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nHoward’s prowess had completely taken Nick and Mike by surprise.

nAfter all, most people typically mastered just one elemental skill. Those proficient in two were exceedingly rare.

nAs Howard consecutively deployed skills of different elemental affinities, it was only natural for them to be astonished.

nHowever, they weren’t naive.

nRecognizing this wasn’t the time for astonishment, they seized the opportunity while the Kobold Captain was immobilized by the Gravity spell and swiftly closed in.

nWith a sharp blade, Nick made a hefty slash at the Kobold Captain’s head.

nThe impact felt as if he had struck a steel plate. A massive recoil jolted through him, causing searing pain in Nick’s arms and making him stumble back several steps.

nMike, on the other hand, had maneuvered to the back of the Kobold Captain, brandishing his daggers in succession.

nAt this moment, his daggers were imbued with the Toxicity skill, emanating a sinister green glow.

nInherently sharp, while the daggers couldn’t sever the Kobold’s bones, they could easily pierce its flesh, causing blood to gush forth.

nThe introduced toxin made the Kobold Captain radiate an eerie green luminescence all over.

nDing! Due to the effects of the Toxicity skill, the Kobold Captain’s movement speed decreased by 10%, attack power by 5%, defense value by 10%, and resistance to negative statuses by 20%. Additionally, its HP dropped by 200 points every second! This would continue for 30 seconds. 25

nIn a split second, emerald damage numbers kept emerging above the Kobold Captain’s head.

nHoward gave a slight nod, very pleased with the performance of Mike and Nick. Both of them were scions of prominent families, having rarely battled before.

nFor them to display such prowess during their first BOSS raid was commendable.

nFurthermore, an assassin’s Toxicity skill had the advantage of reducing the resistance to negative statuses.

nOnly then did Howard swing his Soul Nurturer again. The surrounding chill converged, forming into an arrow that whistled straight toward the Kobold Captain.

nThe difference between a BOSS and ordinary monsters was vast.

nEven with Howard’s attribute advantage, he wasn’t confident about fully controlling the Kobold Captain.

nHowever, with the effect of the Toxicity skill, he felt more assured.

nCrack—

nSure enough, when the icy arrow struck the Kobold Captain, it didn’t even have a chance to struggle before frost spread across its body.

nA crisp sound rang out, and in just a few breaths, it had transformed into a statue of ice.

nSeizing the opportunity, Abby, Nick, and Mike struck while the iron was hot.

nTheir daggers and blades repeatedly slashed at the icy figure, continuously depleting the Kobold Captain’s HP.

nWith Heart of Elf activated, Abby switched once again to a Pyro-attribute arrow. The moment the fiery arrow met the frost, it exploded with force.

nYet, this explosion didn’t shatter the Kobold Captain into pieces.

nInstead, the frost crumbled, paradoxically freeing the creature.

nThe Kobold Captain let out a roar, seizing its enormous axe with its right hand.

nIn the next moment, its entire body began to whirl, spinning with an unstoppable momentum.

nGiven the sheer size of the Kobold Captain, its spin resembled a tornado, and its gigantic axe only heightened the terror.

nThe formidable gust it whipped up sent Nick and Mike scrambling backwards in fear.

nIt seemed as if the Kobold Captain had them squarely in its sights, moving toward them even as it spun.

nThe razor-sharp axe narrowly missed them several times, the cutting wind so fierce that it stung their flesh.

nFurthermore, while the Captain was in this whirling state, neither Howard’s fireball nor Abby’s feathered arrows could get near.

nThe tempestuous wind either blasted them to smithereens or knocked them to the ground, rendering them incapable of inflicting any harm on the Kobold Captain.

nFortunately, the Kobold Captain’s Whirlwind Strike didn’t last long.

nIn the span of a few breaths, the Kobold Captain ceased its spin, but its assault was far from over.

nIt crouched down, then leaped high into the air, aiming its axe squarely at Nick.

n“Damn it! I barely scratched it, why is it so hell-bent on coming after me?!” Nick shouted in panic.

nNot willing to take on the full force of a boss-level attack, he hastily dodged, avoiding an area on the ground that glowed ominously red.

nIn the game, both monsters and bosses had skill indicators.

nTranslated into this data-driven world, those cues persisted, though they demanded quicker reflexes from players.

nAlmost two breaths after the red glow, just as Nick narrowly avoided the attack, the Kobold Captain descended from the sky, its axe landing heavily on the glowing patch.

nThe very next moment, the earth, now imbued with a mysterious red light, was cleaved apart, releasing a bizarre and explosive crimson radiance.

nWitnessing this spectacle, Nick’s face drained of color.

nHe felt a profound sense of relief; had he been hit, he would have faced not just the blow from the axe, but also the subsequent eruption of strange energy.

nWithout a priest to heal him, a grave injury would almost certainly spell his doom.

nFortunately, when the Kobold Captain’s axe cleaved into the earth, it embedded deep within the terrain.

nThe creature struggled, rocking the axe back and forth, trying to wrest it free.

n“Now’s our chance! Attack!” Howard’s eyes shone with anticipation, signaling Nick and Mike to charge forward.

nNick’s bravery shone through in this critical moment.

nDespite having been pursued relentlessly by the Kobold Captain just moments ago, when presented with this golden opportunity, fear didn’t hold him back.

nHe spun around, slashing his blade towards the Kobold Captain’s flank.

nHoward, feeling it unnecessary to unleash an SS-level skill on such a standard boss, opted for his regular skills.

nStill, every blow inflicted over 1,000 points of damage, evoking awe from both Nick and Mike.

nThey were well aware that Howard, being a fellow novice and having awakened his gifts at the same time as them, was capable of inflicting several times their damage.

nHow could they not be impressed?

nMoreover, their misinterpretation of the relationship between Howard and Daniel only strengthened their resolve to stay in his good graces.

nAfter enduring more than ten seconds of relentless assault, the Kobold Captain finally managed to free its axe from the ground, responding with a furious roar and launching another counterattack.

nRegrettably for it, the lingering effects of the Toxicity skill had slowed its movements.

nIt found it challenging to land a hit on Howard and his team, rendering it largely ineffective.

nSoon enough, as Nick and Mike became more familiar with the Kobold Captain’s skillset, the tide of battle swung in favor of Howard’s party.

nWith Howard and Abby dealing ranged damage, Nick engaging from the front, and Mike consistently applying the Toxicity skill – occasionally teaming up with Howard to further control the Kobold Captain – the creature was overwhelmed. 𝘪𝑎.𝑖𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ𝘮

nUnder this relentless onslaught, the Kobold Captain could not hold out for even two minutes.

nIt let out a final shriek before collapsing, yielding several gold coins in its wake.

nHoward’s pupils constricted in surprise.

nIn the past, even when vanquishing a BOSS, it would at most drop a few silver coins. But to now witness several gold coins erupting all at once genuinely took him aback.

nFrom this, it was clear that higher-level maps boasted monsters with increased drop rates.

nOtherwise, how could those grand cities amass such vast resources to sustain the needs of their countless inhabitants?

nIndeed, the greater the peril, the richer the rewards.

nNick and Mike, however, seemed unimpressed. They scoffed, “A Platinum-grade BOSS, and it only dropped 6 gold coins? Our luck is atrocious, isn’t it?”

n“True, the drop rate here seems a bit stingy. Still, the bones of a Kobold are incredibly durable. They can be used as forging materials and should fetch a decent price.”

nHearing their banter, Howard raised an eyebrow subtly, feeling his suspicions further confirmed.

nIn addition to the gold coins, the Kobold Captain also dropped the very axe it wielded, capturing Nick’s immediate attention.

nNoticing this, Howard chuckled, “Seems like luck is on your side today, Nick. The loot even includes equipment perfect for you.”

nRegardless of the fact that Howard had dealt the most damage in the battle, serving as the primary damage dealer, the simple recognition of him as the leader by Nick and Mike meant he had a say in distributing the spoils.

nThey weren’t foolish; they understood that a team should speak with one voice.

nYet, this didn’t necessarily mean they had completely submitted to Howard.

nThey merely believed that, within the Holy Abyss Academy, aligning with Howard was advantageous.

nAfter graduation, if Howard couldn’t offer any further benefits, they’d have no qualms about parting ways.

nSuch was the ethos of the great family clans: all decisions were driven by self-interest.

nIf you could benefit them, they’d loyally serve, even if it meant playing second fiddle or being your loyal hound.

nIn essence, Howard, Nick, and Mike each harbored their own schemes.

nFor now, their harmonious collaboration stemmed solely from the mutual advantages they could extract from one another.

nHoward stepped forward, promptly sharing the attributes of the axe with the group.

nRage Cleaver

nLevel: 20

nGrade: Platinum

nDescription: An axe of unknown craftsmanship, seemingly imbued with a peculiar soul power.

nEquipment Attribute Bonuses:

n1.Attack power 730

n2.Strength 290

n3.Upon entering combat, one’s strength increases by 10%, but defense value decreases by 30%.

n“Holy crap! A direct boost of 10% to strength?! This is a gem!”

nNick’s eyes sparkled, his breath quickening with excitement as he eagerly looked to Howard.

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