Just then, a sudden change Ye Tianxie had anticipated came to pass. The Giant Fierce Wolf, its HP battered below 20%, abruptly stopped attacking, threw its head back, and loosed a hair-raising howl, an incomparably savage aura bursting forth all at once. Every hair on the great wolf’s body stood on end, its two huge eyes veiled with a horrifying blood-red, and the sudden, terrifying pressure struck fear into all five players at once. The Apprentice Guardian took an involuntary step back, crying out in alarm, “It’s Berserk — everyone be careful! Speed up the damage!”
Berserk — When the Giant Fierce Wolf’s HP drops below 20%, there is a 50% chance to trigger this skill. Once triggered, attack power, attack speed, and movement speed all increase by 30%, defense drops by 30%, lasting 1 minute.
With the Giant Fierce Wolf gone berserk, the “Provoke” effect it had been under naturally broke as well. It no longer went after the Apprentice Guardian blocking its path; instead it gave a sudden violent roar, the wolf’s body leaping high, and lunged at the Apprentice Priest behind the Guardian. Caught off guard, the Apprentice Priest hadn’t even had time to scream before a huge wolf claw raked hard across his chest, tearing away half his HP.
The Apprentice Guardian was aghast and spun around at once, but his “Provoke” skill was still in its 10-second cooldown — there was no way to pull the Giant Fierce Wolf’s aggro back immediately. The Apprentice Priest scrambled backward, but how could his speed possibly match the berserk Giant Fierce Wolf’s? Another claw tore across his chest, and the health bar over the Apprentice Priest’s head was instantly emptied. His body toppled stiffly to the ground and dissolved into a streak of white light… sent back to the novice village.
With the Priest dead, the remaining four fell into utter disarray, the two ranged players attacking in a flustered scramble. The Giant Fierce Wolf that had killed the Apprentice Priest wheeled around with a roar and charged the Apprentice Mage, who was ceaselessly flinging magic element bolts.
“Fall back first!” the Apprentice Guardian shouted. With the Apprentice Mage’s HP, he couldn’t survive two hits from the wolf, and with the Priest sent back to the novice village and all his own recovery potions used up, the Giant Fierce Wolf’s remaining 200 HP had somehow become an uncrossable ditch. Even if all four of them died here now, they might not be able to whittle down that last 200 HP.
The four scattered in different directions, rushing for the safe zone outside the map. The Apprentice Guardian charged straight toward where Ye Tianxie stood, calling out, “Friend! Could you do us a favor? This BOSS is about to die — I’ll group you into our party, you trade me the recovery potions you’ve got on you… and once we’ve beaten this BOSS, how about we give you a piece of gear it drops?”
Ye Tianxie’s eyes narrowed to slits, a serene smile surfacing on his calm face. “All right. Just remember to keep your word.”
“Ding… Player Red Leaf Iron Wall invites you to join his party. Accept?”
“Heh. Accept.”
The chime confirming he’d joined the party sounded in his ears, and the Apprentice Guardian had already run up before Ye Tianxie, saying in a rushed hurry, “Quick, trade me all the recovery potions you’ve got… This is a Level 5 BOSS — it’ll not only let you share a big chunk of experience, we’ll give you a piece of gear too. You’re making out like a bandit!”
Had he not been left with no other choice, Red Leaf Iron Wall would never have turned for help to a player who hadn’t even changed out of his full set of novice clothes. Ye Tianxie briskly took the five Minor Recovery Potions from his backpack and traded them over. The Apprentice Guardian snatched them up, said no more, and spun around to charge the Giant Fierce Wolf that was chasing the Apprentice Archer, shouting, “Get ready to attack!”
The Apprentice Guardian swiftly cast a “Provoke” skill. The Giant Fierce Wolf’s body stalled a moment, then turned its head and charged him. The Apprentice Guardian held stock-still, blocking the wolf’s attack with his shield, and the three who’d been fleeing all gathered back in and began another round of assault. And Ye Tianxie — at some point no one had noticed — had come strolling leisurely over, thrusting at the Giant Fierce Wolf stroke by stroke with the novice sword in his hand, dealing damage that was, without a doubt…
-1. -1. MISS…
A new name — Xietian — had appeared on the party panel, and the level behind it read, glaringly, Level 1. The same look of disdain surfaced on the faces of the four Red Leaf Pact members.
The Giant Fierce Wolf’s HP fell from 200 to 150, then from 150 to the edge of 100. The Warrior swinging the two-handed sword shot Ye Tianxie a cold glance and whispered to Red Leaf Iron Wall, “Kick him out, or he’ll split our experience… and later he might even fight us to grab the loot.”
No sooner had the Apprentice Warrior’s voice fallen than the chime “You have been removed from the Red Leaf Iron Wall party” sounded in Ye Tianxie’s ears. A thread of a cold smile hooked at the corner of his mouth. He suddenly stepped forward — the novice shortsword in his hand had already vanished, and when he struck again, a huge black arc swept out ahead of him, catching the Giant Fierce Wolf square in the body…
-142!
A gorgeous yellow critical-hit number appeared above the Giant Fierce Wolf’s head, emptying its HP in an instant amid a mournful howl. The great wolf’s body pitched to the ground, spilling a scatter of copper coins and blood potions across the earth — along with a full three pieces of equipment shimmering with blue light.
“Ding. You have successfully slain the three-star elite Giant Fierce Wolf. Gained 400 experience.”
Ten Luck — the highest Luck value a player could currently reach — put Ye Tianxie’s critical-hit rate well above an ordinary player’s, and his drop rate and equipment quality when killing monsters were far higher too.
The four Red Leaf Pact members stood stunned where they were, staring blankly as Ye Tianxie picked the three pieces of equipment up off the ground. The glow of the gear confirmed it was Steel-grade, and three Steel pieces dropping at once was already enough to shock them badly — yet their eyes were, every one, fixed at that moment on the huge black weapon in Ye Tianxie’s hand. That shape more outrageous than even a two-handed greatsword, that twisting, indescribable strangeness of form, those uncanny colors flickering across it now and then — probably any player seeing this weapon for the first time would wear the exact same expression.
After the shock came throbbing greed. They felt no guilt over having broken their word and kicked Ye Tianxie from the party; even the humiliation and rage at having their BOSS kill stolen faded to almost nothing. That strange shape, and the triple-digit damage Ye Tianxie had just dealt — without a doubt, this had to be an extraordinarily powerful weapon.
“He dares steal our BOSS — get him! Loot him!”
The Apprentice Guardian’s face shifted through one change after another, until at last he gave a low growl and charged Ye Tianxie first. But right before him, that strange, unfathomable smile on Ye Tianxie’s face made his heart lurch inexplicably, and his steps couldn’t help stalling just slightly — then his sword came cleaving down onto Ye Tianxie’s body.
“Ding… You have been attacked by the Red Leaf Iron Wall party. You have thirty minutes to strike back against them.”
(End of Chapter 17)