Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“Looks like we have no choice… we’ll have to gamble on this,” Endless Sea said with a hardened expression. He then turned around and added, “Nangong, aim at that gap and attack the boss.”

“Got it.” They had already tested this before. While it was possible to deal damage through ranged attacks, the monster’s regeneration speed far surpassed their output. If they got any closer, they would be struck by the boss’ ranged skills. Earlier, they had nearly lost someone because of that.

Nangong narrowed his eyes and took aim at the narrow gap. Despite having played as a ranged damage dealer for so many days, his accuracy was still far from reassuring.

**Tap. Tap.**

“Wait!” Endless Sea suddenly raised his hand and whispered.
“What is it?”
“Someone’s coming. Stay quiet.”

**Bang!**

In the next instant, a terrifying force of impact surged through. The boss’ gaze, visible through the gap, turned vicious as its massive body involuntarily leaned forward.

What insane damage!

In the blink of an eye, the monster’s figure vanished. Judging from the commotion outside, another group must have come to challenge the boss. And the sounds were growing more distant. It seemed the boss had been lured away.

“This is our chance, don’t miss it. Let’s move out now!” Endless Sea urged, immediately grabbing his shield and rushing forward.

***

**Boom!**

The giant formed of frigid crystal roared in fury as it slammed its massive fist into the ground. The force shattered the earth, sending shockwaves racing outward.

This was its Frenzied Hammering, one of its AoE attacks. It covered all ground units within a 10-yard radius, striking three times in succession, each blow carrying tremendous destructive power.

This was knowledge painfully summarized by the players who had been wiped out countless times today. Yet even knowing this, there was no effective way to counter it.

The mine tunnel was too narrow. Dodging a 10-yard radius attack was incredibly difficult, especially since the boss would relentlessly close the distance and hammer wildly. Once it got close, it was practically a death sentence. The damage of a Unique boss was not something just anyone could withstand.

But this challenger was different. She stood alone. The petite figure focused intently. At the exact moment the shockwave surged, she pushed off lightly with the tip of her foot, lifting herself just enough off the ground.

**Tap.**

The instant her small shoes touched the ground, she repeated the same motion, leaping again.

Again and again, she moved in perfect rhythm. Just like that, she effortlessly avoided all three of the boss’ attacks.

“And now… weakness,” a soft, syrupy voice murmured to herself. As expected, after unleashing three consecutive ground slams, the monster stood in place, momentarily drained.

“Star Mark!” Flipping open the black-covered book in her hand, a faint white star-shaped sigil rose above the boss’ head.

Beneath the purple mage hat, her delicate face relaxed ever so slightly. “Starfall!” Her blue-violet robe fluttered even without wind.

***

Endless Sea struggled as he squeezed his way out of the tunnel entrance. ‘Damn it, I really should have gone jogging with that old man next door. I almost got stuck just now.’¹

There was nothing in sight anymore.

‘Where’s the boss?’ Curiosity drove him forward. No matter what, he had to take a look. It would be awkward if the boss hadn’t gone far.

The tremors rippling through the ground made him uneasy, but he proceeded with caution. Then, as he turned the corner, the scene before him shattered his composure completely.

…

A string of five-digit damage numbers continuously floated above the boss’ head. The once imposing Frostcrystal Giant now had a tiny star hovering above its head, stumbling about like an old man in his twilight years, unable to land a hit no matter how it tried.

A massive boulder, nearly two meters wide and glowing with a violet hue, slanted down as it smashed toward the monster. And the one controlling all of this was, astonishingly, just a girl who looked no older than fifteen.

Her ID was ‘Leafyleaf.’ She had ranked just below Stardust on yesterday’s leaderboard. No one had expected to run into her here.

A hint of surprise flashed across the girl’s face, as though she hadn’t expected anyone else to be present. Her evasive movement slowed by half a beat.

**Boom!**

The boss’ vicious punch slammed straight into the Starlight Sorcerer’s head. Her full HP bar was wiped out instantly, gone in a single blow.

“Ah… this…” Endless Sea muttered, staring at the boss’ remaining 5% HP as he fell into deep thought. Based on the earlier damage calculations, that 5% was roughly twenty thousand HP. And its passive regeneration was around two hundred per second.

So as long as they dealt… Before he could even finish calculating the equation in his mind, the Frostcrystal Giant had already begun charging toward them!

“How is it?” Shiu walked up from behind.

Without warning, Endless Sea bolted forward in panic. “It didn’t go far! Wait until everyone’s here before coming out. I’ll hold aggro first!”

“Taunt!”

**Boom, boom, boom**—the boss smashed through scattered rocks along the way, charging straight after him.

“Damn!” Shiu was startled by the sudden appearance of the massive creature. Taking a few steps forward, he glanced to the left and saw the knight being chased all over the place. One careless hit landed, instantly wiping out two-thirds of his HP.

They couldn’t wait any longer. Shiu swung his staff, and a blazing Pyrestorm spread across the ground, its edge just barely scorching the boss.

Perhaps due to elemental weakness, a series of damage numbers exceeding three thousand burst forth. The monster was on the verge of death! Yet in the next moment, the Frostcrystal Giant casually grabbed several chunks of frostcrystal ore and stuffed them into its mouth.

‘Holy s̲h̲i̲t̲, it recovered ten percent in one gulp!’

And not only that, voices from other players echoed from the opposite side.

“Hurry, hurry! Leafy said there are still people inside. If we’re any later, the boss will be taken!”

There was no time left. If they kept fighting, not only would they fail to kill the boss, but its strength would increase due to the growing number of players.

At that moment, the rest of their group finally emerged from behind. The two healers quickly restored Endless Sea’s HP to full.

Just as they stood there at a loss, the boss suddenly stopped chasing. Instead, it shook its head and ran straight into a nearby cave entrance. That entrance formed a swirling vortex of frigid air, slowly rotating in place.

At the same time, a world announcement popped up.

A dungeon? Endless Sea approached the blue vortex and inspected it. A dungeon interface immediately appeared. The cover image showed the Frostcrystal Giant fleeing while heavily injured.

Beside it were several options: Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulty. And under the possible rewards, a dazzling array of Epic equipment was listed, including even full equipment sets.

“…We might have triggered something huge.”

At that moment, a large group of players from Cloud Edge stormed in from behind.

“So it was you lot.” A male swordsman with the ID “Calmstep” frowned.

“Hand over the boss drops, and I’ll only make you lose one level.” The loot from a Unique boss was undoubtedly extremely valuable. Since killing players yielded poor drop rates, it would be best if they handed it over willingly.

“Didn’t you see the world announcement? We didn’t kill the boss at all,” Endless Sea replied, shaking his head.

“Hmph. No matter what, you got our people killed. That’s a fact.”

“So you’re not planning to let us go?” Endless Sea drew out his knight’s spear, bracing himself. The others also prepared their skills, and battle was on the verge of erupting.