Meanwhile, the outer layer of players never strayed more than fifteen yards from the core of the formation. This way, if anything unexpected occurred, they could instantly regroup and protect the center.
Kaito had no intention of clashing head-on. Instead, he planned to exploit his speed and strike precision—chipping away at the formation from the edges, methodically and without drawing attention.
Silently, he moved closer.
A few moments later, the Everhold Dominion team encountered a new threat: a pack of Nether Leopards, led by a ferocious Level 14 Chieftain-ranked Nether Leopard King. Its glowing crimson eyes and jet-black fur exuded a chilling pressure. Kaito, hidden in the underbrush nearby, instantly recognized an opportunity.
This was his moment.
Creeping closer, he climbed a thick tree just above the path and positioned himself perfectly, concealed among the dense foliage. Time crawled by as he waited patiently.
Soon, the Everhold Dominion elites had dispatched the minions—only the Leopard King remained. As it roared in fury, surrounded by spells and attacks from all sides, the Dominion players became visibly more engaged, their focus intensifying. The anticipation of valuable loot dulled their wariness.
None of them noticed the shadow above, silently watching.
"MT, dodge its skill! Don't let its claw hit you!" Gravemind shouted sharply. "Everyone else, hold it off as long as you can. Healers, push your limits—full burst!"
Gravemind's voice carried urgency, but also excitement. The rhythm of arrows loosed from his longbow sped up, each shot carrying practiced lethality.
Gravemind hadn't expected his luck to turn this good—stumbling upon a Level 14 Chieftain was rare enough, but this wasn't just any elite mob. It was a field boss-class monster. A monster like the Nether Leopard King wouldn't just drop a single item—it had the potential to yield multiple high-grade drops, depending on its level and loot pool.
At the very least, it would drop Level 12 or Level 13 Silver equipment—a tier above what most players currently possessed. Even now, in all of Everhold Dominion, there were barely ten pieces of Silver equipment total. That alone spoke volumes about their rarity.
And this time… there was even a chance it might drop Gold-tier equipment.
Compared to Silver, Gold equipment wasn't just rare—it was on an entirely different level. Its attributes dwarfed everything below it. Within Everhold Dominion, not a single player owned a piece of Gold gear. Not just in their town branch—but across the entire guild. Even the third-rate guilds could barely scrape together a single Gold item. Only second-rate guilds and above had access to such treasures—and even then, only guild leaders or core executives could wield them. To the average elite, such equipment was nothing more than a dream—something they could admire from afar, but never obtain.
If they could get just one or two pieces of Gold equipment from this kill… then even someone like Raen would be nothing in front of them. Crushing him would be effortless.
Gravemind wasn't the only one with stars in his eyes. Seeing the opportunity, even Rhine and the branch leaders personally joined the battle. The fight against the Nether Leopard King quickly escalated into an intense, full-party engagement.
[Nether Leopard King] (Chieftain-Ranked)
Level: 14
HP: 100,000 / 100,000
A casual pounce from the beast could instantly end a player's life. Its sleek body moved with terrifying speed, and a single swipe of its spiked tail could wipe out more than half the HP of an entire frontline squad. And if one of its claw strikes landed squarely—especially when the Main Tank failed to block in time—instant death was guaranteed.
If the Nether Leopard King unleashed its roar, it would instantly push back all enemies within an 8-yard radius, forcing them into a Fainted state for 3 full seconds. To make matters worse, the boss was incredibly nimble and possessed exceptionally high Defense, making it difficult to damage and even harder to control. As a result, casualties on Everhold Dominion's side quickly began to pile up.
Despite their numbers, the damage dealt to the chieftain was alarmingly low. Even the strongest among them—Gravemind—could barely land hits that dealt between -40 to -50 damage, while the rest of the players were only scraping by with just over -10 damage per strike.
Fortunately, they had strength in numbers.
With a fifty-man team surrounding and relentlessly attacking the beast from all sides, they gradually managed to chip away at its HP. Slowly but steadily, the Nether Leopard King's health began to drop.
And just as its HP was about to fall below 50%...
Kaito immediately activated Mirror Phantom Blade, a skill he had only recently acquired. Controlling his Doppelganger from the shadows, he sent it circling around Everhold Dominion's formation, silently closing in on their backline. His target: the mage classes and the healers.
....
The Nether Leopard King, a Level 14 chieftain-ranked monster, was about to enter its Berserk state. Once its HP dropped below 50%, its attack power and speed would spike by 20%. Even a main tank outfitted with a full Level 10 equipment set would struggle to hold the line.
"Knights, stay sharp! Cast Protection Blessing on the Shield Warriors! And Shield Warriors, be ready to activate Shield Wall at a moment's notice!" Gravemind barked out his commands the moment he noticed the boss nearing the Berserk threshold.
Protection Blessing could reduce incoming damage by 50%, while Shield Wall provided an additional 50% reduction. When stacked, these effects reduced the total damage to a mere 25%, giving the Shield Warriors a fighting chance to tank the frenzied beast.
Finally, the Nether Leopard King's HP dipped beneath 50%.
"Auuuuuu—!"
A thunderous roar echoed through the clearing as the boss's body expanded visibly, its muscles bulging with savage energy.
Everything was unfolding just as Gravemind had predicted—until it wasn't.
Just as he prepared to flash a victorious smile, the unexpected happened. The Nether Leopard King summoned two additional Nether Leopards, both Level 13 elite-ranked monsters, each boasting 30,000 HP.
With fierce roars, the two leopards burst from the shadows and lunged straight at the backline, catching the healers completely off guard.
"Shift focus! Eliminate the elite leopards first!" Gravemind's confident expression twisted into a grim scowl.
But he was too late.
Before anyone could react, the two elite beasts had already pinned down and shredded two of their healers. Blood splattered the grass as cries of panic erupted from the rear.
Fortunately, the three Level 14 branch leaders were not just figureheads. Reacting with sharp instincts, they swiftly intercepted the two elite leopards, preventing further bloodshed. The clash of steel and fang rang out as they forced the elites back, stabilizing the rear—if only temporarily.
However, with the loss of two healers, the pressure on the main tank skyrocketed. Even with Protection Blessing and Shield Wall active, each strike from the Nether Leopard King still inflicted over -500 damage. In contrast, the tank's total HP barely exceeded 2,100.
To make matters worse, the Leopard King's attack speed had surged, making it increasingly difficult to block or parry. If the tank hadn't been expertly weaving in dodges between each attack, he would have already been flattened under the boss's claws.
Within mere seconds of entering its Berserk state, the Nether Leopard King had already claimed the lives of five players. A single sweep of its tail had launched three melee fighters into the air, their lifeless bodies crashing down moments later—dead before they even hit the ground.
"Hold on just a little longer!" Gravemind gritted his teeth, trying to mask the unease rising in his chest. "Its Berserk mode is almost over!"
Watching elite after elite fall, Gravemind felt both frustration and helplessness. Every one of these players had been carefully selected from the best of the guild's branches. Losing even one was a major setback, and yet the Nether Leopard King was cutting through them like a blade through silk.
Fortunately, revival was still possible, and with it, the lost EXP could be recovered. As long as they could bring the boss down, everything would be worth it.
Or so they thought.
Just as the situation seemed to stabilize, a shadow flickered across the rear lines.
Kaito's Doppelganger, concealed within the chaos, unleashed Cross Slash, appearing behind a Spellbinder who was too engrossed in chanting to notice the incoming danger.
The SpellBinder's eyes were glued to the Nether Leopard King, fingers forming seals mid-air. With Everhold Dominion occupying the entire Echoing Deep's entrance, the idea of an ambush hadn't even crossed his mind. He felt completely safe.