Chapter 83

"Welcome back, traveler Rinne. It's a relief to see you safe."

Iris, who had been waiting for us just as she did when we left, greeted us as we emerged from the warp gate.

"Welcome back~"

Nana, who had returned a little earlier, had already finished her greetings. She was juggling star dust fragments she had taken out of her inventory in the corner of the room.

The star dust fragments looked like large pieces of candy, about the size of a baseball. They seemed to be stored in a special slot separate from the regular inventory, so no matter how many we obtained, they wouldn't affect our agility or weight limits. Incidentally, when in a party, the total number of fragments obtained would be divided equally among the party members upon clearing the dungeon or解散 the party.

But with this system, if we played in a party from start to finish, the fragments would be evenly distributed between the two of us. If we ended up with the same number of fragments for the final ranking, how would the positions be determined?

I asked Iris this question, and she nodded before answering.

"Randomly."

"Huh?"

"The rankings are determined by a completely random number. Additionally, any remainder that can't be evenly divided among the party members is also distributed randomly."

"Oh, I see... Well, it's fine for me. I can adjust the number by playing solo at the last minute if needed."

Well, if it's decided by random numbers, there's not much I can do. The ranking rewards for this event are quite vague to begin with. The top rewards go to the top six players on each server, followed by the next tier of rewards for players from 7th to 100th, and then the next tier for players from 101st to 1000th. The remaining players all receive the same reward. The rewards for each tier consist of progressively rarer items, with the rarest item being the "Revival Potion" for this event.

Besides, if you really don't like the random element, you can just go solo at the end. When you play solo, all the star dust fragments you collect count toward your total.

By the way, we obtained a little over 500 fragments this time. It seems we got about 100 from the boss, Mirage, so the boss is definitely more efficient.

"Can we exchange them right away?"

"Sure, for the star dust fragments. Here's the catalog."

"Catalog..."

I took the magazine-like item she handed me and flipped through it. It was a pretty standard catalog. It felt a bit like being pulled back to reality, so I wished they had at least included a menu card or something.

I took a deep breath and started examining the contents. There were pages and pages of potions: "Beginner Potion," "Intermediate Potion," "Potion Candy," "MP Potion"... The MP Potions were especially useful. They are quite difficult to create and are quite expensive in NPC shops. The Intermediate Potions cost 100 fragments each. Considering that these are the drops from such a strong boss, it's not too bad.

"Hmm~"

Nana, who had grown tired of juggling, came over to peek at the catalog I was reading. I lowered my hand holding the catalog a bit to accommodate her, as she had to stretch a little to see it.

"Hehe, thanks."

"You're welcome. ...Do you want anything?"

"Hmm, I was thinking... Is there a mapping item?"

I was taken aback by Nana's question. This event took about 2.5 hours to complete one cycle. While it's inevitable to some extent given the thorough exploration required, it's not efficient to spend so much time each time. Most importantly, while we can spend a lot of time each day, an event that takes this much time would not be enjoyable for the average player. Nowadays, games that allow you to get stronger by playing a lot and are still enjoyable in a casual manner are the norm. Given that this is a cyclical event, it makes sense to think that the more cycles you complete, the more "items to make the cycles easier" you can obtain.

"Iris, which items are related to the strategy?"

"For those, please look at the items after the 'Return Ticket.'"

I flipped through the catalog and found that the items after the "Return Ticket" were indeed useful for strategy, such as "Map" and "Detection Kit." The map required 200 star dust fragments per sheet. The "Detection Kit" was a substitute for the detection skill and would break randomly but provided the same effect as the detection skill.

"Nana, I want to exchange for two maps."

"Sure~"

"Iris, please give us one map each."

"Understood. I will take 200 star dust fragments from each of you for the 'Map.'"

Iris collected the fragments from us and granted us the maps. When I took them out of my inventory, the map I received was labeled "Map No. 16." Nana's map was labeled "Map No. 11," and the content was different, so it seemed to be from a different floor.

"Nana, can I borrow yours for a moment?"

"Can you memorize it?"

I nodded and closed my eyes. I compared the mental map I had constructed from our previous run with the physical map in my hand. After a thorough check that took about five minutes, I realized something. One of the two maps we exchanged overlapped with a floor we had already explored, while the other did not. The map that matched the floor we had explored was the one where the jewelry box appeared. While it's just a similar layout, given that the maps are available as exchange items, it's likely that they correspond to the same floor. Since it's labeled "No. 16," there are at least 16 different maps. The maximum number is unknown, but considering the size of the dungeon and the duration of the event, I think there are probably no more than 20.

"Okay, I've memorized both. I don't need them anymore, so I'll give them to Nana."

"Thanks. Your memory is amazing."

"It's my only strong point. ...We'll need a lot more fragments to collect more maps."

"Shall we go now?"

"No, let's take a good look at the catalog first. Look, there are event-exclusive weapons, too."

Nana, who seemed eager to go, was looking at the door with sparkling eyes. I held her back. Yes, while we now have a clear goal with the maps, this event also has several event-exclusive items. For regular players, obtaining and enhancing these items is the main goal.

For example, the event-exclusive weapons are called the "Stardust" series, and the armor is called the "Star Dust" series. The naming is clear, distinguishing between weapons and armor.

When asked if they are strong, they are not particularly powerful. They are suitable for players from beginners to Fiers, with performance similar to the weapons sold by Trillia. The weapon types do not cover all the fine variations, so some players might not have the specific type they use. However, the value of being event-exclusive is significant, and for beginners, the performance is quite good.

"There's no mace..."

As we looked through the catalog together, Nana muttered this. She seemed genuinely disappointed, with her head hanging low. Nana, when did you become so obsessed with maces?

In reality, since maces are classified as one-handed maces, the event weapon Nana should aim for is the "Stardust Mace." For me, it's the "Stardust Staff." The initial performance of these weapons is the same as the "Beginner" series weapons we received at the start. Each weapon can be exchanged for 250 fragments, and can be enhanced five times with 100 fragments each time, for a total of 750 fragments per weapon to reach the performance level of Trillia's shop items. The enhancement materials can also be obtained through regular play, so if you can't enhance them during the event, you can still do it afterward. If you collect at least 250 fragments, you can manage the enhancement, so completionists would aim for that.

Incidentally, these weapons, which seem to have only basic performance, have a very useful purpose, especially for players like Nana who use striking weapons. Nana probably hasn't realized it yet, but there's no time to explain. Seeing Nana swaying her body, I thought she was eager to go.

"Let's go for the second cycle. We'll try to speed up this time."

"Hehe, make sure to keep up."

With Nana, who had recovered from the mace shock, we passed through the door again. Iris bowed silently and quietly saw us off.