Scalding lava flowed sluggishly across a wide clearing, but the Scorching Serpent Girl paid no mind to Shi Feng's intrusion. Swishing her serpentine tail, she slithered up to the lava pool and plunged in with a splash, frolicking and playing inside with carefree ease.
If an ordinary player were to jump into that lava pool, they'd be dead in seconds. Even with the Blessing of the Scorching Sun active, granting 100 points of fire resistance, they'd still lose 300 hit points per second. How many people could withstand that?
Shi Feng watched for a long while, a plan forming in his mind.
Scorching Serpent Girl — High Lord, Level 25, 500,000 HP.
Lord-level bosses were nothing like Leader-level bosses. For an ordinary Level 25 Lord boss, forget a twenty-man Elite party — even a hundred-man Elite party wouldn't stand a chance.
Lord-level bosses were terrifyingly powerful. Only a major guild could organize a thousand players and use human-wave tactics to whittle them down. There was simply no other way.
The Scorching Serpent Girl perched on the stone platform was far more formidable than an ordinary Lord. Without the Book of Solar Saints, even a thousand players inside the Inferno Caverns would end up dead, with zero chance of survival.
Shi Feng did know a method for dealing with the Scorching Serpent Girl, but it required clearing out the numerous Elites and special Elites in the surrounding area first. Otherwise, he'd be just as helpless against her.
"I'll lure them out slowly, one at a time." Shi Feng casually picked out an isolated Flame Naga and strode toward it boldly, not bothering to use any special means to draw its attention.
Because Shi Feng's level was too low — only 14 — facing a Level 25 Elite, the moment he got within forty yards, these Elites would charge at him like madmen.
So luring out a single Flame Naga required a bit of technique.
Whether snake-type monsters or Naga, their natural hearing was extraordinarily sharp. Sometimes even the faintest sound beyond forty yards would draw them over to investigate. So when approaching these Naga, one had to move softly and land without a sound. The slightest misstep meant death.
Walking across the soft, spongy ground, Shi Feng's steps were steady and light. He easily caught the attention of a single Flame Naga, and the creature immediately charged toward him at breakneck speed.
"Come on. Come on!" Shi Feng smiled when he saw the Naga take the bait, then turned and sprinted toward a distant rock wall.
The Flame Naga's greatest strength wasn't ranged attacks but melee combat. Its ranged ability was called Furious Flame Roar, a corridor-type spell with a 40×4-yard area of effect. Its damage output surpassed that of a Molten Hound, with a three-second cast time — but it posed no threat to Shi Feng. Melee combat, however, was truly dangerous.
During the chase, the Flame Naga was fast, but Shi Feng was no slouch either. Just as he reached the rock wall with nowhere left to retreat, he scaled the steep cliff face in a few quick motions and gazed down silently at the panting Flame Naga below.
Looking down at the Naga with a contemptuous stare only fueled its fury, and it began climbing after him with desperate effort.
Shi Feng didn't have ranged attacks, so he couldn't kite the Flame Naga. But engaging it in melee was far too dangerous — a single slip and he'd be killed in two hits. That was why he'd opted for a distance-based approach.
Seeing the Flame Naga about to climb up to him, Shi Feng pulled a Junior Frost Grenade from his inventory and tossed it down.
With a muffled bang, ice shards scattered in every direction, and a biting chill filled the air.
The Flame Naga was instantly frozen, taking 300 points of damage since it was weak to cold. That was nothing against its 20,000 HP — it didn't even qualify as a scratch.
But the Flame Naga was now frozen halfway up the wall, trapped at an awkward height between hard rock on both sides. It had been crammed between the stone like a sandwich filling, making it nearly impossible to attack or dodge skills, unable even to turn around.