Victory in the Dark Cave

Once Docamir became serious, he ceased his long-distance charges. Yet, the combined might of his mount and his own power was more than enough to overwhelm Ye Jue. The humiliating spectacle of Ye Jue being repeatedly struck and thrown was now fully laid bare before Lin Shenyue.

Lin Shenyue, her face etched with a helpless expression, continuously healed Ye Jue. Though Ye Jue’s health bar surged and plummeted, he was, at least, still able to withstand the onslaught. However, at this point, only Divine Wind could occasionally land a shot on the BOSS; the others couldn’t even get close enough to strike, let alone dared to engage in direct combat.

Ye Jue was sent flying repeatedly by Docamir’s blows, the impacts leaving his hands completely numb. Despite his predicament, he found himself utterly without a viable strategy.

As she channeled her healing spells, Lin Shenyue began to meticulously scan her surroundings. The cavern, though vast and empty, was brightly illuminated by numerous torches, ensuring unimpeded vision. Yet, it seemed to be a mere summoned construct, devoid of any adornment, save for a solitary throne that stood majestically in its very center.

“Wait, a throne?” Lin Shenyue’s eyes suddenly gleamed with understanding. “Use the throne!” she called out to Ye Jue.

Upon hearing her suggestion, Ye Jue’s eyes similarly brightened. The tactic of using the throne had been revealed in his past life, and he had indeed employed it to overcome this very challenge. However, the passage of time had dulled his recollection, and it was only now, at Lin Shenyue’s prompting, that the strategy fully resurfaced in his mind.

Docamir, in his second form, possessed formidable charge attacks. Yet, if the throne could be strategically used as an obstruction, it would compel Docamir to decelerate and circle around, thereby presenting the players with a crucial window of opportunity.

Seizing the moment of one of Docamir’s attacks, Ye Jue deftly leaped backward, successfully concealing himself behind the throne just before Docamir could unleash a second assault.

Docamir’s massive frame momentarily stiffened, and he was left with no choice but to guide his horse around the imposing throne to resume his pursuit of Ye Jue.

Though Docamir’s devastating charge was nullified, each of his regular attacks still inflicted considerable pain upon Ye Jue. Nevertheless, with Lin Shenyue’s consistent healing and a steady supply of potions, Ye Jue managed to hold his ground. Docamir’s weapon, however, had lengthened, expanding his attack range, which meant even Ye Jue could only evade an attack on rare occasions.

Docamir’s health plummeted swiftly. Upon reaching 20%, he unleashed another skill, directly summoning two knight minions, which added a significant layer of difficulty for Ye Jue’s party. Yet, having already grasped the effective strategy against Docamir himself, they employed the very same tactics to meticulously wear down and eventually eliminate both of the summoned knights.

Once Docamir’s health had been whittled down to a mere five percent, Ye Jue’s voice turned grave. “Be careful,” he warned, “Docamir undoubtedly possesses a hidden ultimate attack.”

The entire team immediately heightened their vigilance. Such a final, hidden ultimate from a BOSS was certainly not to be underestimated.

Docamir abruptly ceased his assault on Ye Jue, instead charging straight ahead. He then spun around, his voice chilling as he declared, “Ants, you have successfully incurred my wrath. Now, receive divine judgment. Darkness Descends.”

Lin Shenyue watched Ye Jue’s expression contort into a grimace. Just as she was about to speak, an oppressive darkness enveloped her, instantly severing all connection with her teammates.

Lin Shenyue’s expression subtly shifted. While she could roughly discern her teammates’ positions, she knew that any attack from the BOSS within this shroud of darkness would inevitably force them to move, making their locations uncertain.

Lin Shenyue bit her lip, a flicker of resolve in her eyes. The BOSS still had approximately 700 health remaining. If she could land an attack, she was confident it would be a killing blow. However, the critical unknown was the BOSS’s exact location. Should her skill miss, the ensuing twenty-second cooldown on her healing spell would leave them unable to finish the BOSS, a mistake that could prove fatal.

How, then, could she ascertain the BOSS’s position? Lin Shenyue was deeply perplexed. Yet, relying on her exceptional analytical skills, she formulated the only viable solution: to place her trust in Ye Jue. Although the BOSS’s ultimate ability had severed all sensory input and communication, there was one thing it could not block: the system prompts.

[You and your teammates are enveloped by Dark Knight Captain’s skill, Darkness Descends, losing all five senses and unable to chat.]

[Your teammate Fissure is under attack.]

[Your teammate Fissure has died.]

****

Lin Shenyue’s expression grew noticeably heavy. In its final moments, the BOSS’s aggro had inexplicably become chaotic. Should it decide to target her first, a complete party wipe was an almost certain outcome.

Perhaps by some stroke of Lin Shenyue’s fortune, the Dark Knight Captain, after dispatching Fissure, immediately charged toward Ye Jue. Following the activation of his ultimate skill, Docamir’s mount became unusable, transforming him once again into a formidable warrior.

[Your teammate Ye Jue is under attack.]

Upon seeing the system notification, Lin Shenyue’s grip instinctively tightened. Yet, she still couldn’t bring herself to unleash her skill. If she mistakenly targeted Ye Jue, he might endure for a few more moments, but those moments would certainly not be enough for him to slay the BOSS. After Ye Jue fell, the remaining party members would be powerless to resist. Her primary concern was that Ye Jue might misunderstand her intent and attempt to dodge, thereby shifting from his initial position and causing her crucial skill to completely miss its mark.

[Your teammate Ye Jue has died.]

The instant she saw the grim notification, Lin Shenyue unleashed both of her pre-prepared skills precisely toward the spot where Ye Jue had fallen. A fleeting flash of light pierced the oppressive darkness, only to be swallowed by an immediate, profound silence.

Just as Lin Shenyue sensed a wave of murderous intent closing in upon her, her vision abruptly cleared. Immediately afterward, a system notification materialized.

[Congratulations! You have successfully defeated BOSS Dark Knight Captain Docamir, earning 40,000 experience points.]

‘It succeeded?’ Lin Shenyue was momentarily stunned, before a wide smile blossomed on her face.

Due to the BOSS’s defeat, all fallen teammates were automatically revived. This particular benefit was exclusively granted upon the vanquishing of a final BOSS. After all, at this stage, players could typically revive themselves by ‘corpse running’ – choosing to release their soul and travel back to their deceased body. To prevent this time-consuming process, the game developers had implemented such an automatic revival system.

“Well done!” Fissure, Empty Night, and Divine Wind simultaneously gave Lin Shenyue a thumbs-up. Though they were unsure precisely how she had accomplished it, the system notifications confirmed that Lin Shenyue had delivered the decisive final blow.

Lin Shenyue offered a modest smile. “It was all thanks to Ye Jue,” she said, “for managing to hold the BOSS.”

Ye Jue met Lin Shenyue’s smile, his expression momentarily distant, before he quickly averted his gaze. “It’s nothing,” he mumbled. “I simply realized our only path to survival was for your skill to instantly eliminate the BOSS, so I acted on it.”

“Oh…” Fissure, Empty Night, and Divine Wind chorused in unison, exchanging knowing, ambiguous smiles.

Lin Shenyue’s face instantly stiffened, and she shot another fierce glare at Ye Jue.

Ye Jue, with a wry smile, rubbed his nose. “Do you all want to become famous?” he inquired.

Lin Shenyue decisively shook her head. Divine Wind, ever the lone wolf, waved his hand dismissively, indicating his indifference. Fissure, after a moment of contemplation, also opted to decline.

Empty Night pondered for a moment before suggesting, “How about this? I’ll contribute 100 gold coins, and this time, we’ll register our success under the name of our Iron Blood Clan? As for the individual party member names, we can keep them all hidden.”

Ye Jue nodded in agreement. After changing the party’s name to Iron Blood Clan and opting to conceal the individual member names, he promptly broadcast the system announcement.

[System Announcement: The Z-Country team “Iron Blood Clan” has successfully cleared the Abyss-level dungeon, “Dark Cave”! The team members ****, **, **, **, ** have been awarded 2 gold coins and 100 reputation points.]

[System Announcement: The Z-Country team “Iron Blood Clan” has successfully cleared the Abyss-level dungeon, “Dark Cave”! The team members ****, **, **, **, ** have been awarded 2 gold coins and 100 reputation points.]

[System Announcement: The Z-Country team “Iron Blood Clan” has successfully cleared the Abyss-level dungeon, “Dark Cave”! The team members ****, **, **, **, ** have been awarded 2 gold coins and 100 reputation points.]

After the system broadcasted the announcement three times in quick succession, the world chat erupted into pandemonium once more. In an era where even regular dungeons demanded concerted team effort, the news that a group had successfully cleared an Abyss-level dungeon was astounding. It was a well-known fact that a previous attempt at a Hard-level dungeon, even by experienced players, had resulted in a complete party wipe after a mere three minutes, due to the monsters’ doubled attributes. Any team daring to enter a Hard dungeon would undoubtedly be one that had already excelled in Normal mode and acquired superior equipment.

Lin Shenyue and her team, however, paid no mind to the uproar in the world chat, immediately commencing the distribution of their spoils. Thanks to Lin Shenyue’s extraordinary luck, a plethora of equipment had dropped this time. Lin Shenyue herself acquired a belt. Although Fissure and Ye Jue were in greater need of a belt, given that it was the only piece of gear the BOSS had dropped that Lin Shenyue could utilize, Fissure graciously conceded it to her.

Ye Jue, emerging as the biggest beneficiary, obtained a powerful weapon and a valuable skill book. The skill, ‘Ground Tremor Strike,’ allowed the user to leap high into the air before descending with tremendous force, shaking the earth to inflict 80% physical damage and a one-second stun on all enemies within a three-meter radius.

Fissure acquired a new set of armor and a helmet, while Divine Wind received a pair of swift shoes. Empty Night, for his part, gained a rare accessory.

Having now experienced the true difficulty of Abyss-level dungeons, Lin Shenyue and her four companions opted to run it twice more, deliberately avoiding the even more formidable Hell difficulty. After these two additional runs, no particularly outstanding equipment dropped. However, Lin Shenyue did manage to acquire two more mage-specific items, finally allowing her to shed the embarrassing beginner’s top and skirt. Additionally, two potion recipes were discovered. Although Empty Night eyed them with considerable envy, he had already reaped substantial rewards from this dungeon run and thus refrained from claiming them. Consequently, the recipes were logically tucked away into Lin Shenyue’s inventory.

After completing their three dungeon runs, the daily experience gain limit had been reached. Ye Jue, needing to attend school, added Lin Shenyue as a friend, exchanged a quick greeting, and then logged off.

Fissure and Divine Wind likewise exchanged farewells, added each other as friends, and then logged offline. Empty Night, a professional player with considerably more free time, also chose to disconnect, as he needed to report the day’s events to his superior.

Lin Shenyue, meanwhile, organized her inventory, preparing to sell off some of the newly acquired gear.