Vol. 3: Chapter 10
Faced with the daunting enemy force, Lila sank into deep thought.
What is the mission? Is it to kill the boss for points? No. It’s to destroy the enemy’s supplies. The boss, no matter how much health it has, is irrelevant to the primary objective.
With that realization, her decision was made. Her 500-player force was organized into five companies of 100, with each company further divided into five squads of 20. As the overall commander, she had a private chat channel with all company and squad leaders. She began issuing her orders.
“We’re splitting into five teams to act simultaneously.”
“Company One, Glytter commanding. You will assault Warehouse One on the east side.”
“Company Two, Argent commanding. You will take Warehouse Two on the north side.”
“Company Three,Mira commanding. You will take Warehouse Three on the west side.”
“Company Four, my command. We will attack Warehouse Four on the south side.”
“Hazel, Rena—you two are Team Five. Your only job is to intercept the main boss. Pin him down in the center of the camp. Do not, under any circumstances, kite him over a wide area. We can’t have him interfering with the other teams.”
“Finally, once Companies One through Four have defeated their respective warehouse guardians, your first priority is to enter the warehouse and secure any lootable quest items. Do NOT ignite the warehouses on your own. I repeat, do not ignite them. We must act in unison to prevent any unforeseen consequences. Acknowledge.”
A chorus of confirmations filled the channel.
“Acknowledged!”
With their orders given, the teams advanced into the supply depot. The patrolling trash mobs spotted them and charged forward with howls, and the players quickly engaged them.
During the fight, several other Orc patrols passed nearby. Strangely, they didn't join the fight. Instead, they broke off and ran toward the warehouses, clearly more concerned with defending the supplies than fighting the intruders.
Soon, an imposing, heavily armored boss arrived on the scene.
[Supply Depot Commander (Boss)] - Level 35
HP: 62,000,000
Physical Attack: 18,500
Physical Defense: 9,200
The moment he appeared, Hazel charged, Rena close behind her. To keep the boss from threatening the other teams, Hazel dragged him to the wide, open area in the center of the camp, where they settled into a rhythmic dance of blows.
-1 (Damage to Boss)
-382 (Absorbed by Shield, Damage to Hazel)
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After clearing the initial patrols, Lila and the other commanders led their companies toward their designated targets.
Other starting villages had also reached the Orc Supply Depot, but their strategies varied.
Teams with advanced scouting abilities, like Starlight’s, made a similar decision: peel off a small team to tank the boss while the main force focused on the warehouses.
Those without scouting tools were forced to engage the boss directly while sending smaller parties to probe the enemy camp.
And then there were teams who knew the depot's layout perfectly well but chose to fight the boss anyway. The players from Village #16698, home to Serpent’s Coil, were a prime example. Confident in the power of their Sunfire Bell, they decided to tackle the toughest part first.
These were the villages that had received the [Raid the Supply Depot] quest. Others, who had been locked in battle with the vanguard until the army withdrew on its own at nightfall, were given a consolation quest to [Hunt Down Vanguard Remnants].
The different strategies yielded different results. Lila’s teams dispatched the warehouse minions and their elite guardians in just over ten minutes, leaving them with just under twenty minutes on the mission timer. They entered the warehouses, each player grabbing a set of [Military Rations], before quickly regrouping outside.
Glytter: “Company One has breached the warehouse and secured the quest item.”
Argent: “Company Two has breached the warehouse and secured the quest item.”
MiraStorm: “Company Three has breached the warehouse and secured the quest item.”
Lila: “Excellent. Company Four has also breached and secured the rations.”
Hazel and Rena also reported in: “We received the system prompt for the quest item as well.”
Lila: “Glytter, Argent,Mira, on my mark, we ignite the warehouses together. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Ignite!”
The four commanders simultaneously used the [Ignition Torch] quest item, beginning the one-minute channel time. The animation was slow and susceptible to interrupts. If they hadn’t dealt with the warehouse guardians beforehand, this would have been impossible.
[System]: Your party has successfully ignited the eastern warehouse. The [Supply Depot Commander] has entered Enrage x1.
[System]: Your party has successfully ignited the western warehouse. The [Supply Depot Commander] has entered Enrage x2.
[System]: Your party has successfully ignited the southern warehouse. The [Supply Depot Commander] has entered Enrage x3.
[System]: Your party has successfully ignited the northern warehouse. The [Supply Depot Commander] has entered Enrage x4.
Hazel’s voice suddenly piped up in the command channel, cheerful and unworried. “Oof, the boss is going crazy! He’s hitting really hard now. Good thing Rena’s here with the big heals, I’m not scared at all. So, Lila… what’s the plan for this guy? Are we fighting him or not?”
That was the question. The warehouses were destroyed; the mission was a guaranteed success. Killing the boss probably wouldn't affect their mission contribution score. Lila glanced at the timer: 16 minutes left.
She didn't hesitate for long. Gritting her teeth, she gave the order.
“Take him down!”
“GET HIM!” A wave of battle cries erupted in the channel.
For them, the pressure was off. They had already secured the win. Even if they all died, the penalty was just a four-hour ban from combat quests. They could just log off and rest.
All 500 players swarmed the Supply Depot Commander, ready to take on a boss with four stacks of Enrage.
Unlike Starlight Village, Caleb Mordant had chosen to kill the Supply Depot Commander first. Aided by the Sunfire Bell, they faced a non-enraged boss and the fight was incredibly smooth. They finished him off in just seven minutes.
Caleb laughed arrogantly. “Haha! These orcs are too weak! I can defeat them with ease!”
His celebration was cut short by a sudden system notification.
[System]: Due to your over-reliance on the Sunfire Bell, your Luck stat has been permanently reduced by 1.
[System]: The Burning Horde has been alerted to the death of the [Supply Depot Commander]. A massive force of Worg Riders has been dispatched to the camp. ETA: 5 minutes. You have no chance of victory. Evacuate immediately.
“FUCK!” Caleb screamed. “Why the hell did my Luck go down?!”