Alvin Morgan, controlling Madam Whitlock, ambled over to the entrance of The Molten Grotto. The first thing he saw was Master Rory, with text bubbles constantly popping up over her head.
In the party channel—
[Master Rory]talaile.
[Young Lord Shawn]Alright, everyone, listen up. Get ready to enter the dungeon.
[Madam Whitlock]Wait a minute. One of the max-level players needs to leave.
[Young Lord Shawn]??? Are you talking to ?
[Madam Whitlock]Yeah. Either you or the Healer needs to go.
Zeke Quincy turned to glance at Aurora Sinclair. She was still focused on her computer, diligently practicing her typing.
Madam Whitlock’s words caused the party channel to erupt into chaos once again.
This low-level character was way too arrogant. What gave them the right to speak to their guild leader and top healer like that?
[Barron]You’ve got so nerve. Who do you think you are?
[Maple Loves Oak]Telling the Healer to leave? Why don’t you leave instead?
[Mourner of the Night]I swear, my temper... Newbie, are you out of your mind? Telling a max-level player to leave an Abyss Level run? If we die, are you going to take responsibility?
[Madam Whitlock]I will.
[Barron]Damn, all talk, aren’t you! Hah... The nerve!
[Master Rory]listentoher
Zeke Quincy turned his head in surprise. "Is she really good at this ga?"
Aurora Sinclair opened her friends list, glanced at the grayed-out Level 80 character, and nodded.
[Young Lord Shawn]Fine. Lorraine, you can leave the party.
[Barron]Guild Leader, are you serious? Lorraine is the best healer in the entire guild.
[Lorraine]??? Zeke, are you serious? You’re taking a bunch of low-levels on an Abyss run?
Zeke Quincy imdiately sent her a private ssage to calm her down.
While the two were talking privately, the low-level players in the party started attacking Madam Whitlock again, even threatening to quit.
Alvin Morgan finally offered an explanation in the party channel.
[Madam Whitlock]The higher the party’s average level, the lower the drop rate for high-quality equipnt. There are guides online, look it up yourselves (link).
As soon as he said that, the party channel fell silent.
Lorraine Morrison looked at what Madam Whitlock had posted. Her expression soured, but the guild leader had already sent a ssage to smooth things over, so she had to be accommodating. She typed a line into the party channel.
[Lorraine]I’ll take my leave then. I recently crafted a few hundred stacks of high-grade health and mana potions. Everyone, line up and get so! (smile)
[Barron]A.. Lorraine, you’re so thoughtful. Who knows how many tis we’ll die this run! Please give so extra, Lorraine.
The low-level players in the party all played along and begged for potions. Only Young Lord Shawn, Master Rory, and Madam Whitlock stood still without moving.
[Lorraine]There are 100 stacks left. Madam Whitlock and Master Rory, co get them quick.
[Madam Whitlock]No need. I can heal.
[Master Rory]ihaveso (thanks)
Lorraine Morrison pursed her lips and, with a blank expression, clicked to leave the party.
***
Just before they entered the dungeon, Zeke Quincy gave a worried instruction, "In a bit, stick close to that Madam Whitlock and keep spamming your high-grade health potions!"
Aurora Sinclair nodded obediently.
The Molten Grotto was divided into three levels, each with a mini-boss. Only after defeating all of them could they challenge the final boss, the Fla Queen.
Since this was an Abyss Level run, the mobs in the dungeon were tough, had tons of health, and hit hard. The low-level players were all prepared to die their way to the final stage, placing their high-grade health potions in the most accessible spot on their hotbars.
Zeke Quincy activated the party’s voice chat and began to command.
"The first level’s boss, the Cinder Scorpion, is up ahead. Everyone, watch your positioning. Healers, keep an eye on everyone’s health..."
Zeke Quincy pulled the boss with a Frost Arrow. "Knight, move up and tank! Healer, watch their health! Everyone else, full DPS—"
Before the words were even out of his mouth, a dark figure had already shot past everyone, arriving right next to the Cinder Scorpion.
"Aurora, get back here—" In his panic, Zeke Quincy called out Aurora Sinclair’s real na.
But Master Rory was as valiant as any Knight, facing the Cinder Scorpion head-on. Her agile dodges were breathtaking to watch. Aside from the occasional area-of-effect attack she couldn’t avoid, Master Rory evaded its normal fla attacks as if it were child’s play.
After Master Rory charged in, the Healer, Madam Whitlock, also disobeyed orders and ran out of the safe zone. With slick positioning, she followed close behind, steadily keeping Aurora’s health above 80%. Occasionally, she would also tend to the Knights next to her, ensuring they didn’t die.
Zeke Quincy was stunned, his jaw hanging open for a long mont. On the stats ter on the far right of the screen, Madam Whitlock’s healing output was firmly in first place, leaving the runner-up in the dust.
Moreover, Madam Whitlock’s positioning, healing, and debuff dispels were staggeringly precise, as if he were running a cheat program. His predictive abilities were off the charts.
Zeke Quincy silently turned to look at Aurora Sinclair and, muting his mic, asked, "Aurora, is your friend hacking?"
"What’s hacking?"
Aurora Sinclair’s eyes were glued to the screen, her hands moving so fast that Zeke Quincy was once again left speechless.
’Fine! They’re both god-tier players!’
"Ah! I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die! Healer, heal —" a Swordsman suddenly yelled in the party channel.
"Sorry, I’m dead!" the Healer assigned to him replied weakly.
Zeke Quincy glanced at the players Madam Whitlock was responsible for, then imdiately unmuted his mic to command, "Healers, watch your own positions! Don’t enter the mob’s attack range."
But no matter how much he emphasized it, the performance of these low-level players was still a train wreck.
A total of 30 people had entered, but in the end, only the sub-party with Madam Whitlock and Aurora Sinclair was still holding on. The others had fulfilled their own prophecy from the start, dying all the way to the end.
Finally, thanks to the efforts of this small squad, the first level’s boss, the Cinder Scorpion, crashed to the ground, dropping a huge bronze chest.
"Who’s going to loot it?"
"Ah, not , I have terrible luck. Let Jasmine do it, she always gets good drops."
"Let the Guild Leader do it, he’s definitely got good luck."
The party’s voice channel was a ss of chatter, but no one dared to step forward.
Zeke Quincy turned to look at Aurora Sinclair and said into his headset, "Master Rory, go open the chest."
"Whoa, you guys are opening the chest already?" Mason Sutton, who played as Mr. Mason, quickly stood up from across the room and ca over to watch.
Aurora Sinclair controlled her mouse and clicked on the chest. A pile of equipnt appeared in the system channel, and among it was even a piece of Red Equipnt.
"Damn, Rare Red Equipnt! Lucky god, please accept my worship!"
The party channel erupted in frantic screams.
Zeke Quincy couldn’t stay calm. He turned to Aurora Sinclair and said, "From now on, you’re in charge of opening chests in dungeons."
Aurora Sinclair nodded again.
Next, as Young Lord Shawn led everyone toward the second level, he was suddenly flooded with private ssages.
[Guild Leader, can you move Madam Whitlock to our squad?]
[Guild Leader, I don’t want to be a floor-tank for the rest of the run! Can you move Madam Whitlock to our team? I’m begging you!]
Zeke Quincy chuckled and sent a private ssage to Madam Whitlock to ask for his opinion.
[Madam Whitlock]Doesn’t matter. I go where Aurora goes.
Zeke Quincy: ...
’Fine! A dedicated pocket healer, then.’
[Young Lord Shawn]For the second level, all squads will keep their current assignnts. Madam Whitlock, if you have the spare capacity, please try to cover the health of the adjacent squads as well.
[Barron]Madam Whitlock, Mr. Whitlock, please check on when you have a sec! (kneels in thanks)
[Bumblebee] 1
[BondiBond] 1
...
A reply chain spamd the party channel. Even the low-level players who were Healers themselves joined in. The complete 180-degree turn in tone made a bead of cold sweat form on Zeke Quincy’s brow.
With the experience from the first level, the second level went relatively smoothly. They soon arrived before the second level’s boss, the Blazewing.
This monster could fly, and its AoE attacks had a massive range, demanding even more precise positioning from the players. Zeke Quincy repeatedly emphasized positioning, even shouting himself hoarse into the party chat. But he could still only watch helplessly as twenty player portraits turned gray after every AoE attack.
In the end, Zeke Quincy ripped off his headset, threw it on the desk, and powerlessly let them be.
While everyone was being slaughtered by the Blazewing, Madam Whitlock continued to precisely maintain the health of Master Rory and the few Knights, occasionally showing rcy by casting a Resurrection Technique on a fallen player.
[Barron]Madam, I’m down. Could you please resurrect ?
[Madam Whitlock]...
[Madam Whitlock]Except for the tanks, everyone still alive, move back 15 yards.
After typing that sentence, Alvin Morgan flexed his fingers. When he placed them back on the keyboard, his hand speed clearly increased. Not only was the decimated party collectively resurrected, but a second later, they were all at full health.
[Madam Whitlock]Everyone who just got up, maintain a 15-yard distance from the boss.
And so, in a party of 30, a scene unfolded where 20 people ford an arc 15 yards away, doing nothing useful. They collectively watched the 10 people in the middle put on a show of slaughtering the boss, a group that included the combat healer, Madam Whitlock.
His DPS was climbing at an exponential rate. Anyone who could perform at this level had to have the hand speed and technical skill of a professional player.
Zeke Quincy’s eyes grew wider and wider. He dumbly asked Aurora Sinclair, who was next to him, "Your friend isn’t so pro from a professional team, is he?"
Aurora Sinclair shook her head. "I don’t know."
The look in Zeke Quincy’s eyes grew more and more fervent. A voice in his head scread, ’I have to get him into the guild!’
Twenty minutes later, the second level’s boss, the Blazewing, finally let out a shriek and collapsed after a critical hit from Master Rory.
It dropped a silver chest.
Zeke Quincy said eagerly, "Master Rory, loot it."
This ti there was no Rare Red Equipnt, but it dropped a lot of Perfect Purple pieces and Reinforced Blue pieces. It even completed the Healer set.
Zeke Quincy looked at the set and thought to himself:
’Was the ga’s system so scared of Madam Whitlock that it just gave up?’
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