Chapter 153

Undaunted (I)

Emma sat panting, short of breath, staring at the mangled corpse of what used to be a fairly beautiful woman. She lied there, a pool of her own blood grooming around her, a wretched expression on her bloodied face. There wasn’t an inch of the corpse’s body that hasn’t at least been lacerated, making for a ghastly sight.

She looked around and solemnly took in everything -- luckily... everyone survived. Quite a few were lying on the floor, passed out, but their Health hadn’t dropped to 0. It really was luck -- extra 10-15 seconds, and chances are that most, if not all of them would have died. No, there was no luck; we pushed it, and we made it happen. She shook her head slightly and groaned as she stood up, every bone in her body creaking and every muscle crying at her to stop.

She, too, wanted to just lie down and take a long, long nap, but now wasn’t the time. Taking a deep breath, she pulled a bottle of water from her inventory and downed it whole, feeling somewhat refreshed afterward.

“Wake them up,” she called out to those still awake; most had hazed expressions, staring emptily at the corpse on the ground. Senna and Daniel slowly began walking next to those who passed out and gently waking them up as Kramer walked up to Emma.

"... a hell of a fight." he said.

“Hell of a fight.” she nodded.

“You guys really carried us through this one,” Kramer sighed, feeling somewhat depleted. “Sorry.”

“No worries,” Emma chuckled. “With better gear from the boss, you’ll start catching up to us in no time. After the nerves settled, you guys fought almost perfectly; the rest was simply due to your lower equipment.”

“... thanks,” Kramer smiled lightly. “But we ain’t babies, Emma. None of us here are on a vacation -- we want to get better. Nerves or no nerves. Somehow, even the three spots Cain gave me feel undeserved now.”

"You're making the same mistake others made when they joined us," Emma chuckled, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Comparing yourselves to us. And yet, look at others -- Daniel, Lukas, all latecomers. They're there. You aren't just a bunch of dregs we picked up from the street; you have your own stories and experiences. With just a few more, harder ones, you'll be ready to spike the floor boss by your side. Anyway, let's start checking out the loot; I hope to God she drops a weapon, I've been stuck with this hammer for too long."

As the fear settled, the excitement began to surge; be it in the game or in reality, reaping the fruits after a difficult battle was the pinnacle, after all. With shaky hands, everyone slowly began opening their inventories and inspecting what they got. At a minimum, people received 2 pieces of gear, and at least 1 utility item. The luckiest was Diya who got 3 pieces of gear and 3 utility items.

One by one, howls of happiness began to consume the previous silence; the party's overall efficiency skyrocketed just based on this one boss, yet Emma quickly settled her rapidly-beating heart. It just means that the next bosses will be that much harder...

Daniel was the first to share the pieces he got -- a pair of daggers and a hat. Two daggers had a sleek design, curved slightly with crimson-red rubies shimmering at the bottom of their handles; the hat was wide, leather-made, and black with glimmering, scarlet threads wrapping around the top.

//Nefarious Blood Fangs (SS-)

Level: 50

Requirements: Assassin, Level 40, Agility 300

Damage: 2433-3001 (If both equipped at the same time)

+80 Agility

+40 Stamina

+60% to ‘Evasion’

+20% to ‘Critical Strike Chance’

+80% to ‘Critical Strike Damage’

Passive(0) -- Blood Leech -- each strike drains the target’s Vitality, healing the wielder for 35% of Damage Dealt. If the wielder is at max Vitality, 50% of the healing is transferred to a member of the party.

Passive(1) -- Blood Gash -- each strike has a 40% chance to inflict the target with ‘Bleed’ debuff, dealing 160% of Weapon’s damage over 8 seconds. Stacks up to 3 times.

Passive(2) -- Shadow Strike -- first attack out of ‘Stealth’ has 100% ‘Critical Strike Chance’ and +300% ‘Critical Strike Damage’ and is guaranteed to apply ‘Blood Gash’.

Active(0) -- Blood Surge (2min Cooldown) -- throw one of the daggers at the target, dealing 60% of Weapon’s damage and applying ‘Blood Gash’ debuff. For the next 16 seconds, all damage done is increased by 25% and all damage received is decreased by 20%.

Active(1) -- Blessed by Blood -- mark a member of the party; for the next 1 minute, your Health is linked, and both of you deal 6% increased damage, stacking to 3 times if reapplied to the same member after it expires.

Active(2) -- Undying (4min Cooldown) -- apply a shield to yourself that lasts 30 seconds, shielding you for 15,000 Health. For the duration, you gain 60% ‘Leech’ to all your attacks and skills, and received healing is increased by 150%. //

//Nefarious Shroud(S-)

Level: 45

Requirements: Assassin, Level 35, 200 Agility

+40 to Stamina

+15 to Agility

+100% to Resource Regeneration out of combat

+10% to Evasion

Passive(0) -- you gain an extra stack of ‘Disappear’ and the cooldown is reduced by 15 seconds.

Passive(1) -- if attacked 3 times within 5 seconds, gain a burst of 60% movement speed and a stack of ‘Disappear’ if you have none.

Active(1) -- Cloud(2min Cooldown) -- shroud all members of the party for 30 seconds, appearing invisible to everyone further than 6 yards from you.

Set(If equipped with 'Nefarious Blood Fangs') -- Nefarious Spirit -- each strike has (increasing) a 3% chance to summon a Blood Spirit to fight by your side. The spirit lasts for 30 seconds and duplicates your attacks, dealing 40% of your damage. The spirit cannot be killed, but it can be crowd-controlled. The spirit cannot be summoned again for 3 minutes, but the chance will continue to stack.//

Daniel was on the verge of tears, his heart swelling to, what he genuinely believed to be, twice its normal size. A pair of old daggers that he had been dragging by his side since the first floor... have finally been replaced -- and not just replaced... upgraded by a good 1000%. He expected that his damage would outright explode now, and had half a mind to immediately rush to the next boss to test it out, barely holding back.

Emma chuckled at his reaction, though barely held herself back from exploding as well -- per her wish, she did get a new weapon, as well as a pair of armguards. Though her damage wouldn’t explode anywhere close to Daniel’s, her survivability would as she would be far less reliant on Diya’s and others’ constant top-offs.

//Sanguine Warhammer of Storms(SS-)

Level: 50

Requirements: Paladin, Level 40, 300 Vitality

Damage: 2066-4250

+100 Vitality

+40 Stamina

+20 Strength

+5% to Magic Defense

+20% to Physical Defense

+25% Resilience to Control Skills

Passive(0) -- each third strike unleashes a cone-shaped array of blood, dealing 150% of Weapon’s damage and leeching 80% of that Damage as a shield; the shield lasts 10 seconds and stacks infinitely, with its duration refreshed.

Passive(1) -- if hit by an attack or skill equal or larger than 20% of your max Vitality, immediately gain a ‘Blood Shield’ equaling to twice the received damage for 20 seconds. In addition, your Skills gain 40% Leech for 8 seconds.

Passive(2) -- upon equipping the weapon, you gain ‘Eye of the Storm’ aura, shared with all members of your party. Each ‘Critical Strike’ unleashes a torrent of crimson bolts around the target, either damaging or healing them for 80% of your weapon’s damage. Furthermore, even if not hit, you will heal for 60% of the total healing amount.

Active(0) -- Blood Slam(40s Cooldown) -- unleash the full force of the Warhammer, dealing 200% of Weapon's damage to all targets struck, leeching 80% of the damage as Health (or Shield if full Vitality) and reducing the target's Magic and Physical Defenses by 40% for 5 seconds.

Active(1) -- Undaunted(3min Cooldown) -- upon activation, become immune to ALL control Skills for 8 seconds; furthermore, ALL damage your receive is lowered by 60% and, for the duration, each strike applies Passive(0). //

//Sanguine Armguards of Storms(A)

Level: 45

Requirements: Paladin, Level 35, Stamina 100

+40 Vitality

+15 Strength

+10% to Attack Speed

+5% to Magic Defense

+10% to Physical Defense

Passive -- gain an increasing boost to Attack Speed with each strike for 2%, stacking up to 10 times; stacks refresh after 8 seconds of not attacking

Active -- Blood and Gore(3min Cooldown) -- unleash all stacks of the Passive, increasing Attack Speed by 100% for 6 seconds and gaining 80% Leech for the Duration.

Set(Only if ‘Sanguine Warhammer of Storms’ is equipped) -- each point in Agility increases Attack Speed by 0.5%, stacking up to 60%. //

Emma couldn’t rip her eyes from the items, devouring them in her mind; just like Daniel, she had half a mind to immediately rush to the next boss and see how long she can survive without a healer even touching her. Leaching, shields upon shields, and even a great boost to damage... she didn’t feel this great about an item ever since Cain got her the orbiting shield from the Shopkeeper. Similarly to that, she felt that the pair of items were handmade for her, as though someone had studied how she fights and what she wants for months before crafting them. I feel bad for Taima, but I don't think even he can craft a weapon better suited for me than this one... maybe he can upgrade it?

Diya, on the other hand, paid attention only to one item of the three that she got -- a circlet. Laden in silver diamonds with a singular, shimmering ruby at the center, it was somewhat similar to Myeala's, though far less dastardly. Though the other two items were fine, she actually had no intention of equipping them since one of them would replace her 'Halo' and the other one was a weapon on par with Emma's and Daniel's. However, its passives and actives would force her to completely change how she fights, as they would force her to attack to stack her shields on the party, and that simply wasn't something she preferred. The circlet, however...

//Bejeweled Headwear(S-)

Level: 40

Requirements: Intelligence 350, Level 40

+1000 to maximum Mana

+20% to Maximum Mana

+200% to Mana Regeneration

+20% efficiency to ALL healing Skills

Passive(0) -- the first time you drop below 20% maximum Mana, regenerate 60% of the missing Mana over the next 6 seconds. Can occur only once every fight.

Passive(1) -- every time you shield a member of the party, gain a charge of ‘Soullight’; upon reaching 60 charges, unleash a ‘Holy Nova’ that heals every member of the party for 3000 Health and shields them for 10x your Intelligence for 12 seconds.

Active(0) -- Depraved Desires(6min Cooldown) -- target an enemy and inflict them with a ‘Depraved Desires’ curse; for the next 60 seconds, members of your party restore 1% of their max Health per strike. After the debuff expires, every member of the party gains a shield equaling to 100% of the Health they leeched for the duration that lasts for 30 seconds.//

Not only would her healing become better, but she suspected that she would have far less trouble with managing her Mana in the upcoming battles. Furthermore, since she shielded frequently, the second passive of the item, she suspected, would proc at least once every 3 minutes, if not even less than that. The active, she mused. I can use before some major boss mechanic and prep everyone with like 3-4 layers of shields. He he~~ I can’t wait for dad--Cain!! I can’t wait for Cain to see me!! Geez, Diya, get it together...

Nobody quite noticed her flushed cheeks, and even those that potentially could have would have attributed it to her excitement over the items. Aside from the circlet, she was also interested in all three one-time-use Utility items that she got.

//Bead of Salvation(?)

Use: Place a seed inside one of the members of the party; if they suffer fatal damage, they are immediately healed to their max Health, and the seed is destroyed. In case the combat ends without the seed being destroyed, it will be returned to your inventory.//

//Touch of Blood(A)

Use: Drain 60% of your Health and 20% of your Mana, creating a Bloodwell at the targeted point. All members of the party within 60 yards of the well are healed for 5% of their missing Health every second and they recover 1% of their missing Mana every 2 seconds. Lasts until the end of the battle. //

//Braced by Light(?)

Use: coat yourself in a 'Shield of Light', becoming immune to ALL damage and control Skills for 8 seconds. For the duration, ALL damage you receive is instead dispersed as healing across all members of the party. Furthermore, for the duration of the 'Shield of Light', your Skills no longer have a cast time, and their efficiency is increased by 50%.//