Chapter 418: The Players' Demon Hunter Advancement (Part Two)
As a result, Zhou Ning's "harvest" plan was a huge success. On the very first day, over six hundred job transfer scrolls were sold by that afternoon alone. With the exchange rate set at one Vecktas for two contribution points, each 200-point scroll translated to roughly 60,000 Vecktas in revenue from that single wave—a pleasant surprise indeed.
Because the job transfer scrolls weren't bound, members of the Starry Sky Guild could act as middlemen or resell them. Quite a few players took this opportunity to earn some quick cash.
As for the Austin Manor Destruction Battle instance stone—originally one of the most popular dungeons in the Darkland region—many career players aiming to level up, such as Jinse, would only grind the first two quest objectives for experience. They had optimized the fastest routes for farming mobs countless times, yet knew almost nothing about the dungeon's bosses.
Now, with the stone's sales skyrocketing, hordes of Wandering Gunslinger players eager to change classes began forming teams to tackle the dungeon. This led to nearly every serious run being a "five Wandering Gunslingers" lineup—the classic all-gunner composition.
To clear the dungeon, players needed to defeat four bosses. The team with the fastest progress so far was Team Super Sweet Candy, consisting of two Wandering Gunslingers, one Meteorologist, and one Warrior, plus a Knight recruited from within their guild. They had managed to complete three of the four optional objectives.
The Wolf-Dog Squad also regrouped for the first time in a while. Sponsored by Sunken Star Beneath the Water, they spent 300 contribution points to purchase a dungeon stone and start the run.
Their setup, naturally, was the tried-and-true lineup—five Wandering Gunslingers.
"Let's go. This time, we're definitely getting the first clear!" XB declared confidently.
But his livestream chat wasn't buying it.
"With you in the team, there's no way it'll be a first clear."
"Jinse once said: If you only listened to XB's voice, you'd think he was super useful in the dungeon. In reality—he's completely useless."
"Come on, don't roast him that hard. Without XB, you wouldn't even have five players to start the instance!"
Staring at the barrage of snark in his chat, XB fumed helplessly. "Fine! I'll make a bet! If this team doesn't get the first clear, I'll eat my light-brain computer—plus all the ones I owe from before!"
In truth, the reason no team had cleared the dungeon yet wasn't just because the bosses were tough—it was mainly the 40-minute time limit. Without enough damage output, clearing it was impossible.
The five of them, however, were all veteran mob grinders. Jinse, a notorious grind fiend, was an expert among experts. As soon as the dungeon began, they followed the optimal mob-pulling route. Beforehand, Sunken Star Beneath the Water had stocked up on a huge supply of potions, turrets, and mechanical constructs for support and cleanup.
Within minutes, wave after wave of monsters was gathered by Jinse and wiped out by coordinated Hive Shots from the group. Their teamwork was sharp, and their pace astonishing.
After just five pulls, they had cleared all mobs before the first boss. The one now blocking their path was the Cult Patrol Officer, a BOSS slightly larger than normal mobs and wielding a massive sword with terrifying physical attack power. For a five-gunner team with no tank, such straightforward, heavy-hitting bosses were often a nightmare.
But for the Wolf-Dog Squad, this boss was no problem.
All five were skilled players, each using their own practiced playstyle. Sunken Star Beneath the Water, whose gear and damage were top-tier, firmly held aggro while the others unloaded damage nonstop. Before long, the Patrol Officer fell in defeat.
The second boss went down just as smoothly. It was a caster-type with no super-armor—meaning its spells could be interrupted at will. They used mechanical constructs to draw aggro first, then took turns using Gun Arts: Psychic Counter to interrupt its casting. After less than three minutes, the second boss was down.
The third and fourth bosses of Austin Manor Destruction Battle were Dark Priests Niam and Gaskell. The fact that these two had names already hinted at their higher difficulty.
Niam was a classic ranged spellcaster with extremely long casting range and super-armor. At level 40, only Warriors using charged Whirlwind Strike or Rogues with Rift Slash could break that armor and interrupt his casting. Worse, he had a Mind Control skill that targeted whoever held top aggro. The only team to have beaten him before, Team Super Sweet Candy, had relied on a double-tank composition of Warrior and Meteorologist.
But the influencer team Wolf-Dog Squad had no tanks whatsoever. After three or four failed attempts, they finally devised a working strategy.
When the fight began, Sunken Star Beneath the Water—nicknamed "the Jackal"—charged in with his rifle, immediately drawing Niam's aggro and soon getting mind-controlled.
Per their pre-planned tactic, once Sunken Star Beneath the Water was controlled, Wrath of Thunder-Chasing Winds (disguised as a spotted dog) would grab second aggro and take the next control, while the remaining three rotated their Psychic Counter to interrupt their controlled teammate. As long as no one missed a timing, the cooldowns lined up perfectly.
Everything went smoothly. Sunken Star Beneath the Water and the others chugged a ridiculous number of red, blue, and dark-resistance potions, sparing no expense. Aside from Niam's group Shadow Bolt volley steadily chipping away at their HP, their health stayed stable.
Before long, Niam was crushed under their relentless firepower.
Then came the dungeon's final boss—Dark Priest Gaskell. Most of his skills resembled Niam's, but he had one extra: a Mark ability that instantly reduced the target's HP to 1, often leading to instant death. For the healer-less Wolf-Dog Squad, this was potentially fatal.
After several full wipes, they found a solution: Gaskell's mark could sometimes target mechanical constructs. So each player filled the battlefield with the maximum three turrets allowed.
This time, although XB went down early, Gaskell happened to mark four turrets in a row—and was finally defeated under the team's relentless barrage. It was probably the most humiliating loss he'd ever suffered as a boss.
Because their clear speed was too slow, they didn't trigger the hidden boss, Professor Bislok, but the run still counted as a full clear.
"Congratulations to Wolf-Dog Squad for achieving the first clear of Austin Manor Destruction Battle!
Time: 38 minutes, 44 seconds, and 41 milliseconds."
The moment that announcement appeared, the entire Apocalypse forum erupted in excitement.
This marked the birth of the first five Wandering Gunslingers in the game to successfully advance to their second-tier class—Demon Hunter.
Ten minutes later, XB triumphantly posted on the forum, revealing the class's new name and three specialties—followed by three bold words: Anyone else?
[Mental Fortitude] – You possess golden courage and determination. Resistance to abnormal status effects +25%.
[Sword Mastery] – Your mastery of swordsmanship is unmatched. When wielding sword-type weapons, attack power +20%.
[Firearms Genius] – You are proficient with all guns. All firearms are treated equally in your hands. Firearm attack power +33%, critical rate +5%. Applies to all gun types.
That did it—every Wandering Gunslinger aiming for the top rank could no longer sit still!
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