Chapter 78
Chapter 78
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Skeleton Knight (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fire Ball was one of the concise yet powerful spells.
It was a spell that mages favored.
‘The Alice I saw last time used it as her main attack too.’
Regin recalled that moment and unleashed Fire Balls in rapid succession.
Though it was a second-tier spell, its destructive power scaled with its completion level.
And the advantage was that it inflicted burn damage upon direct hits.
Even if he couldn’t match Alice’s firepower.
‘This should buy us plenty of time.’
It was more than enough to halt the Skeleton Knight’s movements.
Kwaang—!!
A Fire Ball struck the Skeleton Knight’s armor.
‘Field boss on the 6th floor. It’s usually raided by multiple parties, so the subjugation rate is high... but it’s not something to take lightly.’
It was a monster clad in black armor, swinging a massive greatsword.
Compared to regular Skeleton Soldiers, its size was two or three times larger.
Its bones weren’t ordinary either—they were solid and thick, making it surprisingly sturdy, one of its key traits.
Naturally, it was a boss-level monster that Regin’s party couldn’t hunt alone.
But on the 6th floor, there was no need to face it solo.
“Don’t stop the attacks!!”
A gladiator holding the front line shouted.
‘An NPC who knows how to give orders.’
The frontline had been teetering on the edge, so he’d worried the other parties might lack skill.
Fortunately, there were some capable ones.
Regin spotted Elsilva up ahead in his view.
‘Good timing too. If he can hold the frontline against the Skeleton Knight’s attacks, he’s got real skill.’
With someone like that around, the raid became much easier.
And if reliable firepower joined in, it got even simpler.
Flick!
“Greg. Use this and charge in to hold the line with me.”
“That scroll from last time? Strength Enhancement Scroll.”
“Yes.”
He’d gotten a few more from Boland when they’d gone outside the tower.
‘Turns out I’ll use them more than I thought.’
It wasn’t efficient for Regin himself, but party hunting changed that.
For frontline tanks like Greg, the scroll would shine.
Chwaak!
Greg’s fight proved it.
Tearing the scroll, he charged forward, leaping and swinging his axe.
—Krurr!!
The Skeleton Knight’s massive frame shook.
If it hadn’t blocked with its sword, the armor might’ve cracked.
Then Seria joined in.
Chwaaak!!
Her movements were still nimble, and with daggers forged from Dragon Knight, her attack power was exceptional.
“Push them back!”
“Uwaaa!!!”
It even boosted the confidence of the hesitating parties.
A total onslaught followed.
Excluding those fighting nearby Skeleton Soldiers, the other explorers poured all their remaining mana into the Skeleton Knight.
—Krurr...!
Its body began to give ground.
The over-two-meter giant started losing balance, gradually taking hits.
“Fire Ball.”
Regin’s eyes gleamed as he tore a scroll.
No need to skimp on second-tier spells.
‘Not the time to conserve scrolls, at least not now.’
Regin knew from hunting Skeleton Knights countless times.
‘Once the armor cracks and it loses balance, triggering the continuous horizontal slash pattern...’
It meant it was right on the verge of collapse.
This was the critical moment.
‘The perfect chance for the killing blow.’
Drop items didn’t matter much.
They’d have to split them with everyone here anyway. And as latecomers, claiming ownership would be tough.
‘Experience is different.’
So, what Regin needed to secure here was one thing.
The final strike for maximum experience gain.
Peong!!
Regin’s Fire Ball hit its face.
With that crisp sound, a strange sensation flowed through Regin’s body.
‘The same feeling as when I took down the Skele...’
Regin smiled, recalling the Rabbit Hole subjugation.
Then or now, the finishing blow was his.
* * *
After the Skeleton Knight vanished, the gathered parties began mopping up the remaining Skeleton Soldiers.
‘Skeleton Soldiers or Mages... honestly, without the boss, they’re like walking gift boxes.’
Especially the crystal orbs dropped by Mages. Some parties looped the 6th floor just for those.
But with everyone gathered to guard the boss, to the 6th-floor explorers, they looked like honey pots.
“Keum!”
Once the area was mostly cleared.
Leaders from several parties turned toward the center.
Where the Skeleton Knight had fallen.
‘Elsilva, was it?’
Standing guard in the center was none other than the gladiator Elsilva.
His party seemed the strongest among those nearby.
And they’d contributed the most to downing the Skeleton Knight, so they’d taken control first.
‘Since the other party members aren’t saying a word... looks like they held the line mostly on their own before we arrived.’
As the cleanup finished, other parties began gathering toward Elsilva.
“Elsilva. Isn’t it time to sort the loot?”
“......”
“The leaders of the parties who contributed to the raid are all here. Time to discuss and decide.”
“One’s still missing.”
“......What? Elsilva! You’re not saying you’re including those guys too?”
The heads in the center whipped around.
Toward Regin’s party, no less.
“Regin.”
“Yes.”
“Those guys staring at us, right?”
“Seems so.”
Regin calmly addressed Seria and Greg.
“I’ll go. They’re probably divvying up the loot.”
“Yeah? Then you handle it, Regin.”
Elsilva greeted Regin as he walked to the center.
The other leaders wore displeased expressions, but he ignored them.
‘They see us as gatecrashers.’
A field boss like Skeleton Knight had massive HP.
‘They’d already passed phase 4 and were in the final fight before we joined. If they were the main force, they’d been battling nonstop for two hours.’
In DAT playtime, that’d be about 30 minutes, but local time didn’t match 1:1.
Regin could compare from past explorations.
‘Two hours qualifies as a fierce battle. Especially a long one for 6th-floor explorers.’
After all that struggle, late arrivals like Regin’s party were naturally annoying.
“......Elsilva. Didn’t these guys join at the end?”
“Yes.”
“We appreciate the help... but. Keum. You’re not planning to give them loot shares too?”
Elsilva nodded without hesitation.
“They contributed to downing the Skeleton Knight just like us. They deserve equal rights.”
“......Not equal! Don’t you know how many hours we held and fought?”
“And?”
Kwaak!
He eyed the burly man who’d stabbed his sword into the ground in protest.
“Was that enough?”
“That’s...”
“The frontline was collapsing. Can you swear we’d all have survived if it fell then?”
“......We were ready to fight to the bitter end. Their attack landed the finishing blow, sure. But we could’ve done it ourselves.”
Regin watched Elsilva steadily.
Even under silent pressure from the other leaders, his demeanor didn’t waver.
‘Stabbing his sword to hold position—it’s a gladiator’s way of showing resolve.’
A typical gladiator move.
It meant: if you disagree, face me with your sword.
A strong display of unyielding will, and seeing it in person, the impact was intense.
‘His size makes it more imposing too.’
The protesting burly man was no small fry himself.
But Elsilva was a head taller.
The aura wasn’t just mana—it was something you couldn’t underestimate.
‘Good news for me, anyway.’
Nothing bad from Regin’s perspective.
Elsilva seemed to value their timely join highly.
Whatever the reason, it meant a shot at loot.
‘A few items catch my eye.’
Regin’s gaze sparkled at the piled loot.
If he could snag an item, why pass it up?
He was a player confident in making the most of anything.
“So, how are we splitting it?”
The other leaders finally moved to the next issue.
They accepted splitting, now it was how much.
“I think contribution-based distribution is fair.”
“You mean highest contribution picks first?”
“Yes.”
Not a bad method.
Though without clear contribution numbers like other games, it was tricky.
Glance—
All eyes turned to the central drop pile.
Plenty for a field boss.
‘......Not enough for all these parties, though.’
Sequential picking meant later parties got nothing.
Leaders shook their heads at each other.
No one wanted to risk the back of the line.
“How about designated distribution?”
The burly man finally proposed it.
“Someone elected by vote designates picks one by one. Better than hurting feelings all around?”
Entrust it to one, let them take responsibility.
“Hmm, not keen on that.”
Elsilva shook his head immediately.
His party had top contribution, so vote-by-numbers wasn’t appealing.
Regin, watching, spoke up casually.
“How about traditional distribution?”
“......Traditional?”
“Yes. The classic method old-school explorers used.”
Eyes wavered. Regin pressed on.
Honestly, it was the simplest way.
“Leaders fight it out, last one standing claims all loot rights.”
Just beat everyone else and monopolize.
* * *
“......Confident?”
Sreung—
The burly man drew his sword, eyeing Regin.
Other leaders beside him drew theirs too.
“Elsilva aside, seems we’ve got our first target.”
Traditional distribution rarely went 1:1.
Any contributing leader who wanted in could join.
And since everyone fought at once, ganging up wasn’t impossible.
‘Temporary alliances are possible.’
Regin knew that.
‘They’re most wary of me. Naturally, I’m prime target... but...’
It wasn’t a fight he couldn’t win.
They’d leveled up the party during resupply.
Regin’s group now had firepower to one-shot the Skeleton Knight.
He could say it because their current strength was objectively superior.
“I’m in.”
Elsilva gave the first yes to Regin’s question.
He stared at Regin with firm eyes.
“It’s exactly what our party wanted.”
Whoosh—!
Yanking his embedded sword, Elsilva swung it once around.
Wind pressure blasted outward from the crisp motion.
“Frankly, do spoon-feeding parties even deserve loot?”
His words dripped sincerity.
‘Must’ve been stressed.’
Regin hid a smile, watching him.
Leading the frontline, the others must’ve grated on him.
“......Damn it all.”
The burly man gnashed his teeth, glaring at Elsilva.
“Elsilva, think numbers won’t crush you?! Everyone, what’re you waiting for? Take these two out first!”
“Hit Elsilva and the mage! That mage is a scrollmaker anyway!”
“Scrollmaker, huh... manageable.”
Just like old explorers fighting over loot.
‘This is DAT tradition.’
Leaders charged Elsilva and Regin, weapons raised.
Regin smirked, tearing a scroll.
As always when explaining scrollmakers.
“Fire Ball.”
The class that shone in PvP was the scrollmaker.
‘Time to get a proper taste of that loot.’