Chapter 37 - Rocket Boots
The moment everyone saw the giant robot piloted by a midget Gnome, they instinctively knew he was something very dangerous. After hearing Shi Feng's reminder, they ignored the loot on the ground and immediately ran towards the forest without a shred of hesitation.
Naturally, Shi Feng would not stay behind either.
The Hazard Gnome was a very dangerous monster. It was especially true when he first made his appearance. He was even stronger than Werewolf Felt with its Death Berserk activated.
[Hazard Gnome] (Special Elite)
Level 5
HP 1600/1600
There was a very small chance for the Hazard Gnome to appear after clearing out the Wandering Gnomes and Gnome Overseers. However, his appearance also signified the start of a player's nightmare.
There was a saying in God's Domain that warns people not to look down on Gnomes just because they were midgets. If they were enraged, they could easily extinguish your life at any given moment.
In his previous life, Shi Feng met the Hazard Gnome once before. At that time, he was with an Elite party who was grinding for ore. After killing the Gnomes, the Hazard Gnome appeared. They did not imagine they would meet a Special Elite, so they had all excitedly rushed at him. However, the situation ended up in a tragedy for the twenty-man party.
The Hazard Gnome's 1600 HP must not be taken lightly. His Defense was an abnormality, capable of reducing 80% of the damage he received. A Level 4 Berserker using an ax could only take 2 HP from the Gnome. On the other hand, the Hazard Gnome’s attacks were even more powerful. Everyone would get a free trip back to the city after he fired a burst of bullets.
Although Shi Feng’s party had tried their best to run away, the Hazard Gnome’s hatred for their evil deeds was clearly implacable. The rockets on the robot’s back suddenly ignited. The steel machine that was over three meters tall rushed at high speed towards Shi Feng’s party.
While being chased, Blackie attacked with his Dark Arrow as he ran.
Although the arrow had struck the Hazard Gnome, it had only caused a meager -4 damage.
Blackie’s eyes widened when he saw the damage. He said in a dumbstruck manner, “Disgusting! If the robot wasn’t protecting this Gnome, I could one-shot him anytime!”
“Don’t mind it for now and focus on running. Pay attention to dodging the bullets. As long as we are 1200 yards away from the mountain, the Hazard Gnome will return.” Shi Feng never thought, just after a lecture from him, Blackie’s skill would improve to the degree of being able to hit his target while moving. However, fighting head-on with the Hazard Gnome would be very foolish.
Blackie understood Shi Feng’s intentions. He turned around and started chanting Evil Whip, binding the pursuing Hazard Gnome with five thorns and greatly reducing the Gnome’s speed. With this, everyone managed to gain quite a distance from the Gnome.
When the Hazard Gnome broke free from the five thorns, high damages of -23, -24, -23, -23, -24 suddenly appeared on his head. His HP had turned to 1479 within an instant.
The damage caused by the Evil Whip was just ridiculous.
Blackie was shocked. Before, his Level 3 Dark Arrow had only dealt -4 damage. On the other hand, the Evil Whip had caused over a hundred damage total. The difference between them was just too great. Did the Hazard Gnome have that kind of fetish?
Shi Feng saw hope when the Hazard Gnome’s HP suddenly fell by a portion. The Hazard Gnome did not have any immunity towards plant-based attacks. Shi Feng immediately commanded, “Everybody stop running. Cola, get the Hazard Gnome’s Hatred and let his back face toward the group. The others attack and mind your positions. As long as the Hazard Gnome lifts up his gun, immediately dodge the muzzle. Blackie, attack immediately after Evil Whip’s CD finishes. We have a chance to get rid of him.”
Whether they would live or die before they ran out of the 1200-yard mark was an uncertainty. So, why not fight it out? Who knows, they might even be able to get rid of this Hazard Gnome.
In Shi Feng’s previous life, there were no players who killed the Hazard Gnome before. If they were to kill him now, something good might drop.
Currently, the Hazard Gnome’s Hatred was targeted towards Blackie. However, Lonely Snow was a step ahead of the Gnome, using Charge on him. He used a Whirlwind Slash on the Gnome, causing 3 points of damage.
Although the damage was low, the momentary Fainted state it caused gave Cola a chance to use Divine Strike, followed by Punishment. The two attacks caused -3, -2 damage and the additional Hatred they attracted had the Hazard Gnome locked onto Cola.
The Hazard Gnome extended the electric saw on the robot’s right arm, violently slashing at Cola. Cola blocked the attack with his shield; his body retreated three steps backward and a damage of -147 appearing above his head. Cola was shocked. When the next attack from the electric saw came, he hurriedly dodged and rolled to the side, avoiding the attack completely. Drowsy Sloth immediately healed Cola twice, returning close to a hundred HP to Cola.
“Such fierce damage,” Lonely Snow was shocked as well. He no longer dared to stay, turning around and running more than ten yards away from the Gnome. He would definitely die, even if he were only struck once by the electric saw.
On the other hand, Shi Feng was not afraid of him. He immediately arrived at the Hazard Gnome’s back, using out a series of skills: Thundering Flash, Double Chop, and Chop. The occasional critical hit would also cause -16 damage. Compared to the others, Shi Feng’s damage was already very high.
However, the Hazard Gnome only gave a look of contempt towards Shi Feng’s attacks. He continued using his electric saw to attack Cola.
A series of fierce attacks had forced Cola to constantly retreat backward; his HP was continuously falling as well. Behind, Drowsy Sloth’s healing could not keep up with the damage Cola was receiving. He could only watch as Cola inched closer to death.
At the most crucial moment, Shi Feng used Abyssal Bind. Nine pitch-black chains bound the Hazard Gnome, giving Cola a breather.
Within the three seconds[1], the Hazard Gnome had only lost 7% of his HP after being barraged by everyone’s attacks. The total damage the party dealt was not even the equivalent of a single Evil Whip from Blackie.
When the three seconds had ended, the Hazard Gnome regained his freedom. The green-skinned Gnome revealed a mocking smile on his face, his tiny hands moving around and manipulating buttons. The robot’s arm holding the electric saw made a roundabout slash, creating a beautiful arc. Shi Feng’s entire person was sent flying. He smashed into a tree and lost 286 HP.
Cola rushed up in a hurry, his HP having recovered by more than half. He used Divine Strike and Punishment once again, trying to pull back the Hazard Gnome’s Hatred.
However, the Hazard Gnome had actually ignored Cola. Instead, he lifted the gun in his left hand, aimed it and fired a burst of bullets at Shi Feng.
A barrage of densely packed bullets flew towards Shi Feng. However, Shi Feng had yet to land after being sent flying, so it was impossible to dodge the bullets.
Phantom Kill!
Shi Feng’s doppelganger instantly appeared before him. The doppelganger waved his blade, continuously blocking the bullets. Meanwhile, Shi Feng had already activated Gravity Liberation. He jumped up to a treetop, avoiding the attack range of the Hazard Gnome. However, his doppelganger had already been killed.After finishing a cartridge of bullets, the Hazard Gnome started changing magazines. Afterward, he continued to rush at Shi Feng. Everyone else could only continue attacking, shaving away the Hazard Gnome’s HP bit by bit.
However, Shi Feng was not easy to hit after he activated Gravity Liberation. Shi Feng also used the trees for protection. He was barely dodging the flying bullets as he continued kiting the Gnome.
As for Blackie, he would immediately use Evil Whip as soon as it was ready.
The Hazard Gnome’s HP continuously fell, 64%... 50%... 30%... 20%... 10%.
When only 10% of the Hazard Gnome’s HP remained, the Gnome suddenly jumped out of the metallic machine. He wore a pair of Rocket Boots and started to escape.“It can’t be… Monsters can actually escape?” Blackie watched as the Hazard Gnome ran, with extreme speed, to a location without people.
The others were also shocked. They never imagined the Gnome would have such a high intelligence. He ran the moment he knew he could not win the fight.
“We can’t let him escape! We will have fought for nothing otherwise!” Cola immediately chased after the Gnome. He had been bullied by the Hazard Gnome just a moment ago, so his heart was currently filled with anger. How could he let the Hazard Gnome escape after having taken advantage of them?
“You want to escape? Not a chance!” Shi Feng chased after him with Wind Blade.
However, the Hazard Gnome was unperturbed. He sent Shi Feng a mocking expression before pressing a button on his waist. The Rocket Boots spewed out large amounts of flames, ready to fly away.
TL Notes:
[1] Within three seconds: The effective duration of Abyssal Bind.