Chapter Twelve: The Divine Moon of the Spirit Fox

“Get a high-level Holy Light priest. I’ll go all out, but the healing task is yours.” Ye Chen smiled mysteriously, saying no more, but his eyes brimmed with confidence.

Dingyuan Monk gazed deeply at Ye Chen, then burst out laughing. “Alright, I trust you. Tonight, I’ll go wild with you. Let’s take down this Silver Boss together!”

Dingyuan Monk was a straightforward man. Once he agreed, he acted without delay. The first thing to do was find a Holy Light priest. No matter how fierce Ye Chen’s attacks were, he was only a secondary healer—a level 16 at that—against a level 30 Silver Boss. Ye Chen simply wasn’t up to the task.

“Hey, I’m looking to take down the Sacrificial King. Any Holy Light priest above level 25 want to join? This is a Silver Boss; who knows what treasures it might drop. Anyone interested? Anyone?” There was no time to return to town; they had to make do with whoever was nearby. So Dingyuan Monk shouted to the crowd waiting for the Sacrificial King to leave.

“Monk, it’s not that we don’t respect you, but we all know the Sacrificial King’s strength. You can handle that Frozen World skill, but us Holy Light priests can’t.”

“I’m telling you, Monk, you better give up. As a penitent, leveling up is hard for you. If you lose a level, you’ll have nowhere to cry.”

“You really don’t know your own limits, Monk. You want to challenge a level 30 Silver Boss? Must be drunk.”

None of the Holy Light priests thought Dingyuan Monk and Ye Chen could succeed. Not only did they refuse to join, some even mocked them. Ye Chen watched them coldly, about to speak, but Dingyuan Monk, never one to take insults lying down, snapped back, “Save your useless sarcasm. I’m not buying any of it. Damn it, playing a game and all of you act like cowards. What can you even do? With your pathetic attitude, I wouldn’t want you in my team anyway.”

“Monk, we haven’t offended you. What’s wrong with not joining your team? I’ll say this: if you and that little secondary healer can take down the Sacrificial King, I’ll call you grandpa from now on.”

“Exactly, Silver Bosses aren’t easy kills. You’re dreaming.”

“Don’t want us? Even if you did, we wouldn’t join. Just watch: not only will you fail to defeat the Sacrificial King, but even if you could, not a single Holy Light priest will join your team!”

The recruitment had turned into a war of words. Ye Chen was speechless; the aura’s duration was less than fifteen minutes. If they kept arguing, there’d be no need to fight the Sacrificial King at all. These priests were truly shameless. Even if Ye Chen gave up on the boss, he wouldn’t let them benefit. He was about to pull aside Dingyuan Monk, whose face was flushed from the exchange, when a clear, crisp voice rang out.

“Who says no Holy Light priest will join their team? I’m here—a level 25 Holy Light priest with a healing stat of 625. I’d like to join.”

A slap in the face—an utterly direct humiliation. The priests who’d been jeering were suddenly red-faced, eyes darting to the speaker. To their surprise, it was a woman—a stunning, alluring beauty. The curses at their lips died away.

“You spineless men. The Silver Boss is right here, and you don’t even dare to try. Pathetic.” She wore a milk-white priest’s robe with a daring neckline, revealing a swath of snowy skin and a tempting cleavage. As she strode toward Ye Chen and Dingyuan Monk, she scoffed at the priests cowering behind, leaving them speechless.

“Add me to your team. If any Holy Light items drop, I want them.” She smiled, sending her team request.

“Ding—Player Spirit Fox Divine Moon requests to join the team.”

Spirit Fox Divine Moon? Ye Chen and Dingyuan Monk exchanged glances; she was likely a member of a clan or a studio.

“Let’s hurry and start. Monk, you open the fight. Divine Moon, keep the Monk healed. I’ll focus on output. Monk, don’t use your shout skill unless I tell you. Timing is everything.” Ye Chen glanced at his aura timer: thirteen minutes left. They had to begin at once, or they’d fail the boss.

Dingyuan Monk nodded, indicating he understood. He’d rely on Ye Chen to counter the boss’s ultimate skill, so he’d follow orders closely. Spirit Fox Divine Moon looked Ye Chen over with her big, inquisitive eyes, evidently surprised the level 16 secondary healer was leading. She’d expected the level 30 penitent to be in charge. Still, she simply smiled and nodded.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

As Ye Chen finished speaking, Dingyuan Monk wasted no words, hefted his weapon, and charged at the nearby Frost Sacrificial King. Ye Chen and Spirit Fox Divine Moon hurried after him.

“Hey, they’ve started fighting. How long do you think they’ll last?”

“Hmph, probably two hits and they’ll be sent back to town.”

“No, Dingyuan Monk can hold out well. With that female priest healing, he should be able to tank.”

“That’s only if the boss doesn’t use its ultimate. If it does, they’ll all be sent packing.”

“Just wait and see them die. Taking on the Sacrificial King—ridiculous.”

Seeing Ye Chen and his team start the battle, the gossip crowd stopped fighting monsters and watched, eager for drama. The priests who’d been mocked earlier wore sullen faces, offering cold, biting comments, clearly hoping Ye Chen’s team would be instantly wiped out.

While the crowd debated, Ye Chen’s trio had already engaged the Sacrificial King. Dingyuan Monk lived up to his reputation as the top tank in Fierce Mountain City. The level 30 Silver Boss’s Frost Arrow only dealt a little over 500 damage—a basic hit. With Spirit Fox Divine Moon stacking buffs, the boss’s attacks dropped to around 400 damage. Though the Monk’s health dipped with each hit, with Divine Moon healing, he could easily withstand the blows.

The only real challenge came from the Sacrificial King’s automatic Frost Aura. It didn’t drain health, but it slowed the attack and movement speed of nearby players, reducing Ye Chen’s efficiency. Fortunately, his attack was high enough that, even with the speed debuff, he could still dish out an average of 12,000 damage per minute. Barring surprises, the Sacrificial King could be defeated within five minutes.