BXBX NOVEL Chapter 157: Chapter157-Fishing in Troubled Waters?
"Right? Couldn't he at least warn us when that skill appeared? So despicable."
"I bet he brought the boss over here on purpose just to get us killed."
"This is ridiculous. I tried to run, but I couldn't even escape."
A chorus of complaints erupted from the group, while those around them cast disdainful looks their way.
"You went over there to steal someone else's boss, didn't you? You tried to outsmart him but got outsmarted yourselves. What's there to complain about?"
Hearing these criticisms, the faces of the disgruntled group turned red.
They instinctively wanted to retort, but no words came out.
They had indeed gone there with the intent of stealing the boss, and now that their motives were exposed, it was as if they were standing naked in front of a crowd.
"Don't slander us!" one of them managed to blurt out, his face flushed with embarrassment.
The onlookers scoffed, uninterested in arguing further with them.
Engaging in a pointless dispute with these people was less appealing than watching what John would do next.
A mere gold-tier player daring to solo a platinum-tier boss—how could that not be exciting?
...
Inside the Secret Realm.
Those quick to react had already fled, relieved they had done so when they saw others who had been touched by the poisonous rain vanish in flashes of white light.
If they hadn't run, they would have been the ones turned into white light!
Isabella, perched on a distant tree, frowned as she looked at the clearing.
The damage from the poisonous rain was immense.
What about John? Could he have died too?
Amelia was equally curious.
The poisonous rain was so deadly that she had witnessed a level 40 player get knocked out instantly, without even time to drink an HP recovery potion!
John was only gold-tier. Could he have survived?
The two women thought about moving forward to investigate but then halted.
No, John wasn't dead!
If everyone holding the boss's aggro had died, the boss would have disengaged and returned to its original position, with its HP instantly restored.
But at this moment, the Shadow Crocodile remained in place, still trapped, and its HP was still decreasing.
Hiss...
Realizing this, the onlookers gasped in shock.
John wasn't dead?
Under such a terrifying poisonous rain, he had survived?!
John had cleverly taken shelter in the gap between the Shadow Crocodile's belly and the boulder, perfectly avoiding the poisonous rain.
The Shadow Crocodile's massive body made the rain's effective range two hundred meters around its form, but the space beneath its belly was the ideal hiding spot!
The Shadow Crocodile's formidable defenses worked against it, as the poisonous rain was a magical skill—essentially using the crocodile's own strength against it.
164379!
The surface of the Bloodthirsty Blade was coated in a dark red liquid, and the eye on the hilt gleamed brightly, seemingly excited by the blood infusion.
The Shadow Crocodile was furious but could do nothing to kill John, who was hiding beneath its belly!
Trapped in that spot, it could only rage as John attacked it at will.
It furiously pounded the ground around it and twisted its abdomen, but it couldn't break free from the boulder's hold.
John wasn't having an easy time under the Shadow Crocodile either.
The creature, being a swamp dweller, had a belly covered in mud even though it was the softer part of its body.
His debuffs continued to stack.
[You have been infected with Forest Miasma, stacking with Mire Miasma. You will continuously lose HP, losing 13 HP every 10 seconds. The buff will stack after 10 minutes.]
[You have been infected with Forest Miasma, stacking with Mire Miasma. You will continuously lose HP, losing 15 HP every 10 seconds. The buff will stack after 10 minutes.]
...
[You have been infected with Forest Miasma, stacking with Mire Miasma. You will continuously lose HP, losing 30 HP every 10 seconds. The buff will stack after 10 minutes.]
The rate of HP loss had reached a terrifying level, with John's HP visibly decreasing by the second.
On average, he was losing 3 HP per second.
John quickly calculated his remaining HP.
If the buff didn't continue to stack, he could hold out for a maximum of 12 more minutes!
But if the buffs continued to stack, the time would only get shorter!
Eventually, not even HP recovery potions would be able to keep up.
He needed to finish this quickly.
The Shadow Crocodile thrashed violently, flinging mud everywhere.
The sudden poisonous rain from earlier had left the onlookers wary, too scared to come any closer.
John, however, keenly noticed that the previous skill was a burst triggered when the boss's HP dropped to 50%.
Since then, it had only been using physical attacks, without any high-range magical damage.
This indicated that the boss had phased abilities, with its skills tied to its HP levels.
Now was the prime time for damage!
Without hesitation, John swung his demonic blade with all his might, while also summoning two serpents to bite at the boss.
Although the serpents dealt minimal damage, they were still helpful, and their large bodies blocked the view of others who might be eyeing the situation.
As the boss's HP dropped from 50% to 30%, there were no more explosive magical attacks.
Seeing this, the onlookers grew restless once again.
They cautiously stepped into the boss's attack range, realizing it wasn't as dangerous as before.
Some thought they were clever, hiding behind rocks to attack.
Their spells landed on the Shadow Crocodile, but it was like scratching an itch.
Many observed that the boss was practically immune to magical damage, yet they were too afraid to engage in close combat.
Who knew if that poisonous rain would strike again?
The boss's HP was dropping steadily, and when it reached 10%, there was still no sign of any significant action.
People from a distance began to edge closer, thinking that the boss might not unleash another skill burst now that it had already used one.
Some daring individuals moved in for close combat, trying to position themselves like John within the safety of the rocks.
However, the two serpents circling the area prevented them from getting too close.
They had no choice but to jump and attack the Shadow Crocodile, realizing that their close-range physical damage was more than twice as effective as long-range magical attacks.
This substantial damage boost made everyone's eyes light up with excitement.
Indeed, this was the way!
More and more people started to approach, but Isabella frowned slightly.
She felt something was off.
John wouldn't leave such a significant vulnerability unaddressed.
The only explanation was that he knew something critical was about to happen, something that would severely punish those trying to take advantage.
Amelia noticed the approaching crowd and considered warning them but ultimately held back her words.
The truly smart ones observed from a distance, never getting too close.
Only those lacking skill but eager to reap benefits without effort were rushing in now.
The boss's HP dropped to 8%! Seeing the boss on the brink of defeat, everyone was exhilarated! Their attacks became faster and more frantic.
They knew that if they could land the final blow, the boss kill credit would be theirs.
The massive experience points and all the loot would belong to them!
The more these people thought about it, the more excited they became, and their actions grew increasingly frantic.
No one noticed the boss raising its head once again.
Oh no! Here it comes again!
The Shadow Crocodile lifted its head, and a pale green sphere began forming in its mouth once more.
This time, the charging period seemed longer, and the color shifted from pale green to dark green.
Isabella felt a surge of danger and didn't hesitate for a moment, retreating rapidly.
Her instincts screamed at her that she needed to move back now.
Amelia, who had been watching Isabella's reactions, also retreated quickly, even faster than before.
At that moment, the green sphere in the Shadow Crocodile's mouth finished charging.
However, unlike last time, it did not shoot skyward like a projectile.
Instead, it slowly rose into the air.
The Shadow Crocodile's pupils had turned blood-red, its vertical eyes looking terrifyingly menacing.
Everyone else remained absorbed in the excitement of the boss's dwindling HP.
The Shadow Crocodile's massive body blocked the green sphere from view, and no one bothered to look up.
Except for one distant mage who, feeling a bit tired, paused his attacks for a moment.
In that brief pause, he saw the green sphere forming above the boss's head.
His pupils contracted in fear!
"Run!!"