“So we…,” Canvas Shoes regained his composure, “I will go first, disciple, you stand with the spirits, mainly focus on dodging skills, don’t worry about dealing damage. As for the rest… Well, if there are no issues, we can start…”
Jiang Shi: “Alright, let’s do it together.”
Canvas Shoes paused, “You were just looking at the strategy, and that’s it?”
Jiang Shi looked at him strangely, “I said 10 seconds ago that I’m always punctual.”
Canvas Shoes: “You’re way too punctual!”
The Luminous Moon Bat activated its three transformations just as it entered the third stage, providing players with about twenty seconds to prepare.
Canvas Shoes had something to say, but there wasn’t much time left for chatting. They knew they had to get to their respective positions. He swallowed his words, which were on the tip of his tongue.
He made a few quick hand gestures, “Departments, take your positions!”
A rookie player eagerly responded, “Received, Captain!”
Canvas Shoes turned and ran to his position, not looking back. But when he arrived at the destination and turned around, he suddenly noticed an unexpected follower.
His tone involuntarily rose, “Why are you following me? I told you to go with the Knight!”
Jiang Shi calmly blinked, “I’m not very useful with the Knight. Why not come here to help find the boss’s weak point?”
Canvas Shoes was flustered, “What if we don’t find the weak point? If you come with me, who will tank for the Knight and provide healing?”
Jiang Shi slowly blinked, “Didn’t they say that as long as you find the weak point, the boss won’t use its skills? Did the official guide get it wrong?”
“So what I’m saying is, what if we fail to find the weak point?” Canvas Shoes gritted his teeth, “If we fail to break the weak point, the boss will unleash a devastating attack. Even with level 80 gear, we won’t be able to withstand that much damage!”
Jiang Shi calmly responded, “As long as we don’t fail to find the weak point, won’t we avoid the devastating attack that results from not finding it?”
Their conversation was like a tongue twister, making Canvas Shoes feel agitated.
Although they were in a holographic game world, he still had the feeling that he could be frustrated at any moment, “Do you think finding the weak point is easy? When you were reading the strategy, did you consider the difficulty of actually breaking the weak point?”
“I’ve done this dungeon over a hundred times and can only guarantee a 45% success rate in breaking the weak point. Can you cover the remaining 55%?”
“Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it. Are you the leader, or am I the leader? If you want to take charge, go ahead. Come on, be the leader!”
“I didn’t want to take your place, really. But as I just said, following the Tank doesn’t help. Leader, why don’t you calm down for a moment?” Jiang Shi didn’t appreciate being confronted, so he took a step back at the right time. “And don’t forget, I’m not a Healer. Even if I go with the Tank, I might not be able to handle the intensity of the boss’s enraged attacks.”
Canvas Shoes found a shred of reason on the verge of losing his temper.
After a moment of confusion, he finally remembered the other’s profession.
D*mn, it’s all because the second stage went too smoothly. He had momentarily forgotten that this guy was a Rune Master!
Jiang Shi saw that Canvas Shoes finally understood and reverted to his usual relaxed smile. “So, instead of healing pointlessly, why not come over and help break the weak point? What if I can really manage that 55% success rate? What do you think? If it doesn’t work, we can always disband and reform the team. I’ll leave the team, and you can take my spot.”
Canvas Shoes: “…”
As the saying goes, you shouldn’t slap a smiling person. Besides, Jiang Shi’s face, combined with that expression, was just too unsettling.
They had talked this far, and if he still held onto it, it would make him look like a stubborn veteran player.
Moreover, they were on the brink of the first wave of attacks in the third stage, and there was no time for more bickering.
Chaghost got impatient after listening to their back-and-forth and asked, “Canvas Shoes, are we going to fight or not?”
Canvas Shoes glanced at Jiang Shi and, recalling the Rune Master’s outstanding performance in the second stage, made a decision through clenched teeth, “Let’s go! Let’s give it a try!”
The Knight’s voice also grew louder, “We have no other choice. We can’t retreat anymore. Get ready, the first wave is coming!”
Before the words were finished, those who had already reached their positions held their breath.
The Luminous Moon Bat suddenly let out a long howl and, with a mouth full of fangs, spread its wings and swooped down from the sky.
Canvas Shoes couldn’t help but ask one more time, “Big guy, you’ve read the strategy, right? Do you know where to attack to break the weak point?”
Jiang Shi: “Don’t worry, I’ve got it all under control.”
Canvas Shoes: “.”
God, everything is under control!
The returning players nowadays clearly haven’t experienced the beating of the new dungeon!
The flapping of the bat’s wings stirred the surrounding air, carrying the icy breath of spring water.
Canvas Shoes was well aware of the difficulty of this operation and wasn’t really pinning his hopes on a returning player.
Without asking Jiang Shi any further questions, he turned and raised the lightweight sword in his hand.
In the Knight class of the Warrior Guild, the primary weapons are the heavy sword and the lightweight sword, which can be switched at any time.
Breaking the weak point on the Luminous Moon Bat during this stage was a technically challenging task. Compared to the heavy sword, the lightweight sword was easier to handle.
Recalling the information from the strategy, Jiang Shi squinted his eyes and watched the flight path of the Luminous Moon Bat. He noticed that Canvas Shoes had already approached, timing his movements perfectly.
The weak point was at the junction of the bat’s outer ear.
It was a very vulnerable area, but it had a tiny hitbox. Combined with the bat’s precise echolocation capabilities, evading attacks in this area required incredible agility.
Canvas Shoes swiftly advanced, and at the moment the Luminous Moon Bat got close, he sidestepped and executed a quick series of strikes on the weak point.
Then, he dodged the oncoming bat’s wings, maintaining his distance unscathed.
It was no wonder that Canvas Shoes, at the beginning, was willing to let the only support character in the party go with the Knight. With his agility and skill, he was undoubtedly one of the top players among ordinary players, capable of executing his tasks very effectively.
However, even though he executed this fluid sequence of moves beautifully, there wasn’t much of a smile on Canvas Shoes’ face as he finished.
Only four hits.
He had only managed to hit the weak point four times.
Although Chaghost, who was waiting at the next point, had a chance to make up for it, he knew from his knowledge of his regular teammates that attempting to make up for six missed weak point strikes in one go would be incredibly challenging.
Was it really necessary to bring in another healer?
Although the tactic of surviving the berserk attack and heavily healing could be time-consuming, it allowed for consistent damage output and provided a significant margin for error.
With these thoughts in mind, Canvas Shoes instinctively looked in Jiang Shi’s direction.
Before he could muster a heartfelt apology for kicking Jiang Shi out of the party, he saw a magnificent arc formed by a cross in the air.
Immediately afterward, the figure of the Light Elf, with a sudden crouch, elegantly closed the distance just as the Luminous Moon Bat spread its wings and took off. The golden hair at the end of her tail left a faint trace in the air.
Canvas Shoes’ heart skipped a beat. Did he really go to make up for the weak point hits?
The Luminous Moon Bat, once it entered the third stage, went straight into a berserk state. Control skills like Rune Field had no effect on it. This made the abilities of the Rune Master class nearly useless during this phase.
Since Jiang Shi had read the strategy, he certainly wouldn’t make the rookie mistake of wasting his valuable golden rune stones.
In the holographic game, whether it was equipment or skills, they could only be considered as icing on the cake for all classes. The biggest difference between experts and ordinary players lay in their attention to detail in their own actions.
Although Jiang Shi had been out of the game for five years, with the adaptation period at the beginning, he had already regained about 70% to 80% of his familiarity with the controls. Dealing with a low-level dungeon like this one was a piece of cake.
The large cross in the hands of the Light Elf created a beautiful arc, and, with a sudden low crouch, she closed in just as the Luminous Moon Bat spread its wings to depart. The top of the cross neatly struck the exposed weak point in front of her.
A very clean combo.
Of course, a magic class like a Rune Master had limited physical damage, but at this moment, the focus was clearly not on dealing damage. It was all about the number of hits on the weak point.
In a very short time, a highly rhythmic combo with no breaks. From the moment he attacked to the end, at most, Jiang Shi had spent only three seconds.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5…
Just as the Luminous Moon Bat was about to take off with another howl, the sixth hit was successful!
A brilliant, sparkling green light burst open from the base of the ear, turning into countless fragments that exploded in all directions.
One could only say that the entire operation was completed with extreme attention to detail. Everyone was so absorbed in watching that they lost focus for a moment. It wasn’t until Jiang Shi reminded them to “generate threat quickly” that the Knight waiting in the corner, far from the group, snapped back to reality.
The main Tank of the party, riding a tall horse, rushed forward and thrust his long spear at the struggling Luminous Moon Bat.
It was a taunt ability.
Although the Luminous Moon Bat, in its weakened state, looked fierce and vicious, its attacks were basically straightforward physical attacks. It was more like a cakewalk for them, and it posed virtually no threat.
Jiang Shi had always adhered to the principles of being a support class. At this moment, he consciously cast a minor healing spell on each member of the team and modestly looked at Canvas Shoes. “How was it, Captain? Did I do well with the healing?”
Canvas Shoes was humbled. “Perfect, absolutely perfect.”
“As long as the Captain is satisfied,” Jiang Shi smiled as if he were an official serving the people, “let’s continue.”
The vulnerability window for the Luminous Moon Bat lasted only 15 seconds at most, after which it would enter the next round of skill rotations upon getting back up.
However, with the first “perfect cooperation,” everyone became more skilled and confident, and they left the subsequent weak point hits for Jiang Shi to cover.
By the time they reached the fourth round, the Luminous Moon Bat had finally met its end under the relentless assault of the team.
Canvas Shoes went to pick up the boss drops.
Jiang Shi opened his user interface again and said, “Wait a moment, I’ll check the strategy for the next two bosses.”
This time, no one had any objections.
Jiang Shi’s healing had significantly shortened the time to defeat the first boss and earned them the rare achievement “Perfect Break,” which was extremely difficult for ordinary players to obtain.
After dealing with the Luminous Moon Bat, the team’s trust in Jiang Shi continued to rise, giving him enough time to read the strategy for the next two bosses. The subsequent boss encounters went smoothly.
Just as they exited the dungeon, Canvas Shoes stopped Jiang Shi. “Hey, that high-level character, do you need any materials?”
Jiang Shi asked with curiosity, “Didn’t you guys loot everything?”
Canvas Shoes cleared his throat. They had indeed looted everything, but to be honest, this returning player had performed exceptionally well in the dungeon. Although he had taken a bit of time to read the strategy, the overall speed of completing the dungeon was much faster than if they had brought along an average veteran player. Moreover, for some unknown reason, even the damage output environment seemed to have improved several levels with this character’s presence.
Canvas Shoes patted his own conscience and said, “You’ve put in quite an effort, so how about taking a little something?”
Grateful and accepting, Jiang Shi no longer declined. “Sure, feel free to give me something.”
As Canvas Shoes rummaged through his inventory, he asked, “Shall we do another run? How about we run it a few more times?”
Jiang Shi declined, “No, I need to log off now.” He glanced at the two-hour time limit reminder at the internet cafe. “I don’t need any materials, or you can send them directly to my mailbox. I’ll be leaving…”
Before he could even finish saying “leaving,” everyone watched as he vanished on the spot.
Chaghost hadn’t even reacted yet. “He’s logging off just like that?”
“Yeah,” Canvas Shoes said in silence, staring at his inventory for a while, his tone without much fluctuation. “Have you added him as a friend?”
Chaghost and the Knight exchanged glances and both replied, “No.”
Canvas Shoes sighed. “Forget it, I’ll send a friend request. He’ll log back in eventually. When we run into him next time, we’ll ask if he wants to join our guild.”
Chaghost nodded in agreement. “True, it’s clear that he’s a pro.”
Canvas Shoes chuckled. “He’s more than just a pro.”
Suddenly, the excited shout of a rookie player interrupted their conversation. “Master! He’s logged in!”
Canvas Shoes, who had been thinking about the high-level character and was absentminded, instinctively looked around at the words.
Seeing that nothing was happening, he couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless. “What are you shouting for? He didn’t log in. There’s no one online, is there?”
The rookie player, excited and dancing, was almost incoherent. “God Yu! I mean, God Yu has logged in! He just rejected my friend request! Do you think he might have seen my confession?!”
The other three players remained silent.
Silly child, you need to be a little more self-aware.
Being rejected and still being so happy, are you a masochist?
Author’s Note:
The next chapter will be coming.
PS. Considering some readers’ confusion about levels, here’s an explanation:
- “Genesis” is not a main leveling game, and level increases are relatively fast, so the importance of levels isn’t significant. The main difference between experienced players and newcomers is their understanding of dungeon mechanics.
- When level 80 players are running lower-level dungeons, even a first-tier healer at level 40 can usually maintain the group, handle specific mechanics, and absorb skill damage. However, in this case, the main healer’s output was quite low, so they needed to follow the dungeon mechanics correctly, or they would wipe (there are situations where not following mechanics can lead to a complete party wipe even in high-level dungeons, so these lower-level dungeons are relatively straightforward).
- Games with a higher difficulty factor, like this one, can be compared to titles like Swords of Legends Online, rather than games with a more relaxed approach like Age of Wushu or Perfect World.
- Finally, according to the setting, this holographic game closely mirrors real-world time. Therefore, the time spent on dungeons and various activities may be much longer than in current keyboard-and-mouse games on the market.
Aaaaa mc is 👏 calm and looking at guides in the middle of the dungeon, then performing well~
What timing, one goes offline, one goes online 😆