On the Edge

Unaware of my internal turmoil, the Ram was angered by the arrow that hit it in the face. Its fiery orange eyes turned a shade darker as it bellowed a warcry. 

The majestic creature lowered its head and charged at me with a powerful Horn Bash. 

"Bloody Hell!" A curse word escaped my mouth as I realized that the Ram's charging speed was much, much faster than I had anticipated.

I hurriedly dived to the side, not caring about grace or personal safety at all as avoiding this deadly charge was much more important that any minor injury I would suffer from the reckless dive. 

Kaboom! 

A loud bang echoed through the cavern just as I scrambled to my feet. My dive had succeeded in avoiding the direct impact of the Horn bash but I had still lost 10 HP due to scraped knee. 

I turned around and looked at the Ram standing stunned on the spot. It had collided against the Crater's wall and suffered a concussion, disorienting it. 

Most importantly, it had also lost 100 points of HP!

I took advantage of its stunned state and activated Rapid Shot, launching a volley of arrows over. I didn't even have to aim as its huge frame provided ample targets but its thick red fleece coat also acted as a natural barrier against the arrows, reducing their damage as was evident by the abysmal damage numbers. 

-8

-17

-23

-9

-21

The damage numbers were normal for the arrows that hit the uncovered parts but the ones that hit the fleece-coated parts dealt damage in single digits. 

What disappointed me more was that my skill, which used up 5 of my precious arrows, did not even do as much damage as the recoil suffered by the Ram!

This proved just how powerful the Red Fleece Ram was and it forced me to adjust my strategy accordingly. I decided to not waste arrows on trying to hit the fleece covered body of the ram and instead lead it around so it could bash into the walls to its heart's content. 

In the meanwhile, the Boss monster recovered quickly from the concussion. It turned to face me, ready to unleash another Fiery Breath. I instantly knew I had to be swift and precise in my movements if I wanted to avoid being cooked.

As the flames erupted from the ram's maw once more, I executed a series of agile dodges, narrowly evading the searing heat. The cavern echoed with the roar of the flames, but I remained unscathed.

Even I could not believe that my body had such potential but as they say only under fire does the gold shine. 

The ram stopped his skills and instead tried a few normal attacks but they were simply too predictable. I dodged them easily while maintaining distance from the ram. 

The attacks were so slow and predictable that I even managed to shoot a few arrows in between and shaved off another few hundreds of the Ram's health. 

The Fiery Breath finally came off the cooldown and the ram did not hesitate to unleash it. Orange heat wave swashed towards me, making me scramble backwards until I was barely out of the breath's range. Still, my skin was slightly charred and my hair was burnt, causing me to lose 30 points of Health. 

Taking advantage of its momentary pause, I fired another rapid shot. This time my arrows found their mark with deadly accuracy. 

-46 (Crit)

-21

-23

-48 (Crit)

-28

All the arrows hit the vulnerable spots and two of them were even critical hits! This was my most successful attack ever that managed to bring the Ram's health down to its last quarter. 

The Ram was clearly not pleased with the attack and it launched the deadly Horn Bash once again. By now I had grown quite familiar with the Ram's attacking patterns, enough to face it in melee combat. 

I braced myself, timing my dodge with precision as the ram charged. With the Counter skill at the ready, I sidestepped its powerful Horn Bash and delivered a punishing blow using my last Fire Rune Arrow as a dagger.

-126

It did not trigger the much needed critical hit but still dealt a respectable amount of damage. The thing was that the skill did not stop the berserk beast from ramming its head into the wall and losing another 100 points of health!

Now the ram had less than 10% health left. I launched a barrage of arrows not caring about the cost while the disoriented ram stood still.

Suddenly and completely unexpectedly, the ram's fiery breath erupted once more, and I was unable to dodge. Drunk on my visible victory, I had let my guard down and now I suffered for it. 

The flames engulfed me, searing my virtual body. I gasped in pain but refused to yield. In desperation, I tossed the Pet Capturing Device at the Red Fleece Ram. 

As soon as the round device touched the Rare Elite, it unleashed a net made from threads of mana and attempted to pull in the Red Fleece Ram. 

I had no hope that the device would manage to capture the Beast. I just needed it to interrupt its Fiery Breath so I could survive. 

The Ram, suddenly bound, struggled to break free from the ethereal net. Its Fiery Breath was also no longer focused on me and targeted the Mana net. 

After enduring the attack, my HP bar was already flashing red, indicating I had less than 10% of health left. Unfortunately, the battle was not over yet. 

I did not let go of this hard earned opportunity and activated Rapid Shot, shooting another round of arrows with precision. 

-27

-48 (Crit)

-23

-24

-49 (Crit)

The Red Fleece Ram roared in anger and pain but it was helpless to fight back. Unfortunately, the momentary respite brought by the Pet Capturing Device did not last long. 

After just a few seconds, the Mana nets shattered and the Ram escaped. Despite its injuries, it was relentless. 

The Boss charged again, and I knew I couldn't dodge it this time. I was cornered by the beast, quite literally. There was nowhere for me to go as the cave's walls on both sides blocked my escape routes. 

My only hope was finishing off its last 100 points of Health before its attack could strike me. My heart thumped as it was literally a do or die moment. 

With a burst of resolve, I let loose a final volley of arrows, activating Rapid Shot. 

-21 

The first arrow struck Ram in the skull. 

-7

-9

The next two arrows flew wide and struck the fleece coat covered body of the Boss, causing me to despair. 

-23

Another arrow that hit the monster's neck. The Ram was just a meter away from me. If my next arrow could not kill the Ram, I would be the one dead. 

I prayed in my mind just as I launched the last arrow, hoping against the odds that it would trigger a critical hit. 

I had also tried to adjust my aim so the arrow would strike the Ram's face. As the arrow flew, it carried my fate and that of the Ram. 

This single arrow would decide the outcome of this life and death battle. 

As I watched the arrow close the distance, I released my baited breath. The arrow pierced through the nostril of the Ram, a vital spot. 

Combined with the extra 10% Crit hit rate granted by my Crescent Moon Ring, I would have to be the unluckiest player to not trigger a critical hit. 

-50 (Crit) 

The number popping up proved that lady luck had not abandoned me. The Red-Fleece Ram roared in agony as my arrow took away the last sliver of its health. 

With a final bellow, Red Fleece Ram, a Rare Elite collapsed to the cavern floor, defeated and dead.