Chapter 85: High Risk, High Reward

“Hey, Old Deer, we all know you’ve got great gear and high damage, but your accuracy is just terrifying. Relying on equipment alone to boost accuracy shouldn’t make you this precise, right? Is there some secret to it?”
The orc ranger in the party had been holding back for quite a while, and finally couldn’t resist asking.

Lu Kuan chuckled. “There’s no secret, really. Just lots and lots of practice.”

“I practice plenty myself, but I’m nowhere near your level,”
Another elf ranger leaned in, brimming with curiosity. “So, expert, are you an archer in real life? From what I know, even professionals can’t shoot this accurately.”

“You’re right about that—no way real-life archery matches the accuracy you get in the game,”
Lu Kuan nodded, and since everyone was in good spirits, he explained, “Game characters have physical stats far beyond even the best real-world athletes. With enough practice, you’ll never be worse than in real life.”

He was telling the truth. For example, Lu Kuan’s agility was currently 12 points, while an ordinary person’s physical stats, converted to game values, would be no more than 7 or 8.

Everyone listened and fell silent, thoughtful. They’d grown used to fighting in virtual games, rarely pausing to compare with real life, and had never really considered the immense advantages their characters possessed.

“Leader, show us the damage statistics! Let’s see just how insane Old Deer’s numbers are!”
Seeing the group quiet, Akui couldn’t help but shout.

Instantly, several voices echoed his request. Everyone knew Lu Kuan’s damage was high, but nobody had a concrete sense of just how high.

Heavenfall smiled broadly. “I’m afraid it’ll crush your spirits, but since you want to see, I’ll send it over.”

Soon, a data sheet detailing healing and damage stats appeared in the team channel. The first table, once opened, was the boss fight’s damage report.

Lu Kuan was first, accounting for 26% of the total damage—more than double the second place! The system’s battle rating also placed him at the top, even above Heavenfall, the main tank.

Everyone couldn’t help but marvel. Who on earth said ranger was a useless class? If this is what useless looks like, how are the other classes supposed to survive?

Lu Kuan showed no sign of smugness, only smiling kindly. Heavenfall took note of this, becoming ever more certain that Old Deer was a famous player in disguise—what other explanation could there be for all this?

Joking and chatting, the group soon arrived at the boss’s lair.

The poisonous mist had dissipated completely. The three-headed serpent lay limp on the ground, its central head smashed to pieces—whether struck down by Lu Kuan or just a fixed death animation, no one could tell.

Everyone gathered around the boss, all eyes turning to Heavenfall. He took a deep breath, knelt beside the corpse, searched for a moment, and then his face lit up with a smile.

“Two purples, four blues.”

With just those words, the tense and expectant group erupted in cheers.

“Haha, first kill really does give extra loot. That means when Zero guild took down Boss One, they must’ve gotten two purple pieces too!”

Heavenfall now stood up, posting several items in the team channel. Everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to the two purple names.

“Heart of the Highland Warrior (Relic-grade Necklace)
Neck
Durability: 100%
Weight: 3
Requirements: Base class Warrior, Knight, Constitution 10
Armor +10
Defense Rating +20
Max Health +45
Heavenly Descent: When activated, grants the player 5 extra constitution, 100 extra armor, and increases resistance to stun effects by 20%. Lasts 15 seconds, cooldown 5 minutes.
‘Worn by the bravest warriors from the far north.’”

“Orc Vanguard Grips (Relic-grade Gloves, pair)
Hands, Leather
Durability: 100%
Requirements: Base class Ranger, Rogue, Monk, Agility 12
Armor +15
Agility +2
Critical Rate +2%
Armor Penetration +30
Poison Resistance +10
‘Simple, efficient, deadly—so said Garona, legendary orc assassin.’”

Lu Kuan’s brows arched and his lips curled into a smile when he saw the gloves: Lady Luck truly favored him today. Among the three-headed serpent’s five purple drops, he spotted his target on the very first try.

These gloves were the sole reason Lu Kuan joined the multi-headed serpent raid!

No fancy effects—just pure, stacked stats, especially the standout armor penetration.
Armor penetration ignores the target’s defense, making it a top-tier stat for physical classes, much like spell penetration for casters. When piled high enough, it dramatically boosts physical damage.

Since Lu Kuan already had the core purple item Ranger’s Oath, the higher his stats climbed, the greater the ring’s special effect. Far more useful than adding another average purple with a mediocre effect.

But this time, the boss dropped the necklace, not the gloves.

“Congratulations! With this necklace, the next few bosses just got about twenty percent easier,” Lu Kuan said with a grin to Heavenfall.

Heavenfall glanced at Lu Kuan, smiling. Both men were thinking the same thing: the necklace’s attributes were absolutely perfect!

For a tank class, three hard stats were essential: health, defense rating, and armor. This necklace covered all three, and its effect was a life-saving skill—a true masterpiece for tanks!

“Hey, check the gear leaderboard!”

Someone shouted, and everyone quickly opened the rankings. On the Northern Empire equipment leaderboard, “Heart of the Highland Warrior” sat in second place, only surpassed by Ranger’s Oath!

“Wow, this has to be the best drop from the three-headed serpent, right?”

“Haha, leader’s got the lucky hand!”

“Today we had rare elites and pulled a bunch of top gear—should’ve bought a lottery ticket!”

Excitement swept the group. After such a grueling battle, their sense of achievement was through the roof.

The remaining blue items were solid as well, strengthening the team further. Heavenfall soon finished distributing the loot, then walked up to Lu Kuan and handed him the gloves.

“Expert, these are yours,” Heavenfall said with a smile.

Lu Kuan accepted them without hesitation, immediately slipping them on. The gloves were stitched from light brown beast hide, infinitely more comfortable than his previous white-board gear. He nodded in satisfaction.

The rest of the team watched, unable to deny a twinge of envy—purple gear!

All of Dark Heaven’s group, counting the newly acquired necklace, now had only five purple items total.