TSA Chapter 30

Before Ran Qi could think of a solution, the boss had already teleported over, released the energy orb, and teleported away again.

“Spread out! Four Seasons, raise your shield!” Before Ran Qi could even warn the team, Night Owl’s uncanny instincts kicked in. A sudden teleport and a giant black orb left behind—clearly not good news.

The team had instinctively retreated when the boss teleported into their midst. Upon hearing Night Owl’s command, they ran even faster.

With a two-second delay before the energy orb exploded, most of them managed to escape its center. Four Seasons raised his shield high, absorbing most of the damage, while Ran Qi quickly activated Holy Light to heal everyone’s falling health bars.

Although the team didn’t notice the aggro-shifting issue, they realized the boss would teleport into their midst after summoning Black Rain and leave behind an explosive orb. From then on, whenever the boss teleported, they immediately evacuated the orb’s blast radius. Thanks to their quick reflexes, they narrowly escaped harm each time.

The skeleton boss, frustrated by its repeated failures, grew enraged. The ghostly green flames in its hollow eye sockets turned to a dark, blood-red hue. A black and red shockwave rippled outward from its body. The shattered bones scattered on the ground began to reassemble themselves into the skeletal warriors they had previously defeated.

The team was dumbfounded. “No wonder the skeletal warriors’ bodies didn’t disappear after we killed them—they just shattered into pieces. They were waiting for this moment!”

The sudden influx of minions onto the battlefield was far from ideal. Night Owl frowned slightly. “Coke, hold them off! Soul Chaser, assist him. Everyone else, focus on the boss!”

This strategy was reminiscent of the spider boss in the Shadow Forest, which summoned waves of minions. The key was to stall the small monsters and focus on killing the boss, as the minions would die automatically once the boss was defeated. Given the skeletal warriors’ tough bones and high defense, defeating them was tedious, especially since they could be revived. Thus, Night Owl only sent Coke and Soul Chaser, who had AoE skills, to manage the minions while the rest attacked the boss.

Ran Qi couldn’t help but glance at Night Owl, his eyes filled with surprise and admiration. This man was truly impressive—a skilled player who excelled at adapting to new challenges.

“Jiji!” The little black dragon on Night Owl’s shoulder suddenly took flight, spewing a breath of cursed black energy at the skeleton boss.

[System] Your pet successfully triggered the Curse of Doom skill. Skill level increased.

Night Owl’s eyes lit up. The last time the Curse of Doom activated, it reduced the target’s attack power by 15% and forced them into a sluggish state for 10 seconds. This was the perfect moment to focus fire on the boss!

“Everyone, focus fire on the boss! Full DPS!” Since he was livestreaming, he didn’t explicitly mention his pet’s skill and simply urged the team to attack.

The team didn’t hesitate, immediately ramping up their output, sparing no mana as they furiously assaulted the boss.

The boss finally fell, dropping two items. The little black dragon snatched them up before anyone could get a clear look. Thankfully, both items appeared in the system announcement, so the team could see their details.

[System Announcement] Silent until the right moment, a stunning triumph! Congratulations to players [Night Owl], [Soul Chaser], [Plume Ink], [Sword at Fleeting Time], [Coke], [Bai Ran], [Windstorm Jiangnan], [Feng Tian], [No Happiness], [Four Seasons], [Raphael], [Smoke], [Shura], [Blossoming], [Thousand Mechanisms] for achieving the first kill of the Skeleton Mage, the third boss in the Abyss-level Cat Demon Nest dungeon! Rewarded with the title [Skeleton Slayer] and [Physical Exchange Coupon *1].

[System Announcement] Player [Night Owl] decisively defeated the Skeleton Mage, forcing it to drop [Voidbreaker Staff] and [Piercing Armor – Skill Book] before fleeing.

[Voidbreaker Staff]

Restriction Level: 30 or above

Limited Profession: Mage

Grade: A

Durability: 200/200

Attributes: Basic Attack +81, Intelligence +56, Constitution +24, Critical Strike +22

[Piercing Armor – Skill Book]

Can Learn Level: 30

Limited Profession: Temple Priest

Description: Unlock the skill [Piercing Armor]. Casting time: 0.5 seconds. Cooldown: 20 seconds. Reduces the target’s physical defense by 10% (effect increases with skill level).

[World Chat] Three Words: Nothing to say—just absolute respect!

[World Chat] Curly Hair: If it’s based on DPS, that staff definitely belongs to Night Owl.

[World Chat] Twilight: Night Owl is now officially a walking turret!

[World Chat] Bear Hardship with Equanimity: This must be what it’s like to live in the world of top players!

[World Chat] Big Orange: I’d love that skill book… No wonder this team is amazing, even their healer is exceptional!

“This staff…”

Night Owl began, but before he could finish, Smoke and Blossoming eagerly interjected.

“Take it, take it!”

“You had the highest DPS—it’s yours!”

Night Owl: “…”

Their urgency to hand it over made it seem like they were trying to get rid of trash.

To be fair, the Voidbreaker Staff, while powerful, had a completely black shaft topped with a white skull adorned with red gemstone eyes. To the girls, it was simply too ugly. No matter how great the stats were, they had no interest in keeping it.

As for the skill book, it was given to Feng Tian, the team’s only Temple Priest.

For clarification, Holy Priests were buff-focused supports, excelling at healing and enhancing allies. Temple Priests were combat-focused supports, with weaker healing than the Holy Priests but strong debuffing abilities to weaken enemies.

With both types of priests on the team, their lineup was exceptionally versatile.

“Let’s move on to the next boss!” Having defeated three bosses in a row, the team was exhilarated and eager to clear the dungeon in one go.

Ran Qi, however, wasn’t as optimistic. The difficulty of the fourth stage was extremely high, with no shortcuts—only raw power could see them through. With him as the sole priest capable of AOE healing, they were unlikely to succeed.

The fourth stage was a sealed training ground where monsters would continuously spawn from four gates, attacking from all directions. Each wave became progressively stronger, culminating in eight elite monsters and two bosses—a nightmare for any player.

With the long cooldown of Holy Light, Ran Qi knew he couldn’t keep everyone healed on his own.

At this moment, Feng Tian walked over.

Fengtian hesitated, then spoke awkwardly, “Ah, brother, I was thinking that if we got a priest’s skill book or gear this time, I’d give it all to you. But, unfortunately, this skill book is for Temple Priests…”

Ran Qi glanced at Feng Tian and said, “Check your private messages.”

Feng Tian: “?”

[Private Message] Bai Ran: [Holy Light- Skill Book]—do you want it?

[Private Message] Feng Tian: Of course I do!!! But I can’t afford it…

[Private Message] Bai Ran: Just owe me for now; you can pay me back slowly later.

[Private Message] Feng Tian: No, I can’t take it. You already gave me the Recovery skill book, and I haven’t even paid you back for that yet!

This was one of the most sought-after group healing skill books for priests. It was priceless, easily worth 500 gold or more, which most players wouldn’t even dream of affording.

[Private Message] Bai Ran: I can’t use this skill book anyway, and listing it in the Trading Hall wouldn’t help since no one can afford it. It’s better if you learn it now. Plus, I think the next stage is going to be really tough. With your group healing, our chances of passing will be much higher.

Feng Tian remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing.

[Private Message] Feng Tian: I promise I’ll pay you back!

Feng Tian transferred all the money he had to Bai Ran before accepting the skill book.

[Private Message] Feng Tian: Brother, I’m so moved! I have nothing else to offer but myself!

[Private Message] Bai Ran: …That won’t be necessary.

No one noticed their private transaction. The team soon crossed through the valley and arrived at the fourth stage.

[World Chat] Pathfinder: Wow, this place is huge!

[World Chat] Misty: Why are there four doors? I suddenly have a bad feeling…

[World Chat] Jia Tu: Shut up, you jinx!

The team members’ faces darkened as they saw the four shadowy doors positioned in each direction. Clearly, they were starting to realize what this meant.

Night Owl spoke in a low voice, “Everyone, be careful. Don’t stray too far from the priests.”

“Understood.”

Cautiously, the team stepped into the wide-open arena. In the next instant, the sound of a battle horn echoed in their ears. The four massive black doors slowly creaked open, and from within, monsters howled as they surged forward in a frenzied wave.