Show Me the Money

According to a conservative estimate, the eighth wave boss was at least level 50 and Gold-tier. That Ice Witch could forcefully slay it all by herself, like she'd done with the Stone Puppet King, was truly wishful thinking.

Even ignoring the surrounding guards, the boss, alone, just wasn't something she could handle.

Growing deathly pale, Ice Witch's frigid face lost even more color. At a dead end, she had no choice but to retreat and find another chance later; but…

Schwick! An arrow accurately struck her, briefly rendering her dizzy on the spot.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Several gleaming streaks followed and struck the guild master. Her health plunged, quickly approaching rock bottom.

"Ice Protection!" A scroll appeared in Ice Witch's hand. She tore it, and three crystalline ice shields appeared. They slowly rotated around her to block all incoming attacks. A strange glint flashed through the ice swordswoman's eyes. She took the chance to leave battle and vanish outside the monster army.

The boss coldly eyed the spot where she'd disappeared. Then, it pointed its spear. A monster next to the boss let out a loud cry, and the mobs' attack speed instantly became much quicker.

The players' defensive strategy relied mainly on the wall. Once it was damaged, the price they had to pay to block the monster advance would be costly.

At the main front, all ten thousand members of Ice Rose Alliance were stationed there while the other three sides were held by the five thousand members of the Wind God Guild and the Sun Moon Cult. Despite the large number of people, pressure on the main side remained heavy.

Rosethorn's expression grew more and more grave. From time to time, she had to personally go out and attack.

BOOM! Another fierce charge from the enemy yet again. Nearly a hundred of the knights blocking the opening in the wall were insta-killed, unable to be saved even by the priests' healing.

The monsters attacked in a very proper formation. Their close-ranged, long-ranged, and support classes were all able to display their strengths to the fullest. The tactics almost seemed like the work of players' rather than monsters.

"Damn it! This is only the eighth wave, and it's already this strong! How are we gonna get through the next two?!" Rosethorn was extremely anxious.

A ways away, Ice Witch looked to the wall and bit her lip worriedly. Circling the edge of the battlefield, she pondered deeply a way to kill the boss.

Suddenly, an uproar broke out among the monsters near the gate. The gate had opened wide, and a team of players had rushed out.

"Guild Master!" The team of roughly a thousand players broke through the monster mob to reach Ice Witch's side.

"Very well. If one person can't kill the boss, then we'll overwhelm it with sheer numbers." Ice Witch clenched her teeth and summoned her mount. Leading the troop, she slaughtered her way through the monsters toward the boss.

Monsters still streamed endlessly onto the field; however, Ice Witch's team rushed in and cut their numbers in half.

"Kill!" shouted Ice Witch, racing at the boss.

"Kill!!!" One thousand female generals cried in unison, invoking their distinctive style. With Ice Witch at the fore, the team stampeded toward the boss' guards in a formation shaped like a sharp blade.

Clop! Clop! The Horse Specter anxiously stomped its hooves. Coldly casting the onrushing players a glance, the boss hefted its spear. Surprisingly, it sprinted forward, leading its guards toward Ice Witch's team.

BOOM! The two leaders collided explosively, and mass chaos ensued as both mounts and riders fell. But, the players were still players after all; without remotely regrouping, they instantly sprang to their feet and seized the chance to surround the group of monsters and the boss. Thus, the monsters were separated from the rest of the mob.

"This is our chance!" From her mount, Ice Witch threw out two scrolls at once. Two magical formations appeared and steeped the entire area in an ice cold atmosphere. Players, monsters, everyone's movements were instantly slowed. At the center, the boss bore the brunt of the effect, frozen in a solid layer of ice on the spot.

"Attack now!" cried Ice Witch. She pocketed her mount, raised her sword, and shot a sword light at the boss.

"HAAAH!" the players near the boss all roared and unleashed their most powerful skills.

Rumble… The thick ice around the boss received the first of the bombardment. Ice shards scattered in all directions and turned to wisps of white fog in mid-air. The boss, itself, swayed from the force of the assault, and half of its HP was gone in the blink of an eye.

"Again!"

Any other day, plans would've been properly made, and everyone would've been well-prepared before coming to slay a Gold boss. Even if the numbers were in their favor, the fight would still have dragged on for a very long time. Not to mention, this boss had as many guards as the number of players.

But, with the emergency that day, there was no time to clear out the guards. So, Ice Witch's team could only take the risk and go straight for the boss. As long as it died, the burden on the base wall would be significantly decreased.

Ba-bang! Amidst the crisis, the Horse Specter fiercely stomped its front hooves. A circle of waves radiated from the creature, paralyzing all players within a twenty-five meter radius. Racing between the players, the boss violently wielded its spear. Anyone stabbed never tasted the point twice since every hit was a oneshot.

Having slaughtered over a dozen people, the boss reached Ice Witch and lashed out. As the paralysis wore off, the guild master parried with her sword. Clang! In an instant, she felt her body go numb from the force, and it knocked her back several dozen steps.

"Kill!!!" The remaining players cheered. Disentangling from the monsters attempting to block them, the team went to assist Ice Witch. Bravely, they flung themselves directly at the boss.

Pff! Pff! Blood splattered with each spear jab. Several players fell off their horses and couldn't be more doomed.

"Hah!" A muscular knight was finally able to approach the boss after it struck down her nearby comrade. Seizing her chance when the boss hadn't yet retracted its weapon, she leaped from her mount. Soaring through the air, the knight landed on the boss. She squeezed the creature tightly and imprisoned its arms. "Sisters, attack!" the knight shouted at the top of her lungs.

Witnessing such a scene, not only were nearby Ice Rose Alliance members startled, but even the male spectators endlessly exclaimed with admiration.

"Attack!" Ice Witch bit her lips so hard that they bled. As Ice Dragon Break was cast, an ice dragon materialized from thin air and tightly coiled around both the boss and the knight hugging it. The dragon blew out one chilly breath after another without pause until the boss was frozen into a chunk of ice.

Boom boom boom! All kinds of skills landed on the ice block, carrying all the rage of the Ice Rose Alliance with them. Amidst the endless rumbling, the girl restraining the boss was blown to pieces and fell away; however, the boss' health sharply dropped to less than a tenth remaining.

"Wheat." Fatty smacked the rodent on the head. Implicitly understanding, Wheat slowly ascended until they were less than a meter away from topsoil. The rodent opened its jaws and spat. In the chaos of battle, no one saw an earth bullet burst from underground and strike the Horse Specter.

"OK." Fatty nodded. One only needed to land a single attack to quality for a cut of the loot. The beauties of Ice Rose Alliance, you can't blame lil' ol' me for my sleight of hand. And, you guys don't have time to loot all these monsters anyway.

With less than a tenth of its health left, the boss was finally enraged. A black flame suddenly blazed along its spear. The boss swung the weapon, and a wave of fire flared outward. Anywhere it passed, everything burned to ash. Even the simplest graze consumed human and monster alike.

In the blink of an eye, the players around the boss who'd originally had the upper hand were burned down to nothing. As of this point, only those players struggling with the monsters in the distance still survived. There were less than a hundred left.

After casting the first ultimate attack, the boss's body slightly trembled. Apparently, the skill had used up quite a lot of its energy. However, its health had actually regen-ed above 10%.

"Ice Storm." In this moment, Ice Witch truly had no time to think about consequences. The only thing she could do was attack with all her might.

Bam! A white light hit the boss. Tilting its body, the monster hurled its spear in response. With a clatter, the weapon pierced Ice Witch's armor and impaled her to the ground.

"Guild Master!" The remaining players paled with fright, and they all rushed to save their leader.

The boss urged its horse closer. Grabbing the spear's shaft, it directly pulled the weapon out.

Pfft! A gush of blood sprayed from the wound. With a pained smile, Ice Witch died in a white halo.

"We were so close…" Rosethorn's heart grew cold as she watched.

The onlookers all shook their heads and inwardly lamented, It's not that Ice Witch isn't strong enough. Just, that the boss is stronger than her.

"Our turn." Watching the players of the Ice Rose Alliance be killed one after the other by the mobs and noting the boss's health of little more than 10%, Fatty smacked Wheat and vanished.

"Huh?! That's…?" Seeing a figure suddenly appear next to the boss, Rosethorn's face instantly changed. "Damn you, Fatty! You actually have the guts to steal our boss! But, if you kill it, I'll consider it as you helping us this once and won't hold it against you!"

As Fatty made his entrance, players familiar with him didn't know whether to cry or laugh, and those unfamiliar eagerly asked about him. "Damn! Who's that fellow? He's so fierce!" Is this guy tired of living or something? You should consider the time and place even when KS-ing, you know!

Boom boom boom! The first attack was Wheat's Scatterstone Rain. Over ten stalagmites screamed toward and struck the belly of the Horse Specter. While the damage was low, it was enough to pull the monster's aggro.

After the head-on attack of the stalagmites, a low sound came from the back of the boss's horse. Squick! Suddenly braying long and tragically, the mount jumped several meters in the air, nearly throwing its rider.

"Despicable!" All the people observing exclaimed in rage. The female players even spat with disdain and quickly turned their faces away to avoid seeing any more.

Fatty was standing right behind the boss, and a lance picked up from God-knows-where was thrust more than half its length into the horse's anus.

Clip-clop clip-clop clip-clop! The horse galloped around like mad, knocking aside various monsters in its path. But, the more it ran, the more it suffered. The half of the lance sticking out from its butt glinted, continuing to ruin everyone's eyes.

The boss pulled at the reins to no avail as the horse simply couldn't stop. The mount frantically plowed a path through the battle and ran off into the horizon just like that.

"It ran?" Everyone was dumbstruck.

For a moment, Fatty was surprised. But, regaining his wits, he bellowed, "Your grandma! If Lord Fatty lets you get away, then won't my trip here be a wash?!"