Chapter 651 - 415: What to Do When You’re Blocked by an Elite BOSS at the Start?

Chapter 651: Chapter 415: What to Do When You’re Blocked by an Elite BOSS at the Start?

[Luminous Stone: An Ore that emits a faint glow in the Darkness. A decent material.]

’Oho! Ore!’

However, Zhou Chen didn’t smash all the Ore in the cave. In games, Weapons all have durability, and they break when it runs out. Smashing that Luminous Stone had just reduced the durability of his "Magic Apprentice Staff" by 5%.

HUMMM—

Zhou Chen cast a Lighting Technique on himself. The surrounding Darkness was instantly dispelled by the light, and he walked toward the tunnel ahead.

Continuing forward, Zhou Chen arrived in a very spacious cavern. Inside were an extinguished bonfire, destroyed tents, and bones that had been picked clean.

Just as Zhou Chen raised his guard, there was a humming sound. The path behind him was shrouded in a pale yellow mist, blocking his retreat like a solid wall and sealing him inside the cavern.

Tense battle music suddenly began to play. The cavern floor rumbled, and vines covered in purple flowers burst from the ground. They intertwined, forming a gracefully-shaped humanoid vine monster that let out a piercing roar at Zhou Chen.

A red health bar appeared before Zhou Chen’s eyes, along with the monster’s name.

—[Vine Witch Shafali]—

’Damn, I’ve walked into the boss room!’

Zhou Chen’s heart skipped a beat. Seizing the initiative, he raised his Magic Staff and launched a Fireball Technique.p>

The Fireball struck the Vine Witch, instantly igniting her woody body. Flames erupted, putting her in a severely burned state that drained 2% of her Blood Volume per second for three seconds.

But then, something terrifying happened.

The Fireball Technique itself was supposed to deal damage. However, when it hit the Vine Witch, her health bar only decreased by a barely perceptible sliver.

Zhou Chen was stunned. The Vine Witch’s left hand transformed into a giant vine and swept toward him. He dodged it with a roll, then rolled again to evade a second sweep.

Three seconds passed. The burn had drained 6% of the Vine Witch’s Blood Volume. Zhou Chen threw another Fireball to reapply the burning effect and continued to roll and dodge.

He had a hunch. This boss was definitely not some damn rookie monster, but an Elite Monster!

Another three seconds later, the Vine Witch’s Blood Volume was down by 12%. Zhou Chen’s Mana was also down by a third. He could only cast four more Fireball Techniques before his Mana Bar was empty, and four Fireballs were definitely not enough to kill the Vine Witch.

’I’ll try hitting her a couple of times...’ Taking advantage of a gap in the Vine Witch’s attacks, Zhou Chen rushed forward and swung his Magic Staff, landing two solid WHACKS.

The health bar depleted by another barely perceptible sliver.

’What the hell!’

Zhou Chen was completely dumbfounded. A sense of panic rose within him—it was the kind of Fear a Player feels when they realize their attacks are barely scratching the boss!

"Yaaaah!" The Vine Witch let out a roar. Countless hardened, emerald vines suddenly shot out from within her body. Zhou Chen was too close to roll away, and his health bar instantly emptied.

A massive, blood-red word appeared: "DEAD".

The screen went dark and began to load. A few seconds later, Zhou Chen woke up back where he had started.

"It’s over, it’s over... I’m being gatekept by a damn Elite Monster!"

Zhou Chen paced back and forth, growing anxious. The only way out was through the cavern where the Vine Witch was. But he couldn’t beat the Vine Witch at all. His Fireball Technique barely tickled her; he was relying entirely on the burn effect for damage. And with his current Mana, he could cast six Fireballs at most.

’If I can’t beat the Vine Witch, I can’t leave this godforsaken place...’

’I’m stuck!’

"Don’t panic. Stay calm..." Zhou Chen took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

’The game has an execution mechanic. When an enemy’s health drops to a certain point, or they’re put in an off-balance state, you can perform an execution for massive damage. And there’s one simple way to put an enemy off-balance—’

’—Bounce Back!’

’The problem is, you need a Shield to use Bounce Back. All I have is a shabby wooden stick. I can’t perform a Bounce Back attack.’

"Normal attacks do deal damage, but the Magic Staff has durability. If I hit with it too many times, it’ll break. That leaves only my fists..."

Zhou Chen couldn’t help but cover his face. His fists did even less damage than the staff. Given the Vine Witch’s Blood Volume, he’d probably have to punch her hundreds, maybe even thousands of times.

Besides, any one of her Skills could kill him instantly. There was no room for error. A single hit and he’d have to start all over again.

Nevertheless, Zhou Chen pulled himself together, a burning fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.

’Big Level difference? Doesn’t matter!’

’For Players—’

’—as long as it has a health bar, I can kill it, even if it’s a God!’

·

Zhou Chen headed straight for the boss room and triggered the Vine Witch. This time, his main goal was to figure out the enemy’s attack patterns. He didn’t rush in to attack, but instead maintained a safe distance, observing the Vine Witch’s various Skills.

Once he was more or less familiar with all her Skills, he finally went in, fists swinging.

THWACK! THWACK! Two punches, and the Vine Witch’s health bar depleted by a sliver, so small it was almost unnoticeable.

Zhou Chen immediately rolled back, waited for a moment, and then went in to strike again when the time was right.

His recent game training paid off. He was patient, playing it completely safe. He would only attack when he had a perfect opening, and he never got greedy, retreating after just a few hits.

After more than half an hour of this hit-and-run battle, the Vine Witch’s Blood Volume was down by a third.

"You damn outsider insect!" Driven to the brink by his fly-like harassment, the Vine Witch let out a furious shriek. Visible soundwaves vibrated outwards. Luckily, Zhou Chen was far enough away to avoid being hit.