Chapter 83: Old Hu Teaches the Proper Way to Solo a Boss
“To think you’d need help, Old Hu.” Ye Yu watched Old Hu with keen interest, his eyes glimmering with amusement.
Old Hu’s lips twitched slightly at Ye Yu’s words, but he could only shake his head helplessly. “Looks like there’s no escaping this. All right, healer, give me a buff.”
“No problem at all.” Luo Feng gave Old Hu a thumbs up, and then a halo of deep green light rose from his right hand, transforming into a beam that shot straight toward Old Hu.
“Is it really possible for one person to solo this boss?” At that moment, Qu Zheng stood behind Ye Yu, murmuring in a distracted tone, his expression slightly dazed.
Old Hu shrugged. “Compared to the Sinner Swordsman, this boss is considerably easier. Its AI isn’t particularly advanced, but if its level were higher, things would be different. The Sinner Swordsman was designed as a special boss with extremely high AI; this one isn’t.”
“I suppose I’ll give you all a demonstration. You’re talented, but in 'God's Ruin', talent only speeds up your growth—it doesn’t mean much without someone to guide you through the basics. Otherwise, you’d spend unnecessary time fumbling your way in, which I doubt you want, given your current state. So, watch closely.”
Before them, the ancient tree began to tremble. Everyone saw clearly as its roots tore free from the earth, transforming into legs. Its trunk twisted and gathered into arms, and its hulking form gradually emerged, finally taking the shape of a giant, ink-green humanoid.
The others stepped back, leaving the battlefield to Old Hu alone.
Facing the tree boss, Old Hu stood alone. Above the ancient giant’s head, its name appeared:
Heart of the Fallen Forest
Old Hu didn’t hurry to attack; instead, he approached cautiously. Whenever the Heart of the Fallen Forest struck, Old Hu dodged with ease. His movements flowed so smoothly they were almost mesmerizing. Occasionally, he’d launch a swift attack and then withdraw. Nearly ten minutes passed, and the Heart of the Fallen Forest still retained 90% of its health.
“Is he really planning to wear down the Heart of the Fallen Forest like this? It’s not as troublesome as the Sinner Swordsman, but it’s still a headache of a boss.”
Tan Cong frowned as he watched Old Hu, arms crossed, hesitating as he asked his question.
Ye Yu sighed, shaking his head. “Impossible. Old Hu’s showing us how to solo a boss—an invaluable lesson for improving personal skills. It adds a margin for error when working as a team. As a player ranked among the red-named elite, Old Hu excels in this.”
“So, he’s testing it out?”
“That’s right. Soloing a boss is a way to assess your own ability. If you can do it, there’s no question about your skill. Now Old Hu’s clearly observing the Heart of the Fallen Forest’s attack patterns. Remember, AI responds differently depending on the circumstances—distance, whether you’re using ranged or melee skills, all these factors affect its tactics. So Old Hu’s trying to figure out its attack methods and skill effects to avoid panicking during the real fight.”
Ye Yu spoke in a low voice, watching the unfolding battle intently.
Tan Cong nodded in understanding, then asked, “But given the current damage, won’t Old Hu run out of stamina before he kills the Heart of the Fallen Forest? If he falls into a negative state, his death chance is pretty high.”
“No.”
Old Hu spoke in the team channel. “The defensive class uses spirit energy, not stamina. And I’m wearing light armor, so I don’t burn as much stamina. The demon race’s advantage is higher stamina than humans. I just need to expose the weak point—then the damage will soar.”
“Exactly. Every monster’s weak spot is in a particular location—it’s a skill to find it. You can deduce it based on the boss type, or test each part one by one. There’s always a clue.”
Ye Yu nodded, while Luo Feng grinned slyly. “Still, finding the weak spot is best left to you, right?”
Ye Yu rolled his eyes at Luo Feng, then focused intently on Old Hu’s battle. For Ye Yu and the others, watching Old Hu fight was a valuable learning experience.
About five minutes later, Old Hu’s attacks grew sharper—he’d clearly finished probing the Heart of the Fallen Forest.
He suddenly leapt back, widening the distance between them. In his right hand was a massive sword; at some unknown moment, his left-hand shield had transformed into a curved blade. He swept the blade across the sword’s edge, and the two weapons crisscrossed, generating a swirling sword energy that enveloped both blades.
“Two swords? How?”
“It’s a defensive class skill—dual sword mode or sword-and-shield mode. Old Hu’s transitions are seamless. Most players can’t manage that; he switches modes without any visible delay.”
“Look: at this range, the Heart of the Fallen Forest uses a sweeping ranged attack, but Old Hu dodges effortlessly and counters, then leaps away again.”
Ye Yu had already discerned Old Hu’s movements; clearly, Old Hu had figured out the boss’s attack trajectory, making his strikes more aggressive and direct.
“Watch closely. The Heart of the Fallen Forest is about to use its longest-range skill attack. After sustained ranged attacks, it enters a brief fatigue state and can’t use skills or attack.”
Sure enough, the Heart of the Fallen Forest unleashed a ranged skill. Old Hu switched back to sword-and-shield mode and blocked the attack. Eyes narrowed, he stamped the ground and shot forward, cutting down with his giant sword. The blade’s light flashed.
Bang—
With a single strike, the Heart of the Fallen Forest shuddered. Though the damage was low, its health bar suddenly plummeted to 86%. One blow had shaved off 4%.
Clearly, Old Hu had struck the boss’s weak point.
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