In an instant, an elaborate profit-and-loss statement was drawn up in my head.

  More party members meant an exponentially faster clear speed, but it also meant my share of the pie would shrink.

  However, thinking of the skull mark next to Matus's name made the answer clear. From a 'risk diversification' perspective, this was an unconditionally profitable trade.

  "Let's do it. I was actually getting worried about the sheer number of goblins."

  I immediately pulled up the party window and added,

  "For items, whoever's class fits it best gets priority. Any unclaimed loot, we sell cleanly and split the gold. Do we all agree?"

  A pale complexion contrasting with pitch-black hair. Succubus softly closed and opened her eyes as if dreaming before answering. Her dreamy voice tickled my ears.

  "Understood. I look forward to working with you..."

  Jude, who had been inspecting the edge of his daggers with a sharp gaze beside her, also gave a heavy nod.

  "Shall we go, then?"

  With my brief wrap-up, the eyes of the three—Ian, Succubus, and Jude—sharpened simultaneously.

  The party members headed for the battlefield with solemn resolve.

  The moment my arrow pierced a goblin's forehead, Ian's greatsword and Jude's daggers intersected, severing the monsters' lifelines.

  The group attempting to ambush us from the flank was reduced to ashes as Succubus's fireball exploded.

  The vague anxiety I had felt at first had already turned into a thrill-laced certainty.

  Pushing forward relentlessly with perfect role division, the quota of 100 kills was filled almost anticlimactically fast.

  Ian roughly wiped the beads of sweat dripping from his chin with the back of his hand and laughed heartily.

  "Phew, doing it as a group really makes the speed insane! If it were just the two of us, we'd have been setting up our tombstones by now."

  Succubus, standing nearby with a soft smile on her pale face, nodded in agreement.

  That was the extent of our short rest. I adjusted my quiver and looked ahead.

  "Let's go take care of the boss now."

  At my quiet declaration, the warm atmosphere instantly cooled.

  The grim resolve of hunters settled back onto the faces of the three.

  In the center of the camp, in front of the tallest tent, stood a massive figure that destroyed the common sense of what a goblin should be.

  The bulging red and green muscles covering its body writhed as if they would burst at any moment, and the massive greatsword held in one hand radiated an overwhelming pressure that seemed to crush the ground itself.

  A monster larger than a human, 'Black Tooth' Matus glared at us with ferocious eyes.

  "ROOOAAAAAR―!"

  Spotting us, Matus threw his head back and unleashed a roar that shook heaven and earth.

  Along with the eardrum-shredding noise, his eyes became bloodshot.

  'So he's an Aggressive boss.'

  The type that initiates combat the moment a player enters their aggro range. My internal database, built from thousands of hunts, immediately sent out a warning.

  His massive greatsword scraped against the ground as he raised it threateningly.

  "He's coming! Everyone, get ready!"

  Every arrow, every drop of mana is money.

  The hidden card I had obtained as a reward from clearing the early quests. I unhesitatingly unsealed [Rapid Fire], a skill I had been stingily saving for cost-efficiency due to its extreme arrow consumption.

  [System: Active Skill 'Rapid Fire' has been activated.]

  The tautly drawn string screamed as it spat out arrows.

  My hand movements, enhanced by system calibration, became so fast they left afterimages.

  As if promised, the pouring arrows were terrifyingly sucked into the single 'red dot' glowing on Matus's chest.

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  Th-th-th-thwack―!

  "Now! Ian, Jude! Go in!"

  The moment my signal dropped, the two men kicked off the ground and sprinted forward.

  Matus swung his colossal greatsword to bat away the incoming arrows, but it wasn't enough to block the entire shower of Rapid Fire.

  Three or four arrows lodged deeply into his shoulder and forearm.

  Not missing the opening, Jude slid in low and sharply slashed Matus's knee.

  As the beast's balance faltered, Ian executed an explosive leap and brought his greatsword crashing down onto its head.

  Clang―!

  Sparks flew as Ian's greatsword was blocked.

  Matus's arm muscles, which had managed to halt the blow even while off-balance, swelled as if they were about to burst.

  Soon after, veins bulging, the monster poured out a roar towards the sky.

  "KUUAAAAAARGH―!!"

  The eardrum-shredding bellow served as a flare.

  From the bushes and between the tents, over a dozen goblins swarmed out, exuding murderous intent.

  In a flash, the battlefield turned into pure chaos.

  "Succubus!! Do you have any AoE skills?!"

  At my shout, Succubus's eyes wavered violently.

  Cold sweat ran down her pale cheeks, but as if making a resolution, she bit her lip and nodded.

  "......Chain Lightning!"

  The blue-white electricity erupting from the tip of her staff cleaved the air and struck a goblin's heart.

  The blinding flash of light didn't stop there; it bent like a snake, chaining continuously to the surrounding enemies.

  Zzzzzzt―! With a horrifying crackle, three or four goblins tumbled backwards, emitting acrid black smoke.

  However, only smoke rose from their bodies; they hadn't yet scattered into blue particles.

  It meant their health bars were hanging by a thread.

  I drew my bowstring without delay.

  Before the bastards could even recover their senses, my arrows pierced through the haze and securely severed the lifelines of the ones stubbornly holding on.

  "Keugh!!"

  Crash―! With an earth-shattering impact, Matus's greatsword struck Ian squarely in the front.

  Along with the sound of armor crumpling, Ian's body was sent flying like a cannonball.

  Rolling on the ground with a ragged scream, his HP bar violently fluctuated, flashing a perilous red.

  "Ian! Snap out of it! Drink a potion right now!"

  Simultaneously with my scream-like shout, my gaze locked onto the goblins rushing toward Ian.

  The 'Weakness Detection' skill reacted, making vivid red dots float over their hearts.

  I let loose the string without hesitation. The arrows tore through the air and embedded themselves flawlessly into their vitals.

  Jude slipped under Matus's greatsword like a shadow.

  Every time the house-sized blade grazed over his head, Jude's daggers tenaciously slashed at the monster's hamstrings.

  Confirming that Ian's HP bar was filling back up to a safe zone, I drew my bowstring taut once again.

  All that was left was solid DPS. Pouring out my mana and arrows, [Rapid Fire] rained down on Matus's upper body.

  Th-th-th-thwack―!!

  Holding off the remaining goblin stragglers was entirely Succubus's job.

  "Fireball!"

  Along with her cry, palm-sized fireballs were shot out like cannonballs the exact moment her cooldown ended.

  The goblins taking direct hits were engulfed in flames before they could even scream, and the pungent smell of burning flesh permeated the battlefield.

  The flames spewing from Succubus's fingertips made the creatures afraid to even attempt approaching us.

  Under my rain-like barrage and Jude's persistent slashing, Matus's massive leg muscles tore open with a scream.

  "Keugh......!"

  Having lost the strength to support itself, the colossal body slowly fell to its knees. The moment it staggered, planting a hand on the ground and lowering its head, a beast-like roar that split the air rang out.

  "WAAAHHH!"

  As if to pay back the earlier humiliation, Ian drove his greatsword down with his entire body weight.

  CRUNCH―! With a spine-chilling sound of rupture, the greatsword sank deeply into the back of Matus's head.

  The monster crumpled straight to the ground without even being able to let out a short death throe.

  The spot where Matus vanished with his final scream. What filled the empty space was a breathtaking feast of crimson light.

  A skill book glowing red revealed itself first, followed immediately by an unbelievable sight.

  The greatsword with that overwhelming form that Matus had been wielding in one hand.

  The massive weapon, which looked as if it contained the monster's raw strength, stabbed into the ground right next to the skill book, emitting a brilliant red pillar of light.

  Two red lights.

  It was a 'Double Jackpot'.

  [Normal - Advanced - Rare - Epic - Legendary - Mythic].

  Typically, at the beginning of a server launch, people put their lives on the line for a single 'Advanced' item, and only the lucky ones even catch a glimpse of a 'Rare'.

  Much less an 'Epic'?

  This was a disaster-level stroke of luck that completely ignored the server's balance.

  It was to the point where I couldn't even dare put a price tag on it.

  Priority in item looting naturally goes to the party leader.

  Using my authority as the party leader as a shield, I picked up the red book first without hesitation.

  At that moment, my vision was dyed in a blinding golden light.

  Ding―!

  [System: You are the first in the entire server to acquire an 'Epic-grade' item.]

  Along with a flashy fanfare, a cluster of light dropped down from thin air.

  [Perk: A special reward for the 'First Hero'.]

  [System: The 'Double Drop' effect is forcibly applied to the item. (Quantity: x2)]

  '......What? Is this a buy-one-get-one-free sale?'

  At the unexpected bonus, the corners of my mouth curled up uncontrollably.

  [ Dong―! Dong―! Dong―! ]

  [Notice: An 'Anonymous' player has acquired an 'Epic-grade' item for the first time on the server.]

  What if my nickname 'Savior' had been immortalized in that majestic message? I might have had to log off by now due to the whisper spam pouring in from all over the world.

  'As expected, checking the 'Anonymous' box just in case was a godsend.'

  It was a moment where the 'instinctive defense mechanism' of a 10-year veteran gold farmer shone brilliantly.

  Just moments ago, Ian had been clutching his dented armor, teetering on the edge of life and death.

  However, the moment he witnessed the red lights that dropped before his eyes, the pain of that desperate boss fight seemed to have been completely wiped from his mind.

  As if he had never been gasping for breath, Ian jumped up and broke the silence with a trembling voice.

  "Savior......! Did you see the world message just now? That red aura...... those are really Epic-grade drops, right? This is unbelievable......!"

  Rubbing his eyes as if doubting them, Ian pointed at the red book in my hand.

  Succubus and Jude, who were beside him, were the same.

  They normally analyzed situations with a cool head, but this time around, they couldn't contain their joy, standing with their jaws practically unhinged.

  I temporarily pushed the party members' cheers to the background noise.

  What mattered right now wasn't the outward appearance, but the actual substance. There are plenty of cases where the shell is Epic-grade but the contents are garbage.

  Striving to maintain my composure, I tapped the skill book's detailed information with trembling fingertips.