Chapter 174: Chapter174-Collaborative Monster Slaying!
Whooosh...
The sound of flapping wings echoed through the cave, but these were not like those of the smaller bats.
This sound was different—more ominous and terrifying.
Could it be the boss?
After a brief rest, John continued forward.
By now, he had collected over 30 common-grade energy stones in his backpack.
However, the drop rate was frustratingly low.
There were slightly more broken ones, but it was unclear how long they would last.
With the fortress needing a large amount of supplies, continuing at this rate, he certainly wouldn't gather enough materials.
As John walked further, he suddenly heard the sound of something burning continuously ahead.
Even the temperature on the path had become scorchingly hot.
He walked up to a junction only to see a striking figure at the next intersection.
Countless fire-based spells exploded in the cave, each blast bringing down a swarm of small bats.
It was... Isabella?
John frowned slightly, surprised to find Isabella here as well.
"Who's there?"
Isabella almost instantly sensed someone behind her and spun around, only to find John standing at the entrance to the path.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her eyebrows knitted in concern, though her hands didn't stop casting spells, bringing down batch after batch of bats.
"Why can't I be here if you can?"
John replied with a slight smile, stepping forward.
But in the next second, a piercing sonic wave emanated from deeper within the cave!
It was an indescribable sound, but in that moment, their HP visibly dropped sharply.
The two immediately became alert, setting aside their surprise to adopt a back-to-back combat stance, ready for whatever lay ahead.
"It must be the boss coming out; this seems to be a platinum-tier boss specialized in sonic attacks, but that's all I know for now."
John pulled out earplugs from his backpack; he always liked to pack his bag with such precautionary items.
They seemed trivial but could come in handy unexpectedly.
"Here, take these."
Isabella looked at the earplugs in John's hand without speaking, her brow slightly furrowed, seemingly puzzled why John would help her.
"Don't worry, they're safe—no poison, they won't kill you. I'm using them myself."
John was somewhat exasperated but acknowledged the earplugs' excellent sound insulation; once in, one could hardly hear what the person opposite was saying.
He removed one earplug and quickly said, "Let's add each other as friends, and we can talk via private message, otherwise, I really can't hear you."
Isabella pressed her lips together slightly but eventually took the earplugs from John's hand and added him as a friend.
"It seems we've killed enough bats to trigger the boss."
"It's just unfortunate that the drop rate for energy stones here is so low, most are broken."
Broken?
Isabella paused for a moment when she saw this word, then casually asked John, "How many broken energy stones do you have?"
John didn't think much of it, assuming Isabella was just gathering information.
After a careful look, he reported a number.
"Nearly 80% are broken energy stones, and I only have about 30 common energy stones."
Isabella's eyes dropped slightly, and in that instant, she realized that there was something different between her and John.
The lowest grade of energy stones she had obtained from killing bats was common level.
There were almost no broken ones, and she even had a dozen precious energy stones.
Despite both targeting the same creatures, why was there such a disparity in their loot?
The sound of flapping wings grew closer, tension rising between them as they prepared for a fierce battle.
The foul stench in the air intensified, and even though they reduced their breathing rate, both felt increasingly dizzy.
After finishing off the last batch of smaller bats, they heard a whooshing sound and quickly stepped back.
In the next second, several stone spikes appeared right where they had just been standing.
If they hadn't moved quickly, they might have been impaled.
And in that moment, they finally saw the true face of the boss.
[Name: Vampire Bat King (Platinum-tier)]
[Level: lv15]
[HP: 18000000]
[Strength: 17741]
[Stamina: 13175]
[Attack: 75435]
[Defense: 763]
[Speed: 2454]
[Skills: Stone Spike, Sonic Attack, Claw Blade, Windblade, Blood Absorption, Blood Sacrifice…]
Upon seeing these stats, Isabella involuntarily frowned.
The attack power was frighteningly high, and the HP terrifyingly substantial! It seemed to be a glass cannon boss—high attack, low defense.
If they coordinated well, there might still be a chance to take down the boss.
However, platinum-tier bosses possessed a degree of intelligence, and any attempt to engage would require careful planning.
But now, they simply didn't have the time for that—they were out of time!
A foul-smelling wind swept towards them, prompting both to activate their shield abilities.
"Wind Shield!"
"Fire Tornado!"
The windblade dissipated before them without a trace, but the stench continued to linger around them.
Isabella slightly furrowed her brow, feeling increasingly dizzy.
She had noticed a hint of it before, but now it was intensifying.
John checked his own buffs; his constitution had already dropped by 87!
The rate was incredibly fast, almost unbelievably so.
It seemed the boss's attacks were not only highly damaging but also sapped constitution.
Truly sinister!
This combination could overpower many challengers. m-vl _e mpY _r exclusive content
"Be careful, the boss's attacks reduce constitution," John quickly sent a private message.
Isabella, dodging another attack from the boss, checked her status bar and noticed the buff reducing her constitution.
"Do you have any ideas?" she asked John after avoiding another attack.
While she really didn't think highly of John and even wanted to confront him openly, she had to admit that sometimes he had unique ideas.
Just the way he had exploited a bug to defeat the Shadow Crocodile was enough to earn her respect.
Whatever method it took to defeat the boss was a good method in her view.
"The boss has high attack but low defense. When I was fighting the smaller bats, I noticed that magical damage was somewhat reduced against them, suggesting they might have slightly higher magic defense. We must use physical attacks."
Isabella slightly furrowed her brow; as a fire-based magus, if it really came down to it, she felt largely incapacitated.
"You handle the front and limit its movement, I'll sneak up from behind!"
John quickly darted away from his original position, weaving between several stone pillars to get behind the boss.
Bats, being virtually blind, rely solely on echolocation.
Once they have a target in front, they don't switch their focus, relying only on the echoes bouncing off the cave walls to pinpoint their prey.
Isabella understood John's plan and quickly began unleashing a variety of spells at the front, drawing the boss's attention!
134757!
346578!
Numerous damage points floated up, but to a boss with tens of millions of HP, it was merely a scratch.
Isabella watched the damage output, her frown deepening.
Her spells should be causing much more damage, which indicated the boss's magical resistance was off the charts!
It was all up to John now.
All she needed to do was keep the boss busy at the front.
The Vampire Bat, completely unaware that its prey would dare to retaliate, became even more enraged.
Its wide-open mouth filled the cave with a sonic blast.
Both suffered attacks to varying degrees, with Isabella at the forefront bearing the brunt!
Despite wearing earplugs, they were no match for the high-frequency sonic attack.
Her HP continued to drop, but Isabella remained unpanicked.
Just as the Vampire Bat was about to unleash another sonic burst, it suddenly turned into a furious scream!
1423789!