Inside the Abyss Tree, on the way to the first named boss.
*Thump thump.*
*Rustle rustle.*
"Hehe."
I glanced at the little Chris walking right beside me and chuckled softly.
Her tiny, adorable movements. Her red hair cascading down to her waist. The one silly lock of hair swaying atop her head. And in contrast, that confident smile.
Just looking at her made me feel at peace. It was a different kind of happiness compared to when I saw the tall, shapely Chris in her adult form.
"Hmm?"
Little Chris smiled brightly and looked up at me. I barely managed to stop my hand from reaching up to pat her on the head and quickly changed the subject.
"So, what’s the benefit of creating a second raid team?"
It was something I’d been curious about. Surely they didn’t create a second team just for me.
Of course, raising a secondary character could allow you to enjoy the game with a different class, and you could gain rewards from daily quests. You could even experiment with character customization, like Chris.
But a whole raid?
Little Chris giggled.
"Ever since I figured out the direction this game was headed, I knew I needed to raise secondary characters. Sure, my main has a lot of money, but I prefer earning gold in the game itself rather than just using real money."
I nodded.
Chris might spend a lot of gold, but she earns far more in-game through things like running buses, completing quests, and monopolizing the weapon market. She even hires top-tier players like me as bus drivers to help her rake in gold. I guess I’m both a favorite toy and a gold-earning employee.
Little Chris stretched her arms out dramatically.
"The best part is that farming for the main raid team becomes easier."
"Huh? But accessories are bound, so wouldn’t the secondary characters just end up farming for themselves?"
"As farming progresses, the main characters from the first team will join the second team. After all, whether it’s our raid team or Skada’s raid team, the main characters will always be stronger, right? They’ve got better Echo Stones and interior stats than the secondary characters."
Chris shot a quick glance at Skada, the leader of the Skada Raid Team, who was following us. Skada smiled brightly, watching Little Chris and me with a mischievous look.
"Eventually, the first team’s DPS will be more than enough. So the main characters who haven’t finished farming can come over to the second team, help out with DPS, and grab accessories at a lower price. We can fill the remaining slots with bus passengers. And farming secondary characters can wait until you’ve earned plenty of gold when bus fees are high."
"Ah, I see."
So they’ll switch characters between the first and second teams.
Later, when some members are fully geared, they can take in more bus passengers, or even form a third team with the leftover members.
"And don’t forget, the legendary weapons crafted from materials dropped in this raid are super popular right now. Since only three raid teams have cleared it, the more weapons we pull, the better. You can farm secondary character weapons later, but right now, we need to sell them while the price is high. You made a ton of gold this time too, right?"
Little Chris flashed me a sly grin. I awkwardly scratched my face and smiled.
As Chris said, I made an enormous amount of gold by monopolizing the *Crow’s Remnants*.
By combining *Crow’s Soul* with the previous elite dungeon weapon *Ice Palace Master's Weapon*, I crafted the legendary *Northern Legion Commander’s Weapon* and sold it for a massive amount.
"Thanks to that, I was able to pay off all the money I owed Chris."
"Tch. I told you, you didn’t have to pay it back."
I smiled brightly while Little Chris pouted slightly.
But yes, as of today, I was free from debt.
I’d been diligently saving all my YouTube and ad revenue into my personal “negative account” that I called *Unni’s Money*. The rest of the amount, I paid off with the gold I earned from selling the weapon.
And I still had a thousand gold left. That should be more than enough to win the earrings and rings at the auction today and still have plenty left over.
"By the way, this weapon probably has an evolution system too."
I fiddled with the *Astaroth* hanging at my waist.
This was the second legendary weapon to appear after I obtained *Astaroth* from a world boss, and it was in a similar tier. Of course, the one I sold didn’t fetch the same astronomical price as *Astaroth*. As more teams clear the dungeon, it will steadily lose value. The crazy high price for *Astaroth* was due to it being the first legendary weapon.
"And besides, the options on this new legendary weapon are purely PvE-focused. No cooldown resets, no PvP options. Sure, the extra damage and guaranteed critical hit with stacks are amazing."
I checked the auction records to see the options of the *Northern Legion Commander’s Sword* that I had sold.
---
[Northern Legion Commander’s Sword]
[Legendary Grade]
[Attack Power: 450]
[Additional Damage to NPCs: +20%]
[All Skill Damage +50%]
[Socket 1: Empty]
[Socket 2: Empty]
...
[Socket 6: Empty]
[Unique Ability: Chance to apply the "Dark Lord" buff when attacking. At 5 stacks, converts to the "Berserk" buff.]
(Berserk - Additional Damage to NPCs: +20%, Guaranteed Critical Hits for 10 seconds)
[Bound upon equip]
---
If I didn’t already have *Astaroth*, I would’ve been drooling over these stats.
"But its attack power is slightly lower than *Astaroth*, and it doesn’t have the cooldown reset."
For me, the cooldown reset was more important. Since I often had to handle mechanics alone, being able to use mobility skills back-to-back was crucial.
And...
*Schwing.*
When I drew *Astaroth*, the dark blade gleamed with silver light, captivating me once again.
Most importantly, *Astaroth* was prettier.
"This sword is definitely better."
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Little Chris watched with a pleased expression as I pressed my cheek against the blade.
---
**[First Named Boss]**
**[Level 53]**
**[Black Dragon]**
**[HP: 59,047,009 / 200,000,000 (29%)]**
---
*Boom boom boom boom!*
The Black Dragon’s final special pattern, a massive breath attack, was unleashed toward the raid members.
As we crouched inside the barrier created by the ants, waiting for the breath attack to stop, the members of the "Crimson-White & Skada Raid Team 2" prepared for the final burst DPS phase.
"Beimerung, *Spirit Descent*! Let’s bring it down to 10% in this burst and finish it off!"
"Got it!"
*Fwoosh!*
Beimerung pulled out a talisman, and a blue light swirled around the party members. The *Spirit Descent* buff from her Onmyoji class enhanced the team.
As Chris gave the order and we entered the burst DPS phase, the Black Dragon’s HP started to drop rapidly.
*Whirrr!*
Skada, the leader of the Skada Raid Team, checked the interface while preparing her *Arcane Burst* spell. The damage contribution rankings, visible only in 12-man raid teams, appeared.
---
[Black Dragon - Damage Contribution]
[1. Drizzle Rain (23.4%)]
[2. Chris-Too (12.2%)]
[3. SkadaMK2 (12.0%)]
...
---
Skada clicked her tongue.
"What kind of swordsman pulls that much DPS...?"
Even if Rain was playing her main character, it was hard to understand how she could be dealing nearly double the damage of a free-hitting mage while tanking the brutal mechanics of the Black Dragon.
Skada’s gaze fell on Rain, whose sword was trailing starlight as she slashed through the dragon’s scales.
"It’s not just because of her weapon."
*Whish! Tap tap tap!*
Rain, with her long silver hair flowing, gracefully dodged the dragon’s forelegs, unleashing starlight sword energy. Before the dragon could finish its next move, she darted in again, her sword slicing deep between its scales.
It was enough to bruise Skada’s pride. Even though she was playing a secondary character, the gap between her DPS and Rain’s was too large to ignore.
*Boom!*
Skada’s *Arcane Burst* detonated, and the damage rankings shifted.
---
[Black Dragon - Damage Contribution]
[1. Drizzle Rain (23.8%)]
[2. SkadaMK2 (12.9%)]
[3. Chris-Too (12.4%)]
...
---
Though Skada’s contribution had risen to second place, she was still dissatisfied. A pure DPS mage barely beating an Onmyoji, a support class, wasn’t exactly a victory.
---
*Roarrrr!*
*Boom!*
*Thud thud thud.*
The Black Dragon collapsed, and Little Chris rushed over to cling to me. Watching the two small girls hugging each other made Skada smile.
Chris turned back to Skada with a triumphant expression.
"First try! The Skada team did great too, huh?"
"That’s too kind."
It really was too kind. The other members of the Crimson
-White Raid Team were skilled, but *Chris* and *Rain* were on a completely different level.
"As expected from the first clear and second clear teams."
"Mm."
Skada nodded in agreement with Park Jung-gwon, the main tank of the Skada Raid Team, who had approached her.
Rain, the silver-haired swordsman girl.
It was widely known that she was part of the "Noname Raid Team," the same group that had streamed solo clears of elite dungeons.
But had she really cleared a raid dungeon alone? People still debated it.
Skada shook her head.
"Her damage contribution is overwhelming, but even she couldn’t solo a raid boss with those mechanics. The named bosses in the Abyss Tree have time limits and enrage mechanics."
"Yeah, she must’ve had a team for the first clear. Elite dungeons are one thing, but..."
"Mm. No one knows who she teamed up with, though."
The members of the elusive Noname Raid Team were like a mirage.
But right in front of them stood Rain, a girl with unbelievable skill.
---
"Park Jung-gwon, as a fellow swordsman, what do you think? Could you do what Rain does?"
"A swordsman...? It’s hard to even classify her as just a swordsman."
Park Jung-gwon wiped the sweat from his brow.
Though he was one of the top swordsmen, Rain was a player who broke all conventions.
Skada’s sharp gaze turned to the two girls excitedly squealing over their rewards.
"Noname Raid Team, Crimson-White Raid Team..."