well, never."
"Is this Sir Dawnbreaker's final form? I thought he'd look different."
"No... this is his base form."
"Jesus Christ."
"Are we... really just going to stand here? Shouldn't we do something?"
"Do what? Trip the boss and play dead?"
"We should at least hype him up. I feel completely useless."
"We could take selfies?"
"Genius."
"Hey, don't push! Form a line!"
The entire raid group surged forward, crowding into the frame and flashing peace signs. "Cheese!"
Group photos led to solo shots, couples' pictures, and squad selfies—all framing Kael's brutal fight against the Black Bear in the background.
A Level 40 Kael fighting a Level 37 boss was a joke. His Silkbind Shot snared the beast perfectly every time, making the fight mind-numbingly dull. Occasionally, he'd glance over his shoulder and throw a peace sign at the cameras, drawing wild cheers from the peanut gallery.
Ten minutes later, a wave of two thousand players arrived. The main force had finally reached the camp and deployed to reinforce the resource nodes. They froze, stunned by the spectacle of Kael soloing the boss. But standing around doing nothing felt awkward for such a massive group. So, naturally, they joined the photo op.
Eventually, the Black Bear hit its final enrage phase. It reared up on its hind legs, muscles bulging as a deafening roar shook the mine. The silken threads from Kael's arrows began snapping faster, failing to hold the beast back. It lumbered forward, closing the distance inch by inch.
Kael didn't kite. He didn't fall back. He just paused his volley for one second and shifted the [Primal Core Arrow] into [Ironwood Form].
He resumed firing. Instead of flame, the arrowheads were round, stone-like projectiles. The moment before impact, the "stones" expanded into massive ironwood nuts. The heavy impacts shoved the bear's massive frame backward several inches at a time. The beast tried to push through, but the relentless barrage of giant nuts drove it back. Once he had pushed the bear sixty yards out, Kael snapped back to [Flame Form] and resumed his DPS rotation.
Whenever the bear closed within twenty yards, Kael simply swapped to [Ironwood Form] to knock it back again. After a dozen cycles, the bear let out a final, pathetic wail and collapsed.
[System Alert: You have slain the Mine Guardian Black Bear. Awarded 10,000 Event Points.]
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Dozens of items exploded outward from the carcass. The players drooled over the loot, but nobody dared step forward to claim it.
Kael stowed his bow, walked up to the corpse, and sifted through the spoils. Unlike normal boss drops, siege bosses heavily favored resource yields. Mounds of meat and ore dominated the pile. He also picked up several Point Vouchers and crafting materials. Gear drops were abysmal; the bear had only dropped two pieces of Level 35 Ascendant PvE gear.
Deeming them vendor trash, Kael tossed the gear into his inventory to trade to the Quartermaster for points later. The onlookers could only watch enviously. That was the price they paid for prioritizing selfies over combat.
Kael then led the mob into the mine to clear the trash mobs. He did a quick sweep and immediately stepped back out. There were no bosses inside, making it a waste of his time. He’d leave the scrap points for the rest of the players.
Soon, the mine was fully operational. Some players stayed behind to mine ore and farm the occasional respawns, while the rest followed Kael to sweep the remaining resource nodes.
By noon, the attacking faction had secured two mines, two quarries, a lumber camp, and a shipyard. Buildings sprang up around the main camp. Since the event didn't have a visible timer, no one knew how long the siege would last. As the attackers, they were in no rush. They could afford to turtle and build up their infrastructure.
At noon sharp, Kael bid the group farewell. He left Lila in charge of guarding the camp and logged off to grab lunch. He was flying blind on the event's duration, too. It all depended on the enemy's defensive setup and tactics.
Right now, for instance, his side was hitting a lull. If Kael were playing defense, he'd be striking right about now.
He wouldn't miss a window like this, Kael thought.
"He" was the commander of The WarChief faction's player forces: Imperator. He played a rare race, a Fallen Elf, and his class was Priest.
In Kael's past life, Imperator was a tactical genius every top guild violently fought to recruit. His campaign records were nothing short of legendary. His magnum opus was leading The WarChief army to capture Stormhold from an impossible disadvantage. During that battle, the governor of Stormhold had bribed The WarChief's NPC lieutenant to defect mid-siege, taking a third of the invading NPC army with him.
When every other player threw their hands up in despair, Imperator rallied the routed forces. Through sheer macro-level brilliance and a series of unorthodox maneuvers, he salvaged the dying offensive and miraculously breached Stormhold. A guaranteed loss morphed into a stunning conquest. That single battle cemented Imperator's name in the hall of fame.
Chewing his food, Kael stared at the wall, running simulations in his head.
So, Imperator. What's your play?