Jor and Sherry had entered the Beast Hollow over a dozen times now—only two of those runs were somewhat successful. Once, when a high-level party defeated the Chimera Tyrant mini-boss, and another time, with a lot of luck and the excellent use of one of the party members' powerful binding skills, they somehow managed to defeat the Hollow King.
That group they had randomly joined was pretty high-level, though, and was already part of some guild in another game. Along with Jor and Sherry, their names were fourth on the list of top record holders for Beast Hollow in the town square.
Neither time was without sacrifices, heavy damage, and excessive healing. Jor had taken some damage this time, too, but there was a big difference between before and today. Previously, his health bar had always fluctuated between 20 and 50, forcing him to consume healing items one after another just to survive. But this time, it had never dropped below 70.
That was nothing, though—Sherry hadn't taken a single point of damage throughout the entire dungeon!
The Shadow Howlers that most parties outside the dungeon complained about? Their party leader handled them as if they were a joke. The Stonehide Boars and Razorwing Rocs that caused countless deaths? He used his overpowered arrows with deadly accuracy, injuring them enough so that the party could finish them off with ease. He could have easily killed them solo and leveled up much faster, but instead, he shared the experience with the group.
Jor and Sherry kept exchanging glances and secretly texting each other about how powerful and efficient this dungeon run was. They engaged in small talk with their new teammates, hoping to secure future runs together. The responses were not particularly warm, but that was to be expected from such expert players. The leader, however, always replied politely whenever they asked something.
His synthetic mechanical voice was odd to listen to at first, but Jor quickly got used to it.
Before they knew it, they had reached the place where 95% of players died every time.
This time, their mini-boss was the Eldertusk Mammoth.
The Chimera Tyrant was equally tough, but at least that thing didn't have skin as thick as stone. The Chimera was still manageable, but the Mammoth was an entirely different beast—it was a nightmare to deal with.
Jor was curious to see how their new party leader would handle this thing. They had more players and higher health than in any dungeon run Jor had ever been in before.
For the first time in Beast Hollow, Jor was actually enjoying the fights instead of just desperately running around, swinging his sword like a barbarian against endless hordes of monsters.
***
A colossal, ancient mammoth stood before them, its thick, rune-inscribed tusks gleaming under the dim light. Its body was reinforced with frost-forged fur and natural bone armor, and it glared at them with cold, dark blue eyes.
The Eldertusk Mammoth was a high-tier beast, and Kai had seen enough footage of entire teams getting wiped out by it.
Fire was effective against it. Magic attacks worked too. But physical attacks? Completely useless against its impenetrable hide and armor.
But Kai knew better than to rely on brute force alone.
Nyxfall often provided players with everything they needed to defeat a terrifying enemy—if they paid attention.
The Mammoth roared, and in an instant, it charged toward them with unbelievable speed. The cave entrance behind them suddenly collapsed, blocked by a massive boulder—imprisoning them inside the mid-sized circular arena with their colossal foe.
This area had more blue-glowing moss than the rest of the dungeon, lighting the battlefield slightly better.
"Get away!" Kai shouted, immediately firing an arrow straight at the Mammoth's eye as the party scattered in all directions.
The Mammoth tilted its head slightly, and the arrow bounced harmlessly off the thick bone armor covering its skull. The guys were not shitting about the annoying intelligence of the beasts.
-2, -3 damage.
It had over 3,500 health.
Kai didn't waste time with another shot—he rolled out of the way at the very last second, letting the Mammoth slam into the dirt wall behind him.
-50, -80 damage.
Not good enough. They could bash its skull against the wall all day, and they'd die of hunger long before the Mammoth's health dropped below 30%.
Kai exhaled sharply, putting some distance between himself and the beast. His mind raced. He had seen too many clips of this monster turning teams into paste.
Fire was effective, but setting a walking fortress ablaze wasn't exactly easy.
Then, the Eldertusk Mammoth slammed the ground, sending a shockwave of ice spikes in a 30-meter radius. Even from a distance, the party had to run just to stay safe.
Kai's eyes darted across the battlefield, searching for anything Nyxfall might have left as a clue.
Then he saw it.
The runes inscribed on the Mammoth's massive tusks—they weren't just for decoration.
They pulsed faintly with magic—ancient scripts carved deep into the ivory, enhancing the beast's power. But more importantly, the flow of the runes looked directional—designed to channel energy.
A grin spread across Kai's face. He could use it.. However before he could even think of a way to do so..
The Mammoth released a deafening bellow, sending a magical shockwave of cold air from its glowing blue runic tusks across the battlefield. Dodging it was easy, but the real threat wasn't the wave itself—it was what followed.
The freezing energy shattered nearby ice formations, creating falling icicles and collapsing frozen debris that threatened to crush them all.
A chance! Change of Plan..
Kai loosed three arrows in quick succession, each striking the ground beneath the largest icicles that trembled, on the verge of falling. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the Mammoth, shouting for his teammates to unleash their ranged attacks.
As the Mammoth turned toward the incoming assault, still radiating its chilling wave, Kai closed the distance in a few swift strides. With precise movements, he leaped onto the beast, gripping its bone armor tightly.
Now, he just had to wait. The moment the icicles reached the halfway point in their descent, Kai activated Godstep, repositioning himself and the Mammoth directly beneath them—only to phase slightly out of the way at the last second.
Out of the three arrows he had fired, only the first one triggered perfectly, the falling icicles slamming into the Mammoth's vulnerable spots. During the ability's cooldown, as the Mammoth roared in pain, he managed to fire off a few more shots in time, each successful arrow and Godstep sent the beast into a pained frenzy, dealing 700 to 900 damage with every impact.
By the third successful hit, the Mammoth's armor had nearly shattered. Seizing the opportunity, Kai called out to Mimi, who engulfed the beast in flames, inflicting a steady 30 to 70 damage per second. The Mammoth struggled to rise, but the entire party unleashed a relentless barrage of skills, driving its health below 500.
With its last reserves of strength, the Eldertusk Mammoth entered a berserk state, stomping furiously while ice spikes erupted randomly across the battlefield. But it was too late—it's armor was gone, its hide too damaged, it was constantly on fire. The team focused their attacks on the wounds where the icicles had struck, piling on the damage.
Finally, with one last, echoing roar, the Mammoth disintegrated into a shower of red particles, leaving behind a pile of shiny loot.