Docamir, The Dark Knight Captain

Lin Shenyue continued to follow Ye Jue. Though her mental state was far from ideal, she made no request for rest. Ye Jue, intuiting her resolve, kept leading the expedition forward.

Trailing at the rear of the group, Lin Shenyue’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. She had never conceived that the act of combat could be so agonizing, leaving her to seriously contemplate abandoning her combat profession altogether.

As if sensing Lin Shenyue’s internal struggle, Ye Jue sent her a private message.

“Are you planning to give up?”

Lin Shenyue remained silent.

“I don’t know.”

Ye Jue hesitated for a moment, then decided to share a secret.

“Actually, this is beneficial for you. It will grant you a premonition of danger, an intuition that could help you evade numerous unforeseen incidents in your future life.”

“While I don’t fully grasp your background, it’s clear you’re different from us. I suspect your family isn’t ordinary, and you’ll likely face many challenges ahead.”

“What’s more, the game’s state can, to a minuscule degree, manifest in reality.”

Lin Shenyue was utterly stunned. She had never imagined a mere virtual game could intertwine with real life in such a profound way.

‘Perhaps even her own parents, the game’s creators, weren’t privy to this secret,’ she mused.

After all, so little time had passed; any real-world repercussions would likely be negligible at this stage. Yet, a colossal question mark now hung over Lin Shenyue: just who was Ye Jue?

Ye Jue was well aware of the repercussions his words might stir. Still, unwilling for Lin Shenyue to abandon the game, he felt compelled to divulge a few more details.

After that, he fell silent. Lin Shenyue, too, understood that any further probing would likely infringe upon Ye Jue’s most guarded secrets. Thus, she continued in silence, lost in thought as they walked.

“Careful,” Ye Jue’s voice cut through the silence, “the second BOSS is right ahead.”

Lin Shenyue’s train of thought instantly shattered.

Fissure’s voice held a strange note of confusion.

“We just defeated the first BOSS, and now we’re directly at the second one, without even encountering a single regular monster?”

Lin Shenyue harbored the same query. She glanced at Empty Night and Divine Wind, noting their equally perplexed expressions.

Ye Jue let out a soft chuckle.

“This is precisely where the game developers pull a fast one. Most players expect to clear a few smaller mobs after one BOSS before reaching the next, so they often let their guard down.”

“Then, suddenly stumbling upon the second BOSS, they’re bound to meet a most miserable end.”

Empty Night’s face was a mask of exasperation.

“These game designers are truly devious. They’re clearly just toying with us, aren’t they?”

Lin Shenyue’s mood soured instantly. Though she had only spent a single day truly living with her parents in this new life, their meticulous care had swiftly led her to accept them as her own.

Thus, Empty Night’s casual remark struck a raw nerve.

“Are you blaming the game company simply because your own mind falls short?”

“Ye Jue managed to figure it out, so why couldn’t you?”

Empty Night was instantly mortified. He hadn’t anticipated becoming Lin Shenyue’s unwitting target, nor did he understand how he had offended her so profoundly.

Yet, Lin Shenyue’s words weren’t entirely unfounded. If others could grasp the logic, why indeed couldn’t he?

Ye Jue observed Lin Shenyue, a thoughtful expression on his face. As captain, however, it was his duty to defuse the tension.

He skillfully changed the subject.

“Generally speaking, after entering a dungeon, we usually encounter a wave of monsters every minute on average. However, after defeating the first BOSS, we’ve trekked for a full three minutes without a single creature.”

“It’s highly unlikely the dungeon’s difficulty has suddenly dropped. This can only signify that a formidable monster lies in wait for us up ahead.”

Empty Night’s eyes widened in sudden realization.

“I was just wondering why we’d been walking for three straight minutes without encountering any monsters!”

Lin Shenyue let out a disdainful huff.

“It merely proves your intelligence is lacking.”

Empty Night, unfazed, merely chuckled in response.

“Indeed, not as high as your Peerless Karma Fire’s intelligence.”

Both Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue froze simultaneously.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” they declared in perfect unison.

Lin Shenyue then shot a fierce glare at Ye Jue.

“Why are you imitating me?”

Ye Jue was momentarily speechless, but wisely chose to direct his glare at Empty Night instead. Then, he smoothly resumed his tactic of diverting attention.

“Ahem… Now, let’s discuss the strategy for the second BOSS.”

He nodded with satisfaction, seeing that he had successfully refocused their attention. Then, he delivered a statement that nearly made everyone keel over.

“Actually, I haven’t fought it either. This is my very first time running this dungeon.”

All four of them felt a collective exasperation, gazing at the jovial Ye Jue with a strong urge to rush forward and give him a sound beating.

Though Empty Night and the others were itching to pummel Ye Jue, the presence of Lin Shenyue in the party held them back. Unwilling to lose face before a lady, they forcibly reined in their impulses.

Lin Shenyue sighed softly. Despite having known each other for less than an hour, these companions had already forged a bond, treating one another as trusted friends.

‘What about me?’ she wondered.

As if sensing Lin Shenyue’s burgeoning unhappiness, the other four members instinctively fell silent.

Lin Shenyue cast aside her troubling thoughts and offered a faint smile.

“I’m fine. Let’s go. We’ll continue with the second BOSS.”

****

Silence prevailed on their journey, the atmosphere growing subtly heavier until they finally encountered the second BOSS.

[Dark Knight Captain Docamir (BOSS)]

[Level: 8]

[HP: 15000/15000]

[Physical Attack: 230-260]

[Though Blacksmith Harick successfully thwarted the Dark Overlord’s complete manifestation, the Dark Overlord cunningly dispatched a clone of one of his captains. Despite the clone’s powers being largely depleted during its transit through the dimensional rift, it nonetheless retains formidable strength.]

“Dark Knight Captain Docamir?” Ye Jue murmured, a hint of unease in his voice.

He knew that in Divine Realm, any BOSS bearing a unique name possessed exceptionally high AI. While still constrained by the aggro system, such named BOSSes were typically far more formidable than their unnamed counterparts.

Furthermore, as one of the Dark Overlord’s captains, Docamir was a figure destined to make numerous appearances in future plotlines.

Noticing Ye Jue’s grave expression, Lin Shenyue asked with a touch of worry.

“This BOSS merely appears to have slightly higher attack power than the last. Is he truly that difficult to overcome?”

Ye Jue frowned deeply.

“The previous BOSS, while named, was given that title due to very specific circumstances. This BOSS, however, genuinely possesses his own name.”

“In Divine Realm, while named BOSSes don’t necessarily boast vastly superior attributes compared to unnamed ones, their skill sets are overwhelmingly more potent.”

Lin Shenyue pursed her crimson lips.

“Don’t utter such disheartening words. Speaking of the enemy as so overwhelmingly powerful before we’ve even begun — that’s not like you at all.”

Ye Jue’s expression cleared in an instant.

“You’re right. Although this BOSS is indeed quite formidable, I believe we can still overcome him.”

Divine Wind exclaimed with gusto.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s engage!”

Ye Jue’s gaze sharpened imperceptibly, and he swiftly sprinted towards the BOSS.

Upon spotting Ye Jue, Docamir let out a cold sneer.

“You damnable little vermin! Was it you who dared to interfere with the Dark Overlord’s descent?”

“I, Docamir, bestow death upon you in the name of the Dark Overlord!”

Lin Shenyue felt a slight exasperation.

“Are all these BOSSes this verbose? Why does every single one of them spout so much nonsense?”

Ye Jue sighed with a hint of helplessness.

“It’s simply part of the plot’s design. We have no choice but to let him finish his monologue.”

Docamir’s body subtly lowered.

Ye Jue’s expression flickered. “Careful,” he warned, “it’s a charge!”

As Ye Jue had been the first to enter Docamir’s line of sight, the BOSS’s aggro was firmly fixed on him. Yet, mindful of his teammates behind him, he issued a quick warning before beginning his dodge.

Docamir let out a ferocious roar, then lunged directly at Ye Jue. Ye Jue, having anticipated the move, swiftly dodged the Dark Knight’s skill.

Empty Night, Divine Wind, and Fissure, who had been following closely behind Ye Jue, also managed to evade the attack. Lin Shenyue, positioned at the very rear of the party, was far enough away that the charge halted before ever reaching her.

Ye Jue darted forward, catching up to Docamir. Seizing the moment the BOSS was momentarily stunned from his charge, he landed two swift attacks.

“-24”

“-26”

“Just as I thought,” Ye Jue murmured to himself.

Docamir was undeniably a monster boasting high physical attack and formidable physical defense. A mage, if present, would undoubtedly inflict significant damage.

However, a critical concern remained: would a mage inadvertently draw the aggro away from Ye Jue?

Following a brief period of stiffness, Docamir unleashed a whirlwind slash from his position. This not only inflicted a hefty “-210” damage on Ye Jue but also struck Fissure, who had moved in to try and hold the BOSS, for nearly 220 damage.

Lin Shenyue hesitated for a fleeting moment, yet still refrained from casting a heal. She knew that any attempt to restore health would almost certainly draw the BOSS’s aggro directly to her, potentially leading to a devastating party wipe.

Docamir immediately leaped into the air again after his whirlwind slash.

Ye Jue’s face paled. “Get away, quickly!” he shouted.

Fissure, hearing Ye Jue’s urgent command, fled without a moment’s hesitation.

Ye Jue, too, swiftly retreated backward.

Docamir stomped his foot heavily onto the ground, causing the earth within a five-meter radius to tremble instantly. Fissure, who hadn’t managed to escape the tremor, saw his health plummet to around 100 points, and a star icon appeared above his head, signifying he was stunned. Fortunately, the aggro remained on Ye Jue, preventing the BOSS from pursuing Fissure further.

Lin Shenyue still held back from healing. Having played similar games in her previous life, she understood how fatal the aggro confusion caused by a healer’s early intervention could be.

Ye Jue, meanwhile, fixed his gaze intently on the BOSS. Docamir, having unleashed three consecutive skills, would likely pause for a period. Generally, these three abilities were enough to instantly wipe out unprepared novice teams, which was why this particular BOSS had been cursed so often in his past life.

Lin Shenyue watched nervously as Ye Jue carefully evaded the BOSS’s attacks, gradually stabilizing the aggro. Her small hand, clutching her staff, slowly relaxed.