As the tense atmosphere dispersed, it was swiftly replaced by one of excitement and awe. While rare equipment may be something within the reach of those top guilds, it was not yet something players like themselves could acquire freely. There were two main reasons for the lack of rare equipment in circulation among casual players.
The first was that the big guilds often monopolized any world bosses that were discovered or secret rare boss spawn areas. If a casual player tried to go near those spots that were constantly under the vigilant watch of the big guilds, they could only blame themselves if they no longer had a place to stay within RML.
The second reason was that the vast majority of parties formed by casual players were usually random or with a group of friends. With players constantly changing out party members or leaving their party to join another, it was difficult to build any solid teamwork which acted as one of the minimum requirements for defeating a rare boss monster.
Even though the group of casual players was somewhat skilled, it remained an uphill battle if the foundations of their party were not solid. In the end, the majority of casual players that held onto a rare item in their possession received it due to pure luck or was one of those rich young masters who threw money at the situation while completely disregarding the cost. Of course, not everyone had the means to imitate those rich young masters.
The best chance of casual players acquiring a rare item was the dungeon difficulty levels that were set in place for all dungeons level 40 or above. All dungeons were set to Normal by default, however, once players started to participate in level 40+ dungeons, they would have the option to choose the Difficult or Hardcore setting as well. If players were able to clear a Difficult or Hardcore level dungeon, then they were practically guaranteed at least one or two rare items. Though it was always easier said than done.
As everyone gathered around and admired the pile of loot dropped from the Ouroboros, Shuyi was the first one to bring up the question on everyone's mind.
"So, how are we going to divide this?" Shuyi asked. Obviously, it would be a little ridiculous if only a few people benefited and the others had to swallow a loss. Not to mention, if it was not for him, then they would have never discovered the hidden lever that led down to the rare boss monster in the first place. Also, he dealt a large portion of the overall damage to the Ouroboros and so his contribution to the fight was not small.
He then continued, "Let me just start off by saying that I think I should be rewarded the most. Not only did I contribute heavily damage wise, but this place would have never been discovered if not for me. Also, even if by some miracle you were able to discover this place, you all would have probably died countless times over due to the hidden traps which I safely disabled. Are my words lies?"
Even if Shuyi cooperated with everyone, he would not rob himself of an opportunity to increase his gains. He was not some kind of charity worker that simply did things from the good of his heart. He felt that it was only fair that he be rightly compensated for his efforts.
"You-! Just when I thought you changed you go and say something like that! We should divide the loot evenly and split it fairly between all five of us!" Phoenix stated. She thought that Shuyi had changed after their fight with the Ouroboros and working together as a party, but she was reminded of the reality that people are not so quick to change themselves.
"Then, answer me. Are my words lies or not?" Shuyi said in a calm tone without backing down.
Phoenix wanted to find some words to say, however, she could not say that he was wrong. Everything he said was true, but she still believed that since everyone played a part in the victory then it should just be split evenly five ways.
"I hate to admit it, but his words aren't wrong. Although I think his attitude is sour, it was due to his skill that we were able to get to this place safely. To be honest, I'm not fully confident that I could have done the same with my Trap Detection skill that's at half mastery." Hidden Pulse said with a deep sigh.
Two Tons decided to step in before the situation went any further as he said, "Alright, it's true that Shuyi did make a great contribution. Then, how about this... Let's sell all the items here for gold and convert it into RMB. After that, Shuyi will receive a 5% bonus claiming a total of 25%. As for the other part, we'll split it among ourselves and receive about 19% each. In the end, we'll still be getting at least 187,500 RMB each. Is this alright with everyone?"
There was a long silence following Two Tons' words. It was not a bad decision, however, there was just one problem...
"I guess I'll be the one to say it. Who's going to carry the loot and sell it?" Shuyi asked.
"Isn't it obvious? Two Tons should do it since he's the party leader." Hidden Pulse responded.
"Heh, maybe in a perfect fairytale world that would be acceptable, but don't screw with me. Even if all of you trust him, I don't. It's that simple. There's nothing to prevent him from running off with the items and keeping the profit to himself. I'm sure you've heard the saying, even a saint can fall before great temptation." Shuyi said.
"Then, what?! Do you expect us to leave it all in your hands?!" Hidden Pulse snapped back.
"Of course, I'd love for that to happen." Shuyi replied.
"I knew you were just-!" But before Hidden Pulse could finish, Shuyi cut him off.
"But, everyone here would be a fool if they allowed that to happen. I think the only one here that's gullible and trustworthy would be the newbie over there." Shuyi said as he shrugged his shoulders while he referred to Reilei.
Reilei was the only person who was not near the loot. Instead, she was happily playing with Xiao Liang and Ayanellia in the background. If this were any other party, then everyone was 100% positive that Reilei would have probably gone the entire dungeon not even knowing just how valuable rare equipment was. But, even though she knew this she was behaving in a carefree manner and did not seem to worry about her cut of the loot.
Seeing Reilei gave Two Tons an idea as he said, "We can stand here all day and debate who does what, or we can come up with an actual solution. If neither of us can hold it, then I suggest..."
Two Tons then went on to explain his idea to everyone present. By the time he finished, there was a helpless smile on Phoenix's and Hidden Pulse's face. As for Shuyi, his brows were furrowed as if he were in deep thought. But, in the end, he released a long sigh before agreeing to Two Tons' suggestion.
Mew!
Nyu..!
Xiao Liang headbutted Ayanellia who was happily trying to snuggle up to Reilei. This caused the young doe to whimper in a defeated way as Xiao Liang had a look of triumph and arrogance on his face.
"What am I going to do with you, little thing? Do you think I won't punish you for bullying Ayanellia?" Reilei said as she scolded Xiao Liang.
"Realistic." Two Tons called out. He, along with, Phoenix, Shuyi, and Hidden Pulse had approached Reilei.
"Hm? Ah, excuse me. I got a bit sidetracked for a moment." Reilei said in an apologetic tone as she properly faced Two Tons and the other members of her party.
"Ugh, hurry up before I start having second thoughts about this..." Shuyi grumbled after seeing Reilei's carefree nature. Was this really the correct decision?
"We have a favor to ask of you. If you don't mind..." Two Tons went on to tell Reilei of their request. At first, Reilei was a little unwilling due to how important it seemed to be. She did not want to mess things up and create any problems for them, however, after some convincing and encouraging words from everyone she finally caved in any agreed to their request.
In the end, Reilei was entrusted to hold the items and would be the one to put them up for auction in the auction house. She would also be the one to collect the RMB and disturb it according to the agreed-upon terms. They even decided to also give Reilei a 5% bonus for her troubles. Although Reilei quickly declined their additional offer, she ended up being forced to accept it since they said she also played a huge role in their victory.
After Reilei put the loot into her inventory and they finished checking around the room for any other hidden treasures, Reilei and her party took their leave and soon arrived back at the hidden lever. When the last person came up from the stairway, the path closed itself once more and it looked as if it were never there to begin with.
"Now that everything's settled... I know that everyone is probably excited to rush over to the main city and put the items up for auction, but we should do a full clear of this dungeon just to make sure we don't regret missing out on anything. After all, our luck and gains this time have not been small. What do you say, everyone?" Two Tons said.
"It'd be great if we can find another hidden rare boss. Though I'm not sure I can go through something like that again. Needless to say, I'm in." Phoenix said as a small smile appeared on her face.
"Just lead the way, leader." Hidden Pulse said as he gave a thumbs up.
"It doesn't matter to me. Wherever the items go, I'll follow." Shuyi shrugged.
Everyone then turned to look at Reilei who was the only one who had not responded yet. As if realizing that all eyes were on her, Reilei snapped out of it. She had been going over the few skills in her possession after seeing just how useful they could be. She wanted to understand and comprehend them so that she could be more useful in the long run. But, she had unknowingly drifted into her own sea of thoughts.
Reilei's cheeks flushed a light pink color from embarrassment as she said, "Um... What's a full clear?"
After those words left Reilei's mouth, everything turned so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
"Pfft..! Ha.. Hahahaha!" Phoenix tried to hold in her laughter, however, she was unable to do so. Two Tons and Hidden Pulse soon followed after Phoenix and joined in on the laughter. Even Shuyi could be seen shaking slightly as if he were trying his absolute hardest to hold in his laughter.
Reilei suddenly became flustered when everyone started to laugh out of nowhere. Did she say something wrong? What was going on? Why was everyone laughing so much?
Due to her performance against the Ouroboros, everyone had nearly forgotten just how much of a newbie Reilei truly was; though they were quickly reminded.
...
Meanwhile, somewhere in RML...
"Trash! All of them, trash!" Broken Fists was filled with rage and hatred towards Two Tons and the other members of that party. He had been killed and kicked from the party before he could receive a single piece of loot. How could he not be infuriated?!
"You think that loot is yours? I'll show you the consequences of crossing me! I didn't want to call those greedy guys over because then I'd have to share the loot, but... Hmph, that group of trash will only have themselves to blame for making me be so ruthless! Let's see how you cower and beg for mercy before a top guild!" Broken Fists said as he grit his teeth.