Chapter 1095: Rise, My Champion (Third Update)
At the entrance of the Scarlet Chapel, Zou Zhuo stared at the endless swarm of mobs, his head throbbing.
After grinding the Scarlet Monastery for several hours, this group was nearly sick of it. They had gone from just over level 30 all the way to around level 38, which was an incredibly intense grind.
Zou Zhuo finally understood why Chen Mo had come to farm this dungeon after causing such a stir—it was simply the fastest way to level up.
The mobs here were relatively densely packed, and there was no need to run back and forth. As long as your raw strength was sufficient, farming here was quite convenient. Moreover, these mobs gave generous experience, dropped plenty of gold, and yielded various cloth materials that could be sold at the auction house.
Now, all that remained was to clear the Cathedral, and the entire Scarlet Monastery would be fully completed.
Of course, they were still far from being fully geared, because this place dropped the famous Scarlet Armor Set.
Through this period of gameplay, players had been sharing their experiences and tips on forums and in-game. Naturally, the Scarlet Monastery content for this level range was a hot topic.
The most talked-about items were the excellent gear dropped in the Scarlet Cathedral and Armory. Herod in the Armory dropped a stylish shoulder piece and the formidable Whirlwind Axe, while the Cathedral boss dropped the beautiful Bishop’s Crown, Amulet of the Holy Guardian, Hand of Justice (healing mace), Might of Mograine, and Scarlet Commander’s Shield.
On top of that, there was the complete Scarlet Crusade Armor Set, which made Zou Zhuo drool with desire.
Of course, the Scarlet Crusade Set wasn’t the first available player set. Before it came the Defias Leather Set, the Fang Set, and the Arugal Set. Other sets like Traveler’s, Whale’s, or Owl’s didn’t have set bonuses.
The Defias Leather Set and Fang Set were both leather armor sets, and crucially, their level requirements were too low. Players leveled up so quickly in the early stages—going from level 20 to 30 was a blink of an eye—so these sets were soon replaced as their stats fell behind.
But the Scarlet Crusade Set was different. It was a level 40 mail armor set that provided substantial boosts to Strength, Agility, and Stamina. The set bonuses increased Armor, Defense Rating, and Hit Rating. Paired with the helmet, shoulder piece, and Whirlwind Axe dropped by Herod, it offered a huge stat advantage. With full enchants, health could reach over 2200, and it even outperformed mixed plate armor before level 50.
In other words, wearing this set at level 40 would transform a Warrior from a neglected class into a powerhouse. They could steamroll mages, rogues, and hunters with mediocre gear and skill, just charging in blindly.
And on top of that, the set looked amazing!
This set was a frequent sight at the auction house and was often used for transmogrification with various outfits. For many players, especially Warriors, the Scarlet Crusade Set held fond memories.
...
Lin Xue scrolled through the equipment stat sheets circulating online, muttering to herself, “Do you think... we’ll get the Amulet of the Holy Guardian this time? Or the healing mace would be nice too.”
Old P chimed in, “I want Little Red Riding Hood! And the Amulet of the Holy Guardian too!”
Lin Xue snorted, “Then let’s rely on luck! Who’s afraid of who?”
They hadn’t even reached the boss yet, and they were already discussing the drops.
They couldn’t help it—these pieces of gear were too scarce. Especially the Amulet of the Holy Guardian and the Bishop’s Crown. Most cloth-wearing classes at this level had no hat or necklace, and if they did, they were green items with terrible stats. That showed just how desperate they were for these items.
Zou Zhuo stared at the Scarlet Chapel before him, feeling utterly frustrated.
“Come on, stop daydreaming about the drops. Let’s figure out how to handle this first. There are way too many mobs,” Zou Zhuo said.
The others looked and saw that indeed, the entire chapel was filled with Scarlet Crusaders devoutly praying—at least several dozen mobs. If they charged in directly, no amount of lives would be enough.
After all, they had already experienced the strength of these mobs. Scarlet Monks could heal, Scarlet Mages could cast Frostbolts, and some mobs would try to flee and call for reinforcements when low on health. One mistake would mean a total wipe.
“What if... we stand outside the main gate and pull them one by one?” Old P suggested.
Lin Xue looked at the endless mobs inside. “Wouldn’t that be too slow? Clearing them one by one like that would take forever...”
Zou Zhuo slapped his forehead. “How about this! We hug the left wall, so we only aggro the mobs on the left side?”
The group thought about it. Yeah, that made sense!
If they went through the middle, they’d definitely aggro mobs from both sides. So why not just stick to one side? That would cut the workload in half!
Sure, these mobs gave plenty of experience, but fighting them was a pain! Besides, everyone’s desire for gear had long since overshadowed everything else.
No time to waste. Zou Zhuo led his four teammates, carefully creeping along the left side. They played it safe, quickly focusing down any mob that tried to flee. After a huge effort, they finally reached the boss.
At that moment, the boss, Renault Mograine, was praying before an altar covered in lit candles, completely unaware of the intruders sneaking in.
“Hmm... how do we fight him? Use a ranged skill to pull him to the corner?” Zou Zhuo suggested.
The boss was at the center of the deepest part of the chapel. If they fought him there, they would definitely aggro the mobs on the right that they hadn’t cleared.
Zou Zhuo wasn’t stupid. He pulled out his bow and shot an arrow straight into Mograine’s forehead.
“Heretics? Purge them!”
Mograine let out a furious roar and charged straight at Zou Zhuo.
Just as Zou Zhuo was about to congratulate himself on his perfect plan, he saw half the mobs in the cathedral swarm over...
...
Five minutes later, the five of them were back at the chapel entrance.
Old P’s face darkened. “Who was it that suggested clearing only half to save time...”
Zou Zhuo looked up at the sky. “Oh, yeah, who was that... Was it you, Lin Xue?”
Lin Xue squinted. “Little fatty, I’ll give you one more chance. Think carefully about your wording...”
Zou Zhuo coughed dryly. “No worries, no worries. This time, we’ll clear all the mobs.”
This time, they didn’t dare to be reckless. They thoroughly cleared all the surrounding mobs, leaving only Mograine standing alone.
“No problems this time, right? I’m going in!”
To be fair, their technique was pretty solid. Although there were a few close calls, they managed to survive and finally took down Mograine with empty health and mana.
“Huh? Why can’t I loot the body? Nothing dropped??” Zou Zhuo was completely baffled.
“Mograine is dead? You will pay for this!”
Zou Zhuo was still crouched on the ground, about to loot, when the door behind him opened. High Inquisitor Whitemane burst out, swinging her long staff directly at Zou Zhuo’s head.
*Pia!*
Zou Zhuo was stunned by the blow. What the hell... two bosses at once??
...
Back at the chapel entrance.
The five of them sat eating and drinking to recover health and mana while discussing.
“It feels like... these two bosses are meant to be fought consecutively. How do we handle it?”
“Well, I think we can be even more careful with Mograine, minimize health loss, and conserve mana.”
“Yeah, I think the woman is pretty weak. Our main problem last time was running out of mana. If we’re more careful this time, it should be fine.”
The five of them refreshed their buffs and charged in again.
This time, they fought even more cautiously. With their previous experience, they quickly brought Whitemane’s health down to half.
“Keep it up! We’re almost there!”
Seeing those cool blue items within reach, everyone was excited. Lin Xue checked her mana—still about 30% left. This run was going very smoothly.
But just then, everyone suddenly felt their bodies go out of control, falling into a deep sleep.
Everyone: “???”
They watched as Whitemane ran to Mograine’s corpse: “Rise, my champion!”
Mograine actually revived with full health: “At your side, my lady!”