NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 61: High Risk Yields High Returns – The Acquired Bounty
Ignoring the discontented growling of her stomach, Reeza kept a keen eye on the passersby until she scanned and identified one woman in particular who was dressed quite ostentatiously.
She knew to steer clear of those who might pose as easy marks but were actually the town’s guards aiming to lure out and apprehend pickpockets. But Reeza already knew what to look out for to avoid them.
Unbeknownst to her, however, was that while she was observing others in search of prey, a pair of tiny eyes were also observing her from behind a stack of old crates deeper in the alley.
Focused on her target, Reeza smoothly maneuvered through the crowd with practiced ease. In a skillful move, she discreetly lifted a substantial coin purse from the clueless woman’s waist bag, her face a mask of indifference, already searching for her next mark.
An air of sadness surrounded Reeza, her movements detached, as if propelled by a force, a reckless spell, well beyond her control. Like a leaf caught in an errand wind, she drifted toward a man she had chosen without care or concern. But it wasn’t greed or pleasure that guided her steps, but resignation.
Reeza was tired.
Years of leading a life of degeneracy had worn away at her spirit, leaving her caught in a cycle of desperation—and her desperate desire for it all to be over had robbed her of her better judgement. But the curious eyes that watched her carefully appraised the target she had singled out as her next mark.
The man stood tall and imposing, his aura exuding an air of success. Yet, upon closer inspection, a subtle weariness lingered in his eyes, hinting at a life filled with trials and challenges. There was a certain ruggedness about him that suggested a background in mercenary work.
Whether he was retired, undercover, or simply taking a break remained a mystery, but one thing was certain: his vigilance and sharpness never wavered.
Reeza, unfortunately, didn’t properly read the signs. Ensnared by her own compulsion, she moved in like a possessed corpse. And the tiny spectator took flight, abandoning its hiding spot to intervene.
The creature, akin to a yellow canary, zipped toward a nearby apple stall. The luminous bird emitted an otherworldly glow, its wings leaving a streak of golden electricity in its wake, clearly far from an ordinary canary.
Just before Reeza’s hand invaded the man’s sphere of detection, the mysterious bird knocked over a tower of apples that spilled over into the street. In the very instant that the man was distracted, Reeza seized the opportunity, swiftly snatching his purse and smoothly retreating from the scene.
From atop a nearby roof, the canary tilted its head robotically, turquoise eyes fixed upon the pink-haired girl who seemed to have snapped out of her reckless trance.
***
The air was thick with death and the smell of copper. Free from the binds of paralysis, the Volturax gradually pushed to its feet, a guttural growl bubbling up in its throat, and its eyes burned with a ravenous need for vengeance.
The explosion from the combined force of the Frost Prism and Flarial Seed had left a gaping hole in the creature’s abdomen. But despite its intestines hanging out from the wound, the beast was still intent on devouring them all.
As the ringing ceased in Daisuke’s ears, he could hear the hushed whispers of despair from the party. Zephyr had collapsed from exhaustion, the pup now vulnerable to an attack.
As if reading his thoughts, the Volturax’s thick neck snapped to the side, the canine’s motionless form reflected in the creature’s one remaining eye.
Daisuke’s own eyes dilated in horror.
“Zephyr!” he bellowed in desperation, an arm extending for the pup. But instead of unparalleled speed, his knees buckled and his body slumped to the floor.
The ghastly sounds of rending flesh and bones followed, and Daisuke stopped breathing, a deep and dark dread unfurling in his gut. Anger and fear twisted inside of him, fueling a monstrous urge for retribution.
Summoning the Lipanthyer’s Fang, Daisuke struggled to his feet, his expression a dark and ugly mask. Then he suddenly paled when the monster flew by him in a flash, taking his arm and the weapon it possessed.
A sickening chorus of screams and wailing was drowned out by a requiem of tearing flesh and crushing bones. Daisuke clutched his arm and turned toward the gruesome sight, only to be met with the piercing gaze of the fiend.
Then it lunged at him.
Daisuke lurched forward from his moss bed, Zephyr’s name ripping from his throat in a rasp howl.
“I-It’s okay,” Milo reassured him with raised hands. “He’s fine… we’re all fine.”
Covered in sweat, Daisuke looked around frantically to find the pup sleeping soundly next to him. Then he glanced around the dimly lit chamber to find everyone staring at him in surprise.
“Did you have a bad dream?” asked Elena as she hurried to his side. “Just take a deep breath; everything’s all right.”
“Where are we?” Daisuke muttered, trying to quiet the throbbing ache in his forehead.
“Our camp on the 11th floor,” informed Rexar with a grin. “We all decided to rest up here until you woke up.”
“The nightmare’s over,” Gavric began, “but it looks like you slipped right back into another one.”
Daisuke held his gaze. “Does that mean…”
“It does,” Finnian clarified as he sharpened his sword using a small whetstone.
“We managed to salvage the tail you severed, but the rest of the body was pretty much blown to smithereens,” said Lyanna as she gestured to the nearby appendage. “You pretty much defeated the boss on your own, so everyone agreed you should have dibs on the tail.”
“I’m sorry—looks like I went a bit overboard,” Daisuke apologized as he gently stroked Zephyr’s body.
“Mhmm,” Milo shook his head in denial. “It wouldn’t be right for us to be disgruntled when we owe you our lives.”
Elena nodded with a smile. “He’s right; we would have died many times over if you weren’t here fighting alongside us. Thank you for everything.”
Everyone heaved a grateful smile.
Daisuke smiled back, which also seemed like a taunt. “Don’t thank me just yet; we still have 9 more floors to go before we’re officially free of this place.”
Everyone blanched at the thought of that, and Daisuke grinned playfully. Then he took a moment to recall the final moments of the battle with the Volturax in retrospect.
During the whirlwind of activity, while he was defeating the monster’s underlings, Daisuke vaguely remembered leveling up, which was the requirement for equipping the new leather boots he had received.
After that, he needed to activate the option linked to the boots, but it was a gamble. Aside from the low activation probability, according to the equipment’s description, Haste would only activate if Daisuke or a party member used a speed-type skill.
Zephyr currently had a speed-type skill active, but he was a Companion. Would he be regarded as a party member by the System? The fact that everyone was still alive was the answer.
[Swift Leather Boots]
[Rank: Rare
Type: Footwear | Light Armor
Durability: 53/53 | Physical Defense: 9 | Magical Defense: 16 | Movement Speed: +10% | Evasion Rate: +10
Finely-crafted leather boots that bestow the wearer with exceptional speed and agility, allowing them to dart through challenges with grace and swiftness.
When a speed-type skill is activated, either by you or a party member, there is a chance of activating the Haste skill, granting a 30-second burst of heightened speed.
▪︎ Agility +3
▪︎ Int +5
▪︎ Chance of triggering Haste 10%
Conditions of Use: Lvl 21+ | Strength 70+ | Stamina 50+]
After storing the Volturax’s tail, Daisuke opened his Status Window to assess what had changed after the heart-wrenching battle with the toughest foe yet.
[Name: Haxks
Species: Human
Level: 23 | EXP: 12,385/82,656 (14.98%)
Class: None
Affiliation: Adventures’ Guild | Merchants’ Guild
Title: Lone Wolf, Pathfinder, Unwavering Spirit, Congenial Denizen, Master of Divine Beast, Devoted Hunter
HP: 2883/2883 | MP: 380/380
Strength: 62 (+18) | Stamina: 96 (+12) | Agility: 105 (+35) | Intelligence: 26 (+9) | Dexterity: 20 (+35) | Composure: 14 | Indomitable: 8
Stat Points: 30
Active Skills:
▪︎ Eye of Verity
▪︎ §ţæţ @%&¿
▪︎ Alchemy
▪︎ Intimidate
▪︎ Magic Missile
▪︎ Magic Chains
▪︎ Impeccable Parry
Passive Skills:
▪︎ Αφινίτη’s Blessing
▪︎ Novice Dagger Mastery
▪︎ Novice Polearm Mastery
▪︎ Novice Archery Mastery
Gold: 18.7]
[Name: Zephyr
Level: 17 | EXP: 31,783/45,156 (70.38%)
Race: Divine Beast
Species: Wolf
HP: 3106/3106 | MP: 650/650 | Attack: 234 | Defense: 112 | Satiety: 24/100 | Loyalty: 42/100
Strength: 87 (+30) | Constitution: 65 (+30) | Agility: 90 (+30) | Intelligence: 79 (+30) | Dexterity: 52 (+30) | Courage: 29 (+30)
Stat Points: 0]
Daisuke cupped his chin in thought. Given the size of the party, I'm surprised I managed to gain 2 whole levels, he mused. Zephyr gained 5. But I suppose that only goes to show that special monsters give a substantial amount of EXP, and Zephyr and I did deal more damage than everyone else.
With a mere mental command, he summoned his inventory and sorted it by ‘newly acquired’. It didn't take long for him to notice that one of his daggers had, unfortunately, reached the end of its lifespan.
[Broken Crude Bonepick]
[Rank: Normal
Type: Dagger
Melee Attack Power: 16~20 | Durability: 0/46
A crude weapon resembling a dagger, crafted from the bones of an ill-fated goblin. Although not designed for slashing attacks, it excels at piercing strikes and carries a chance of inflicting the «Bleed» Status on the target.
▪︎ Chance of triggering Bleed 15%
Conditions of Use: Lvl 1+ | Strength 1+ | Stamina 1+]
What a shame, Daisuke murmured ruefully. But it really goes to show that I need to upgrade my equipment pronto. At level 23, I shouldn't be wielding a level 1 dagger to confront a level 30 Dungeon Boss. I'd be a laughing stock if news of this got out on the community boards.
[Lightning Bead x5]
[Bramble Seed x6]
[Mana Crystal (1.5lb)]
[Reinforcement Tablet x4]
[Small HP Recovery Potion x3]
[Small MP Recovery Potion x4]
[Volturax Fang x2]
[Volturax Tail x1]
[Lightning Bead]
[Damage: 2,500
Deals fixed Lightning Damage to the target upon impact. The electrical charge may leap to up to 7 nearby enemies, with a 75% chance of inducing «Paralysis» and a 45% chance of causing the «Burn» Status.]
[Bramble Seed]
[Damage: 150
Vicious thorned vines, unleashed from the Bramble Seed, continuously inflict fixed Physical Damage per second on ensnared targets. Adversaries caught within the vines’ AoE also suffer harm. There’s a 35% chance of causing «Bleed» and a 12% chance of inducing «Poison» among those ensnared.]
[Poison Status]
[Swiftly deteriorates red blood cells, sapping the target’s Strength and Stamina by 25%. Health diminishes at a rate of 0.2% per second over 90 seconds. Duration can also be dependent on the level and grade of the weapon or skill used to apply the status effect, as well as the target’s level of resistance.]
Nice! The utilities on these are just as impressive as the Frost Prism and Flarial Seeds, but the fixed damage is greater. I guess that’s because they’re drops from a far stronger monster.
[Reinforcement Tablet]
[When Cedric Oswald Percival passed away, he took the hidden knowledge of alchemy to the grave with him, sparking a frenzy among alchemists worldwide. Eager to unearth the secrets and stake their claim to fame and fortune, these alchemists pursued the faint trails left by Cedric.
Though they never fully unraveled the mysteries, their tireless pursuits yielded an unexpected bounty: the means to elevate the reinforcement level of weapons and imbue them with magical properties.
Item Effect:
Increases the reinforcement level of a weapon by one tier.]
Whoa~ I didn’t expect to come across weapon enhancement materials this early in the game, Daisuke mused with a smile. But investing Reinforcement Tablets into low-level weapons would be a complete waste. Waiting until I get my hands on the Luck Stat would also help in balancing the odds since reinforcement is pretty much like playing the lottery.
Since babies outgrow their clothes quickly, parents are careful not to overspend on them. Similarly, Daisuke chose to preserve the Reinforcement Tablets. Leveling up was relatively easy at this point, and considering the regular switching of weapons and equipment, saving these resources seemed like the wisest choice.
[Volturax Fang]
[The sharp canine teeth extracted from the Volturax. Handling them requires utmost care due to their lethal sharpness. Suitable for forging into equipment or trading with merchants.]
[Volturax Tail]
[The tail harvested from the Volturax. Its weight is primarily concentrated in the mace-like tip. While robust, its flexibility renders it a potent weapon for the monster. Ideal for crafting specialized equipment or trade with merchants.]
Cleave mentioned that I should be mindful about selling off monster materials since they could be forged into useful equipment, so I’ll just hang on to these until I visit a blacksmith. Also, Daisuke contemplated as he accessed his skills.
[Impeccable Parry]
[Rank: Epic
Classification: Active Skill
Lvl: 1
Proficiency: 4%
In the hands of a true weapon’s master, the enemy’s attacks become a canvas waiting to be shaped.
Skill Effect:
▪︎ While wielding a weapon, you have the ability to parry an enemy’s Physical Attack if performed at the right instant.
In the rare instance that damage is received, it first depletes your Stamina and Mana. Only when both resources are exhausted will your HP be affected.
Mana Cost: None
Skill Duration: 1 Second
Skill Cooldown: 30 Seconds]
I never really got a chance to evaluate this skill. On the surface, it appears almost like a cheat, but there are two major flaws—the primary one being the challenging nature of executing the parry itself. Without specialized combat skills or an understanding of the opponent’s martial arts, pinpointing the precise moment to execute the parry would be nearly impossible.
The second disadvantage is that parrying an attack that surpasses your ability to neutralize could drain your entire stamina and mana reserves, pretty much leaving you with a one-way ticket to hell.
“By the way,” Gavric began, laying out a collection of items next to Daisuke. “These are the items we looted from the Dungeon Boss. Since you’re pretty much our leader, we all agreed to let you decide what to do with them.”
“Leader?” Daisuke’s expression turned to a surprised frown.
“Yes, of course,” Gavric insisted. “No need to be modest.”
Looking around, Daisuke was met with a chorus of thumbs up and smiles from the party. For a fleeting moment, he recalled his former role as leader of the children back in Dusthaven. But before the bitter parts of that memory surfaced, he halted his reminiscing and redirected his attention toward the items.
[Small HP Recovery Potion x4]
[Small MP Recovery Potion x6]
[Volturax’s Mana Core (2.3lbs)]
[Dreadthorn Mace]
[Rank: Normal
[Type: Mace
Melee Attack Power: 88~99 | Durability: 83/83 | Attack Speed: -27%
A menacing weapon with a reputation for unleashing sheer devastation on the battlefield. Adorned with cruel, razor-sharp spikes, it is a symbol of brute force and merciless destruction.
▪︎ Strength +8
▪︎ Knockback Chance +38%
▪︎ Chance of triggering Bleed 15%
Conditions of Use: Lvl 21+ | Strength 55+ | Stamina 35+]
[Aurora Ring]
[Rating: Normal
Durability: 6/6 | Magical Defense: +4.7% | Magical & Physical Balance: +4.9%
An amulet forged from the crystallized tears of a benevolent spirit. It shimmers with an otherworldly radiance.
▪︎ Int +6
▪︎ Mana +100
Conditions of Use: Lvl 18+]
[Mystic Headband]
[Rating: Rare
Type: Headgear
Durability: 53/53 | Physical Defense: 9 | Magical Defense: 15
Crafted by temple sages, it channels the wearer’s inner serenity, amplifying mental acuity for precise and agile combat.
▪︎ Attack Speed +22%
▪︎ Accuracy +45%
Conditions of Use: Lvl 21+]
“All right, here’s what we’ll do,” Daisuke began, “most of the potions will go to the healer and mage since the main damage dealer and healer are vital to the party’s lifeline.”
Without hesitation, Elena and Milo approached to graciously receive their allocated share of potions.
“Gavric, Finnian, and Milo,” Daisuke continued, “this is for you. Aside from the fact that you guys missed out on a gift on the 5th floor, these items will complement your abilities: a mace will help Gavric to crush enemies when a sword doesn’t work; a ring, like Elena’s, to boost Milo’s mana; and a headband to enhance Finnian’s swordsmanship.”
“I knew entrusting this to you was the right call,” Gavric boasted.
Finnian, the aloof member of the party, flashed a composed smile. Meanwhile, Milo held the ring up to the glowing fungi, appreciating its blue monochromatic design, which caught Elena's eye with a hint of envy.
Daisuke paused to examine the Volturax's Mana Core, noting its size that was roughly that of a football. Unlike the Mana Crystals and cores from other dungeon mobs, the Mana Cores from Dungeon Bosses were larger, denser, and had a distinct pinkish hue. They emitted a brilliant sheen, indicating their superior quality.
While an average Mana Crystal fetched 90 silver per ounce, those from Hidden Dungeons commanded a higher price of 135 silver per ounce. However, Mana Cores from Dungeon Bosses were valued at a staggering 150 gold per ounce, showcasing their rarity and desirability. As for Mana Cores from Hidden Dungeon Bosses, their value soared to an astonishing 350 gold per ounce. It was no surprise, considering the ridiculous challenge of actually locating and clearing Hidden Dungeons.
“As for the Volturax’s Mana Core,” Daisuke said, handing the crystal chunk over to Gavric, “I’ll leave you in charge of selling it to the guild and dividing the proceeds evenly among yourselves once we get out of here.”
"Wait—what?" Rexar exclaimed in surprise. "D-Do you even know the market price for Dungeon Boss Mana Cores?"
Milo and Elena stood by in stunned silence.
"I don't think it's fair for you to shortchange yourself like this," Finnian declared firmly.
"I couldn't agree more," Lyanna chimed in. "If I'm not mistaken, that Mana Core should fetch at least a hundred gold per ounce. You deserve your fair share."
Daisuke smiled gratefully, somehow finding solace in their argument. "I appreciate your honesty and consideration, but this is my decision. Please, respect it."
Reluctantly, the party conceded to his wishes.
"And what about you?" Gavric inquired, his brow furrowed with concern.
"Don't worry about me," Daisuke assured him. "My priority right now is to strengthen all of you on the remaining floors of this dungeon."
