Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player-Chapter 20: Hrulhar II

Hrulhar's damage output and insane speed alone were enough to label it a lethal opponent at this point in Zenith Online. But, it wasn't an insurmountable one. As long as the party fighting against this beast managed their Health correctly, all deaths could be avoided. Sadly, Kieran didn't have the same luxury that others did. His quest prohibited the usage of health consumables.

Of course, this was limited to himself and not his party members. Unless stated explicitly in the objectives, most quests were limited to the quest holder. So, it was highly unlikely that his quest objectives included his party members. After all, the rewards wouldn't be shared amongst them either.

This objective played a significant role in Kieran cementing his decision to pick up two healers. Kieran understood his current Health or any average tank's Health would be insufficient to clear this dungeon in its current mode.

Furthermore, most of the pressure fell on Kieran's shoulders.

While Altair was quick, it'd be difficult for him to grab ahold of Hrulhar's aggro with his two high-damage skills on cooldown. Unlike Kieran, who possessed Warrior's Aura to bolster his sustained damage, Altair's class didn't have access to such a skill yet. Thieves relied upon precise sneak attacks to inflict bonus damage.

Additionally, Hrulhar would absolutely eviscerate any Thief's Health bar.

"Why did you guys just dump out all of your skills?!" Kieran shouted frantically. At the same time, he held his sword sideways while being pushed back by Hrulhar's next chain of violent swipes, losing another large portion of Health.

A second later, Hrulhar opened its maw and collected dark energy much faster than the Shadow Wolves. At the rate it grew, it was clear that Kieran couldn't cancel this attack. Even worse, all of his skills with any Knockback effect were on cooldown.

As the name suggested, any skill capable of generating a Knockback effect dealt extremely heavy damage with enough force to stagger that enemy. In Kieran's case, Savage Break, Force Slash, Charge, and sometimes Heavy Slash could generate this effect at the right time.

However, only Savage Break and Force Slash could generate the effect upon every hit. Charge usually stunned the enemy before any Knockback could occur. That was the benefit of increasing these skills to Lv.5.

Suddenly, Altair appeared before Kieran while holding his daggers in a reverse grip. "How many seconds do you need for your skills?"

"At least twenty," Kieran said after glancing at his current cooldown.

His rotation of high damaging skills let Kieran deal more than one thousand damage in one sitting. If not for Cygnus and Sithik's mistake, it would only take a few rotations without having to remove himself from battle.

"I'll try my best," Altair responded.

Afterward, he activated Swift Step, which allowed his movement and attack speed to soar for ten seconds at its current level. While it was only half of what he needed, Kieran had faith in Altair's skill after watching him.

Meanwhile, Kieran moved back towards Cygnus and Sithik, who wore wry smiles because of the previous mishap. Kieran didn't address their mistake immediately. Instead, he looked toward Aspaira.

"Try to angle out the boss once Altair generates enough hit-stun. That is the only window in which a Mage without superior awareness can land a hit. When you see the boss shake slightly, that means enough hit-stun has stacked. Do you understand?" Kieran said with a near-emotionless expression. Evidently, he was no longer happy or in a joking mood.

"I understand!" Aspaira immediately answered.

During that time, Altair arrived before Hrulhar and hit its throat with a skill known as Concussive Strike. It was a skill that a Thief could accept after Lv.10. While it didn't have a stunning effect, it did have a handy effect called Interrupt, which could cut off any skill without an instant cast.

Hrulhar's howl fell under the category of attacks without an instant cast. So, Altair successfully interrupted the attack, avoiding an otherwise fatal situation.

Next, Kieran turned toward the two Priests. "Why… what earth would tell you to empty your largest skills together? There are two of you because you're meant to alternate your skills. Additionally, there's another dealer that will need healing."

While talking, Kieran groaned softly because he remembered that both Regeneration Burst and Restorative Mist had cooldowns above 60 seconds. Hrulhar only needed one or two seconds to nearly empty one person's health bar. Not to mention sixty seconds, even asking for thirty seconds was asking for a lot when it came to this monster.

"We're sorry. We panicked. I thought you were about to die when you screamed for bloody murder like that," Cygnus said.

"I understand that," Kieran pinched his nose and massaged it to ease some of his frustration. Once he gathered himself, he continued. "I'll tell you this right now: a top-tier Priest's makings lie in their situational awareness and understanding of how combat works. A large healing skill isn't unquestionably required until the appearance of a sure-wipe skill."

"Combat awareness. Got it," Sithik nodded repeatedly.

"Additionally, you need management skills. Priest skills are amongst the most costly mana-wise. Look at your current mana. Just one spam and your Mana Pool has depleted by over 50%," Kieran said.

Not only was Kieran reprimanding their mistakes, but he was teaching them in the process. The ability to teach without breaking someone's confidence was vital when taking up any kind of leadership role, which is why Kieran excelled as the Head Commander for the Golden Brigade in the past.

Most Commanders used harsh language, but Kieran simply addressed the situation by highlighting every last mistake made and offering ways to prevent it from happening in the future. In this sense, Kieran's skill could be said to be on a pedestal.

Neither Sithik nor Cygnus felt he was making fun of them. From his expression alone, they could tell he simply took progression in this game seriously. That was understandable because Kieran was on a timeline unlike the rest of his party. He needed to acquire power and influence before clashing with the Golden Brigade.

He was confident that once it happened… it would bleed over to the real world with their considerable influence. Kieran's only saving grace was the countermeasure set in place regarding a player's identity. The only way to receive even a hint of their identity was through the real-world transaction system that had yet to go online.

Throughout his small "teaching session", Kieran remained mindful of his cooldown and Altair's situation. Since Hrulhar couldn't heal, its Health was less than 50% at this time.

"Sithik, prep a Healing Light in two seconds," Kieran said abruptly.

"Wait now?" Sithik said with some shock.

"No… now," Kieran said exactly two seconds later.

As Sithik followed his instructions, the Healing Light landed on Altair the moment after Swift Step's duration finished. Shockingly, Hrulhar landed an attack at that moment.

Both Sithik and Cygnus were stupefied by Kieran's prediction ability. However, it wasn't a prediction. All of the previous combat telegraphed that Altair was due for a hit. While his speed was equal to Hrulhar with Swift Steps active, Altair's current movements would no longer suffice once the effects dissipated.

"These are skills that you need to hone as Priests. Learn to track the pattern in the action taking place and estimate when your team member will need assistance. Like other games, when bosses become harder, there'll be less time for the leader to deliver orders if they play an active role in the battle," Kieran said.

"I think I understand now. But… that's not something I can learn in a day," Sithik admitted with a bitter smile. After all, not everyone possessed the same mind that Kieran did. Even in the past, Kieran had only seen people comparable to his prime inside other Behemoth Guilds.

Nevertheless, Kieran didn't have such high expectations for these people he barely knew.

"I don't expect you to. I just expect that you be more attentive and communicate with Cygnus. Even if you don't listen for the skills she activates. Support the alternating rotation and do so mindfully until it becomes a subconscious response. That's how we prevail—ceaseless repetition."

Afterward, Kieran suddenly turned around. Aspaira successfully hit Hrulhar with both Aqua Bullet and Fireball while hit-stunned. "Altair, slowly draw Hrulhar closer. You two, how much longer on Mending Aura?"

"Three seconds," Cygnus answered.

"Just over three seconds," Sithik answered.

"This is still salvageable then. Cygnus, your turn. Healing Light now. Sithik, follow up two seconds later," Kieran instructed.

Kieran took this time to disengage his battle state. Otherwise, his regeneration rate would plummet. For a player to disengage their battle state, it required them to be damage free for three seconds and unequip their weapon. In Kieran's case, he stabbed the sword into the ground and didn't touch it.

This action also counted as "unequipping" something.

Cygnus led with Healing Light as instructed.

Two seconds later, Sithik followed up without fail. Then, Kieran called for Mending Aura. Unlike Healing Light, Mending Aura was a skill with an HoT (Heal over Time) effect. It could be used in tandem with Healing Light to maintain proper healing.

The rotational healing neutralized a large part of the damage Hrulhar inflicted over the next fifteen seconds. After those fifteen seconds, Kieran grabbed his Novice Greatsword and rushed forward.

"Fall back, I'll end this right now," Kieran instructed.

However, Hrulhar fell under the predatory type. It locked on to any enemy with the highest aggro in its vicinity. Since Kieran left the battle for almost half a minute, decreasing his amount by a considerable amount, Altair currently had the highest aggro value.

But, Kieran didn't allow for any more mistakes. He initiated combat with Charge, dodging under the attack aimed at Altair. In the next moment, he followed the same rotation as earlier.

The only difference was that Aspaira understood what to do without Kieran voicing it. She channeled Flame Wave's chant before Kieran joined the battle. When Kieran unleashed his monstrous chain of skills, the Flame Wave followed close behind, giving Kieran just enough to dodge.

Whoosh!

Hrulhar was encased in flames while Kieran launched a downward that dealt a critical strike.

Bang!

〈System: You have received 4,800 Experience.〉

Kieran exhaled now that the stressful fight was over. Amidst his short breather, the generous sum of Experience allowed the others to level up while Kieran was but a sliver away from reaching Lv.13.