The mage also began to attack in an orderly fashion. Although they had lost two rogues and an archer, overall it wasn’t a big problem—just a bit less damage output, meaning it would take longer to finish.

Because they were afraid the boss might unleash another outburst, this time everyone except the warrior kept as far away from the boss as possible. After all, it was the first time anyone had reached this stage in the dungeon, and who knew what unexpected things might happen.

Three minutes later, the boss entered its black-blood phase, and everyone’s hearts leapt into their throats. Their nerves were stretched taut—no one wanted to fail at the last moment.

“Bang!” With a loud crash, the new dungeon boss, the Demon Lord’s Servant, which had brought countless excitement and trouble to players worldwide, finally fell unwillingly.

Everyone felt as if they were dreaming. Were they really the first in the world? Or had the European team already finished ahead of them?

At that moment, the system prompt sounded in everyone’s ears: “Congratulations on being the first group of players to clear the new dungeon, Demon’s Nest. You have earned the title—‘Demon Lord Terminator’. In addition, each of you will receive 1,000 honor points, a piece of purple epic equipment, and six assignable attribute points.”

First place—was it really first place?

Everyone couldn’t help but cheer. Even the always-calm Broken Saber had to take a few deep breaths to calm his excitement.

First in the world! They had defeated Europe’s dream team—an achievement they could truly be proud of.

While they were still caught up in their celebration, the visibly excited John Carter was already sprawled over the loot dropped by the final boss, picking through it eagerly. He was different from these rich young masters; they cared more about the world-first title, but he was a pragmatist. In his eyes, that empty fame was nothing compared to a good piece of equipment. As for the Demon Lord Terminator title, if he could sell it, he definitely would.

In “Gods and Demons,” the system distributes loot based on each player’s contribution to the team. Each person can only see the equipment assigned to them—trying to pick up someone else’s is wishful thinking.

John Carter collected two large piles of gleaming gold coins. The biggest pile he’d ever gotten from killing monsters before wasn’t even a tenth of this. Twelve thousand, twenty-three thousand—wow, just these two piles of coins alone were worth 230 RMB.

This is... a purple epic set!

When John Carter saw that dazzling purple, he couldn’t wait to pick it up. “Entwined Vine Armor—Shadow’s Shackles: +10 armor, +30 stamina, +5% magic resistance, absorbs 15 damage when attacked, requires level 30, strength 60.”

Although John Carter was happy, he was also frustrated—level 30 was still a long way off. Sure, if he socketed a top-grade agate stone to lower the requirements, he could wear it, but those stones were way too expensive for him to afford.

Aside from this epic set, the rest were just regular items. They weren’t worth equipping, but selling them to the shop would still fetch a decent sum.

Could it be just one purple set? Not even an orange legendary item? John Carter searched carefully and found a necklace under a piece of ordinary equipment. When he saw the color of the necklace’s name, his heart skipped a beat—it was gold.

Chapter 008: Blood of the Fallen

In “Gods and Demons,” equipment is divided into eight tiers from lowest to highest, each with a different name color.

Gray is crude, white is common, green is fine, blue is rare, purple is epic, orange is legendary, gold is sub-artifact, and dark gold is artifact.

So far, no artifact has appeared in “Gods and Demons.” There are only a dozen or so sub-artifacts worldwide. The terrifying Ivan, having reached level 30 first, has two sub-artifacts on him. Besides system rewards, only a handful of lucky players have obtained sub-artifacts by completing high-difficulty quests.

John Carter excitedly picked up the sub-artifact.

Sub-artifact—Blood of the Fallen, attributes unknown, requires appraisal.

With this, he could pay back the money he owed the mule and still have some left over. But John Carter didn’t plan to sell it—this item would be a huge help for his future leveling.

A sub-artifact, two epic set pieces, six assignable attribute points, and 1,000 honor points—this was a huge haul. John Carter hadn’t decided how to allocate the attribute points yet, so he kept them for now.

At this point, the other team members had also finished picking up their loot. Judging by their happy expressions, everyone had gained something. However, the system determined that John Carter was the biggest contributor in the fight against the Demon Lord’s Servant. The best item anyone else got was the orange legendary equipment for Broken Saber.

In “Gods and Demons,” no matter the dungeon, the first clear rewards are the most generous—almost everyone gets a decent piece of equipment. On the second run, the drop rate is much lower, and by the third or fourth time, it’s even less. Eventually, you might only get some green fine equipment. That’s why the first clear is crucial for every player.

At this moment, the system opened a return portal for the players. As they stepped into the portal, Broken Saber glanced back at John Carter. “Do you have a grudge with Logan Carter?”

John Carter shook his head. “I didn’t mean to lure the boss over there. I was panicking and just running for my life—I didn’t have the time or intention to hurt anyone.”