–116,953!
A blazing [Great Fireball] smashed squarely into the hardened shell of the Stoneback Colossus, sending tremors across the valley floor.
But the damage number that popped up left Daniel momentarily stunned.
Wait, what?
He stared at the number hovering above the boss's head. That couldn't be right. With his spell power that high, how did he only deal just over a hundred thousand damage?
Was this a joke?!
It was becoming painfully obvious—Stoneback Colossus's defense was beyond insane.
Daniel's normally overwhelming fireball had only dealt about one-third of its potential damage.
And if the boss had 100 million HP, that meant he'd need to cast [Great Fireball] at least 100 times just to bring it down.
There was just one small problem—
He didn't have nearly enough MP for that.
Fortunately, Daniel had come prepared. Even as he flung another flaming orb toward the massive boss, he grabbed a mana potion and chugged it like water.
Bitter and fruity.
But there was no time to savor the flavor.
Just then, the Stoneback Colossus seemed to finally take notice of the tiny gnat throwing fireballs at its back.
It didn't even bother to turn around.
With a bored motion, it raised one of its massive legs—easily over ten meters in diameter—and brought it down with earth-shattering force.
BOOOOMMMM!!!
The ground beneath Daniel's feet quaked violently.
In that instant, the sheer power of a World Rank Boss came crashing down.
Daniel's expression changed at once. Without hesitation, he leapt back onto his Shadow Leopard. In a blur of motion, they dashed away from the impact zone.
As if sensing the danger, the Shadow Leopard surged ahead even without a command, bolting out of harm's way.
But even with their speed, the shockwave caught them at the edge. Daniel felt his organs churn and rattle, as if they were being slammed inside a blender.
–9,865
Just like that, one layer of his [Thunderfall Shield] shattered into sparkling fragments.
It wasn't the worst damage he could've taken, but Daniel wasn't taking it lightly.
Because technically… that had just been a normal attack.
And the Colossus wasn't done.
With a deafening roar, it unleashed a second wave of power.
The earth erupted into a thick cloud of dust and stone as shockwaves rippled outward.
Daniel could feel the energy inside the dust, like claws of pressure wrapping around him.
Thankfully, the Shadow Leopard's agility proved reliable. They weaved through the chaos, barely dodging the full brunt of the next skill.
Daniel retaliated—flipping around and launching several more [Great Fireball]s over his shoulder.
The valley filled with smoke, fire, and molten sparks.
Then suddenly—he saw something.
From the Colossus's armored body, a flash of glowing lava-red energy pulsed outward.
And then, the number appeared:
–9,951,585!!!
Daniel's brain short-circuited for a moment.
"HUH?!"
He stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.
Had that actually triggered?
A few measly [Great Fireball]s, and he had already activated its special effect?
That's right—[Great Fireball], aside from its base power, had a hidden mechanic: it had a small chance to deal 10% of the enemy's current HP as pure damage.
He had included the skill in his long-term rotation specifically because of this feature.
And now? It had just shaved nearly 10 million HP off a World Boss in one blow!
Even the Stoneback Colossus, with all its obscene defense, couldn't simply tank that kind of hit like it was nothing.
If Daniel could get lucky a few more times…
He might just win this.
His adrenaline surged. His fingers gripped his staff tightly, battle spirit fully ignited.
But it seemed the Colossus had noticed too.
It let out a bellow of fury and hauled its massive body upright.
For a moment, Daniel could only stare in awe.
The creature's full height now towered above the valley like a moving mountain—hundreds of meters tall.
Monsters on the nearby cliffs screamed in panic and fled.
Then it slammed both of its titanic fists into the ground.
[Seismic Quake]!!
BOOOOOM!!
A circular shockwave burst outward, flattening terrain and sending debris flying.
An AOE skill.
Daniel barely had time to brace himself. The force surged through his defenses like a tidal wave.
A quarter of his health bar disintegrated in an instant.
–110,000+
His [Thunderfall Shield] was shattered outright. The remaining damage pierced through to his body, making his limbs tremble from the impact.
Thankfully, his stacked resistances and passive buffs prevented a stun or knockdown effect.
Still, the sheer power of that one skill left Daniel shaken.
Just one AOE.
And it took a full 25% of his health bar.
If it had been anyone else, they would've been instantly obliterated.
Only adventurers with high-tier immunity skills or elite tank builds could even dream of surviving that attack.
No wonder World Bosses required large-scale raids to take down.
Gritting his teeth, Daniel tapped into [Ode to Life], immediately restoring his HP.
Oddly enough, his heart grew calmer as the battle continued.
Yes, the Stoneback Colossus was terrifying, but it couldn't one-shot him.
And Daniel? He had no skill cooldowns.
As long as he had enough mana, he could sustain output and keep himself alive.
Granted, that required a steady MP supply. Potions alone wouldn't restore it instantly, but they helped accelerate natural recovery.
With the right pacing—one skill every three seconds—he could maintain constant pressure.
It wasn't the fastest method, but it was effective.
He could afford the time.
For now.
–116,953!
–116,953!
–8,316,953!
Another lucky proc.
Another devastating hit from [Great Fireball].
Another huge chunk shaved off the Colossus's HP bar.
At this point, Stoneback Colossus was officially angry.
It roared and began stomping violently, as if trying to crush every living thing in the valley.
Dust filled the air.
Debris flew in all directions.
Daniel winced as more damage numbers exploded across his screen.
But there was no time to care.
His right hand gripped his staff. His left hand raised potion after potion.
He channeled spells while guzzling mana restoratives in quick succession.
His HP jumped up and down like a rollercoaster, caught between massive blows and instant healing.
Spells and shockwaves collided non-stop.
In just 30 seconds, Daniel had already chipped away 35% of the boss's health bar.
But he had only one-third of his MP left.
Even with rapid potion use, his mana supply couldn't keep up with the insane casting frequency.
The Stoneback Colossus seemed to realize this, too.
Its massive form twisted—and then it did something unexpected.
It began to chase Daniel.
The boss actually turned its mountainous body and began stomping after him.
Daniel's instincts screamed to reposition, to circle behind it—but the Colossus was smarter than he expected.
It immediately unleashed another AOE, blanketing the area and forcing Daniel to back away.
He had no choice.
He had to retreat temporarily and slow down his casting rotation.
But while Daniel could evade the attacks…
The monsters on the surrounding cliffs?
Not so lucky.
As the World Boss's AOE attacks spread outward, entire flocks of creatures were obliterated in collateral damage.