Chapter 69

  When the party of three exited the cavern, they realized that they were in the innermost section of the mountain, looking up, Dave could see the sky hanging from a huge hole.

  This place is an arena.

  this must be the inside of a dormant volcano

  The cavern and arena were another raid zone, intended to be a challenge for hundreds of cooperating high-level players.

  Monsters gathered in hordes and attacked.

  Drahma’s first attack felled several monsters and increased his threat level explosively, all the monsters ignored Dave and Lone and started focusing the giant.

  Dave’s cast the evolved [Spectral Skull], earning Support Exp.

  A party receives EXP whenever a member kills a monster. Most of the EXP goes to the player who deals the fatal blow. The rest of the EXP is divided according to the threat numbers each player generates during the fight. The mechanic is meant to force players to be in melee range and play aggressively to increase their aggro and concurrently their EXP. Some classes, such as Bards and Healers, are not optimized for dealing damage directly, usually, they remain in the rear echelons with the ranged damage dealers...if they don’t want to be sent for respawn.

  This system deals with their lack of aggro generation in fights and rewards them for their contribution via the Support EXP.

  Even though Drahma was killing all the monsters, The attacks made by Dave and Lone gave them access to the Supporter’s EXP.

  But even a measly percentage of an enormous total makes a difference, and shortly that sweet familiar tone rang in Dave’s ears:

  “Yes! Finally, I dinged! Now I can use it!” Dave cackled like a madman.

  He stored his battered starter-cutlass in his inventory and drew out a long sword

  Dave looted the weapon from the corpse of the guardian that the Lich Du’Razha killed in the Ice Palace dungeon.

  He inspected the glowing sword in his hand again as he equipped it.

  Lone shot at a demonic-gargoyle then asked, “You look happy. What’s the deal?”

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  “I leveled up. Now I can use this.” He raised his hand to show her his ‘precious.’

  The sword glowed faintly, giving a ‘holy vibe’ sharply contradicting the Undead appearance of Dave.

  A demonic Ram charged attacking Drahma only to stagger back like it had hit a reinforced concrete wall.

  The longsword split into two short swords, one on each hand.

  The modifier used to determine the Damage changed from STR to DEX.

  Dave went toward the more than 70 levels Ram and attacked using the Weapon’s skill [Double Slash].

  A blastwave of fire shaped like an X staggered the Ram.

  [220]

  “That was pitiful,” laughed Lone Arrow.

  “Well, considering the damage reduction because of the level difference and the monster’s Damage Nullification, I am actually surprised I was able to damage it at all,” said Dave.

  “You didn’t notice that you attacked it through a ‘Stagger’ form Drahma, once a target is staggered it receives 50% more Damage. so if you were to attack it without that bonus, you would deal even less,” said Lone.

  “Meh,” Dave turned away from the “Game Mechanics-nazi” and looked for other easy prey to have fun with his new (toys) swords.

  “Don’t go too far, you’ll pull unwanted agro,” advised Lone.

  “Don’t worry, I got this!” he said. He continued his mission to damage as many enemies as he could.

  The hulking Drahma was swatting monsters like flies. The turtle-headed snakes took a little extra effort to kill thanks to their high defenses and HP.

  Dave was running around like a madman, trying to damage as many mobs as possible and looting already fallen enemies. He collected exoskeletons, numerous fragments, runes, demon-pelts and more.

  “That look on your face is just creepy, guy,” Lone eyed him.

  “Loot is the dream of men!” he beamed.

  “Yes, Even I like Shinies, but I won’t risk death for them,” said Lone Arrow.

  “I wouldn’t be in this predicament if I had the boyz, they could do all the loot’n and I could stay back...I need my squad…” he said reminiscing about the boyz. his hands never stopped picking up the loot.

  “Yea, so what happened to the undead-boyz?”

  “I lost them back at the Underworld entrance when I pulled you through the portal; I ordered them to slow down the two players.”

  “Their sacrifice was not in vain, I will pray for their souls!” said Lone Arrow piously.

  “I think that would do them more harm than good; remember, they are the Undead,” he laughed.

  Dave moved around picking the remaining loot from Drahma’s killing spree. His inventory was becoming heavier.

  Something interested Dave, making him halt looting the apiece of Demon Pelt.

  “Hey, Lone you remember that big baddy?” he asked

  “The four-armed demon?”

  “Yeah, see there,” he said, pointing to the centermost area of the arena square they were in.

  “Oh…”

  The demon emerged from underground, magma pouring from its obsidian skin.

  “It seems I have underestimated you,” the demon bellowed.

  The remaining hundred or so monsters screamed and dispersed. Leaving Drahma standing in the center of the arena floor.

  “Daym bruh”

  “That is Just broken…” commented Lone.

  The boss’s skills were absurd. Along with the Super High HP… this was a Party-Wiper.

  “Not even the final boss in the Pits of Despair dungeon had that much HP!”

  “Dalmadoth!” thundered Drahma “You should have never laid hands on her! Today is the day you die!” Hoisting up his pole and charging forward.

  Dave understood from the Dialogue that it had something to do with Zola’s imprisonment.

  The boss’s skin brightened up for a second, and three monsters appeared in the middle of the arena.

  The boss used [Call To Arms] but it was not much of a threat to the group. Drahma ignored the gargoyle and the ram, they were too low a level to deal any damage to him.

  Headed past the turtle, he smacked it taking more than a third of its HP, then crushed it with a backward stomp, it didn’t even have a chance to cast a skill before it died.

  Dave ignored the Ram and gargoyle and rushed to collect an item he spotted shining on the black stone where the snake-headed turtle had died.

  “Where are you going!” Lone Arrow was shooting at the gargoyle, trying to get the Support EXP.

  Dave was all smiles as he looted yet another exoskeleton fragment, then he saw a flaming meteor rocketing straight for him.

  That was the boss’s skill; [Magma-Throw].

  “Aw crap!”