"Ten minutes."
The words echoed through the communication crystal, and the world dissolved into a blur of motion. Stealth was a luxury they could no longer afford. The three teams crashed through the misty forest, a wave of determined players no longer avoiding the undead but carving a direct, brutal path through them. Their sole focus was the Guardian's grove.
A timer had appeared in Lucas's vision, a stark, white countdown that was a far more terrifying foe than any monster.
[Guardian Vulnerability: 09:58]
He pushed his body to its limits, Kael a gray streak at his side. He could hear the sounds of battle from the other two teams, a symphony of steel and spell that told him they were all on the same frantic, desperate course.
They converged on the grove simultaneously. The Grove Guardian, a colossal, treelike behemoth, was thrashing in a blind rage, its invulnerability gone, replaced by pure, raw power. It slammed a massive, bark-covered fist into the ground, sending a shockwave that tore through the earth.
Lucas didn't waste a second. His voice, amplified and broadcast to every Helios member through the communication crystals, was calm, clear, and absolute.
"Marcus, Alpha Team, you're the anchor! Its right arm swings in a wider, more predictable arc; keep its aggro focused on you! Mages, the glowing crystal clusters on its back! That's its weak point! Pour all your damage there!"
His [System Insight] was a waterfall of green text, analyzing the Level 17 Elite in real-time.
[Weak Point: Exposed Mana Crystals. High vulnerability to magical damage. Destroying a crystal will cause a temporary stagger.]
The battle began. It was a chaotic, brutal affair. The Guardian was a whirlwind of destruction, its sweeping attacks shattering ancient trees and sending players flying. But Helios, now guided by a coherent strategy, held the line. Marcus and his warriors absorbed the blows, their shields glowing, while the mages rained down fire and frost, shattering the first of the mana crystals. The Guardian staggered, just as Lucas had predicted.
But the real test was yet to come. The Guardian roared, its woody torso splitting open to reveal a core of pure, swirling nature magic. It was preparing a special attack.
[Attack Pattern Detected: Errupting Thornfield. AOE attack. High damage. Only safe zone is in close proximity to the Guardian, directly beneath its raised left arm.]
The information flashed through Lucas's mind a split second before the attack began. It was a completely counter-intuitive, suicidal-looking maneuver.
"Evelyn!" Lucas's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and urgent. "The safe zone is beneath its left arm! Get in close! Now!"
For a fraction of a second, Evelyn froze. Every instinct she had, honed over years of combat, screamed at her to dodge away, to create distance from the massive, glowing core. To run towards the epicenter of the attack was madness. She saw the other players beginning to scatter.
But then she met Lucas's gaze from across the battlefield. She saw the absolute certainty in his eyes. He wasn't guessing. He knew.
She made her choice. "Beta Team, with me!" she commanded, and dashed forward, directly into what should have been the kill zone.
A moment later, a wave of vicious, razor-sharp thorns erupted from the ground, covering the entire grove. Players who had run away were caught, their health bars vanishing in an instant. But Evelyn and her team, huddled in the one small patch of ground Lucas had identified, were completely untouched. The thorns shot up all around them, but the space at the Guardian's feet was perfectly, miraculously clear.
The Guardian was now locked in its attack animation, its core fully exposed.
"Now, Evelyn!" Lucas roared. "That's the opening!"
She didn't need to be told twice. She shot forward like a silver bullet, her blade glowing with the full force of her ultimate skill. She plunged it deep into the Guardian's exposed core.
The behemoth shuddered, a deafening, groaning crack echoing through the forest as its health bar plummeted to zero. It stood motionless for a second, then its colossal body dissolved into a shower of golden, glittering particles.
The timer in their vision froze.
[Guardian Vulnerability: 00:03]
A wave of exhausted, disbelieving cheers erupted from the surviving members of Helios. Where the boss had been, a pile of loot glowed softly. The primary prize, the [Elder Moss], pulsed with a gentle, green light. But beside it was something else, a bonus drop that shouldn't have been there. A small, simple seed.
[Bonus Loot Unlocked: 'Strategist's Boon']
Lucas walked toward the loot pile, his [System Insight] giving him the answer before he even got there.
[Sunpetal Seed. A rare seed that can be cultivated by a player with high INT and the Herbalism skill. Will grow into a mature Sunpetal plant over 7 days.]
He had found his flower after all.
Evelyn walked over, her armor battered, her face streaked with grime, but her eyes shining with a new, undeniable respect. She looked from the seed to Lucas.
"The deal was for information," he said, his voice quiet. "You held up your end. The seed is yours, if you want it."
He was testing her. He could see the desire in her eyes—a permanent INT boost was invaluable to any player. But she shook her head, a small, wry smile on her lips.
"No. A deal is a deal," she said. "We get the Elder Moss. You... you earned this." She paused, her gaze complex. "Our debt to you still stands, Thorne. But this... this was a partnership."
For the first time, they stood not as rivals, but as equals, the silent understanding of a shared, impossible victory hanging between them.