Chapter 498: Choosing to Cooperate

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Silence enveloped the scene.

No one could have imagined that the slow-moving Frost Cell would have such devastating team-wipe potential.

"What happened? Did anyone see what happened?"

"How did they die?"

It was not long before the answer was revealed. The members of the 'Suicide Squad' proceeded to explain the situation.

It was due to the debuff, Extreme Frost!

Any player who took part in the battle against Frost Cell would be inflicted with Frost Cell's debuff, regardless of their distance from Frost Cell.

Their body temperature would continue to drop, and once it reached its limits, with a bang, the players would shatter like ice. That was Extreme Frost's special effect.

In other words, even if Frost Cell did not move or attack, Extreme Frost would automatically be activated at the start of the battle.

"God damn!"

"Quickly! Look up how we're supposed to dispel it!"

The players scoured the official site in search for any bit of information available. Alas, they discovered that the official site did not provide this information and became infuriated.

"F*ck! How are we supposed to fight it?"

"What a pain! This is insane!"

Angry cries began to grow once again.

The Hellfire Demon heavily slammed its fist onto the ground, again silencing the commotion.

Faded Cloud Breeze pointed at the plaza with his Ceramic Quarterstaff, and another squad composed of a hundred men was dispatched.

This time, they utilized a different strategy. The 100-men squad did not engage with the zombies, and instead, charged directly towards Frost Cell.

The battle was in full swing, and Frost Cell began slowly walking over again. Meanwhile, the players were surrounded by the zombies and had been inflicted with Extreme Frost. However, their body temperature was dropping at such a slow rate that it could be completely ignored.

"I see, the small zombies reduce the temperature drop rate. So, we shouldn't kill them!"

"I noticed as well, hahaha..."

The random players were rejoicing again.

Li Yi, who was standing beside them, was speechless listening to them. After all, the greatest joy of challenging bosses for the first time was the chance to test out various tactics and strategies. Why would they even participate in the first clearing of a dungeon if they were just going to give up when facing a difficult boss?

Suddenly, Frost Cell bellowed at the sky and released a ray of blue Frost Shards directly at the zombies.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The players were unaffected by the blue Frost Shards. However, the moment they touched the zombies, the zombies transformed. They grew larger, and their ATK soared.

Thousands of zombies flailed and thrashed about. In a couple of seconds, the 100-men squad was wiped out...

This time, the observing players had learned that Frost Cell could strengthen the small zombies using that skill.

"I think we've got the gist of the battle. Let's start cooperating."

At Faded Cloud Breeze's words, he issued a huge batch of invitations to everyone present. He intended to consolidate all the players present into the Fluttering Snow Alliance's party.

The Fluttering Snow Alliance had already tested the waters twice, proving their sincerity. Needless to say, the random players took up his offer. After all, they could not take down Frost Cell alone, but there was a sliver of a chance for success by cooperating with Fluttering Snow Alliance.

The random players hurriedly joined the party, and before long, the Guild Masters of the major guilds had joined as well, including Li Yi. In the end, there was only one alliance left that had yet to join their party.

It was the Three Major Guild Alliance led by Defiantly Tyrannical.

They were the only ones who had yet to join the Fluttering Snow Alliance's party.

Faded Cloud Breeze flashed a faint smile at Defiantly Tyrannical. "Defiant, I know we've had our differences in the past, but at such a critical period, what does it matter? Also, it's a totally different game now. Say, why don't we just bury our grudges altogether, eh?"

Defiantly Tyrannical gave a cold smile but did not answer. From the way he reacted, it was obvious that they would not cooperate with the Fluttering Snow Alliance.

Currently, the Three Major Guild Alliance was only left with around 2,000 players.

"You know him? And you're enemies?" Li Yi sent Defiantly Tyrannical a private message.

When Defiantly Tyrannical saw Li Yi's private message, his temper flared. However, after giving it some thought, he replied with a single word, "Yeah."

"This is a critical period right now. There's a chance of defeating the boss if you work with them. Because without them, there's no way you'll succeed. I think you're more aware of this fact than me."

"It doesn't matter" Defiantly Tyrannical had no intention in appeasing Li Yi, as such, his replies were curt.

"What's Faded Cloud Breeze's personality like?"

"Trash!"

"How's it trash?"

"Absolute *ss!'

"Describe it better."

"Absolute dog *ss!"

"More details!"

"Worse than that!"

"..."

Li Yi did not push any further. He was well aware that Defiantly Tyrannical did not want to talk to him, which came as no surprise. After all, had it not been for him, Defiantly Tyrannical would have already become the Tyrant of the Eastern Continent.

"Start casting buffs! We'll begin the battle after 5 minutes!", ordered Faded Cloud Breeze. Back in the past life, Faded Cloud Breeze was not just the Chief of the Fluttering Snow Alliance's Eastern Division but was known as one of the top 5 generals of the Fluttering Snow Alliance.

"Guild Master, I have a question!" Amber Sword Heart of the Assembled Gods Guild raised his hand.

Amber Sword Heart asked, "Once we defeat Frost Cell, how will the equipment be split?"

"Yeah, what about the equipment?"

"Yeah! You haven't said anything about this part." Amber Sword Heart's words had resonated with the crowd.

Faded Cloud Breeze rubbed his quarterstaff and grinned, "We'll decide by rolls, how about it?"

"No objections!"

"No problem!"

"I'd like that!"

Very quickly, Faded Cloud Breeze's suggestion had received the group's approval.

"He's able to form a party out of the blue, and he's willing to use rolls to decide loot. Impressive, I think Faded Cloud Breeze is pretty alright."

Bored, Li Yi had messaged Defiantly Tyrannical again.

"Heh." As usual, Defiantly Tyrannical's response was plain and simple.

"What're you laughing at? Does he steal loot?"

"Hehe."

Li Yi was speechless. Speaking with him was a really difficult task.

A while later, the curtains had lifted on the battle.

After the two test runs, they had a vague grasp of the general strategy. First off, they would use the players with less than stellar equipment to attract the zombies. Then, the main tanks would go up and surround Frost Cell, preventing it from moving. Once it was completely surrounded, the DPS would unleash their firepower and begin the assault.

Frost Cell's attacks were pretty brutal, however, none of the main tanks deployed by the major guilds were weak. Five of the top ten main tanks from the past life were present, and if they could not hold out against Frost Cell, they were not qualified to hold a position in the top ten.

Brother Windcloud Nine was present as well. His full set of Purple Quality Equipment sparkled brightly; a trait symbolizing equipment that had been upgraded more than ten times. He charged in headfirst against Frost Cell, and though he was not as skilled as Amber Sword Heart or Unending Unmatched, when it came to equipment, he was definitely the best of the top ten main tanks.

Sister Windcloud Nine had entered the dungeon too, but she had perished inside the light labyrinth.

"Careful! Form a human wall against it!" Faded Cloud Breeze thundered, and a group of the Fluttering Snow Alliance members flocked towards Frost Cell.

Frost Cell let loose a mighty howl, and unleashed Frost Shards to its surroundings...

The human wall was successfully formed, and the Frost Shards were completely intercepted by it.

The small zombies had not received their upgrades. With its cold blue eyes, Frost Cell stared at the zombies without moving an inch. Sometime later, he sluggishly attacked the main tanks surrounding it.

"Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Li Yi was brandishing his Orange Quality Bow and attacked as he ran. His equipment, along with his skill, was top notch. It was only natural that he dealt extremely high damage.

Out of all the classes within King of Pantheon, the Wizard was generally known as the highest damage-dealing class. At the same level and equipment quality, the damage dealt by Wizards was a cut above the other classes. However, this comparison was only true for players at an average skill level. In truth, there were plenty of devilish players who were able to deal far greater damage than a Wizard using lesser known classes.

Li Yi's Archer class was not a low-damage class. Instead, it was considered a long-ranged physical attack class that rivaled Wizards. As long as players had sufficient skill and were able to link their skills smoothly, their damage would rise indefinitely.

When Frost Cell's HP was reduced by 20%, Li Yi noticed that the Extreme Frost debuff on him had already reached eight stacks.

Once it reached ten stacks, Extreme Frost's effect would activate!

The situation was precarious. Li Yi sent out a message in chat that read, "Take note of Extreme Frost. It's going to reach its limit!"

"F*ck! We're already at eight stacks. We're going to die once it reaches ten stacks... AHHH..."

"Guild master, think of a solution, fast!"

One after another, the players started to notice and were beginning to panic.

Faded Cloud Breeze furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought. It was only when Extreme Frost had reached nine stacks, did he shout out, "Do not panic! Human wall spread out! Let's see what happens when Frost Cell strengthens the mobs."

The human wall fanned out, and once the Frost Shards grazed the zombies, they instantly became thick and burly.

Following the zombie's upgrade, the Extreme Frost debuff that was affecting the party had automatically decreased a level.

Faded Cloud Breeze was jumping with joy. "Nice, it's effective. Let's continue with this method and maintain Extreme Frost at eight stacks!"

The zombies that were upgraded by Frost Shards were extremely strong. Their strength resembled a mini-boss and not even the main tanks could take more than five hits from them. Currently, there were ten upgraded zombies running amok within the party's ranks.

In a blink of an eye, a huge bunch of players lay dead on the ground.

"Main tanks! Fall back immediately to provide support! Make sure to aggro them well!"

The main tanks abandoned their encirclement and were hurriedly running over to the upgraded zombies. Taunts, Charge, Repent, and various other control skills were being unleashed.

The upgraded zombies were so powerful that the average main tanks could not hold their own against them. The moment the zombies crashed into them; they fell quickly. Even less could be said about the other classes. Basically, it did not take much to kill the players. The party's death toll was still rapidly increasing...

"Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!"

While the main tanks were providing backup, Li Yi had summoned Violent Bear King and activated God Mode.

He was approaching Frost Cell from the air, and when the projection of Hunter Goddess appeared behind him, a wave of surprise spread throughout the party.

No matter when it was used, this particular skill of the Orange Quality Bow always incurred the jealousy of those who saw it.

Currently, there was only one main tank remained to endure Frost Cell's blows. It was — Brother Windcloud Nine!

Violent Bear King lunged forward, swiped horizontally, and roared angrily. However, despite using a plethora of skills, it still failed to attract Frost Cell's aggro.

Seeing Brother Windcloud's HP fluctuating wildly, Li Yi could not help but say, "Brother Nine, could you stop attacking for a while? Let my bear handle a few blows."

Brother Windcloud Nine spread his arms wide and flung a column of holy light onto himself. It was the Paladin's survival skill, Holy Flash!

[+1232]

Compared to A Bucket of Paste, the amount of HP recovered by Brother Windcloud Nine was extremely low. This came as no surprise though, as he wore a set of defensive equipment, whereas A Bucket of Paste's equipment was a mixed set of offense and healing.

"I don't need your help!" snorted Brother Windcloud Nine loudly.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Tch—

It was at that instant that Frost Cell went berserk. Brother Windcloud Nine's HP rapidly fell, and instantly became zero...