Chapter 58: The Thunder Dragon Egg Gambit

As I carried nothing but a basic priest’s staff that boosted magic attack, my attributes essentially lacked any equipment bonuses.

I understood this clearly: while my magic attack was formidable, my mana reserves were a critical weakness.

A Level 14 player priest, having invested all their points into Spirit, boasted 1060 mana, whereas I possessed a mere 540.

Yet, my healing output more than doubled theirs, and my capacity for instantaneous burst healing far outstripped any other.

Collectively, my restorative power was undeniably superior.

However, a prolonged battle would inevitably put me at a disadvantage.

Therefore, a swift victory was paramount!

Yet, such a feat was utterly impossible.

The 1500-strong raid group from Sword Sweeping the World, comprising at least 800 damage-dealers, had spent an entire afternoon—roughly five hours—to chip away at the BOSS’s health until it reached a mere five percent.

On average, each individual contributed just over 0.02% of the BOSS’s total health in damage per hour.

Even with my buffs amplifying Yingning’s power, allowing her to perform the work of two, and with me occasionally unleashing damage spells to contribute as an attacker, we would still require approximately eighty hours to deplete the final five percent of this BOSS’s health.

Even if we possessed such unwavering resolve, and even if mana consumption and the BOSS’s attacks were non-issues, the system would inevitably force us offline.

Thus, a truly audacious idea sparked in my mind—a strategy that would grant us both offensive and defensive options, allowing us to seize control once more!

“Yingning! Consume the Thunder Dragon Egg! Then, endure the incoming damage and ascend directly onto the BOSS’s head! Be wary of its horns…”

I bellowed these instructions to Yingning, who responded with incredible swiftness.

Seizing the moment while the Red Water Dragon’s spiked horn crackled with gathering electricity, she unhesitatingly produced a Thunder Dragon Egg, cracked its base upon a nearby rock, and began pouring its contents into her mouth.

The raw, viscous fluid shimmered with an eerie violet electric glow, prompting a genuine doubt: would consuming it truly boost magic resistance, or would it simply lead to a shocking demise?

Nevertheless, the player’s illustrated guide had never proven unreliable; I had no choice but to trust its information.

Now, the true test lay in the amount of lightning resistance the Thunder Dragon Egg bestowed.

After all, it was an egg from a purple-named BOSS; surely, its effects wouldn’t be negligible!

Yingning’s face contorted in a grimace as she gulped down the raw egg fluid.

It appeared the Thunder Dragon Egg was not only visually alarming but equally unpalatable.

From her earliest days, I had never offered Yingning any raw food beyond fruits.

Now, however, I was compelling her to swallow a dragon egg whole.

It was undoubtedly a harsh demand for the young girl.

The BOSS’s electrical charge was swift; no sooner had Yingning managed to swallow the Thunder Dragon Egg’s fluid than a bolt of crimson lightning descended upon her shoulder.

[ -1 ] The damage displayed above Yingning.

[ -431 ] The damage that flared above me, as the conductive water beneath my feet had also subjected me to the attack.

In short, it was utterly magnificent!

The Thunder Dragon Egg’s potency had far surpassed our wildest imaginings!

A faint violet electric aura now pulsed across Yingning’s skin, a luminous barrier that effortlessly repelled the Red Water Dragon’s electrical discharge!

It was crucial to remember that the Red Water Dragon’s spiked horn had only developed its electrical capabilities through consuming Thunder Dragon Eggs.

Metaphorically speaking, the Thunder Dragon’s electricity was the progenitor, the very ancestor, of the Red Water Dragon’s own power!

While real-world lightning lacked such a hierarchical distinction, the lightning within this game manifested as a magical force, and magic, by its very nature, possessed distinct levels of power!

Excellent.

For now, the most lethal lightning attacks no longer posed an immediate threat!

I glanced at the buff displayed beneath Yingning’s avatar: [ For ten minutes, resist lightning damage below Level 60, with greater reduction against lower-level attacks. ]

“Excellent, Yingning, pass me the… Oh, thank you!”

Before I could even complete my request, Yingning had already tossed the egg my way.

After quickly restoring my own health to full, I, too, tapped a hole into the eggshell and began to drink its contents.

The taste… it was surprisingly pleasant!

Sweet like honey, entirely devoid of the fishy egg odor I’d anticipated.

However, its potency was overwhelming.

While it might be a mere fizzing candy for the Red Water Dragon, for Yingning and me, it felt as though we’d consumed a handful of electrically charged Sichuan peppercorns.

My entire tongue had gone numb.

As I swallowed the Thunder Dragon Egg, feeling the fluid pour into my mouth, I watched my buff timer instantly leap from one minute to ten, before I discarded the empty shell.

By this point, Yingning had already scaled the cavern wall, positioning herself directly above the Red Water Dragon’s head, just as I had instructed.

She clung precariously to the rock face, her limbs straining to maintain her hold.

“Be careful of its horns! And when the lightning strikes, if I command you to dodge, then dodge.

If I don’t, then hold your ground and endure the damage!”

Yingning acknowledged my words with a nod, then freed one hand to draw her weapon, poised for battle.

[ Knock Up! ] It was another perfectly executed maneuver, deflecting a massive blow with minimal effort from the side.

Yingning’s skill and reflexes were truly exceptional; she would undoubtedly be a top-tier assassin, at the very least.

“Brace for the lightning… this time, no dodging, just endure!”

The bolt crashed into Yingning, stripping a mere single point of health.

Yingning’s perch offered more space than the area below.

If she exerted her full strength to push off the wall and dropped backward, she could potentially evade a lightning strike.

If she successfully dodged that single, crucial attack, victory would be ours!

Yingning ascended a little further, reaching a spot where the Red Water Dragon’s spiked horn could no longer strike her.

The Red Water Dragon was clearly on its last legs; I could distinctly see its ragged breathing and deteriorating state.

Frustrated by its inability to reach Yingning, the weakened Red Water Dragon, consumed by impotent fury, began to gather its power.

This particular charge lasted longer than any of its preceding lightning attacks.

In the next instant, its horn tip pointed menacingly towards Yingning.

“DODGE!!!”

I screamed, my voice raw with effort.

Yingning, having anticipated my command, executed a flawless backflip, retreating gracefully.

“BOOM!”

The lightning bolt detonated precisely where Yingning had stood moments before, instantly pulverizing the rock into scattered fragments.

Thankfully, everything unfolded exactly as I had foreseen: the cavern had collapsed.

The cave-in was catastrophic.

In a split second, I lunged, seizing Yingning’s falling hand and yanking her back a single, crucial step.

Though minimal, that small movement proved sufficient to spare her from being buried beneath the debris.

The Red Water Dragon, however, was not so fortunate.

It let out a shriek of terror, but by then, attempting to retract its serpentine neck was utterly futile.

After all, flooring the accelerator forward was always far simpler than attempting to reverse.

Compounding its misfortune, the overloaded charge had left it in a severely weakened state.

Already teetering on the brink, it was inevitably crushed beneath the collapsing rock, its fate sealed without a shred of suspense.

More tragically still, its body remained free; only its elongated neck was pinned beneath the rubble.

Before long, the dust settled.

I renewed the Holy Light Blessing on a handful of pebbles, casting a soft glow.

There, before Yingning and me, was a small, grotesque head, its expression a mask of utter despair.

It was the head of the Red Water Dragon, a Level 30+ purple-named BOSS, now clinging to a mere three percent of its health, gasping for breath, utterly incapable of retaliation, and entirely unable to escape.

Its neck was pinned, its body wedged on the opposite side, leaving only its head exposed to the cavern.

We were fortunate the collapse hadn’t buried its head as well; otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to finish it off.

“Phew…” I exhaled slowly, wiping my forehead, only then realizing that I had been drenched in a cold sweat from the sheer tension.

Despite being a game, its realism was so profound that I had long since forgotten its virtual nature.

“Hello there.

Did you enjoy shocking us so much just now?”

I crawled over, a faint smile playing on my lips, and settled onto the rubble.

Then, raising the priest’s staff I held, I swung it down without a shred of mercy.

That’s for bullying Yingning!