Lin Tianhao had never personally fought this Weasel Spirit before, but he knew its skills well.
Super Armor and Frenzy were standard boss fare in Gods' Twilight – practically every boss in the main cities had them. Super Armor granted immunity to all crowd control (except special curses and suppression effects). Frenzy sacrificed some defenses for a massive offensive boost. Some powerful bosses could even increase their damage tenfold while Frenzied.
Huangshan Illusion was a mental attack. Its effectiveness depended on the target's mental fortitude; stronger wills resisted it better.
But Soul Siphon and Spirit Puppetry were where this Weasel Spirit truly became monstrous.
Soul Siphon forcibly tore a fragment of the victim's soul away. Victims entered a Weakened state and suffered continuous health drain. The kicker? This drain lasted twenty-four hours! The only way to survive was to camp near a Resurrection Altar, relying on its restorative aura to counteract the drain – unless the Weasel Spirit was killed first.
Spirit Puppetry was even worse. It had a chance to seize control of the victim's soul, turning them into a puppet fighting for the Weasel Spirit. The duration? Also twenty-four hours. Utterly broken.
But Lin Tianhao hadn't come to play; he'd come to kill. As long as the Weasel Spirit remained airborne without activating Super Armor, it was trapped. Normally, bosses activated both Super Armor and Frenzy together during their low-health enrage phase. This Weasel Spirit, however, was different. As a humanoid monster, its intelligence rivaled that of an average adult. Early players who underestimated NPCs as simple programs had learned harsh lessons in Gods' Twilight – this world was far more than just a game.
"Super Armor!"
Right on cue, as the boss's health dipped below one million, it activated Super Armor. The knockback effect of Lin Tianhao's arrows vanished instantly, and the Weasel Spirit landed heavily.
The moment its paws touched the ground, it raised a clawed hand, aiming a spell at Lin Tianhao. But the gesture faltered, the hand lowering. Why? Out of range!
Most monsters, even bosses, had skill ranges roughly equivalent to an archer's basic attack distance. Lin Tianhao, however, had a passive skill, Attack Range Amplification, granting him an extra 10% range. He exploited this edge perfectly, positioning himself just outside the Weasel Spirit's casting reach, forcing it to abort its attack.
This kind of range-kiting was an old trick dating back to PC MMOs, mastered by skilled players to maximize damage while minimizing risk. However, Lin Tianhao's movement speed was his Achilles' heel. The Weasel Spirit closed the gap in barely two seconds.
Lin Tianhao's eyes narrowed. The creature raised its hand again – Soul Siphon, a targeted, unavoidable skill. With Super Armor active, interrupting the cast was impossible.
Nearby, Ying Sha smirked. "Finally, your turn to taste defeat?"
But the smirk froze on his face.
In a blink, Lin Tianhao switched his main weapon! The Thunderstrike Bow vanished, replaced by the sturdy shield completing his Ironwood Treant Armor set. Equipping the full set boosted his defenses and health significantly. Its set bonuses were even more potent than the Elite set's:
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+200 HP Regenerated per Second
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20% Damage Reflected
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+10% Tenacity
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That last bonus, Tenacity, would help mitigate the severity of the Weakened debuff Soul Siphon inflicted.
CRACK!
A crimson -2254! flashed above Lin Tianhao's head as the soul-rending energy struck. Immediately after, smaller red numbers began ticking relentlessly:-102... -102... -102...
Lin Tianhao swiftly swapped back to his bow, resuming his assault. Without the full set equipped, his HP regeneration dropped to 100 per second. Combined with his Recovery passive, it totaled 150 HP/s. The Ironwood pieces themselves also provided inherent HP regen, bringing the actual total to around 180 HP/s. This was just enough to outpace the soul drain. The Weakened debuff, however, was brutal. His attack speed plummeted from 3.63 to 2.41 – a third slower – even after the weapon swap.
Seeing the stream of green +180 recovery numbers dancing above Lin Tianhao's head, Ying Sha was stunned anew. Healing over a hundred HP per second? And the boss's devastating opener hadn't even taken off a tenth of his health?!
"I'll help!" Ying Sha called out unexpectedly, abandoning stealth. He materialized behind the Weasel Spirit, planted a foot on its furry back, and launched himself upwards, his dagger flashing across its throat in a vicious slash.
-215!Bleeding...-25... -25... -25...
Lin Tianhao was momentarily taken aback by the assassin's sudden assistance. The boss still had over 900,000 HP – far too much for a last-second steal attempt.
"Talk later!" Ying Sha shouted, already dodging a furious swipe. "I'll peel off at 10% health! Don't worry about me stealing the kill!"
Is he scared of getting one-shot again? Trying to make peace? Lin Tianhao wondered briefly. But he didn't dwell on it. Having someone else draw the boss's aggro was a welcome advantage.
Super Armor had a duration. While Lin Tianhao couldn't recall exactly how long it lasted for this particular Newbie Village boss, it couldn't be excessively long.
Enraged by the assassin's attack, the Weasel Spirit roared and spun, lashing out with its claws. Ying Sha, anticipating the counter, arched his back in a gravity-defying dodge, the claws whistling past harmlessly. He retaliated instantly, his blade scoring a shallow cut on the beast's wrist.
-121!
The damage was minor this time, no bleed proc.
Lin Tianhao seized the opening. Arrows flew like angry hornets, striking the back of the Weasel Spirit's skull with brutal precision – weak spot hits! Three arrows thudded home in a single second.
"Wretched mortal!!" the Weasel Spirit bellowed in fury. Suddenly, a wave of eerie, ghostly light pulsed from its body, washing over the battlefield.
Then...
The massive brown-furred beast vanished.
In its place stood a breathtaking vision. A woman draped in a diaphanous silk gown that clung to her alluring curves. Her skin was like purest snow, and her long, shapely legs seemed to go on forever. She smiled, a captivating, almost hypnotic tilt to her lips, her eyes holding promises of forbidden pleasures. She crooked a finger seductively towards Lin Tianhao, her voice a husky, irresistible whisper:
"Handsome, come play with me!"