[Carmine Twin Charge (Twin Daggers) — Epic]
Attack +85, +10 STR, +10 CON
Requires 20 STR to equip
Requires Level 5 (Warrior/Assassin)
[Oxheart (Active)]: Double STR and CON for 3 s. Cooldown: 60 s.
Description:A matched pair of predatory, S-curved daggers—organic yet ceremonial—each with a crimson, grown-not-forged shell. A ringed "eye-void" sits in the meat of every blade, rimmed with ember light. Faint violet lightning veins flicker beneath the surface. Horned pommels, a nose-ring collar, and brass studs nod to a bull-cult provenance.
[HornSplitter (Greatsword) — Epic]
Attack +210, +10 STR, +10 CON
Requires 50 STR to equip
Requires Level 5 (Warrior)
[Oxheart (Active)]: Double STR and CON for 3 s. Cooldown: 60 s.
Description: A brutal, ritual-grade cleaver forged in the image of a bull-god's verdict. The blade is wide and slightly forward-weighted, with a thick, horn-curved profile that wants to bite and keep biting. Along the flat, shallow grooves score the steel like old chain burns; the spine is notched in staggered "ring" cuts that echo broken shackles. Near the ricasso, a circular eye-void pierces the metal—an aperture rimmed with dull ember light that seems to "watch" the line of the swing.
[Carmine Ironhide Coat — Epic]
+80 Physical Defense, +15 All Elemental Resistances, +10 CON
(Warrior/Assassin)
[Hemal Grip Gauntlets — Epic]
+25 Physical Defense, +5 All Elemental Resistances, +3 CON
(Warrior/Assassin)
[Gold-Hoof Boots — Epic]
+32 Physical Defense, +5 All Elemental Resistances, +5 CON
(Warrior/Assassin)
[Storage Ring — Epic]
Holds up to 80 items
[Greed's Touch — Common, Active, All Classes]
Reach into a monster's Remnant (Common–Epic), Corpse (Heroic+), or lingering Echo Scar to manifest extra drops.
Success Chance: 20%
[Riftstep Cut — Rare, Active, Assassin]
Dash in a straight line (passing through enemies) and slice everything you cross.
Range: up to 9 m straight line
Path Width: ~2 m
Damage: 42 to each enemy crossed
Cooldown: 13 s
Cast Requirement: Must have at least one valid target in range to cast
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"Are you sure this is all you want?" Haeun asked.
"Yeah. This is all."
The dungeon made it so the drops from the Minotaur would be increased compared to a typical Epic. They split the loot by class first, then halved the rest. Loki chose what he needed, sold what he didn't, and walked away with 900 TLE from a 1,200 TLE boss.
'Well… makes up for the death, somewhat,' he thought.
He equipped and learned in quick order:
— Equipment —
Poisoned Edge (Rare) → Carmine Twin Charge (Epic)
Grimwolf Stalker Coat (Rare) → Carmine Ironhide Coat (Epic)
Gorebark Grips (Uncommon) → Hemal Grip Gauntlets (Epic)
Webstalker Treads (Uncommon) → Gold-Hoof Boots (Epic)
— Accessories —
Storage Ring (Common) → Storage Ring (Epic)
— Skills —
Greed's Touch (Common) — new
Riftstep Cut (Rare) — new
'These are not ideal for an assassin. They are more Warrior-leaning, but it'll do I guess,' he judged.
If a normal assassin had gotten these items, he would have had to change their fighting style or simply sell them. But for Loki, who had been a warrior for 10 years, it was no problem.
'I can get in close now without getting one-shot by bosses.'
He glanced at Haeun.
"Ready to head back?"
"Mhm," Haeun confirmed.
He stepped in to lift her but paused.
"May I?"
"You may," she said, a small smile touching her mouth.
They left the dungeon and moved toward Ashen Hollow.
The trip back was neither rushed nor dawdling. It was quiet. so quiet that the forest wind did most of the talking.
Haeun's thoughts weren't quiet tough. She turned the problem over and over inside her head.
'If he'd let me die, he'd have taken the EXP, first-kill bonus stat and reputation, and the essence without losing a thing. He could've had more of everything. But he saved me.
Why?
To curry favor?'
She was Yoon Seung-min's only daughter, heiress to one of the country's top five diversified conglomerates. Plenty of people bent themselves into shapes for less.
'If that was it, though, he would've started sooner.'
Loki had been polite—never fawning—and eager to get things over with from the start of the trip.
'Then what do you want, Mister Loki? We'll find out soon enough.'
Near the town line he set her down. They cut through to a crumbled building where Minjoo waited, rigid with worry.
"My lady!" Minjoo shot up.
Loki dipped her a short nod.
After a few quick reassurances and a promise—"I'll explain everything later"—Haeun turned back to him.
"Thank you for everything, Mister Loki."
"No problem, Miss Haeun."
'Here it comes,' she thought—expecting the ask.
"Well then. I'll see you next time with the loot," Loki said, already turning away.
'…He's not asking?'
"Wait!"
He stopped, surprised.
"Hm?"
"Yo—you really don't want anything for saving me?" Her voice wavered in confusion.
"You already gave me the TL—"
"That's not what I'm asking," she cut in, sharper than she meant to be. "You saved me—the Yoon heiress. Sure, it wasn't a permanent life-or-death—I would've revived—but still. You handed me the first-kill bonus, reputation, loot, and EXP when you're so… greedy for them." She exhaled fast.
"There must be something you want. Money? A position? Name it—I can get it."
Loki was quiet for a beat.
'She won't let it go,' he noted, and he understood why. He didn't fully understand it himself. He re-ran the moment, and an answer surfaced.
He sighed. "If I tell you the reason, can we drop this?"
'Finally,' Haeun thought—unexpectedly relieved, and for no sensible reason, faintly disappointed to find that there was a reason.
"Of course," she said. "So tell me, why did you do it?"
"…I—" His voice dipped, embarrassed despite the mask. "I liked your laughing face better than your crying one."
"Eh—" Her brain stalled.
"Now that you know, please don't ask me again," he said—too quickly—and left before she recovered.
Haeun stayed very still.
Minjoo, who had been watching from a cautious distance, hurried over—and stopped dead at her lady's face.
'Miss, who is always ice-calm… that expression means only one thing.'
"That bastard! I knew he had bad intentions!" Minjoo barked, cheeks flushing with a knight's offended honor.
"To make Miss's whole face go that red—just what did he do to you?" She leaned in, horrified and ready to kill.
"Tell me where he touched—NO! Don't tell me—point! Just point, Miss, for god's sake—POINT!"
None of it landed. Haeun's mind replayed the dungeon in bright, humiliating detail—blink. The shove. The wall. The answer.
Her face only reddened.
Minjoo shook her gently. "Miss? Miss!"
"I'm… fine," Haeun managed at last, voice perfectly level except for the part where it wasn't. "And stop shouting. Nothing like the stuff you imagine happened."
Minjoo snapped to attention. "Yes, my lady." A beat, then in a fierce whisper: "But I am going to ask him next time."
Haeun didn't answer. She pressed two fingers, briefly, to her mouth—the smallest, most un-Haeun gesture—and let her hand fall.
"Let's go," she said. "We have work to do."
Minjoo followed, still muttering protective oaths under her breath.