The weapon also had a hidden attribute: knockdown. When they inadvertently knocked a supervisor to the ground, Dust immediately slammed the halberd down like a pile-driver, using a skill called Downward Strike.

[3,559!]

The skill’s power was formidable.

Diana’s attack combos were excellent, and her footwork was exceptionally agile. Despite being a pure-Strength build, she was a master of positioning. Combined with her high-level equipment, her damage output was impressive.

Don and Lily burned down the monster Diana was fighting first. Then Diana pulled a fresh target while the two of them shifted focus to Dust’s monster, and so on, maintaining a continuous rotation. The one under the most pressure was Bernita, who had to keep both Diana and Dust alive simultaneously. As for Kira, she required no babysitting. Between her shield, her high defense, and the absurdly powerful Holy Absorption, the Paladin girl handled her target solo without breaking a sweat.

Soon, ten elite monsters lay at their feet. Don’s experience ticked up by a noticeable margin. Dust, being the lowest-level party member and fighting monsters nine levels above him under even distribution, gained a solid 3 percent.

They swept the floor. Each monster had dropped three to five gold coins, well worth the effort. And the monsters had even dropped equipment.

A silver-gray shoulder guard lay quietly on the ground. When Don picked it up, it felt incredibly sturdy. His eyes brightened, leather armor.

[Anya Shoulder Pads, Bronze Grade]

Leather Armor | Level Req: 30 | PDEF: 100 | MDEF: 100

+7 STR | +9 AGI | +7 CON | Sealed Slot: 1

Collecting all five pieces unlocks a set bonus.

The choice fell naturally to Don and Lily.

Lily’s eyes were clear and bright. She said without hesitation, "Brother Don, you’re the captain. You should take it."

Don waved his hand and pushed the shoulder pads toward her. "I told you a couple of days ago I’d get you proper gear. Looks like I might actually keep that promise. Just take them, I’ve got some silver pieces already."

Lily still hesitated, but Don’s gaze was steady and unambiguous. "Hurry up. Don’t waste time. This dungeon might keep us here very late."

She nodded. "Thank you, Brother Don."

"Don’t be so formal with me."

The pretty girl took the armor, her face flushed, and pulled out an Unsealing Stone. She pressed it onto the shoulder pads, and the stone merged obediently into the equipment. Everyone’s eyes lit up, unsealed attribute: Attack Power +30.

Although the attribute was top-tier, it left Lily completely confused. "Brother Don, why does armor also increase attack power?"

"That’s what makes shoulder pads different from other armor types. It’s a unique feature of Realms Online."

Lily stuck out her tongue greedily. "The amount is a bit small though."

"People are never satisfied. Put it in your bag and equip it when you hit Level 30."

"Mm."

The drop rate for the Anya set turned out to be extremely low, and the monsters on this floor weren’t as sparse as they’d initially hoped. They fought from two in the afternoon until half past seven in the evening before finally clearing the level.

Lily had collected four pieces of the Anya set with no duplicates, she was only missing the chest piece. Her level had soared to 28 at 93 percent. The monsters on this floor gave generous experience.

Everyone still had some red potions left, but blue potions were completely depleted, most had gone to Bernita, who hadn’t stopped casting for the entire level. So Bernita logged off to hold the dungeon’s cooldown timer while the other five returned to town and logged off as well. Diana mentioned that when they logged back in, she would have a dwarf alchemist on the Sword Song team bring over potions. Everyone agreed to reconvene at 8:20.

They logged off. All three of them were starving, so they went downstairs and crossed the street to find food.

In early October, Liverpool’s evenings were still warm. They ordered noodles with soybean paste at a Liverpool noodle shop, refreshing and perfect for the weather. Lily, who was apparently still growing, polished off a bowl and a half by herself. Don genuinely wondered how she never gained weight.

But food wasn’t the focus of the evening.

When they went back upstairs, they found a large crowd gathered around their section of the studio. Several uniformed security guards pushed quickly past them, parted the onlookers, and pulled a man lying on the ground to his feet. One of the older guards said with undisguised disgust, "How shameful. Even if you got the job using this method, what good would it do?"

The man was clutching his groin, his face contorted in agony. "Damn it, that little bastard was ruthless! He hit me right there!"

A bystander nearby scoffed. "You’re a disgrace. You deserved it."

Don looked closer and realized the man doubled over in pain was Kyle.

The three of them quickly approached the security guard. Don asked the older one, "Uncle, these are our seats. What happened?"

The guard was furious. "Young man, next time you leave your station, put your gaming equipment away. We have cameras, but if some lowlife tries to sneak up on your gear, there’s only so much we can catch in time."

Don understood immediately. A surge of anger rose in his chest. He walked up to Kyle and slapped him across the face. "You stupid idiot. Don’t you have any shame?"

Kyle forced a smile through the pain. "Those who cannot be used by me will surely be destroyed by me. Don’t you understand such a simple principle?"

Before the words had even settled, Lily strode forward, swung her arm, and slapped him three times in rapid succession. "Bastard!"

The security guard quickly pulled both Lily and Don back, lowering his voice. "That’s enough. The police are on their way. Your gaming equipment wasn’t damaged. Just as this kid was about to make his move, a boy wearing a baseball cap came over and kicked him. It’s all clearly visible on the surveillance footage."

Don’s heart skipped a beat. "Uncle, where is that boy now?"

The guard looked around, puzzled. "Huh? He’s gone."