Ethan had just shifted into Bear Form, ready to tank the initial wave, when a voice yelled from above.

"Holy crap, what are these things…! Barrel Toss!"

He didn't need to look up. He knew who it was. Back on the fourth layer, he'd arranged their formation. The person right behind him was the team's sole tank: Leo. No longer a Shield Tank, but a… Brewmaster. Even now, Ethan wasn't entirely sure of the class mechanics.

What he saw next was Leo, still in mid-air, hefting the massive Cosmos Cask off his back and hurling it downward.

BOOM!

It landed squarely amidst the Skeleton Champions with a ground-shaking thud. The impact itself dealt damage in a small shockwave. More notably, the cask sprayed a wide mist of potent liquid, filling the air with the rich, sharp scent of alcohol.

The skeletons caught in the spray instantly slowed, their movement reduced by roughly 30%.

-1256!

-1569!

-3215! (Critical)

"Whoa, your damage is that high? And you're the tank?" Ethan blurted out, watching the damage numbers bloom over the mobs. Leo's opening attack was on par with a decently geared DPS class, and it was area-of-effect damage.

Before Ethan could finish his thought, Leo, still airborne, whipped out his staff. With a flourish, a swirling green vortex of wind coalesced at his feet, spinning around him like a personal tornado.

When Leo landed, the vortex's purpose became clear. Any skeleton that got near him began taking rapid, ticking damage.

-23, -65, -35…

The numbers were small, like papercuts, but they came fast and furious.

"Breath of Fire!" Leo roared, then literally spewed a cone of flames from his mouth. He swept his head side to side, bathing the entire front line of skeletons in fire.

Ah, Ethan realized. That explained the alcohol spray. Skeletons drenched in the liquor ignited instantly upon contact with the flames, acquiring a powerful damage-over-time burn debuff. Their health began draining steadily by 100-200 points per tick, with occasional criticals doubling the damage. Skeletons not coated in booze just took a flat 500-ish fire damage and that was it—no ignition.

So, his Barrel Toss and Breath of Fire had a combo effect.

"Haha! Finally, I can pull groups properly! As a Shield Tank, grabbing them one by one was torture!" Leo crowed, reveling in the fact that all the Skeleton Champions were now firmly fixated on him.

"Don't celebrate too soon," Ethan warned, a note of concern in his voice. "High damage is one thing. Let's see if you're actually sturdy. If you're a glass cannon, this is all for nothing."

The rest of the team had descended by now, gathering beside Ethan to watch the spectacle.

"Sturdy? Boss, let me put it this way: as long as the healer keeps me standing, nothing can one-shot me. Watch this!"

Whoosh!

Using some unknown skill, Leo shot forward like a human arrow, diving headlong into the densest part of the skeleton pack.

"Flying Serpent Kick!" he bellowed, and then… he started spinning.

It was like watching a bizarre ballet. He pirouetted endlessly within the mob, his movements fluid, almost graceful, allowing him to weave between attacks. It was reminiscent of a warrior's Blade Storm, but instead of a whirling weapon, it was just… Leo. Spinning. The "ballet" comparison was tragically accurate.

-256!

-345!

-685!

A flurry of damage numbers popped over Leo's head—the hits he was taking.

Victor, Kiara, and Evelyn raised their staves in unison, ready to heal… then paused.

"Hey… why isn't Leo's health going down?" Evelyn asked, puzzled.

Two to three dozen skeletons were hacking at him. Damage numbers floated up, yet his health bar remained stubbornly full.

"It is going down," Ethan said calmly. "Look at his debuffs in the raid frame."

Everyone shifted their focus. Next to Leo's portrait in the party UI was a unique debuff icon labeled: Stagger (Mild).

The tooltip read: Converts direct damage taken into a damage-over-time effect. 30% of damage is Staggered, dealt over 10 seconds.

The "Stagger" damage number was dynamic, constantly ticking up as he took hits. Currently, it was only ticking for double-digits per half-second. So, the direct damage from the skeletons was being converted into this delayed, manageable bleed effect. No wonder his health bar didn't seem to move—losing a few dozen HP every half-second against a pool of thousands was negligible.

A realization dawned on Ethan. "Restoration Druids… they might be about to make a comeback," he mused aloud.

"Why?" came the clear, curious voice of Heaven's Dawn—Kiara Quinn.

"I'm guessing one of the Monk specializations is a tank, probably similar to Leo's Brewmaster mechanics," Ethan explained, a smile forming. "Look at him. He converts burst damage into a damage-over-time debuff. Besides Resto Druids, what other healing spec has almost exclusively HoTs (healing-over-time) spells? Other tanks take damage in big chunks. Resto Druids were never ideal because they couldn't spike-heal through that burst. But what if the tank was like this? Think about it…"

He glanced at Kiara. Her eyes slowly widened in understanding.

A steady, predictable damage intake… paired with steady, predictable healing output.

It was a perfect synergy. If the Monk class became popular and this tanking style proved strong… the main tank meta in top-tier raids could be in for a shake-up.

Of course, this was just a glimpse. These were trash mobs, not a raid boss. A tank with high damage and superb AoE threat generation was one thing. The real test would be whether this "Stagger" mechanic could handle the brutal, spike damage of an end-game boss.

"Leo's Stagger debuff just turned yellow. It says 'Moderate' now," Evelyn observed, pointing at the raid frame.

Sure enough, Leo's health bar finally began a visible, steady descent.

"A little help here…?" he called out, the first hint of strain in his voice.

Kiara reacted instantly. With a wave of her hand, a shimmering green light—a Rejuvenation—settled over Leo.

It was the most basic healing spell in the Druid's toolkit. Yet, it was enough. The gentle, constant flow of healing perfectly countered the steady drain of the Stagger damage.

-256! +369!

-264! +369!

-278! +738! (Critical)

…

His health bar stabilized, dancing in a narrow, safe range.

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