[Congratulations to Astralis Requiem for completing the first Level 15 Dungeon in Elysium!]
[Guild Reward Acquired: Star Walking]
[Description: Where the stars walk, the path becomes light. When two or more guild members are grouped together and out of combat, the base agility of everyone involved is increased by 10%, reducing stamina consumption during long-distance travel.]
Lohan read the description and his eyes lit up!
Without any real mounts, Lisa doesn’t count, every time the group went on a hunt, the distance they had to travel was enormous. On average, they spent an hour just getting to the hunting spots, and as their levels rose, they had to go farther and farther to find more powerful monsters, since there were only lower-level monsters around their Guild’s base.
Sure, the higher their levels got, the more agile and faster they became, but not all members gained agility at the same rate.
Samantha, for example, as a Rogue, became much more agile than Dee, who was a Tank, with every level they gained.
So the group’s speed was always limited by the slowest player.
A skill like that, even though it only increased speed by 10%, meant they could get anywhere at least 10% faster, and since stamina was also consumed more slowly, that time savings would actually be even greater!
But then, Lohan noticed something interesting.
"Did you notice, Lisa? All our rewards... Star Tears, Astral Chest... now Star Walking, everything fits perfectly with the star theme we chose because of the view that day..."
He recalled that when he earned the solo achievement for killing the first Player, the reward, the title "Predator", also fit his devouring fighting style very well. "Whoever is managing Elysium’s rewards seems to be looking for something that matches our essence... whether it’s an extremely advanced AI, like the one they say established our bases, or..."
Lohan recalled how Lisa used to call Elysium "another world" and the possibility that something superior or divine might lie behind it, since there were gods in this world, and coincidentally, upon dying, Players were reborn in churches around the world... The thought left him pensive for a few seconds as he watched the tiny particles of bluish mana floating in the chamber’s air, now purer following the Boss’s death.
Lisa heard Lohan’s speculation and was surprised that he had noticed such a small detail; she wanted to say something more, but lost in thought, she bit her lower lip and remained silent.
Within a few minutes, the penalty time for the Starry Tear finally came to an end.
Lohan felt the weakness leave his gelatin, further accelerating the digestion of the Boss’s remains, and Lisa straightened her paws, shaking out her white fur, which now shone once more with its normal vitality.
Without the 15% debuff on all stats, Lohan devoured the monster even faster, finishing it off after a few minutes, finally looking at his Biomass bar, now completely full, excited to distribute it among his evolutions and become even more powerful.
"Alright, everyone. The show’s over for today," Lohan said to the group through the mental link. "Let’s head back to the guild. We’ve got a lot to process and a dungeon core to store."
"Yeaaah!!" The group cheered happily, finally able to leave that exhausting place, but all with huge smiles on their faces.
As they began their walk out of the Cave of Whispers, the Star Walking effect activated automatically.
Lohan noticed small, bright blue starlike particles appearing around the feet of each group member, as if they were walking on the reflection of the night sky.
Everyone’s movements became smoother and faster, and the fatigue from the battle seemed to be subtly alleviated by that light, revealing yet another hidden effect it possessed!
"Not only does this help us move, but it also restores our stamina faster after combat!" Lohan was even more pleased.
The return trip was uneventful, marked by lively conversations about the loot and the new skills each of them felt blossoming within them. Upon reaching the entrance to the great fossilized tree, Elle’s fairy garden welcomed them with a warm glow.
At the guild entrance, leaning against one of the revitalized roots, stood the silhouettes of Richard and VonB, looking a bit downcast.
The two players, who had died during Stage 2 of the boss fight, seemed a little disheartened, grappling with the frustration of the death penalty and the feeling that they had let the group down at the crucial moment.
Lisa walked over to them and bowed her head in a gesture of respect. "Don’t feel that way. You fought just as the Astralis elite should fight. Without your sacrifice to hold back those roots, the rest of us wouldn’t have had the opening we needed to complete the mission."
All the guild members also bowed their heads to the two players who had sacrificed themselves for their victory, causing Richard and VonB to feel their frustration over their deaths fade away with that act of respect.
Lohan rolled to the center of the hall and snapped his membrane to get everyone’s attention. "Listen up! Today’s mission was an absolute success. We’ve proven that Astralis Requiem is Elysium’s leading guild! But I know you’re all exhausted. It’s been days of nonstop grinding and a week without proper sleep to prepare for this."
Lisa then took the floor, her voice sounding firm and generous. "Halon and I have decided that all of you are free to log off and enjoy a two-day vacation. Go back to the real world, take a shower, eat a real meal, sleep as much as you need, and spend this time with your families."
"And so you can rest with a smile on your face..." Lisa continued. "Each of you who participated in today’s raid will receive a bonus of $10,000 credits deposited directly into your accounts later today."
The silence that fell over the hall was broken by a collective gasp of shock and excitement. Even though they’d earned so much money over the past few days with the guild, no one would turn down such a generous bonus!
"And as for Richard and VonB..." Lohan added, with a note of appreciation in his voice. "Since you gave your lives for the guild’s victory and suffered the greatest loss of progress, your bonus will be doubled to $20,000 credits as compensation and a token of our gratitude."
Obviously, this extra bonus was Lisa’s idea. Lohan wouldn’t use her money without permission.
Richard and VonB’s eyes widened, their sadness over their in-game deaths instantly washed away by a sense of loyalty and security they’d never felt before in any corporation.
"Astralis Requiem!!" Dee shouted, joined by a chorus of thanks and cheers that echoed throughout the tree.
Little by little, the players’ silhouettes began to transform into particles of blue light as they logged out, ready for a well-deserved rest after making history.
Lohan and Lisa remained alone in the main hall, watching the twilight light of Mythlorien filter through the leaves.