An arrow materialized from the shadows, smacking Kael square in the back of the head. He spun around to see an undead archer taking aim from a dark alcove.
[Vault Guardian - Phantasm Archer]: Level 16
Health: 71,000
Physical Attack: 912
Physical Defense: 385
Magic Defense: 305
After his Class Advancement to Divine Archer, Kael had put all his points into Constitution, pushing his health over 4,000. Any other clothie or leather-wearer would have been instantly killed by that shot.
Without a trace of panic, Kael activated the special skill from his epic set: Summon Zombie.
[Zombie]:
Can withstand 5 attacks.
Skill: Taunt
He immediately positioned the shambling corpse behind him, letting it absorb the Phantasm Archer’s follow-up shots.
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The zombie’s damage mitigation was unique. It didn’t register damage values, only the number of hits. A hit for one damage or a critical strike for 100,000 would both count as a single hit against its five-hit limit.
With his back covered, Kael turned his full attention back to the Guardian Automaton.
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…
Eight seconds later, the robot exploded into a shower of sparks and metal.
[System]: Congratulations! Your party has defeated [Guardian Automaton - Type A]. All members receive 100,000 EXP.
By then, the zombie Kael had summoned was already a pile of bones on the floor. The Phantasm Archer was drawing its bowstring taut again, the arrowhead igniting with a swirling ball of fire that grew larger and brighter by the second.
After a three-second charge, the archer released the string. A flaming arrow screamed through the air directly at Kael. His health was hovering just over 2,000. A direct hit would be lethal.
Just as the fiery projectile was about to impact, Hazel lunged in front of him, her shield raised.
THWUMP!
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The arrow slammed into her shield.
Kael wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow. If it weren't for that zombie tanking the first few hits, he would've been a goner. He raised his bow and began to unload on the archer.
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While the Phantasm Archer’s damage output was higher than the robot’s, its health and defense were significantly lower. Thirty seconds was all it took for Kael to bring it down.
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[System]: Congratulations! Your party has defeated [Vault Guardian - Phantasm Archer]. All members receive 120,000 EXP.
“Whoa, the experience here is insane,” Rena marveled.
Lila, ever the pragmatist, was already by the robot's wreckage, collecting the loot.
[Automaton Parts (Epic)] x5:
Level 15 crafting material for heavy armor and weapons.
She had never even seen an epic-quality crafting material before. But when she picked up the two pieces of gear that had also dropped, her jaw went slack.
[Van Tassel's Ring of Embers (Epic)]: Level 15
+80 Intelligence
+20 Spirit
+200 Fire Damage
.....
[Van Tassel's Amulet of Light (Legendary)]: Level 15
+120 Intelligence
+50 Spirit
+200 Healing Power
.....
“Holy crap!” Lila couldn’t help but exclaim.
“What is it, Lila?” Rena and Starbloom rushed over.
Lila showed them the items, and their eyes went wide with disbelief.
“Oh my god…”
“A single item with +120 Intelligence and +200 Healing Power…”
Their entire Level 10 rare-quality zombie sets combined barely gave them 100 Intelligence. Legendary gear was on another level entirely.
Meanwhile, Kael was collecting the loot from the Phantasm Archer. It had also dropped two items: one epic, one legendary.
The epic was another Longbow, identical to the one he was using. The legendary item was a quiver.
[Van Tassel's Cloudpiercer Quiver (Legendary)]: Level 15
+200 Physical Attack
+30 Strength
+100 Agility
For an off-hand item, its stats were as good as a main weapon. Kael equipped it immediately, his attack power jumping by another 200 points. His basic attacks now hit for over 2,100 damage.
The only downside was that the bow and quiver didn't have a set bonus, a common trait of gear from a Hidden Realm. Unlike dungeon sets, Hidden Realm items were designed to be individually powerful, rarely forming synergistic sets.
Kael was privately astonished by the drop rates. He’d run countless Hidden Realms in his past life and knew the probabilities by heart. It was extremely rare for a trash mob to drop two items, let alone a legendary. That was typically reserved for elites or bosses.
For their party to get two epics and two legendaries from two ordinary mobs was unheard of. This has to be my maxed-out luck stat at work.
He looked up and saw that the others had finished distributing their new gear. Rena had equipped the legendary Amulet of Light, and Starbloom had taken the Ring of Embers.
Rena had two main healing spells:
[Heal]: Restores health to a target equal to (100 + 1 * Intelligence). Deals the same amount as damage to enemy demons. Cooldown: 2 seconds.
[Rejuvenation]: Heals a target over 5 seconds for a total of (500 + 2 * Intelligence). Cooldown: 10 seconds.
With the amulet, Rena’s Intelligence was now over 350. Factoring in the +200 Healing Power bonus, a single cast of Heal would restore over 650 health, giving her an effective HPS of over 320. Hazel wouldn’t need to chug potions anymore.
Buoyed by their new power, the group’s confidence soared. Lila, however, remembering their close call, issued a warning. “Alright, watch your positioning from now on. The last thing we need is to pull extra mobs.”
“Right,” the others agreed.
To give them a better view of their surroundings, Kael activated his Heart of the Ocean. The area within a 40-yard radius was instantly bathed in bright light. While the three women were surprised, they had learned not to question the impossible things Kael could do.
Kael opened his map, got his bearings, and led the group toward the center. The density of monsters was surprisingly low; they walked for nearly forty yards before encountering their next foe.
[Guardian Automaton - Type B]: Level 16
Health: 123,000
Physical Attack: 1,200
Physical Defense: 700
Magic Defense: 400
The moment the Type B robot spotted them, it launched both of its massive iron fists like rockets.
WHOOSH!
CRUNCH!
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Two damage numbers exploded over Hazel’s head. Rena immediately cast both Heal and Rejuvenation on her.
Kael returned fire with a Double Shot.
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Unfortunately, neither was a critical hit.
Lila and Starbloom could only watch from the sidelines. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to help, but there was no point. Starbloom’s curses and damage-over-time spells were heavily resisted by mechanical enemies, and Lila’s attacks would barely scratch the Type B’s 700 physical defense.
Their new role was to act as bodyguards for Kael, ready to intercept any other monsters that might try to ambush him.
After firing its fists, the Type B Automaton rolled up to Hazel and began to pummel her relentlessly.
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…
Without special skills, its basic attacks were no match for Rena’s enhanced healing.
Two minutes later, the robot collapsed, dropping its two gleaming, golden fists onto the floor.
