The bark of the Treant King is too thick; these damage numbers are actually quite good.
The Treant King roared furiously, swung its arm with a loud *boom*, and struck Bai Kaishui. Bai Kaishui steadied his stance, the force from the shield pushing him back a few steps, but he charged forward again, thinking to himself that the method Gu Yan had mentioned earlier for stabilizing one’s center of gravity was indeed effective. Normally, he wouldn’t just be pushed back—he would likely have been sent flying.
The Treant King’s attacks were terrifying, each blow taking away eighty to ninety points of Bai Kaishui’s health. Only Bai Kaishui could withstand such a hit; other melee fighters would die after taking two consecutive strikes.
Beams of white light fell upon the melee players. Observing the healing effects, Gu Yan estimated that there were three priests with healing abilities—one main healer providing around sixty points of healing, while the other two priests offered less than fifty points each, which wasn’t very high. There might be danger later on; he would need to be extra cautious.
Thanks to Bai Kaishui and the others’ efforts upfront, the situation stabilized, allowing the spellcasters behind to begin casting their magic in an orderly fashion.
“Try using fire-based magic to burn it. Stop using ice magic—it’s ineffective. The Treant King has very high resistance to ice,” Gu Yan said within the team channel. He had already moved behind the Treant King, where rogues received a 30% damage bonus when attacking from behind a monster. With his superior gear, each of his attacks landed with deadly precision.
Sparks flew from the Treant King’s body as its health steadily dropped, approaching the 70% mark.
“Do the priests have Dispel abilities?”
“I have one Dispel!”
“Keep an eye on Bai Kaishui. If the Treant King casts Fear on him, dispel it immediately. Any delay, even a second, could cause serious problems!” Gu Yan warned.
The priest with the Dispel ability was inexperienced. Hearing Gu Yan’s instructions made him feel unexpectedly nervous.
Since the priest was thin and tall, Bai Kaishui and the others had nicknamed him Zhugan (Bamboo Pole). Gu Yan noticed Zhugan gripping his staff tightly, his muscles tensed. He said, “Relax. I’ll remind you when the time comes. Just cast Dispel when I tell you to.”
Zhugan gave Gu Yan a grateful glance.
The Treant King’s health dropped to 70%, and it let out a sharp, low-pitched roar that sent a chill through everyone’s hearts.
Bai Kaishui froze momentarily, instinctively stepping backward, his movements becoming extremely stiff.
“Dispel!” Gu Yan shouted in the team chat. Zhugan quickly cast the Dispel ability, a beam of white light shining upon Bai Kaishui.
Bai Kaishui hesitated for just a moment before charging forward again, rushing back to the Treant King and slamming his shield against it.
“Good job,” Gu Yan praised.
Seeing the successful Dispel, Zhugan felt much more relaxed.
Under Gu Yan’s coordination and command, the entire party maintained a steady rhythm of attack. Combined with his ability to anticipate the Treant King’s moves, its health steadily decreased.
Lash!
The Treant King swung a vine toward Bai Kaishui.
“All priests, prepare to heal Bai Kaishui. Three, two, one—cast!”
Beams of dazzling white light fell upon Bai Kaishui as his health fluctuated wildly, teetering on the brink of death before barely stabilizing.
Gu Yan continued attacking from behind the Treant King. About three minutes later, with the team’s consistent damage output, the Treant King’s health dropped to around 25%.
“Report mana levels, priests.”
“67.”
“56.”
“23.”
“The one with 23 mana—use a mana potion!”
Upon hearing Gu Yan’s command, the priest quickly drank a basic instant mana potion.
The Treant King’s skin turned a vivid red.
“Finally, everyone get ready. Bai Kaishui, switch to Defensive Stance! All casters, increase damage! Priests, prepare yourselves!” Gu Yan shouted. As his words fell, Bai Kaishui raised his shield in front of him, assuming a defensive posture.
As Bai Kaishui switched to Defensive Stance, the Treant King roared furiously and swung its massive arm down toward him.
*Boom!*
The Treant King’s arm struck Bai Kaishui’s shield, pushing him back several steps and dealing over two hundred points of damage. It didn’t stop there, continuing to slam its massive arm repeatedly.
*Thud! Thud!*
Two more dull impacts rang out as two beams of white light landed on Bai Kaishui.
-221, +60, -256, +52—four numbers floated above Bai Kaishui’s head as he was knocked back.
“What incredible damage!”
Without the Ienpatt’s Flute, a single strike from the Treant King would be enough to instantly kill even a strong shield warrior.
Bai Kaishui glanced at his health bar, his heart pounding. If the priests hadn’t healed him in time, he would have died right there.
After delivering a three-hit combo, the Treant King paused briefly before swinging its arm again at Bai Kaishui.
“Fall back! Someone else take over for a moment!” Gu Yan rushed toward Bai Kaishui.
Bai Kaishui rolled aside, dodging the Treant King’s attack, and quickly drank a basic instant healing potion. However, the small amount of healing provided by the potion was negligible compared to his current health pool.
Other melee fighters charged forward, forming a human wall to block the Treant King. Their limited defense and health could only hold it off temporarily.
Gu Yan reached Bai Kaishui and applied a medium-grade combat bandage.
+20, +20…
“Use slow healing potions!”
“Already drinking.”
“Wait for the priests’ next heal!”
Two priests cast healing spells on Bai Kaishui. Ten seconds later, his health had recovered significantly.
At this point, the frontline warriors could no longer hold back the Treant King. Each could withstand at most one hit, and two strikes would kill them instantly. If the Treant King landed a critical hit, even a fully healthy warrior would die immediately. Two team members had already been killed and sent back to the graveyard.
“Bai Kaishui, you’re up!” Gu Yan said when he saw Bai Kaishui’s health had recovered to over four hundred.
Bai Kaishui charged forward with his shield, and the team, still shaken from the recent crisis, became even more cautious. Behind him, Tang Yao, Huanghun, and others began unleashing their most powerful abilities, launching spell after spell.
“Running out of mana,” Tang Yao said urgently.
“Use the least mana-consuming spells—Arcane Fireballs! Warriors and paladins, use your Flame Strikes!” Gu Yan commanded. They were close to victory and couldn’t afford to fail now. He moved behind the Treant King, using critical strike abilities against its weak points.
The Treant King’s health continued to drop—9%, 8%, 6%…
The team members grew increasingly tense, unwilling to slow down even for a second.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* Fireballs struck the Treant King, leaving scorched wounds across its body.
3%!
“All melee, fall back! Casters, increase damage!” Gu Yan issued the command.
Though the warriors and paladins didn’t understand why Gu Yan was ordering them to retreat at such a crucial moment, they obeyed without hesitation. Throughout this journey, it was Gu Yan who had led them here, and over time, they had come to trust his commands implicitly.
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