Chapter 34: Chapter34-The Peculiar Settlement Phase
"Push harder, this beast is on its last breath!"
John's shout snapped Exiled Immortal and Helena back to reality.
The two of them readied their stances again but refrained from rushing forward.
A cornered beast always makes a desperate counterattack—this was the lesson they had learned over the past two months.
The more critical the moment, the more cautious they must be!
Sure enough, just as Exiled Immortal was about to launch an attack, the giant wolf swung its claws, unleashing a wind blade!
Had Exiled Immortal not dodged in time, that single wind blade would have been enough to seriously injure him!
"This beast still has a trick up its sleeve?"
"It's at the end of its strength. It can't hold out much longer."
John spoke as he took a vial of poison from his backpack and tossed it to Exiled Immortal.
"Try to get this into its wound and end this battle quickly."
Perhaps sensing its impending doom, the giant wolf's attacks grew even more frantic and fierce.
In the confined space, John and his team constantly dodged and repositioned, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Their flying swords and long whips alternated in attacks, and John occasionally threw his concocted poisons to assist.
After fifteen grueling minutes, they finally drained the giant wolf's HP. Now, only one final blow remained to slay it completely and achieve the first boss kill.
Unanimously, John and the others turned their gaze to Lily.
The massive experience gain from killing the boss wouldn't be shared evenly, so it was undoubtedly best to let Lily, the lowest level member of the team, deliver the finishing blow.
"If it's too much for you, don't push yourself. Your level will eventually increase."
"No, it's fine, Johnny. I've almost recovered."
Lily shook her head with a smile, gripping her staff tightly as she began to chant again.
[Astreos, Stars of the...]
"Wait, Lily, casting [Starfall] again might be too much for your body."
"But Johnny, I don't know any other attack spells."
"You just need to walk up and hit it on the head with your staff."
At this moment, the giant wolf was in a dying state, completely immobile. There was no worry that it would lash out and harm Lily; after all, monsters might lie, but HP doesn't.
This last bit of HP would dissipate on its own even if left alone.
Hearing this, Lily hesitated no longer. She obediently walked forward and, with a determined shout, struck the giant wolf on the head with her staff, dealing just the right amount of damage.
Almost simultaneously, a notification rang in the ears of all the players.
[Global Announcement! Congratulations to player Lily for slaying the BOSS Windwolf. The team is awarded the dungeon's first clear reward!]
[First clear rewards will be distributed randomly. Please check your player inventory!]
[First clear random rewards have been distributed!]
"It's finally over..."
Exiled Immortal let out a long breath, habitually checking his player inventory.
[Wolfbone Staff]
Quality: [Epic]
Attributes: [Slightly increases chant speed, slightly increases chant cost, significantly increases wind magic power]
Stats: [Increases Wisdom by 45, Stamina by 7, Attack by 7 when equipped]
Item Description: [A staff crafted from the leg bone of a magic wolf. Though it doesn't look particularly appealing, its cool touch has a calming effect.]
Without a moment's hesitation, Exiled Immortal handed the staff directly to Lily.
At first, Exiled Immortal had some reservations about John and Lily, but now, those doubts had completely vanished.
"Lily, this staff is for you. You're still using the Beginner staff, right? Its stats are too low. Switch to this one."
"Thank you, Exiled Immortal!"
"Boss, what's your first clear reward?"
"You'll see once I equip it."
As Helena spoke, she clicked on the item in her inventory. Her fiery red armor was instantly replaced by leather armor.
The pure white chestplate made of tanned fur was tightly fitted, exposing her smooth, flat stomach and her shapely, snake-like legs, exuding a wild beauty.
"So, how does it look?"
Helena glanced at John, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.
"It looks like it has great stats," John evaluated seriously.
[Magic Wolf Leather Armor]
Quality: [Epic]
Attributes: [Slightly increases Agility, slightly increases Stamina, has a chance to reduce damage with each received attack.]
Stats: [Increases Agility by 20, Stamina by 45, Attack by 20 when equipped.]
Item Description: [Crafted from the fur of a magic wolf, it balances aesthetics with maximum warmth, if it could cover the entire body.]
"Lily, what did you get? Is it something I can use?"
Seeing Helena already wearing her new armor, Exiled Immortal rubbed his hands together, looking at Lily with anticipation.
"Well, you might... not be able to use this."
As she spoke, Lily took out a six-sided die from her inventory.
The moment John saw the dice, his eyes lit up.
"Is that the [Hermes Dice]?"
"Ah, Johnny, how did you know? But why is it an exquisite quality item?"
"I know because I have one too."
John pulled out his own [Hermes Dice] with a smile. "This was my reward for being the first player to join the game world."
"No way, John, you're Player 001?"
"That's right. At this point, there's no need to hide it. This dice is quite useful, but unfortunately, its tier is too low to keep up with the current pace."
John shrugged, about to put the dice away, when a dialog box suddenly popped up.
[Identical named growth equipment detected. Enhancement possible. After enhancement, identical named equipment will disappear, and tier will increase by one level.]
Both John and Lily saw the notification.
"Then it's yours, Johnny! Only in your hands can it reach its full potential. After all, you're much luckier than I am."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. If I can enhance it, it might still be useful for a while."
John nodded slightly, took the dice from Lily, and began the enhancement process.
Enhancing the item would take an hour, with no way to shorten the time. So even though John was curious about the enhanced stats, all he could do now was wait.
"John, what did you get? Show us! I can't be the only one without new gear!"
"Geez, you're so impatient. I haven't even—"
As his inventory opened before him, the smile on John's face froze abruptly.
In the last slot of his inventory, a blade named [Wolf Fang Blade] lay quietly.
This should have been a cause for celebration.
If only the [Wolf Fang Blade] wasn't [Corrupted].
"How... how could this happen?"
John took out the [Wolf Fang Blade]. Due to the [Corrupted] affix, he couldn't even view its attributes.
A shadow of gloom settled over him, his thoughts churning. He hadn't noticed that the three who had been standing in front of him were now gone.
"[Corrupted], again with [Corrupted]! What is going on? [Abyss] hasn't appeared; I confirmed it myself!"
Once might be a coincidence.
But the second time was undeniably happening to John.
With an SSS-level talent like [Kiss of LUCK], this sort of thing shouldn't be possible for John.
Yet it happened.
"Maybe... we should leave the dungeon. I might need to log off for a while."
John looked up, finally realizing that his companions had vanished.
"Lily? Exiled Immortal? Helena, where did they go?"
"Shh... don't make a fuss. I sent them away. They were in the way. How can old friends catch up with interruptions?
So, how do you like the welcome gift I gave you?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Red_Skin_Duck
Red_Skin_Duck Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone