The iron club came down like a falling building.
Arthur didn't try to block it with his arms. That would be suicide, even with 500 Max HP. Instead, he threw himself forward, sliding on the slick, grimy floor, right between the Hobgoblin's legs.
BOOM.
The club smashed into the concrete where Arthur had been standing a split second ago. The impact sent a shockwave through the room, cracking the floor tiles.
"Hold it still, you idiot!" Brutus roared from the safety of the doorway.
Arthur ignored him. He scrambled to his feet behind the boss. The Hobgoblin was slow, turning with the grace of a dump truck.
HP: 110 / 506
Arthur gripped his pipe wrench. His knuckles were white. The Strength potion was coursing through his veins, making the heavy tool feel light.
"Let's see what this does," Arthur snarled.
He activated his new skill.
[Skill: Heavy Strike]
A faint red glow enveloped the wrench. Arthur felt his muscles lock up, guided by the System assist. He swung the wrench in a brutal, upward arc, aiming for the back of the Hobgoblin's knee.
CRACK.
[Critical Hit!][Damage: 45][Target Status: Crippled (Movement Speed -30%)]
The Hobgoblin howled—a sound of genuine pain—and dropped to one knee.
"Now! Fire!" Brutus commanded.
TWANG. TWANG. TWANG.
Viper unleashed a rapid-fire volley. Three bolts struck the Hobgoblin's back. -15. -18. -14.
Brutus charged in, his mace glowing with a yellow light. [Bash]. He slammed it into the Boss's side. -30.
The Hobgoblin was surrounded. Its health bar, which had been full, dropped by a visible chunk (about 5%).
"Good!" Brutus yelled, backing off immediately. "Tank! Get back in there! Take the aggro!"
Arthur was panting. He looked at his health. He hadn't taken damage yet, but he was in the kill zone. If the Boss hit him once, squarely, he might take 50+ damage. Two hits and he was dead.
The Hobgoblin struggled to its feet, its eyes glowing red with rage. It swung its club wildly.
Arthur ducked. The wind of the swing ruffled his hair.
"Taunt it!" Sarah screamed from the back. "It's looking at Brutus!"
Arthur looked at Brutus.
Brutus was retreating, using Arthur as a wall. The plan was obvious: Let Arthur soak all the damage until the Boss died. If Arthur died in the process? Perfect. No need to pay the 15%.
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
Rationality Scale: Absolute.Loyalty: Zero.
"I can't holding it!" Arthur shouted, injecting a fake panic into his voice. "My cooldowns!"
He didn't use a taunt skill. He didn't attack.
Instead, Arthur did the unthinkable for a tank.
He ran.
Not away from the Boss, but past it. He sprinted towards the dark corner of the room, behind a stack of crates.
"What are you doing?!" Brutus screamed.
With Arthur disengaged and hiding, the "Threat Table" reset instantly.
Who was the next highest threat? The person dealing the most consistent damage.
The Hobgoblin turned. Its burning yellow eyes locked onto the skinny man with the crossbow.
Viper.
"Oh, shit," Viper whispered.
The Hobgoblin roared, ignoring Brutus, and charged at the Ranger. Thanks to Arthur's [Heavy Strike], the boss was limping, but a limping giant is still faster than a panicked archer in a corner.
"Brutus! Help!" Viper shrieked, fumbling to reload.
"Kite it! Kite it!" Brutus yelled, paralyzed by indecision.
It was too late.
The Hobgoblin closed the distance. It didn't swing the club. It reached out with a massive green hand and grabbed Viper by the head.
SQUELCH.
It wasn't a fight. It was an execution. The Boss slammed Viper into the wall. Once. Twice.
[Party Member Death: Viper]
The health bar in Arthur's interface turned gray.
"You bastard!" Brutus roared, turning to look for Arthur. "You dropped aggro!"
"I slipped!" Arthur yelled back from behind the crates. "He's too strong!"
The Hobgoblin dropped Viper's broken body and turned.
Next target: Sarah (Healer). Healing generates massive aggro.
Sarah screamed, dropping her staff. She turned to run towards the exit door, but she tripped over a loose cable.
"Brutus!" she wailed.
Brutus gritted his teeth. He couldn't let the healer die. If she died, he died.
"Damn it!"
Brutus charged. He intercepted the Boss, blocking a club swing with his mace.
CLANG.
Brutus slid back three meters, his boots carving grooves in the floor.
"Heal me!" Brutus screamed. "Heal me now!"
Sarah scrambled up, casting a white light on Brutus.
Arthur watched from the shadows. He checked his watch. Strength Potion Duration: 2:30 remaining.
He cracked a smile. "Let them cook."
For the next two minutes, it was a desperate brawl. Brutus was a Level 4 Warrior with good gear. He was tanky enough to survive, but he wasn't a tank. He was taking heavy damage. Sarah was burning her mana rapidly to keep him alive.
The Boss's HP was dropping. 80%... 60%... 40%...
Brutus was bleeding from his head. His armor was dented. "Where is that rookie?!" Brutus bellowed, swinging his mace. "Arthur! Get out here or I kill you myself!"
"I'm coming!" Arthur called out.
He waited.
He waited until the Boss entered [Enrage Mode] at 20% HP. The Hobgoblin turned red, attack speed doubling.
BAM. BAM. BAM.
Brutus couldn't block fast enough. A hit smashed his shoulder. Another hit cracked his ribs.
"Mana... empty..." Sarah whispered, sinking to the floor.
Brutus took a direct hit to the chest. He flew across the room, crashing into the skull throne. He didn't get up. His HP bar was flickering red. 5% HP.
The Boss turned to finish him.
Now.
Arthur burst from the shadows.
He was full stamina. His HP had ticked up a few points.
He sprinted at the Boss's exposed back. The Hobgoblin was focused on crushing Brutus and didn't see the flank.
Arthur leaped.
[Skill: Heavy Strike]
He brought the wrench down on the Hobgoblin's skull with everything he had.
CRACK.
Critical Hit! -52 Damage.
The Hobgoblin staggered, stunned. Its HP dropped to critical.
Arthur didn't stop. He stabbed the serrated dagger into the Boss's neck. He twisted.
-18.-15.
The Boss fell forward, crashing face-first onto the floor, dead.
[Boss Defeated: Iron-Tooth Hobgoblin][Experience Gained: 450 EXP] (Viper dead, Split 3 ways? No... wait.)
Arthur looked at the EXP log. It was high.
He looked over at the throne.
Brutus was slumped there, gasping for air. Blood was bubbling from his mouth. The Boss's last hit had collapsed his lung.
"You..." Brutus wheezed, his eyes filled with hate. "You... waited..."
Arthur walked over. He stood over the dying squad leader.
"The deal was 15%," Arthur said calmly.
"Help... potion..." Brutus pointed a trembling hand to his belt pouch.
Arthur reached down. He took the pouch. He pulled out a Major Healing Potion.
Brutus's eyes lit up with hope.
Arthur uncorked it.
And drank it himself.
[HP Restored: +150]
HP: 275 / 512 (Health recovered significantly).
"Thanks," Arthur said, tossing the empty bottle aside. "I needed that."
Brutus stared in disbelief. His hand fell. The light faded from his eyes.
[System Alert: Player Brutus has died.]
Sarah, the healer, was huddled by the door, shaking. She had seen everything.
Arthur turned to her. He was covered in goblin blood and Brutus's blood.
"He died fighting the boss," Arthur said. It wasn't a question.
Sarah nodded frantically. "Yes. Yes. The boss killed him. You... you tried to save him."
"Good," Arthur said. "Loot distribution time."
He walked to the Boss's corpse. A golden light was shining underneath it. And then he walked to Brutus's body.
The System prevented looting players directly (PK protection was active in Safe Zones, but in Dungeons? It was a grey area). Since Brutus died to a "Monster," his loot was... accessible.
Arthur picked up Brutus's heavy mace. He picked up Viper's crossbow. And finally, he reached into the Boss's loot pile.
[Item: Ring of the Iron Will (Rank E)]
Constitution +3
Passive: Reduces Physical Damage taken by 5%.
[Item: Hobgoblin's Spine (Material)]
Arthur slid the ring onto his finger.
HP: 275 / 542 (Con +3 = +30 Max HP).
He looked at Sarah.
"You can carry the crossbow," Arthur said. "We're leaving."
Sarah stood up on shaky legs. She realized she was now in a party with a monster. A monster who watched his team die and drank their potions.
Arthur checked his stats.
Level: 2 -> 3 (Level Up!) Attribute Points: 5.
He dumped them all into Vitality.
HP Base: 592.
He was getting stronger. And richer.
"Let's go, Sarah," Arthur said, walking toward the exit. "We have a report to file. 'Tragic accident in the dungeon'."