Chapter 1949 – Tier Master

Everyone felt stifled as they watched the quiet Demonkin in the middle of the dark cavern with grim expressions.

[Demonkin King Auva] (Mythic, Tier Master)

Level 68

HP 600,000,000/600,000,000

“What kind of monster is that? How is it giving off such intense pressure?”

“Is that really a Tier 4 monster? I can already feel death loom over me just by looking at it Why do I feel like I can’t even hit it even though it’s just standing there?”

“Huh? What does Tier Master mean?”

Although none of them knew what a Tier Master was, after a long time fighting in God’s Domain, they had developed their instincts. Those instincts screamed a warning; if they set foot in this cavern, they’d get a one-way trip to hell.

Naturally, Shi Feng wasn’t particularly surprised by his team’s reaction. After all, their instincts were correct. If they entered Auva’s cavern carelessly, their deaths would be guaranteed!

The concept of a Tier Master was still foreign to current players. It was akin to a king among those of the same tier, but unlike ordinary Archaic Species or Dragons, a Tier Master’s strength didn’t originate from extraordinary Attributes. Rather, it came from the monster’s extraordinary combat standards.

Dealing with Tier Masters was far more difficult than dealing with Archaic Species that had high Attributes. A fight against a Tier Master was a test of players’ combat standards. If players’ combat standards were lacking, they would die instantly. In comparison, players would have a fighting chance against an Archaic Species even if they were at a disadvantage in terms of Attributes.

Moreover, when raiding Tier Masters, players would not be able to use their numerical advantage. In fact, raiding a Tier Master with more players than necessary would only increase the raid difficulty. Tier Masters were capable of summoning an army of monsters, and they would summon more monsters based on the number of players participating in the raid.

The summoned monsters might not have high Attributes, but even the weakest combat standards would be at the Trial Tower’s third floor. This was why Tier Masters were so fearsome.

Normally, Tier Masters only spawned after Level 100. Shi Feng had never considered that the Boss guarding Kama Island’s Manatite vein would be a Tier Master...

“Guild Leader, this Boss is giving off a very dangerous feeling. We have quite a few players with us. Should we send some players in to test the waters?” Aqua Rose suggested.

When dealing with unknown Bosses, particularly Field Bosses, teams usually dispatched a small group to test the Boss’s abilities and search for appropriate countermeasures to avoid excessive losses. After all, dying in the field meant losing a full level. Even when resurrected, players still lost half a level of EXP.

“Forget it. Compile a list of data on every member of the team. I’m going to reform a 100-man raid team,” Shi Feng said, shaking his head.

There was no point in probing a Tier Master. Such Bosses were straightforward. Unlike other Bosses, which used many strange Skills and Spells, a Tier Master would only use normal attacks and the occasional team-wipe move. If players could keep up with the Boss’s combat standards, they could defeat it. If they couldn’t keep up, it didn’t matter what strategies they employed; they’d all die.

Moreover, the 500 Tier 2 players present were all true experts in the Guild. Whether they lost half a level or a full level, it would deal a significant blow to Zero Wing. They’d be better off going all-out on their first try.

Following which, Aqua Rose gathered the details on the 500-man team and sent the information to Shi Feng. She had collected data on players’ Basic Attributes, weapons, equipment, and current progress in the Trial Tower. After planning for about half an hour, Shi Feng finally decided on the 100 members that would take part in the raid.

The weakest of the players he had selected had already reached the late-stage of the Trial Tower’s sixth floor. They would have no problems facing the Tier Master’s summoned mobs in a one-on-one.

“Alright, Cola, start the raid!” Shi Feng commanded once everyone had their tasks.

Cola nodded seriously. Although he was nervous, he willed himself to enter the cavern.

The moment Cola stepped into the cavern, a bright light illuminated the space. Rather than a cavern, this place looked like an ancient temple. Faded murals covered the cavern walls, and stone pillars stood at intervals, supporting the cavern’s vast ceiling. Although severely damaged, magic arrays were visible on the stone ground.

Once Cola was within a certain range, the Demonkin King opened its eyes. The moment Auva’s crimson eyes were revealed, Cola felt as if he had plunged into an icy hell as a chill seeped into his bones. Unlike other monsters, whose auras contained death and violence, Auva’s aura was calm and indifferent.

Before Cola could overcome the frosty sensation, Auva moved. Unlike other monsters they had faced, Auva wasn’t lightning fast. They could all follow every single movement with their eyes, but despite the several hundred yards between the Boss and Cola, each of Auva’s steps rapidly devoured the distance.

“Crap! This monster’s an expert!” Cola had an incredibly bad feeling as he watched Auva approach. Hurriedly, he raised Titan Guard to defend himself.

Dang!

A crisp, metallic clang reached everyone’s ears as dazzling sparks flew from Cola’s Titan Guard. Cola stumbled back several steps before stabilizing himself. However, before he could catch his breath, another sword descended on him. This time, Cola instinctively raised his shield to block the attack.

As they watched Cola receive a series of attacks from Auva, everyone could not help but gasp. Although Cola only lost around 13,000 HP from each attack, the Tier Master continued to push him back. In the battle between the expert MT and the Guardian Boss, Cola was at a complete disadvantage. He had no opportunities to launch a counterattack; he could only defend himself. If he diverted his focus in the slightest, Auva’s blade would likely find its mark.

When the rest of the 100-man team came within 100 yards of Auva, the Demonkin King bellowed with anger. Multiple Demonkin then began to rise from the ground, ranging between Level 64 and 66. By the time they stopped emerging, a total of 200 Demonkin stood before the players. Among them, the weakest was a Chieftain, while the strongest was a Lord.

At first, Zero Wing’s members paid little attention to these monsters due to their low ranks, but after clashing with them, these expert players were stunned.

These Demonkin commanded incredibly high combat standards. The weakest Demonkin could easily reach the Trial Tower’s third floor, while a few Lord ranked Demonkin could reach the fifth floor, the publicly acknowledged expert standard in God’s Domain right now.

Of course, Demonkin’s Attributes were already higher than players. Combined with expert combat standards, the Lord ranked Demonkins instantly slew several Tier 2 players. Fortunately, Violet Cloud managed to rescue some of them in time, reducing the number of casualties.

Thank goodness. It seems this Demonkin King is only at the late-stage, fifth-floor standard. Defeating it shouldn’t be a problem. After watching Cola fight Auva for some time, Shi Feng had a rough estimate of the Guardian Boss’s combat standard, and he could not help but breathe out a sigh of relief.

Not all Tier Masters were equal. The weakest among them were close to reaching the Trial Tower’s sixth floor; in other words, the fifth floor’s late stage. In a large Guild, a player with such a combat standard would be considered a relatively strong expert. As for the stronger Tier Masters, some had even reached the Void Realm.

Fortunately, Auva was one of the weakest Tier Masters. Had it been slightly stronger, Cola would’ve died instantly even if he met the Attribute requirements for this raid.

The only reason Auva was able to suppress Cola was its Mythic ranked Attributes. Although Cola’s life dangled off the side of a cliff, Auva couldn’t push the MT any farther. Furthermore, Cola could activate his Berserk Skill to bridge the gap between them.

Under Shi Feng’s command, Cola activated his Berserk Skill, instantly decreasing the raid’s difficulty. Meanwhile, with Turtledove and Ye Wumian tanking most of the mobs, the rest of the team was free to attack the Demonkin King, decimating its HP.

%... 70%... 50%...

When Auva only had 1% of its HP remaining, Shi Feng activated Divine Providence and finished the Demonkin King off with Shadow Blade and Lightning Slash. As soon as the Guardian Boss fell, a system notification reached everyone’s ears.