When Ryan was still about thirty yards away, Dreadfang Alpha Guderian suddenly roared and rose to his feet. A shimmering aura flickered around his body, activating a glowing buff.
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Guderian's Demonic Ward (Arcane): Strengthens the host's body, reducing incoming Arcane damage by 90% and granting a chance to reflect Arcane spells. The effect resets every 10 seconds.
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Demonic Ward was Guderian's first skill. Every ten seconds, the shield randomly cycled—sometimes resisting spell damage, sometimes reducing physical hits, sometimes reflecting magic, and even bouncing back melee attacks. For any team, it usually meant at least one DPS would get knocked out of the fight early.
But in spite of that, there was one unique attribute in the game that ignored all of that—Radiant.
None of the game's monsters, not even bosses, had Radiant resistance. It was the one attribute that bypassed everything. And so, unless Guderian rolled a physical shield, his defense did nothing to stop Ryan's attacks.
As soon as the two made contact, Ryan was immediately hit hard by the boss's opening strike.
−88
Eighty-eight damage—nearly a third of his health gone in a blink. But Ryan didn't flinch. He countered with a strike of his green-tier longsword, and the numbers told the real story.
−332 (Critical)
−113
That golden crit wasn't a basic swing—it was Fist of Light. Radiant attacks were especially effective against demon and undead-type monsters. Guderian was no exception.
Even though the damage spike was thrilling, Ryan didn't linger on the sensation. The moment the animation finished, he quickly slipped past Guderian and bolted toward the spiral staircase.
In this game, beginner-zone monsters were slower than players. That rule applied even to Guderian, which was the strongest monster in the entire starting area.
Guderian's speed was slightly faster than other mobs but still lagged behind Ryan's. If Ryan so much as hesitated, he'd be caught within seconds.
Up the winding steps he ran, slowly widening the gap between himself and the snapping jaws below. After more than ten seconds of nonstop sprinting, Ryan reached the top. Right beside him was the exit portal out of Blood Hollow.
He took a moment to catch his breath, then turned and grinned as Guderian closed in. Waving mockingly at the boss, Ryan leapt from the 40-yard-high ledge without hesitation.
−42 (Fall Damage)
Guderian didn't follow. He turned and began climbing the stairs again from the bottom.
It would take the boss nearly twenty seconds to make it all the way back up from where it was.
Ryan calmly cast Radiant Light, restoring his health to full, and stood still, waiting.
This was it. The kite strategy.
Guderian was the first boss in the game that could be kited—and the only one that could be solo-kited by a Paladin. In fact, he was the only dungeon boss a Paladin could ever kite alone.
Ryan planned to use him to earn his first serious payday.
No player could skip this boss. Not if they wanted to leave the dungeon. And Guderian was the only source of green-tier loot in the entire starting zone—including the only ring drop available before level 15.
The main quest to leave the starter zone began with Warden Nard, who assigned players the mission to slay Dreadfang Alpha Guderian. Only after completing that task could a player spend 50 silver to rent a carriage and travel beyond the starting area to new regions.
−318 (Critical)
−104
Another clean critical hit. Ryan took about 90 damage in return but just chuckled as he slipped past the boss again, dashing back up the spiral staircase.
After a few more kite loops, Guderian's health finally dropped below 50%.
At half health, the boss's new abilities began to trigger in sequence. They were designed to be devastating against proper group compositions. But for Ryan's kiting strategy? Not nearly as threatening as the random chance of Guderian's Demonic Ward rolling a physical shield.
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Savage Roar: Reduces armor of all players within 20 yards by 50%. Lasts 15 seconds.
Frenzied Howl: Reduces damage dealt by all players within 20 yards by 20%. Lasts 15 seconds.
Unyielding Gaze: When Guderian locks eyes with you, any spellcasting may be interrupted.
—
The only real issue was Unyielding Gaze, which triggered around 30% HP. It had the potential to interrupt Ryan's Radiant Light while he was in mid recovery after a drop.
But Ryan wasn't fazed. Once it interrupted a spell, the ability went on cooldown for 20 seconds—more than enough time for him to fully heal again before the next round.
Guderian's death was now a matter of time. Ryan felt a quiet surge of excitement rise in his chest.
If his hunch was right, slaying a dungeon boss for the very first time would grant him a Glorious Achievement. Whether it would match the reward for being the first to open the dungeon, though—that was still uncertain.
Immediately as Guderian's HP dropped to 15%, he unleashed his final move.
Cornered Beast: When near death, Guderian's attack speed increases by 50%, gains a Heavy Strike effect, but his movement speed and armor are reduced.
This was the boss's last-ditch, party-wiping ability. Heavy Strike worked like an auto-critical. Every hit Guderian landed now packed the same punch as a critical blow. No standard-level tank at this stage of the game could endure it.
But for Ryan, it changed nothing.
With ease, he landed another hit, then darted back up to the top of the staircase. There, he calmly cast Radiant Light, healed to full, and waited for the slower-moving boss to catch up.
−154
−101
When Guderian finally reached the top, Ryan greeted him with a clean slash. The blade struck true—and with that final blow, the demon wolf collapsed at his feet.
—
You've earned the Glorious Achievement: [Champion Among Mortals]
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Right at that moment, a message flashed across the World Channel, leaving players everywhere stunned.
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Congratulations to player Featherlight for being the first to complete the dungeon and slay the lurking terror. Achievement Unlocked: [Champion Among Mortals].
—