Two Tons swiftly shifted his position and kicked off his back foot as he accelerated towards the Ouroboros. However, he knew that there was no way that he would make it in time. The one thing that he could not understand was how he had managed to lose aggro in such a short period of time! Not only that, but he lost aggro to someone who had not even once attacked the Ouroboros.
The only explanation Two Tons could think of was that the Ouroboros possessed a skill that made it so that it ignored aggro. While such a skill was not uncommon for boss monsters, if one was not prepared to deal with it beforehand then it could quickly shift the course of battle and force them into an unfavorable position just as it was currently doing.
As for Broken Fists, he was no longer following any of the instructions or orders that Two Tons gave which made things even more chaotic. They were simply thrown into this fight without a proper plan or any developed teamwork. Two Tons knew that they had no choice but to think on their feet if they wanted to defeat the Ouroboros.
Hssssst!
Mew!
Even though the Ouroboros was many times larger than him, Xiao Liang had no plans on retreating. Reilei still found it hard to believe that Xiao Liang attacked on his own. Usually, he would simply stay back or relax lazily upon her shoulder during battle. This was the first time Reilei witnessed Xiao Liang attack anything! To make matters even worse, she did not even have time to stop him.
The Ouroboros opened its mouth as Xiao Liang grew closer to it. Just when Xiao Liang arrived in front of the Ouroboros, it struck out with its head and slammed its jaws shut!
Hsssst…
The Ouroboros straightened its body and towered over the entire party. Two Tons finally made it over to the Ouroboros and took back hold of the aggro, however, it was too late.
"Realistic, are you okay?!" Phoenix asked as she used a skill to heal Two Tons. She had no idea what just happened to cause the Ouroboros to suddenly charge towards Reilei and stop its attack, but she was relieved to see that Reilei was okay. However, Phoenix quickly noticed that Reilei was not responding. When she glanced over in Reilei's direction, she saw her simply standing there with a look of horror on her face.
To the others, it appeared as if the Ouroboros was after Reilei, but in reality, it was after Xiao Liang all along. But, due to Reilei's facial expression, everyone believed that she was currently frozen in fear before the Ouroboros. Given that this was her first time in a dungeon, it was most likely her first time fighting a boss monster as well. Not to mention, the Ouroboros was not just any boss monster, but a rare hidden boss monster!
When Two Tons noticed that Reilei was not responding, he furrowed his brows. This fight would already be difficult enough for all six of them. He understood that they could not afford to lose Reilei, especially after what he observed in the battle logs. However, his thoughts were just like the others. He thought that Reilei was frozen in fear due to how intimidating the Ouroboros' appearance turned out to be.
"Realistic, you have to abandon your fears! Just think of it like the Serpent Guard you faced before, but just a little bigger!" Two Tons said as he tried to snap Reilei out of it. But, in the end, it was of no use.
"Xiao… Liang…" Reilei muttered as her eyes were widened in shock after what she had just witnessed. At the moment, both Phoenix and Two Tons' voice fell on deaf ears.
Xiao Liang had been with Reilei since the beginning of her journey in RML. Not once had he left her side or abandoned her no matter what or who she faced. He stood strong without backing down and even though he was headstrong and a little spoiled, he always warned Reilei of any dangers.
But now, he had just been eaten by the Ouroboros right before her eyes. After that, Xiao Liang was nowhere to be found.
…
'I can see why Lances said I should avoid them. This one can definitely be considered a monster.'
NPC Name: Roudin, The Indomitable Mountain(Epic)
NPC Level: ???
NPC HP: ??? (100%)
Roudin glanced at the back of Izroth's palm and saw that he had 2,898 points in his possession. This caused a look of surprise and curiosity to flash across Roudin's eyes. He could tell that Izroth was not all that strong. Logically speaking, any creature or person chosen at random within the selection should be more than enough to take care of him.
However, if he managed to defeat one or two creatures and gain a few points then it could be explained, but he had nearly 3,000 points! While that was not a lot in Roudin's eyes, it was not an amount that the person before him should have been able to acquire through natural means. So then, what was his secret?
"Hey, how did you get those points? Don't tell me you actually painted a fake number on yourself. Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter." Roudin said as he gave an amused laugh. Of course, he knew that it was impossible to fake the number of points one acquired. In his mind, there were only two ways the person before him was able to obtain those points. The first was by picking off weakened participants after an intense fight. The other was that he was somehow hiding his true strength.
However, Roudin believed it to be the former as the latter was a bit unreasonable. After all, he was confident that even those students of Master Zushuatri would be unable to hide their strength before him without the assistance of a magic item. But, he was not foolish enough to completely dismiss the possibility.
"Usually, if someone wishes to obtain answers to their questions, they ask them before attacking. Is this mannerism lost on you?" Izroth said with a carefree smile on his face. He was not actually expecting that another participant warn or question him before attacking. He was simply using the idle time to examine Roudin and his current surroundings.
"I'm afraid I've always been on the wild side ever since I was a child. Besides, if you were weak enough to die to that attack then you wouldn't even be worth talking to, right?" Roudin responded with a grin.
'The pressure in the atmosphere is increasing. It's comparable to the level one gravity pocket I experienced back in the Sea Palace Graveyard, but a bit less effective. It looks like the strength of the pressure increases the closer one gets to him. Now, I suppose I have a choice to make.'
At the moment, Izroth had his Energy Vision Sense active to get a good grasp on the situation before him. Unlike Zushuatri's students, Roudin's aura was wild and untamed as if he wanted the world to know where he was and how powerful he was. The color of his flames was a silver-white and its size was towering, just like that of a small mountain. It felt overbearing and immovable. There was also an abundance of small sparks scattered throughout the air that Izroth believed had something to do with the heavy atmosphere.
Although Izroth's agility was currently 1,374 points, it felt closer to 75% of that even though he was almost fifteen meters away from Roudin. Izroth believed that if he got within melee range of Roudin, then his agility would be reduced down to anywhere between 30% to 40% of his total agility. In other words, for someone like Izroth whose current fighting style relied heavily upon his speed to dominate opponents, Roudin was his worse possible match up!
Izroth deactivated his Energy Vision Sense as he did not want to waste too much Essence. Since he knew what he was dealing with now, he felt something he had not in a long time. There was a sense of excitement that overcame Izroth. The fight had not even started yet, but Izroth could tell just by his Energy Vision Sense and gut feeling that he was outclassed in every possible way by Roudin. Level, stats, skills; you name it.
The only advantage he had was the ability his combat master class had when it came to adapting even during the middle of battles, his battle experience, and his Source. Therefore, Izroth knew that he had to make the most of these three advantages if he were to have any chance of winning. His HP was laughable compared to the other participants, and so he could not afford to be careless as one mistake could potentially cost him his life.
'I guess I'll have to take that path then.'
Roudin waited there patiently with his arms folded and a grin on his face as he observed Izroth.
"Well? Are you done thinking yet?" Roudin asked.
"I have to say, I never took you as the patient type." Izroth stated.
"I'm a strong believer that one should not have any regrets in death. Besides, no amount of planning can stand up before an overwhelming difference in strength. Though I'm impressed with your calm demeanor when your death is right around the corner. Not to mention, despite your lacking strength, you managed to avoid my attack. I'm not sure if it's because of your ignorance or bravery, but you're the first one who hasn't begged to keep their life before me." Roudin stated.
He then continued as he held up three fingers, "Because of this, I'll give you a chance. Three attacks. I'll give you three free attacks. Don't worry, I'll take every attack you throw head-on without moving from this spot. If you're able to make me move from this spot, then I'll allow you to keep your life. However, if you fail, then… Well, I'm sure you understand. Ah, I wouldn't try to run away either. That just won't end well, you know?"
Izroth narrowed his eyes as he said, "Oh? Three attacks? Interesting." Although one could not hear it in his voice, the piercing look in his eyes said it all. Roudin wanted to give him three attacks? Very well, that was fine with him. However, he would make sure that Roudin carved into his mind the price of looking down on him.
Roudin just said a few moments ago that he was a strong believer that one should not have any regrets in death. Well, it just so happened that Izroth held the same belief. However, his methods differed from that of Roudin's. He would not give him a chance to regret!
"You said you'll face whatever I throw at you head-on, correct?" Izroth asked.
"That's right." Roudin replied.
"Alright, I accept your challenge. But, isn't there something you should ask me first?" Izroth said.
"Hm? Ask you?" Roudin was confused by Izroth's words as a frown appeared on his face. What could he possibly want to ask Izroth? Could it be that he was just trying to stall for time? However, after the next few words left Izroth's mouth, Roudin was rendered momentarily speechless.
"My name. After all, the least you should know is the name of the person who'll claim your life." Izroth said as dark gray clouds began to gather in the sky with purple lightning jumping around within the clouds.
"…Ha… Hahaha! Hahahaha! Then, come! Let's see how you claim this life of mine! I am Roudin, also known as the Indomitable Mountain! What's your name?!" Roudin said as he spread his arms as if taunting and welcoming Izroth's attacks.
"Izroth." The moment Izroth said his name, an earsplitting thunderclap rang throughout the surroundings as two purple bolts of lightning descended down from the sky on his location.
Bzzzt…! Crrrrrrrckle!
