Chapter 30: Defeating the Black Bear King
"Ah, high defense and a massive health pool—my favorite kind of boss!" Ethan grinned as he surveyed the towering [Black Bear King]. However, he didn't let the excitement dull his caution. This beast's attacks couldn't be underestimated. A single swipe of its paw dealt over 600 damage to him, and its Ground Smash could inflict over 900 damage. The boss's Earth Shatter? That packed a wallop of over 1,000. High-level Bronze bosses were no joke.
He glanced at his own stats. With a maximum health of 2,307 and a physical defense of 111, Ethan figured he could handle it. Plus, he had plenty of potions in reserve, and if things got dicey, there was always his Void Shift skill to rely on. Confident he had the situation under control, he activated Rapid Movement and darted toward the massive bear.
Ethan landed two quick strikes, stacking two layers of poison. Each tick of poison dealt 520 damage per second, racking up a total of 31,200 damage per minute. He didn't risk stacking a third layer immediately—the bear's retaliation could prove deadly. At 80% attack speed, two strikes meant he only had to tank a single hit from the boss. Three strikes, however, would require enduring two of its attacks, and if the boss followed up with a skill, he'd be in trouble. So, after two hits, he disengaged, taking a single blow as he darted away.
He had barely started retreating when the ground beneath him cracked open. The bear's Earth Shatter sent a jagged rift surging toward him, catching Ethan and launching him into the air.
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He hit the ground hard, his health bar plummeting. Scrambling to his feet, he fled, grateful the bear hadn't reached him yet. Between its skill and a single melee strike, the boss had carved 1,700 health off his total. Only 400 health points remained. "Damn, never underestimate a Bronze-tier boss," Ethan muttered, wiping the sweat off his brow.
The [Black Bear King] lumbered after him, but Ethan decided to test a theory. Activating Stealth, he vanished from sight. The bear paused, sniffed the air, and scratched its head in confusion before turning toward Silverfang, who had been standing nearby.
"It works!" Ethan grinned. He hadn't bothered using Stealth against regular monsters before and hadn't expected it to work while poison damage was ticking. Now he had another tool in his arsenal. Smirking, he recalled Silverfang to his pet space to protect it from harm.
Unfortunately, the bear's attention then shifted to the injured soldier nearby.