Re: Evolution Online Chapter 340: Two down, three more to go!

Chapter 340: Two down, three more to go!

After the first mob, the group cleared the second, the third, and the fourth mob with overwhelming ease.
Since everyone's level was above 30, this was simply a breeze. One of the hurdles in the Twilight dungeon was the difficulty in splitting apart these mobs.
When the werewolves appeared, they attacked together in big groups.
However, this was not a hurdle for the group as they cruised through the packs of the werewolves, finally arriving at the first boss.
It was a huge monstrous werewolf slumbering in the middle of the forest. There were a few wisps of wind mysteriously twirling around this wolf.
Everyone immediately looked at Liam to see if he had any special instructions for this one, but he still did not show any reaction.
So Derek went ahead and tossed his shield at the werewolf, waking it up with a quick attack.
AWOOOOOO!
The werewolf instantly sprang up on all fours, its speed and agility very impressive.
It snarled its teeth, saliva dripping from its mouth, and its red eyes locked onto the few humans in front of it.
GROWL!
The werewolf pounced forward without wasting another second, ripping and slicing the air with its paw.
Surprisingly, this sent out bursts of winds forward, cutting down everything in its path. This was an evolved version of wind blades attack.
But everyone in the group was already familiar with this attack as they had read about this boss on the forums.
Derek promptly stepped forward and blocked these cutting winds while Alex charged at the boss to take the main aggro.
Both of them were very talented tanks, so they tacitly decided on who was doing what based on their position and their coordination was impeccable.
Clang!
Alex's shield clashed with the werewolf's sturdy paw, and the mere impact was enough to push her back a few steps.
-1500
A huge damage number floated atop her head as well.
The werewolf raised another paw to strike down again, and this time Derek took the initiative and blocked the attack head-on.
Because there were two tanks in their group, it was easy to rotate in this manner and take turns bearing the brunt of the attack.
However, since Derek's equipment was on a completely different grade when compared to Alex's, he did not receive much damage.
He even managed to chip away at the monster's health a little.
And while these two kept the huge werewolf engaged, the others barraged the beast with a variety of attacks, slowly bringing down its health.
With the exception of its strength, speed, power, and agility, this first boss didn't have much to offer.
It was utterly helpless, and the big boy was quickly brought down to his knees.
But when it was at the last 25% of its health, suddenly the werewolf let an enraged roar.
The werewolf was incensed, its blood-red eyes gleaming with anger.
It swiped its paws and sent out massive rippling winds, almost creating a tornado.
The wind was cutting, and grass and the ground itself were being torn apart, everything rising up into the air.
Everyone's health began dropping drastically at the same time. If this continued, the situation would quickly become dire.
So the group had to absolutely grind down the boss before the tornado took away their health.
Suddenly, the fight became a competition for speed and power. Whoever does the maximum damage in the fastest time wins.
This was the second hurdle of the dungeon, the berserk state of the first boss.
Unless the attacking group had a decent damage output, they could not cross this hurdle. They needed to have an overall damage output above the required threshold.
However, this was not really an issue for the group.
Mia casually topped up everyone's health, buying extra seconds, while the others just continued with their attacks.
Even without the little fox and Liam added into the picture, everyone was able to bring out the required damage numbers to put down the boss.
And a few seconds later, the huge monster let out its last howl as it slumped onto the ground lifelessly.
Just like that, the first boss was down!
Clang. Clang.
Immediately, two pieces of equipment dropped from the beast, and a few coins scattered around.
Since these were just drops from a Level 30 boss, no one was really interested in them. Nevertheless, some parties were curious to see what dropped.
But the small fox who lingered at the back did not give anyone this chance.
Before anyone could react, she pounced at the sparkly things on the ground with her eyes twinkling and brought all of them over to Liam.
Liam covered his mouth at this sight and chuckled helplessly. What was this new behavior?
"There is one cloth piece and one pair of braces." He announced.
"One looks like a silver unique item and the other looks like a gold unique item. Both are Level 30 items."
"Whoever wants to roll for it can do so."
He shared the details of the items on the group chat and then nodded at Derek, asking him to continue forward.
Other groups might sit down and take some rest at this point to recover everything before proceeding forward but clearly, there was no need for them to do so.
A couple of seconds passed, and another mob wave appeared.
This pack of werewolves had a red lustrous coat. They were different from the grey dull fur coat of the previous mob packs.
Irrespectively, they were also quickly cleared and soon the group arrived at the second boss of the dungeon.
This time, a huge werewolf was slumbering atop a small hill-like projection. Its thick fur was bright red, and the beast emitted a violent, oppressive aura.
CLANG!
Derek was again the first to initiate the battle as he tossed his shield at the wolf, but this time the DPS in the group quickly started attacking the boss, just a second after Derek's attack landed.
This was because the second boss had the ability to go berserk according to its will. It could attack in a frenzy whenever it wanted, even with full health.
In the forums, this werewolf was nicknamed as 'rabid dog'. No one would be able to foresee when its speed and power would shoot up.
After Derek attracted the attention of the beast, the werewolf lunged at him and swiped its massive paws at the tank.
Derek skillfully moved and blocked the beast's two attacks but when he tried to predict the next attack, and move accordingly, the beast suddenly disappeared.
Its speed increased a dozen fold as it now stood at the back, swiping at the damage dealers and the healers at the back.
This was the next hurdle in the dungeon where it was impossible for the tank to hold a steady aggro. Anyone could be attacked at any instant.
However, among the damage dealers and the two healers, there was also a third tank at the back. It was finally Shin Soo's turn to shine!
The poor guy did not have any chance to fight since the beginning of the dungeon run as the two monstrous tanks hogged all the beasts by themselves, not giving him even a single opportunity.
But now, they were too far and this was all him.
Shin Soo gripped his shield, jutting it forward to block the attack. However, unfortunately for him, the beast chose to go berserk at this exact moment.
Its speed and power increased by another level and just as Shin Shoo prepared to block the second attack, he was casually flung aside like dirt.
"AHHHHHHH!" He screamed as he flew in the air to land a few feet away.
More importantly, now the group was fully exposed. Most long-rage damager dealers were glass cannons and the healers were equally helpless.
So if the next attack landed on someone in this group, they would instantly lose half of their health, and especially because the beast was in berserk mode, this was simply a death sentence.
They would not even be able to react and just get swiped to death.
However, before the werewolf could lock on to these glass cannons, another strike pierced the beast from the back and Alex had already arrived at the location.
She looked just as fierce as the beast and was in her own berserk mode as she swung her sword and her shield alternatingly.
A divine aura shone on her body as her attacks also began to give out a radiance. The red werewolf boss was not able to compete with her at all.
It looked dumbfounded and the others looked equally stunned.
Just when they thought that they had grasped this person's potential, Alex had once again surprised them.
She had definitely activated a special skill something similar to berserk but in reality, even with the special skill, her combat technique was impressive.
She did not miss a single attack and blocked the frenzied swipe perfectly, matching the speed and the strength.
The werewolf snarled in anger and she growled in return. If Luna was cute and vicious, this woman was just outrightly brutal.
While others stared in shock, Liam alone had a small smile on his face as he observed everything from the side, still not participating in any of the fights.
Seeing Alex so submissive and dull earlier, he had to admit that he was worried about her overall abilities.
Though the woman was annoying as she constantly opposed him and was bullheaded. These were also the qualities that made her an excellent fighter.
So with her calmed down and docile, he did not know if she had lost her innate fighting abilities as well.
But it looks like that was not the case. She was still roaring and fighting with vigor and energy.
"Good." Liam nodded in approval and then continued to watch just as he was doing before, not lifting a single finger.
However, no one complained about this as Liam's pet, the little fox who was running around and jumping around, blasting red hot fire ever so often, was doing damage equivalent to two damage dealers.
So even though he was not personally participating, Liam was pulling his weight in one way or the other.
The fight continued for another few seconds and soon the second boss was also brought down.
"Two down, three more to go!" Liam muttered under his breath as he looked ahead into the seemingly endless dark forest.