Chapter 164 – Scourge Lord: Hogger
Although the experience rewards for this dungeon quest weren't particularly generous, the possibility of gear drops—and potentially even extraordinary items—made it well worth a full clear.
That said, considering the mission description ends with a fight against a clown, the difficulty of this dungeon was bound to be ridiculous. In the worst-case scenario, the place could be crawling entirely with elite monsters. It was a five-player difficulty dungeon, and trying to clear it solo was going to be a serious challenge.
Zhou Ning glanced down at himself. Due to the dungeon rules, his current identity had been designated as a subordinate of Arthas—a knight of the Silver Hand—wearing a suit of gleaming silver-white plate armor that radiated auspicious light. Fortunately, he still had unrestricted access to his weapons and skills.
He opened the dungeon map. He was now just outside Stratholme. Thanks to the Scourge Plague, the air was thick with the stench of rot, indistinguishable from reality. Even the ground was barren and desolate.
Night was falling. Ahead loomed a pitch-black forest, from which eerie rustling sounds echoed occasionally, sending chills down the spine.
"As usual, the dungeon map shouldn't be too large. Based on the simulator's storyline, Hogger should be nearby, and he'll show up with a swarm of spider fiends and gargoyles."
Zhou Ning remained on high alert, staying in the middle of the party formation. After his Observation Haki reached expert level, he no longer needed to rely on clan teachings to clearly sense his surroundings.
It didn't take long for Zhou Ning to sense something unusual. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he called out loudly, "Heads up—enemies incoming!"
Even before he finished speaking, a pack of grotesque, dog-sized creatures came charging into view. Their jagged fangs and sharp bone spines revealed their identity—ghouls. Arthas raised his hammer and hurled it at a ghoul lunging toward Zhou Ning. The number "-280" appeared in blood-red over the creature's head. Though stunned for half a second by the Hammer of Justice, the ghoul recovered almost instantly and sprang back up, snapping its jaws at Zhou Ning.
"These monsters are way tougher than I expected."
Zhou Ning's pupils contracted. Due to the protection of the dungeon's rules, NPCs inside wouldn't question his combat style. That meant he didn't need to hold back. He raised his hand, summoning Ebony and Ivory—his dual guns—and fired two blazing rounds at the ghoul.
-433! -342!
The bullets were enhanced with Armament Haki and Ripple energy, further amplified by C.A.R shooting techniques. The total damage neared 800, instantly blasting the ghoul apart.
At the same time, the game interface displayed a prompt:
---
Ghoul
Level: 52
Race: Undead
Template: Elite
Attributes: ...
HP: 415 / 695
Status: Healthy
Skills & Abilities: ...
[You have slain Elite Ghoul. Contribution: 57%. Gained 9,200 EXP.]
---
Zhou Ning: "..."
His hunch had been spot-on—even the damn dogs in this dungeon were elites. Absolutely absurd!
And because of the dungeon's aggro system, he was automatically the top threat target for all monsters. Fortunately, Arthas and Varian Wrynn were tanking up front. With them holding the line, Zhou Ning could go full DPS without worries. No exaggeration—his output alone matched that of five average players.
---
[You have slain Elite Ghoul. Contribution: 72%. Gained 12,200 EXP.]
[You have slain Elite Ghoul. Contribution: 65%. Gained 10,400 EXP.]
---
After the ghouls, the next wave of undead monsters came swarming in—cave lurkers that looked like barbed giant ants, and grotesque gargoyles resembling grey-skinned bats. Their appearances alone were menacing enough.
Both types were ranged attackers, making them trickier for Zhou Ning to evade.
That was when Jaina proved her worth. As a frost-oriented mage, she summoned a bluish glow in her hand. Surrounded by howling winds, she called down a torrent of icy blue light from above.
In a flash, the swarm of cave lurkers and gargoyles were frozen and slowed, as if submerged beneath a surging blue sea, solidifying like coral reefs.
The knights didn't hesitate. Following Arthas, they charged into battle. Varian, his black ponytail swaying, leapt high into the fray with his greatsword in hand.
Zhou Ning didn't hesitate either. He tightened his grip on Ebony and Ivory and joined the fight.
Up to this point, this dungeon had actually been quite favorable to ranged fighters like him. In fact, he couldn't recall a battle this resource-rich: Jaina controlling the battlefield, Arthas and Varian tanking up front. With that kind of setup, Zhou Ning could just stand in place and fire away—there was nothing to fear.
But the next moment, Zhou Ning saw it—
A towering, four-meter-tall gnoll with a hideous face, its body wrapped in dozens of writhing purple tentacles. It held a massive flail in one hand. The moment it appeared, it charged straight at Zhou Ning and raised the flail high.
"Boss... let me... kill them!"
"Now this is getting interesting." Zhou Ning glanced around. Arthas and Varian were currently tied up fighting a gargoyle lieutenant and couldn't assist him for now. He quickly retreated and raised Ivory in his right hand, taking aim at Hogger and pulling the trigger.
He had paid close attention to his special ammo earlier, and the very first shot triggered its effect—a bullet wrapped in golden light tore through the air and pierced Hogger's body.
It was a light-element purification bullet!
-694!
At that moment, a status panel popped up:
---
Scourge Lord: Hogger
Level: 59
Template: Boss
Race: Undead
Attributes:
Strength: 150
Agility: 45
Vitality: 152
Spirit: ???
Willpower: 55
Charisma: 4
Mood: None
HP: 2826 / 3520
Status: Healthy
Traits:
Shadow Resistance (+100% shadow resist)
Giant Creature (+2000 HP, +32 ATK)
Fear of Light (-50% light resist)
[Other traits undiscovered]
Skills:
Chain Flail Strike (Advanced)
Slam (Advanced)
Flail Shockwave (Expert)
Corruption (Expert)
[Other skills undiscovered]
---
Hogger froze for a moment from the impact, but the purple tentacles on his body writhed violently, whipping out toward Zhou Ning.
Bang!
Though he had anticipated the attack, Zhou Ning still didn't dodge in time and was sent flying, crashing hard into the ground.
-330!
His health plummeted by nearly half.
Perhaps because this was an undead-type monster, his Observation Haki couldn't fully track Hogger's thoughts or movement patterns. He'd taken the hit head-on.
If he hadn't reacted in time and pulled back just then, with his current Level 42 physique, that strike would have seriously injured—or outright killed—him.
Hogger snapped back to awareness and swung his massive flail again, hurling it straight at Zhou Ning.
A giant shadow rapidly loomed overhead. Zhou Ning urgently rolled aside and leapt into the air. The spot where he had just been standing exploded into a massive crater, sending shattered rocks and dirt flying.
Whoosh! Purple tentacles danced wildly from Hogger's body, lashing at Zhou Ning from all directions. At the same time, the flail in his hand spun into a whirlwind, launching a fierce airborne assault.
In terms of raw combat power, this Hogger gave Zhou Ning as much pressure as facing Leandro. And this was just the first boss of the dungeon!
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