Don slowed slightly as he watched the three players ahead. For a brief moment his thoughts drifted back to what Solely Loving Autumn Rain had told him earlier, that her real name was Diana. Then his attention sharpened again.
The trio wasn't weak. Not top-tier, but not bad either. The dark-skinned boy was tall and broad-shouldered, built like a frontline fighter, though his face still carried traces of youth. The second was fair-skinned with short hair, sharp eyes, and an energetic confidence about him.
And the girl was petite and graceful, around 1.65 meters, with delicate features and clear eyes, a classic support-type presence. Even without visible IDs, their equipment gave them away: two Human Mercenaries and one Sea Elf Priest.
They were running. Fast. Desperately.
"Bro!" the dark-skinned one shouted. "You take Sister Bernita and go! Leave me!"
The fair-skinned boy snapped back immediately. "Run? Even if we die, we take this thing down first!"
The priestess cried out in panic. "Brother Nuo! I'm out of mana potions!"
"You just had them!"
"I drank them all!"
"…You little pig!"
Even in danger, they were still arguing. Don almost laughed. ' What an interesting group.'
Then he shifted his focus to the thing chasing them, and his expression changed. A massive creature, over three meters tall, its entire body burning with crimson flames. Its horns curved sharp and lethal, like blades forged from fire.
[Flaming Goat King]
[Grade: Normal Boss
[Level: ???]
[HP: ???]
[Attack: ???]
Everything unknown, which meant one thing. High level, at least eighteen or above. But its HP was already at half.
Don's eyes flickered. 'They've done this much damage?'
These three were stronger than they looked. And if he joined, this fight could be won.
Without hesitation, he called out. "Hey! Need help?"
The fair-skinned boy responded immediately. "Yeah! If you're free, help us! We'll split the drops!"
Don smiled faintly and moved. The dark-skinned mercenary was skilled, even under pressure, he adjusted position instantly, pulling the boss toward Don. 'Good awareness.'
At the same time, a system notification appeared:
[Player Cappuccino invites you to join team.]
At that moment, Don thought of something and raised his hand slightly. "Wait."
He quickly opened his team interface and spoke calmly. "Diana, pass me leader for a second. I need to link teams."
"No problem."
The golden leader icon shifted and transferred. Don accepted the invitation, and the teams merged. In that instant, everyone froze, because now they could see each other's identities. Don's eyes narrowed slightly.
[Cappuccino, Level 13.]
[All the Way Through Dust, Level 14.]
[Ice Feather Bernita, Level 11.]
Top-tier players. Recognizable names. Meanwhile, their reaction was even stronger.
Through the linkage of teams they can all communicate as a team.
"…Diana? Ranked third on the leaderboard?!"
"If you work hard enough you can get there too..."
"I'll do my best brother!"
Diana sighed lightly. "I'm female. Not 'brother.'"
Silence. Then Bernita smiled. "Sister, your voice is really nice."
Diana chuckled softly. "And yours isn't bad either, little one."
The tension eased slightly.
Don quickly checked their stats, Bernita at 1,305 HP, Cappuccino at 1,450, and Dust at 320. Solid and balanced.
The priest clearly had Constitution investment, which meant good survival and good design.
No wasted time. Don stepped in. He immediately opened his inventory and threw out his blue potions. "All yours."
Bernita blinked. "Wah, low-grade blue potions?! So expensive"
Don almost lost it. "Silly girl! Who cares about price right now?! He's about to die!"
Bernita snapped back to reality, drank a potion instantly, then raised her staff. A healing spell landed, plus five hundred HP. Dust's health bar surged upward. Saved.
But Don wasn't done. He noticed their red potions were almost gone. Without hesitation, he tossed over a stack.
"Take these too." One hundred Red Potions. The team froze for a moment. Even in a life-or-death situation, that gesture was insane.
Don didn't explain. He didn't hesitate. Didn't look back.
Because in front of them, the Flaming Goat King roared, flames surging, pressure rising. The real fight was about to begin.
However, with the support of Don's potions, the situation gradually stabilized. Dust, still recovering, downed a potion in one gulp and exhaled heavily. "…Damn. That saved my life."
Cappuccino grinned. "Call him bro properly first."
Dust glanced at Don again, squinting slightly. "You look young… twenty-one? Twenty-two?"
Don snorted. "I'm twenty-three."
Dust froze, then immediately corrected himself. "…Good morning, brother."
Cappuccino burst out laughing. "Wrong order. You should call me brother too. I'm twenty-five."
Don rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Good morning, old man."
Despite the tension, the atmosphere lightened. Don had always been like this, straightforward, easygoing. If he clicked with someone, he spoke freely. And that sincerity was often returned.
Meanwhile, the fight continued. Cappuccino quickly shared the boss's full attributes.
[Flaming Goat King]
[Grade: Normal Boss]
[Level: 18]
[HP: 210,953]
[Physical Attack: 605–670]
[Physical Defense: 400]
[Magic Defense: 350]
[Skills: Heaven and Earth Strike, Charge, Combo]
Don's eyes narrowed slightly. Level 18, that damage was no joke. If it hit him directly, it wouldn't just hurt. It could kill.
Fortunately, aggro was firmly locked on Dust, which meant Don could attack freely.
Dust grinned through the pressure. "Brother Don… your HP is insane. You added Constitution?"
Don laughed lightly. "A thief adding Constitution? That's just asking to be useless."
As he spoke, his dagger struck again.
[Backstab, 1,102!]
The damage number exploded, and the three of them froze. "…Over a thousand?"
Don shrugged casually. "What's wrong?"
Cappuccino swallowed. "That's not normal. Even max stats wouldn't hit that hard. A thief's strength growth is only eight"
Don didn't respond, he just smiled faintly. 'Normal thief. Not me.'
His Strength growth was eleven, a completely different scale.
Meanwhile, he observed Cappuccino's damage. Four hundred, four hundred and one, sometimes lower, but consistent. Every hit landed. And occasionally, a heavy strike would spike past twelve hundred.
Don's eyes flickered. A pure Strength build. Mercenaries had high Strength scaling, and combined with heavy weapons, their burst was terrifying. But there was a tradeoff: speed. Don's dagger was far faster, more than twice the speed of a spear. This was why thieves were feared, sustained damage, relentless pressure.
The boss roared, its attacks slamming into Dust repeatedly. Over five hundred damage per hit. Even with Bernita's healing, Dust couldn't maintain stable HP. Potions, healing, positioning, everything was barely holding together.
Meanwhile, Don and Cappuccino unleashed continuous attacks.
Ten minutes passed. The boss's HP dropped rapidly, falling below twenty percent. But then something changed. The heat intensified. The air warped. Even approaching the boss became difficult.
Don's instincts flared. 'Something's wrong.'
Without hesitation, he stepped back and pulled out his bow. "Everyone, back off. It's about to go berserk."
Before he even finished, Cappuccino had already retreated. Don glanced at him briefly. 'Sharp guy...'
Dust also disengaged quickly, drinking a potion mid-step. And Bernita, surprisingly, stopped healing.
Don noticed immediately. 'Good awareness.'
If she healed now, she might pull aggro, and in berserk mode that meant instant death for her.
The battlefield fell into a brief silence. The Flaming Goat King stopped moving. Then its body ignited. Flames surged violently, expanding outward, brighter, hotter, more intense. The ground cracked. The air trembled.
And then a system notification rang out. The message that followed made even Don's expression tighten slightly, because this was far worse than a normal berserk.