Zack eyes already fixed on the gate ahead, a massive arch of black stone veined with molten cracks.
The heat-warped doorway towered before them, its glowing surface throbbing like a slow heartbeat.
Cracks of red light spilled across the stone floor and every few seconds, a low metallic growl rumbled from the other side.
A low tremor rolled beneath their feet. Heat gusted through the room, hot enough to sting their eyes.
[Boss Room Detected]
[Infernal Vanguard – Lv.8]
HP: 26,000 / 26,000
Obi stared at the inscription glowing above the door. "Vanguard? Sounds like he takes his job seriously"
The gate split open with a shriek of stone, spilling a wave of heat that made their vision flicker.
From the firelight emerged a towering knight of blackened armor, each plate leaking streaks of lava.
His sword burned like a furnace pipe and his helm glowed from within, hollow except for two coals of light.
When it spoke, the sound was metal grinding over flame.
"The sanctum rejects intruders."
The Infernal Vanguard moved first.
It dashed forward faster than something that size should have been able to, the floor cracked beneath its step.
Obi barely had time to raise his shield before the flaming sword came down.
–182 (Blocked)
[Burn] – 38 HP/sec
Obi slid back several feet, boots scraping against the scorched stone. "Heavy swing! He's got boss-tier strength"
Zack lifted his dagger, eyes flashing blue.
[Divine Barrier]
"Hold that line" he said, voice calm. "I'll handle the adds when they spawn"
As if on cue, molten cracks split open around the arena, three Cinder Shades (Lv.5) clawed their way out, smaller but blazing fast.
Haze didn't wait.
[Shadow Mirage] → Activated
Her clone darted left while she went right, the two cutting down the first Shade before it could even finish forming.
Backstab – 412 (Critical)
Mirage – 288
PointAndShoot raised her staff next, crystal tips glowing icy blue.
[Frost Shard] → 498 (Weakness Bonus)
The second Shade froze mid-lunge and shattered with a sharp hiss.
"Two down!" she shouted.
"Good" Zack said, forming a glowing ice spear midair.
[Ice Lance] → 522 Damage
The last Shade burst apart in a flare of blue-white light.
But before anyone could breathe, the Vanguard slammed its sword into the ground.
Flames erupted in a ring around him, molten cracks racing outward.
[Infernal Pulse – 220 Fire Damage AoE]
Iris swung her staff, light pooling beneath the team.
[Sanctuary Field] → +60 HP/2 sec (AoE Heal)
Zack grit his teeth, health dipping hard. Iris's heal barely caught up.
"Stay out of the center!" she warned, pouring light into her next spell.
[Rejuvenate] → +40% MP Regen (Self)
"Working on it!" Obi yelled, charging forward through the flame. His shield shimmered with molten reflection.
[Explosive Impact] → 660 (Critical)
The Vanguard staggered, its molten armor flickering. Obi smirked. "That got his attention"
The boss turned, sword igniting again. "Your courage will be ash"
"Same to you" Zack muttered, while raising hands.
The air around him shimmered with runic light, three spell circles locking together in sequence.
[Arcane Surge] → Ice Lance → 590
[Chain Lightning] → 2 hits ( 368 + 352 )
Electric arcs burst across the armor, cracking its molten shell, Haze darted through the gap, blades flashing blue from lingering frost residue.
[Dual Strike] → 248 + 252 (Bleed Applied)
[Poison Dagger Passive] → 36/sec
The boss roared, flame leaking from its joints.
[Infernal Vanguard – HP: 12,200 / 26,000]
"Halfway!" PointAndShoot called out, already charging her next spell.
[Fireball] → 248
Iris followed up, raising her staff Heal + Holy Ward
Zack advanced, runes on the ground activating in a gentle glow beneath his feet.
"Focus fire" he ordered. "End it before it charges again."
Obi slammed his shield against the vanguard sword, sparks showering between them.
Haze and her mirage blurred together, one final synchronized strike flashing through the smoke.
[Shadow Mirage Combo] → 240 + 190
Ice Lance → 532
The Vanguard's fiery core throbbed once, twice and then collapsed. The armor burst outward in a flash of crimson, dissolving into drifting ashes.
[Infernal Vanguard Defeated]
EXP +420
Loot: Ember Sigil ×1 | Flame-Touched Cloak ×1 (Uncommon)
The warmth evaporated from the room, leaving only the subtle crackle of cooling rock.
Obi set his shield down on the ground. "If that was level eight," he murmured, "we're probably level 10 for it."
PointAndShoot opened the loot window. "One cloak. Uncommon. That's... the worst loot she's ever received."
Iris reviewed the stats and equipped it wordlessly. "At least it fits the theme of the dungeon."
Zack observed the golden banner wave through the dimming light.
[Dungeon Cleared – Ember Sanctum]
[First Clear Bonus Awarded: +5 Stat Points]
The glow faded. No treasure chest. No skill book. Just silence where the boss had been.
Obi grimaced. "Feels like we just plundered an empty vault."
Haze tucked her daggers away." If this is the loot, I'm convinced the boss died of shame before dropping it"
PointAndShoot also quipped. "So… five stat points and a letdown. Great haul."
Zack let out a slow breath. "At least we gained some solid experience and stat points"
He accessed his status window, his eyes darting to the experience bar.
[EXP: 12,500/ 20,000 → 7,500 remaining]
Then he allocated the stats into Vitality → +5
[Character Status – Zack | Priest | Level 4]
HP: 495/ 495
MP: 490/ 490
Magic Attack Power: 220-227 | INT: 76 | VIT:21 | Physical Defense: 39
"Still a long way to go" he muttered softly. Leveling became increasingly difficult after four, the system made sure of that.
"Sure" Haze replied dryly.
Iris offered a weary smile. "Next time, perhaps we'll tackle an ice dungeon"
***
By the time Zack's party reached the ridge, the battle was already in full swing.
The Molten Drake's HP had already dipped below half.
The heat warped the air and fiery streaks split the earth, glowing like living veins beneath the surface. The Molten Drake roared, its scales gleaming crimson-gold under the haze of fire and ash. Each wingbeat sent ripples of molten dust across the battlefield.
[Molten Drake (Lv.8)]
[HP: 38,900 / 132,000]
Fireballs streaked through the smoky air as dozens of players scrambled for position. The ground was littered with potion bottles and scorched marks.
A party of four was shouting over the field, their voice so loud, even the boss maybe heard it and stopped.
"Who pulled aggro again?!"
"It wasn't me, it's the mage—"
"You are the mage!"
Nearby, two groups clashed mid-fight, arguing over whose boss it is while the drake hurled magma orbs in every direction.
[Critical Hit – 512!]
[Player "RivenFox" has been defeated.]
Haze muttered, "At this rate, the boss will wipe them all before anyone claims the kill."
Obi's grin widened. "Even better. Free stage once the turmoil settles"
PointAndShoot shook her head, watching one of the parties trying to kite the drake in a circle. "They're panicking. Look at that formation— no frontline, no heals left"
Iris said excitedly. "So your plan is to let them burn out, then finish the job?"
Zack's eyes never left the health bar.
"Yep. Let them do the work. We'll take the glory."
The drake reared back, unleashing a blast of inferno breath that scorched half the valley.
[AoE Damage: 260!]
[14 Players Defeated.]
Global chat exploded.
[World Chat]
IronSpire: "Stop griefing the boss, you clowns!"
Cruxian: "We found it first! Back off!"
Starvy: "Too late. It's public now. Deal with it."
TraderProX: "Selling Revive Stones – 2 for 10 gold near Molten Drake!"
Zack tilted his head slightly. "Looks like the market's thriving"
Haze unsheathed her daggers, her smirk faintly visible through the heat shimmer. "So… when do we join the fun?"
Zack waited, watching the drake's HP bar drop a little further as another party wiped.
[Molten Drake – HP: 30,000 / 132,000]
"Soon" he said. "Once they hit around 10 percent, we strike"
The volcano field looked like a war zone.
Over a hundred players had gathered, all hammering at the same target; a massive, Blazing-scaled dragon thrashing at the center of the crater.
Flames rolled off its wings in waves.
[System Warning: Field Effect – Extreme Heat: -10 HP/sec]
Low-level players couldn't even get close. Anyone below level 2 had already collapsed.
[Zone Chat]
BurntToast: "Can't even breathe near that thing"
Shino: "If you're under lvl 2, just log out, man"
Hoot: "This field is actual hell"
The boss slammed its tail into the ground, magma splashing out.
Three fighters went flying instantly.
[Player Riko has been defeated.]
[Player Moonstrider has been defeated.]
The Molten Drake screamed, ember scales cracking like breaking glass.
The ground trembled, fire geysers shooting up around the battle zone.
[Molten Drake – HP: 8,300 / 132,000]
Zack murmured, "Showtime"
"Keep DPS steady!" someone screamed. "We've got this!"
Half the party were shouting over each other, mages arguing about heals, priest's running dry on MP, tanks trying to hold aggro with low Health Points.
A surviving group at the front around twelve players were all that remained coordinated. Their leader, a spear user with cracked armor, grinned through the flames.
"We're the only ones left! Keep burning it down!"
"Victory's ours!"
[Molten Drake – HP: 6,200 / 132,000]
From a distance, it almost looked heroic; a ragged band of survivors pushing against impossible odds.
Until the wind changed.
A faint chill rolled through the scorched air.
Someone frowned. "...Wait. Is it just me or did it get colder?"
Five silhouettes stood at the ridge.
Zack's party.
Obi cracked his neck, resting his shield on his shoulder. "Less than twenty players, one boss below ten percent… and no clear? We'd be idiots to walk away"
Haze smirked. "I give them credit though, fine job softening it up for us."
PointAndShoot tilted her head. "Almost five free stat points incoming~"
Iris adjusted her staff. "Is this what being the villain feels like?"
Zack smiled faintly. "Maybe"
Below, the survivors pushed harder.
[Molten Drake – HP: 5,200 → 3,900 → 2,700]
"Almost there!" the spear user shouted. "Stay on it! We're—"
A blue flash silenced him mid-sentence.
[Ice Lance] → 642 (Critical)
[Player Arkos has been defeated.]
"What the—who was that!?"
Another blur—Haze.
[Dual Strike] → 272 + 180 (Bleed Applied)
[Poison Passive] → 38/sec
[Player Sera has been defeated.]
"Ambush!" someone screamed. "They're stealing the kill!"
[Zone Chat]
Arkos: Who the hell killed me?!
Miot: No way, that's the same team who took Global first clears!
SpearHead: They just wiped a whole squad in seconds!
LavaLord: Forget them—kill the boss now!!
Obi crashed through the front line like a tank-shaped meteor.
[Shield Bash] → 271 (Knockback + Stun)
[Player Dren has been defeated.]
Zack's voice was calm amidst the chaos.
"Obi, hold aggro. Haze, Point—clean up"
The Molten Drake turned, roaring at its new enemies.
[Molten Drake – HP: 1,900 / 132,000]
Iris planted her staff.
[Sanctuary Field] – Restores 60 HP/2s (10s)
Zack raised his staff, runes flaring blue.
[Chain Lightning] → 3 enemies defeated (2 Priests, 1 Mage)
[Molten Drake – HP: 950 / 132,000]
Haze's shadow clone darted beside her.
[Shadow Mirage Combo] → 220 + 188
The drake let out a piercing cry as fiery lines tore across its scales.
Zack stepped forward.
[Arcane Surge Active]
[Ice Lance] → 688 (Critical)
[Molten Drake – HP: 0 / 132,000]
The battlefield fell silent. The dragon's corpse collapsed into steaming slag as players stood in stunned disbelief.
[Field Boss Defeated: Molten Drake (Lv.8)]
EXP +2,240 (Shared)
Zack immediately triggered Adrenaline Rush and his Wind Boots (+20 Agility), darting across the field to grab the drops.
Haze joined, scooping the remaining loot before anyone could react.
Then came the sky-wide announcement.
[First Field Boss Kill – Molten Drake (Lv.8)]
[Zone Chat]
Arkon: What's with that priest's damage?!
FlameKite: They just wiped everyone and took it?
HotPot: Why my system telling me I got killed by a Priest??
Pyra: We were so close…
Mirae: New nickname confirmed: The Vulture Priest.
Obi burst out laughing as he saw the Zone chat. "Vulture Priest! Ha! I kinda like it"
Haze smirked. "Fitting, honestly"
Zack flipped open his Return Stone. "Talk later, lets return to safe zone first"
[Return Stone Activated – Teleporting in 5… 4… 3…]
As the light swallowed them, the battlefield burned quietly behind —
a hundred defeated players, one dead dragon
and one new legend: The Vulture Priest.