Dragon's Eye and the God's Descent
KRRRRUMBLE!
It was an explosion powerful enough to shake the entire dungeon.
By the time the massive flash of light that had engulfed the cavern faded, everything was over.
You have defeated Mainades.
Level up! Bonus stats have been awarded.
You have defeated an unbeatable foe. You have acquired the title 'There Is No Such Thing as Invincibility'.
"Haaah. It's really over."
As the alert windows signaling the end of the battle appeared, all the tension drained from him.
Carpe plopped down right there and let out a deep sigh.
"Phew. I was worried it wouldn't end even with that. Glad it did."
Holy Sacrifice boasted absurd damage, but its penalties were equally massive.
After use, HP and MP were fixed at exactly 10,000, stats dropped to one-third for 10 minutes, and no active skills could be used.
If the enemy survived, it was game over—you'd just have to die quietly.
"Hope it was worth risking my life."
Carpe stood and headed toward where Mainades had fallen.
"Finally...!"
The moment of reward after all that hardship.
He'd ignored the easy path and rolled the dice with his life for this exact instant!
Beside Mainades's body, which was slowly turning gray, lay two items.
A large staff and a necklace.
Gulp.
He hadn't even checked the item info yet, but his heart was already pounding.
Ding.
◈ Equip Restriction: Priest-class jobs, Lv. 30+
◈ Physical Attack: 250 ~ 320
◈ Strength +5, Vitality +5, Agility +3
◈ Weapon of the 'Blood Priests' who serve the Mad God. Blood is said to flow wherever they pass.
◈ Option 1: Chance to destroy target's equipment on hit.
◈ Option 2: Strength, Vitality, Agility +10% ('Combat Priest' jobs gain extra +10%).
◈ Option 3: Healing skill effects reduced by 70%.
◈ Tradable
◈ Equip Restriction: Lv. 15+
◈ Magic Defense: 35
◈ Magic Power +7
◈ The Dragon's Eye pierces through everything.
◈ Option 1: View target's remaining HP, skills, equipped items (cannot view 9-star, Epic+ skills/items). Uses no MP.
◈ Option 2: Always detects stealth skills.
◈ Non-tradable
"Ooh!"
Jackpot.
Even a RaSe newbie like Carpe could tell at a glance these were no ordinary items.
"Too bad about the restrictions. If it wasn't priest-only, I'd use it myself."
"Not as well as swords or spears, but I've swung a big scythe before. Hmm, nah. Better stick with what I'm used to."
"Anyway, gotta list this on the auction house. It'll sell, right?"
RaSe had a job line called 'Combat Priests.'
Weaker on tanking than paladins but better DPS—one prime example was the Monk.
Not mainstream, but it had its fans. The big issue for Combat Priests, though?
Items other jobs shrugged off as "meh, decent" were treasures Combat Priests couldn't get.
And now the Cult Fanatic's Sickle hits the auction house?
People would line up, borrowing money if they had to.
"Perfect. Gotta pay off my debt."
"Yeah. To you, hyung. Gotta pay back for the capsule."
"...Got it. I'll pay you back tenfold when I'm rich."
"Hmm... top-shelf columbarium?"
Carpe stowed the sickle in his inventory and equipped the necklace.
He'd never worn jewelry IRL and figured it'd feel weird, but surprisingly, it was comfy.
"It's Legendary, so of course."
The Magic Power boost and stealth pierce were great, but the necklace's true value was its first option.
[View target's equipped items and skills]
This was a unique ability—no other skill or item in all of RaSe had it.
Not even real dragons!
"Why call it Dragon's Eye then...?"
"Yeah."
Carpe nodded readily.
Knowing your opponent's info was strategically invaluable.
Take old-school games that dominated an era—it was like map hacks on steroids.
1v1, 1vMany, PvP, PvE—universal MVP for all combat content.
And now it was in Carpe's hands.
"Man, one more option and it'd be perfect. Two's a bit light. Already appraised, so no Unlock either."
Then it happened.
The Dragon's Eye around his neck started blinking.
And in sync, his skill window blinked too.
"Huh? What's this?"
Intense déjà vu.
Not just déjà vu—it was exactly like yesterday.
Same as when he synthesized the magic acorns.
Carpe opened his skill window, and an alert popped up right away.
Ding.
Skill Magic Engineering has detected an item eligible for enchantment.
Proceed with Magic Engineering?
"Kya, god game! Obviously yes."
Carpe nodded, and a new window appeared.
Similar to the acorn synthesis, but different.
To proceed with enchantment, select the item to enchant and magic materials.
Please select the item to enchant.
"Lemme see."
He unequipped Dragon's Eye and selected it. A red warning appeared.
Cannot proceed with enchantment.
Mystery Stone (0/99) insufficient.
Swamp Drake's Eye (0/3) insufficient.
Ariadne's Tear (0/1) insufficient.
"Damn."
Carpe smacked his lips.
Makes sense—Legendaries shouldn't upgrade with one skill pop.
"Least I know it's upgradable. Good enough."
"Ariadne? Boss mob? Tough?"
"..."
Upgrading Dragon's Eye was future Carpe's problem.
"Heh heh."
Still, he couldn't stop grinning.
Two items and a title he couldn't have gotten by compromising with reality.
Oh, right—hadn't checked the title yet.
"Whoa."
Skill Points as title reward? Insane.
But the best was yet to come. He hadn't claimed the Magic King's relic yet.
"Alright, time for the main course."
"Hey, no spoilers. Heading there now."
Carpe approached the stone sarcophagus.
"Magic King's coffin, right?"
The sarcophagus was huge—at least 3 meters.
Kings' tombs were oversized for prestige, likely the same here.
Great sign.
No 3m human, so the space was packed with grave goods—the Magic King's relics.
Carpe pulled the token from inventory and slotted it into the central groove.
Shrrrk.
The sealed lid slid open.
Carpe flung it wide and peered inside.
"...Huh?"
Against expectations, the coffin was nearly empty. No corpse either.
Exactly three items: a skill card, a small doll, and a tiny red gem.
"This is the Magic King's relic?"
Underwhelmed by the modesty, disappointment tinged his voice.
But it vanished the moment he picked up the skill card.
Ding.
You have acquired the 9-star skill 'Dretsch-style Doll Art'.
This skill card is auto-acquired on pickup (Restriction: Magic King's Heir).
Dretsch-style Doll Art expands the scope of Magic Engineering.
You can now craft 'Magic Dolls' via Magic Engineering.
"9-star?!"
Stunned by the unexpected alert, Carpe frantically opened his skill window.
Dretsch-style Doll Art Lv. 1 – 9-star
Skill invented by Magic King Dretsch, betrayed by humanity, to craft weapons solely for himself.
Greatly enhances all abilities of player-bound retainers.
• Can use Magic King's seven dolls.
• +30% to all stats for player-bound retainers.
• +30% EXP gain for player-bound retainers.
*Skill level increases number of usable dolls and effects.
Carpe's jaw dropped as he read the effects.
"Whoa!"
Whether Cheonma cursed RaSe or not, Carpe grabbed the other two items.
"Guess this is the doll it means..."
A knight doll a bit bigger than his palm.
Its reddish-blonde hair softly tickled his hand. The silver armor and sword were meticulously detailed, like real gear—no cheap toy.
"But what do I do with it?"
As he puzzled over the doll, something happened.
Quest 'Magic King's Relic (2)' cleared. Links to next quest.
Quest Event – 'Divine Possession' has begun.
"Eek?!"
A chill hit his back with the alert.
Carpe whirled around. An impossibility was unfolding.
Grggg.
Gray-tinted Mainades was slowly rising.
"Wh-what?! Wasn't she dead?"
Fully risen, she stared at Carpe with empty eyes.
Ominous energy roiled around her.
Gulp.
The pressure dwarfed her first appearance—Carpe swallowed hard.
"Right, this is an undead dungeon."
Main mobs were 'enhanced' skeletons.
Maybe Mainades was reviving as an enhanced undead...?
"Divine Possession?"
Carpe furrowed his brow, repeating it.
Descend: gang.
God: sin.
Together: 'God descends.'
...Shouldn't have mulled it. Ominous as hell.
"No way it's the Patron Spirit descending directly or something, right?"
"Fuck."
And as if finishing the possession, Mainades—no, the unknown Patron Spirit—spoke through her body.