Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Clearing the 'Demon Army's Forward Base'
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[Third Boss]
[Level 33 Forward Base Captain Zarkan]
[HP 989,004/3,300,000]
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
"Beimerung, Ice Prison!"
"Right!"
As Beimerung cast Ice Prison, the party members' bodies froze solid.
This would block the initial concentric explosion.
And then the second explosion, the one that came rushing back inward.
*Fwoosh!*
Chris's Attack Squad, as one, executed a backward evasion at the perfect moment.
Once again, they all avoided damage thanks to the 'invincibility while casting' frame.
"The third explosion is coming!"
"Watch the floor! The floor!"
The third explosion was a cross-pattern blast.
Fortunately, the mechanic had a safe zone. Chris's Attack Squad moved into it to dodge the attack.
"Is everyone alive? We got through it this time! We just have to do the same thing from now on!"
"Guuuhh!"
A desperate scream suddenly rang out.
Chris whipped her head around.
The Fighter, Death of Death, who had been dealing with the two giant hound chimeras, had failed to reach the safe zone in time and was now crushed beneath one of their bodies.
Chris screamed in frustration.
"Aaargh! Death, what are you doing!"
With Death of Death, who had been tanking the two chimeras, out of the fight, Chris's Attack Squad had no choice but to call it a wipe and try again later.
"My apologies."
"It's okay. You can dodge it next time, right?"
"A-ahem. I'll do my best, but dodging a wide-area pattern while handling two chimeras is no easy task."
"If you can't do it, no one can. You have to."
Chris sighed.
Still, they had made a lot of progress this time. Just getting past the special pattern that appeared below 40% HP was a huge step forward.
"By the way, a boss that dodges attacks..."
"Still, raising our Agility seems to make our hits land more often. Oh, look, some cheap magic crystals just got posted."
"I expected something like this might come up. That's why I told everyone to bring spare accessories, right?"
During their break, Chris's Attack Squad began to adjust their equipment.
They were boosting their Agility stats using 'Refined Magic Crystals,' which could be used to enhance weapon attack power and add stats to accessories.
"This means from now on, we'll have to pay attention to other stats, not just our class's primary stat."
"It seems no other party has reached the third boss yet. The price of Refined Magic Crystals hasn't gone up any further."
Death of Death nodded.
"The second boss was quite difficult too. Dribbling the mine orbs wasn't easy, and parking them in the wrong spot meant an instant wipe."
"Ugh... if it spawns in the center right from the start, it's pure hell. Beimerung had such a hard time placing it."
"Still, it's a relief we figured out how to ranged-tank the third boss. The strategy where Chris goes in first to build aggro before the other DPS start attacking worked well."
"The ranged magic-bullet pattern isn't that threatening. After it fires four times, you just need to get close to reset the pattern and then bait out the ranged attacks again."
"With some practice, I think I can do it too!"
"You should have been the one to do it, since your firepower is the strongest."
Among the ranged classes, Mages had the highest pure damage output. However, Chris was far superior at handling mechanics, which was why she had to take on the role of ranged-tanking Zarkan.
"And then there are the two giant chimeras that spawn below 50% HP."
"Both of them have way too much HP. It's impossible to kill them while fighting the boss, so kiting them like I've been doing seems to be the best option."
"For the third boss, the Fighter isn't the main tank, but the add tank. Since I, the Yin-Yang Master, am ranged-tanking the boss, Death has to be responsible for taking the puppies for a walk."
After reminding the party members of the strategy one more time, Chris stood up and clapped her hands.
"Anyway, that's all the prep we need. We've gotten past the under-40% pattern once, and we've boosted our Agility..."
"All that's left is to clear it!"
Just as the party members were steeling their resolve.
[The party 'Noname' has succeeded in the first-ever takedown of the Elite Dungeon, 'Demon Army's Forward Base'!]
"What!?"
"A first clear? Already?"
A single message had appeared in the zone announcement window.
The members of Chris's Attack Squad were dumbfounded by its meaning.
Chris's Attack Squad had traversed every section in record time.
They were forced to deal with every monster wave in the first section, but from the second section onward, they found shortcuts. They even defeated the second boss in just a few tries, thanks to Beimerung's excellent orb-dribbling skills.
And yet, a party had cleared it before them.
"...The party's name is... Noname?"
"You idiot! It's 'No Name,' isn't it?"
"Don't call me by my real name!"
Cherni and Beimerung started to bicker.
Ignoring their squabble, Death of Death voiced his confusion.
"What does it mean?"
"It's one of two things. Either they didn't enter a name when creating the party, or..."
Chris paused before continuing.
"...it's a solo player who didn't form a party."
"Solo? A first clear done solo? No way!"
"Yeah. That's not possible. It's most likely a party that doesn't want to reveal its name."
"...I don't understand. Nearly every party aiming for a first clear is motivated by honor and a sense of accomplishment. Of course, there's also the goal of cornering the weapon market by clearing it quickly."
"All of the top five parties I know have party names. It's none of them."
Memories of the level 15 and 25 Elite Dungeon clears flashed through Chris's mind.
Chris's Attack Squad, who had achieved the first clear.
And at the same time, the appearance of an unknown weapon on the auction house.
"...A no-name party."
***
"Phew, that was tough."
I couldn't believe there was an extra pattern.
I lay on the floor of the training ground, glaring at the disappearing corpse of the third boss, Captain Zarkan.
He was a real piece of work.
He claimed to be a martial arts commander who pursued strength, but the moment things turned against him, he summoned two giant hound chimeras.
On top of that, another explosion was added to the pattern below 40% HP. I had to use my approach skill, backward evasion, and counterattack just to dodge it.
Fortunately, my experience with the 'Patriarch's Statue' helped. I kited the chimeras chasing me while focusing all my attacks on Zarkan.
And... a magnificent clear!
I puffed out my chest with pride.
It was even harder than the previous dungeons, but this time, I cleared it without dying.
Can I now confidently say, the Hero has arrived?
But my moment of clenching my fists and savoring the joy of victory was brief.
"Ah, the rewards."
It was time to open the most important thing: the clear reward.
I calmed my pounding heart and looted the chest.
[Zarkan's Sword]
[Elite Grade]
[Attack Power 200]
['Moonlight Slash' Skill Damage +30%]
[Socket 1: EMPTY]
(Binds when equipped)
"Attack Power 200, a Swordsman weapon...!"
Thump-thump, thump-thump!
I couldn't control my racing heart.
The previous Elite Dungeon weapon, the 'Sealed Demon's Sword,' could only reach around 150 attack power even with enhancements from Refined Magic Crystals.
But this one has 200 before any magic crystal enhancements!
The skill multiplier was the same as the last Elite Dungeon weapon, but the 'on successful block' condition was gone.
This meant 'Starlight Slash,' the Swordsman's main skill that scales with 'Moonlight Slash,' was now unconditionally stronger.
*Hop, hop!*
I expressed my joy at getting my class weapon with my whole body. I felt like I could fly.
"...There's something else?"
The weapon wasn't the only item I looted.
[Red Echostone]
[Weapon Socket Item]
[HP Leech 100]
(Binds when equipped)
"Gasp...!"
It was a socket item with a lifesteal effect.
I checked the weapon again.
Sure enough, weapons from this dungeon came with a socket.
If I put this in my weapon, I'd be able to offset some of the minor damage I take with lifesteal.
It's a small amount, but the expected damage from lifesteal is there. I could even save on potion costs.
It was truly the item I needed most right now!
However.
"Th-the first socket items to appear will be incredibly expensive."
It would probably be worth as much as the weapon itself.
My face fell as I looked back and forth between the weapon and the Red Echostone.
My financial situation? It's still okay. I can make up for it by running more dungeons today.
To clear them faster? I need to raise my stats.
I squeezed my eyes shut and socketed the Echostone into my weapon.
[Zarkan's Sword]
[Elite Grade]
[Attack Power 200]
['Moonlight Slash' Skill Damage +30%]
[Socket 1: Red Echostone (HP Leech 100)]
(Bound Item)
"Haaaaah..."
I let out a deep sigh.
There was no going back now.
The weapon and the Red Echostone were now completely mine.
My sense of urgency outweighed the joy of my stats increasing.
I have to run this dungeon as much as possible starting now.
Oh, and I need to enhance it with magic crystals.
*Clang, clang.*
Only after I finished maintaining my newly acquired weapon and accessories was I able to leave the dungeon.
*Woooong.*
The strange floating sensation of teleporting faded, and I arrived in the rocky mountain area. I was back where I had first entered the dungeon.
"Looking for party! Swordsman here! Confident in my tanking!"
"Ranger here! Anyone need a Ranger?"
The area was filled with players looking for parties. It seemed the latecomers were starting to form groups.
I smiled faintly.
Looks like I cleared it pretty quickly as part of the vanguard again. I need to milk this dungeon for all it's worth.
I faced the dungeon entrance and jumped to enter.
"...Rain?"
"Eh!?"
I was so startled I almost fell over.
In an awkward pose, just about to leap into the dungeon, I slowly turned my head toward the source of my name.
The person there was.
"...Chris?"