Dahav was walking with a sly smile, glancing at the liquids inside the flask in his hand.
‘If I drink this elixir and hunt, and a storm of level-ups becomes possible….’
The Elixir of Growth.
Made by boiling a mixture of Wolya Grass 5g, Ilmyung Grass 5g, a bit of Balance Grass, and other key ingredients for about six hours with the right amount of water, it was an elixir anyone could prepare.
Originally, the recipe was discovered first by Aiollos, and in the future, it would be an essential tonic for all users.
Its effect was as the name suggested—it granted additional experience points.
‘Gained experience points multiplied by 1.5… though calling it a “storm level-up” might be a stretch.’
A mere 50% increase made the term “storm” somewhat questionable.
‘The important part is how well it synergizes with other potions.’
Aiollos mainly dealt in the Elixir of Growth, but that wasn’t all he sold.
If he had only sold the Elixir of Growth, most players would have just bought it instead of bothering with the troublesome reputation farming in Sky Ridge.
‘Potions made from the herbs sold at Mayu’s Hidden Shop are amazing doping items that significantly boost ability stats.’
Just like experience points, they increased ability stats by a percentage.
However, the stat boost was capped at 10%, which was still impressive.
Since these potions existed for every stat, taking them all together meant enjoying a solid 10% boost across the board.
The synergy between the Elixir of Growth and these doping items was beyond imagination—no need to elaborate further.
And Dahav had already crafted all those doping potions using the herbs he bought yesterday from Mayu’s Hidden Shop.
‘But that’s not all.’
There was one more unexpected and valuable item.
[Watactics Cape]
- Grade: Unique (Legendary)
- Category: Superior
- Equipable Level: 25 or above
- Due to the nature of Sky Ridge, where hordes of Harpies constantly attack, and to survive the encroaching invasions from neighboring territories, this cape was crafted with utmost dedication by the artisan Mayu.
- Stat Options: Agility +20 / Vitality +15
- Special Options:
- Hide On Emergency— When activated, grants 30 seconds of Absolute Stealth during which interactions are impossible.
- Herculean Power — For every 10% of remaining HP, attack speed, movement speed, and critical damage increase by 5%.
With the potions he made, the skill that allowed conditional 30-second absolute stealth, and the Watactics Cape boasting an option that increased attack power the lower his HP got, it was no exaggeration to say Dahav’s combat capability had soared tremendously.
‘Still, this alone isn’t enough.’
After reaching 200 Reputation, the quest Dahav received from Mendelson was none other than:
‘The Harpies’ Nest (Pooham), Hunt the Harpy Queen.’
The leader of the Harpies, the Boss Monster Harpy Queen, had to be hunted.
Since it was classified as a Raid quest, it was by no means easy.
‘No, it’s not just difficult—it’s impossible right now.’
He had to reach level 30 and at least have basic stat increases and skill upgrades.
That was why Dahav had been heading toward the hunting grounds to level up.
Perhaps because he had been thinking deeply, he had already walked far enough that the Harpies began to appear in the distance.
Dahav grinned as he took out the doping potions stored in his inventory.
***
There was a certain rule that had to be followed for hunting Harpies.
Don’t deal damage until they were completely bound by the net.
It was practically ironclad.
A wounded beast became far more dangerous, and the system’s settings reflected this reality.
When Harpies, considered huntable monsters by players, were attacked, a fierce survival instinct kicked in, causing them to instantly unleash tremendous power.
If they managed to put distance between themselves and the attacker, they maintained a certain range based on surprisingly high intelligence, making them quite a headache.
That was exactly what was happening now.
The Harpy, triggered by the attack, flapped its massive wings and soared toward the sky.
Its fleeting strength was so great that its wing’s shape vanished in an instant like a candle flickering in the wind.
A Harpy regaining freedom could fly upward at any moment without warning.
But the outcome was entirely unexpected.
‘It’s too late.’
The dagger in Dahav’s hand glowed golden as it sliced through the air.
Screech—!
Feeling threatened, the Harpy hastily rose into the air.
But the moment Dahav’s dagger struck, the situation changed instantly.
Crack!
[A Harpy receiving high damage at once has entered the Groggy state!]
The Groggy system had succeeded, but the effect only lasted three seconds at most. Without focus, it could easily fail.
Yet Dahav’s fierce assault was only just beginning.
He swiftly stabbed again and again, and the unfolding spectacle was bizarre.
The Harpy only managed to withstand about five hits before it completely collapsed and disappeared.
As if he had predicted this, Dahav immediately moved on toward the next target.
He moved nimbly, rushing like the wind toward the next group of Harpies.
Screech—!
From the Harpies’ perspective, their appearance was like a nightmare as they wildly tried to escape with eyes wide open.
The natural enemy system.
Monsters at the ASA acted with artificial intelligence that even had emotions.
Hence, they could feel fear.
But such emotions only appeared when fighting exceptionally strong players.
Monsters fearing players of equal level was a rare sight indeed.
Yet even more startling scenes continued to unfold.
Thud—
Dahav leapt and struck the vital spot of a fleeing Harpy, dealing critical damage and putting it into a Groggy state.
He then used the Groggy Harpy as a stepping stone to move freely through the air, delivering critical hits to other Harpies, putting them into Groggy states and easily dispatching them.
Screech—!
The Harpies who fell to the ground tried to rally against the Ghouls, but Dahav had already joined the fight, so the outcome was meaningless.
Sweep—
Before long, the Harpies were reduced to nothing.
[You have killed 3 Harpies of Sky Ridge.]
[You gained 60,000 experience points.]
[Congratulations! You have reached level 30.]
[Skill Rebirth, Morgue dimension, and Link Cadaver levels have increased.]
“Already level 30?”
A message box announced the surprisingly fast level 30, and Dahav couldn’t help but shout out loud.
It was inevitable—he had reached 30 in just a week.
Considering it usually took two to three weeks to go from mid-20s to 30, his speed was more than twice as fast.
“No, maybe this speed was to be expected.”
Thanks to his skills honed through achievements and seasoned hunting, his leveling speed had already been above average, and the doping items were like the cherry on top.
Of course, if it were just the experience boost, he wouldn’t have been this fast.
‘The Elixir of Growth and the doping items were incredibly powerful.’
Additional experience gain was obvious, but the enhanced damage dealing was a coveted ability for any player.
If damage output dropped, the demand for DPS timing increased compared to other parties, inevitably prolonging the process.
To minimize that loss, DPS players wore expensive items and consumed every available doping item.
However, not all doping items were equal.
Top-tier doping items like those Dahav had now showed significant ability boosts.
‘Maybe because they were percent-based, the hunting speed was noticeably faster.’
Sometimes, for players with low base stats, flat stat-boosting potions were better.
In other words, having high base stats was essential.
For Dahav, who already had high base stats, this wasn’t an issue.
‘Level 30, plus using doping and the cape’s abilities… Solo killing the Harpy Queen might actually be possible.’
Solo killing the Harpy Queen.
Back when Rabo was called the Supernova and dominated, this was the raid that handed him his first defeat.
In short, it was a massive barrier in the beginner zone.
On a different difficulty level, when Dahav first got the quest, his immediate thought was that he might need to gather a party.
But now, he was confident.
“Maybe it’s not easy, but I don’t think it’s impossible to kill.”
He briefly paused and mulled it over in his mind.
If he could utilize the effects of level 30 and the upgraded skills, he could definitely handle the tanking and aggro issues that were essential in raids.
But that didn’t mean it was all good.
On the contrary, the Ghouls’ positions were clustered around the tank.
Raids were not just about tanking.
‘DPS is just as important as tanking.’
Though a somewhat common role that didn’t always get attention, DPS players were just as crucial as tanks.
‘If you can finish the raid before your focus drops.’
There was a limit to human concentration, and once it slipped, mistakes were inevitable.
Since those minor mistakes could lead to failure in hunting, having good DPS was essential to finishing the raid in peak condition.
Dahav knew this well, which was why he had been contemplating soloing the Harpy Queen until recently.
‘If the fight drags on, I’m bound to mess up.’
But the performance of the doping items he crafted this time clearly solved that one major problem.
Of course, if he got hit, all of that would be useless.
In other words, the success or failure of the solo kill depended on his own hands—and that was something he didn’t worry about.
‘If I prepare well, it’s definitely possible.’
Moreover, the Harpy Queen was a monster worth taking on even if it meant pushing himself.
‘Besides the fame, if I get lucky and the Skill Rune drops, it’ll be a jackpot.’
As mentioned earlier, ASA items were rare and difficult to obtain even if you had money.
The Skill Rune the Harpy Queen dropped was in that category.
‘Also, it’s a must-have Skill Rune for late-stage Summoners. I have to get it.’
Though the drop rate was low, if it dropped, it was called a jackpot-worthy Skill Rune.
If he hunted in a party, such expensive items would inevitably cause disputes over distribution.
But if he solo killed it, the item was all his.
‘It was a raid Rabo had failed. If Dahav could record the solo kill video, he could expect extra income besides the Skill Rune.’
Money was always something left in his hands, and the more, the better.
He didn’t flinch at spending tens of millions in a day if needed, but if he wasted money without a plan, there might never be an end in sight.
So he couldn’t miss this golden opportunity.
‘Yeah, I have to solo kill it, even if I have to push myself.’
Having finished his calculations, Dahav was about to hurry toward Sky Ridge to prepare for the Harpy Queen.
Ding—!
[Due to the ability of Transcendence of the Five Senses – Luck, mysterious luck is activated!]
[Boss Monster Harpy Queen’s location is being searched.]
[Cannot be found as it does not exist yet.]
[Transcendence of the Five Senses – Luck strongly boosts luck (%0) to estimate location.]
[The Harpy Queen will likely respawn in the northern part of Sky Ridge in 48 hours.]
Reading the message, a smirk appeared on Dahav’s lips.
“This is like the system is setting everything up for me.”
He hurried off toward Sky Ridge to prepare for facing the Harpy Queen.
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