Ever since the Unclean Wraith appeared, over half an hour had slipped by. During that time, Mysterious had been locked in a back-and-forth struggle with the creature. Though its attacks looked ferocious, Mysterious had somehow dodged every single strike without taking a hit.
He’d fought hard, but avoiding all attacks while finding openings to strike was incredibly tough. He’d only managed to shave off 400 HP—barely scratching 10% of the wraith’s total health.
If Mysterious kept up this flawless defense, he could solo-kill the boss in another four hours at this damage rate.
*Four hours to kill a boss? Sounds easy… my ass!*
As a level-12 elite monster, the Unclean Wraith was no pushover. Normally, taking it down required a full squad of ten level-10 players—well-coordinated, properly geared, and skilled.
In EndlessHorizon’s early days, most players were still fumbling through combat. Without real fighting experience, they relied on brute-force trading blows.
Unlike other VR games where systems auto-executed moves, EndlessHorizon demanded players perform every action themselves. The system merely offered minimal assistance.
Even ex-military players only had a slight edge. True masters were rare—and most hadn’t even logged in yet.
What was happening in this mine—a crippled level-4 player challenging a level-12 elite—was pure madness. Only a Superbeing like Mysterious could pull it off.
Thankfully, Agility mainly boosted movement and attack speed, not fine motor control. Otherwise, he’d be screwed.
As Mysterious mechanically dodged and countered, a thought struck him: *This quest shouldn’t be this hard.*
It wasn’t labeled a group quest. Even a max-stat level-5 player in green gear couldn’t solo a level-12 elite.
Designing it around *Mysterious* passing? That’d be insane. As a Superbeing, his reflexes and combat instincts were unmatched. If he couldn’t complete a task, no one could.
Since ordinary players couldn’t kill the wraith under quest conditions, one truth emerged: *Killing it wasn’t the goal.*
Standard "find item in monster zone" quests usually required looting drops—from regular mobs or bosses. Seasoned gamers knew this unspoken rule.
Mysterious wasn’t a hardcore gamer, but he’d dabbled enough to recognize these patterns. When the wraith appeared, he’d instinctively assumed defeating it was the objective. For him, brute force solved everything.
Now he realized: forcing a player to beat a monster eight levels higher—with a 1-level penalty under Holy Light Essence—made zero sense.
Yet the wraith was clearly quest-related. It was likely a scare tactic or roadblock. He’d missed something obvious—the *real* solution.
Slaughtering the boss was an unorthodox path the designers never intended.
*What did I overlook?* His eyes snapped to the magic circle on the wall.
The terrain was cramped, and the wraith blocked direct access. But Mysterious recalled a wider area just ahead. He needed space to maneuver around the monster.
He retreated toward the open zone. The wraith pursued instantly.
Then—unexpectedly—the wraith’s speed felt… off. After half an hour of close combat, Mysterious knew its attacks were swift and vicious. He’d assumed it was a glass cannon: high damage, low HP. But its movement was sluggish—barely faster than mine rats, slower than bone bats. It outpaced him, yes, but not enough to match its attack speed.
Earlier, he hadn’t fled for three reasons: hoping to kill it, fearing its speed would corner him if he broke stance, and needing to complete the quest.
Now? Its speed wasn’t overwhelming. He could escape.
The wraith’s wild, sweeping claws looked terrifying up close—but in a chase, that aggression backfired. Every missed strike forced it to reset its stance, buying Mysterious precious seconds to widen the gap.
*Ah. This is the real quest design.* The monster-free path was meant for kiting. Its slow movement, recovery lag after attacks, and that oddly spacious zone ahead—all deliberate.
The impossible quest suddenly became humanly possible.
Of course, "humanly possible" still meant deadly. One misstep meant instant death from a level-12 elite. But for Mysterious? Child’s play. If he could dodge point-blank fury while standing still, weaving through chase attacks was trivial.
Soon, he lured the wraith into the open area. Circling the perimeter would put it behind him, clearing a path to the magic circle. He did exactly that—but added a little revenge.
Earlier, he’d only slashed its outstretched claws. *To make up for wasted time*, he spun mid-run and drove his Novice Sword downward through the wraith’s face. The blade sliced from its right eye socket to its left leg.
【-1】
【-40】
This time, beyond the token 1 damage, a black 【-40】 floated up.
The wraith shuddered violently. It clutched its head and chest, mouth gaping in a silent scream of agony.
Mysterious hesitated—then slashed again.
【-1】
【-40】
Before he could process the damage spike, the wraith snapped its head up. Its pitch-black eyes blazed with crimson light. It lunged, claws whipping out with renewed ferocity.
Too bad rage wouldn’t help it land a hit.
Spotting the massive damage boost, Mysterious abandoned his original plan. *Time to finish this.* With 40x his prior damage, killing it was trivial.
But before he could swing twice—
"SKREEEEE—!" The wraith threw its head back in an ear-splitting shriek.
The moment that soprano wail hit Mysterious’s ears, his body locked up.
【Affected by skill "Wraith's Wail." Mobility lost for 10 seconds.】
*…I’m dead.*
