180: 【Dragon】

Chapter 180: 【Dragon Beast】

The team channel was constantly abuzz with Urge (urging) from many people, giving Pakto a huge headache.

However, just as he was troubled, someone finally came to apply.

A male of Platinum 18, specializing in an output position.

He even actively displayed his war chess, which was actually a quite powerful output war chess.

"This—"

Pakto first added him, then looked at Shi Li with some difficulty: "Little brother, the output position is already full.

Do you have any suitable war chess that can switch to support?

It's fine even if you can't heal; other forms of support are acceptable. Our Healing is quite sufficient."

"Okay."

Shi Li readily agreed.

"OK, then let's immediately pull everyone in and depart now."

There was a special gathering stone in front of the dungeon entrance. Anyone who had entered the dungeon before could be summoned by the leader through the gathering stone.

Before long, all 25 people had arrived.

Regarding Kailala and Shi Li, some team members initially felt their ranks were a bit low.

But upon hearing they were in support roles, they didn't say anything further.

【Everyone, before forming the team, I specifically investigated. 20 of you have not challenged the Dragon Beast Valley.】

Before officially entering the dungeon, Pakto said in the team channel.

Dragon Beast Valley was difficult to clear because the map was large and had many random elements.

Most chess players, after experiencing it once, didn't want to come a second time.

The remaining 5 people were mostly like himself, only re-clearing for a specific purpose.

And the remaining 20 people were probably mostly after the individual first-clear reward.

【So, please pay attention to my commands once we go in.】

Pakto said sincerely.

Under normal circumstances, unless someone actively displayed it, a chess player would not inquire about another's chess set, as that would be impolite.

One could only see how well teammates performed after entering the dungeon; it involved a bit of luck.

Fortunately, the first stage of the dungeon was usually not difficult. Whether the team could clear it and to what extent could be determined after clearing the first stage.

Thus, under Pakto's leadership, everyone entered the dungeon.

As soon as Shi Li entered the portal, his vision immediately rose, changing to an overhead perspective.

A grid-based canyon chessboard appeared before his eyes.

"This is the valley entrance. Generally, there are only two or three types of not-so-strong Dragon Beasts."

Pakto also introduced them in a timely manner.

"I know some of you might have quests, but please Gather without affecting the team."

"Also, there's no need to rush, as there will be maps specifically for Gathering further in the valley."

As he finished speaking, enemy war chess pieces began to fall in the red area on the opposite side of the map.

A full 30 of them, all with 3 Characteristics.

Team dungeons were like this; they wouldn't talk about equal numbers.

Sometimes, even random enemy reinforcements would spawn.

"Such strong stats, and so many types of them, four or five different kinds. It's completely different from what the leader said?"

"Hmm? I remember these Blue-Skinned Dragon Beasts shouldn't appear until at least the second map, right?"

"The number is also huge. Usually, in the first stage, there are only about 20 enemies opposite us."

Everyone spoke one after another.

And they also noticed something unusual.

"Everyone, Dragon Beast Valley has been unstable recently, but for us, it's an opportunity.

Rewards and risks are often directly proportional. Perhaps this time we can return with a full harvest."

Pakto comforted everyone, then said: "Now, please deploy your war chess."

The map was very spacious, and there were several rows of green areas where pieces could be deployed.

Everyone chose suitable positions for their war chess and deployed them.

Shi Li paid a little attention to Pakto's war chess.

The projection of his war chess was a tracked war robot, looking quite sturdy and robust.

【Ironhide Castle】

Persistence, 40 points, 3-star attack 40, 100/100, 0/40

Movement Distance 6, Attack Distance 1

【Enemy Radar - Characteristic】: Ironhide Castle's Alert Distance + 2

【Wall Honor - Passive】: When Ironhide Castle is the war chess closest to an enemy, it receives -10 Damage Reduction.

【Emergency Repair - Passive】: Ironhide Castle gains 30 Healing every 3 times it is attacked.

【Castle Form - 40 Energy】: Ironhide Castle performs Defense and increases its Alert Distance by +1.

Starting with a Characteristic chess piece, he certainly lived up to his role as team leader.

Shi Li knew that this Ironhide Castle played a very significant role in team battles.

One must know that Persistence chess pieces naturally had an Alert Distance +2, plus its Characteristic and active skill.

The theoretical maximum Alert Distance reached 5 squares.

5 squares was a very long distance, which could greatly limit the enemy's Movement capabilities.

Additionally, it's important to note that team dungeons had different requirements for chess set scores.

Each person was allowed to carry a score quota of 40 points, which could not be shared with teammates.

"Why aren't you deploying yet?"

Shi Li was so engrossed in looking at other people's war chess that he momentarily forgot about his own, until Kailala reminded him.

Kailala used a Listen to the Wind-type Healing card that was only 20 points.

As a Healing card, a low score didn't matter; its task was to heal, not to output damage.

"Oh, oh."

Shi Li heard this and put down the war chess he had long prepared.

【I'm very brave~!】

A water-clad girl with a small squid stuck to her head landed on the chessboard.

【Escape Ink】

Balanced, 30 points, 3-star attack 30, 50/50

Movement Distance 6, Attack Distance 1

【Timid Instinct - Characteristic】: Escape Ink's maximum HP -50. Can be redeployed at the start of each new turn.

【Charming Ink - Passive】: On the turn Escape Ink is deployed, it causes 1 chess square to be Locked (Distance 3).

【Camouflage - Passive】: On Escape Ink's 1st deployment, it becomes an untargetable unit for 1 turn.

【Water Wave Impact - Passive】: On the turn Escape Ink is deployed, it releases a 10-point attack shockwave (Distance 2).

After chessification, Escape Ink had some noticeable changes.

Among them, the redeployment mechanism was somewhat special.

It would leave the field at the start of a new turn, and then Shi Li could immediately choose whether to continue deploying Escape Ink at the original location or switch to deploying other war chess pieces.

"This card of yours is really interesting."

Kailala immediately showed great interest when she saw Escape Ink being deployed.

In her opinion, the most powerful Characteristic was this Charming Ink.

Lock was a very powerful effect in a chess game. It could preemptively block the enemy's Movement routes and also serve as a Barrier to cover one's own side.

Looking around, none of the other 24 war chess pieces in the entire team possessed a capability like Escape Ink's.

"Brother Shi Li, you move first this turn."

Indeed, after Pakto scanned all the cards in the team, he handed the action right to Shi Li.

"Please Lock 1 square here."

He even thoughtfully marked the position where the Lock needed to be cast for Shi Li.

"No problem."

Shi Li saved himself the trouble of thinking and simply followed the opponent's command.

Next, the entire team proceeded in an orderly fashion under Pakto's command.

Shi Li also didn't need to exert much effort, becoming a 'wall builder,' constantly patching up here and there.

Finally, with everyone's combined efforts, the first stage was successfully cleared.

【First stage cleared.】

【You obtained 3000 cubic coins.】

When the last monster was eliminated, text popped up in front of Shi Li.

"Not bad."

Shi Li felt that for this amount of time, this money was quite efficient.

"Such good luck! I got 5 Dragon Blood Spirit Ganoderma!"

"I got a fragment of the Ground-Crawling Boar's token card, hahaha!"

"It seems the increased difficulty also brought increased rewards. I got 1 three-star material."

Everyone also had their own gains, and there was a joyful atmosphere within the team.

Pakto saw it and was filled with satisfaction.

Next, they cleared their way through the maps and arrived at the depths of Dragon Beast Valley.

A few hours later, the exploration progress reached 70%.

"I didn't expect that even though the difficulty was higher this time, we proceeded more smoothly."

An old team member who had cleared Dragon Beast Valley more than once sighed with emotion.

As long as it exceeded 60%, one could be exempt from dungeon penalties.

Most teams would only reach this point before failing and retreating.

"Don't worry, everyone's strength is very high this time. We will definitely go deeper."

Pakto said this, but his gaze lingered more on Shi Li.

To be honest, he was originally quite uncertain.

After all, they were just a pickup group, not a well-coordinated fixed team.

As the overall commander who needed to control the entire situation, he knew that the smooth progress of this clear was largely due to this young man's indispensable contribution.

In the first two stages, the other party merely deployed Locked squares according to his prompts.

But later, he started to act a bit 'on his own initiative'.

The problem was that subsequent facts proved that the Blockade Shi Li set up was even better than the positions he marked.

It was a superior solution.

With the help of these Blockades, the monsters were obstructed to the greatest extent.

It not only hindered their output against his side but also protected his battle chess pieces.

So, from the middle of the game, he no longer commanded Shi Li.

Instead, he assigned him the right to act early, letting him play freely.

The results of Shi Li's operations were indeed very reassuring.

“Everyone, cheer up! Since we’ve made it this far, we should at least aim for 90%,” Pakto encouraged everyone, striking while the iron was hot.

“Why 90% and not 100%?”

Shi Li expressed his doubts to Kailara.

After some time together, the two, as members of the support team, had become quite familiar with each other.

“Because, in reality, no team has ever achieved 100% exploration in the Dragon Beast Valley dungeon,” Kailara smiled, explaining to him.

“90% exploration is roughly the second to last level before the valley floor.”

“95% is the final BOSS of Dragon Beast Valley, which is a genuine dragon.”

“Some people speculate that if this BOSS is defeated, there’s another so-called bonus level, which is the 100% level.”

From Kailara’s tone, it was clear that she didn’t expect to defeat the 95% BOSS level.

“I see.”

Shi Li nodded, saying nothing more.

The subsequent progress was still relatively smooth. Although the enemies were strong, leading to a rather tragic battle, they still stumbled their way to just before 95%.

“Brothers, what do you say now?

Should we challenge it again, or should we turn back here?”

Stopping before the level, Pakto sought everyone’s opinion.

“Let’s quit while we’re ahead, Guild Leader. I’m already very content.”

“That’s right. If we fail the level challenge, we’ll be penalized. If we quit before it starts, we won’t be penalized and can keep our spoils of victory.”

“You’ve come all this way, aren’t you willing to at least try?”

“That’s the final BOSS of Dragon Beast Valley, the Beast Dragon. Can a team like ours defeat it?”

The vast majority of people were still against it, wanting to leave now.

Shi Li, however, belonged to the combat faction.

After all, his purpose in coming in was to find that evil dragon, so how could he make a conclusion without completing the entire dungeon?

Perhaps that evil dragon was in the next level, or the final level?

“Everyone, I’ve heard all your opinions.

Please allow me to say something.”

Pakto waited until the discussions quieted down a bit before speaking: “To be honest with you, I came specifically for the Beast Dragon this time.

I have a quest item that can greatly weaken its combat power.

Since I’ve said this much, does anyone want to try?”

“Guild Leader, you should have said you had a quest item earlier.”

“Could it be that we might get the first kill of Dragon Beast Valley?”

“It still feels dangerous. If there really was a quest item, wouldn’t those fixed teams have already cleared it?”

“Guild Leader, we trust you. Our brothers are willing to give it a try.”

“That’s right. Anyway, making it this far is already a huge gain. Even if we fail the challenge and lose a portion, the harvest is still great.”

“It’s rare to have the opportunity to reach this point, so let’s give it a try.”

After learning that Pakto had a quest item, many people’s attitudes underwent a 180-degree change.

As for the few who were still opposed, they just went with the flow.

So, under Pakto’s operation, the team entered the level marked with a BOSS.

“Roar—!”

Accompanied by a low growl, minions landed first.

They varied in form, each possessing a hint of dragon Characteristics and also beast Characteristics.

These minions belonged to all seven systems, but the most numerous were of the Chasing Wind system.

Beast Dragon Descendant

Chasing Wind, Attack 40, 130/130, 0/30

Movement Range 8, Attack Range 1

Green Soldier - Passive: When Beast Dragon Descendant stays on Green terrain, Attack Range +1.

Herbivore - Passive: When Beast Dragon Descendant stays on Grassland terrain, gains 10 Healing.

Charge - 30 Energy: Beast Dragon Descendant charges forward 1 square, dealing 40 damage to the target at the end (Map).

Most of the terrain in the valley was Green + Grassland, making it easy to trigger their passives.

This gave them extra bonuses in this map, and the last active skill was a map-wide attack.

Map-wide attacks have an advantage: they count as damage and are not affected by terms like “Damage Reduction” or “Attack Counterattack.”

They are an excellent choice for attacking tank cards that often have Damage Reduction.

“Now, everyone, please listen to my command and proceed step by step,” Pakto said, looking at the 30 minions on the field. “We need to prioritize clearing more threatening enemies. When the number of remaining minions reaches 7 or if not all seven systems are present, the BOSS will descend.”

Clearly, he had done his homework for this, gathering enough intelligence.

So, under Pakto’s overall deployment, the team began the strategy.

First, Shi Li’s Escape Ink moved.

The opponent’s Movement range was very large, so Shi Li moved very cautiously.

Fortunately, Charming Ink had a long enough casting range, and he deployed the Blockade squares from a distance.

Next, Pakto’s Persistence card moved, arriving behind the Blockade squares to use them as cover.

This avoided being attacked from the front and also served the purpose of restricting the opponent’s Movement with its alert range.

However, this time he used a relatively ordinary-looking Persistence card, not the Ironhide Castle he had always used before.

Although it was puzzling, everyone believed there might be a reason for it.

The tank card moved first, performing Defense after reaching the front line.

The opposing side also had tank cards and performed similar actions.

Then the output cards moved out to attack the opposing tank cards.

Those with armor-piercing abilities went first, breaking the Defense, and then focusing fire to kill them instantly.

Healing cards were interspersed in between, providing protection for allied battle chess pieces whose health was in danger.

Fighting steadily like this, as a team with tactics and cooperation, under Pakto’s meticulous command, they only paid the price of 3 battle chess pieces being eliminated before finally welcoming the appearance of the BOSS.

“Roar—!”

A majestic figure slowly descended onto the chessboard.

It had the form of a dragon, but its body was covered in brown beast fur.

Its wings were also like bird wings, covered in feathers.

Beast Dragon

Momentum, Attack 100, 5000/5000, 0/100

Movement Range 7, Attack Range 2

Flight - Passive: Beast Dragon is immune to terrain debuffs. Elastic Fur - Passive: Beast Dragon gains 10 Charge each time it takes damage.

Devouring Bite - 50 Energy: Beast Dragon attacks 1 target. If it scores a kill, gains 100 Healing.

Dragon Tail Swipe - 100 Energy: Beast Dragon performs a 1-square area attack, ignoring friend or foe, with a Stun effect (Map, Range 1).

“Such, such powerful stats!”

“A 1-square area attack, hitting 8 positions at once?!”

The team members couldn't help but exclaim when they saw these stats.

One must know that even with 22 battle chess pieces remaining, ganging up on this BOSS might not guarantee victory.

What’s more, there were still 7 minions in good condition on the field.

Not only did this BOSS have an absurd amount of health, but one wave of AOE could basically shatter the surrounding battle chess pieces.

The key was that its 100 Attack could also consistently cause it to heal, making it too difficult to fight.

No wonder so many teams couldn’t pass this level before!

“Brothers, don’t worry, I still have a quest item!”

Pakto stepped forward to stabilize morale.

He pulled out a small vial of potion and threw it at the BOSS.

Splat!

The potion shattered on the chessboard, and a strange red gas immediately leaked out, wrapping around the BOSS.

Then, everyone saw the BOSS’s stats change.

Beast Dragon

Momentum, Attack 100, 5000/5000, 0/100

1

Momentum, Attack 50, 2500/5000, 0/100

“Roar!!!”

Perhaps due to an unknown attack, the BOSS let out an angry roar.

“Long live the Guild Leader!”

“Hahaha, now there’s hope!”

The team members cheered.

Only Shi Li tilted his head. Did he see wrong?