Chapter Seventeen #6
//40 Charisma | 20 Intelligence
//An eyepatch with a crimson spider lily growing out of it, giving the wearer a mystic yet regal feeling.
//Bloody Thorn Dagger
//Type: Weapon [1-Handed Dagger] (Rare)
//Requirements: Level 20
//140 – 155 Damage (Piercing) | Deals 15% more Damage to targets suffering from Bleeding statuses.
//An oversized thorn pulled from Lycoris’s body that is the perfect size for wielding and stabbing with.
//Lycoris Petals
//Type: Material (Rare)
//Petals from Lycoris that still hold the feeling of great loss within them.
Bloody Thorn Dagger had a symbol next to it to let me know that it was the bonus item from my armor’s set bonus. Considering that Lupa probably also got Goliath Hunter… that was going to be an absolutely massive upgrade for her.
There weren’t any potions since those mostly only dropped from the pre-15 bosses, but I did get four and a half gold coins to split between us which was nice.
Then came the first vine’s loot, with the second item being the bonus drop from my set bonus.
//Vine Flesh
//Type: Ingredient (Rare)
//The interior of Lycoris’s vines is full of protein-dense “flesh” thanks to absorbing so much blood.
//Mourning Vine
//Type: Weapon [Whip] (Epic)
//Requirements: Level 20
//160 – 175 Damage (Slashing) | Each attack inflicts the target with Bleeding Thorns, dealing 15 Bleeding Damage every 3 seconds for 15 seconds. Stacks up to 3 times.
//One of Lycoris’s growing vines, now repurposed as a weapon.
The bonus drop… was huge.
None of us were using whips, but that was the best whip in early game outside of a few specific builds. It only had a 0.75% drop rate from the severed vines of Lycoris as well. It was a little extra low since Lycoris had so many vines that could be severed during a fight, but still.
“I’ll share everything with you guys later,” I said and then chugged another potion. “Let’s hurry up before I run out of potions.”
Rosie and Lupa both looked anxious even though I knew I would be fine.
Now then, since we were not going to go through Crimson Maze to the next boss at the end of it, that meant it was time to go pay a visit to a noble knight.
[Otto Oakson, the Grave Knight]
[Level 9 | Boss]
“Rosie,” I said. “He’s yours this time.”
“What?” Rosie asked. “We need to hurry! This—”
“I refuse to team up on him. When I said we’re going to beat him quickly, I meant one of us would, and your weapon will be the most effective against him. And now you’re over his level.” I nodded toward Otto.
He nodded back.
Looked like he remembered me after all.
“Gah! Fine! Don’t complain if I get too rough instead of have some proper fancy duel with him while my husband is bleeding out behind me!” Rosie shouted, clearly annoyed with me.
Hearing that, Otto looked at my arm and stared straight at the flower on it.
Then he looked back toward the forest that… may or may not have been a little bit on fire, but it was alright since dungeons canonically “refreshed” every day at midnight, restoring all damage within them.
Otto then removed his helmet and… walked away from us. He walked toward the edge of his arena and pushed his hand out through it.
His health quickly dropped to only 2% remaining as he looked like he was being electrocuted.
He was stuck in a prison just like I was. Trying to leave killed him.
Otto then pulled his hand back and nodded toward Rosie.
“Are—are you helping us?” Rosie asked. “So it… goes faster?”
“… he’s thanking us for putting an end to the suffering of his princess’s favorite flower,” I explained. “Does it… really count if now it’s stuck respawning for eternity?”
Otto simply nodded again.
“Otto, are you… happy here?”
Rather than nod, Otto brought his fist to his chest. A salute. A display of his pride.
I walked past the girls toward him, drew my sickle, and prepared Strong Slash. “Thank you,” I said and executed him. “Don’t loot him. We didn’t earn it.”
I had no idea how to feel.
It was the world I loved, there was no denying that, but it being a real world rather than just a game meant real spirits—who still had memories and personalities—were stuck in dungeons to be killed for my entertainment.
For the vast majority of dungeons, I didn’t care. I knew most of the beings within them were objectively evil in life and would happily go back to killing outside the dungeon if they could.
But “monsters” like Otto didn’t deserve that fate. His princess and her flower didn’t deserve it, either.
Otto told me he was happy.
I wondered if it would be possible to have a deeper conversation with him about it somehow.
I wanted to understand him and learn more about Otto, the dungeon boss, not just the Otto of the past who I only knew about through the optional lore of a video game.
I drank another potion.
“You know the plan,” I told Rosie and Lupa, who were both looking at me with pretty concerned expressions, as I stood in front of the portal back to Victory Plaza. “I’m going to go get this flower off me.”
I looked down at Otto, thanked him again, and stepped through the portal.