Chapter Eighty: Interrupting Magic

Ye Chen thought for a moment and ultimately refused Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed’s suggestion. It wasn’t that he felt any deep attachment to the Third Squad; rather, he considered the authority and rapport he had already established there. They understood each other after working together, making future command and coordination much smoother. After all, any team could complete the dungeon, so there was no real point in switching to the First Squad. Besides, the First Squad consisted of Dragon Soar’s top elites; earning their respect would take some effort, and there was no need to invite that trouble.

Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed was a bit disappointed, but as long as Ye Chen continued to lead Dragon Soar’s members through dungeons, it was still a good thing. Moreover, as the deputy leader of the First Squad, he could continue to join the runs and pick up some valuable experience to pass on to his own team.

In contrast, the members of the Third Squad were elated. Ye Chen had passed over the elite First Squad to stay with them, which moved them deeply. They fought with renewed vigor, and the Holy Priestess who had made a mistake earlier was so overjoyed that Ye Chen hadn’t abandoned the squad because of her that she nearly offered herself to him in gratitude. Fortunately, Ye Chen’s self-control was solid, or things might have gotten out of hand in-game...

The Rock Lord, though thick-skinned and with an enormous health pool, saw its HP steadily drop under the team’s relentless assault, quickly falling from 100% to 45%.

Ye Chen’s expression turned serious again. The Rock Lord’s second danger phase was about to begin.

“Mad Bull, get ready for Intercept Shout. I’ll cue you before the Rock Lord uses War Stomp; when I say now, use it without hesitation. If you mess up, it could wipe the whole team,” Ye Chen said, keeping a close eye on the boss’s health as he addressed Dragon Soar’s Mad Bull.

“Got it, Brother Chen.” Mad Bull immediately braced himself, nerves tight as the team’s survival depended on him.

“Brother Ye Chen, can you really predict the boss’s skill timing? Don’t bosses like this change their patterns each time?” Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed asked in a private message, his eyes bright with interest.

“There are changes, but there are also patterns. Once you grasp the pattern, it’s not hard to predict,” Ye Chen replied. Boss skill use in dungeons always followed certain rules. By observing subtle environmental cues, one could deduce a boss’s skill rotation—but these cues were minute, and without a detailed guide, most would never notice them.

Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed nodded in enlightenment. He wanted to press for more secrets but knew such knowledge was personal and not something you could easily ask for unless you were close. Still, he voiced a concern: “Should we have the melee pull back, just in case Mad Bull slips up? That way, we won’t be wiped out.”

Ye Chen shook his head. “No, doing that would trigger the area spike attack, and we’d be wiped even without War Stomp.”

“The Rock Lord can do that kind of area attack?” Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed’s heart skipped a beat.

“Yes, it’s the Rock Lord’s hidden skill in the King-level dungeon. My friends discovered it the hard way, at great cost,” Ye Chen said. He’d seen many teams wiped out by it in videos.

Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed nodded, torn between worry for the team and secret delight at how much he was learning from Ye Chen—such experience was invaluable.

42%, 41%—the Rock Lord’s HP was about to drop below forty percent. Ye Chen called out quietly to Mad Bull, “Mad Bull, stop attacking and get ready to use your skill on my signal.”

Mad Bull immediately halted, gripping his staff tightly and preparing to use Intercept Shout. The other members tensed up, their movements slowing with anticipation.

“Three, two, one—now!”

At Ye Chen’s command, Mad Bull slammed one end of his staff into the ground and let out a roar like a lion: Intercept Shout.

Almost simultaneously, the Rock Lord bellowed, his body glowing with earthy light as his massive right foot began to rise.

Everyone held their breath.

Thunk—a solid, heavy sound as the Rock Lord’s right foot crashed to the ground. The floor trembled, but no energy surged out. The interrupt had succeeded.

“Victory!” “We did it!” “Mad Bull, you’re amazing!” “Brother Chen, you’re a legend!”

The team erupted in cheers. Everyone knew how deadly War Stomp was; avoiding it meant they were more than halfway to victory.

Compared to other golden-level bosses, the Rock Lord wasn’t particularly difficult. Aside from high defense and massive HP, it mainly relied on three tricks: Spikes, Demoralizing Roar, and War Stomp. As long as you could master the pattern and the main tank was up to the task, it wasn’t too big a challenge.

Ye Chen allowed himself a small sigh of relief, but he didn’t want the team to get complacent. He quickly dampened their excitement: “Don’t celebrate yet. There’s one more crisis to go. Stay sharp until it’s over.”

Hearing there was another danger, the team calmed down. As Dragon Soar’s elites, they knew all too well that fighting a powerful boss meant life and death could hinge on a single moment. Until the boss fell, no one could afford to let down their guard. With that in mind, everyone threw themselves into the attack with renewed focus.

United in purpose, the Rock Lord’s health dropped rapidly: 10%, 8%, 6%...

Victory was in sight, but the team was even more tense. The third crisis must be the boss’s death throes—the final, desperate counterattack that was often the most dangerous. There were countless stories of teams wiped out at the last moment.

Bang! Ye Chen’s black fireball struck the Rock Lord, taking off over seven hundred damage as its HP finally dropped to 5%. With a furious roar, its body was suddenly wreathed in blood-red light. It had gone berserk.

“Mad Bull, defensive stance! Everyone else, full damage! Off-tank, be ready to take over!” Ye Chen shouted urgently. Berserk couldn’t be interrupted.

At Ye Chen’s command, Mad Bull immediately stopped attacking, but before he could brace himself, the Rock Lord’s wild assault crashed into him.

Thud, thud, thud—three rapid, fierce punches nearly sent Mad Bull flying.

-425, -416, -816. The Rock Lord’s berserk combo was frightening, and the last punch, a critical hit, instantly emptied Mad Bull’s health.

“Off-tank, take over! Mad Bull, fall back! Holy Priestess, get Mad Bull’s health back up—now!” Ye Chen shouted as he rushed forward, slipping three Blood-Coagulating Pills to the tanks. They didn’t heal much, but in a crisis, every bit helped.