Chapter 16: Orange-Tier Rare Material, Ice Crystal!
"No problem!" Maple replied with a bright, innocent smile.
"Heh," the middle-aged leader of Laughing Coffin sneered. "Control? You think you can control all of us? There are dozens here! How many can you stop at once?"
"Boys! Tear them apart!"
At his command, the Laughing Coffin members raised their weapons and charged like a tide toward Seito's group.
Maple calmly drew her short sword, New Moon.
"Paralyzing Shout!"
Zzzzzzt—!
The skill erupted! This was one of the abilities she had gained from the Poison Dragon—a high-utility skill with a massive area-of-effect and a long paralysis duration.
The charging PKers didn't even have time to scream. One by one, they collapsed, their faces meeting the dirt with ungraceful thuds. They slid across the forest floor, coming to a halt around Seito's feet like a collection of paralyzed rugs.
Yellow sparks of electricity flickered across their bodies, leaving them completely immobilized.
The leader's jaw dropped. Haruno and Touka were equally stunned. Sora, Shiro, and Sally, however, simply sighed. The power of the Luck Goddess strikes again, they thought.
"An... an AOE Paralysis skill?!"
The leader couldn't believe his eyes. At this stage of the game, having a crowd-control skill that powerful was a literal game-changer. It felt utterly broken.
"Anything else you'd like to say?" Seito asked with an elegant, predator-like smile.
"Hmph!" The leader grunted from the ground. "So what if you've got us pinned? Just kill us! Our levels are low anyway; we can grind back to where we were in a single day!"
"It seems you won't repent until you see your own coffin," Seito shook his head. "Maple, take them out."
Maple was the Luck Goddess. If she dealt the killing blow, the loot drop system would favor her, ensuring they got the absolute best items in those players' inventories.
"Roger that~!" Maple raised her blade high.
"Hydra!!"
ROAR!!
Three massive, dark-purple dragons erupted from her short sword. The moment they manifested, they unhinged their jaws and unleashed a deluge of concentrated poison!
The leader's eyes went vacant as the sea of venom engulfed him. Under the intense toxicity, the paralyzed players' HP bars vanished instantly.
Clatter! Clang!
Gear, gold coins, and rare materials exploded out of the dying players, littering the forest floor.
Everyone except Seito stared at the scene in disbelief. That attack... that was the signature move of the Floor 1 Boss, the Poison Dragon!
As the party stood in shock, Seito began picking up the loot, his smile widening with every item.
"About 100,000 Gold."
"Six pieces of Green gear, one Blue piece."
"And... three rare materials."
[White Wolf King's Skull (Green Material)]: The skull of the Alpha White Wolf! Harder than diamond. Significantly increases player Defense when crafted into equipment.
[Bull Demon Warrior's Broken Horn (Blue Material)]: A horn from a warrior of the Minotaur tribe. Infused with Fire energy. Grants Fire-elemental attacks and a massive Attack boost when crafted.
[Ice Crystal (Orange Material)]: A secret treasure of the Yuki-onna tribe from the Third Floor! Only one crystal is produced per year. Grants the player Ice-elemental attacks and an immense boost to Attack power!
"An Orange material!!" Seito's eyes lit up.
Orange materials were exceptionally rare. God's Domain consisted of 99 floors, and most floors only produced a single Orange material per year. It was a true treasure.
"Beautiful," Seito muttered, turning the snowy-white crystal over in his hand.
"What did we get?" Sora asked, walking over.
"Take a look." Seito displayed the stats.
"Orange?! Now that's a find!" Sora grinned. Even for a pro like him, seeing Mythic-tier crafting components this early was exciting.
"Those 'Big Guild' players really are walking treasure chests," Sally remarked.
"I can't use this one," Maple said after checking the stats.
"I can't use it either," Seito added, stowing the materials into his spatial ring. "But someone can. And even if we can't use it, a material this rare is worth a fortune in the real-world market. It could spark a bidding war among the tycoons."
"Now then," Seito turned around, his gaze landing on the two ladies who had yet to pay their "toll."
He walked over to Shiro and patted her head. "Good job, Shiro."
"Mmu... Seito-nii... it was nothing," Shiro leaned into his touch, squinting happily.
Seito then looked at Haruno and Tooka. "So, what's the plan? Do I have to kill you, or are you going to hand the goods over voluntarily?"
"Seito-chan, you're so heartless~" Haruno Yukinoshita rolled her eyes playfully, suddenly pouting as if she were about to cry. "When you came to my house a couple of years ago, you used to call me 'Haruno-ane-san.' Sniff, sniff."
"Don't try the 'big sister' act on me," Seito cut her off. He glanced at Touka Takanashi.
"Takanashi-san, you can go."
He figured Touka probably didn't have much on her. The real prize was likely in Haruno's inventory, given the Yukinoshita family's deep pockets.
Touka remained expressionless and stepped behind Haruno.
"WAH! Touka, you traitor! Waaaaah!" Haruno's 'crying' was laughably fake.
"Um..." Maple leaned in toward Seito. "Is it really okay to rob your acquaintance?"
"It's fine," Seito waved it off. "If she wasn't a Yukinoshita, I wouldn't bother. But her family is loaded. Besides, think of it as a convenience fee for saving them from Laughing Coffin."
He looked back at Haruno. "Tell you what, I'll make it easy. Hand over all the rare materials you have, and you're free to go."
It was a compromise. Even if Maple killed her, the RNG might only drop one item. It was better to negotiate for the whole stack.
Haruno stopped her fake crying instantly, a sharp, business-like smile appearing on her face. "You should have just said so! Here!"
She pulled two rare materials from her inventory and handed them over.
Thank you for reading.