Broken squinted his eyes as the massive form of the monster they had just defeated collapsed to the ground, creating a thunderous boom. The immense creature’s body disintegrated into countless tiny pixels, leaving behind several glowing items of various colors. These items levitated into the air before shooting towards him, one by one, seeming to collide with his chest and then disappearing, settling within his inventory.
[You have obtained 5 pieces of low-quality Orichalcum Ore]
[You have obtained 2 pieces of medium-quality Orichalcum Ore]
[You have obtained 1 piece of high-quality Orichalcum Ore]
[You have obtained 3 pieces of medium-quality Green Orichalcum Ore]
[You have obtained 1 piece of high-quality Green Orichalcum Ore]
[You have obtained 1 piece of low-quality Thorn Vine of Vine Horror Treant] […]
[You have obtained Verdant Whisperplate – Chest Armor (Epic)]
[You have obtained Verdant Swiftstride – Pants Armor (Epic)]
[You have obtained Thorned Vindicator Sword (Epic)]
[You have obtained 1 Epic – Vine Horror Treant Lv. 200 Monster Soul Stone]
Broken’s breath caught in his throat when he discovered he had acquired a Monster Soul Stone from the fallen raid boss. Not only that, but he now possessed more than enough Orichalcum to craft the coveted Moonvine Knuckles. To his further amazement, he had also obtained Epic-grade Chest Armor, Pants Armor, and a sword!
His heart pounded with exhilaration as he realized the truly rewarding outcome. With a broad smile lighting up his face, he softly exclaimed, “This is incredible!”
However, the wealth of treasures he had acquired was bound to attract comments and attention from others.
Gradually, everyone began to gather, forming a circle around him.
Goldrich was the first to tap his shoulder, speaking out with relief. “Khi khi khi, I can’t handle any more surprises today! After everything that’s happened since this morning, and all of it because of you. Seeing that annoying monster drop a Monster Soul Stone for you was quite a shock. It looks like we’ve hit the jackpot today!”
Maylock offered a relieved smile. “Well done, Broken. We made it this far, and we wouldn’t have been able to do so without your help.”
Elincia approached him, looking exhausted but with a spark of happiness in her eyes. “I trust you have gathered all the essential components for crafting the item you wanted. I hope it brings you joy. I see you’ve gotten more than enough, haven’t you? The Orichalcum? I never thought we could finish this with just one raid boss battle.”
Skywarden, standing between them, chimed in with a stern tone. Pointing a finger at Broken, “He must share the loot from the monster. We only agreed to share the Monster Core, not the Monster Soul Stone. The value of that item is too high to just hand over to him! He also got two armor pieces and a sword. I bet that armor is meant for the archer class.”
Jovina smiled confidently and said, “We have won big. But it’s not always so easy. We could just as easily have lost big. Broken was a great asset in the battle-this would have been an entirely different outcome without him. He earned those rewards promised to him at the beginning.” Her voice became firm and determined. “Anyone who has an issue with this decision can face me on one. Interested?”
“Shut your mouth, Jovina! You know a Monster Soul Stone has immense value! It’s not fair for him to get it just based on his contribution. We promised drops from the monster, but not the Monster Soul Stone. Besides, this is a Monster Soul Stone from a Raid Boss! This isn’t a trivial matter!”
He continued, “Do you understand how much a Monster Soul Stone from a raid of this magnitude is worth? We deserve fair compensation-I find it insulting that we aren’t receiving proper payment for our hard work.”
Melliandra’s voice rang out across the area. “Hey, you stupid Skywarden!” she snarled. “I might be as greedy as you, but our guild stands for more than just making money! We have pride and honor, and we don’t stoop so low as to break our commitments. No matter how much I despise this man, and will forever hate him! But I’m not going to lower myself by doing something as sneaky and underhanded as this! You fool!”
Optimus, a tall martial arts fighter with blonde hair, stepped forward and added, “Yeah, I think he’s lucky to get those items. But that happened because he landed the final blow on the raid boss. The outcome would’ve been different if our raid party had dealt the final blow, right? Damn, I’m so greedy, I want the soul stone. But we made a commitment, and yes, I stand by our initial agreement.”
Broken smiled slightly at the display of tension, but he knew he had to stay firm. He couldn’t let go of the Monster Soul Stone, for it had become his right according to their agreement. Besides, he needed the Monster Soul Stone to craft the Moonvine Knuckles, which would give him a chance to produce a Legendary Grade item with it.
“Thank you all for your help,” he murmured under his breath. “I can share the armor and the sword with the others. But sorry, I need the Monster Soul Stone.”
Elincia then stepped between them. “I understand how hard it is to let such a valuable item slip away. The lure of the Monster Soul Stone is very tempting indeed. However, we can always hunt this monster again in the future. I don’t want greed to lead us astray and bring discord among us.” She concluded her statement with a friendly smile. “Do we come to an understanding? We’ve done our best, anyway. Does anyone here object to Broken getting all the item drops?”
“He is a swordsman; he doesn’t need the armor,” skywarden continued, his frustration palpable.
Maylock smirked and replied, “What if we ask him directly whether he can use the armor or not? We all saw him using a bow to save Melliandra, which clearly shows he can use archer
armor.”
Skywarden, visibly annoyed, shot a furious glance at Broken.
“The armor requires level 200, and I can’t use it right now,” Broken answered calmly. “But once I reach the required level, yes, I can use all those items.”
“Khi khi khi…” Goldrich chuckled with interest. “What kind of class do you have, huh? You seem to be grabbing everything in the shop.”
“Does anyone else have any complaints?” Elincia interjected. “I believe the items Broken received are no more valuable than those held by Maylock, our only archer. And as for the sword, I’m sure Livelywood’s current weapon is still good and suits his needs.”
Livelywood, the sole swordsman among them, nodded optimistically. “Yes, my sword is level 200 and fits my fighting style, so I don’t need the new one right now.”
At last, everyone agreed.
However, despite the victory celebration unfolding around him, Broken couldn’t shake a growing sense of unease. Earlier, he had received a notification that piqued his curiosity.
[The activation of the Bountiful Harvest skill caused an extremely rare reaction that requires additional time to process the results. The outcome will have to be postponed.]
“What does that mean?” he wondered.