Chapter 262: Alliance With Silver Beast
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[It’s starting to get some attention.] Tsutomu stood silently, watching Haltto from Ealdred Crow on the monitor, the latter’s fingers tightening around the hilts of his Cosmo Alpha dual blades. Haltto’s prowess was undeniable, but it was the black-and-white swords in his hands that now commanded attention. Their impressive power was not lost on the handful of Explorers diving into the perilous Light and Darkness layers. As whispers spread, it became clear why: Cosmo Alpha could wield both light and dark elements, an unparalleled advantage in this dangerous new territory.
Until now, most challenges could be surmounted with gear scavenged from earlier layers, the progression relatively smooth. But here, in the abstract realm of Light and Darkness, that approach faltered. The first couple of layers were reasonably manageable with appropriate elemental coverage; the first signs of struggle appeared on the eighty-third layer. Silver Beast, despite their strong start, had hit a dead end there. Ealdred Crow, not so far ahead, was already faltering on the eighty-fourth. By the time any Clan reached the mid-boss on the eighty-fifth, ordinary equipment would be rendered practically useless — Ealdred Crow was rapidly approaching that grim realization.
Whispers of Haltto’s dual blades had already begun to ripple through the ranks of the Explorers. It was not just Haltto’s prowess that intrigued them, but the treasure itself — Cosmo Alpha, plucked from a chest in these very layers. Now, treasure chests of the Light and Darkness layers were coveted more than ever. Armaments from these chests would be essential for further progression. Tsutomu knew it would be best to equip his entire Clan with such rare finds, if possible.
[Still, treasure hunting is no simple task here…] In this world, unlike the predictable grind of Live Dungeon, the treasure chests here were few and fickle — finding them was frustratingly unpredictable. Even if one were fortunate enough to discover a chest, there was more to consider: armor needed resizing depending on the opener, and the design itself differed depending on whether it was claimed by a man or woman.
So far, most of the necessary gear had circulated adequately through the market, and direct chest-hunting had only been crucial when specific items, like heat-resistant gear for the Mount Golem, were needed. But now, they had no choice but to chase after the elusive chests themselves.
Fortunately, with a skilled blacksmith or tailor, the gear could at least be altered to fit or dismantled for parts. For now, it seemed practical to have larger members like Daryl and Garm open the chests. However, equipment linked to the opener’s Job appeared more often, which made the thought of each member trying their own luck a tempting strategy.
In Live Dungeon, treasure could be farmed endlessly, and any piece desperately needed could simply be bought from the player-run market. But here, with so few Explorers even able to access the Light and Darkness layers, it was unlikely any sought-after equipment would trickle into circulation.
[Considering all that, the Adventurer Job is a lot more useful in this world,] Tsutomu mused. [If we could find a photographing machine, we’d make a killing, too…] The Adventurer Job, with its naturally high LUK status rating, had always been useful for treasure hunting. Skills that boosted LUK even further made the job invaluable when it came to unearthing rare finds. Yet, the Job had remained unpopular — their other stats were mediocre, and they had few combat skills to speak of. Still, luck was on Tsutomu’s side — a single Adventurer he knew had made it into the Light and Darkness layers.
[Maybe I should talk to Misil…]