“I’ll go first,” Marlene said, drawing everyone’s attention. “I need to make sure the others are okay. I’m sure there won’t be any more problems here. I’ll send you a message if anything
important comes up.”
“Yes, thanks, Marlene.”
Marlene walked out of the room, the sound of her high heels echoing in the quiet space.
Elowen chimed in next. “Let me go too. I’ll help look for the others,” she said, and quickly followed after.
Only three people remained in the room. Charmelyn then spoke up. “Broken, I’m heading out as well. I’ll contact you both in and out of the game with updates on the progress and the next plan. Thanks.”
“Thanks, Charmelyn.”
“I’ll log out after this,” she added. Then her figure vanished from the room.
Now, only Broken and Ivana remained in the room. He turned to her, noticing the smile on her face.
Ivana giggled. “Looks like it’s just the two of us now, along with this golem.” She paused for a moment before adding, “I’m really glad we made it out okay.”
“I’m glad nothing happened to you,” Broken replied.
He glanced at Ivana’s armor, noticing the cracks along her stomach and arms. “I’ll repair this later.”
Ivana shook her head, giggling softly. “I’m going to see Mr. Fokil and let him handle it. I miss him.”
“I’ll go with you,” Broken replied with a grin. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen him too.” Ivana nodded, her smile brightening as their eyes met. There was a brief moment of silence, a connection lingering between them.
Without a word, Ivana tapped her armor, and in a flash, it vanished into her dimensional storage, revealing a simple white dress. She looked at Broken with a warm smile, and before he could react, she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him in a tight, unexpected hug.
Broken froze for a second, then slowly relaxed, returning the embrace.
“Ivana?”
She hugged him tighter. “I was afraid… that I wouldn’t be able to do my job well,” she said, her voice breaking as soft sobs escaped her.
Broken gently patted her back. So, even after all this, her biggest fear was not performing well? The battle had lasted as long as it did because of her. Things would’ve turned out very differently if she hadn’t been there.
“You did everything perfectly, Ivana,” Broken said softly. “You don’t need to worry. In fact, none of this would have ended like it did without you. You didn’t just protect us-you saved someone’s life. You’re far more valuable than you realize.”
“Thanks, Broken,” Ivana whispered, her voice trembling as she sniffled. “You trusted me and invited me into this battle. I’m so happy…”
Broken nodded quietly, holding her close as they embraced for a few moments longer. When Ivana pulled back slightly, her face was lit with a bright smile, though tears still streamed down her cheeks.
Gently, Broken reached up and wiped the tears from her face with both hands. “After this, you need to restore your level right away, okay?” he said, his tone gentle but firm.
“Yes, I will…” she replied softly, her voice steadying as her smile lingered.
They held each other’s gaze for a moment before Ivana moved closer again, embracing him once more. They stood there silently, enveloped in each other’s warmth.
“This hug feels so comforting,” she whispered softly.
“Yes, it is… so comforting,” he replied just as quietly.
Broken could feel the same sense of warmth and peace radiating from the embrace. After everything they had been through-the intense battle, the looming danger that had almost cost him Ivana-this quiet moment felt like a refuge, a place of calm amidst the storm. He tightened his hold slightly, savoring the comfort and making sure she felt the same ease he did.
They stood like that for a while, simply holding each other, until Broken could sense that the heaviness in Ivana had lifted. When they finally let go, Ivana’s smile was calmer, softer, the tension from before completely melted away.
“Now, you want to check that card, right? I’m curious what kind of card it is,” Ivana said with a giggle.
Broken nodded, pulling out the card with the image of a vampiric bat, studying it closely. The card turned out to be an item that occupied a Device slot for the user-an extra slot that didn’t interfere with gear or weapon slots. And it was Legendary-grade.
[Vampiric Command Card]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Agility +100
Intelligence +100]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Weight: 43]
[A legendary card that summons the power of Gremory’s vampiric essence, transforming the user into a host of vampiric power. During this period, the user enters the Vampiric Swarm State, gaining access to devastating abilities that drain life and amplify combat prowess.]
[Skills:]
[…]
[User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.
Affinity with Shadow Element.]
There were four skills attached to the card, each intricately linked, creating a synergistic effect when used together. What stood out even more were the card’s impressive stats-when activated, it granted a +100 boost to Agility and +100 to Intelligence. However, the catch was that these stat boosts only applied when the card’s skills were active.
“So, this is a Legendary-grade card, Broken?” Ivana asked.
Broken nodded slowly, still studying the card’s details.
The card didn’t come with overly complex restrictions; the only requirements were a minimum level of 200 and affinity with the Shadow Element. While affinity with the Shadow Element wasn’t something common, both Marlene and Charmelyn had it, making this card
also available for them to use.
[Vampiric Swarm State:
Upon activation, the user enters Vampiric Swarm State for 90 seconds, summoning 300 vampire bats in a 40-meter radius. The bats deal 60% of the user’s base magic damage per second and drain 25% of the total damage dealt as health to the user and allies.
Slow Effect: Enemies hit by the bats are slowed by 30% and have their healing reduced by
50%.
Cooldown: 3 hour
Duration: 90 seconds
Night Bonus: if activated during the night, the swarm would grow to 500 bats, increasing the healing effect to 35%, and reducing the cooldown by an hour.]
The first skill, which was also the card’s main ability, was called Vampiric Swarm State. As the name suggested, it activated a state where 300 vampire bats were summoned, each dealing 60% base magic damage.
Damn, 300 bats with that kind of damage? And it didn’t stop there-the bats also performed lifesteal for both the user and their allies.
He recalled encountering a similar skill when they first entered Gremory’s territory, when swarms of vampire bats attacked everyone. But the damage from this swarm was on another
level.
With a duration of 90 seconds, the bats could deal massive damage to large groups of enemies. The only question was: how easy would it be for opponents to kill these summoned bats? If they were too fragile, the skill might not be as effective.
But then again, during nighttime, the number of summoned bats could increase to 500, and
the cooldown would be reduced to just one hour.
Definitely an OP skill for a Legendary-grade item!
“Do you like the skill, Broken?” Ivana asked.
Broken nodded. “Yes, it’s definitely a cool skill, though I might only use this card with my
alternate persona.”
“Uh?” Ivana looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“Not much, I have some gear that can change my appearance-mostly Hell-themed. With
this skill, I can use it when I’m hiding my identity as Broken.”
Ivana giggled. “I wonder what interesting things you’ll do with that identity? Can I join,
Broken?”
“Yes… you can wear the dress we got earlier, and we’ll find a good mask for you. Then we can
do something fun with these new identities.”
Ivana giggled again. “In this place?”
“That’s an interesting idea. Let’s see if we can gather more Hell gear before we return to
Yunatea.”
“Yes, I’ll help you with that.”
“Even if it means taking it from someone else?”
“That’s a pretty bad idea, I guess… but I could try.”
Broken patted Ivana’s arm, signaling her to follow him out of the room as he continued
checking the other three skills on the card. They chatted casually while walking down the
corridor, the heavy footsteps of the golem behind them, sounding as if they might bring the
building down.
“So, are you interested in joining me on future adventures?”
“Yes!” she replied without hesitation.
“Even with risks like what we just faced?”
Ivana giggled and glanced at him. “That’s exactly why I’ll keep getting stronger… so you
won’t have to worry about me.”
Broken smiled and took her hand, holding it as they walked together.