Chapter 34

"Wow! Really? If your body is like this in real life, you must work out a lot. Ugh, Beimerung should really start exercising too."

"Haha, what’s a young lady like you going to do with muscles? I only lift weights when I’ve got nothing better to do."

As Chris and I carefully dealt with the guards near the shortcut, Beimerung was trailing behind with our bus customer, chatting nonstop.

"Yes, just come this way. So, I guess you'll want accessories with high damage reduction options?"

"Indeed. If I’m going to hunt the Empire’s dogs, I need to toughen up. If I get the right gear early on by catching a bus in these elite dungeons, no matter how many come at me, my axe will split them all."

Our first bus customer was a dwarf warrior. He wasn’t much taller than Beimerung.

Though players could customize youthful faces, those who picked the dwarf race often didn’t bother with face customization.

Dwarf warriors, naturally strong and stocky, had lower agility but high strength and HP stats.

Dwarf warriors, equipped with suppression skills, were often seen in PvP battles. I’d observed them numerous times in faction skirmishes in Rosellia Forest.

In real life, taller people tended to choose the taller humanoid races for their characters, while shorter individuals often selected dwarves, gaining the advantage of higher HP.

Listening to Beimerung’s rapid-fire conversation with the customer, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.

Wow, do you really have to entertain the customer like that when running a bus?

Chris, noticing my distressed expression, chuckled.

"You don’t have to go that far. But when the customer enjoys the run, they might come back for more or become a regular. Beimerung’s great at making people feel comfortable."

"Sounds like a tough business..."

Fortunately, Beimerung’s constant chatter with the customer meant I wasn’t dragged into the conversation.

When we arrived at the first boss, Beimerung briefed the customer on what to do.

"After we clear the first boss, you can pay the bus fee. If you’d like to watch, there’s a gap between the tents over here. You can see from there."

The dwarf warrior grinned and settled himself between the tents to observe.

With the cheerful customer sitting back, the three of us bus drivers quickly went over the boss tactics.

"Beimerung and I will each take two of the elites. Rain, you just focus on the boss. After we finish off the elites, we’ll join you."

"Got it."

"The special phase will be handled with *Ice Prison* for the first wave, and we’ll each use backstep evasion for the follow-up attacks. You okay with that? Did your party use two protective spells?"

*Ice Prison?*

I tilted my head, unfamiliar with the skill name.

Since I usually played solo, I wasn’t well-versed in other classes’ skills. My only experience with them came from watching other players hunt in the field or observing large-scale PvP battles in Rosellia Forest.

At any rate, the first AoE attack would be covered by the mage’s skill, so I wouldn’t need to dodge it.

That meant we didn’t need to leave an elite alive for protection.

I nodded at Chris.

"I’ll give it a try."

"I’m sure you’ll be fine, Rain."

Chris seemed to have infinite trust in me for some reason.

---

**[Level 33 Outpost Lieutenant Craksas]**

**[HP: 2,050,410/3,000,000]**

Boom!

"All done here!"

"I just took care of both of mine! Wait... what’s up with the boss’s HP?"

It was surprisingly easy not having to deal with the elites while fighting the boss!

I happily spammed *Starlight Slash*, whittling down the boss’s HP.

"Rain, stop attacking! Cut DPS! The special phase is coming up!"

"Oh, right!"

I stopped swinging my sword and backed away from the boss slightly.

"Grrr, you filthy insects!"

As soon as Beimerung and Chris brought Craksas’s HP below two-thirds, the special phase began.

*Voom.*

Craksas rose into the air, and powerful dark magic began concentrating in his hands.

*Boom!*

The attack came hurtling down on our party.

"Now!"

With a sharp sound, my body froze in place.

*Boom!*

"Oh."

So that’s *Ice Prison*.

Thanks to Beimerung’s protective spell, we blocked the first attack without needing to use invincibility skills.

Party play is more convenient than I thought.

We avoided the follow-up attack by all using backstep evasion, taking no damage.

Chris and Beimerung immediately focused on the four newly spawned elites, while I went back to fighting Craksas, who had returned to the ground.

"Kraaagh!"

After getting through a second phase using the same strategy, Craksas finally collapsed, leaving behind an item box.

"Okay, first boss clear!"

"Hmm."

Chris looked at me with a peculiar expression.

But it was only for a moment. She quickly approached me with a smile and held out her palm.

"Rain, you did great."

Hesitating, I lightly tapped her palm in return.

---

**[Level 33 Galoban, Quartermaster]**

**[HP: 149,366/2,610,000]**

*Slash! Slash!*

I only had to block the final hit of Galoban’s combo.

The earlier strikes barely scratched my character, as I had fully farmed the outpost gear.

While I could feel light pricks of pain from the dagger’s glancing blows, the damage was so minor that my *Echo Stone’s* HP drain easily recovered it. It didn’t hurt enough to make me nervous or block every hit.

"We parked the orb! Looks like it’s almost over!"

"Okay, let’s finish it with damage!"

*Boom! Boom!*

"Kyaaah!"

With his HP fully depleted, Galoban crumpled to the kitchen floor.

"Oh-ho! A 12% critical damage reduction! Is this full options?"

"Congratulations! 12% crit damage reduction is indeed full options!"

"Haha! Finally, I got something I wanted!"

The customer, excitedly inspecting his newly acquired item, was joined by an equally happy Beimerung. Meanwhile, I swung my sword a few times in the air.

Without worrying about mechanics, a swordsman’s raw damage potential was impressive.

However, there was a condition:

**[Block (A)]**

- Blocks attacks within a 180-degree angle in front.

- (A-rank) If blocking succeeds within 0.2 seconds after skill use, gain the "Vitality" buff, increasing all damage for 10 seconds.

The *Vitality* buff from a perfectly timed *Just Guard*—this was key.

If I could consistently maintain the *Vitality* buff, my damage would skyrocket.

The swordsman class was designed to thrive under pressure, with damage scaling as you consistently counter enemy attacks.

"Hmm!"

---

**[Level 33 Outpost Commander Zarkan]**

**[HP: 3,180,607/3,300,000]**

"Haha! You’re good at running away, aren’t you!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Oh."

I watched as the ranged DPS tank handled Zarkan.

Zarkan launched massive magic orbs at distant targets instead of closing in immediately. Chris expertly dodged the explosions while continually casting talismans.

*Slash! Slash!*@@novelbin@@

After four massive magic orbs, Zarkan unleashed a barrage of smaller ones in a wide spread aimed at Chris.

Chris moved swiftly out of the attack radius and edged closer to Zarkan, provoking the boss’s jump attack pattern.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

As soon as Chris closed the gap, Zarkan leaped into the air and rained down magic orbs on her.

*Thud!*

Chris backstepped away, landing at the farthest point from Zarkan’s jump landing zone.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Zarkan then resumed his four-magic-orb attack pattern.

"This is the ranged DPS tank tactic."

Chris, with her red hair flowing, smiled as she gracefully tossed talismans. Even from a distance, I could almost see her eyelashes.

Her blue-tinted eyes sparkled—had she customized her appearance?

Her face was a stunning blend of Eastern and Western beauty, and anyone would fall for her.

With every movement, glimpses of her bare skin peeked through her open-back outfit.

I stared in awe.

As expected, when a beautiful person does something, it always looks like a work of art.

"Okay! I think I’ve gathered enough aggro, so Beimerung and Rain, feel free to attack now!"

"Got it!"

"Y-Yes!"

I hurriedly drew my sword.

This was the ranged tank pre-aggro tactic. The tank builds enough threat to keep the boss’s attention, allowing the rest of the party to focus on damage without worry.

The only downside was that I couldn’t get my *Vitality* buff during Zarkan’s massive four-magic-orb pattern. Without that, my damage output was lower than I’d like.

As I slashed at Zarkan with *Starlight Slash*, I began to think about how to maximize my damage.

*Slash! Slash!*

After the four-magic-orb pattern, Zarkan followed up with a barrage of smaller orbs. This, I could block.

*Clang!*

"Oh."

A perfect *Just Guard* triggered within 0.2 seconds, and the *Vitality* buff flared around me.

Just as I’d hoped, this pattern was exploitable.

With my *Vitality* buff active, I gleefully slashed away at Zarkan. Before long, Zarkan’s attention shifted from Chris to me.

"Annoying little insect!"

"!?'

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, Zarkan leaped into the air and unleashed his magic orbs on me. I quickly backstepped, realizing I had drawn his aggro.

Chris yelled urgently in my direction.

"R-Rain! Go easy on the damage!"

"Oops, sorry!"

I stopped attacking and focused on dodging the patterns. After a few seconds, Zarkan returned his attention to Chris, launching his massive magic orbs at her once again.

Whew, that was close.

Party play requires more attention than I expected.

---

"Haha! You all move so fast, huh?"

"Oh, not at all! Did you get the items you wanted?"

"I managed to grab one full-option ring. Still, I’ll need to gather more coins, so I’ll probably ride your bus again next time. PvP suits me better than dungeon grinding."

"You're welcome anytime! Thank you for today!"

The dwarf warrior customer used our bus service ten times. Satisfied with our smooth and efficient runs, he waved goodbye to Beimerung as he left the dungeon.

"Wow!"

I checked my share of the gold and couldn’t help but smile brightly.

The Zarkan bus was a great farming tool for wealthy PvP players and a godsend for regular players like me.

Compared to weapon farming, the bus runs were far more lucrative. Even after the initial dungeon rush, bus runs remained a steady source of gold income.

If I farm solo during the first days and switch to bus runs later...

Chris, who had sidled up to me, chuckled as she saw my expression.

"So, what do you think? Bus runs pay well, right? I don’t need the gold that badly, but I’m planning to keep doing them to help out my junior players."

Barely managing to hold back my excitement, I looked up at Chris.

Chris hesitated for a moment, her hand fidgeting nervously.

Gently, I reached out and took her wandering hand.

"Hehe!? Heh!"

Chris’s elegant face twisted into something silly, and she let out strange noises.

I firmly expressed my intent to Chris.

"Uh, if there’s an open spot sometimes... could I join you too?"

If the money’s this good, I guess... occasionally, just occasionally, it’d be fine.

As long as it’s with Chris, it should be okay.

---

Today’s Zarkan bus runs had ended.

Rain waved goodbye to Chris and disappeared from the rocky mountain area.

Chris, still smiling, watched her leave.

"Your face has been... interesting since earlier."

"Rain’s hands are so soft... Ugh! Damn synchronization rates! Ah... I wonder what they’d feel like in real life?"

Beimerung subtly edged away from the babbling Chris.

"You do know minors aren’t allowed, right...?"

"Ahem. What are you talking about? It’s nothing like that!"

Chris cleared her throat and scolded Beimerung before her expression hardened.

"What did you notice?"

"If we uploaded videos of Rain doing dungeons, she’d get a massive fan following. Seriously, she’s like a walking piece of art!"

"Beautiful and cute... It’s unreal, right? But that’s not what I meant!"

"Her damage output is ridiculous. It’s higher than what a free-casting mage can pull off. Normally, tanks have to focus on mechanics, and the DPS has to hold back. If that’s a swordsman’s true damage, the DPS rankings need to be rewritten."

"During the first boss, while we handled the four elites, she almost brought the boss’s HP down to the special phase on her own."

"And in the third boss fight, even after you’d been hitting the boss for a whole minute, the aggro still shifted to her."

"Not to mention, she never triggered a dodge. Since her character’s small, her agility stat must be high, but I’ve never seen a boss dodge Rain’s attacks. Even rangers sometimes trigger dodges."

"Her ability to respond to multiple patterns is beyond belief. Did you see her handle the two Chimeras while still dealing damage to Zarkan? I barely held myself back from shaking her and asking how she managed it."

"In all ten runs, I didn’t see her make a single mistake."

"And we’re supposed to compete with that? I don’t know, Beimerung doesn’t think I’m up for it."

"So, this is the skill level of Rain, the swordsman from the 'NoName' party, the first-clear team."

Rain, the silver-haired girl swordsman.

Behind her adorable appearance lay terrifying skill.