Chapter 186 – Dividing the Spoils

The boss that had tormented the Perfect Storm crew for half the night and most of the day naturally had some decent loot, as evidenced by Liaodong Iron Cavalry’s reluctance to let go of the corpse after looting it.

But while he could see the boss’s generosity, his teammates couldn’t, so someone grew impatient—

Trick or Die: “Hurry up and pick it up! Or at least show us what you got! You can’t just hoard it all for yourself—have you no humanity?!”

“Aside from legion rewards, it’s all legion rewards. There’s enough for each of us fifty to get one.” In the end, Liaodong Iron Cavalry didn’t bother with screenshots and simply clicked “Confirm Loot.”

Instantly, a loot roll window popped up on all fifty players’ screens, one prize after another scrolling through—just as Liaodong had said, all of them were either Legion Honor or Legion Rewards.

Fifty people rolling for loot was already a spectacular sight, but fifty people rolling fifty times? That was downright brutal. Occasionally, a slower teammate would get roasted to ashes—after all, one second of delay per person meant a full minute wasted for the entire group. They’d already been stuck on this waterway for far too long; they couldn’t afford any more delays.

The cacophony of clicking mice continued in Perfect Storm’s voice chat for nearly seven minutes before—

X: “Liaodong, didn’t you say there’d be enough for everyone? At this point, we’re practically getting two per person. How much loot is there?!” This was the first time he’d ever rolled so much his fingers cramped!

Big H: “If your legion doesn’t need these scraps, just click ‘Pass.’ That’ll free up slots for the rest of us.”

X couldn’t be bothered to argue. Passing or rolling required the same number of clicks—there was no difference in effort! But Big H was right about one thing: these rewards were practically worthless to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. He had expected such a difficult boss to drop at least one or two decent items on top of the hefty reward points, not this endless stream of useless junk. Even if it had to be junk, couldn’t it at least have been broadcast in World Chat? When Skull Island had earned them just 1 Legion Level Point, it had been announced in Flagship. But now, all they got was an endless stream of System messages, completely invisible to onlookers!

Perhaps sensing the frustration of its former opponents, the defeated boss finally delivered—

[System] Grave Sweeping Scroll has obtained 3 additional Legion Warehouse slots.

[System] Ever Bright has obtained 4 Legion Level Points.

[System] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse has obtained 1 Legion Emblem.

[System] Dragon Wonton has obtained the Flagship Ring.

And just like that, the ever-disruptive White Dragon Horse made his move.

The entire crew perked up—though some only realized what was happening after the others had already reacted.

Level 70. Purple-tier. Best-in-slot accessory.

When the pure-hearted Dragon Wonton, goaded by the crowd, shared the ring’s stats, Perfect Storm lost its mind. And since he’d accidentally posted it in World Chat instead of party chat, Flagship lost its mind too.

The first purple-tier gear to drop in Flagship since the Lover’s Constellation event! In fact, it might very well be the first one to drop in the entire game!!

But by now, the Perfect Storm crew had no energy left to show off. Instead, they were all beating their chests in regret, wishing they could turn back time—

One Night Resurrection: “Which useless finger did I use to roll just now?! I’m gonna chop it off!”

Snow Drifter: “I don’t even remember if I clicked ‘Roll’ or ‘Pass’—this is fucking heartbreaking TAT”

Scholar Lu: “Dragon Wonton, 200,000 Huaxia Coins. Sell it to me.”

The offer sent a shock through the crowd. Purple-tier accessories were indeed rare, especially those dropped by world bosses—unbound and ripe for a bidding war. But did he really have to start at 200,000?! How were the instant-noodle-budget players supposed to compete?! And this was just a ring—if an unbound purple-tier chestpiece or pants (hell, even underwear!) ever dropped, they’d all go bankrupt trying to afford it! Not every legion leader was as loaded as Heshen—no need to drive up prices and wreck the in-game economy like this! TAT

“Damn, rich people.” Grave Sweeping Scroll voiced everyone’s thoughts, then added, “250,000. I’ll buy it.”

The penniless legion leaders and deputies didn’t even have the energy to mock him. Fine, bid all you want—let’s see if anyone’s crazy enough to outbid you. =_=

“I-I’m not selling.” Dragon Wonton didn’t give the two a chance to further torment the others. This was his first time seeing a purple-tier accessory, and he wanted to keep it for himself. His excitement made his voice waver, but his stance was firm.

“That ring is for magic-based classes. It doesn’t suit you.” Don’t Stop the Meds’ tone was calm, not pressuring him to sell, but his words cut straight to the heart of the issue.

Dragon Wonton fell silent.

This silence gave the restless crowd new hope.

“Berserker, didn’t you always want to join our legion?” Angel of the Gods spoke up, her voice laced with subtle superiority. “Name your price—our legion will take it. We’ll take the ring, and we’ll take you too. How about that?” Realizing she might have overstepped, she quickly added, “Legion Leader, is that okay?”

After a moment’s consideration, King of the Gods gave a neutral “Mm,” projecting an air of leadership.

Dragon Wonton seemed about to speak, but Outer Flame’s maneuver silenced him again—this time, for even longer.

For the spectators, whether it was two people fighting or three made no difference—the more drama, the better. But the Dutch Chamber of Commerce and Iceborn were frustrated. They’d thought it’d be a simple bidding war between two rich players—whoever was more reckless with money would win. But then Outer Flame had barged in, adding emotional blackmail to the mix. And considering how Dragon Wonton had previously fawned over Outer Flame…

“No, I’m not selling.” Just when it seemed the Berserker would agonize forever, he finally broke his silence. Surprisingly, he said “no.” Even more surprisingly, his refusal was firm.

Angel’s face burned with humiliation. “Have you never seen anything good before? I told you, it’s for magic classes—it doesn’t suit you! Our legion leader was kind enough to offer you a spot, and you’re just gonna throw it away?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Dragon Wonton apologized profusely, despite having done nothing wrong. His voice was meek, but beneath that meekness was unwavering resolve. “But I really won’t sell it. I know it’s for magic classes—I’m not keeping it for myself. It’s for my brother.”

Angel: “Brother? Don’t tell me it’s for Today I Bomb the School. With his IQ, he can’t even click the right server tab. Even orange-tier gear is wasted on him—purple-tier? Are you kidding?”

Dragon Wonton paused, his voice darkening. “I don’t care.”

At this point, there was nothing left to discuss. Angel, seemingly encountering Dragon Wonton’s anger for the first time, was at a loss and awkwardly dropped the subject.

The spectators, however, found this satisfying. Those who had previously looked down on Dragon Wonton for clinging to Outer Flame now saw him in a slightly better light.

Fang Zheng, meanwhile, was slapping his thigh in frustration—

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Why can’t such a solid kid be born in Huaxia Summit?! I wanna recruit him so bad TAT

[Whisper] Polly: Then recruit him.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: ?

[Whisper] Polly: Find a hacker to delete his account, then set him up with a fresh max-level account on Summit.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: …

[Whisper] Polly: There are shops on Taobao that specialize in account hacking. Ten-year reputation, guaranteed service.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Let’s just talk about the purple-tier gear.

[Whisper] Polly: ^_^

Of course he was joking. But Fang Zheng understood Polly’s point—everyone had their own path in the game. Not everyone was like Polly, willing to switch servers just because it suited them.

[Whisper] Polly: “You’re the one who came to me.”

Couldn’t he just let Fang Zheng have one peaceful moment to himself?! Just one!!

Meanwhile, players in World Chat, unaware of the drama unfolding in Perfect Storm, were still losing their minds over the purple ring—some in awe, some envious, and some just bitter. And during all this, the boss hadn’t stopped dropping loot, dishing out another dozen or so Legion Rewards and three more orange-tier items. The crew didn’t let the ring spectacle distract them from clicking, so the rewards continued to land in different players’ inventories. Some, like White Dragon Horse, were skilled enough to multitask—watching the drama, clicking for loot, and even scolding Liaodong Iron Cavalry: “You must’ve seen the purple ring when you looted the boss. Why didn’t you say anything?”

Liaodong Iron Cavalry’s response: “There was too much loot. I just skimmed it and clicked ‘Loot All.'”

Plausible.

But not foolproof.

Still, without proof, no one could accuse him of deliberately hiding it to give himself an advantage—maybe he just missed a click or two.

Just as the crew was silently calculating their next moves, the real prize arrived—Baggins Set! The boss had blessed Perfect Storm with a lavish gift!!

At this point, the number of purple-tier gear pieces in the entire game could be counted on one hand. Completing a full set was rarer than summoning a dragon—fewer than five sets existed, including the one obtained through lottery. And now, Baggins had generously dropped another—unbound, no less! Unbound meant it could be looted, but it also meant it could be traded at will!!!

This time, the rolls came fast. It wasn’t that players were careless with purple-tier gear—it was that in case of a tie, whoever rolled first would win. Speed was key!!

[System] Nicknamed White Dragon Horse rolled 66 points.

[System] War-Snow Wolf rolled 59 points.

[System] Mouse of the Gods rolled 45 points.

[System] King of the Gods rolled 2 points.

[System] …

Grave Sweeping Scroll: “Guess the roll numbers reflect your karma, huh? Hahaha.”

[System] Grave Sweeping Scroll rolled 66 points.

Grave Sweeping Scroll: “Dammit! Whitey, I hate you!!!”

By now, over 80% of the crew had rolled, and White Dragon Horse was still in the lead. Given the intensity, there was no time to wonder why this ship’s average luck was so abysmal. =_=

Fang Zheng swallowed hard. Unlike the others, he believed good things came to those who waited. What was his would come to him. So he deliberately waited until the last few seconds before gently clicking—

[System] Milk is Mom rolled 70 points.

Not the highest possible, but enough to crush all previous rolls! This was luck!! This was fate!!!

[System] ice Iceborn rolled 92 points.

[System] Don’t Stop the Meds rolled 93 points.

[System] Silent Hill rolled 95 points.

Did they have to skip two whole tiers?!

Fang Zheng turned to his deputy, silently pleading with his eyes.

Polly’s lips curled into a faint, confident smirk.

[System] Polly rolled 1 point.

Come here so I can kill you. =_=

The bloodless battle finally ended with a player who’d been silent for so long, everyone had almost forgotten about him—

[System] March to Liangzhou rolled 100 points.

[System] March to Liangzhou has obtained the Baggins Set.

“Fuck!” “Shit!” “Damn it!” The sound of thighs being slapped and tables being pounded filled the voice chat in a symphony of regret. The winner, however, remained silent—no gloating, no victory speech. Fang Zheng was disappointed, but he didn’t dislike March—in fact, he was happy for him. Though the set was level 70, and March was only… Wait. Fang Zheng squinted at the chat list and realized March to Liangzhou’s level had somehow jumped to 70!

There was only one explanation: March had leveled up the moment the boss died.

Did Baggins have a hidden max-level dungeon effect?

Just as Fang Zheng was about to consider this, a sudden surge of noise in his headphones snapped him back to reality—dozens of players gasping in unison.

[Baggins’ Heartscale]

Material Level: 70

Material Color: Purple

Even if full purple-tier sets were rare, some players still had them. But a max-level purple-tier material? This was the first in Huaxia Online’s history! No wonder it had dropped after the set—just like dungeon first clears, this was the first-ever max-level purple material drop!!!

Quicksilver: “Why isn’t anyone rolling?”

Big H: “Everyone’s realized—the later you roll, the higher your number.”

Soldiers in Snowfield: “If you don’t roll soon, time’s gonna run out.”

Milk is Mom: “You guys are so slow.”

White Dragon Horse: “Uh, you haven’t rolled either.”

Fang Zheng: “For something this easy, my deputy’s got it covered!”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “1 point. Just as expected from the man I fancy.”

Fang Zheng: “…”

He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and mustered his courage before turning to his deputy with a loving gaze.

Polly’s lips curled into that faint, confident smirk again.

Wait, why did this ominous expression feel so familiar? =_=

Hey, hey, hey—I told you to wait! Being the first to act could be deadly—

[System] Polly rolled 100 points.