If not for this system rule, Ethan would have dared to take a six-man team and challenge an expert-level dungeon by now.
Just imagine Lyla's explosive damage output, facing a boss with zero defense, wouldn't she wipe it out in seconds?
The percentage-based damage reduction system ensured a balance between elite and regular players. It highlighted the status of top-tier players while still allowing casual players to participate.
After all, zero defense ant that even those without high-tier gear could break through. But at the sa ti, it prevented overpowered players from solo-clearing dungeons.
Ethan quickened his pace, heading straight for the dungeon entrance. He wasn't just aiming for a simple clear, he wanted a five-star rating.
A five-star clear guaranteed at least one gold-tier item, with a chance of even scoring dark gold loot. And more importantly, securing the world's first five-star clear ant earning a huge amount of guild points, far more than a standard dungeon run.
Guild upgrades required increasing the level of their stronghold, and stronghold upgrades consud guild points.
The only way to earn guild points? Guild mbers had to form teams and clear dungeons together. Of course, even a regular dungeon clear awarded so points, but the amount was small. It would take a ridiculous amount of runs just to upgrade the stronghold once.
That's why guilds looking to dominate the ga always fought for first clears.
By the ti Ethan reached the Howling Caverns dungeon entrance, the place was packed, it was more crowded than a street market. He had to squeeze his way through, pushing past groups of players, before finally reaching Skyblade's team.
As soon as he accepted Skyblade's party invite, leadership and raid command permissions were instantly transferred to him.
"Boss!"
"Guild leader is here!"
The party mbers greeted him one after another.
Ethan nodded back at them and checked the raid lineup:
Damage dealers:
Archers (4)
Gunners (2)
Mages (4)
Warriors (3)
Rogues (4)
Warlocks (2)
Paladin (1)
Healers:
Paladins (2)
Priests (3)
Druid (1)
Tanks:
Shield Tanks (2)
Guardian knight (1)
Total: 29 players. Including himself, that made a full 30-man raid.
As Ethan scanned the group, he suddenly noticed sothing odd—SeraphWarrior had sohow blended into the healer squad.
Wait… Had that guy switched to a healing class?
He pulled up the party window. SeraphWarrior's icon still showed him as a Retribution Paladin.
Frowning, Ethan turned to Skyblade. "Sky, what's going on?"
Skyblade chuckled, clearly expecting the question. Leaning in, he whispered, "Last night, after logging in, he stumbled into a side quest and unlocked a hidden class—Judicator of Light."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Judicator of Light?"
"It's a fusion class, a mix of Retribution and Holy Paladin," Skyblade explained. "Any ti he uses a Retribution skill, he gains Holy Energy. He can then use that energy to cast any healing spell."
"Oh, and the best part?" Skyblade smirked. "It doesn't consu mana. Pretty insane, right? I swear, the guy must've stepped in so serious good luck."
Ethan glanced over at SeraphWarrior again, his surprise evident.
Judicator of Light, this hidden class had only been discovered in his past life by a top-tier Paladin nad PlainWalker, and that was after hitting level 40. Now? SeraphWarrior had unlocked it this early?!
It all but guaranteed that he was destined to beco a legendary player.
Skyblade noticed Ethan's reaction and let out a low chuckle. "Don't let the class fool you. SeraphWarrior has been stressing out over it."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Skyblade grinned. "The class talent lets him use both Retribution and Holy Paladin skills, which sounds amazing, right?"
Ethan nodded.
"Well," Skyblade continued, "the trade-off? His attack power is permanently reduced by 35%. But his healing output is only 50% of a regular Holy Paladin. At best, he's half a healer."
"The only real advantage is that he doesn't use mana, so he's got insane endurance. But… y'know, weak and pathetic. Hah!"
Skyblade burst out laughing at his own joke.
Ethan already knew that Judicator of Light wasn't particularly impressive in the early ga. But at level 60, when it advanced into Divine Judicator, it was a whole different story.
That reminded him of sothing, because of his presence in this life, too many things had changed. The tiline wasn't unfolding the way it had before. Even if he tried recruiting the sa top players from his past life, there was no guarantee they'd even beco top players this ti around.
So… why not create his own legends instead?
He turned to Skyblade with a burning gaze.
Skyblade shuddered. "Uh… Boss? What's with that look? You're staring at like I'm so kind of prize or sothing."
Ethan's mind was already racing.
'Yeah… I should take Skyblade to unlock the Iron Guardian hidden class for Shield Tanks.'
It had already been a month since Ethereal launched. He'd been way too busy, rushing to level up, making a trip to the Underworld, then fighting against Blade Syndicate, followed by seven days of clearing his red-na status.
Now it was ti to get back to serious business.
But first, securing the first clear of this expert-level dungeon took priority.
Originally, he'd planned on selling dungeon guides, but at this rate, that might not be profitable anymore. Ethereal had been live long enough that most top teams had already figured out the ga's chanics.
Plenty of high-profile guilds had moved in, and soon, selling guides wouldn't be a viable business model.
Ethan's voice rang out in the raid chat. "Alright, everyone ready? We're going in."
The team gathered at the dungeon entrance as Ethan approached an NPC standing nearby.
"Honorable Grand Druid, do you wish to enter the Howling Caverns?"
"Yes."
"Please select your difficulty: Easy, Normal, Hard, Expert, or Hell (locked)."
"Expert," Ethan confird.
"Understood. You and your party will be transported in ten seconds. Please stand by."
Instead of stepping in imdiately, Ethan stood his ground, watching the dungeon's shimring entrance.
The rest of the team, including Skyblade, exchanged confused glances.
"Uh… Boss? What are we waiting for?"
A few seconds later, the entrance flickered, shifting from white to deep purple, a massive, eerie skull forming over the portal.
"Holy—Expert mode!" Skyblade gasped.
The rest of the players gawked in disbelief.
They had experienced Expert dungeons before back in the Starter Zone, thanks to Ethan's guides. So the color shift at the entrance was all too familiar.
Ethan smirked. "What? You scared now?"
"Scared my ass!"
"Hell no, we're not cowards."
"Let's do this! With you leading us, Guild leader, what's the worst that could happen? Losing so EXP? Who cares!"
Ethan chuckled. "Alright, listen up. Blade Syndicate hired a professional raid team to tackle this sa dungeon on Expert.
I got word on my way here, they've already reached the third boss.
This dungeon only has seven bosses total. That ans they've already cleared almost half of it."
The room went dead silent.
Ethan let that sink in for a mont before raising his voice.
"But we're not just aiming to beat them, we're going for a five-star clear."
Then, he fired off three questions in rapid succession:
"Do you have the guts to keep Blade Syndicate beneath our feet forever?"
"Can you outperform professional raiders and make history in Ethereal?"
"And when the dust settles, do you want to brag that you took the world's first Expert dungeon clear—with a five-star rating?"
A roaring battle cry erupted in the raid chat.
"HELL YES!!"
Even Heaven's Dawn, the 12-year-old in the party, clenched her tiny fists and shouted along with them.
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