Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each time the massive front paw of the Green Dragon came crashing down towards me, I evaded it with a light movement of my body.

Tap.

As the dragon’s third and final stomp came down, I lightly placed my hand on its enormous foot and used it as a springboard, launching myself upward while rotating mid-air.

Whoosh!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Sword strikes, sparkling with starlight, rained down around me, hammering into the dragon’s scales.

Thud!

The recoil from hitting what seemed like a barrier sent a shock through my sword and into my arms. I swung my sword with all my might, and using the rebound, I landed some distance away on the ground.

The defense of the scales covering the dragon's entire body was indeed formidable. Its HP was an overwhelming 200 million, but its defense made it impossible to break down with raw numbers alone.

This is what they call a world boss.

Even with more than a hundred players attacking it, the HP barely seemed to decrease. But still...

Hoooom!

As the dragon lifted both its feet, preparing to stomp down with its entire body, a massive shadow loomed over me. It felt like a giant building was collapsing on top of me.

Using the recoil from hitting its scales earlier, I had created some distance. A quick backward dodge combined with a swift strike should be enough to escape its stomp pattern.

Tap.

Though I had dodged backward, I was still within the massive shadow of the dragon. But if it were to collapse fully onto the ground, its neck would be right next to me.

The neck—the only part of the dragon that could be critically damaged despite its immense defense. However, chances to strike it were rare.

Thrust.

Ignoring the dragon's massive body now looming just above my head, I assumed the preparatory stance for my flash strike.

Flash!

Boom!

Crack!

My blade dug into the dragon’s neck, leaving a thin but long wound. My body, now a flash of light, had slipped between the dragon's scales, tearing into its vulnerable neck area.

Kraaahhh!

The dragon, feeling the sharp pain, immediately reared up and thrashed its head, twisting violently as if trying to shake off the agony.

I grinned at the sight.

If it hurts that bad, maybe you shouldn’t have let me attack like that.

Thud!

"Rain! I’m joining you!"

As the second guardian fell with a crash, I heard Chris's voice shout out.

I scanned the battlefield at her call.

This time, it wasn’t a solo play.

This was my first raid with comrades.

After taking down the first guardian, the ‘Red and White’ guild had split up their team. The melee attackers focused on the remaining guardian, while the ranged attackers began chipping away at the dragon’s HP.

The dragon’s current HP stood at:

[World Boss]
[Green Dragon]
[HP 160,851,050/200,000,000]

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

Green scales that had fallen from the guardian’s body were being driven into the ground by our teammates, forming makeshift barricades.

Kraaaahhh!

At the same time, the dragon entered a special phase, the precursor to its breath attack.

Hoooom! Thooom!

The dragon, leaping backward, landed heavily against the cliffside. Then...

Vwooom!

Crack. Boom, boom!

Massive energy began gathering around the dragon’s gaping maw, and the surrounding ground cracked, with boulders breaking off and floating into the air.

“Ah! It’s a breath attack!”

“Get out of the way! Move to the corners!”

The surviving solo players and unaffiliated parties scattered in panic.

"Rain, over here!"

Chris frantically waved me over.

The Red and White guild members moved in perfect coordination, gathering behind the barricade of fallen scales.

Boom, boom, boom!

I shook my head slightly and looked at the floating boulders that had risen around the dragon.

I could use those.

While the dragon was spewing its breath, it would be left vulnerable.

This was a prime opportunity to strike at its weakest point—the neck.

Ranged magic attacks couldn’t penetrate the dragon’s scales around the neck, but...

My sword, which could slip between the scales, would do the trick.

Taptaptap!

With my plan in mind, I dashed forward.

"Rain!"

Chris's voice, filled with worry, faded into the background as I rapidly approached the dragon. I leapt onto one of the floating boulders that had just risen from the ground.

Twice, three times, four times—using the floating boulders as stepping stones, I quickly ascended into the air until I was mere inches from the dragon's head.

Vwooom!

Starlight gathered to an extreme at the tip of my sword as I flew through the air.

For a moment, it felt like the dragon’s eyes and mine met.

I grinned.

Twisting my body, I assumed the stance for another flash strike mid-air.

At the same time, the immense energy gathered in the dragon’s mouth was unleashed forward in a devastating breath attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flash!

Slicing through the blinding green light of the breath attack, I cut past the dragon's maw and landed on its neck.

Though I was just behind the range of the breath attack, the sheer force of the tremor that shook the dragon's body was tremendous. My body shook as I stood on the scales.

My white hair fluttered in front of me like threads of silk.

With a shake of my head, I began swinging my sword once more.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

I relentlessly drove my sword between the dragon's scales, digging in, stabbing, and ripping. Flesh and green blood splattered. Shaking off the green liquid, I activated the cooldown reset ability of my bracelet.

Then, I assumed the stance for another flash strike.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The breath attack was still ongoing.

This Green Dragon must have figured that ignoring a small pest on its neck was better than dealing with the immediate threats in front of it.

But this was going to hurt.

I aimed for the spot where the scales had already been pried open and unleashed another flash strike.

Flash!

Crack, crack, crack!

The second flash strike tore away several large scales from the dragon’s neck.

Kraaaaahhh!!

The dragon let out a scream of agony and began thrashing violently, twisting its neck.

The breath attack came to an abrupt end, unable to continue.

Tap.

I launched myself off the wildly shaking dragon’s neck and landed lightly on the ground.

"Rain! Are you okay?"

Chris had rushed over to me, her face filled with concern.

What did I look like now? Had I become some sort of green monster, drenched in the dragon's blood?

"We’re still in the middle of the fight. See that?"

I pointed at the spot on the dragon’s neck where the scales had been torn away, revealing a deep wound.

Chris’s eyes lit up.

“If we aim for that spot...”

I nodded at her.

That part of the dragon’s neck wouldn’t be able to resist magic.

Kraaaahh!

The dragon, having recovered from its thrashing, locked its furious gaze on me. Rage burned in its eyes.

Taptaptap!

I quickly moved back to the main tank position.

The poison fog spreading across the battlefield in the aftermath of the breath attack didn’t affect our raid party.

I glanced at the faint green aura surrounding my body and smiled.

"The general dungeon gimmick works here, too."

This poison resistance buff was obtained from a gimmick in the 'Poison Spider's Nest' dungeon within the Berberia Plains. By not defeating the boss after obtaining the buff and leaving the dungeon, the buff remained active.

Normally, the constant poison damage from the fog would be a major hindrance, but with this buff, there was no need for antidotes, and the damage-over-time effect was nullified.

With the poison fog handled, the dragon's powerful defenses and resistances had been neutralized.

We had even survived the breath attack without harm.

Now, all that remained was the flying phase.

Kraaaahhh!

I locked eyes with the bloodshot dragon and raised my sword.

---

[World Boss]
[Green Dragon]
[HP 115,476,057/200,000,000]

The solo players had been wiped out in the first breath attack. GG Squad’s main forces were holding off rival factions at the edge of the forest.

Only the Red and White guild's raid team remained in front of the dragon's lair.

But the dragon’s HP was dropping much faster now than when hundreds of players had been attacking it.

Boom, boom, boom!

Kraaahh!

The ranged attackers from the Red and White guild accurately targeted the exposed spot on the dragon’s neck, unleashing their skills.

Flash.

I timed my flash strikes perfectly, using the dragon’s attack patterns to strike its neck whenever it entered my range.

Boom!

Deathmaster, standing next to me, delivered a crushing punch to the dragon’s neck and flashed me a grin. I smiled back.

“You sure you can fight upfront? These patterns are tough.”

“Practicing for the main tank role.”

Whoosh!

Tap, tap!

With those words, Deathmaster smoothly dodged the dragon's incoming front paw with a backward dodge.

Boom! Boom!

Kraaah?!

Just as the dragon was about to stomp with its hind leg, it hesitated for a moment. It seemed confused.

“Grrr! Leroy! Hopkins!”

Boom, boom!

Two fighters, Hopkins and another warrior, had stopped the dragon’s hind leg in its tracks.

Blue flames of energy surged from their bodies.

These warriors were

 using the 'Thousand Pound Drop' and 'Strength Contest' skills—skills exclusive to the Tower of Training for warriors.

With their overwhelming strength gear, the warriors had managed to temporarily halt the dragon’s movements.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The moment the dragon stopped moving, the ranged attackers poured their magic into the exposed spot on its neck.

The dragon’s HP finally dropped below 50%.

Kraaaahhh!

Flap!

The dragon’s massive wings unfolded with a powerful flap.

Whoooosh!

“Ugh!”

“What is this!?”

Caught in the gust of wind from the wingbeats, the Red and White guild members were forced to crouch low and scatter.

Flap, flap, flap.

The dragon’s enormous body slowly began to lift off the ground with each flap of its wings.

Seeing a creature of that size take flight was almost unimaginable.

It defied the laws of physics.

The second special phase.

The prelude to the flying phase had begun.