The Archmage’s Destruction Strategy - Chapter 67

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#067. Psychological Warfare

 

Unlike the Osaka raid where Sung-jun single-handedly defeated the 10th layer boss, the Yokohama Dungeon raid was decided to proceed with Sung-jun and the Unbreakable Shield clan members alternating their attacks every 5 layers.

 

Of course, with Sung-jun’s abilities, it would have been possible to break through 20-30 layers consecutively alone like he did in the Osaka Dungeon, but keeping the attack team waiting too long wasn’t exactly a good method either.

 

Raid clans didn’t always have fixed attack team members, and there was a need to return the existing security team remaining at base camp to the surface while deploying a new security team, so the raid member composition changed each time they passed through base camp.

 

Moreover, to smoothly defeat layer bosses, there was a need to revive their combat senses to some extent, so in the Yokohama raid that planned to defeat 40 layers at once, Sung-jun and the Unbreakable Shield clan members needed to take turns participating in combat.

 

And in the first layer boss battle that finally began, the Yokohama Dungeon attack team started their full-scale layer breakthrough with the Unbreakable Shield clan members’ opening attack.

 

“Everyone prepare for attack!”

 

“Attack team to positions!”

 

“Don’t break the pre-arranged formation!”

 

“Tanking team forward!”

 

“Don’t forget to check buffs before combat!”

 

Sung-jun, who was watching the attack team from a location slightly away while using levitation magic, was confirming with his own eyes why the Yokohama Dungeon’s raid clan Unbreakable Shield had only managed to break through to the relatively shallow level of the 40th layer compared to other attack teams.

 

‘Their combat power isn’t particularly low though…’

 

Sung-jun had participated in raid clan battles a total of 3 times so far.

 

If the Tokyo Dungeon’s raid clan ‘Goddess’s Guidance’ had well-balanced and experienced combat, then the Osaka Dungeon’s raid clan ‘Black Spear’ had strongly aggressive tendencies.

 

And the Unbreakable Shield’s combat that he was participating in this time was combat that showed outstanding stable tendencies.

 

The decisive reason why combat styles differed according to each clan was because of the unique combat style that each clan pursued.

 

The Unbreakable Shield’s combat style, which aimed to defeat layer bosses with minimal casualties, basically had a form that led combat based on powerful tank-type awakened individuals’ unique skills.

 

‘Come to think of it, everyone’s armor was top-level.’

 

The factors that determined an attack team’s tendencies could be seen as largely 3 things.

 

The composition ratio of the 3 main members: tank/DPS/heal.

 

And the level of equipment that each team’s members were equipped with.

 

Finally, the skill types of core members that could be called ‘decisive weapons’.

 

The type of Goddess’s Guidance clan led by Shindo Ayaka was balanced.

 

An attack team composition that seemed to be configured with the goal of ‘appropriate response’ to all situations like long-term or short-term battles, close-range or long-range combat, physical combat and magical combat, by putting forward a small but excellently equipped tanking team and organizing dealers with excellent burst damage and support members with good sustainability.

 

Conversely, the type of Black Spear clan led by Kurosaki Ryusei was close-range attack oriented.

 

Layer boss raids proceeded in a form where the entire attack team supported Kurosaki Ryusei, who was both the main dealer and core dealer.

 

Black Spear’s boss battles began by building stacks for the mythic-grade artifact ‘Black Spear’ that Kurosaki Ryusei possessed.

 

In a way where the entire attack team focused on creating openings in the boss to build stacks for the Black Spear, whose decisive weapon’s attack power increased each time it pierced an enemy.

 

The goal was just one.

 

To strip away the armor covering the boss’s weak points.

 

When the stacks built up this way reached a critical point, Black Spear’s boss battle entered phase 2.

 

Using every means the clan members possessed to restrict the boss’s actions and buy time for Kurosaki Ryusei to attack.

 

When all the ‘preliminary preparations’ were completed this way, they finally entered the ‘finishing stage’ that Black Spear was proud of.

 

The ultimate attack that could eliminate even layer bosses with massive health in one strike.

 

Piercing the layer boss’s weak point with the unique skill of the artifact ‘Black Spear’, Dark Heaven Break.

 

To establish that distinctive attack pattern, Black Spear clan members came to have a unique composition different from any other attack team.

 

By organizing a considerable number of close-range dealers who specialized in destroying only armor rather than the opponent’s health, and reducing the ratio of typical long-range dealers while having a higher ratio of buffers who could increase Kurosaki Ryusei’s attack power.

 

Conversely, the Unbreakable Shield clan that Sung-jun was currently watching had an attack team composition specialized for long-term battles rather than short decisive battles like Black Spear.

 

An overwhelming number of tankers and equipment sufficient to completely rotate the main tanker team.

 

Enough healers to sufficiently recover the tanker team that had retreated to the rear for recovery.

 

Of course, when talking about healers, it didn’t mean healers like those in games who instantly heal wounds with recovery magic or holy magic.

 

In the first place, only awakened individuals belonging to Italy’s awakened training institution, Legio Apocalypsis, could use abilities like game healers.

 

Although the Unbreakable Shield clan had 2 priests belonging to Legio Apocalypsis, those two people alone couldn’t handle the recovery of an attack team of over 200 people.

 

‘They’re using artifacts with regeneration powers.’

 

If we had to give it a name, should they be called ‘artifact users’?

 

Among the relics that came out of Pandora’s Box, there were also magical relics that repaired bodily wounds or fixed equipment damage, and awakened individuals using such artifacts were taking on healer roles in place of the insufficient number of Legio Apocalypsis awakened individuals.

 

And among the equipment-type artifacts that tankers were wearing, there were also equipment pieces that promoted wound regeneration when activated.

 

And equipment repair was…

 

“Osamu! Fall back to the rear and switch to backup equipment!”

 

When the shield of the tanker called Osamu was damaged by the layer boss’s attack, a man who appeared to be the tanking team’s leader gave an equipment change order.

 

Then Osamu, who had retreated to the rear, removed his broken shield, equipped a pre-prepared new shield, and rushed back to the front lines.

 

A strategy that could never be used unless they had sufficiently prepared not only basic equipment but also the number of backup equipment pieces.

 

But thanks to that, the Unbreakable Shield clan’s boss battle showed a more stable appearance than any other clan’s boss battle that Sung-jun had seen.

 

Although there was the disadvantage that the entire clan’s fatigue accumulated severely due to the prolonged combat time.

 

‘So this is why they could only clear up to the 40th layer.’

 

In a way, it could be said to be natural.

 

In a situation where rest at base camp was impossible, it would have been unreasonable to continuously proceed with boss battles while wearing already heavy tanking equipment and carrying backup equipment as well.

 

While Sung-jun was watching the Unbreakable Shield clan’s distinctive boss battle, the layer boss fell with a pitiful roar.

 

Summoning a legendary-grade artifact to the floor as a reward for defeating the layer boss.

 

It was the first legendary-grade artifact obtained in this raid.

 

“Simple appraisal is complete. The name is Gasfield’s Bracelet. Its unique ability is ‘Call of Awakening’, which when activated ignores 50% of fatigue for all non-hostile targets within 50 meters for 5 minutes.”

 

“Fatigue ignore – is that different from reduction?”

 

“That’s right. Reduction completely eliminates fatigue, while ignore means fatigue accumulates again when the time limit ends.”

 

“Well, if it was 50% reduction, it would have been mythic-grade rather than legendary.”

 

“A fatigue ignore area buff-type legendary accessory…”

 

“What concept of fatigue are we talking about here?”

 

“The word fatigue in artifact descriptions refers to mental fatigue, sleep fatigue, and muscle fatigue. Literally, the moment it’s activated, you feel drowsiness and headaches reduced and muscle fatigue disappears.”

 

“So if you’re in a well-rested state, it’s not a particularly effective item?”

 

“That’s right. Although its uses are limited, it’s an item that any raid clan would drool over.”

 

Gasfield’s Bracelet dropped by the 41st layer boss was an item that would have commanded a very high price if base camps hadn’t been established.

 

It wasn’t an item that was restricted to specific professions to equip, and it was an item that could produce very good efficiency when used in the latter half of boss battles when the attack team’s fatigue was severe.

 

But from the perspective of the wealthy patrons who had joined the raid targeting ‘awakening items’, it wasn’t a particularly appealing item.

 

However, what changed the atmosphere of the wealthy patrons who were thinking it would be better to give up on this item was an additional comment the appraiser made.

 

“But the additional stats are good.”

 

“Additional stats?”

 

“When equipped, it has Strength +150, Vitality +80, Fatigue Recovery +70.”

 

“Is that level considered high?”

 

“Among bracelet-type accessories, it’s top-tier. It doesn’t have negative stats attached like other items, and strength and vitality are important stats regardless of profession.”

 

Unless it was a raid that separately hired civilian porters to pull carts, in small parties conquering regular dungeons, individuals absolutely had to carry their personal luggage themselves.

 

Moreover, in Japanese awakened parties where recovery means were extremely scarce, increases in vitality directly connected to life were also very important stats.

 

Thanks to this, the atmosphere of the wealthy patrons that had cooled down calling it raid-only gear began to heat up instantly.

 

“Not bad. Bracelets had equip effects applied for up to 2 pieces, right? If you’re going to work as an individual party and then join as a raid mercenary, that item would be good specs.”

 

“I heard a similar item sold for 30 million credits at the auction house…”

 

Instantly, Sung-jun saw all the wealthy patrons participating in the auction focus their gazes on one place.

 

Toward a man who had his hands behind his back pretending to clasp them while showing five extended fingers.

 

The man who showed his extended fingers in a place where all bidders could see was the same man who had mentioned the market price of a similar item that had sold at the auction house just before.

 

‘Five fingers means… 50%?’

 

Since he couldn’t yet be certain that all personnel had participated in collusion, Sung-jun was silently watching the wealthy patrons participate in the auction.

 

And when the auction finally began, several wealthy patrons began competitively raising the winning bid.

 

“5 million!”

 

“7.5 million!”

 

“12.3 million!”

 

And finally, the moment the price Sung-jun had expected was called, all bidders closed their mouths as if by magic.

 

“15 million!!”

 

“Hmm… 15 million…”

 

“No matter how good the stats are, anything more than that for a raid item…”

 

“It’s still early on too…”

 

Half the market price.

 

Even though there were still 39 items left to bid on, Sung-jun smiled hearing the excessively low winning bid.

 

The sight of the wealthy patrons putting on an act, furrowing their brows as if genuinely contemplating in a situation where they had blatantly colluded, looked endlessly ridiculous.

 

A bond as thin as ice could simply be shattered with force.

 

“30 million.”

 

The moment they heard a voice calling out a bid that perfectly matched the market price, all the auction participants’ heads turned in unison.

 

There sat a mage named Ma Sungjun, who was known to have never participated in an auction before, looking at the auctioneer with a smiling face.

 

‘Right. Let’s see you try your best.’

 

Sung-jun knew.

 

How easily promises between humans who had poured out all their wealth driven by greed could be broken.

 

And just as Sung-jun expected, shouting voices immediately began erupting from where the wealthy patrons were gathered.

 

“31 million!!”

 

“40 million!!”

 

“Wait! Let’s not get too excited!”

 

“42 million!!”

 

Sung-jun raised his hand while watching the wealthy patrons calling out bids with urgent voices.

 

“100 million credits.”

 

In Sung-jun’s eyes as he spoke those words, a strong will to win all the items from this raid by himself seemed to be burning fiercely.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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