This attempt to defeat the Crystalian naturally ended in failure.
Once the second phase dragged on long enough, the massive crystal sphere the boss conjured would slam into the ground, turning the entire arena into a field of jagged crystals. There was nowhere left to stand—let alone chase the enemy.
On top of that, crystal magic was enhanced in this environment. A single charged attack could take out even Luluwo.
That meant even if they managed to maintain the bubble shield cycle in Phase 2, they couldn't relax. Trying to slowly chip away at the boss over time simply wouldn't work—they had to kill it quickly.
Which meant that, aside from mages, they also needed high-mobility classes like rangers or assassins.
Recruiting people could be easy—or very difficult.
With the reputation of the Skyrim Group, announcing recruitment would attract many responses. But how many of those applicants would actually be useful?
Luluwo estimated that 40 people would be enough, but to be safe, she decided to aim for 50.
As for rewards—besides splitting the boss drops—should she, as the organizer, add something extra?
Maybe she could include the merfolk magic she had obtained.
Aside from Bubble Shield, she also had a spell called Fish Communication. Judging by the name, it sounded like it allowed communication with fish—but in reality, it simply emitted sounds that attracted them.
Useful for fishing, maybe—but not very appealing to adventurers. Unless it had a special use in seafood-type dungeons?
…Yeah, not very attractive.
She'd have to think of something else. Maybe try getting some support from the Adventurers' Guild.
Before leaving, Luluwo stopped by the bonfire to check if she had enough souls to level up.
She didn't—so she spent them at Kale instead.
The others stayed in the lake region. Only Luluwo, Belto, and Tursey used the large teleportation circle in the academy town to return outside the dungeon.
For recruitment, it was better if she handled it personally—it showed sincerity.
Their griffon mounts, "borrowed" from Count Charon, were still being well cared for. They could ride them immediately, and it only took about the time of a meal to return to Bedford.
Yes—they still hadn't returned the griffons. Since the count hadn't asked for them back, they simply kept using them.
Luluwo had been prepared for a long recruitment process—but it went far more smoothly than expected.
She originally planned to go to the Adventurers' Guild, but on the way, she ran into Leon and his group returning from hunting a Bird Wyvern.
With barely any effort, she convinced them to join the Crystalian raid!
Just as she was gaining confidence and planning to recruit more, things took an unexpected turn.
Leon went to find Gapar but failed—however, Maru brought in Darrick, and Darrick brought the entire Farron Guard.
During this period, the Farron Guard had grown into a proper organization—especially after the battle in Springday City.
Their numbers had doubled.
Thanks to Count Charon's promotion campaign, they had become the flagship group of Bedford.
They had recently wiped out a small wandering demon force, further boosting their reputation and attracting new recruits.
After screening, their current size had been established.
Drew and Terl brought in old acquaintances—mostly mages and berserkers.
Soon after, other self-proclaimed "raid groups" also arrived, requesting to join the boss raid.
Within a single day, over a hundred high-quality adventurers had gathered.
Tursey didn't even get a chance to use her connections—the current force was already enough to chop the Crystalian into minced meat!
Tursey: Sometimes I feel kind of unnecessary.
With so many people, Luluwo's selection process became rough.
She explained the boss mechanics, battlefield conditions, and strategy, and even shared Bubble Shield for free.
The spell came from a damaged merfolk magic book—not an instant-learning "page."
So adventurers had to learn it manually—but fortunately, it was simple enough.
The mages present were skilled enough to grasp it quickly.
With manpower solved in a single day, the remaining issue was academy glintstone keys.
These spawned only once every two hours at the glintstone dragon's nest, each usable by five people.
Over a hundred people camped the nest for two days to gather 24 keys—scaring the dragon Smarag so badly it didn't dare return, only circling in the sky and wailing.
Finally, everything was ready.
For the first time, the adventurers united into a massive army and marched toward the Crystalian.
Everyone felt the power of unity.
…Only to run into a problem at the gate.
[Maximum: 50 people]
A huge line of magical text slapped them in the face.
Luluwo was dumbfounded.
Why didn't this restriction appear before?!
Oh—because they had never reached the limit before.
After a long, headache-inducing debate, they finally selected 50 participants.
Even the wolves of the Farron Guard counted as slots.
Some protested—until the wolves grew to massive sizes comparable to Sif.
After that, no one complained.
Fifty elite adventurers charged into the Crystalian's arena.
Many were experiencing large-scale combat for the first time, feeling both excitement and exhilaration.
It felt like an epic, legendary battle!
"Chase him! Kill him! Go!"
"Damn it, stop running! When I catch you—hehehe!"
"Mages! My shield broke! Help!"
Reality, however, was far less glorious.
The battlefield turned into chaos—shouting everywhere like a marketplace.
No one had experience leading large-scale combat.
Only the Farron Guard showed some organization, riding giant wolves to chase the boss around.
The rest were used to small-team combat, and their coordination was terrible.
Still—it was enough.
Chaos wasn't the problem. Lack of direction was.
Thankfully, everyone had the same goal:
Kill the Crystalian.
"Quite lively…"
Luluwo watched the chaotic yet thrilling battlefield and couldn't help but smile.
Large-scale combat felt completely different from small-group fights.
It was addictive.
The battle itself was pure noise—booms, crashes, shouting, lasers flying everywhere, and bubble shields reflecting light across the field.
Finally—
With an arrow from Stella and a crossbow bolt from the Farron Guard, the boss's last bit of life was depleted.
"Ah…"
The Crystalian reached helplessly toward the falling crystal sphere—
Then turned to ash.
"That's it? I didn't even get to vent!"
"I never want to run again in my life!"
Some adventurers were still fired up, while Luluwo was already worrying about loot distribution.
What if the drops were too few?
Split money instead?
At that moment, a die appeared in front of every surviving player.
Each person received rewards based on their roll.
"Four—Shattering Crystal magic."
"One—Large Soul of a Nameless Soldier?"
"Three—Crystalian's Hat? What is this?"
Stella stared at her die.
It landed on… its edge.
No number.
Was she getting nothing?!
Just as she felt disheartened—
A golden light appeared.
[Painting Fragment "Runestone" II]
A hidden SSR reward!
The second fragment of Thops' painting!
She quietly celebrated, while two others also received golden rewards.
The rest looked on with pure envy.
After everyone received their rewards, Luluwo shouted:
"I declare the Crystalian raid a success!"
Regardless of the loot, everyone cheered.
This kind of group battle—
They would never forget it.
"What are your plans next?" Luluwo asked Stella and the elves.
"Upstairs," Stella said, weighing the fragment in her hand. "I want to complete this."
"Maybe the next boss has more pieces," Luluwo said thoughtfully. "Let me see it when you finish—I'll pay."
"No problem."
Some left, while others stayed to fight again.
The boss might respawn once the arena reset.
Luluwo stayed behind to help those who hadn't joined.
Stella and the elves headed to the second floor, joined by other adventurers.
Strength in numbers.
For the first time, the academy was bustling with adventurers.
Even the second floor had changed—beams and chandeliers could now be walked on.
Everyone was still riding the high of victory.
Even Stella felt a little giddy.
I got gold… I got gold… hehe… others didn't~
"Hey, what's that?"
Melga pointed ahead.
A figure in mage attire stood in the distance—wearing a large hat and mask, silently watching them.
Not an adventurer?
A phantom?
Just as they were about to greet it—
The figure formed a massive magic bow and aimed at them.
[Professor Miriam has locked onto you]
The message appeared before everyone.
…What just locked onto us?