Chapter 136
Chapter 136
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Skada
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Inside the Tree of the Abyss, on the way to the first named boss.
Thump, thump.
Sway, sway.
"Hehe."
I let out a small laugh, watching the little Chris walking right beside me.
Her adorable gestures. Her red hair, reaching down to her waist. The single cowlick bobbing on top of it. And contrasting all that, a confident smile.
Just looking at her was calming. It was a different kind of happiness from seeing the tall, well-built big sister Chris.
"Hm?"
Little Chris beamed at me. I barely managed to stop my hand from reaching out to pat her head and forced a change of subject.
"By the way, what's the benefit of creating a second raid team?"
It was what I'd been most curious about. They wouldn't have created a second team just for me.
Of course, farming on an alt character lets you enjoy the game with a class other than your main, and you can benefit from daily quests and such. You can even vary your character customization, like Chris.
But to go as far as creating a raid team for it?
Little Chris chuckled, hmph.
"Ever since I figured out the direction this game was heading, I've been thinking about leveling an alt. I may have a lot of money, but I'm of the mind that if you can earn gold in-game, you should."
I nodded.
Chris spent a lot of gold, but she earned far more in-game than she ever exchanged for real money. She made a fortune from carries, quests, and cornering the weapon market as a trailblazer. She even hired a high-end talent like me to run carries and supplement her gold. What was I, some kind of comfort doll who also happened to be a gold-earning employee?
Little Chris spread her short, stubby arms wide in an exaggerated gesture.
"First off, the best part is that it makes farming easier for the main raid team, too."
"Huh? But accessories are bound, so the alts will be the ones farming them, right?"
"As the farming progresses, the main characters will join the second team. After all, whether it's our raid squad or Skada's over there, the main characters are obviously going to be stronger, right? Their Echo Stones and internal stats will be much better than their alts'."
Chris shot a glance back at Skada, the leader of 'Skada's Attack Squad,' who was following behind. Skada was walking with a wide grin, looking at me and little Chris as if we were a pair of sly little things.
"Eventually, Team 1 will have surplus DPS. Then, the mains from Team 1 who haven't finished farming can come support Team 2's DPS and, while they're at it, win bids on accessories for cheap. We'll fill the remaining spots with customers for carries. The alts can farm after we've made a ton of gold when the carry fees are high."
"Aha."
So you swap characters between Team 1 and Team 2.
Later on, we could take out the members who've finished farming and bring in clients, and even create a third team with the members who left.
"And besides, the legendary weapons crafted with materials from this raid are super hot right now, right? There are only three parties that have cleared it so far, so the more weapons we can craft, the better. The alts can farm their weapons later. We need to sell a bunch while they're expensive. You made a ton of gold this time too, didn't you, Rain?"
Little Chris grinned at me. I laughed awkwardly and scratched my face.
Just as Chris said, I had monopolized the weapon material, 'Crow's Remnant,' and earned an enormous amount of gold.
That's because I sold the legendary weapon, the 'Northern Corps Commander's Weapon'—crafted by combining 'Crow's Soul,' which drops alongside it, with the 'Weapon of the Frozen Palace's Lord' from the previous elite dungeon—for an incredible price.
"Thanks to that, I was able to pay back all the money I owed big sister Chris."
"Tsk. Even though I told you you didn't have to."
I smiled, feeling refreshed. For some reason, little Chris licked her lips.
That's right. As of today, I was free from debt.
I had been diligently saving my YouTube and ad revenue in my own personal overdraft account, which I called 'Sister's Money.' And I paid off the remaining amount with the gold I earned from selling the weapon.
I still had a thousand gold left over. With this much, I'd have plenty left even after winning the bids for the earrings and ring today.
"By the way, this weapon must have an evolution formula, too."
I toyed with 'Astaroth,' which hung at my hip.
The 'Northern Corps Commander's Weapon,' the second legendary weapon to appear after 'Astaroth' from the world boss raid, was in a similar tier. Of course, the weapon sold this time didn't fetch a price quite like Astaroth's. It would be released steadily as more parties cleared the raid. The incredible winning bid back then was largely due to its title as the very first legendary weapon.
"Besides, the stats on this new legendary weapon are purely PvE-focused. There's no cooldown reset, and no PvP stats. Of course, the additional damage and the guaranteed critical hit on stacking buffs are amazing, but still."
I checked the stats of the 'Northern Corps Commander's Sword' I had sold through the auction house's sales history.
[Northern Corps Commander's Sword]
[Legendary Grade]
[Attack Power 450]
[Additional Damage to NPCs +20%]
[All Skill Damage +50%]
[Socket 1: EMPTY]
[Socket 2: EMPTY]
...
[Socket 6: EMPTY]
[Unique Ability: Attacks have a chance to stack the 'Dark Curse' buff. At 5 stacks, it converts to the 'Berserk' buff.]
(Berserk - For 10 seconds, Additional Damage to NPCs +20%, all attacks are guaranteed critical hits)
(Binds when equipped)
They were stats that would have made my eyes pop if I didn't have 'Astaroth.'
"Its attack power is a little lower than Astaroth's, and it doesn't have a cooldown reset."
For me, the cooldown reset is better. As someone who often has to handle mechanics alone, the ability to use mobility skills consecutively is precious.
And.
Shing.
As I drew Astaroth, its dark blade, shimmering with a silver light, captivated me.
Crucially, Astaroth is prettier.
"I like this sword more."
Little Chris watched me rubbing my cheek against the blade with a pleased expression.
*
[1st Named Boss]
[Level 53]
[Black Dragon]
[HP 59,047,009 / 200,000,000 (29%)]
KRAKOOOOM!
The Black Dragon's final special pattern, its last breath attack, poured down on the raid members.
Having completed all the mechanics, the members of the 'Red and White & Skada Attack Squad Team 2,' who had been hunkered down inside a barrier created by the Ants until the breath attack subsided, entered the final burst damage phase as the dragon's flight ended.
"Beimerung, Divine Descent! Let's get it down to 10% with this burst and finish it!"
"Yes!"
Fwhoosh!
As Beimerung drew a talisman, a blue light enveloped the party members. The Yin-Yang Master's party buff skill, 'Divine Descent,' had been activated.
Beimerung, the Mage of the Red and White Attack Squad, had a Yin-Yang Master as her alt. She and Chris took turns using Divine Descent to buff the party.
P-p-p-pow!
Following Chris's order, they entered the burst phase, and the Black Dragon's HP began to drop rapidly.
Whooom!
Skada, the Mage leader of 'Skada's Attack Squad,' glanced at her interface while preparing the Mage's burst skill, 'Arcane Burst.' It was the damage contribution ranking, only visible in a 12-man raid party.
['Black Dragon' Damage Contribution]
[1. Drizzle Rain (23.4%)]
[2. Christwo (12.2%)]
[3. Skadamk2 (12.0%)]
...
Skada clicked her tongue in amazement.
"What kind of Swordsman's DPS is that..."
Even if Rain was on her main character, it was hard to comprehend how she could pull nearly double the damage of a free-casting Mage while facing the Black Dragon's vicious patterns head-on.
Skada's gaze fell on Rain's weapon as she diced up the Black Dragon's body, her sword wreathed in starlight.
"It doesn't seem to be just because of her weapon."
Swoosh! Tap, pa-pa-pa-pat!
The girl with beautiful silver hair flying about her dodged the dragon's foreleg, took a light backstep, and unleashed a starlight blade aura across the newly created distance. Then, before the dragon could finish its move, she closed the gap like an arrow and set her sword in motion again. Rain's blade slipped between the dragon's scales, wounding the lizard's body.
For Skada, it was a blow to her pride. Even though she was on her alt, being out-damaged by a Swordsman by more than double could imply that she, the damage dealer, had been slacking off.
KABOOOM!
As Skada's Arcane Burst exploded, the damage rankings fluctuated once more.
['Black Dragon' Contribution]
[1. Drizzle Rain (23.8%)]
[2. Skadamk2 (12.9%)]
[3. Christwo (12.4%)]
...
Skada's contribution rose to second place, but she still wasn't happy with it. She, a pure damage-dealing Mage, had barely surpassed a Yin-Yang Master who had party buff skills.
SKREEEEE—!!
Thud, thud, thud!
Pitter-patter.
The Black Dragon fell, and little Chris scurried over to Rain, clinging to her. The sight of the two small girls fidgeting together made Skada smile.
Chris turned to look at Skada, her expression triumphant.
"One shot! The members of Skada's Attack Squad are incredible, too."
"That's high praise."
It really was high praise. The other members of the Red and White Attack Squad were amazing, but 'Chris' and 'Rain' were players on a whole other level.
"As expected of the first-clear and second-clear teams."
"Mm."
Skada nodded at the words of the man who had approached her, 'Park Jeong-gwon,' the main tank of Skada's Attack Squad.
Rain, the silver-haired girl Swordsman.
It was a well-known fact that she was the Swordsman of the 'Noname Attack Squad.' She had even live-streamed a solo run of an elite dungeon under that party name.
But did she really clear a raid dungeon alone? Opinions were divided even among the gossips.
Skada shook her head.
"Her damage contribution is certainly overwhelming, but it's not enough to meet the DPS check for a raid dungeon by herself. The named bosses in the 'Tree of the Abyss' have strict time attacks and enrage timers."
"She must have had teammates during the first clear, right? Elite dungeons are one thing, but..."
"Mm. Though no one knows who those other players were."
The members of the phantom-like Noname Attack Squad.
The girl named 'Rain,' whose unbelievable skill was on clear display right before their eyes.
"Park Jeong-gwon, as a fellow Swordsman, what do you think of Miss Rain? Think you could replicate that?"
"A Swordsman...? It's hard to simply categorize a player like that as a Swordsman."
Park Jeong-gwon broke out in a cold sweat.
He too was a Swordsman counted among the best, but the player named Rain was, quite literally, a convention-shattering player.
With sharp eyes, Skada watched the two girls squealing as they checked their rewards.
"'Noname Attack Squad, Red and White Attack Squad,' huh."