Chapter 208: The Wind God Strikes
At level 15, healers were a rare breed, but the big guilds like Fiery Conflict Across the Sky had them in spades.
They had their plans all laid out, with core members practicing their job combos, complete with a dedicated healer.
The four from Fiery Conflict Across the Sky dove into the dungeon first.
After an hour, they emerged empty-handed.
After a bit of time spent adjusting, they went back in.
This time, it only took them over forty minutes to clear it, successfully becoming the first team to beat the dungeon.
Clearing time: 46’28”73, proudly displayed on the leaderboard!
They whipped up a strategy guide and posted it online quicker than you could say “BOSS.”
Thanks to the guide, other players finally got a glimpse of what they were in for.
First, the recommended team setup: 3 DPS and a healer, no tanks needed. You could squeeze in a backup tank at most.
Not to bore you with the standard stuff, just watch your step. Even if things go sideways, a healer can patch you up.
The biggest dilemma? Finding a healer, of course.
The dungeon had four tricky hurdles, the first being a round of arrow rain that tested your dodging skills.
The arrows were toxic, so the healer really had to bring their A-game.
Next up were four elite monsters—a real test for the healers. They had to hold their own while their teammates took down the targets.
Fortunately, the elites weren’t a crazy challenge; it was more a matter of time and resource management.
The third hurdle featured a complex terrain teeming with mobs that could ambush you from unexpected corners. Here, a bowman was a must!
Finally, there came the BOSS, where both damage output and healing were crucial.
The arena? Laced with toxic fog. If your damage output wasn’t up to snuff, you’d drown in the mist, no healing could save you.
That’s the reason their team wiped on their first attempt.
With the guidance of the strategy, many players jumped into the fray.
But the biggest issue remained: the shortage of healers—an unsolvable conundrum!
The dungeon limited the number of healing items, and there was no healing fountain—err, pharmacist.
Plus, since the dungeon could only be run once per day, once you cleared it, you were done for the day, leaving many scratching their heads in frustration.
“If I’d known, I would’ve played a healer. Just chill and call it a day.”
“Right? Healers are the real deal now! Solid support for the flowing DPS!”
“Cut it out! As if you’d actually want to be a healer! You all pretend to wield swords like pros, yet you secretly wish you had katanas!”
With more players storming the dungeon, some were crashing in headfirst like rhinos, and guess what… they discovered the secret to solving the healing issue!
The solution? Stop fighting the BOSS altogether.
The highest demand for healing came from the BOSS; outside of that, you could scrape by with limited healing items.
They opted for 7 healing potions and 3 antidotes, and just charged in with 4 DPS.
Then, right before the BOSS fight, they simply scaled the walls and bypassed the BOSS completely.
As long as their health was over 80%, they could survive the final fall damage and approach the BOSS from behind.
And then, they just waltzed out of the dungeon.
Whether this was a bug or a feature, it still granted rewards, except for that all-important BOSS loot.
You could say it was a bit of a loss, but not that bad.
Getting any reward was better than failing completely!
Player ingenuity knows no bounds, and once this idea caught on, they figured out how to dodge the second-to-last tough challenge.
By optimizing their route, they even discovered they could lower the final fall damage to 60%, creating a bigger margin for error.
Really, the low d*ath penalty in the dungeon was a dangerous setup, allowing players to get all sorts of creative.
If dying meant losing a level, I doubt anyone would dare to play risky!
A flood of players began skipping classes just to clear the dungeon. But this kind of completion didn’t record any scores.
Fiery Conflict Across the Sky remained at the top of the leaderboard.
Subsequently, other big guild teams, including Eastern Dragon, showed up. They cleared it but didn’t quite match the results of Fiery Conflict Across the Sky.
Mainly because their guides were vague; out of ten pieces of info, they disclosed eight.
It was good for clearing but didn’t have the edge for speed running—those hidden two pieces were the key.
For instance, before tackling the BOSS, they had the priest swap to full attack crit gear to crank up the damage—just a little purification here and there was all they needed.
Totally neglected healing, relying solely on items.
By the time Yuliya decided to check out the dungeon buzz, it was already afternoon.
She sat, chin in hand, reading the forum posts, mumbling, “Ugh, this is so beneath me.”
In other words, she, Yuliya, was about to step in and show them all.
“Oh? So no healing means no clearing, huh? Stats > mechanics > skill?”
Opening her character panel, she noted her level 19 self with 4000+ health and 400+ attack.
Meanwhile, the Fiery Conflict Across the Sky squad was just level 17 with 2000+ health and barely 300 attack.
And she packed a ton of true damage, too!
So, what’s that make her? A total skill-based freak? A mechanic whiz? Or just a stat monster?
Oh boy, this is getting tricky! She was just an ordinary player, right?
Hee hee hee…
Before long, she donned her stealth cloak and dashed toward the nearest dungeon entrance.
It was her first time going out in player disguise in quite a while.
Everywhere else was easy enough, but she tried to bypass the crowds, only to find a massive gathering near the dungeon point.
Looking for healers? Praying to spot a wild level 15 healer!
The dungeon entrance was too lively, so she contested her spot in the previous zone.
No healer in sight, but wait—she spotted a mysterious figure in black with no ID.
“Who is that? An NPC?”
“Doesn’t look like one. Why would an NPC be here? This is a dungeon route, not exactly busy most days.”
“True. If not an NPC… what’s with all the mystery?”
Players exchanged suspicious glances.
“Wait a second! Could it be…?”
“I’ll contest that! The Wind God isn’t that tall!”
Someone shouted, “The Wind God is only 1.3 meters! I saw him at the last event!”
“It’s 1.4 meters, you fool!” Yuliya kicked a stone, hitting him squarely in the head.
And upon those words, the crowd gasped collectively. They all pulled in a breath!
Such conviction… such precision…
“Oh my God! It really is the Wind God!”
“Mom! I met my idol! What a way to go!”
“Boss, take me along! I don’t need a healer anymore! Let’s raid together!”
Instant chaos erupted!
Many looked at that brave warrior with newfound respect.
Yuliya quickly tossed aside her makeshift footstool and sprinted off like a whirlwind.
Oops! Couldn’t hold back!
With all this going on, who could resist the urge?
Soon, word that the Wind God had come to play spread like wildfire across the forums.
