Jin-woo woke up at 5:00 AM. The alarm on his phone was ringing. He turned it off and sat up in bed.
The login lockout would end in twenty-two minutes. Jin-woo used the time to prepare.
He opened his laptop and searched the ERO forums for "Desert Warlord strategy." Multiple posts appeared. Jin-woo read through five different guides.
Most guides agreed on several key points:
Desert Warlord Pattern Guide (by PlayerPro88)
Warlord uses Sand Storm when HP drops below 70% (first time) and 40% (second time) Execute ability is telegraphed: Warlord's scimitar glows red for 1.5 seconds before the attack Execute can be dodged by rolling to the side when the glow appears Warlord uses Execute three times during the fight: at 60% HP, 35% HP, and 10% HP Normal attacks deal 60-70 damage Total fight time for level 25 players: 4-6 minutes Recommended: 10+ health potions, defense buffs, food buffs
Jin-woo read the information carefully. Execute was telegraphed. The red glow gave him 1.5 seconds to dodge. That was enough time to react if he watched for it.
Sand Storm happened at predictable HP thresholds. 70% and 40%. Jin-woo could prepare for those moments and use health potions immediately after.
Execute happened at 60%, 35%, and 10% HP. Jin-woo needed to watch the Warlord's health bar closely and be ready to dodge when those thresholds approached.
At 5:22 AM, the login lockout ended. Jin-woo logged into ERO. He was standing outside the Warlord's camp where he had respawned.
Before attempting the quest again, Jin-woo traveled back to the nearest outpost. The outpost was a small settlement with a few merchant NPCs and a respawn point.
Jin-woo went to the general merchant NPC. He bought 10 health potions for 5 silver each. That was 50 silver total, or $50.
He also bought 5 Defense Buff Potions for 3 silver each. That was 15 silver total, or $15.
The Defense Buff Potion description said: "Increase Defense by 20% for 10 minutes."
Jin-woo's total spending was 65 silver. His remaining silver was 2 gold and 47 silver. He had spent a significant amount of money on preparation, but he needed every advantage to win this fight.
Jin-woo returned to the Warlord's camp. It took thirty minutes to walk there. He arrived at 6:18 AM game time.
He crouched behind the same rock formation and watched the patrol patterns again. When all the raiders were on the far side of the camp, he sprinted to the central tent.
Jin-woo entered the tent. The Desert Warlord was standing in the same position as before. His health bar was full at 3,000 HP.
"You return," the Warlord said. "You will die again."
Jin-woo drank a Defense Buff Potion before the fight started. A notification appeared: "Defense increased by 20% for 10 minutes."
Jin-woo drew his sword. The Warlord drew his scimitar.
Jin-woo started with his standard rotation. He used Power Strike first. The charged attack hit the Warlord's chest for 194 damage. The Warlord's health dropped to 2,806.
The Warlord swung his scimitar at Jin-woo. Jin-woo blocked with his sword. The scimitar hit his blade and Jin-woo's character slid back one meter from the impact. 42 damage. The defense buff had reduced the damage from 60 to 42.
Jin-woo used Whirlwind Strike. The spinning attack hit for 269 damage. The Warlord's health dropped to 2,537.
Jin-woo attacked with normal strikes. 64 damage. 63 damage. 61 damage. 65 damage. The Warlord's health dropped to 2,284.
The Warlord's HP was now at 76%. Sand Storm would trigger at 70%, which was 2,100 HP.
Jin-woo continued attacking. He used Power Strike when the cooldown finished. 197 damage. Normal attacks. 62 damage. 64 damage. 63 damage.
The Warlord's health dropped to 2,098. That was 69.9%. Close enough to 70%.
The Warlord stepped back and raised his left hand. Sand began swirling.
"Sand Storm!" the Warlord shouted.
The sand sphere exploded. Jin-woo immediately ran toward the edge of the tent. The sand filled the tent but Jin-woo noticed the damage was slightly less near the tent walls.
Damage numbers appeared. 35 damage. 35 damage. 35 damage. 35 damage. 35 damage.
Jin-woo took 175 total damage instead of 200. His health dropped from 380 to 205. The defense buff had reduced the damage, and staying near the edge had also helped.
The sand cleared. Jin-woo drank a health potion immediately. His health restored to 355.
Jin-woo ran back to the Warlord and attacked. Normal strikes. 63 damage. 61 damage. 64 damage. Whirlwind Strike. 271 damage.
The Warlord's health dropped to 1,639. That was 54.6%.
Jin-woo watched the Warlord's health bar carefully. Execute would trigger at 60%, which was 1,800 HP. He had already passed that threshold.
Wait. Jin-woo recalculated. 60% of 3,000 was 1,800. The Warlord's health was at 1,639. That was below 60%. But Execute had not triggered yet.
The Warlord suddenly stopped moving. His scimitar began to glow with red energy. The glow grew brighter.
This was Execute. Jin-woo had 1.5 seconds.
Jin-woo watched the Warlord's animation. The Warlord raised his scimitar above his head. The red glow reached maximum brightness.
Jin-woo rolled to the left. His character performed a dodge roll. The Warlord's scimitar came down in a vertical slash. The blade hit the ground where Jin-woo had been standing one second ago.
The Execute missed. The Warlord's scimitar was stuck in the ground for two seconds while he pulled it out.
Jin-woo attacked during this opening. Power Strike. 199 damage. Two normal attacks. 65 damage. 62 damage.
The Warlord's health dropped to 1,313.
Jin-woo continued his assault. Normal attacks. Whirlwind Strike when it cooled down. Power Strike on cooldown.
The Warlord fought back with normal attacks. His scimitar hit Jin-woo several times. Each hit dealt around 45 damage with the defense buff active. Jin-woo's health dropped to 221.
Jin-woo drank another health potion. His health restored to 371.
The Warlord's health dropped to 1,087. That was 36.2%.
Jin-woo knew what was coming. Sand Storm at 40% (1,200 HP) had already been missed. The next Execute would trigger at 35% (1,050 HP).
Jin-woo attacked carefully. He used normal strikes to bring the Warlord's health down slowly. 63 damage. 64 damage. 61 damage.
The Warlord's health reached 1,063. That was 35.4%.
The Warlord's scimitar began glowing red again. Execute was coming.
Jin-woo stopped attacking. He watched the Warlord. The red glow intensified. The Warlord raised his scimitar.
Jin-woo rolled to the right this time. The Warlord's Execute came down. The blade missed Jin-woo by half a meter.
Jin-woo attacked during the recovery period. Power Strike. 201 damage. Normal attacks. 64 damage. 63 damage. 62 damage.
The Warlord's health dropped to 773.
Jin-woo's defense buff wore off. A notification appeared: "Defense buff expired."
Jin-woo drank another Defense Buff Potion. "Defense increased by 20% for 10 minutes."
Jin-woo continued attacking. The fight had been going for four minutes. His stamina was getting low but still manageable. His health was at 327.
The Warlord's health dropped below 40%. At 39.8% (1,194 HP), the second Sand Storm triggered.
The Warlord raised his hand. Sand swirled around his palm.
"Sand Storm!"
Jin-woo ran to the edge of the tent immediately. The sand exploded outward. Jin-woo took damage near the tent wall.
35 damage. 35 damage. 35 damage. 35 damage. 35 damage.
Jin-woo took 175 damage. His health dropped to 152.
Jin-woo drank a health potion. His health restored to 302.
The sand cleared. Jin-woo ran back to the Warlord. The Warlord's health was at 773. That was 25.7%.
Jin-woo attacked aggressively. He needed to get the Warlord to 10% HP for the final Execute, then finish him off after dodging it.
Normal attacks. 61 damage. 65 damage. 63 damage. Whirlwind Strike. 274 damage. Power Strike. 198 damage.
The Warlord's health dropped to 312. That was 10.4%.
The Warlord's scimitar began glowing red. The third Execute was coming.
Jin-woo prepared to dodge. He watched the animation carefully. The red glow reached maximum brightness. The Warlord raised his scimitar high.
Jin-woo rolled backward. The Execute came down. The blade hit the ground in front of Jin-woo. The attack missed.
The Warlord's scimitar was stuck in the ground. This was Jin-woo's final chance.
Jin-woo had 4 unused Defense Buff Potions in his inventory. He also had 7 health potions remaining. But this was the end. The Warlord only had 312 HP left.
Jin-woo did not need buffs. He needed damage.
Jin-woo used Power Strike. The charged attack hit the Warlord for 196 damage. The Warlord's health dropped to 116.
Jin-woo used Whirlwind Strike. The spinning attack hit for 268 damage.
The Warlord's health dropped to zero.
The Warlord's body froze. His scimitar dissolved into red particles. His armor cracked and broke apart. The entire body shattered into light fragments and disappeared.
A notification appeared.
Desert Warlord Defeated!
Another notification appeared immediately.
Quest Complete: Prove Your Fury
Reward: Berserker Class Weapon, +500 experience
A weapon appeared in Jin-woo's inventory. He opened his inventory screen and examined it.
Berserker's Cleaver
Quality: Rare
Level Requirement: 25
Damage: 95-115 (+30 more than his current sword)
Strength: +8
Special Effect: Critical hits deal 25% additional damage
Jin-woo equipped the weapon immediately. His old sword was replaced. His attack damage increased significantly.
Another notification appeared.
You have completed your Berserker Class Advancement!
Class officially changed to: Berserker
New skills unlocked: Frenzied Slash, Blood Rage
Stat bonus granted: +5 Strength, +3 Vitality
Jin-woo's stats updated automatically.
Name: Jin Park
Level: 25
Class: Berserker
Strength: 90 (85 + 5 class bonus)
Vitality: 41 (38 + 3 class bonus)
Agility: 11
HP: 410/410
Jin-woo opened his skill list. Two new skills had been added.
Frenzied Slash (Active Skill)
Execute three rapid slashes in succession Each slash deals 80% weapon damage Total damage: 240% weapon damage across three hits Cooldown: 25 seconds
Blood Rage (Active Skill)
Increase attack damage by 35% for 20 seconds Lose 3% of current HP per second while active Cannot be canceled once activated Cooldown: 60 seconds
Jin-woo read the skill descriptions carefully. Frenzied Slash was a combo attack that hit three times. Blood Rage was a damage buff that drained his health but increased his attack significantly.
These skills would make him much more dangerous in combat. Frenzied Slash gave him burst damage. Blood Rage turned him into a glass cannon for 20 seconds.
Jin-woo tested his new weapon on a training dummy that appeared in the tent after the Warlord died. He used a normal attack. 78 damage. His previous weapon dealt around 63 damage on normal attacks. The Berserker's Cleaver increased his damage by approximately 24%.
Jin-woo left the tent. The quest was complete. He was now officially a Berserker.
He walked back to the outpost. His remaining potions - 7 health potions and 4 defense buffs - were still in his inventory. He had spent 650 silver on supplies and used only 300 silver worth. He could sell the unused potions back to the merchant for half price, recovering 175 silver.
But Jin-woo decided to keep them. He would need potions for future fights.
Jin-woo sat on a bench in the outpost and opened the messenger. He sent a message to Vex.
Jin: "Reached level 25. Class advanced to Berserker. Ready for more work."
Vex replied after three minutes.
Vex: "Berserker is good for our work. More combat jobs available now. Much higher pay. Meet me in Havencrest warehouse district tonight, 8 PM game time."
Jin-woo checked the game clock. It was 7:02 AM game time. He had thirteen hours until the meeting.
Jin-woo looked at his character screen. Level 25 Berserker. 90 Strength. 410 HP. New rare weapon. New powerful skills.
"Finally," Jin-woo said. "Time to make real money."