Red items!
That dazzling scarlet glow was the exclusive mark of Mythic-rank loot! The ground was littered with all sorts of spoils, piles of gold coins first and foremost, followed by Purple-rank gear, then Orange-rank and Blue-rank items. But the Mythic red items were the rarest of all, with only two in the entire haul.
Kalis strode forward quickly and stuffed them into his inventory. The 1,040,000 gold coins he'd just scored were even more than what he'd gotten from killing the Mythic Boss Wraith General before. At the game's exchange rate, that was enough to buy two luxury cars in the real world!
His eyes immediately locked onto the two Mythic items:
[Crimson Domain Scroll (Mythic)]: After a 3-second cast time, creates a Crimson Domain with a 1000m radius and 100m height. All characters within the domain (except the caster) have their stats reduced by 50%. The domain lasts a maximum of 300 seconds. This effect is ineffective against Legend-rank or higher lords and players who have completed Tier 4 advancement.
[Demon's Core (Mythic)]: Permanently increases Strength by 50 points when used. Items of the same type follow the "higher rank overrides lower rank" rule; only one such effect can be active at a time.
Both were consumable Mythic items, and their effects were absolutely game-changing.
The Crimson Domain Scroll was undoubtedly a strategic treasure that could turn the tide in faction wars. Just send an Assassin to stealth into the enemy camp and cast it, and the entire enemy force would be crippled.
As for the Demon's Core, those 50 stat points were the equivalent of the total potential points gained from 25 level-ups. Even when factoring in the base stats automatically added with each level, those 50 Strength points were on par with the stat boost from 17 whole levels. The only downside? It only boosted Strength, making it far from the optimal choice for Kalis, a mage.
The haul also included a decent number of Legend-rank items, four or five pieces of gear alone. Unfortunately, all of them had level restrictions that neither Kalis nor Lia could meet at their current levels. There was also one highly practical Legend-rank scroll:
[Targeted Portal Scroll (Legend)]: Opens a targeted portal leading to a specified location when used. The portal lasts a maximum of 60 seconds. Currently bound location: Silverpeak Hamlet, Valorian City.
This scroll was the key quest item needed to rescue the trapped human miners in Silverpeak Mine. The other items, like the Abyssal Core Shards, failed to spark much interest in Kalis.
However, among the Epic-rank loot, there were two hidden gems that were surprisingly useful:
[Mass Resurrection (Epic)]: Universal skill book for Tier 3 Cleric-class players. Instantly revives all party members within a 50m radius, restoring 20% of their HP and MP. Cast time: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 600 seconds.
[Random Teleport Scroll (Epic)]: Instant-cast skill. Randomly teleports the user to any location on the current map when used.
Lia's eyes were instantly glued to Mass Resurrection, her gaze filled with longing. It was exactly the core Epic skill book for her class. But she'd already promised not to ask for any loot during this dungeon run, so she couldn't bring herself to speak up and ask for it now.
Not only could Lia learn this skill, but so could Lenore. It could revive up to four party members at once, making it a core survival skill in raid dungeons and faction wars, truly a god-tier skill that every Cleric dreamed of owning!
Even though it required Tier 3 advancement to learn, getting it in advance would completely eliminate the team's worries about revives in future battles. What's more, Epic skill books like this weren't basic skills handed out by the system. Even after playing for half a year, only a handful of Clerics would ever get their hands on one!
"I need to save this book for a friend. I can't give it to you." Kalis picked up the Mass Resurrection skill book and said to Lia.
"Oh, okay." Lia replied softly, her voice tinged with obvious disappointment, but she didn't say anything more.
Kalis glanced at the mountain of loot on the ground, picked up a Rare-rank skill book usable by Clerics at random, and tossed it to her. "Here, a bonus for you. Don't go around telling people I'm a cheapskate later."
The skill book was Mass Purification. While it wasn't as valuable as Mass Resurrection, it could dispel all negative status effects from party members within range—an extremely useful top-tier skill for both PVP and PVE.
"Thank you~" Lia's face lit up with joy, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons. She'd fully expected to come out of this empty-handed.
Kalis stashed all the remaining loot into his inventory, then said to Lia, "Let's go rescue the miners first, then we'll continue searching for the Divine Dew Spring."
After gathering up the spoils, he didn't head deeper into the Abyssal city. Instead, he turned around and marched straight back into the mine.
"Uh... do we have to be in such a hurry about this?" Lia looked stunned. She hadn't expected that right after killing a powerful boss, Kalis's first priority would be turning back to save a bunch of NPC miners.
The two walked along the winding mine tunnels for a short while, eventually returning to the miner detention area at the very bottom of the mines.
"Adventurer Kalis! You're back! How's the situation outside? Is it dangerous?" Colin and the other miners had been waiting anxiously for him. They swarmed over the second they saw Kalis.
Kalis pulled out the Targeted Portal Scroll and announced in a clear voice, "I've killed Zerakel. You're safe now. You can go home!" With that, he activated the scroll, and a portal glowing with soft white light opened up in front of them.
"Good heavens! It's true!"
"Adventurer Kalis killed the evil Abyssal Lord!"
"We're free! We're finally free!"
The miners burst into tears of joy, hugging each other tightly.
Colin dropped to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face as he thanked Kalis earnestly. "Adventurer Kalis, we'll never forget your great kindness! If it weren't for you, we would've either been devoured by the Abyssal monsters or trapped in this dark mine for the rest of our lives. You saved all of us. Please accept our highest gratitude!"
"Yes! You're our savior!" The other miners knelt down one after another, bowing deeply to Kalis in unison.
Kalis hurried forward to help Colin up, urging the others, "Please, there's no need for formalities! Hurry through the portal and leave! It'll only last for one minute—if you delay, it'll be too late!"
These miners were just ordinary civilian NPCs. Kalis had never expected any kind of reward from them in the first place. He'd prioritized turning back to save them not for any loot, but because he was worried that after he ventured deeper into the Abyssal Realm, the remaining Abyssal creatures would take their anger out on these defenseless miners when they couldn't find him, leading to a brutal massacre.
"Adventurer Kalis is right! Let's get out of here first! Once we're back, we'll immediately write a joint petition to the Lord of Valorian City, begging him to reward you generously!" Colin and the others scrambled to their feet, bowed to Kalis once more, then scrambled through the portal one after another in a hurry.
Kalis did a quick headcount—there were easily forty or fifty trapped human miners. If they'd delayed even a little longer, the portal would've closed, and the consequences would've been unthinkable.
After the last miner stepped through the portal, the mine fell completely silent. The clanging sound of pickaxes that had filled the air earlier was gone without a trace.
"You actually treat these NPCs like real people? You not only talk to them patiently, but you also care this much about their safety." Lia stared at Kalis's back, her face filled with astonishment.
"They are no different from real people. They have their own personalities and stories." Kalis replied calmly. "Never underestimate any ordinary NPC. Behind them, there might be relatives or friends who are Mythic-rank Bosses."
Ever since meeting Tavren, Kalis had gained a completely new understanding of the game Eternal Realm Online. Many of the game's details weren't presented explicitly. NPCs weren't just quest givers or loot dispensers—they carried the stories and deeper meanings that the game's designers wanted to convey.
"Let's go. We'll continue searching for the Divine Dew Spring." Kalis turned and walked toward the mine exit, analyzing the situation as he went. "Earlier, when Zerakel heard the name Divine Dew Spring, his reaction was extremely intense. Clearly, this item is a top-tier treasure even in the Abyssal Realm. Getting our hands on it won't be easy."
"You're right. The fact that Daphne is willing to trade an Artifact for it is more than enough to prove how ridiculously valuable it is." Lia agreed. A consumable item on par with an Artifact—its rarity was unimaginable.
"It sounds noisy outside. Could it be that the remaining monsters have come back?" As they approached the mine exit, a chaotic commotion drifted into their ears. Lia frowned, then cast all three of her buffs in quick succession without hesitation, slapping them all onto Kalis.
"Earlier, those fleeing cowards seemed to mention going to report to some kind of general." Kalis's eyes narrowed slightly. "Could it be that they've arrived this quickly?"
The title "general" sounded like a rank even higher than High Abyssal Lord. Could it be a Mythic-rank Boss at level 200 or above, similar to the Divine Generals of the Temple?
If that was the case...
Well, well. This was getting interesting. Kalis's eyes lit up with excitement. He cast Crystal Barricade on himself, then sprinted toward the exit at full speed.
A moment later, he was back on the street where he'd fought Zerakel earlier.
"ROAR——!"
No sooner had he stepped out of the mine than an angry roar boomed down from the sky. Kalis looked up, and his eyes widened. Dozens of Giant Winged Wolves with wings sprouting from their ribs were circling high above, and on the back of each wolf rode a Fiendish Warrior with a green face and fangs bared.
"Is it you two who killed Lord Zerakel?" The lead Fiendish Warrior looked down at Kalis and Lia from high above, the contempt in his voice making it clear that he saw them as nothing more than two tiny ants.