Chapter 203
"Ding—"
As the Elite Level Burning Dead Archer collapsed in response, its entire skeleton fell apart, and a crisp, pleasant sound rang out.
Oh, was it a Chipped Gem or something similar? Dropped by an Elite Monster, maybe it was even a Flawed Gem. If it were a Jewel or a Ring, that would be even better.
Having spent over two years in the Diablo World, I was naturally not unfamiliar with the crisp sound that precious items made when they dropped.
Seeing that there was still time, I decided to play the role of a scavenger for once and experience the fun of gaining loot.
Stepping on the skeletal debris, I casually kicked away a few bones, unsure if they were ribs or some other part, and several bright yellow Gold Coins appeared. I quickly bent down to pick them up. Good stuff! Not long after arriving in Diablo, I considered myself a Nouveau Riche, but these past few days, I've truly experienced the hardships of being poor. After tipping Tok, I was left with less than a hundred Gold Coins, completely empty-handed. I couldn't even afford the top-tier room at the Inn. Thinking back to the days when I booked the top-tier room at the Dream Inn as if it were my own home, I couldn't help but sigh with emotion. However, the rent here in Lut Gholein was too expensive. A top-tier room in the Rogue Encampment only cost 1 Gold Coin a day, but here it cost 10. The facilities and services weren't necessarily better than those in the Rogue Encampment; they were clearly ripping people off.
With a mixed expression of love and hate, I picked up each Gold Coin through gritted teeth. Anyone who didn't know might think I was doing something... inappropriate.
There were also Arrows and Crossbow Bolts that could be found without kicking away the scattered bones. As expected of an Archer, the items they dropped were quite distinctive. In total, there were two quivers of Arrows and three quivers of Crossbow Bolts. Although each quiver wasn't completely full, combined, there were at least over a thousand. Amazons could only unleash the power of their bow and arrow skills by using these equipment-grade Arrows. Therefore, the market price for Arrows and Crossbow Bolts was at least one Gold Coin per piece. Selling them would yield at least over a thousand Gold Coins. Sometimes, I thought that the Amazon Class was quite similar to some Magic Classes in certain Online Games from before; strong, yes, but also a money sink.
Besides these, there were the usual Potions. Nearly 60 Skeletons dropped quite a bit. Finally, I circled back to the feet of that Elite Level Burning Dead Archer.
On top was a pile of Gold Coins, 2 bottles of Medium Healing Potion, and one bottle of Medium Mana Potion.
Potion classification: Tiny Potion provides 40 points, and can be dropped in the Rogue Encampment and above. A Level 1 character drinking a bottle of Tiny Potion would only gain about one point per minute, taking 40 minutes to fully utilize one bottle of Tiny Potion. This speed would also increase as the character's Level and Vitality continuously improved.
Another method was overlapping use, drinking several bottles consecutively. Although the increased Stat Value remained the same, the Speed would increase. However, this method was generally not recommended. Not to mention the preciousness of the Potions, Adventurers themselves had a certain Resistance to Potions. Drinking too many Potions in a short period would result in diminishing effects. Full Rejuvenation Potions were the same. This single point shattered my beautiful dream of hoarding 'n' bottles of Full Rejuvenation Potion to slowly wear down Strong Enemies.
Above Tiny Potion, there was Light Potion. A Level 1 character drinking it would need about an hour to fully utilize its medicinal properties, so the recovery Speed of Light Potion was faster than Tiny Potion. Light Potion could also drop in the Rogue Encampment, but it was relatively rare, usually only dropped by Elite Level Monsters and above.
By analogy, Medium Potion provides 150 points, and can be dropped in Lut Gholein and above; Major Potion provides 300 points, and can be dropped in Kurast Docks and above; Strong Potion provides 500 points, and can be dropped in Harrogath and above; Super Potion provides 800 points, don't even hope to see this kind of Potion in the First World; in addition, there is the Full Rejuvenation Potion, which instantly restores 30% of Mana and Life, usually only dropped by Minor Boss Level Monsters and above with a very small Chance. Complete Rejuvenation Potion, instantly restores 100% of Mana and Life. Kashya had only heard of this kind of Potion.
Casually tossing these few bottles of Medium Potion, which were extremely precious to other Adventurers in Lut Gholein, into my Inventory, to be honest, Medium Mana Potion was fine, but Medium Healing Potion was a bit too little for me. After Werebear Transformation and Oak Sage, my current Life was nearly 700. The 150 points from a Medium Healing Potion really didn't seem like much.
Underneath the Gold Coins and Potions was a Normal Scale Mail, also something to be sold. The Defense of the Scale Mail was decent. For the Class-Changed Ones in Lut Gholein, it could be considered a good Backup Equipment. It was estimated to sell for at least two thousand Gold Coins, or be exchanged for one or two Chipped Gems.
My attention was focused on what was beneath the Scale Mail. That "ding" sound was definitely not a hallucination. Even in the worst-case scenario, it was a quite valuable Chipped Gem.
As I thought this and slightly lifted the Scale Mail, a faint Golden Light impatiently shot out from the Crevice. I was instantly stunned.
What did this mean?
Golden Tier Item. Gems could be immediately ruled out. As for what else would make a "ding" sound when dropped, there were Jewels, Rings, and Necklaces. Whichever it was, I could immediately declare that my RP (Luck) had exploded! Gold accessories, which were rarely dropped even by Demon Lord Level Monsters, were actually dropped by such a small Elite on me.
I looked at the Bugged Small Charm in my Inventory Incredulous. As my Level increased, the Drop Rate increased by the Bugged Small Charm also grew larger, but even if it was larger, it couldn't cause such an over-leveled drop. Could it be that the Bugged Small Charm not only increased the Drop Rate but also RP (Luck)?
I took a deep breath and slowly picked up the Scale Mail, which had become insignificant. Theoretically, the most valuable item should be a Golden Tier Jewel, and what I least wanted to see was a Golden Tier Necklace, because I already had one with decent Attributes, and it was Alice's Abode.
The result of flipping it over made me sigh, and then feel relieved. Lying quietly on the ground was a silver Sapphire Ring, emitting that tempting Golden Light.
"Woogoo~"
A sound of drooling came from the Necklace where the Little Ghost resided. It seemed that even the Saintess, who was supposed to be free from desires, couldn't resist the Temptation of Jewels and accessories. Besides, I never believed that this Little Ghost possessed even a trace of the Saintess's otherworldly Temperament.
Ignoring it, I used Identify.
Ring of Suffering's Spiral
Required Level: 18
+20 Attack Rating
+5 Vitality
Fire Resistance +18%
Physical Damage Reduction 1
+1 Vision
A good Ring. Not to mention the Fire Resistance +18%, which would be very useful against the Sea of Burning Skeletons ahead, just the Physical Damage Reduction 1 alone was worthy of its Golden Tier Equipment value. This was an extremely Rare Attribute, especially for Adventurers like me who were often inexplicably surrounded. It was the Excellent Grade among Excellent Grade. Wearing this Ring, I could say goodbye to Attacks dealing 1 Damage or less from now on.
"Little Ghost, it's not that I'm not giving it to you. You need to be Level 18 to wear it."
I proudly showed her the Ring's Attributes, then clicked my tongue as I slowly slipped the Ring onto my finger, shaking my hand a few times in a very showy manner. The glistening Gold Ring on my finger looked completely like a Nouveau Riche's Air.
"You just wait and see! One day, you'll know how powerful This Saintess is, wooh~"
The Little Ghost tried hard to speak in a sinister and malicious tone, but at the end, a few cute Ending sounds involuntarily slipped out, making it impossible to feel her fierce Presence.
I smiled and didn't Refute. If this could ignite her motivation to Level Up, why not give her this Ring?
When Kate and Holt saw the ground covered in skeletal debris, their expressions were incredibly colorful. They had just been thinking about whether they should charge forward together and give it a shot. After all, having reached this point, without this Expert in a Cloak with a mysterious and gloomy appearance, with their three people's Ability, let alone continuing forward, even retreating would have been impossible. But ultimately, the Fear of the Burning Dead Archer had overcome the courage they had finally mustered, leaving them standing there blankly, not knowing what to do.
Why didn't they use a Town Portal Scroll? It was simple. After entering the Inner Sewers, they had tried it, but influenced by some unknown Strength, the Town Portal Scroll couldn't be used. Kate and Hawk had even fallen into Despair because of this. After all, before this, they had relied on having Town Portal Scrolls and the generous Reward to dare to agree to protect Princess Marisa and investigate this ghostly place.
If their gaze a few days ago could be described as reverent, then their current gaze, like they were looking at Monsters, made me feel a bit hair-raising.
"Little Ghost, did you sense it?"
The group continued to move forward in silence. Taking this opportunity, I asked softly.
"Mm... there's no change at all, wooh~" The Little Ghost's extremely troubled groan came through.
"No!"
I was greatly surprised. After taking down the Burning Archer, I had paid special attention to Princess Marisa's change, so I asked Alice to keep a close watch.
"It seems the other party is very scheming and difficult to deal with. As expected, they have some tricks up their sleeve. They actually make This Saintess, with her sharp-eyed vision, feel tricky, hmph hmph..."
Clearly, the Little Ghost's fighting spirit was ignited.
"Then I'll trouble you to keep a close eye on her the whole way."
I said, feeling quite exhausted. I always felt that the Little Ghost's judgment seemed a bit incorrect, but I couldn't pinpoint the feeling.
"Leave it to me. No matter how terrible the Conspiracy, in front of This Lord Alice, it's nothing to fear." The Little Ghost patted her full chest, proudly craning her neck like a white swan.
Having gone through it once, Kate and the others seemed to have accepted it. When they encountered an enemy situation, they would eagerly run ahead to scout it out and then Report to me without me needing to say anything. Their Movements became more efficient, significantly increasing our advance Speed.
However, perhaps because few people ventured deep into this area, I felt that the surrounding firelight was much dimmer than when we started. A damp and rotten smell also vaguely permeated the air. The dry and clean ground gradually accumulated a layer of squishy mud, and even mouse nests half a person's height could be seen from time to time. As soon as footsteps were made, large and sturdy Mice would scurry out and scramble around. Bats hidden overhead also chirped and flapped their Wings, causing the already dim firelight to flicker even more. Figures intertwined in the dim and yellow firelight, and an ominous Aura filled the surroundings.
In this flickering light, we, or more accurately, I, eliminated countless Monsters. We finally reached the Inner Sewers without much incident. The large amount of Gold Coins and Potions, and even a few pieces of Equipment contributed by those Monsters, although none were to my liking except for the Gold Ring at the very beginning, would be enough to make my pockets bulge if they could all be sold. More than once during Rest, Little Ghost and I would hide in the Tent, pour out the glistening Gold Coins, light an Oil Lamp, and count them carefully, secretly rejoicing, like a money-grubbing landlord and his money-grubbing wife.
Proceeding as usual in the dark and damp Sewer, our current location was somewhere even Kate and Holt had not ventured deep into. They only knew the Terrain from others, so they weren't confident about directly finding the path leading to the Center of the Sewer. However, feeling the increasingly oppressive Aura, I felt that our current direction was not wrong. If I wasn't mistaken, the Center of the Sewer should bring us a considerable "surprise."
"Wooh~"
Light Snow , who was walking at the very front, suddenly crouched down slightly and whimpered softly.
There were Enemies. I looked ahead with slight surprise. Under the dim firelight, besides faintly seeing a large mouse nest, there was nothing else. Kate and Holt behind me also didn't seem to have noticed anything.
As I slowed my pace, a Petite Figure passed by me with a steady pace and an expressionless face.
"Wait..."
The danger signal from Light Snow immediately put me into an alert state, and I couldn't help but exclaim softly. Towards the Princess who suddenly walked in front of me, I involuntarily reached out my hand, towards her...
Uh... I grabbed her large white hat. There was no other way; it was a height issue, and that hat was simply too eye-catching.
A soft feeling instantly came from my hand. A Princess was a Princess; even her hat felt substantial.
What made me open my mouth wide was that this mysterious Princess seemed to ignore my Movement. One step. Two steps... Her feet kept stepping out, but due to the huge gap in strength, under my pulling, she couldn't step forward at all, only walking as if marching in place.
After stepping out seven or eight steps, she finally seemed to react. Her footsteps stopped. She turned around, slightly raised her head, and silently looked at me with eyes calm as still water, as if asking, "Is something wrong?"
"Haha... haha... Uh, Princess, your hat is really sturdy..."
I stammered. This wasn't talking nonsense. Not to mention my Physical Power, even Princess Marisa, as a Mercenary, even a Mage Mercenary, her strength wasn't small at all. Under the pulling of both of us, this hat not only showed no slight damage but stayed firmly on her head, sturdy and stable enough to make even the top-tier Tailor in all of Diablo feel ashamed.
Facing my impolite action and praise that didn't sound like praise, this Princess didn't get angry. She still maintained a silent appearance, silently nodded her head, then raised her arms and once again revealed that pair of slender hands that would overshadow even a beautiful pianist. She gently patted the hat, which was somewhat wrinkled from being pulled, trying very hard to tidy up this hat with an excellent feel. Because the hat was too big, even with her slender hands, it was difficult to reach the top part of the hat. It was clear that this matter, which was easily done by a normal person, would take her a lot of effort to complete.
She seemed to care a lot about this hat. She spent almost a minute tidying it up before she finally lowered her arms with satisfaction, tucked her small hands back into her sleeves, then raised her head and continued to silently look at me. Fortunately, Light Snow finally made a move at this moment, finally breaking the awkward Atmosphere.
It fiercely roared towards the overhead. As if responding to it, several large dark shadows fell from the Gloomy Sewer Ceiling a few meters ahead of us. These shadows flapped their huge Wings, emitting sharp shrieks that made one dizzy and nauseous.
"What kind of monsters are these?"
Kate and Holt cried out in alarm. Following the dim firelight, we saw their figures clearly in an instant. They turned out to be eight large gray bats, child-sized, with wings spread over a meter wide.
"These are... Gloomy Bats from the Kurast Bazaar, Underground Waterway..."
A small, faint voice rang out. Although it was instantly drowned out by the sharp sound of flapping wings from the bats, relying on my sensitive ears, I still caught this thread of sound. I couldn't help but look towards Princess Marisa with surprise. Although unlikely, the voice should have come from her. So she can talk! My surprise at this Princess's golden words was no less than seeing these strange bats.
However, the current situation was such that I couldn't afford to be distracted. If Princess Marisa was right, these should be Monsters that only appear in Kurast. Their Level was at least 30 or higher, and the one in the very middle was clearly dark green. It was clearly an Elite Level or higher level Monster, absolutely not something that these three Mercenaries in front of me, who couldn't even deal with a few Burning Dead Archers, could resist.
"You guys retreat quickly!"
I said in a low voice. Five Ghost Wolves lined up in a row, blocking the front. I was also secretly anxious. These so-called Gloomy Bats had extremely fast movements and were Flying Creatures. If they targeted a certain target besides me, I didn't have absolute confidence that I could stop them, especially that one which was at least Elite Level Gloomy Bat. If its target was Princess Marisa, the most vulnerable among the four, that would be troublesome. Even if not an instant kill, she absolutely wouldn't last more than a few seconds.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, the other few people didn't lose their composure. Kate and Holt had quickly retreated at my light exclamation. Our taciturn Princess was even more nimble. When she spoke, she had already hidden behind me. It seems she had already taken me as a meat shield.
The several bats' intelligence wasn't high. They simply didn't understand the Tactics of attacking the enemy's weak point. Seeing several Ghost Wolves blocking the front, they immediately emitted angry shrieks and pounced forward, fighting together with Light Snow and the others.
Have to say, these bats, as a special flying unit, possessed a huge aerial advantage, and their Speed was surprisingly fast. If not for the fact that they could only live in narrow caves or sewers, their combat would be even more flexible. What was most frustrating was that their Attacks also carried the Lightning Attribute. If one's Resistance wasn't high, they could easily be beaten into helplessness by them. Therefore, Light Snow and the others were also having a lot of trouble dealing with them.
Light Snow faced that Elite Level Gloomy Bat alone. Relying on its powerful physique, swift Speed, and extremely high Resistance, it was able to handle it with ease. Victory was just a matter of time. The other four Ghost Wolves, dealing with eight ordinary Gloomy Bats, appeared somewhat battered. In terms of Strength, they were not inferior to the Gloomy Bats; even two of them could handle it. Unfortunately, although it was four against eight now, their figures were simply too large for the narrow sewer. Let alone coordination, they couldn't even display eight-tenths of their usual Strength. At this moment, they were instead being battered by the eight Gloomy Bats.
From this, it could also be seen how big the difference in Strength was between the four Mutated Grade Ghost Wolves, also Super Evolution, and Elite Level Light Snow . I had no doubt that Light Snow 's Strength was enough to solo the surrounded attack of the other four Mutated Ghost Wolves.
Fortunately, the Poison Creeper also soon joined the battlefield. Since leaving the fourth level of the tomb, it hadn't eaten for a long time and was extremely hungry. The physique of these Gloomy Bats just happened to match the limit it could swallow. Therefore, taking advantage of their unpreparedness, it suddenly shot up from the ground like a Viper, immediately bit one slower flying Gloomy Bat, opened its mouth wide, and holding that struggling and shrieking Gloomy Bat in its mouth, it swished and submerged underground, unexpectedly successfully activating the Devour Skill with its first attack.
With the Poison Creeper joining, the other four Ghost Wolves quickly gained the initiative. Before long, they completely eliminated the remaining seven Gloomy Bats. Seeing that its subordinates had already finished the battle, Light Snow seemed to feel a loss of face. Blood-red brutality in its eyes flashed past, and its Attack also suddenly became fierce, taking a stance of fighting with its life. As for the result, it naturally goes without saying.
"Elite Level of over 30, they were indeed somewhat richer."
I muttered, picking up over ten Gold Coins from the ground, two bottles of Major Healing Potion, one bottle of Full Rejuvenation Potion, and one Flawed Sapphire. Although there was no Gold Equipment, it also generously dropped one High-Level Magic Equipment.
Spiked Exceptional Helm
Defense: 32
Durability: 40-40
Required Strength: 63
Required Level: 21
Damage Taken 4
This full-coverage Exceptional Helm could almost completely protect the area above the neck, only having a slit for the eyes and nose. It had a curved bull horn on each side of the top, looking both sturdy and authoritative. It's a pity it unexpectedly required 63 Strength to wear. If I didn't shapeshift, I couldn't use it at all, and after shapeshifting, I couldn't see it, which broke my beautiful dream of performing a 'God of War Descends' act in front of Little Ghost.
The other three people, hearing the sound of battle end, also walked out from around the corner. A common sense in the Dark Continent was that the most common way to avoid being targeted by enemies was getting out of their line of sight. Therefore, they didn't see the entire process of this battle.
"Great! I knew Lord would definitely win." Kate was not stingy with his flattery, saying in a gushing manner.
"Presumably the reason for the sewer anomaly must be these few Gloomy Bats causing trouble."
Holt also had a face full of surprise.
"That's not necessarily true."
I shook my head with a wry smile. I didn't think one Elite Level Gloomy Bat could cause such a big commotion.
"Look—"
I took out a Town Portal Scroll and unfolded it, but there was no reaction at all. It seems the root of the problem isn't here.
"Wooh~"
At this moment, Light Snow , after the battle victory, didn't relax. Instead, it let out a more vigilant roar.
"Shush—"
I signaled the restless mercenary duo to quiet down, my ears twitched slightly, picking up the movements in the surroundings.
Holt and Kate's heavy breathing and nervous swallowing sounds, the dripping sound of water from the distance in the damp sewer, Princess Marisa and Light Snow and the others' slight breathing sounds.
"Clack, clack..."
A faint, almost imperceptible scraping sound came from the depths of the sewer and gradually spread out, as if resonating, from a single thread, to continuous, from one direction, to all directions.
"Clack, clack..."
The sound became clearer and clearer, and even Kate and the others heard it.
"Unfortunately, we... seem to be surrounded."