When Asuna defeated the necromancer, victory was practically secured.
Without the necromancer's amplification and summoning, the numerous skeleton warriors and undead knights had no way to effectively replenish their numbers. Moreover, the Star Flame elite squad being surrounded was not some weak, easily defeated force. Their previous defensive stance was purely because SAO was a death game, and the current players only had one life. Morin was also unwilling to treat these elite players as expendable resources.
As a result, once the necromancer, who served as the commander and crucial support, was defeated, the elite squad, who had been holding their breath, launched a counterattack under Asuna's command. They focused their firepower on the remaining few undead knights and a small number of skeleton captain-level monsters. After even the basic commanders were taken down, the black skeleton warriors completely fell into disarray. Asuna led the elite squad to clean them up at the fastest speed.
After a brief rest, the squad turned their attention to the entangled black bone dragon. What followed was Morin, Asuna, and the entire elite squad ganging up on it.
The black bone dragon, already trapped by Morin and several elite players and unable to break free or win, still managed to persist for nearly ten minutes thanks to its terrifying defense and vast health pool before finally being blasted into smithereens.
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"Hey, hey, look at this special material, Soul Crystal. It can actually be used to forge and enhance equipment, and it even adds extra dark attribute damage."
"Ha, that drop rate is not too high. I have cut down almost twenty monsters and only got one."
"The Soul Crystals dropped by those skeleton warriors and skeleton archers are mostly low-quality materials. Medium-quality Soul Crystals and high-quality ones are more likely to come from those undead knights and mini-bosses."
"Hey, hey, for the Skeleton Armor set, does anyone have an extra right gauntlet? I will trade you something else for it."
On the recently concluded battlefield, the Star Flame elite squad members patrolled the surroundings while chatting casually with relaxed expressions. Some were even already discussing the special items and equipment they had just obtained.
It had to be said that for the Star Flame elite squad, this operation was indeed terrifying and nerve-racking. However, after successfully eliminating the boss, undead knights, and black skeleton warriors, the rewards from this special map and initial exploration were incredibly exciting, even bringing a hint of joy to their faces.
Not to mention the Soul Crystals, which could be used as strengthening and forging materials and came with dark attribute bonuses. These were rare in SAO, especially materials dropped from the seventy-sixth floor, enough to forge and enhance high-level weapons. Among the other dropped equipment items, there were many with very generic names like Skeleton Armor and Skeleton Longsword, but their attributes and grades were excellent.
Moreover, those undead knights who exceeded the elite template and could be considered quasi-boss level were like big gift packages, dropping equipment like Black Flame Longsword and Dark Flame Armor that could be considered top-tier, and the quantity was very satisfying.
Surrounding this rich harvest, the Star Flame elite squad, which had already established a relatively fair loot distribution system based on contribution, maintained a certain level of vigilance while beginning to discuss the possible gains and exchanges from this mission.
"Hey, Pina, this time I will prepare some delicious rations for you."
In the center of the elite squad, Silica, nicknamed Dragon Tamer, was sitting on the back of a wyvern the size of an SUV, hugging her pet's head and muttering.
Morin, who had long since stirred the butterfly's wings, naturally had not missed the opportunity to scout out talents who had appeared in the original SAO story. The loli girl Silica had been recruited into the Star Flame guild early on. Then, Silica, who originally worked in the logistics department, unexpectedly triggered a hidden quest, obtained a pet wyvern, and was added to the elite squad's support ranks.
Unlike her experience in the original SAO story, where she only made a few cameo appearances, after it was confirmed that Silica's wyvern had a rare healing ability, the Star Flame guild allocated resources to nurture it. The wyvern, now caught up with the first-tier player echelon, was no longer a small and exquisite pet. Instead, it could both shrink into a cute pet form and transform into a combat behemoth the size of an SUV.
"Silica, get ready to pack up. We are still in a dangerous area."
Just as Silica was holding her pet, thinking about what to buy for her pet Pina to eat, a female player from the support team walked to the wyvern's side, naturally hugged the loli girl Silica, ruffled her head, and then whispered.
That was right, the adorable loli girl Silica had a similar status to her Pina in front of the female players in the support team, belonging to the category of cute Barbie dolls.
"Okay, Big Sister Yuri."
Silica, unwilling to be hugged like a doll, ignored the regretful and envious gazes of the surrounding male players and struggled to break free from the embrace of the pretty female player. Only then did she pout her small mouth and look at the surrounding environment, muttering softly, "Guild Leader and Lady Asuna, they have all gone into that cave. When can we leave this gloomy place?"
---
On the other side, at the bottom of the cave where the ruins were opened.
Morin and his group, who had just searched the monster's lair, looked at the small black altar that appeared at the end of their sight, their eyes filled with excitement and admiration.
A golden treasure chest.
On top of that black altar, there was a golden-colored treasure chest inlaid with black patterns.
"Hey, hey, no wonder two powerful bosses and a large group of undead creatures spawned. There is a top-tier treasure chest in this place."
Seeing the golden treasure chest in front of her, Argo could not help but rub her eyes before exclaiming.
As the famous information rat, no, the famous information broker of SAO, Argo certainly knew that in the game SAO, there were special settings for hidden treasure chests in certain boss locations or remote floors.
However, if Argo remembered correctly, the hidden treasure chests that appeared in SAO, including during the closed beta, were mostly bronze treasure chests. Occasionally, they saw silver ones, but a golden treasure chest was definitely the first time she had seen one in person. She had only heard rumors of someone finding a golden treasure chest once.
"A golden treasure chest."
"It must be very rare. What kind of things could be inside?"
"Who knows, but I am really looking forward to it."
Hearing Argo's words, the Star Flame guild players who had followed Morin and Asuna also showed surprised expressions and could not help but discuss in low voices.
Speaking of which, although Argo had just slipped up, the title of most famous information broker in SAO was not just for show. Her evaluation of the rarity of this golden treasure chest was something that even they, as elite players, did not doubt. Their gazes toward the golden treasure chest in front of them became even more fervent.
"Asuna, you have the best luck. Open the treasure chest and see what good stuff is inside."
Morin nodded at Argo's words without comment, gazing at the golden treasure chest that resembled a work of art for a good while before speaking to Asuna beside him.
"Me? Hmm, alright. But later, the distribution will still be based on contribution points."
Asuna paused slightly, thought for a moment, and then nodded in agreement before walking towards the altar.
Hearing Morin's words and seeing Asuna step forward to open the treasure chest, Argo and the others had no objections. One was familiar with Asuna and knew she usually had good luck when reaping rewards from quests or boss fights. The others were all elite players of Star Flame, and no one was foolish enough to stand up and refute their guild leader's decision.
When Asuna reached the altar, she reached out and opened the golden treasure chest. After checking the series of messages in her inventory, a hint of surprise could not help but appear on her pretty face.
A few seconds later, Asuna held up a black longsword that was clearly not ordinary and waved it towards Morin and the others.
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