"BY FIRE BE PURGED!!!!!!!!"
Accompanied by that all-too-familiar line, the Firelord finally finished off Majordomo Executus. He brandished his colossal, flaming warhammer and slammed it down with devastating force.
In the game, such an attack would be impossible to dodge; one would have to rely on health pools, defense ratings, and resistances to soak the damage while healers spammed their spells.
But Allen now possessed the advantage of aerial mobility. He wasn't foolish enough to let that massive flaming hammer flatten him. With a powerful flap of his wings, he veered away from the strike. Simultaneously, he drew his bowstring, channeling a massive amount of Nen into an Aura Burst as he nocked a "Doomshot" arrow and released.
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, a massive hole was blasted straight through Ragnaros's chest! Furthermore, Allen's Transmutation-type Nen was continuously liquefying the air, weakening the Firelord's raging, blazing form.
To ensure this "First Kill" was a success, Allen had gone all out. Not only was he using the Possession ability of the Red Dragon, Vaelstrasz, to maximize his aura capacity and base attributes, but he had also pulled out the most precious arrows in his quiver, the highest-damage ammunition from the Level 60 era.
"Doomshot" was a rare drop from the lower Blackrock Spire boss, the Shadow Hunter Vosh'gajin. They only dropped in stacks of several dozen to a hundred, and not on every run. After grinding the dungeon for so long, Allen had only managed to save about a dozen stacks; they were top-tier strategic resources.
But to take down Ragnaros, he no longer cared about the cost.
"Taste the flames of Sulfuron!"
The gaping hole in his chest clearly had no effect on Ragnaros. He continued to manipulate the power of fire, causing large-scale lava splashes around his body in an attempt to incinerate the annoying "gnat" before him.
However, Allen's meticulously prepared high Fire Resistance gear finally proved its worth. Most of the splashing lava couldn't even burn through the outermost layer of his red-and-white fireproof armor, let alone the red dragon scales underneath that served as his final line of defense.
Realizing he was essentially immune to fire damage, Allen's movements became bold. He continuously fired high-powered arrows from his Ancient Bone Bow. Almost every shot dealt staggering damage.
Lupos was not to be outdone. He exhausted all of his aura to create a swarm of shadow clones, commanding them to charge in waves and self-destruct. Because Bestial Wrath was active, the Great Wolf's damage was increased by 50%, and his Nen-based attacks were no exception.
Under the onslaught of shadow energy explosions, the Firelord's health began to plummet like a stone.
From a distant corner, Baise and Bodoro took advantage of their range. They continuously launched canisters filled with liquid air at Ragnaros's massive body, each hit producing significant results. Because they were far away, they didn't have to worry about the splashing lava and could focus entirely on their damage output.
With a damage output that far exceeded Level 60, reaching the heights of Level 70 or even 80 game characters, the Firelord exploded within two minutes. With a final, unwilling roar, he shattered, leaving behind a colossal warhammer glowing with an orange-red light that splashed into the boiling lava below.
No submerge phase! And he hadn't even summoned those pesky Sons of Flame!
"Cancel Possession."
The moment the battle ended, Allen gave the order to the Red Dragon. The state consumed far too much aura; even for a short duration, it made him feel the "cost." Fortunately, the fight was brief, otherwise, it might have taken weeks to recover.
Following the old tradition, he performed a small "ritual" for good luck and then decisively reached out to loot the body.
The next second... his face lit up with unshielded ecstasy.
Cloak of the Shrouded Mist! Bloodfang Pants! Band of Accuria! Nemesis Leggings!
And finally, glowing with a legendary orange light: the Eye of Sulfuras!
Yes! The indispensable component for the legendary hammer, Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros!
Though Allen's profession wasn't Alchemy (so he couldn't transmute Arcanite) nor Blacksmithing (so he couldn't craft the Sulfuron Hammer), the item served another purpose. With this, he could use the power of the Philosopher's Stone to attempt to create a clone of Ragnaros!
"Red!" (Lucky!)
He truly was "Red-handed"!
In a state of excitement, Allen equipped the Cloak of the Shrouded Mist and the Band of Accuria. He then tossed the Bloodfang Pants to the woman who had just leapt across the lava. "Catch! These are yours."
"Finally, something I can use? Thanks!" Baise didn't hesitate. She immediately swapped her leather leggings for the black-and-red Bloodfang armor.
Instantly, she felt her reflexes and aura capacity increase slightly. She subconsciously licked her dry lips and joked, "Damn! I think I'm falling in love with this feeling of getting stronger!"
"Hahaha! I told you, it's addictive," Bodoro laughed, happy to see the new member fully integrated. "And through these battles, we hone our will, resolve, and Nen abilities. Following Allen is the right choice; he is a leader worthy of our trust!"
As they spoke, Allen noticed that with the completion of the Molten Core raid, the next raid, Onyxia's Lair, had opened to him.
It was clear the raids opened in order of their original game phases. Since he had cleared all 5-man and 10-man dungeons, Molten Core was the first raid allowed. Now that it was conquered, Onyxia was next. Following that logic, it would be Blackwing Lair, then the 20-man dungeons Zul'Gurub, the Ruins and Temple of Ahn'Qiraj, and finally the ultimate challenge: Naxxramas.
"I must clear the current raid to unlock the next? Interesting..." Allen smiled with confidence. He believed that after harvesting the Chimera Ant army, he would have enough strength to march into Blackwing Lair and grind the Black Prince, Nefarian, into the dirt.
But before that, he had to find a way to resist Shadowflame. At times like this, he wished he could learn multiple primary professions at once, or at least summon his other characters from the same account.
With a thirst for power and hope for the future, the group left the harsh environment of Molten Core and returned to the inn to summarize their gains. Baise, in particular, needed to reconsider her combat style. With her Agility now bolstered by gear, she was no longer a third-rate Nen user; she had become a force to be reckoned with.
For a Nen user, combat is unavoidable; one cannot simply run away forever.
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