Utopian System

The King's chamber would materialize before them at any moment.

Despite the group's combined strength, ten elite warriors led by a level 10, no one allowed themselves excess confidence.

It wasn't the immediate battle that really concerned them, the true worry wasn't defeating it, but doing so in the most efficient way possible.

The memory of the previous Artromus, emerging barely an hour after the victory over the Lesser Wind King, weighed on their minds. Would it be the same now?

The god's cryptic words about appearing again until the fourth deposit added an additional layer of uncertainty.

Would this new Artromus follow the same pattern? Or was it waiting for them at a less predictable moment, when they would be more vulnerable?

Uncertainty was another enemy to face. If the god didn't appear this time, did it mean they could encounter the Artromus earlier?

It was impossible to know.

The only certainty was that they would need every drop of mana to survive the true challenge, when it came.

This battle against the King, although formidable, would have to be handled with precision and economy.

♢♢♢♢

The King rose before them, imposing but no longer as intimidating as it would have been days ago.

"Conserve mana," Elio ordered, his eyes fixed on the awakening King.

Elio launched himself forward, his muscles operating just under the limit that would cause damage.

The distance between him and the King closed in instants, leaving his companions behind. This first exchange would be crucial; he needed to understand exactly how wind damage worked against this earth creature. Explore more stories at m,v l'e-m|p y r

His 220 points of magical damage, potentially capable of inflicting 340 points of damage against the King's 100 magical defense, needed to be tested.

The 10 mana points he had been charging would find their purpose first in three distinct attacks.

His perception, pushed almost to the limit, processed every number, every result.

First,

a direct impulse. The force pushed the King back, but beyond physical movement, there was no real damage.

Second,

a sphere of compressed wind. The attack hit cleanly, but the numbers revealed the truth: only 120 points of effective damage.

Not critical.

Finally third

, Elio formed a wind blade, imitating the attacks that the Artromus had used against him. The ethereal blade found its mark, leaving a superficial mark on the King's shell... the only visible damage so far.

A critical hit.

Yet the conclusion was worrying: even with 340 points of maximum damage, they barely reached 3.4% of the King's total resistance. To achieve a deep cut, they would need to reach at least 5%.

"Only blades!" he shouted to his approaching companions. "The rest doesn't pierce his defense!"

"Like condensing the air," Kriz added, adjusting his techniques. "Concentrate the impact."

'Only cutting wind,' Elio thought while retreating, his eyes evaluating the King. They would have to work with the system's counter, gradually reducing its resistance. Other attacks would be a waste of mana.

"We won't be able to cut off its head," Elio shared the crucial information with his team.

The others nodded, constant practice against the daily lvl 10 locus had engraved this mechanic in their minds. The method they had perfected for quickly eliminating monsters wouldn't work here.

"We need to use plan B," Mei quickly informed.

With 58 base damage points, their criticals would barely reach 16 points of effective damage over the King's defense.

Most of the group was in that situation.

Except Zara. With 63 base points and the power emblem doubling it to 126, her criticals of 252 would manage to inflict 152 points over the defense.

"Twenty attacks each," Elio looked at Zara, recognizing that between them they would carry the main weight of the damage. Elio's 340 and Zara's 152, multiplied by twenty, would form the bulk of the necessary reduction.

"The rest," he continued, addressing the group, "two attacks each. We'll distribute the mana expenditure so no one gets too exhausted."

It was a precise, mathematical plan. Every attack counted, every mana point had to be used efficiently.

"Support formation," Zara ordered as the group positioned themselves around the King. They wouldn't waste mana on inefficient attacks, but would keep the monster contained while she and Elio executed the main strikes.

The challenge against the King progressed methodically and controlled. The ten warriors moved with the confidence granted by intensive training in daily challenges.

The Earth King seemed disconcerted.

Unlike its wind counterpart, which had been able to concentrate on a specific target according to aggro, this one found no respite between Elio and Zara's precise and constant attacks followed by intermediate attacks from the other 8 members.

The efficiency with which they charged their mana maintained an almost uninterrupted flow of impacts in a clockwise direction.

But the monster hadn't become King without having its own tricks.

The roar resonated in the chamber, different from the Wind King's. Instead of an expansive wave, an earth barrier materialized around the creature.

"Shit!" Elio muttered when his next attack, although destroying part of the barrier, was completely absorbed.

A wasted strike.

However, Lila and Arnaud's simultaneous attacks had also managed to break sections of the protection. Despite the great difference in damage, the earth layer broke equally, based on the wind strike's form.

An idea formed in Elio's mind when he saw Kriz preparing to attack.

"Kriz! Use an explosive sphere!"

The wind attack hit and expanded; though weak compared to the wind blades, it created a wider opening in the shield.

"Change of plan!" Elio shouted, his tactical mind adapting. "When it generates the barrier, we need you to open breaches! Zara and I will concentrate on damage!"

The others nodded, understanding their expanded role. The original plan would require adjustments, they would now spend between four and five mana points each instead of two, but the advantage remained overwhelming.

"Keep the breaches open!" Zara ordered, preparing her next attack. "Don't let the barrier regenerate!"

The battle continued, now with even more precise coordination between the support team and the main attackers.

♢♢♢♢

The true battle was about to begin.

The King's resistance continued falling under the coordinated attacks, but...

Fifteen percent.

The number glowed in everyone's consciousness while they maintained their precise formation.

Elio had been watching that counter with special attention, deliberately regulating the attacks' rhythm. His companions rotated their strikes more slowly than necessary, allowing him to maintain his mana charge brushing 10 points constantly.

Experience against the first King had taught him that frenzy was inevitable.

The moment came just when the monster had slightly less than 1,500 resistance points.

The King's roar shook the chamber while its earth shield instantly densified, crystallizing into a thicker and more resistant armor.

But it wasn't that which made everyone's hearts stop for an instant.

It was the jump.

The monstrous creature catapulted itself toward Zara with a speed it hadn't been able to show throughout the battle. Her last attack had marked her as a target, and now that mass of muscles and crystallized earth was heading toward her like a meteor.

"ZARA!" Lila shouted.