26. Anti-Climactic Boss

"The gap between expectation and reality is the field where disappointment grows." — Unknown

"Alright, save ults for when ads spawn at 66%, 50%, 33%, and 10%. Off Button, you can just DPS boss with yours since it is a single target."

Bob said that the entire group had begun the fight, and within 5 minutes, the boss had reached 66% HP when a miniboss and a swarm of elites spawned. Lazarus immediately used Stellar Collapse, killing the elites and injuring the mini. 

Bob taunted the mini to stand next to the boss, and shortly after, it died from splash damage and AOE attacks.

Similar things continued down to 10% HP, swapping Suppression Seal and Stella Collapse every spawn.

As they reached the last slivers of health, the boss started going berserk but was utterly helpless, dying without getting anyone under 80% HP the entire fight.

After looking at the DPS chart, the other three were very surprised to see Lazarus first and Off Button a large margin behind him, with Holly just 48 DPS behind her.

"How the hell did you do so much DPS, dude? You have over 40% of the group's damage dealt as the lowest level playing a not-traditional DPS class."

Shaking his head modestly, Lazarus walked over to the loot.

"Stellar Collapse was padding my DPS on the ads by a large amount, not to mention Arcane Reaver has cleave to hit the minis with every attack. Starfire Seal and Radiant Sweep also synergy well." 

Starfire Seal was the level 25 spell he had gotten.

Starfire Seal: Harnesses the ancient power of celestial fires, known for their purifying and destructive properties. This ability marks a target with a seal of radiant Starfire, which not only weakens them but also prepares them for a subsequent burst of celestial energy.

Hearing his explanation, Eagle's Light still shock her head.

"No matter how I look at it, if you look at DPS to boss, you did 1,367 DPS. That is more than many level 30 players in my guild, as a level 25 with mismatched gear. Is Templar a DPS class?"

Off Button, I suddenly sighed.

"Not only did I get out damaged by a guy three levels lower than me, just this girl who is a level below me and who ultimately deals 0 damage was essentially even with me; it is truly embarrassing."

Brushing past the subject, Lazarus decided to brush past the subject.

"Let's keep going; Mirrorstone Keep is a decent distance from here."

They quickly looted while Paul and Claire turned in the dungeon quest. They received the skill point and a piece of the dungeon set armor, which was of minimal use. An uncommon level 10 piece of armor was not very useful for them.

"Here, Holly, you can take the armor I got as loot. It is not useful to us, and it is party-bound, so you might as well have it deconstructed."

Following her lead, Bob also gave Holly the gear he had dropped. Dungeon loot and set items were bound to the party who cleared the dungeon; you could not give them to your lower-level friends or sell them; otherwise, the game would be truly pay-to-win.

Seeing this, Paul smiled to himself, aware that they were trying to get on Holly's good side so that perhaps they could reap some benefits if she grinds away as a crafter.

It was not that being a crafter in Harbinger's Call was particularly difficult, at least not until the ultra-endgame. It was simply a matter of taking a very long time and being extremely boring, not to mention expensive. 

Someone who wanted to do something authentically would work harder and more earnestly than someone doing it because that was their job in a guild. 

Either way, it cost them nothing.

After exiting the dungeon, they returned to town and caught a carriage to the next dungeon area; not only was it not far, but various people from their party had been there before, allowing them to ride a carriage there; otherwise, you could only take them to big cities like Paul did to get close to the slaughterhouse. 

Unlike the save they found when entering the last dungeon, they saw only a stone arch with some players hanging around it as the entrance.

When they arrived and instantly went in, the scenery subtly changed. They were met with a tired-looking elf who instantly turned to Eagle's Light; as the only elf, it was evident that she was the only one treated as an equal.

"Greetings to Miss Lady Adventurer and companions. I am Tuer, and I request your assistance with defeating the current lord of Mirrorstone Keep. The entire area has been abandoned for centuries, and a cunning dark magician has taken up residence within. The local magistrate wants him gone but cannot request military aid in this matter."

After hearing the first part, Paul and Claire accepted the quest. The party began glowing through the dungeon at a similar pace, level 15 enemies not even serving to slow them down as they bulldozed through large mob pulls and minibosses alike. 

As the sun set on the land, the gray stones of the keep seemed to catch the light in a certain way, appearing more chrome as they became reflective for a short period. 

Seeing the sight, Claire was entranced.

"How beautiful! It looks like doing this dungeon now was a good idea."

Hearing her, Bob and Eagle's Light chuckled.

"The time of day in the dungeon is separate from the open world day-night cycle; whenever you arrive at the mob pull right before the final boss, this happens."

Feeling somewhat played, Claire instantly ulted the grouping of weak mobs and elites, slowing them and preventing them from using movement abilities, after which they died very quickly.

When they arrived in the final boss room, they saw a strange throne room-type room with mirrors on one side of the wall and strange demented paintings on the other. The mirrors reflected the paintings, showing entirely different scenes from the original.

Although that art technique was captivating, the room was creepy and sinister.

On the throne was a black-robed fat man who wielded a tall staff and the name tag Corvus the Nightmare, accompanied by a blue health bar.

When he stood up, the room became slightly darker as the light from the hanging candles seemed to recede. 

"You will pay for what you have done, elf and her companions!"

Lazarus looked at the others and smiled.

"Same thing as last time; it should work fine."