Game’s Dogma

Sky Chun adjusted his attitude from then on. His aim was to forge a good relationship with the mysterious yet powerful Mask. He could at least discern Mask’s personality: as long as he was sincere, being friends with Mask was doable.

Dakki, perhaps unintentionally, shot Sky Chun a glance and cursed him for being a sly fox in her mind.

With Sky Chun breaking the ice, Drako Yau also cut directly to the chase. ‘About why I’ve invited all of you over, I believe I have mentioned it briefly before. The Failed Rampaging Bear King.’

Hearing the name ‘Failed Rampaging Bear King’, everyone’s eyes brightened up. As the average player level continued to rise, the Highlands of John was gradually being made available to all players. Apart from the vast areas of levelling zones and its Level 25 dungeon, the most eye-catching thing of all was the bear king.

It was the first world boss in Real World. A so-called ‘world boss’ meant it was a boss which appeared on a normal map. Unlike dungeon bosses, because world bosses spawned on the world map, anyone could challenge one as long as they could find it. For that very reason, there were no restrictions on fighting the world boss.

Naturally, the game gave world bosses buffs and bonuses. For normal dungeons, it was designed with five players as the opposing force in mind. However, for world bosses, the player count was 10,000—it was powerful enough to fend off thousands of players.

Everyone present was no newbie. Even though they all had their eyes on the prize, they didn’t act on impulse.

‘Brother Mask, we are all interested in the world boss, but the bear king’s no ordinary boss. Last time, a dozen or so guilds teamed up to fight it with over 5000 players. Every player was at least Level 15, with the highest level player being Level 22. Even with such a line-up, the bear king’s attack wiped out all 5000 players on the spot after an hour or so of fighting.

‘If brother Mask has a countermeasure, we’ll of course be willing to join. Otherwise… we’re not interested in being cannon fodder.’

The person who spoke was a man standing behind Dakki.

His name was King Zau, the deputy guild master of Allurers whose class was Weaponmaster. King Zau was certainly not weak at all, with his level being Level 24. However, he saw Mask as an eyesore. The reason was the Necklace of Deceit hanging around Drako Yau’s neck.

While the Necklace of Deceit’s only ability was to modify one’s voice, it was still a special outfit item nonetheless. Most outfit items only provided a measly few attribute points. Special outfit items which provided other abilities such as the Mask of the Hidden Dragon, the Necklace of Deceit, or Hades’ Diabolos’ Horn, could all sell for a good price.

The Necklace of Deceit dropped by chance when King Zau and Dakki were clearing a dungeon with just the two of them. King Zau generously gave Dakki the necklace. To him, it was their love-token.

Indeed, King Zau had been following Dakki the entire time because of his love and admiration for her. Seeing the Necklace of Deceit on another man made him flame up in jealousy.

Dakki twitched her lips upon hearing King Zau’s interrogative questions, but she stayed silent in the end. King Zau was the deputy guild master after all. He had invested a lot of effort and money into the guild, so it wasn’t very nice of her to yell at him.

Drako Yau gazed into King Zau’s eyes and answered blatantly, ‘No countermeasures.’

King Zau scoffed at the answer. ‘Ha, so the almighty hundred-win Mask wants to send us in as cannon fodder and pick up the prize for himself?’

Zephyrwolf couldn’t hold back after hearing King Zau’s aggressive words. Just when he was about to stand up, Idyllic Poet whispered to him, ‘Leave it to the boss.’

Hades remained seated while Bloodless Bladester, Everlastor, and Soulsmith stood behind him. The four of them silently watched the ongoing scene; Hades was rather interested in how the crazy bastard was going to deal with the situation.

Drako Yau looked at King Zau with a strange look. ‘Guild master Dakki, who might this person be?’

Dakki immediately replied, ‘He is my deputy guild master, King Zau.’

Drako Yau nodded, then said, ‘Did I ever say we’ll be fighting the world boss with just the guilds we have here?’

Everyone went silent, including King Zau who had been yapping the entire time. However, he still stared at Mask with a cold smile. He harboured extreme hatred towards the man who seized his love-token.

‘My idea’s a simple one. Each of us will send five members to form a 25-player squad and challenge the bear king.’

His words left everyone startled. Even his good friends Zephyrwolf and Hades didn’t know how to react. King Zau actually started laughing, though his laughter contained an obvious tint of mockery.

‘Brother Mask has really lost his mind after getting so many wins in the Arena. We’re talking about the Failed Rampaging Bear King, a Level 30 world boss. Challenging it with just 20 players?’

Drako Yau remained unfazed as he said, ‘In this game, what does it mean to “defeat a boss”?’

‘Landing the last hit.’

It was at that point everyone had a vague idea of what Mask was getting at.

Drako Yau nodded. ‘Right, landing the last hit. We don’t actually have to fight it. All we have to consider is how to land the last hit.’

‘But the best record so far was getting the bear king to half Health. How are we going to land the last hit?’

The person who spoke up was Fong Sai Yuk. He wasn’t trying to provoke Mask; it was a genuine question. After taking a beating from Drako Yau, Fong Sai Yuk had become a lot calmer and restrained.

Drako Yau shook his head and replied, ‘It’s only a matter of time. The most dangerous part of a world boss is its level. A Level 30 epic boss can decimate everyone with its level advantage alone. You probably didn’t notice this either. On the official forum, there’s this pinned post which says 10 guilds have formed a coalition and will be challenging the bear king tomorrow at 6 pm.’

‘Even if you’re right, we’re talking about stealing a boss from thousands of players. It’s no easy task at all.’

It was understandable why they were full of doubt. The penalty for dying was losing a level and a certain chance to drop a piece of equipment. Currently, guilds were all racing against time. It took a day or two to recover a lost level, and by the time they got their levels back, opponents who were originally the same level would have overtaken them already.

‘Precisely because it’s no easy task that I’m asking for your cooperation. If it’s not a difficult task, do I have to gather everyone here today?’ Drako Yau said.

His tone was calm, but his words clearly reflected his dominant position. As he continued to grow stronger, Drako Yau was starting to radiate a domination aura around him which was gradually intensifying. He hadn’t noticed it himself though.

Upon hearing his overbearing statement, no one uttered a word. Dakki locked her eyes on Drako Yau’s mask, as if she was trying to see through the fiery red mask.

Drako Yau then continued calmly, ‘That’s my idea. Whoever joins, stay behind. Please leave if you’re not taking part in this.’

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