Katzu managed to throw me a whole list of active Nemorino skills for my preparation, but it was only the known First Phase, the other two were not yet on the forum, nor did Katzu even have Zikei's knowledge, as no one had reached the Third Phase.
[ First Phase ]
•Harakiri
Nemorino abruptly plunges one of his axes into his chest, and green slime and poison-infused blood gushes from the wound.After 2 seconds, he releases a wave of infected energy around him into the entire area.
And he tries to poison the players around him.
All players take poison damage (the amount depends on their proximity). Nemorrino heals for 5% HP for each player hit. His damage increases by 20% for 30 seconds.
If you dodge the poison, Nemorrino tries to stab you with his axes, causing you to commit Harakiri. To remove the tag, tap another player and pass the tag.
•Rotting Sweep
Nemorrino thrusts his axes into the ground with a sharp impact, then begins to spin around his axis at inhuman speed, sending a swarm of rotting spores and a cloud of cadaverous gas into the air.
Greenish-black liquid oozes from the wounds on his body, burning, but not with light, but with shadow, extinguishing torches and magical light sources within a 10-meter radius.
Each spin causes a rotting pulse, dealing physical damage from the impact of the axes and gradual poison damage. Melee players should keep their distance or use light... if they can.
Players in melee range are afflicted by the debuff [Decay], which reduces healing effectiveness by 40% and reduces armor by 20 sec.
•The Stomp of the Swamp
Breathing heavily, Nemorrino raises both paws and brings them crashing down to the ground with a furious roar. The ground beneath him trembles, turning into a viscous mess of swamp mud.
A greenish vapor begins to escape from the cracks, filled with microspores, remnants of the previous mutagens that once permeated his body.
Each stomp sends out waves of mud that form three craters at random points across the arena. After 1.5 seconds, these craters begin to pull players in, as if the ground itself is trying to swallow those who stand too close.
When I opened the list of Nemorrino's First Phase skills, my mouth went dry for a moment. I read the description over and over again, hoping it was a joke.
The last lines of the [Rotting Swing] skill made me clench my lips.
"Melee players should keep their distance or use light... if they can.."
This postscript wasn't just a warning, it sounded like a mockery.
— Even the system itself mocks the players.
I remembered Katzu's words. His voice was still ringing in her head:
"Don't take an NPC. Nemorino reacts to light sources. And if his slime gets on your companion, it's over."
And now it was clear.
Fritte, her light-based partner, a fairy support mage with the [Fairy Light] spell, was not only useless, but also deadly to the team.
[Rotting Swipe] had a side effect: if droplets of its poisonous slime fell within a ten-meter radius, all magical light sources went out, as if someone had torn them out of the game's code.
This affected not only torches or enchantments, but even the visual effects of abilities.
"The deeper I delve into the description of Nemorrino's attacks, the colder it gets inside."
Every skill, every line, felt like a mockery of the players, as if the developers wanted no one to make it out of this fight alive.
—A mark that is only passed by the monster's gaze at you when the boar uses [Harakiri] ?
So the boss forces the players to betray each other to survive. If you don't want to die, you must touch an ally.
And pass the death to them.
I imagined what it would look like in a real battle. A red flash on the body, a countdown, panic in the voice chat, running around, and chaos. And someone who decides that their life is more important.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... and that's it."
[Harakiri] is one of the most brutal skills created for PvE. There was an irony in its name, but also a hidden philosophy: self-sacrifice for the sake of victory. However, in reality, it turns into a massacre.
And that was just the first phase.
"I'm not the only one who's already stumbled upon this data."
The Coyotes Guild must have gotten their hands on this information as well, they were too quick when it came to rare bosses and exclusive rewards.
But even they, with all their glory and pathos, could not help but realize the obvious: this time, no familiar methods will work.
You can collect a support team, buffers and heals as much as you want, drink the most expensive elixirs and summon pets. But all this is a waste of energy.
Against Nemorrino, it would be like trying to stop an avalanche with a paper umbrella. Or, as Katzu would say, "All these buffs are like throwing a toy mouse to a cat and not even moving it. The cat will look at it, yawn, and walk away."
Even if the Coyotes are the first to move, they will simply drown in their own enthusiasm. Their mass raids, the familiar coordination signals, the screaming avatars, all of it will fall apart in chaos the moment Nemorrino breathes in their direction.
—Three phases, immunity to light, constant poisoning... Even if you have ten buffs, he will still dissolve you.
Zikei explained all this not by voice, but by a letter, short, dry, as if he was afraid that even words could change the outcome of events.
He wrote like a man who had already experienced his own defeat, but did not want to admit it out loud.
"I do not know what will happen if someone really defeats a unique boss…"
"But it is better to go the canonical way. Not to break the system, not to look for workarounds. Just find an NPC named "Maraina – Daughter of the Abandoned Laboratories'" and take a related quest from her. It exists for a reason."
Of course, the Coyotes guild will be the first to talk to her, but even if they get the item, they will lose 100%, and if they lose, they will no longer be able to complete the unique offer... because for everyone, this quest is only a one-time opportunity, and once you lose, you will no longer be able to complete it.
This is a one-way journey with no way back.