After a long stretch of pondering, Ryan still couldn't come up with a solid plan to take down the Guardian. He even considered luring someone else into doing the dirty work for him—just to snatch the Dungeon Scroll afterward. But the idea left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He was on the verge of becoming a professional gamer now. A stunt like that might land him the reward, sure, but it could also leave a stain on his name. That kind of drama? Not worth it.
In the end, he decided to look for someone from the Sky Dragon Family. At the very least, he could pay back that favor and avoid any future mess tied to this boss.
Even as he prepared to leave, a part of him clung to the thought of the Guardian. The potential rewards were just too tempting. Ryan found himself aimlessly opening his inventory over and over, like fidgeting just to let off steam.
Then something caught his eye.
'Wait a second.'
His attention zeroed in on an item tucked away in his inventory—something he hadn't paid attention to before.
He blinked. Where did this come from...?
Then it hit him. Right—the timed quest. That mission he'd completed a while back. He'd received the reward, tossed it into his bag, and then promptly forgot about it after getting to Engineering.
---
Quick-Toss Grenades
Quantity: 100
Quality: Common
Effect: Explodes in a small radius, dealing 18–24 fire damage.
Cooldown: 5 seconds.
---
Five seconds?
Ryan stared at the tooltip in disbelief.
'No way.'
He'd crafted tons of engineering bombs before. Every single one had a cooldown of at least sixty seconds. But this? Just five?
His eyes flicked from the grenades to the Guardian, Senya, then back again.
A grin spread across his face. And then, an unfiltered roar of laughter burst out of him—part relief, part victory.
"This boss is mine. Solo!"
---
Senya, the Guardian—majestic, silver-coated, and towering—stalked through the plains with her pack of Graywolves. She was the undisputed ruler of this region, the alpha of alphas.
But her reign was about to end.
Ryan didn't rush in like some hot-headed noob. Instead, he scouted the terrain thoroughly. The plains had hidden dips and tight ridges—easy to get snagged if you weren't careful. Hitting one of those while kiting the Guardian would spell disaster.
He waited patiently, watching the pack make its slow, calculated patrol. By the time Senya drew close enough, Ryan had mapped out a clear path. He was ready to start the dance.
Monsters in the starter zones were always slower than players—Boss-level or not. At most, they matched a player's speed, but rarely exceeded it. That alone gave Ryan a huge edge.
He could kite them. Hit and run. Whittle them down with grenades.
Time to test the theory.
Ryan took a deep breath, steeling himself. He edged toward the outskirts of the group and pulled out a Quick-Toss Grenade, gauging how far he could throw it.
Perfect.
The arc landed just shy of the outermost Graywolf. Yet, the creature didn't react. No aggro. That meant the pull range was still standard, even for a Guardian pack.
That was good news.
Ryan wasn't dumb enough to just chuck a grenade and hope for the best. He began testing its handling—especially whether he could toss them while moving.
Engineering bombs came in two flavors: ones you could throw on the run, and others that required a cast time. The casting versions ranged from a quick half-second to a sluggish three seconds.
If these grenades could be used on the move... oh, he was in business.
Still on the move, Ryan lobbed a Quick-Toss Grenade over his shoulder. No system prompt appeared—it just landed cleanly on the outermost Graywolf, erupting in a burst of flame that scorched a few of its packmates nearby.
Three bright red numbers popped up in quick succession: 18, 20, 18.
That was all it took. The pack snapped.
Every last Graywolf's aggro linked at once, and they charged after Ryan, snarling and wild-eyed.
He let out a sharp laugh, adrenaline rushing through him. "Showtime."
With smooth, practiced footwork, Ryan began to kite the furious wolves, leading them in a wide, looping circle. But something felt off. The pack wasn't tightly grouped—they were too spread out. That could get messy fast if things went sideways.
To keep the pressure up, Ryan tossed another grenade every twenty seconds, just enough to chip away at the front-line wolves' health and hold their aggro. If they lost interest and reset, they'd fully heal—and all this effort would be for nothing.
Grenade after grenade flew through the air, blasting the lead wolves and gradually whittling them down. More than a dozen throws later, the scattered chase had tightened. The wolf pack had turned into a tight, chaotic ball of fur and fury—with Senya, the Guardian, hulking in the middle.
Ryan clenched his jaw. This was the hard part.
He still had over eighty Quick-Toss Grenades left. Even if every one did the minimum 18 damage, he was looking at more than 1,400 total damage. Enough to take Senya down—if he didn't waste too many on the smaller wolves.
Fortunately, the wolves at the front of the pack were already on their last legs. Their HP bars were nearly gone—just ten points or so left. Slowed by their injuries, they fell behind, dragging themselves in a limp, broken run.
As the weaklings dropped back, the others surged ahead—and just like that, Senya stood exposed.
Ryan didn't hesitate. He spun and hurled a grenade straight into the heart of the group, aiming directly for the Guardian.
The blast hit its mark. Senya and four nearby Graywolves were caught in the fiery explosion.
A piercing howl tore through the plains.
Senya reared up, muscles bulging, her silver fur glowing crimson. A pulsing aura flared around her—her frame expanding as she entered a berserk state.
Ryan arched a brow, lips curling into a smirk. "A simple rage buff? Big whoop."
Extra damage and faster attacks didn't mean much if she couldn't land a single hit. She'd be forced to chase him in circles, never quite close enough.
Or so he thought.
When Senya's health dropped below 50%, she let out another guttural roar. This time, a fresh buff shimmered across her body.
---
Guardian's Bulwark:
Effect: Reduces all damage taken by 50%
Increases movement speed for 15 seconds
---
"You cheating bastard!" Ryan shouted, bolting into a full sprint.
He lobbed another grenade backward, more out of reflex than strategy, trying to hold aggro.
Senya was faster now—way faster. Too fast.
Ryan abandoned his wide circling tactic, switching to straight-line kiting. The Guardian was gaining ground, fast. But thanks to his careful spacing, he'd always kept maximum distance during his throws. That bought him just enough time.
Right as Senya was about to close the gap—bam—the buff expired.
Breathing hard, Ryan didn't dare look over his shoulder. He just chucked another grenade and kept moving. When the explosion hit and he didn't get tackled, he finally allowed himself a shaky exhale.
Back to circling.
The Guardian's speed dropped back to normal. Slower, even. At just 10% health, she was barely jogging. The end was near.
Another grenade flew.
Senya's mournful howl echoed across the field as the final blast tore through her. The massive silver beast collapsed to the ground in a heap, her glowing body dimming as the light faded from her eyes.
Ryan stood still for a beat, chest rising and falling. The Guardian was dead.
But he didn't go for the loot right away, the rest of the pack was still coming. And they were close.