Chapter 114 – Dividing the Spoils

A thunderous boom shook not just Huaxia Summit, but the entire Huaxia Online! Unfortunately, players from other servers couldn’t rush over in time, leaving only their fellow players from the chaotic server to explode in the World channel.

[Huaxia] Liu Yidao from Northern Shaanxi: Am I hallucinating?

[Huaxia] Huaxia Knight: I took a screenshot. I can send it to you for free.

[Huaxia] Cutie Pie: Did Meteor Blitz and Five Peaks Pavilion clear the endgame dungeon???

[Huaxia] Dumbledore: Do you even need to ask such a stupid question?!

[Huaxia] Lifetime Hater of Dominion: Didn’t Dominion brag about how the grand prize was theirs? Hahahaha!

[Huaxia] Miao Miao Like Water: War Banner must be feeling the same way as Dominion right now.

[Huaxia] War-Bodhi Patriarch: No one will mistake you for mute if you shut up.

[Huaxia] Miao Miao Like Water: Darling, you finally spoke to me again TAT

[Huaxia] Fanxian: Seriously, why are you derailing the topic at a time like this? Have you no humanity?!

[Huaxia] Liu Yidao from Northern Shaanxi: But wasn’t that dungeon for thirty people? Why did only two hit max level?

[Huaxia] Huaxia Knight: Probably because the boss was too hard, and the others lost too much XP.

[Huaxia] Born in 1994: Why didn’t anyone from the Ghost Server hit max level? Weren’t they all pushing the dungeon together? So unfair >_<

[Huaxia] Rain Flower Stone: Now that you mention it, that’s true. They must be so unlucky, haha.

[Huaxia] Dumbledore: Alright, stop rubbing salt in their wounds.

[Huaxia] Rain Flower Stone: Fine then╮(╯_╰)╭

[Huaxia] Rain Flower Stone: But shouldn’t Five Peaks Pavilion and Meteor Blitz at least say something about their experience? And what exactly was the max-level grand prize? So curious~\(≧▽≦)/~

[Huaxia] Drink Till You Drop: Friendly reminder—the following statements do not represent our guild’s stance.

[Huaxia] Summit of Mount Tai: I

[Huaxia] Unintentional Mistake: Will

[Huaxia] Fire Cloud Evil God: Fuck

[Huaxia] Suave Not Sleazy: Your

[Huaxia] Kill All Who Block Me: Mom

[Huaxia] Northern Frontier Rouge: Ah

[Huaxia] Leaves Fall on Chang’an: Ah

[Huaxia] Gentle Blade: Ah

[Huaxia] Water Phantom: !!!!!!!!

Audience Area A thought to themselves: Seems like they don’t appreciate our cheerleading…

Audience Area B thought to themselves: Or our wave.

Audience Area C thought to themselves: Must’ve been a brutal dungeon.

Audience Area D thought to themselves: Yeah.

The world fell silent.

They would never know that beneath the thick layers of earth, in that pitch-black little coal mine, twenty-seven comrades had already turned their tears into poetry.

[Team] Water Phantom: Why can’t teammates share XP…?

[Team] Summit of Mount Tai: Why can’t legionmates share XP either…?

[Team] 2B Fighter Jet: Why did killing mobs level us up…?

[Team] Drink Till You Drop: How did 715 know killing that mob would level us up…?

438: “I didn’t know! But why are you all typing instead of talking in YY?”

[Team] Hu Yifei 12138: We’re too exhausted to speak…

438: “Why?”

[Team] Milk is Mom: Crying too hard to form words.

A team’s morale always has a clear indicator—for example, the Ghost Server Legion Leader’s wavy lines.

This wasn’t just a dungeon—it was a journey through hell. The designer had used his overwhelming malice to turn every vibrant soul into dried sausages, then hung them in pairs on a tattered clothesline.

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: What do we do?

[Whisper] Big H: Lay low for now.

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: You think the guy who designed this dungeon just got dumped by his girlfriend?

[Whisper] Big H: Or maybe he’s pushing forty and just realized he likes men.

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: This is just too much aggro. My reputation is ruined by this goddamn dungeon.

[Whisper] Big H: Are you sure you ever had one?

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Dude, even now, can’t you stand in the same trench as me?

[Whisper] Big H: Then scoot over to the left a bit.

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Done.

[Whisper] Big H: Cool, I’m coming down.

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Speaking of which, 715 is a real weirdo.

[Whisper] Big H: Weirdo doesn’t even cover it. That guy’s a straight-up bug!

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: But either way, we hit max level thanks to him. Should we split the grand prize with him later?

[Whisper] Big H: I’m afraid most of it’s probably bound. Otherwise, we should definitely give him something.

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Then it’s settled!

[Whisper] Big H: Yep!

[Whisper] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Why isn’t the prize here yet? >_<

[Whisper] Big H: Right?! So frustrating >_<

As a monopoly, Huaxia Express had no ambition to be faster, better, or stronger. It wasn’t until the mobs Big H and the others had killed respawned that the courier finally made an appearance.

The twenty-eight comrades, stripped of gear, surrounded the mobs and took turns landing physical attacks until the mobs fell—and twenty-seven of them immediately leveled up.

From this, two truths became clear: First, the key to breaking the max-level barrier was to personally land at least one hit on the mob. Even if you were in the same party or clinging to the mob like a ghost, if you didn’t land a hit, the RNG God wouldn’t grant you a single point of XP. Second, don’t seek death if you don’t want to die—case in point, Refined Into a Demon 715, whose XP bar remained stubbornly at 98.7%.

“It’s fine! The mobs are already cleared, so there shouldn’t be any more restrictions. Once we take down the final boss, I’ll definitely hit max level too~~~”

“Can I interview you? What’s the secret to your unwavering optimism?”

[Team] Refined Into a Demon 715: Whispering—I learned it from our Commander~~ [shy]

[Team] Milk is Mom: That’s slander! Slander!!

No one believed the healer’s protests. In fact, no one had the energy to pay attention anymore. The twenty-something max-level players left the mobs and instead surrounded Big H and White Dragon Horse. Still stripped of gear, still huddled together, they wordlessly tightened the circle…

Their comrades had turned into the walking dead TAT

The two lucky bastards trembled as they distributed the prizes, hoping to earn their friends’ forgiveness—

[Team] Big H: [Root Skill Manual] [Grand Mage Set] [Grand Mage Staff] [30x Level 70 Enhancement Stones] [Mysterious Pouch]

[Team] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: [Sell Blood for Glory Skill Manual] [Grand Blademaster Set] [Grand Blade] [30x Level 70 Enhancement Stones] [Mysterious Pouch]

[Team] Big H: Plus 5,000 Huaxia Coins and the title ‘Grandmaster,’ which gives +5% attack and defense when equipped.

[Team] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Yeah, that’s it. Nothing else.

The hell else did you want?!

A new skill manual meant you might be the only one in Huaxia with that ability. The sets and weapons might not break game balance, but they were undoubtedly the best possible gear at that level. The Level 70 Enhancement Stones didn’t even exist in the game yet—even if future endgame dungeons dropped them, they’d still be rare as hell. The 5,000 Huaxia Coins were straightforward cash, and the attack/defense title was whatever—other titles like ‘Jewelry Master’ or ‘Forging Maniac’ from Life Skills offered the same bonuses and sounded way cooler =_=

Your Sister: “What’s the meaning behind ‘Grandmaster’…?”

Crossplayer: “Max level achieved by standing out from the crowd?”

Suave Not Sleazy: “Only brain-dead idiots would hit max level by killing mobs?”

Everyone: “Suave gets ten points.”

The rewards somewhat diverted everyone’s attention, especially the two new skills.

The Spirit Master’s Root skill, like Cactusfication and Sleep, was a crowd-control ability—but with one key difference. The latter two could be broken by attacks. For example, if a target turned into a cactus and swayed in the wind for two seconds before getting hit by a Pear Blossom Rain, they’d still take damage but immediately revert to normal and keep fighting. The same went for Sleep. Root, however, couldn’t be broken. Though its duration was only a third of Cactusfication and Sleep—ten seconds—during that time, the target couldn’t move or counterattack, no matter how many spins or fancy attacks you unleashed. Ten seconds wasn’t much for a Spirit Master’s cast time—maybe one and a half to two big skills, or two to three small ones. It might not be enough to kill, but a skill’s strength wasn’t just about its raw effect. How well it synergized with other skills to maximize DPS depended entirely on the player’s skill.

The Berserker’s Sell Blood for Glory had no precedent—it was a brand-new skill: Damage Reflect. For one minute, 50% of the damage you took would be reflected back at the attacker. Cooldown: twelve minutes. That meant you’d only get to use it once in most PVP fights, unless it dragged on. But whether this “kill a thousand enemies, lose eight hundred of your own” skill was worth it remained to be tested. Timing, the opponent’s HP, even whether they chose to flee or keep attacking during that minute—all were variables.

While everyone else was lost in studying the new skills, the Ghost Server Legion Leader remained clear-headed. If you X-rayed his brain right now, you’d see abacus beads flipping wildly inside.

“Big H~ White Dragon Horse~” The Commander spoke, his voice as gentle as a water lily trembling in the breeze.

The two named souls huddled together for warmth: “Milk Mom, please don’t do this… we’re scared…”

“Fine, I’ll cut to the chase.” Rarely so merciful, the Commander got straight to the point. “Which of your rewards aren’t bound?”

What is tacit understanding?

Tacit understanding is when, as soon as the Commander finishes speaking, 438 receives a gift.

[Team] Refined Into a Demon 715: [Mysterious Cloth Bag x2]

[Team] Refined Into a Demon 715: Commander, looks like these two aren’t bound~\(≧▽≦)/~

[Team] Milk is Mom: Yep, and they absolutely reek of potential scam from the inside out =_=

[Team] Refined Into a Demon 715: [fidgets fingers]

[Team] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Ghost Server, don’t be like this. It’s true that only this thing isn’t bound.

[Team] Milk is Mom: Really?

[Team] Big H: If we’re lying, we’re not human!

[Team] Milk is Mom: What about the Huaxia Coins? (⊙o⊙)!

[Team] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse: Sorry, we’re not human…

Two cloth bags and 10,000 Huaxia Coins—this was barely enough to slightly soothe the trauma of the Ghost Server comrades. After all, three teams had gone into the dungeon together. The other two teams had both received max-level loot boxes, and the key reason was thanks to their own Demon Refiner’s sharp eyes. Yet, their own team had gotten nothing—enough to make the entire team bite their blankets and cry until dawn.

The other two teams had no objections to this compensation. Big H was the Commander, White Dragon Horse was the Deputy—both were decision-makers. While the Ghost Server’s contributions and the mental trauma inflicted by the Ghost Server Commander could very well cancel each other out, once you’ve teamed up, you’re brothers. 438’s MVP status was indisputable. To put it bluntly, if he hadn’t stubbornly pursued those mobs, even after defeating the final boss, they might not have reached Level 70. Just imagining the psychological damage they’d have suffered then… No, better not think about it. Too terrifying TAT

So giving some consolation prizes was only fair. And one thing Milk is Mom had said really rang true—

[Mysterious Cloth Bag]

Contents: Unknown

Value: Unknown

Opening Date: Depends on luck

It really did seem like a scam item, oozing malice from the designer, inside and out!

“So, are we still going forward?” Now that the shock of max-leveling and loot boxes had passed, someone raised this serious question.

YY fell silent.

Though everyone except 438 had their status fully restored from leveling up, while HP and MP bars could be refilled, the gaping hole in their hearts could never be filled. That place was dark and desolate, howling with cold winds, carrying wordless accusations against this cruel world…

“Of course we keep going,” 2B Fighter Jet said irritably. “We’re already here. If we can’t get fish, shrimp will do. What if the boss drops something? At least it’d be a consolation prize for clearing.”

Your Uncle: “But the drop rate for bosses in high-level dungeons is pretty low.”

Blood Bull: “Great, now it’s zero.”

Fang Zheng: “We’re still doing it.”

Kill All Who Block Me: “What’s the point?”

“At the very least, we can take a screenshot of the boss’s corpse,” the Ghost Server Commander said, pausing before sighing deeply, “Proof that we were here, that we loved, that we hurt.”