TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 25

In the snowy tomb, Zhou Yanjun’s team was in the midst of an intense battle against the final boss statue monster.

“The boss is about to go berserk! Avoid the AOE! Bo Yu, keep aggro stable! Healer, focus on the little guy who’s not at max level — if he dies, he’ll have to run all the way back, and his short legs waste a ton of time— whoa!” Zhou Yanjun’s speech was cut short as he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder. The little mage actually stepped onto his shoulder and used it as a springboard, leaping several meters into the air.

“Watch this!” Xia Tong shouted excitedly, his staff sweeping out in a powerful arc. A series of brilliant spell flashes struck the statue monster’s head, its weak spot, rapidly depleting its health bar. Zhou Yanjun, riding his white wolf, dashed out to form a cross pattern, slowing the boss’s movement. Meanwhile, the clumsy hunter in the distance managed to land a few shots.

“Wow, little guy! Feeling cocky now, huh? Not scared anymore?” Zhou Yanjun was in awe of the agile little mage leaping around in mid-air.

“I can improve too, okay? Don’t underestimate me!” Xia Tong replied proudly. With a burst of furious attacks, they managed to defeat the boss before it could use its ultimate move. A ring of golden light enveloped Xia Tong — he’d reached max level.

“My quest is complete!” he cheered, grabbing the cat-eared girl’s hands and twirling in a circle. “Thanks for helping me clear the dungeon! You’re the best, so kind! Mwah!”

His eyes curved into joyful crescents, and his sweet words melted her heart. Giggling, she replied, “Aw, no problem! Call me anytime you need help! Let’s add each other as friends!”

From the side, Zhou Yanjun clicked his tongue in jealousy. “Pfft, women!”

“At our pace, we might just have time to reach the Emperor’s Ghost,” Bo Yu said. “Fire, maybe you should go check it out first.”

“On it!” Zhou Yanjun rode off on his wolf.

“A hidden boss? I’ve never seen one before!” The hunter rubbed his hands in excitement.

“I’ve seen a few, but only with top-geared pros. Honestly, it’s a first seeing a ‘handicapped’ team like yours make it this far,” the cat-eared girl commented.

“Handicapped?” The hunter looked embarrassed.

“One edge-case sniper, one under-leveled rookie. If that’s not handicapped, I don’t know what is!” she teased, ruffling Xia Tong’s hair. “But hey, you gotta hand it to our little mage; he got creative. I’m going to write up a guide for this dungeon run to post on the forums for clout!”

Just then, Zhou Yanjun messaged in the team chat, “Hurry! Emperor’s Ghost is still unclaimed!”

“Nice!”

The team rushed over, brimming with excitement.

Hidden bosses are different from regular ones. They’re open to the public, and the rewards go to the player or team that lands the final blow. This often led to conflicts, so over time, players came up with an unwritten rule: whoever gets there first has the right to fight it. Poaching someone else’s boss could get you seriously flamed — just like when Saber-toothed Tiger, a pro team, had tried to take Emperor’s Ghost from Polaris. They got roasted on the forums and social media for ages.

Thankfully, most players respect this unwritten rule. Once the team reached the hidden boss, they followed the guide to turn the stone pillars around the sarcophagus.

Soon, a big system notification popped up worldwide: [Player Polaris_Fire and teammates Polaris_Island, Xia Xiaotong, Cat-Eared Girl, and Dragon King have opened Emperor Lyle’s sarcophagus in the Snowy Tomb, triggering a hidden storyline!]

At that very moment, KUQ’s team had just finished the final boss statue in the Snowy Tomb dungeon and nearly spat out blood upon seeing the notification.

“They’re cheating! How’d they do it so fast!” their tank shouted in frustration.

“I only came for the hidden boss. No point in continuing,” their team leader said, discouraged. “And we even had a pro on our team. Still couldn’t beat a ragtag group.”

“Pfft, a ragtag group?” the tank blurted out before he realized something.

Even after all this time, when Polaris is mentioned, his impression is still of someone strong—really strong.

“Stop making excuses; weak is weak. Let’s call it a day,” someone said as the team gradually disbanded. Furious and humiliated, KKong clenched his fists, grinding his teeth.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as an idea struck him. Maliciously, he opened his friends list and, conveniently, several IDs with the Saber-Toothed Tiger tag were online.

Professional players, regardless of the team, often interact during scrimmages or other events, so most have each other added as friends, even if they aren’t exactly close.

KKong opened a private chat with 【SaberTooth_Dylan】.

KUQ_KKONG: D-god, up for a boss steal? Emperor Ghost in the Snowy Palace. I’ll lend you my dungeon CD.

KUQ_KKONG: It’s a wish from two years ago that we can finally fulfill today.

After sending the messages, KKong felt a bit uneasy. The conflict with Polaris over boss-stealing had been almost two years ago—a pretty old grudge. He wasn’t sure if Saber-Toothed Tiger would be interested. But he had to try; he didn’t want Zhou Yan and Xia Tong to have it easy.

A “ding” sounded as he received a reply.

SaberTooth_Dylan: I’m in. Send the invite.

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