"Explosive Shot!"
"-635"
"-60"
"-685"
"-60"
"-2032"
"-60"
"-914"
"-60"
In one strike, over 4506 HP was instantly shredded from the boss — the 2000 HP health bar was obliterated in a flash!
"What just happened?"
In that instant, the entire battlefield fell deathly silent — you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone stood frozen, minds blank. The terrifying strings of damage numbers that floated above the boss's head in its final moments kept flashing in their minds.
The mage was still channeling their spell.
The warrior's blade was still mid-swing.
The healer's restoration spell was only halfway cast.
Xiaoyao Qingfeng and Yuncheng Emperor were just gearing up for action...
It was as if the entire moment had been forever frozen in time.
Those three seemingly ordinary arrows had changed the entire battle — no, the entire world…
Only Jiang Bai, after using the medal skill [Purification], took advantage of the 5 seconds of control immunity to unleash two [Multi-Shots], wiping out dozens of assassins in front of him.
This only worked because they had been careless. The assassins, having locked Jiang Bai down earlier, thought he was permanently disabled and didn't even bother to stay in stealth.
"BOOM!"
The boss's mountain-like body crashed to the ground, the impact shaking the earth and snapping everyone out of their daze.
At the same time, the system-wide announcement rang out once again.
"Congratulations to Newbie Stronghold 101 for achieving the first kill of Boss [Slaughterer Gonzales]! All 101 members receive +3 free attribute points, 1 gold coin, 20,000 EXP, and a mysterious gift pack!"
The blazing red announcement repeated three times, making everyone green with envy.
"Just a bit short!"
Jiang Bai sighed regretfully. "If I'd known it would crit, I would've acted earlier. Maybe we could've gotten first place."
After 101's announcement ended, the notice for Jiang Bai's own Stronghold 33856 came up — second place server-wide. All members received +2 free attribute points, 10,000 EXP, and 5000 copper coins. As for the gift pack? Nothing!
This was a devastating loss for the entire stronghold.
Once rewards were distributed, the system indicated that Stronghold 33856's [Demonic Invasion] event had ended. Act Two of the story would now begin — and all event-related buffs were removed.
When everyone finally realized what had just occurred, their eyes locked onto Jiang Bai.
"Instant 4500 HP?! Did I see that right?"
"That damage… I have no words."
"That's 3 seconds' worth of skills minimum to deal that kind of god-tier damage!"
"Damn… This guy's terrifying…"
Meanwhile, Yuncheng Emperor and Xiaoyao Qingfeng's faces had gone completely pale.
"You useless trash!!"
"You couldn't even lock down one guy?!"
"I swear—!"
Unable to contain his rage and frustration, Yuncheng Emperor turned around and furiously cursed out the assassin squad — but mid-sentence, he froze.
Because all that remained around Jiang Bai... were corpses.
"Hey, buddy."
While looting the boss's drops, Jiang Bai looked up and gave Yuncheng Emperor a devilish grin.
"You're finished."
Then, Jiang Bai issued his first full-server shout since entering the game — which cost 1 gold coin per use.
"Revenge... starts NOW!!!"
The bold red text seared into everyone's vision.
At that moment, Xiaoyao Qingfeng and Yuncheng Emperor's expressions turned even uglier.
"Fk!!!"**
Xiaoyao Qingfeng gritted his teeth and pointed at Jiang Bai, yelling, "Brothers, GET HIM! Before he finishes looting — trap him, kill him!!! Today is the day we settle the score with this bastard. Either he dies, or we do. For Xiaoyao's honor — ATTACK!!!"
Clearly, only Xiaoyao Qingfeng's most loyal diehards had survived. Even knowing it meant certain death, not a single one hesitated. Over 200 Xiaoyao Guild members charged at Jiang Bai in unison.
"-1"
"-5"
"-17"
"miss"
…
The damage was weak, but the numbers were overwhelming. On top of that, over 150 members of Yuncheng Guild also joined the assault.
Jiang Bai now stood alone against hundreds — like he was up against the entire world. But he remained unmoved.
His HP bar dropped rapidly. From 2180 down to 1500 in just a few seconds.
"Heh."
Jiang Bai sneered. He knew the odds were against him, but he had already resolved himself. Even if he died, even if he lost a level — these two guilds would pay dearly!
"Multi-Shot!"
In a flash, countless arrows gleamed in the sunlight, raining down upon the priests of both guilds.
"-488…"
"-914…"
"-407…"
Wails erupted across the battlefield. The squishy, low-defense healers simply couldn't survive Jiang Bai's barrage!
Over twenty priests fell instantly.
With a critical hit triggered, Jiang Bai unleashed [Multi-Shot] again. The densely packed backlines of mages and priests were torn apart, leaving a gaping hole!
Two Multi-Shot volleys — at least 50 kills!
And those 20,000+ damage points instantly restored Jiang Bai's HP to full.
Lifesteal properties are especially terrifying during AoE attacks.
Both guilds fell into despair.
"How the hell are we supposed to beat this guy?!"
After wiping out the healers, Jiang Bai turned his gaze to Yuncheng Emperor, bow fully drawn.
"Sh*t!"
The moment Jiang Bai locked eyes on him, Yuncheng Emperor shivered uncontrollably, overwhelmed by dread.
He had no thoughts of fighting — just bolted. But before he could even take a step…
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Three arrows shot from afar, piercing straight through his chest.
INSTANT KILL!!!
"EmptyDreams, I swear I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth!!!"
Yuncheng Emperor roared in the channel as he died.
"BEAST!"
"What a monster!"
"EmptyDreams is my dad! My REAL dad!!"
Players erupted in celebration as Jiang Bai one-shot Yuncheng Emperor.
Xiaoyao Qingfeng reacted quickly — the moment Yuncheng Emperor tried to flee, she'd already started running. Unfortunately, before she could escape Jiang Bai's range…
"Stunning Shot!"
One shot took over half her HP and stunned her. The follow-up normal attack finished her off.
Respawn Point.
Just revived — and down one level — Yuncheng Emperor and Xiaoyao Qingfeng looked like they'd eaten pig liver, gnashing their teeth.
"FK!!!!"**
"I don't care if I lose everything — I'm taking down EmptyDreams! I refuse to believe my thousands of Yuncheng brothers can't kill ONE guy!"
"All Yuncheng brothers — rally up!!!"
"Hunt down EmptyDreams!!"
"KILL HIM!!!"
Yuncheng Emperor raged.
Meanwhile, Xiaoyao Qingfeng had completely lost her mind too — her bloodshot eyes glaring as she screamed in the guild channel:
"Everyone in the guild! Every single one of you! Gather outside the village gate — NOW!!! IMMEDIATELY!!! We're gonna end EmptyDreams!!!"
"KILL HIM!!!"