“…I think we are a bit late to the party.” Xiong Da and his party members were panting heavily, running from a secluded part of the castle to the main lobby where the Giant Valg event concluded minutes after.
“I presume we are already the lucky few, able to charge through the Valgs to reach the main lobby in record time. “Bu Dong laughed as he catches his breath. It was all thanks to Xiong Da even though the Angry Ape Cultivator did not say it directly.
Xiong Da in his black suit cosmetic inscription, which most of the Pandawans had obtained from the Deep Ones dungeon instance, took a long look at the aftermath of the Giant Valg, hoping to grasp the situation. Some of the cultivators wondered why he was well dressed, and his main reason was that he did not want people to know how decked out he was.
Beneath that cosmetic inscription, he had equipped the highest grade of armour inscriptions, allowing him able to smash through most of the Valgs on his way to the first level of the castle. Especially when those Grade 5 inscriptions were as flashy as disco lights when they were activated. Xiong Da felt that it was not necessary and possibly a hindrance if monsters were attracted to him because of the strobing lights from the activation of his inscription charms.
Kong Xian, the supposed tank of the group, was amazed by Xiong Da’s dedication to Boss Jin’s dungeon instances. While one could say that he was slightly envious of the Hungry Hippo Cultivator, Kong Xian clearly knew his limits of being a student with little to no budget.
However, he checked and saw that the redeemable rewards from this Emergency Dungeon Raid were alluring for him to work hard. With enough raid points, he might get those Grade 5 inscription charms as well at a fraction of a price.
At the scene of the fallen Giant Valg, the remaining cultivators including the elders were taking a breather from the fight even though they knew this was not the end of the raid. Most were already exhausted fighting the Giant Valg, and they could already hear more of those critters are coming for them.
“At this rate, we will never be able to finish the raid. Should we surrender?” Zi Dan asked his group members as he recognised his partners were already at their limits.
“Looks like there is fresh blood coming in, and it’s none other than the few famous Pandawans. We might be able to fight at the sidelines while reaping the rewards of the raid completion.” Xia Mao joked around, hinting that he could still go on even though it was evident that he barely had much strength to stand up after that battle.
“Honourable Cultivators, I thank you for aiding me up to this point. If needed, I will go forth alone into the darkness to defeat the source of all evil. The Salamander K-” Jing Yu tied the babbling frog with her cloth once more, not allowing him to escape. As the chi within Boo had more or less dissipated after the attack, there was no way Gaeru was as capable as before.
In addition, Jing Yu knew that the frog would not hurt them since he was likely bound by honour from the way he speaks. “Hey, you. That Hippo Pandawan.” Jing Yu called out from afar.
Xiong Da reacted and searched the room for the person who was shouting for him. When they had eye contact, Xiong Da hastily walked towards Jing Yu when she beckoned the group to come.
“This is the NPC that you have to take care of in order to make sure the raid is a success.” Jing Yu waved her hand a little, and the cloth gently moved Gaeru towards Xiong Da. Initially, the frog swordsman would attempt various means and ways to get out of the bind, but right now, he was obediently waiting for the chance to be released since he already knew that those cultivators meant no harm to him.
“Just charge into the throne hall, we will clear the Valgs for you, providing you with rear support.” Xia Mao said, and most of the cultivators who were resting concurred with that suggestion.
Except for Zi Dan.
“Don’t mind me, but I wish to see the boss myself. Have not been conserving energy so that you young chaps can clear the dungeon raid all by yourself.” Zi Dan cracked his knuckles and ready to kick some Salamander King’s ass.
He was the only few cultivators which the System had observed to have regularly paced themselves in fights.
The others always gave their best in every battle but not for Zi Dan because he knew that the dungeon would not end until the final boss was defeated. It might sound selfish, but it was part of his nature to always find not just the right opportunity but the best one.
Xiong Da took the ‘package’ from Jing Yu and shouted at the group right in front of him. “If anyone is still well and able, follow us! Or else, stay in the rear and provide support as we rush to the boss room. Remember, this is a community raid, and it means that we need to help one another to achieve the win for this raid!”
Xiong Da words echoed through the lobby, leaving behind a trail of resounding yes from the cultivators. Many had decided to stay in the rear support, knowing their fighting limits. They accepted that going to the frontline would ultimately be more than a hindrance for the capable group pitting against the final boss.
Besides, the reward system on this community raid was substantially different from the one in the goblin raid, allowing less competent cultivators to take a step back.
While the Goblin Raid Reward system awarded cultivators points for killing an orc, Jin made this particular raid’s reward system more dynamic in nature.
With the new mask user interface, vast amounts of data were being taken from each individual cultivator and consistently analysed by the System. From kill counts to assisting in kills or even by providing a supportive role, the System gave points based on how much the cultivator had contributed.
To satisfy the cultivator’s drive for accomplishments, there was a mini counter at the top right hand corner of the Mask UI interface which showed the number of points they had been awarded, prompting them to repeat or do more of those actions.
Jin also gave mini achievements and bonuses as their raid points racked up. For example, hitting 500 raid points would award them a mini feat called the ‘Frog’s Acquaintance’, and 50 bonus raid points to spend in the redemption counter. In contrast, higher levels granted better bonuses such more raid points, gifting of essential recovery items or even panda medals.
“You better hurry. The Valgs are waiting to pounce at us from various directions, and their numbers are getting bigger.” Jing Yu said to Xiong Da as he was still awaiting more cultivators to arrive at the mess she and her friends made out of the dead Giant Salamander Valg.
In the meantime, Xiong Da unknowingly observed that there was an increasing number of cultivators with their hoods and masks on in their midst.
The problem was that their masks were not of any animal shape and instead a simple semi-circle shaped mask covered in sheer blackness. Nevertheless, Xiong Da’s user interface indicated that they were friendlies, and no other information was provided.
The Hippo cultivator was a bit disturbed by the masks and hoped they were not disguised as friendlies as part of the raid. However, he had coincidentally overheard from a few casual talks by the cultivators who just arrived that those Hooded Dark Mask cultivators had superior fighting powers, saving not only their lives but allowing them to reach this meeting point.
“Then I guess, I just keep an eye on them for now.” Xiong Da thought to himself as he blew a loud whistling sound to indicate that it was time to hit the throne.
Spearheading the lead was Xiong Da with 30 over cultivators with him while Bu Dong and Kong Xian had ten cultivators covering his flanks.
True to her words, Jing Yu maintained the rear along with another group of cultivators, including Xia Mao.
At the same time, Zi Dan stayed in the centre group, which had at least twenty cultivators, and they would provide reinforcement to any groups whenever needed.
With the sounds of the Valgs roaring, heading to the supposed Salamander King was a do or die situation, but soon the cultivators would find out that the opponent they would be facing, enjoyed killing as much as she created the chaos.
