22: Boss Activated!

With a deafening roar, a massive, towering figure erupted from the abyss of the cliff.

The sheer size of the creature was overwhelming, casting a shadow so vast that it dimmed the light around it.

Players, who had been thrown to the ground from the tremor, scrambled to their feet and gazed at the colossal being in stunned unison.

"Holy sh*t, that's huge!"

Standing at over 20 meters tall, the giant's upper body was entirely composed of dark obsidian rock. And that was just its visible portion; the rest of its immense form remained submerged in the abyss below.

One could only imagine how imposing it would be if it were standing on level ground.

In front of this behemoth, ordinary players were no more significant than ants.

But after their initial shock, their eyes gleamed with excitement and greed.

A BOSS!

And not just any boss—a Silver Grade Boss!

"Charge! Time to get that loot!"

"Did you hear about the Giant Rabbit? Drake bought two pieces of gear from Blackshade for 30 gold—over a hundred grand! That was just Black Iron Grade gear. This one's Silver Grade—easily worth millions!"

"We're gonna get rich!"

The players didn't even bother checking the boss's stats. Armed with this newfound hope, they rushed forward, weapons drawn.

Meanwhile, Drake, standing at a safer distance, had already received a heads-up from Tristan. He calmly observed the situation, using the time to examine the boss's stats.

One look, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

How is this even legal in a newbie village?

[Jerobi, Obsidian Lord (Silver Grade)]

Level: 10

HP: 400,000 / 400,000

Attack: 2,000

Defense: 3,000

Skills: Rock Smash, Boulder Throw, Hardened Skin, Crushing Blow

Description: A sealed giant lord. Though weakened by its prolonged imprisonment, Jerobi's fury and destructive power remain unmatched.

Drake winced.

This thing could probably one-shot him even with full Level 10 gear.

His party members shared his unease.

The archer glanced at his recently acquired Rabbit Tendon Longbow, then at the boss's sky-high defense, and sighed.

"Yep, no way I'm breaking through that."

Meanwhile, Holy Fire Priest Sophie focused on a different concern.

"Boss, this thing looks like it might drop defensive gear."

Drake perked up at the idea.

"If Blackshade can solo this thing, we might finally get some upgrades."

The assassin, however, voiced a more immediate concern.

"This boss isn't like the Giant Rabbit—it probably has ranged attacks. Can Blackshade dodge AoE damage?"

Drake shrugged.

"Guess we'll find out soon enough."

They didn't have to worry about testing the boss's abilities—Shadow Legion was about to handle that for them.

Activating Jerobi before DarkSaber's arrival had been part of Tristan's plan all along.

His strengths and weaknesses were clear.

On the plus side, he had unlimited Stealth and dealt absurdly high damage, easily one-shotting ordinary players.

On the downside, his attack speed was slow.

Shadow Dagger's cooldown was manageable, but without Shadow Stealth, attacking too frequently would leave him vulnerable.

With DarkSaber bringing dozens of players, killing them all—even with his abilities—would take nearly half an hour.

And if Shadow Legion decided to use corpse-running tactics, the fight could drag on indefinitely.

Why waste time? Let Jerobi take care of them.

With its massive damage output, Jerobi could clear the field in a matter of moments.

Hiding in the shadows, Tristan launched a Shadow Dagger.

Unlike the Granite Giants, Jerobi's weak spot was its abdomen. The problem was that it was covered in stone and only briefly exposed during movement.

Not that it mattered much.

With Tristan's damage, even non-critical hits could eventually take Jerobi down—it would just take longer.

But why settle for less when he could land a critical every time?

-6,356! (Weak Spot Attack)

Even with its massive 400,000 HP, Jerobi couldn't ignore over 6,000 damage in a single hit.

Moments later, Rend kicked in.

-164!

-164!

-164!

Over three seconds, the bleed effect added nearly 500 more damage, bringing the total to almost 7,000 per cycle.

At a rate of three attacks per minute, Tristan estimated he could solo Jerobi in about 20 minutes.

"Man, this thing's HP is ridiculous."

Tristan chuckled to himself, impressed by the challenge.

Meanwhile, Drake and his party were stunned.

Watching from afar, they couldn't see the exact damage numbers, but the boss's health bar told them everything they needed to know.

Drake swore loudly.

"Did I see that right? Blackshade took off over 6,000 HP in one hit?!"

Sophie, ever the analyst, adjusted her imaginary glasses.

"Specifically, 6,356 HP, followed by three ticks of about 160 damage each. That's definitely Blackshade—no one else can pull that off right now."

The archer, unfazed as always, smirked.

"Of course. That's my nemesis. This level of power is only natural."

The assassin covered his face in exasperation.

"Great. He's delusional now."

Not everyone was as amused as Drake's group.

DarkSaber, standing much closer, could clearly see the damage numbers.

The realization that Blackshade's power was growing only widened the gap between them.

"Maybe going against Blackshade was my biggest mistake."

For a moment, DarkSaber felt a pang of regret. But the die had already been cast—there was no turning back now.

Suddenly, the light dimmed.

Looking up, DarkSaber saw a massive boulder, meters wide, hurtling toward him.

Boom!

The ground shook violently as the rock landed.

Thanks to his damage-transfer skill, DarkSaber survived—but his entire team was obliterated. With no allies left to share damage, he was now completely exposed.

In desperation, he pulled out the scroll he had brought to counter Blackshade.

Its purpose was clear: expose Blackshade's Stealth and force him into the open.

Even if it didn't lead to immediate victory, DarkSaber had planned for this. He had stationed guild members at the respawn point, ready to bombard Blackshade with AoE attacks the moment he reappeared.

"Once you die, Blackshade, you'll be stuck in an endless death loop."

With a triumphant sneer, DarkSaber tore the scroll apart.

A divine light enveloped the Granite Hills as a system notification appeared.

[The Light God's gaze falls upon this land. All shadows are banished, and none may hide.]