[Named Enemy Level 3]
[Level 33 Forward Base Commander Zarkan]
[HP 989,004/3,300,000]
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
“Bae Merong, Ice Prison!”
“Yes!”
As Bae Merong cast Ice Prison, the party members’ bodies froze.
The initial burst of explosive concentric circles could be blocked with this.
And for the second, the inward-exploding blast.
Kaboom!
Chris’s raid executed a perfect Backward Evasion with precise timing.
Once again, thanks to the ‘invincibility while casting’ judgment, everyone took no damage.
“Here comes the third explosion!”
“Look at the floor! The floor!”
The third explosion would be a cross blast.
Fortunately, there was a safe zone due to the gimmick. Chris’s raid moved to the safe zone to avoid the attack.
“Did everyone survive? We got through this time! Just keep doing the same going forward!”
Krrreeeaaaahhhh!
A sudden, agonizing scream echoed.
Chris quickly turned her head.
The fighter, Deathly Death, who was facing two giant hunting dogs, the Chimeras, was crushed beneath one of the beasts, unable to move to the safe zone in time.
Chris wailed.
“Ahhhh! Deadly, what are you doing?!”
The ‘Chris’s Raid’ had no choice but to face the next try due to Deathly Death’s retirement from tanking against the two Chimeras.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. You’ll be able to dodge next time, right?”
“Uh, I’ll try, but dodging area patterns while dealing with two Chimeras isn’t exactly easy, you know.”
“If you can’t do it, then no one can. You must do it, no exceptions.”
Chris sighed.
Still, they had made significant progress this time. Just getting through the additional special pattern that kicks in under 40% was a tremendous step forward.
“By the way, a boss that evades attacks, huh.”
“But hey, boosting Agility helps a bit. Oh, another cheap Magic Stone has come up.”
“I kind of expected something like this. That’s why I told you all to bring extra accessories, right?”
During their break, Chris’s raid dove into additional equipment maintenance.
They were reinforcing their agility using ‘Refined Mana Stones’, which could be used to enhance weapon attack power and provide additional stats to accessories.
“From now on, we need to pay attention to not just our main stats, but other stats as well.”
“It seems no party has reached Named Enemy level 3 yet. The price of Refined Mana Stones hasn’t gone up either.”
Deathly Death nodded.
“The difficulty of Named Enemy level 2 was pretty high. The mine orb dribble wasn’t a joke, and if we parked in the wrong spot, we were done for.”
“Ugh… if it starts in the center, it’s literal hell. Bae Merong worked so hard to set it up.”
“Still, I’m glad we discovered a way to tackle the distance tanking for Named Enemy level 3. Chris, you front-load, snag the aggro, and let the other dealers start dealing afterward; that method worked well.”
“The distance magic patterns aren’t too threatening. After four shots, we can approach, reset the pattern, and lure them back to the ranged pattern.”
“With practice, I think Bae Merong can handle it too!”
“You should’ve done it since you’re stronger in damage output.”
Among the ranged classes, Mages had the highest pure damage potential. However, Chris was exceptional at pattern response, so she had to take on Zarkan’s ranged tanking.
“And then, two giant Chimeras appear below 50%.”
“Both have way too much HP. Trying to take them down while facing the boss is absurd; having me tank them like this is the best option.”
“The fighter of Named Enemy level 3 is not the main tank but rather a minion tank. I’ll keep an eye on the boss’s ranged tanking as an Onmyoji, so the pups are up to you, Deadly.”
After reminding her party members of the strategy once more, Chris stood up and clapped her hands.
“Anyway, all preparations are complete. We’ve passed the under-40% pattern once and bolstered our Agility, so….”
“All that’s left is to clear it!”
Just as the party members were steeling their resolve.
[‘Noname’ party has successfully achieved the first clear of the Elite Dungeon, ‘Demon Lord’s Forward Base’!]
“What!?”
“First clear? Already!?”
A message popped up in the regional announcement window. The members of Chris’s raid were dumbfounded by its implications.
Chris’s raid had zipped through all areas in quick order.
In Area 1, they had to deal with every monster wave, but starting from Area 2, they found shortcuts. They had defeated the Named Enemy level 2 in just a few tries thanks to Bae Merong’s excellent orb dribbling.
Despite that, another party had cleared it ahead of them.
“…The party name is Noname?”
“Jaewook, you fool! It’s No Name!”
“Don’t call me by my real name!”
Cherni and Bae Merong began bickering.
As they got into a fight, Deathly Death raised a question.
“What does this mean?”
“It could be one of two things. Either they didn’t enter a party name at creation or….”
Chris paused before continuing.
“…they might be soloing without forming a party.”
“Soloing? A first clear via solo play? Nonsense!”
“Yeah, that can’t be true. It’s more likely a party that wants to keep their name private.”
“…I can’t grasp this. Almost every party aiming for first clear has a motivation of honor and achievement. Of course, there’s the purpose of gaining a foothold in the weapon market through swift tactics.”
“All five top parties I know have party names. Of those, none match.”
Images of Chris clearing level 15 and 25 elite dungeons flashed through her mind.
The Chris’s raid had achieved the first clear.
At the same time, the existence of an unknown weapon that came up in the auction.
“…The No Name party.”
*
“Whoa, that was tough.”
I lay on the floor of the training ground, staring at the fading corpse of the Named Enemy, ‘Commander Zarkan.’
What a nasty piece of work.
Claiming to be a martial arts faction commander who sought strength, yet when he was in trouble, he summoned two giant hunting Chimeras.
On top of that, from below 40%, an additional explosion was added. I had to use my approach, Backward Evasion, and Counterattack to avoid all of it.
Fortunately, the experience from the ‘Baron Statue’ helped me. I was able to take down Zarkan while dodging the Chimeras chasing me.
And successfully cleared it!
I puffed out my chest.
It was harder than any dungeon before, but this time I cleared it without dying.
Now, can I say proudly that the hero has arrived!?
Just as I was joyfully clutching my fists, relishing the joy of clearing.
“Oh, the reward.”
It was time to unveil the most crucial clearing reward.
I steadied my excited heart and looted the box.
[Zarkan’s Blade]
[Elite Grade]
[Attack Power 200]
[‘Moonlight Slash’ skill damage increased by 30%]
[Socket 1: EMPTY]
(When equipped, bound)
“Attack Power 200, a swordsman’s weapon…!”
Thump thump, thump thump!
I couldn’t contain my racing heart.
Last time’s elite dungeon weapon, the ‘Sealed Demon’s Sword’, had a cap of about 150 even when enhanced by Refined Mana Stones.
But now, 200 without any enhancement?
The skill ratio was the same as the last elite dungeon weapon, but the condition of ‘successfully blocking’ was gone.
The swordsman’s main skill, ‘Starlight Slash’, became powerful without conditions, just like the ‘Moonlight Slash’ skill’s damage ratio.
Bounce bounce!
I expressed the joy of acquiring my new weapon with my whole body, feeling like I was going to fly.
“…What else is there?”
The looted items weren’t just weapons.
[Red Echo Stone]
[Weapon Socket Item]
[HP 100 Lifesteal]
(When equipped, bound)
“Huh…!”
A socket item with lifesteal damage.
I checked the weapon once more.
It definitely had a socket for the new dungeon weapon.
If I insert this into the weapon, I could cover the minor damage taken with some lifesteal.
Even if it’s a little, I could count on some lifesteal value. I could even save on potion costs.
This was truly the most needed item for me right now!
However.
“My first socket item must be super expensive.”
It would easily be worth as much as the weapon.
I frowned, alternating my gaze between the weapon and the Red Echo Stone.
What’s my health status? Still okay. I can make it up with more runs today.
How do I clear faster? I need to boost my specs.
I squeezed my eyes shut and inserted the Echo Stone into the weapon socket.
[Zarkan’s Blade]
[Elite Grade]
[Attack Power 200]
[‘Moonlight Slash’ skill damage increased by 30%]
[Socket 1: Red Echo Stone (HP Lifesteal 100)]
(Bound item)
Haaah…
I let out a deep sigh.
There was no turning back now.
The weapon and the Red Echo Stone were completely mine.
The urgency I felt outweighed the joy of boosting my specs.
From now on, I needed to run this dungeon as much as possible.
Oh, and I need to enhance with Magic Stones too.
Thud thud thud.
After finishing the maintenance of my newly acquired weapon and accessory, I was finally ready to exit the dungeon.
Woosh.
The strange buoyancy of the area transfer faded, and I arrived at the rocky mountain area. I was back to where I started.
“Looking for a party! I’m a swordsman! I can tank well!”
“Anyone needs a ranger? Ranger for hire!”
The surroundings were filled with users looking for parties. It seems latecomers were starting to form parties as well.
I smirked slightly.
Once again, it seems we cleared it pretty quickly; I need to suck all the honey out of this dungeon.
As I gazed at the dungeon entrance, I jumped in.
“…Rain?”
“Huh!?”
I almost stumbled in surprise.
Just as I was about to leap into the dungeon, I hesitated mid-air and turned my head to see who called my name.
There stood…
“…Sister Chris?”
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