Chapter 158

As Natalie pulled out the second piece of loot, she tried to ignore how Liz was on her knees, sensually finger-painting Ana’s pubic region.

Maybe Ana found it a strictly practical encounter to be in, not worth embarrassment in the slightest, but she was alone in that. The rest of them were blushing with various intensities, seeing Liz down on her knees, tracing a finger around Ana’s lower half. Especially since the mage was holding her robes out of the way, panties pulled down so they could see the mound of her pussy—and a quarter-inch more would expose her entirely.

Natalie wondered whether this was one of those intentional or unintentional bouts of cluelessness. Probably a bit of both, but she expected more the first than the second. Jordan might not be the only instigator of the group, just the one who was more direct about it. There was no way Ana wasn’t doing this to mess with everyone.

Digging out the necklace, Natalie held it up for the team to see. Liz looked over and identified the item too, pausing as she digested the description.

Treasure Hunter’s Necklace

Rare

Lv. 2

Effects

- Rarity Boost. Item-bearer has increased odds of finding items of higher quality.

Description

A delicate silver chain adorned with a radiant gemstone pendant.

“Oh. That’s ... surprisingly not disgusting,” Sofia said. “It came from the challenge room?”

“Yeah.” Natalie was also surprised by the non-lewd nature of the item. And, obviously, the effect. “Boosted loot rarity? We’re already finding rares almost every day.”

“We’ll have our first epic in no time,” Liz said. She shook her head in incredulity. “A level-two epic. Really, Nat really must be blessed by a goddess. That’s the only way all of this makes sense.”

Natalie was still coming to terms with that ridiculous possibility, so she ignored the comment.

“It does take up an equipment slot, though,” Jordan commented. “That’s a pretty big downside.”

“We should still equip it,” Natalie said. “Better loot is worth being a bit weaker. But who?”

“Whoever benefits from items least, probably,” Sofia said.

“And that is?”

Sofia hesitated. “I’m ... not sure.”

Items were crucial to all delvers, so it was a tough question. Natalie wasn’t sure, either.

“Either you or me, Nat,” Jordan said. “I have the worst gear right now, so would lose the least in the immediate term. But you could also wear it, because you’re the strongest, and already at risk of outpacing us. One less gear slot isn’t that big of a deal. Maybe even a good thing, to keep us nearer in level in the long run.” Jordan shrugged. “That said, tanks might be the most gear-reliant class, so maybe not. Dunno.”

Natalie chewed her lip as she thought it over. “No, I think that’s fair,” she said slowly. Of course, she didn’t want to reduce her effectiveness in combat, but someone had to, and Jordan had made a great point—that Natalie was the strongest, or was certainly approaching that point, thanks to her class’s unusual nature. “We can figure it out later, anyway. Don’t have to pick now.”

“We’ll decide tomorrow,” Jordan agreed.

Natalie deposited the necklace into a monster core. Back in the series of challenge rooms, she and Ana hadn’t had enough cores to do so—but they had their old loot back, now.

“The grand finale, then?” Jordan asked. “Your last reward?”

“Yeah.”

Natalie pulled out the arrow, holding the shaft between two fingers as she inspected its glinting pink metal tip.

Arrow of Lustful Transmutation

Description

An arrow with a head of forged erotite. Upon embedding into a Boss monster, converts the target into a Carnal Boss, which only a single attacker can engage. Arrow tip is brittle and will shatter when impacting a hard, non-monster surface.

“Oh,” Jordan said. “What does that mean?”

“Carnal Boss,” Sofia said flatly. “You’re kidding. You found an arrow that makes monsters ... what, want to fuck us?”

Her cheeks coloring, Natalie’s mind flickered to that writhing mass of vines she’d encountered in their first delve. Had that been a monster, technically? The vines had certainly seemed alive. Would this arrow create a similar encounter?