Though Marni had died again, Edward wasn't too worried about the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior.
If a bunch of newbie Players could chase this guy and a bunch of Hyena-men all the way here, how strong could he be no matter how much they overestimated him?
And that was the truth. Though the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior was fast and powerful enough to instakill a fully-armored Marni in his ambush, it wasn't a one-hit kill. According to the System's judgment, Marni was killed by a series of combo skills.
Swift Ambush, Death Charge, Unyielding Grasp, Wild Burst, Primal Rage, a full body of buffs and a full-powered ambush were the only reasons why Marni's head was snapped off in a single blow, while maintaining the coolness of Marni's full set of level 7 equipment.
After understanding this, the way to deal with this Boss was very clear.
To put it simply, keep your distance and kite the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior to death …
Considering that the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior wasn't a brainless one-track mind (or he wouldn't have been able to lead a bunch of Hyena-men back to the Mountain Tigers' stronghold despite the Players' pursuit), the Players who were the losers would have to take a little damage and pretend to be noobs, giving the Tiger Warrior the hope that he would kill them in the next split second.
And Edward was the only one who could fulfill that task at the moment.
The other veteran Players' acting skills were average, and they were used to taunting in battle. Almost every one of them liked to spout obscenities, and it was fine against trolls or mindless monsters since they could pull their aggro, but it was a little difficult against a Boss like the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior who could still think.
As for the newbie Players, they didn't have to pretend to be noobs because they really were noobs. If they acted like they were the losers, they wouldn't be killed in a single exchange.
Edward certainly lived up to his reputation as the strongest Player at the moment. The Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior was Level 35, and while it didn't seem all that impressive, it was an Elite Template that added another five or ten levels to its original level to reach its true combat power. And yet, Edward was single-handedly holding the most powerful monster in the entire Mountain Tiger Stronghold.
"Do you not dare to fight me head-on?! Cowardly humans! "
However, after Edward dragged the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger around the walled city and took two Exploding Fireballs, which dealt quite a lot of damage, the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger sensed Edward's intentions. He even tried to break free from Edward's hold and kill other players.
Be that as it may, the Players, who had plenty of time to spare, had long since finished off their opponents. After taking the time to throw a few skills at the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior to gain some EXP, they spread out in search of new enemies. In fact, the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior didn't even know where he could finish off the other human warriors faster.
Even if the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior was fast, could he outrun magic?
The Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior's HP had dropped to yellow after taking two Hellfire Scorch from Edward in order to ambush the other Players, and it was enough for the Players to kill him.
Even if it couldn't see its HP bar, it knew that it would die if it continued like this. That was why it issued a warrior's invitation to Edward. "Fight me fair and square if you have what it takes!"
"Only you, the one who ambushed Marni, wouldn't be so unconvincing!"
Being a mage, Edward certainly wouldn't roll up his sleeves and bare his arms to fight the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior head-on while brandishing his magic staff. After all, he wasn't Gandalf, the Battle Mage who only had Flash and Two-Handed Sword Proficiency — he was a mage with a small body and a fragile skin.
After understanding that there was no way to communicate, the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior gave up on chasing down the other Players and attacked Edward with his own skills.
The fierce battle didn't last long. When the tortured Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior fell, Edward was slightly injured as well.
Part of it had scabbed over after he sold his HP, while the other part was from the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior's desperate counterattack at the very last moment.
A normal person would have to think about how to deal with rabies even if they didn't die. However, one of the benefits of being a Player was that their body wouldn't suffer crippling damage (unless it came in the form of debuffs).
For example, Edward's upper right arm was bitten by the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior just now. A normal person would have bitten off the bones and tendons of the arm, leaving only a bit of skin and flesh holding it together. Their right arm would be basically crippled.
Although players would suffer a corresponding reduction in their HP, their arms would not be crippled. After biting down on Edward's arm a few times, it felt as if it was chewing on rubber and could not bite through at all. Only then did it give up on Edward's arm. In fact, if it had continued biting down a few more times, Edward's HP would have fallen to a very dangerous level.
On the other hand, Edward didn't panic in the face of danger and seized the rare opportunity to unleash a final Final Light Attack on the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior at point-blank range, successfully killing the Boss.
The battle between the two was so fierce that the Mountain Tiger Citadel's sturdiness simply couldn't serve as cover. Most of the walls were destroyed as they fought, and even Gerald, who had been immersed in his sorrow, was left dumbfounded by the battle that far surpassed his common sense.
Edward breathed a sigh of relief as well. While he had expected the enemy's strength, he didn't expect it to be so troublesome.
In fact, both of them were exhausted by the end. Edward didn't have a single drop of mana left either, and it was a pure contest of willpower.
If not for the Skill Law's buff, which prevented the damage to his HP from appearing on the surface, and the fact that he could digitally see the damage ratio between the two of them, knowing that his opponent's injuries were far heavier than his own, Edward felt that he might have given up even earlier than his opponent. He wouldn't have waited for his Mana to recover and accumulate it to find a sure-kill opportunity. If that had happened, the outcome would have been completely reversed.
"Now, it's probably just the Mountain Tiger Chief." Edward sighed and wiped the sweat off his brow, feeling that he didn't have to do anything against a Level 30 Boss.
He watched as the Ancient Imperial Wrath Tiger Warrior's corpse slowly disappeared, feeling disappointed that he couldn't bury the powerful foe he acknowledged with his own hands.
That was when a violent explosion erupted from the center of the citadel in the distance. Dust billowed into the air, forming a mushroom cloud as Edward looked on in surprise …
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Chapter 261:
First Take Down
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