As expected, the monster launched its attack. In a flash, moving at incredible speed, it grabbed a nearby Coffin Guild player. Under the fearful gazes of everyone present, its three faces opened their mouths wide and began to tear into the player alive.
Immediately, the player's agonized screams echoed throughout the entire third underground level. [Daydreamer] instinctively swallowed hard and glanced toward the spot where Ethan had just been.
Until he realized Ethan had already vanished, he cursed softly, "Damn it! This is a trap!"
The other Coffin Guild players nearby were panicked, nervously asking, "What should we do? Should we run away first?"
[Daydreamer] took several deep breaths and looked at the monster that was tearing apart the player, then said:
"It's blocking the exit perfectly. It'll be very hard for us to escape."
"This monster must be the hidden boss of Frostspire Tower! We can't leave. Inform the other guild players and have them all come here!"
[Daydreamer]'s greed for the boss suppressed his earlier fear.
As an experienced gamer, he quickly realized that for these kinds of hidden bosses, successfully killing them would yield extraordinarily rich rewards.
As for the player holding the purple-quality Intel reward, they must still be hiding nearby. He wasn't in a hurry to deal with that guy.
After making up his mind, [Daydreamer] pulled out his green-quality dagger and slowly approached the terrifying monster.
The monster seemed engrossed in devouring the player's corpse and didn't notice [Daydreamer] getting closer.
A joyful expression appeared on [Daydreamer]'s face as he thought about how to deliver a fatal blow to the monster.
But when he was about five meters away, the monster suddenly grabbed the still-partially-eaten corpse and used it like a weapon, smashing it fiercely toward [Daydreamer].
Instantly, with his rich gaming experience, [Daydreamer] tried to roll away to dodge the attack.
However, the monster's speed was just too fast. The player's corpse fell like a massive boulder and violently slammed into [Daydreamer], sending him flying.
[Daydreamer] crashed heavily into the wall, then spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his eyes full of shock.
This monster's strength was unbelievably powerful. It was definitely not a level 10 boss. It was probably level 15 or even 20!
None of them stood a chance against this boss!
Slowly getting up from the ground, [Daydreamer] immediately changed tactics and shouted to the other surviving players:
"Buy time! Wait for the rest of the guild players to arrive!"
"I'll report to the guild leader. Any player who dies will get five thousand compensation!"
Meanwhile, Ethan, hidden in the ventilation duct, was also somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the monster to be this strong.
But this was also good news. Ethan actually hoped the monster's strength was even greater than that.
Compared to a few Coffin Guild players dying at the scene, Ethan wanted more Coffin Guild players to fall.
By refusing to hand over the purple-quality Intel reward to Coffin Guild, he had already become their enemy.
Opportunities to inflict damage on the enemy were rare. Ethan was willing to take on more risk in order to cause greater losses to Coffin Guild.
Only by doing so could he make others realize that anyone who provoked him would definitely pay a heavy price!
Soon, to Ethan's expectant eyes, more Coffin Guild players appeared on the third underground level.
He could even see a figure resembling the guild leader emerging, surrounded by a cluster of Coffin Guild players.
Although the monster was powerful, the sheer number of Coffin Guild players meant that, through overwhelming numbers, the monster's wounds grew increasingly severe.
However, correspondingly, the bodies of fallen players on the ground also increased.
Those who died first were lower-level players. Due to the death penalty in Dawnfall Online, the higher the level, the harsher the penalty upon death.
Therefore, having lower-level players wear down the monster's health was the best strategy.
Ethan also knew clearly that before the high-level players took action, he had no chance to lurk in the shadows and profit from the chaos.
A competent hunter needed great patience and judgment — something Ethan lacked entirely.
Time passed little by little. When the monster's attack speed slowed and its power weakened, the high-level Coffin Guild players immediately sprang into action.
At this moment, Ethan took a deep breath and began slowly crawling inside the ventilation duct. He would only strike at the most critical moment.
By now, about seventy or eighty Coffin Guild players had died. After all, many were still on quests or hadn't logged into Dawnfall Online yet. These were all the forces Coffin Guild could muster for now.
If Ethan could seize the opportunity to eliminate the remaining Coffin Guild players along with the monster, the weapons and items dropped from their bodies would be a huge fortune.
Not to mention that the powerful, terrifying monster itself, once slain, would definitely drop unimaginable Intel rewards!
The closer to such a pivotal moment, the calmer Ethan became. He kept analyzing, trying to find the perfect moment to act.
For the high-level Coffin Guild players, victory was already within reach.
While using a healing item, [Daydreamer] said to a nearby player, "Leader, after we finish off this boss, keep an eye on that little rat."
The Coffin Guild leader, [Overlord], slapped [Daydreamer] hard on the shoulder and replied, "Don't worry, he can't run away. It's truly heaven-sent— not only will we get the purple-quality Intel reward, but we'll also kill this hidden boss."
"With this, our Coffin Guild will definitely become the strongest guild in Safe Zone 9527!"
But just then, the monster surrounded by everyone suddenly let out a furious roar. A pale blue aura radiated from its body, enveloping all the Coffin Guild players.
Ethan was still inside the ventilation duct and was unaffected.
Seeing this, especially noticing that the Coffin Guild players' attack and movement speeds slowed down, Ethan immediately connected the dots to [Frostblade]'s [Equipment Effect 2].
The monster, already cornered by the Coffin Guild players, suddenly surged again, continuously killing off the guild's high-level players.
The battle had reached its most critical moment. [Daydreamer] and Coffin Guild leader [Overlord] both joined the fight.
As more high-level Coffin Guild players fell and blood kept flowing from the monster's wounds, Ethan silently left the ventilation duct and slowly crept closer to the center of the battle, using the scattered corpses for cover.
Soon, the monster began to kneel halfway on the ground, staring with unwillingness and rage at [Daydreamer] and [Overlord]. They were now the only two high-level Coffin Guild players left.
Furthermore, [Daydreamer] had been seriously wounded early on. Although he used healing items, he was just slapped by the monster again, suffering severe injuries.
As for [Overlord], his condition was also poor, but he could still raise his weapon, preparing to deliver the final blow to the monster.
At this life-or-death moment, the monster showed no intention of giving up the fight. Pale blue lights began gathering on its body. As the light condensed, blue blood dripped continuously from the corners of its mouth.
[Daydreamer]'s face changed sharply. He shouted, "Leader, this boss—could it have a self-destruct skill?!"
[Overlord] tried to quickly finish off the boss with his weapon, but when he approached, the blue light coated his legs in frost, making it impossible for him to move quickly.
Ethan, who had been hidden and slowly creeping closer, also lost his composure. He hadn't expected the monster to have such a skill that could take its enemies down with it.
What should he do?
Suddenly, Ethan thought of something and hurriedly pulled an item out from his [Inventory].