Redemption’s Glimmer

Lin Shenyue waited in the dim cavern for her four companions to revive. While characters could choose to revive via a corpse run, they still needed to reach within 30 meters of their fallen body from the revival point. Although movement speed doubled in spirit form, this journey would still take at least three minutes.

Lin Shenyue mused that the boss’s skill could not possibly be without a counter. In truth, fully negating the skill’s negative effects would require three priests to simultaneously unleash their abilities. (Note: A priest’s Holy Light Bullet had a relatively long cooldown of 3 seconds and dealt moderate damage.)

However, a team with three priests would never be able to clear this dungeon. Even with two priests, there would be significant drawbacks. Given that resurrection spells were still unavailable at this level, one of the two priests would inevitably fall, leading to a reduction in combat personnel. A single loss in manpower could shatter the delicate balance, potentially resulting in a total party wipe.

Yet, the system would not present players with an unbeatable dungeon. Victory had to be achievable, either through overwhelming power gained from higher levels, or through meticulous team coordination and player skill. There was also the possibility that something within the dungeon itself could counteract the boss’s fearsome skill.

Lin Shenyue felt a strong intuition that a specific item or mechanism within the dungeon could counter the boss’s Hell’s Judgment. After a moment of hesitation, she decided it would be more productive to search the immediate vicinity for anomalies rather than simply wait for her teammates to return.

She removed a torch from the cavern wall, holding it aloft as she began to explore along the wall, moving towards the dungeon’s entrance.

****

When Ye Jue and the other three finally arrived, they saw Lin Shenyue, torch in hand, frowning intently at the wall. Having all chosen to revive, they gathered behind her.

“Yue’er, what’s wrong?” Ye Jue inquired.

Lin Shenyue pointed to the wall. “There’s something strange here.”

Ye Jue looked where Lin Shenyue indicated. He noticed that this section of the wall was remarkably smooth, a stark contrast to the rough, uneven surfaces surrounding it. As he ran a hand over the polished stone, a thought sparked within him. He suddenly recalled a mention of this secret room in the guides from his past life.

However, very few teams had attempted the Hell difficulty, and even fewer had encountered the Hell’s Judgment skill, so the secret room had only been briefly noted. Now, with Lin Shenyue leading him directly to it, he remembered: the secret room contained special fluorescent powder. While harmless, this powder could disrupt the magic circle that appeared on the ground when the boss cast Hell’s Judgment.

Ye Jue retrieved another torch and began to examine the wall more closely.

Observing Ye Jue’s focused attention on the hidden door, Lin Shenyue instinctively stepped aside, yielding the space to him. She had always trusted Ye Jue implicitly, perhaps because he maintained such an unwavering calm in every situation.

Drawing upon his past life’s knowledge, Ye Jue quickly located the mechanism. The secret room held nothing else, only the fluorescent powder and a single jade token. He picked up the items and inspected them:

[Special Fluorescent Powder: Fluorescent powder with an unknown effect. Its purpose is unclear.]

[Mysterious Jade Token: A jade token carved with a phoenix. It appears to have some purpose.]

Upon seeing the jade token, Lin Shenyue’s heart stirred. Her instincts screamed at her to claim it. She pressed her lips together, then finally stepped forward. “May I have this jade token?”

Ye Jue regarded her with a hint of surprise. Lin Shenyue rarely proactively asked for equipment; it was quite uncommon for her to step forward and request an item like this. He glanced at the others. “Then, this jade token will go to Yue’er. We wouldn’t know what to do with it anyway.”

The other three had no objections. As the only female member of the team, no one would contend with Lin Shenyue for a piece of equipment.

Lin Shenyue took the jade token and examined it carefully, only to find that it appeared to be an ordinary token with no discernible special properties. Resigned, she placed it into her backpack.

With the fluorescent powder now in their possession, the group resumed their arduous journey to defeat the boss. This time, armed with the experience from their previous attempt, they swiftly reduced the boss’s health to 50%. After using the fluorescent powder to disrupt the magic circle of Hell’s Judgment, the skill was rendered ineffective.

As the boss’s health plummeted to 25%, it unleashed a furious burst, flinging magic arrows with reckless abandon. This barrage caused significant trouble for the group. Fortunately, everyone present was a top-tier expert, and with Lin Shenyue’s incredibly sharp calculation abilities as a priest, they managed to avoid any casualties.

When the boss’s health dropped to a mere 5%, it prepared to activate its healing skill once more. Thankfully, Lin Shenyue had learned her lesson this time. While ensuring her teammates’ survival, she had reserved two critical skills, which, combined with the others’ attacks, allowed them to instantly slay the boss.

With the boss finally defeated, a collective sigh of relief escaped the group. This single boss had taken them twenty minutes to overcome. At this rate, clearing the entire dungeon would likely take at least an hour. If the final boss proved to be particularly formidable, they might even spend an hour and a half.

As was customary, Lin Shenyue approached to loot the boss. After sharing the spoils with everyone, the entire group was stunned.

[Staff of Redemption (Silver-tier): Level Requirement: 8. Magic Attack +28-35. Intelligence +8, Spirit +5. Healing Bonus +10%. Special: Light of Redemption. Cast on a player, granting them invincibility for 3 seconds. Mana Cost: 200. Cooldown: 1 day. (Forged by Kaira after his fall, imbued with a sliver of his righteous heart, hoping for his own redemption.) Redemption Set (1/3)]

[Book of Redemption (Silver-tier): Level Requirement: 8. Magic Attack +18-21. Intelligence +5, Spirit +4. Healing Skill Cooldown Reduction -10%. Special: Light of Healing. Instantly restores 300% of magic attack as health to all allies. Mana Cost: 100. Cooldown: 5 minutes. (Forged by Kaira after his fall, imbued with a sliver of his righteous heart, hoping for his own redemption.) Redemption Set (1/3)]

[Ring of Redemption (Silver-tier): Level Requirement: 8. Magic Attack +13-16. Defense +3. Intelligence +4, Spirit +3. Healing Skill Mana Cost -10%. Special: Blessing. The caster expends all their mana to create a shield that can absorb 1000% of magic attack as damage, protecting all friendly units within a 3×3 radius. Mana Cost: All mana. Cooldown: 1 day. (Forged by Kaira after his fall, imbued with a sliver of his righteous heart, hoping for his own redemption.) Redemption Set (1/3)]

Amidst the radiant glow of these three Silver-tier items, several Bronze-tier and Black Iron-tier pieces of equipment also dropped. However, no one paid them any mind. These three items were nothing short of divine artifacts for a priest, boasting terrifying special effects and potent healing bonuses. Even if the current party members couldn’t use them, any priest in their guild who acquired them would become an invaluable asset. Yet, they had agreed beforehand that each would take what they needed, making it difficult to renege on that agreement now. They could only watch as the three pieces of equipment were claimed by Lin Shenyue.

Ye Jue’s lips twitched. These three items had been known to drop in his previous life, but the reported drop rate for even a single piece was said to be one in a thousand. Even with the increased drop rate for a first kill, it was unprecedented for all three to appear simultaneously. It could only be attributed to Lin Shenyue’s astonishing luck.

Once equipped, Lin Shenyue’s magic attack instantly soared to a staggering 100. While the others’ attack power hovered around 50, Lin Shenyue had already pulled far ahead. This truly showcased the formidable power of Silver-tier equipment.

Divine Wind had little interest in equipment, being a lone wolf by nature. However, it was still a significant blow to him to see others acquire Silver-tier gear when he still only possessed a few scattered Bronze-tier items.

Iron Blood Plume, meanwhile, was practically drooling. Alas, these were items they could only admire; even if they wished to buy them, it was unlikely anyone would sell.

Fissure, by contrast, remained somewhat composed. The guild they belonged to was small, and acquiring such powerful equipment might not necessarily be a boon for them. Moreover, their guild lacked a powerful priest; even their strongest priest was less than a fifth as capable as Lin Shenyue. Of course, this referred to skill, not equipment.

Ye Jue chuckled softly. “With these pieces of equipment, Yue’er, our subsequent battles will be much easier.” He looked at Lin Shenyue, and noticing her slightly apologetic gaze, he smiled. “You don’t need to feel bad. The fact that these items dropped signifies your exceptional luck. Moreover, this particular boss is quite unique, being a dark-elemental mage who yearned for light. It’s not so strange that these specific items would drop from them.”

Though overshadowed by the three Silver-tier artifacts, the Bronze-tier equipment was also quite good. After distributing the remaining gear, the group pressed onward.