Legendria - the Sacred Grove, Mai higaisha, Venomancer

"Everyone, get away!" Mai shouted, her voice desperate as the light shining through the cracking ice reached its crescendo and exploded. She was too late. Although she noticed the attack moments before the others, the distance was too great for her warning to reach them in time.

Standing far from the chaos, Mai cursed herself for not being more instrumental to the raid. Her abilities, while impactful alongside Raggedy, often left her feeling sidelined. Finn had reassured her before, empathizing with her struggle, not every problem could be met with greater brute force, that was when people like them were indispensable . If the raid had simply rushed the boss, they would have been wiped out in under three minutes. or maybe not considering Phantasm was still alive.

Mai’s gaze shifted to Phantasm, the idiot who had prematurely initiated the fight. She hadn't bothered to learn most of the other masters' names, but his she would never forget—at least not until they dealt with him. Still, she had to move closer, assess the situation, and help finish what remained of this sad excuse for a final stage.

Her thoughts then drifted to Sheko. Initially, she had resolved to part ways with him after the raid, irritated by his arrogance and rudeness. But after his incredible performance, she reconsidered. Was he just out to prove himself? Or was there something more to him? She hoped there was something deeper—something more interesting than mere bravado.

As the light subsided, it revealed the disintegrating bodies of four masters, including Sheko and one of Finn’s teammates. Entire chunks of their forms were missing, likely from the attack. Mai noted how the game’s eerie disintegration effect—turning players into white dust blown away by an invisible wind—seemed almost poetic in its uniformity.

She thought she saw the particles drifting toward the unicorn but dismissed it quickly assuming she was imagining it.

The boss—or perhaps its final minion—opened its eyes and emitted an angry blare. Mai, Nue, Raggedy, and a few other masters couldn’t help but laugh at the sound.

"What… is that its voice now? Did Sheko punch it in the mouth? It sounds like a squeaky toy!" Mai quipped.

"More like a deflating sheep bladder," Nue interjected.

“People, I’m right here,” Finn interrupted, his tone stern letting slip some amusement. “Let’s keep it together, okay?”

“Stein, Casper, would you like to do the honors and hog-tie this thing? Prismo, can you manage a finishing blow?” Finn resumed his role as the competent leader.

Prismo began to answer but was cut off by Phantasm. “I can grapple it on my own! Stop ignoring your best fighter!”

Emilia, visibly annoyed, started marching toward Phantasm, ignoring the boss.

It was chasing Stein shooting a flame made of prismatic glitter from its broken horn, Stein however moved with surprising speed, leaping as deftly as Sheko had during his earlier battle. Mai suspected Stein might have been prepared to take Sheko’s place if necessary. Admirable, she thought, at least for anyone who noticed how much Sheko had sacrificed just to stay alive.

“Fine,” Finn sighed, his patience wearing thin. “Help us tie it down, but don’t make things worse.”

Prismo readied his ultimate attack while Stein engaged the unicorn, delivering a flurry of punches. Oddly, his strikes seemed far less effective than they had been in the first phase. Casper and Finn paused momentarily to reassess the situation.

Phantasm, for once, contributed meaningfully. Using his horde of summoned shadows, he added pressure. Casper realized together with Finn that Stein was focused on slowing down the unicorn like he did in the first phase and proceeded to attack with conjured ghostly hands to push the boss into a pit of quicksand he created under it, meanwhile Finn spun steel webs to trap it further. Together, they forced the unicorn to the ground, its movements slowing until it lay motionless.

Everyone retreated as Prismo unleashed three perfectly aimed crystals in quick succession, striking the same spot. The display of precision left nothing behind but innumerable shards of broken crystal.

Maybe he went a little overboard, Mai mused, but I’d do the same if I could.

As the dust settled, Mai reflected on how much easier the fight might have been with backup from the missing team. Her frustration burned as she weighed who infuriated her more: Phantasm or the absent allies.

Everyone except Phantasm remained on edge, unsure if the battle was truly over. The fight had been chaotic: a gigantic mural to destroy, a fake forest, buried minions emerging unexpectedly, and a suicide attack during what seemed like the final phase. No one wanted to be caught off guard.

Their caution proved unnecessary. The chamber glowed once more, and an announcement appeared before each participant, congratulating them on conquering the Sacred Grove. The announcement listed various stats and recognized major contributors.

Prismo unsurprisingly claimed the top spot as the highest damage dealer. The announcement displayed total damage numbers but no percentages, which Mai found mildly annoying. Still, I can tell at a glance that Prismo’s damage is over ten times that of the second-place finisher... Jake, was it? she mused. Jake’s transformation during the unicorn’s lightning beam attack had clearly been significant. Mai wasn’t surprised Emilia was ranked highly, but seeing Stein just below her was unexpected. If his waves of lava didn’t outdamage her sword strikes... I’m definitely not beating her anytime soon.

Next was the assists category. Finn topped the list with an impressive score, though Mai had no idea how to interpret the exact numbers. What truly surprised her was her own ranking: second place. Overcome with happiness, she almost cried.

Then came the "Most Damage Taken" category, which Phantasm “won.” Mai didn’t bother checking further.

Finally, the aggro category listed the total time each participant was targeted by the boss, along with timestamps. Sheko was, of course, at the top, with more seconds of aggro than everyone else combined. Being the boss's punching bag isn't exactly a badge of honor, Mai thought. Sheko’s supposed to be an agility-based melee DPS, but he didn’t even crack the top 10 damage dealers. Makes sense, though—he’s a... matador.

Suddenly, the realization hit her, and she burst out laughing, falling to the floor. “Ha! He forgot to turn off his aggro ability!”

Others who understood who she was referring to joined in the laughter, though none matched her intensity.

The announcement ended with a timer above a button, prompting each player to confirm they had read the information and were ready to receive their rewards. Once everyone confirmed—or the timer expired—a treasure chest materialized in front of each raid member, including those who had perished.

The chests varied by the player’s performance and survival:

- Those who died in the first phase received small, copper-inlaid chests.

- Those who perished in the second phase, including during the phase change explosion, received larger, silver-inlaid chests.

- Survivors were rewarded with large, crystal chests, fitting for their accomplishment.

Each chest had the player’s name carved into it. On Mai’s chest, she noticed a badge marking her assist contribution beside the latch, filling her with pride.

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Stein promised to ensure his party members who had fallen would still receive their rewards, and this became the general consensus for handling the losses.

Mai eagerly prepared to retrieve Sheko’s chest, planning to deliver it to Nue and Emilia’s office before checking her loot. However, when she reached for the chest, her hand passed through it. Suspicion struck immediately, and she called out.

“Phantasm! You’re not escaping! He stole Sheko’s chest! Everyone, get him!”

Mai’s accusation ignited the group. Everyone was more than happy to target Phantasm, as nearly all had grievances against him.

To his minor credit, Phantasm didn’t flee. Instead, he casually walked toward the exit, stopping only to retort. “Yeah, so what? Finn promised me a lifesaving brooch for my illusion that brought the boss down.”

Finn, grinning but clearly furious, snapped back. “If anyone wants proof, check the chat logs. I never promised you anything. You just assumed—as you always do. And you assumed wrong, just like you assume anyone here respects you. we don’t. I don’t care if you’re level 500, 700, or 3,000—you’re a liability to this raid.”

Wait, Mai thought, is he stronger than Emilia? I thought Prismo had the highest level among masters here.

Phantasm, undeterred, doubled down. “What a load of horse crap! You’re a hypocrite. You sat on your ass the entire fight and attacked once! No one needed you to point out the big scary monster!”

Phantasm’s rant devolved into insults toward Stein, accusing him of being all show and no results. As he spoke, Emilia silently closed the distance between them, sword in hand. She raised it high, prepared to strike.

Just as her sword fell with earth-shaking force, Phantasm unleashed a blinding golden light—similar to the unicorn’s rainbow-colored flashes, but purely gold. The light subsided, revealing Phantasm clad in full plate armor.

A broken gauntlet on his arm had blocked Emilia’s blow. The group gasped in shock, their astonishment palpable.

Emilia stepped forward, her voice cutting through the chaos as she demanded an explanation, applying greater pressure to Phantasm’s arm, which began to tremble under her grip. “I’ve had enough of master tricks—kids flying recklessly, crushing themselves with no concept of self-preservation, and now a petty thief shamelessly defending his actions. I agree this traitor must be dealt with, but I’m not leaving this matter to be dealt between you masters.”

Prismo quickly chimed in. “I don’t fully appreciate the tone, but I understand the sentiment. Thank you. Now, if you would kindly move, I’d like to shoot the bastard. Finn, any clue what his deal is? Is this some kind of transformation ultimate?”

Before Finn could respond, Emilia took the initiative. Instead of stepping aside, she released one hand from her sword and grabbed Phantasm by the arm. Letting go of her blade entirely, which crashed to the ground with an earth-shattering impact, she spun and twisted his arm painfully over her shoulder. With a swift motion, she swung Phantasm like a weapon.

A loud snap echoed through the chamber at the apex of her swing before she slammed him into the ground with the same force as her sword. “Okay, I feel better now. He’s yours,” Emilia declared, tossing his flailing body into the air.

Phantasm was utterly helpless against the incoming onslaught. Prismo fired another crystal, glowing green, identical to the one that had destroyed the T-rex skull earlier. The crystal shattered and released a corrosive substance that ate through Phantasm’s armor rapidly.

“Keep the pressure on him! Apparently, he can take it—that only took off about 10% of his HP,” Finn instructed, addressing the group. “There’s a good chance he’ll drop the stolen chest if we kill him, but it’s not guaranteed. Try to steal his inventory or apprehend him. Given his lack of skill, common sense, or any obvious embryo ability, let’s assume that's his ability. He’s currently level 700 and has over 12 jobs active.”

As more masters joined the fray, juggling Phantasm with continuous attacks to prevent him from countering, Nue interjected. “So he’s sort of like the Hero? This is absurd! Are you saying masters can mimic a superior job’s power?”

Finn, satisfied with how things were progressing, watched as Phantasm was battered by the melee fighters. Meanwhile, Mai had been organizing the backliners, who were drinking poison potions like madmen. Despite their alarming behavior, none of them were in danger of dying.

"I don’t know about the Hero—it sounds interesting, so please tell me about it later—but I’m familiar with some embryos that can be this powerful. I think I’m doing quite well for myself. Who knows? Maybe he’ll even understand what I was doing the whole raid... after he dies," Finn said with a faint smirk.

Nue responded quickly, her tone carrying a mix of curiosity and concern. "It just sounds unfair. In the stories, there were only a few masters who appeared throughout history to battle Tiens and monsters. They became legends on their own. But now? Now, there are thousands of you. Would there even be space for Tien adventurers or craftsmen in the future?"

Finn froze, startled and frustrated by the question. It was a heavy thought, one that began to burrow into his mind like an unwelcome guest. While he prided himself on being a competent leader, he couldn’t deny that, outside of the game, he was just an above-average kid trying to find his place in the world.

Sensing his unease, Emilia and Prismo stepped in, their actions snapping Finn back to the present. Together, they shifted his focus away from the philosophical dilemma and redirected it toward something far more satisfying: dishing out some well-deserved payback on Phantasm.

Finn had fulfilled his threat without Phantasm even realizing it. Much like the potions that healed Sheko earlier, Finn was now redirecting the poison Mai was delivering to the backliners straight to Phantasm. While Finn could pass phenomena onto enemies, doing so was significantly more resource-intensive—one or two magnitudes more expensive—than targeting willing allies.

Oddly enough, Phantasm was considered a willing target because he was still connected to Loki’s web, a connection he had given consent for. If he had realized the danger, he could have ended the link instantly with a simple mental command, much like accessing the game menu.

Unaware of the peril he was in, Phantasm continued to suffer. He was now losing 1% of his HP every second while simultaneously being pummeled by melee fighters and smothered by Raggedy. Finn, though, was running out of resources, and he suspected many others were in a similar situation.

Even if Phantasm had more tricks up his sleeve and managed to kill all of them, Finn felt a grim satisfaction. He knew that, with the sheer amount of poison they had afflicted him with, Phantasm wouldn’t survive another 30 seconds.

Phantasm did have another surprise in his arsenal. Finn noticed his MP rapidly depleting. With the sheer number of mage jobs Phantasm had accumulated and likely significant Status Correction from his embryo, his MP pool was formidable. It was enough to fuel a superior job’s ultimate skill—if only he had such a job. Instead, he relied on a rare item favored by summoners like him: Big and Small.

The item allowed summoners to adjust the summoning cost of their creatures, increasing or decreasing their size. A larger summon meant higher damage and HP, while a smaller summon was the opposite but the reduced cost was valuable. However, it seemed Phantasm had only one bound monster: his shadow.

This move wasn’t worthless, though. Seasoned adventurers like Nue and Emilia immediately disengaged when the empowered shadow emerged, surrounding Phantasm and trapping Stein and another master within its form. Stein, unfortunately, was killed instantly by the shadow’s STR-sapping touch—the primary reason shadows were feared by adventurers. Even brief encounters with a shadow nest could leave one debilitated for days unless an elixir was used. Fortunately, masters didn’t rise as new shadows after being slain by one. The second reason shadows were so reviled was their immunity to regular attacks; only spiritually empowered attacks, magic, or divinity could harm them.

Finn, however, already had a response. "Leave him be," he commanded. "He’ll be dead in 10 seconds. Thank you, everyone on the poison team."

The backliners, some visibly ill from their efforts, raised their fists in a weak cheer. Phantasm remained hidden within his shadow, his HP ticking down toward zero. Watching yet another group reject him and revel in his downfall, his eyes burned with anger. Everyone expected him to succumb to the poison.

What surprised them all was Mai. She stepped directly into the shadow’s radius, trembling under the weight of its chilling touch. The shadow attacked her while Phantasm tried to move lethargically; Stein’s debuffs had reduced Phantasm’s AGI so severely that it had gone negative.

Mai raised her arm, catching Raggedy’s thrown limb—blackened as if soaked in petrol—and slapped it across Phantasm’s face. The impact detonated, throwing him to his hands and leaving him afflicted by his own shadow’s affliction.

Before he could die, Mai ripped his backpack from him. Once dead, without its summoner, the shadow dissipated shortly after. The stolen chest was finally secured, along with the bonus contents of Phantasm’s bag.

Everyone sighed in relief, their exhaustion mingled with joy at the raid’s conclusion—and especially at finally being rid of Phantasm. With Stein gone, Emilia stepped forward and offered to safeguard the loot he had dropped, as well as the chests meant for his allies. While the remaining masters were hesitant, they reluctantly agreed. Emilia’s accessibility made her the most logical choice for now, though they recognized that distributing the loot to its rightful owners would likely present challenges later on.

After some deliberation, they decided to entrust Phantasm's belongings to Mai. The plan was for the loot to be shared between her and Sheko. Mai had played a crucial role in securing the items, and it was Sheko’s reward that Phantasm had stolen in the first place. This solution seemed fair, given their respective efforts and the circumstances surrounding the theft.