"Do we really need to do this so soon? Won't it be better if we level up a little bit first? I don't feel like I am ready…"
Lilianna complained as she followed after Andrew. It was a struggle for her to keep up with his pace, but the thought of disappointing her only lifeline terrified her enough to keep moving.
The only luck she had this whole time was that Andrew was too strong for her to be in any real danger. And he was also catching bigger prey for her to finish so that she could level up.
After a full day of killing monsters and making progress, they were finally here- in front of the boss's arena…or so Andrew promised. She didn't really have any idea what was going on.
"Don't worry so much. You won't even have to fight the whole time. Just make sure to shoot at the boss a few times so that the system records your contribution. As for leveling up…isn't fighting a hard boss the best way?"
Andrew asked, and Lilianna wanted to bash his head in…or her own…
'Does this guy really think rushing toward a boss is normal behaviour? Is he not scared…? Is this why he always ranked no. 1 before?'
No matter what the reason was, it was of no use to think about it anymore. As soon as they stepped into the boss arena, their only way out got blocked by a dome of light barrier.
"Ah, we are here. Go run and hide behind a boulder. I will distract the boss."
Andrew ordered before he threw up a barrier, causing the boss to directly clash into it. Lilianna nodded before she quickly rushed to get behind the huge boulder and out of the boss's sight.
The boss noticed her running and tried to come after her, but crashed again into Andrew's barrier.
"Hey, your opponent is here. Would you stop going after the weakling?"
Being called a weakling made Lilianna feel annoyed. She wanted to protest, but the boss roared the second she opened her mouth, and she immediately ducked behind the huge rock.
Once she was out of the way, Andrew turned his attention back toward the boss in front of him.
"Let's see what I am dealing with here."
[Game 4 boss (level 16)]
"Level 16 already? Is it because my level is 17?"
The game was really fair and usually balanced itself around players. Since only two players were left in the party, the boss had adapted itself to the highest player in the team-him.
Still, since it was a lower level than Andrew, it made it easy prey.
He quickly cast a few high-concentration mana blasts as he dropped the shield. The boss immediately turned its attention toward Andrew and aimed toward him.
The claws cleaved a few boulders, and the debris collided with a hastily thrown barrier.
Andrew hardly had time to correct himself before he was attacked by the boss once more, but at least he could tell that his attacks were slowly accumulating.
'Is Lilianna doing her job? Tsk, why is she not shooting the boss? I even managed to drag the boss all the way away from her so that she can take this opportunity…'
And then, the boss suddenly turned away from him and headed toward Lilianna, causing his momentum to break. And Lilianna was not moving or even noticing what was going on.
There was only one reason behind this- she was too scared to act. She had only managed to get this far because she had gotten lucky with her party selection and choices. She hardly had to risk her life until now.
In the first round, she had succeeded by luring a bunch of zombies into a building and setting it on fire with others. In the second one, she had followed someone else to the finish line, and in the third one, she had gotten lucky with her team.
Even now, she felt like she was extremely lucky to have been saved by Andrew in time.
'I-I cannot move. I am too scared to move. W-What if the boss notices me and comes after me? I-I d-don't want to die. That's right-! If I don't move and remain away, I will survive-!'
"Lilianna, shoot the boss. How long are you going to keep hiding? If you don't move, then you will die."
Andrew's voice broke her concentration, and she noticed too late that the boss was heading toward her.
Once she noticed that she needed to move, she quickly got up. But even she realized that she won't make it in time.
The boss threw itself at her, and she closed her eyes…but the pain did not come.
Instead, she heard a pain-filled grunt coming from behind her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Andrew standing behind her, his hand outstretched and his barrier casted between the boss and their bodies.
His shoulder supported the barrier, and that thin layer of light was the only thing separating him from the boss.
"Fucking hell-! Don't stand there, all frozen. You need to get moving out of the boss's way. I already strained my shoulder to stop this attack, so I won't be able to take another one."
Andrew complained as his shoulder throbbed. The boss was pushing at the barrier, which in turn put pressure on his shoulder.
"I…I.."
"Just run and shoot so that I can drop this barrier and end the boss."
Andrew yelled, and Lilianna finally snapped out of her daze and made a run for it. She also took out her gun and shot at the boss, but there was no effect. The only reason she did this was because Andrew asked her to.
Once Lilianna was out of danger, Andrew dropped the barrier and quickly jumped back out of the boss's range as well.
The boss came after him, and that gave Andrew the perfect opportunity to attack the boss head on.
'I gave Lilianna enough time to shoot at the boss and build up her contribution. Now, it is time for me to take down the boss before anyone else can.'
The mana accumulated around Andrew's staff, and just as the boss came within range, he released it all point-blank, causing the boss to suffer heavy damage.
Ultimately, the boss was no longer able to take it and disappeared into smoke. Game 4 had officially ended as well, and Andrew had gained a valuable asset in the form of a healer+buffer.