Divine Glitch: I Regressed With Endgame Knowledge-Chapter 39: The Path of Radiance

Under the fierce barrage of the party’s DPS (Damage Per Second) players, the first Blood Zombie’s health quickly plummeted. It let out a final, guttural roar before collapsing to the ground.

Evelyn’s Grizzly Bear held the Grudging Foreman at bay for over ten seconds. Her timely healing kept it alive just long enough for Ryan and the others to finish off the zombie and redirect their attention to the Foreman. With the monster’s aggro gradually shifting, the transition was smooth.

The Blood Zombies only managed to inflict about 70 damage per hit on Ryan—a negligible amount given his considerable health pool. Even the Foreman’s massive, fan-like hand, when it slammed into him, only dealt around 100 damage. Combined with the minor hits from the remaining zombies, it barely put a dent in his health. The party’s tension eased.

"Quite tough, aren’t you? Not bad, keep it up!" Evelyn said with a smile, already casting her pet revival skill after the last monster dropped. Her optimism was growing. With this team, she started to believe they might actually clear the upper levels of the Abandoned Mine.

Mia rolled her eyes at Evelyn’s cheer, then waved at Ryan, shouting, "Go, go, go! Let’s get to the back and kill the boss for some gear!" Her excitement was palpable. As a first-time player, she had already been drawn deeply into the game’s world.

Ryan glanced at Mia’s glowing expression, his heart swelling with pride. Despite being new, her gameplay was already on par with seasoned players—perhaps even surpassing some professionals. Her innate talent was astonishing, and he couldn’t help but feel both amazed and delighted.

Without further delay, Ryan led the group deeper into the mine, systematically eliminating the wandering elite monsters along the way. Though these enemies carried the "elite" tag, the rewards they dropped were underwhelming.

After a long grind, their haul amounted to just a few dozen silver coins, some linen cloth, and two green-tier items. One was the green shortbow they’d looted at the entrance. The other, a green dagger, wasn’t an upgrade for Faded Leaf Kitten, who already had something better. Evelyn planned to sell or trade it for something more useful for the party.

As the group pushed forward, Heavyblade Vina serving as their healer—suddenly gasped.

Ryan halted, and Evelyn turned. "What’s wrong, Vina?"

Vina pointed to a spot they’d already passed. "My quest monster... the Undead Captain... it’s over there!"

Evelyn squinted at the area, confused. "Nope. I don’t see anything."

"That’s probably normal," Ryan said. "Some profession-specific quest monsters are only visible to the player who has the quest. Don’t worry about it."

"Well, go on and trigger it, then! We’ll help take it down," Evelyn encouraged her, gesturing toward the area.

Nervously, Vina crept back toward the empty corridor. Just as Evelyn furrowed her brows, confused, Ryan noticed a faint wisp of black mist swirling in the air. A moment later, a skeletal swordsman burst out of it.

"I smell living flesh..." growled the monster.

Dark red light flickered across its longsword as it locked onto Vina. Ryan reacted instantly, casting Judgment to draw its aggro. The monster’s stats appeared in their shared interface:

—

Undead Captain

Elite

Level: 10

HP: 1020

Type: Undead

—

"What? Just a regular mob?" Evelyn snorted, unimpressed. She loosed the final arrow, and the Undead Captain fell with a clatter of brittle bones. A faint crimson glow lingered on the longsword embedded in the remains.

Vina rushed forward and pulled out a small bottle. Uncorking it, she poured a golden liquid onto the bones. It sizzled on contact, and the bones shimmered briefly before vanishing into smoke.

"My specialization quest is complete!" she beamed. "I can go back and become a Paladin now!"

"Perfect. Go turn it in. We’re close to the first boss anyway. We’ll study some videos while you’re gone," Evelyn said. Ryan nodded in agreement.

Vina activated her Hearthstone. The emerald glow surrounded her, and in a flash of light, she vanished.

"Here—check out this video. They say it’s the best one," Evelyn said, sharing a forum link.

Ryan clicked through the video and skipped ahead, his expression shifting into a cold sneer. Despite the flashy presentation, he clearly wasn’t impressed.

While the group reviewed strategies, a new stir erupted across the forums. Several elite guilds had cleared the upper floors of the Abandoned Mine, catching up with Ryan’s party’s pace.

Simultaneously, the Orc-faction’s Ironblood Covenant guild had unlocked the second specialization dungeon: the Serpent’s Lair. The sudden appearance of this new challenge reignited the morale of the Dark Horde, who had been trailing behind.

The rise of Featherlight among the Humans had created a noticeable imbalance. Human players had gained a head start, which bred resentment—not just from the Dark Horde, but also from the other two races in the Alliance of Light.

Forums were ablaze with Human players boasting and taunting, driving a wedge among the factions. Yet the Orcs’ breakthrough seemed to have lit a fire under everyone. Within hours, all racial specialization dungeons were unlocked. Ryan’s early push had only given Humans a seven-hour advantage.

With Human dungeon-clearing videos already circulating, elite players from all factions began adapting the strategies. Borrowing tactics and positioning from their rivals, they managed to push through the first halves of their own racial dungeons, leveling the playing field.

Humans now only had a marginal edge in the number of specialized players. The race was on. The forums buzzed with rivalries, as players and guilds from every faction fought for the honor of being the first to fully clear their specialization dungeon.

Amid the frenzy, guilds that had reached halfway points began mobilizing for full clears. A world-first title was within reach, and with it, fame, prestige, and a massive influx of players.

Just as the tension on the forums reached a boiling point, Vina returned, glowing with pride and clad in the new insignia of a Paladin.

"Let’s do this! Our journey is toward the stars, not the moon." Evelyn typed with flair, rallying the group.

"Let’s take down the first boss!" Ryan called, leading the charge. Confidence burned in his chest—they were going to clear the first half in one clean sweep.

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