This tank is quite formidable!

Roaring in Defiance!

Morning Breeze originally intended to have Shadowstep control one of them from behind, then burst forth to kill another himself. Unexpectedly, Shadowstep failed the control, so he had to make up for it personally. While the troll hunter had not gone far, Morning Breeze leapt back two steps, raised his head, and let out a thunderous roar, activating his mass fear skill, hoping to control both the troll spearman and the troll hunter. This time, however, only two troll spearmen were affected; the rest evaded his skill. The frightened troll spearmen wandered aimlessly, unable to control their own bodies.

Shockwave!

The troll hunter resisted the control, so Morning Breeze followed up with a Shockwave, a surge of force crashing into the three troll hunters—one of them was instantly stunned. With three elite monsters under control, that was more than enough. Morning Breeze immediately swapped his shield for a one-handed sword!

Berserker's Rage! (Gains rage and 3 opportunities for Raging Slash)

Recklessness! (Critical hit rate increased by 50%)

Skull War Banner! (Critical damage increased by 20%)

Raging Slash!

Both Brotherhood blades landed simultaneously on the troll spearman who wasn't under fear, unleashing a torrent of damage! Morning Breeze ignored the two troll hunters entirely, focusing all his fury on that spearman. Seizing the moment, Shadowstep kicked a terrified troll spearman off the high ground, then rushed to intercept the troll hunters, doing his best to shield Morning Breeze from harm.

Raging Slash!

With the third Raging Slash, one troll spearman was already felled. Without hesitation, Morning Breeze intercepted the closest troll hunter who wasn't stunned. Though no stun effect triggered this time, Morning Breeze unleashed another Raging Slash, furiously pressing the attack. With Recklessness active, his critical chance soared, allowing him to spam Raging Slash endlessly.

A berserker warrior unleashing all his ultimate moves is terrifying—no other class dares face them head-on! Many call this brief eruption of power “God Mode,” where he alone deals death and none dares to strike back. To withstand Morning Breeze’s relentless Raging Slashes—how monstrous must his damage be? Even level 30 elite monsters were slain in just a few blows.

By the time the elites shook off their controls, only one troll spearman and two troll hunters remained—no longer much of a threat to Morning Breeze. He swiftly assaulted another troll hunter, intent on dropping him. Shadowstep activated Sprint, darting back in front of the last troll spearman, gathering combo points before delivering a Kidney Shot that stunned the spearman instantly. (Kidney Shot is the rogue’s ultimate skill: 1 second stun, plus 1 second per combo point, up to 6 seconds at 5 points.)

Bloodthirst!

Whirlwind Strike!

After triggering a free Whirlwind Strike, Morning Breeze burst forth again—another troll hunter fell. With only one troll hunter left, the threat was virtually gone. Eternal Song and the others had already arrived, so Morning Breeze could afford to slow his pace. Thirty seconds later, both the troll spearman and the troll hunter were down—the battle was over.

“Tank, controller, and damage dealer all in one! Man, you’re something else!” Shadowstep was genuinely impressed. This time, Morning Breeze had not only tanked but had done most of the damage, while Shadowstep had merely played a supporting role, aiding Morning Breeze in his kills.

Seeing Shadowstep send a friend request, Morning Breeze knew his strength had been recognized. Clearly, in the circle of professional players, strength spoke louder than anything, and Morning Breeze had earned the right to be Shadowstep’s friend.

The others were more and more amazed by Morning Breeze’s prowess. To them, even without Shadowstep, Morning Breeze could have cleared those six elite monsters alone. Even professionals with incomplete skillsets couldn’t compare—Morning Breeze held a national-treasure-level skill like Berserk Aura, plus two control skills. His strength was undeniable.

“Next up should be the Steelback Boarman!” Eternal Song, who had cleared the normal mode of the Troll’s Wrath dungeon, knew that after a few waves of mobs, the group would face the first boss: Steelback Boarman. This boss was a tank—a walking fortress. His back was immune to 50% of damage, his flanks to 25%; only his face was vulnerable. But since the tank had to draw aggro head-on, other physical DPS found their attacks weak, leaving the job mainly to casters.

The group had expected Steelback Boarman’s strength to be bumped up just one notch, but after clearing a few waves of elites, they were shocked to see two bosses. In addition to the Steelback Boarman, there was another boss beside him—a three-meter-tall troll named Phantom Spearmaster.

“Why is there an extra boss?” Elf Priest Dusk Glow frowned. A five-person team against two bosses—how was that possible?

Eternal Song hadn’t anticipated this either. In her view, the first boss shouldn’t be a problem; Steelback Boarman was just a damage sponge, and even enhanced, the fight would only take longer. But with another troll boss in play, the difficulty spiked dramatically.

Earlier, Eternal Song had sent Morning Breeze some strategy files, including notes on Steelback Boarman. She’d felt the boss was simplistic—just a few basic damaging abilities, nothing capable of wiping the party. But in Heroic difficulty, the challenge ramped up by several tiers, and now a second boss appeared.

“Hunter, kite the Steelback Boarman. I’ll tank the Phantom Spearmaster. The rest of you, intervene as needed.” In a Heroic dungeon with no prior clear, charging in blindly was risky. So far, only a handful of teams worldwide had cleared the first boss; no team had yet completed the dungeon.

Steelback Boarman’s burst wasn’t overwhelming—a hunter could kite him. The real challenge was the Phantom Spearmaster, who wielded both melee and ranged prowess. What unnerved Morning Breeze most was the “Phantom” in the boss’s name; dealing with him was likely to be a nightmare.

“You sure you can solo the boss?” As the healer, Dusk Glow gave a gentle warning.

“Stay ready and intervene as needed. Once I’ve established aggro, if I can’t hold on, I’ll call for backup—be ready to heal me. The rest, help out as needed. If this boss summons phantoms, try to AOE them down.” Morning Breeze knew this would be trouble. The five-level gap meant low damage and crits; this would be a drawn-out slog.

“Be careful!” Eternal Song cautioned as Morning Breeze moved forward.

Charge!

After he and the hunter approached, Morning Breeze initiated the pull, while the leaper hunter focused fire on Steelback Boarman, drawing aggro to kite him around. Steelback Boarman had a charge skill, but hunters had escape tools and could keep him kited for now.

Bloodthirst!

Whirlwind Strike!

Morning Breeze opened with a burst, leading with Bloodthirst, then chaining three free Whirlwind Strikes to secure aggro. After that, he switched to shield, using Shield Slam and Devastate. His sudden outburst completely suppressed the boss, leaving him no opening to attack.

“This tank is a beast!” Shadowstep rarely praised others, especially tanks with weak DPS, but Morning Breeze’s opening blitz left the humanoid boss no chance to retaliate—a feat almost unheard of. In the game, bosses of similar size could be interrupted this way, but while interrupting once or twice was plausible, to lock a boss out completely as Morning Breeze had done was unprecedented.

Morning Breeze couldn’t sustain that level of frenetic assault for long—maximum hand speed was only possible for a brief burst, and initial attacks were most likely to chain interrupts. Once his skills were exhausted, he slowed his assault.

—792

The Brotherhood Sword slashed the boss, shattering it to pieces. Morning Breeze instantly realized this was a phantom left behind by the boss—things were taking a turn for the worse. He spun around, shield raised in defense.

—1993 (782 damage blocked)

Just as he turned and lifted his shield, a spear thrust shot toward him. Morning Breeze felt his left arm go numb, forcing him back four steps. If he hadn’t blocked some of the damage, a hit to his back could’ve been catastrophic—potentially even a critical hit, leading to a wipe.

“Clearly, I’m not yet a qualified tank!” Morning Breeze knew well—he could kill, but tanking a boss was another matter. Even though he’d spent time honing his blocking and parry skills, he was still far from the legendary tanks of his past life. For now, equipment and skills gave him an edge, making tanking somewhat easier.

Heroic Leap!

Charge!

The Phantom Spearmaster’s attack range reached sixty yards; closing in was difficult. Morning Breeze could only leap in with Heroic Leap, then chain into a Charge, following up with a burst.

Dodge!

The Phantom Spearmaster leapt back nimbly, thrusting forward with his spear. His agility was extraordinary. After Morning Breeze’s charge failed, he rolled aside.

Phantom Spear!

Eight spears flew from the Phantom Spearmaster’s hand. Morning Breeze had barely regained his footing before he activated Shield Wall to withstand the onslaught—without defensive skills, he wouldn’t have survived. Humanoid bosses were never easy to kill, and his earlier burst seemed to have triggered the boss’s abilities early.

+121

+121

After his health dropped to 35%, the effect of Winds of Renewal proc’d, slowly restoring his life. Morning Breeze could still hang on for now, but facing the Phantom Spearmaster alone was no longer possible.

Ambush!

Shadowstep and the others had arrived, launching their assault on the boss. Dusk Glow’s healing kept Morning Breeze alive. This boss’s burst was tremendous, and with a five-level gap, it was a real challenge for Morning Breeze to hold the line!