Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Joy Remaining in Reality
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Chris's eyes didn't miss the white wolf's tail.
Behind a pile of rocks in the mountainous area, she'd spotted the white hair swaying gently at the edge of the dungeon entrance with uncanny precision.
"...Rain?"
"Eh!?"
Stumble.
Rain, who had just been about to enter the dungeon, froze in an awkward posture. Then, she turned her head toward Chris.
"...Chris?"
Chris approached Rain with a broad smile.
"Rain, I missed you! Are you challenging the forward base too?"
Rain hesitated, looking at Chris.
Just then, Chris's gaze fell on the weapon hanging at Rain's waist.
"...Zarkan's weapon?"
For a moment, Chris's thoughts came to a halt.
Not long after the No Name Party cleared it, Chris's party did as well.
No weapons had been listed on the auction house yet.
For Rain to be equipped with this weapon now meant...
"...No way?"
Chris looked at Death of Death. He shook his head. It meant the other vanguard parties hadn't cleared it yet either.
Chris hurriedly grabbed Rain's shoulders.
"Rain, are you by any chance the tank for the No Name Party?"
Rain flinched, her expression turning slightly uncomfortable.
Seeing that, Chris quickly came to her senses.
She had barely managed to lower this little creature's guard; acting like this might make her wary again.
She had many questions, but Rain seemed to have something to do right now.
If Rain was the No Name Party's tank, she would need to continue farming.
Her party members seemed to have already entered the forward base. Rain was all alone nearby.
Chris took her hands off Rain's shoulders.
"S-sorry. Did I startle you? You need to farm, I'm not bothering you, am I?"
"Not at all."
Rain gave Chris a small smile.
Receiving that smile, Chris beamed.
"Ehehe! Okay, Rain! Do your best!"
Rain gave Chris a small wave.
Hop.
She jumped into the dungeon.
Chris gazed at the spot where Rain had disappeared, her eyes practically dripping with honey.
"So cute...."
Her party members soon approached Chris, who was standing there in a daze.
"Ahh...! Chris, who was that? That cute little white animal!?"
"Eheheh, she's my friend!"
Chris giggled foolishly. Seeing this, Beimerung stuttered.
"C-C-Chris is laughing weirdly...!"
"Chris. The weapon that kid was wearing, did you get a clear look?"
At Death of Death's suspicious question, Chris instantly wiped the silly grin off her face. She was back to being a raid leader.
"Yeah. I'm sure. It was Zarkan's Sword."
"As we confirmed earlier, the other vanguard parties aren't there yet. Forget the third boss, most of them are struggling with the second boss's mine phase."
"The No Name Party."
Death of Death nodded.
"Circumstantially, it seems certain."
"That tiny character is the tank for the first-clear team? Beimerung finds that hard to believe."
"No. Smaller characters get a bonus to their agility stat. That would have given them an advantage on the third boss."
"Still, there's the synchronization rate...."
"There's a high chance she has a small body in real life, too."
"A minor? But this is a 19+ game."
"Being short doesn't necessarily make you a minor, right? There are definitely adult women who are shorter than 150cm."
Though, seeing Rain's childlike behavior, she might actually be a minor.
Thinking this, Chris chuckled to herself.
"So is that why our 'loves-white-things-and-adores-small-animals' Chris is so interested?"
At Beimerung's teasing question, Chris blushed slightly and stammered.
"W-well, I can't say that's not part of it."
"She's a rare talent. Good tanks are hard to find. The main content right now is 4-man elite dungeons, but..."
"Thinking about the future legendary difficulty dungeons and raids for 12 or more people, she's our number one recruitment target."
"If the No Name Party and Chris's Attack Squad joined forces, you'd be invincible!"
Chris nodded.
She now had another reason to get closer to Rain.
However, Chris, with her personality that hated losing, showed her competitive spirit toward the No Name Party.
"We can't lose either. We let them have the first clear this time, but we have to win the next one. Come on, no time to rest. We need to farm, fast. Are you all ready to go? Let's go for our second clear!"
Putting her lingering feelings aside, Chris rallied her party members.
And.
A little way off, Cherni, who had been lost in thought, suddenly muttered.
"...That's right. That kid, she's definitely...."
*
[Title]
Maxing out Zarkan gear seems harder than expected (+76)
[Body]
From here on out, accessory stats are random.
You'll have to run it a lot to get an accessory with the stats you want and high rolls on the options. PvP and PvE players also prefer different options.
And the newly added socket item, the Echo Stone, is the biggest problem.
There are Attack Power Echo Stones, as well as ones for Lifesteal, Stat Increase, and Bonus Damage on status effects for PvP.
But the drop rate is abysmal. The vanguard teams have cleared it a ton over the past two days, but only a few have dropped. They're still more expensive than the first weapon that sold.
You can eventually exchange for one if you consistently collect the 'Zarkan Coins' from the new daily quest, and you also get a few from salvaging accessories.
So what does that mean? You have to grind like hell.
[Comments]
- The weapons are affordable now, but the Echo Stone drop rate and price are insane lolololol
ㄴ They'll drop in price eventually anyway. Once people do their dailies and can buy them for a fixed price, the tradable ones won't be that expensive either.
- I still haven't cleared it once. The vanguard teams are already talking about running 3-man carries, but I'm still stuck in progression parties.
ㄴ Which party is already running carries? Chris's Attack Squad? The Gentle Sage's party? The No Name Party?
ㄴ lololol Chris's Attack Squad lost the first clear to the No Name Party this time. Seriously, where did the No Name Party even come from?
ㄴ Does anyone here know even one member of the No Name Party? I asked my friends in the vanguard teams and nobody knows.
*
The sunset light filtering in through the window tickled my eyes.
The sensation woke me.
"Ughn."
I stretched lightly and looked around the room.
It was my small nest, same as always.
But when I rubbed my eyes and checked the banking app on my smartphone, the amount displayed was not the same as always.
[Iseulbi]
[Hanwa Bank]
[Balance 21,504,010 Won]
"Wow."
An amount that didn't feel real.
It was sitting in my bank account.
I hugged my smartphone to my chest.
Rain, you worked so hard.
Finally, my day in the sun has come.
This time, I didn't miss the vanguard's golden time.
I had won the battle against the weak body of 'Iseulbi' that tormented 'Rain' of the Astria Continent.
When I got the first sellable weapon and listed it on the auction house, I was on pins and needles because it wasn't selling quickly.
The prices of weapons from the previous two elite dungeons had plummeted in a day or two, so people were hesitant to open their wallets this time.
Fortunately, there were still rich people overflowing with money. I was able to sell the first weapon for a decent price.
Just like with the Orc King and the Sealed Demon series, the weapon prices followed a downward curve after the first sale.
Still, perhaps because the difficulty was quite high this time, there were many parties that still hadn't cleared the forward base. The price curve was definitely gentler than for the weapons from the beginner area elite dungeons.
Thanks to that, I was able to farm all day and earn a ton of gold.
"Still, I rested for too long."
I let out a deep sigh.
Eighteen hours of farming followed by eighteen hours of sleep.
But it was meaningful in that I had fully utilized the vanguard's golden time.
Anyway.
"I've made a lot of money, but what should I do with it first?"
Is this a common worry for people who suddenly come into a lot of money?
A house? Considering the expensive housing prices in Seoul, that's still a pipe dream.
Astria Online will continue to adjust the dungeon release cycle. If I keep clearing quickly as part of the vanguard and then farming, I should be able to make a lump sum of money every month or two.
If I consistently save money like this, buying a house might be possible someday, but do I really need a nice house?
Considering the limited range of motion of my inconvenient body, I don't need a big house anyway.
I looked around my one-room studio again.
"A place this size is plenty big enough."
Since I don't go out much, I don't necessarily need a place in the city center.
It was just a rented room in a shantytown, but as long as I paid the rent on time, the landlord never visited.
If I were to save up and buy a place, maybe I should aim for somewhere a little cleaner and cozier than this.
What about a car?
I'd heard there were cars equipped with devices that allowed people with leg disabilities to drive. Plus, this era had self-driving systems.
But I just stay cooped up at home and play games, so would I ever have a reason to go out?
Looking at it this way, I don't need to desperately earn cash, but having extra money is always a good thing. For example.
"Food."
I opened a delivery app and grinned broadly.
Just not having to skimp on food expenses for the time being was reason enough to earn money.
If I keep making this much money, will I one day just throw away the yogurt lid without licking it?
No, Rain. Stay hungry. Remember when you were starving.
Right now, all my joys are within 'Astria Online'.
But for the only joy remaining in reality, the pleasure of eating delicious modern food and recharging my energy, I'll earn real-world money too.
Before I return to my world, the Astria Continent, first...
Beep.
I pressed the payment button on the delivery app.
"Oh, maybe I'll get a pizza today...."