After taking a short break, Shido decided to continue on his way. However, just as he took off, his <
"Bingo."
A Field Boss wasn't all that different from a Dungeon Boss. The main difference was that Dungeon Bosses could only be found inside dungeons, while Field Bosses appeared in various locations across ALO. Moreover, defeating a Field Boss granted far more generous rewards. So the moment Shido detected one nearby, there was no question, he would be the one to defeat it.
Flapping his nearly translucent purple wings, Shido changed direction toward the source of the Field Boss.
Without delay, he descended into the depths of Dragon Valley, landing at the bottom of a narrow trench. Deactivating his wings, Shido chose to proceed on foot since the space inside was quite narrow, and besides, it was much faster if he run in this type of environment.
The surroundings were dark, but with <
Along the way, Shido encountered several dragon-type monsters like Drake, Lesser Dragon and Earth Dragon, but they were effortlessly reduced to data fragments under his blade.
Since this place was called Dragon Valley, it was only natural that most of the monsters here were of the dragon type. Because of that, Shido had already guessed that the Field Boss he was tracking would likely be a powerful dragon-type monster as well.
And as expected, the moment Shido stepped through the cave entrance, the Field Boss finally revealed itself.
"Ohoh, it really is a dragon." Shido stopped in his tracks, observing the massive creature before him. Yet, he didn't feel particularly threatened, compared to Cure Elim, there was a significant gap in power between them.
...
Although the dragon was curled up in sleep, Shido could estimate its size, around ten meters tall and twenty meters long. The Field Boss resided within one of the caves in the depth of Dragon Valley, where the ground was riddled with cracks, and molten lava flowed between them.
The dragon remained motionless, unaware of Shido's presence as he stayed just outside its detection range. As long as Shido step within it's detection range, then this dragon would wake up and attack without hesitation.
Since Shido hadn't initiated the battle, the Field Boss's name and HP weren't displayed yet. Still, given that this was a high-level hunting area, there was no doubt that the dragon was also high-level, with a massive amount of HP.
As Shido carefully observed the dragon, he also became aware of other presences nearby. It seemed he wasn't the only one who had discovered this Field Boss, others had, too. However, he paid them little mind as a small smile appeared on his face and he began drawing his sword from his back, ready to take action.
Meanwhile, the other players who were either hiding behind the rocks or using concealment magic watched as Shido who was about to fight the Field Boss alone. Speechless, they assumed he must be a new player overestimating his own strength.
The hidden players silently laughed and scoffed at his audacity, thinking it foolish to challenge such a powerful creature by himself. Yet, they didn't reveal their positions, preferring instead to watch the spectacle unfold and see how Shido might make a complete fool of himself.
Among the hidden group of players, one of them which was clad in either full crimson armor or wearing a cloak watched Shido with open ridicule, laughing at his audacity.
Meanwhile, a tall, well-built player who was also wearing a crimson armor but without helmet, and a crimson sword strapped to his waist that seems to be their leader didn't have a change in his expression. His face remained cold and serious, betraying no emotion. Yet, beneath that composed exterior, he couldn't help but snort quietly at how foolish Shido was.
"Hmmp! This Imp thinks far too highly of himself to solo a Field Boss. How stupid."
As he contemplated how Shido might get himself killed, his followers murmured quietly among themselves. Yet despite their attempts at silence, the snickers in their voices couldn't be fully hidden.
"Pfft! Who does this guy think he is? Hahaha, he actually thinks he can take on the Field Boss alone!"
"Haha. Well, at least let him show us just how foolish his actions really are."
"Kakaka! I can't wait to see his face when he finally realizes how ridiculous he's being."
The players in crimson armor and cloaks continued talking and laughing among themselves, mocking Shido's foolishness.
The serious man who seemed to be their leader didn't stop them but he also agreed with their words as Shido's action was indeed ridiculous. With a snort, he folded his arms and turned his attention back to Shido, watching intently.
On the other hand, another player clad in crimson armor and wielding a lance felt the same but didn't let his guard down, maintaining a professional demeanor. He watched Shido preparing to challenge the Field Boss, then turned to his leader and asked, "Gene-san, do we still go with our original plan?"
As expected, the "Gene-san" he addressed was Eugene, the second-in-command of the Salamanders. Known as the Salamander's Strongest Warrior and the wielder of the second-strongest sword in the game, Demonic Sword Gram.
Eugene didn't look at the player wielding the lance. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Shido before he shifted toward the other corner of the underground, where the other group of players were hiding. He paused for a bit before saying He paused briefly, then said, "Yes, ignore that fool and focus on dealing with the Sylphs, Kagemune."
The player weilding lance called Kagemune nodded his head and replie, "Understood."
Among all the Salamander players, Kagemune was one of the high-ranking officers and also the most cool headed and a strong player. However if he was compared to Eugene, then he could only surrender as the gap between them was enormous.
Still, Kagemune obeyed Eugene's command and fell back to where the rest of their group was positioned.
In truth, the Salamanders had discovered the Field Boss while clashing with the Sylphs. Eager to be the first to slay it and claim the rewards, they quickly assembled a battalion of players to challenge the beast.
But the result.
An utter annihilation.
All of them were defeated, despite being experienced and professional players. They didn't understand the Field Boss's attack patterns, and the pressure of racing against time fearing the Sylphs might arrive with their own forces to snatch the boss first, only made things worse.
Yet, like the Salamanders, that returned to the revival point after being massacred, the Slyphs were also wiped out. So, since both races cannot defeat this Field Boss for the time being since it was too strong and their lack of information about the Field Boss, they decided to gather most of their player and strategize a proper plan to defeat the Field Boss.
However, when they arrive, they didn't expect that someone else would actually find the location of the Field Boss, and even decided to challenge it all by himself.
Unlike the Salamanders, the Sylphs didn't laugh at the sight. While they too found it ridiculous, all they felt was silent disbelief.
Among the Sylph players, a beautiful, long-haired woman with pointed ears and a generous figure frowned as she watched Shido. Her name was Sakuya, and she was the current leader of the Sylph race.