100% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full?

The scene unfolding beneath the airship was staggering. Monsters poured out in endless waves. Their advance were fierce and unrelenting.

Baron Hornvale and Baron Needlehart clutched at their chests. They were stricken with dread.

Their soldiers were no better. Many dropped to their knees. Despair was written across their faces as they watched the tide of beasts march forward without pause.

And that march was headed straight for their lands.

If the horde reached their borders, the Barons knew the outcome. Their territories would be swallowed in mere moments, erased from the map before their people could even flee.

Their eyes trembled and heir teeth ground together.

No warning.

No preparation.

No chance to evacuate.

Dozens of monsters perhaps even a few hundred, their people might withstand.

But thousands... monsters ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 5, was far beyond anything they could resist. Ordinary citizens would be the first to fall.

Helpless, their gazes shifted to Lucien.

This young man had already shown feats beyond imagination. The airship itself was proof enough of that. And those standing at his side were clearly not ordinary men.

The Barons' despair turned into a burning resolve. They were prepared to fight even if it meant death.

Because if the monsters weren't stopped here and now, it wouldn't just be their territories that perished.

It would be their families, their subjects, their very legacy.

But strangely, the two Barons realized something.

Lucien and his companions didn't look the least bit worried. Even Sebas whose sharp instincts they had come to respect, stood calm and steady. His trust in Lucien seems unwavering.

It was as if the horde below wasn't a threat at all.

Seeing this, the Barons exchanged a look but held their tongues. All they could do was wait in silence.

At the helm, Lucien's eyes gleamed with light. His hands gripped the controls with anticipation, not fear.

He wasn't seeing monsters.

He was seeing drops.

Since these creatures had escaped the dungeon, their bodies wouldn't dissolve upon death. Which meant every kill promised both loot and corpses to harvest.

Lucien glanced down.

Kobolds.

Orcs.

Ogres.

Trolls.

Minotaurs.

Bipedal beasts. Their thunderous march shooked the earth itself.

And yet… there was something odd.

No infighting.

No territorial clashes.

For monsters of such different breeds, their discipline was unnatural.

Lucien narrowed his eyes but didn't dwell on it.

What mattered now was simple...

The horde had to be stopped here.

Otherwise, trouble would follow. A lot of it.

Lucien let out a sigh.

There was no need for him to descend. Not when he commanded the greatest weapon at his disposal.

Without hesitation, he pulled a lever.

The airship's ballistae whirred to life. Metal arms unfolded like the claws of some giant beast.

"Prepare for impact," he warned calmly.

Cielius and the others crowded close as though they were about to witness the climax of a grand spectacle.

Edric and Maxim grinned with childlike excitement.

Sebas also positioned himself firmly beside Lucien.

Even the two elderly Barons edged near.

Then—

Fwoooom!

A deafening blast split the sky.

The ballistae fired. Bolts teared through the air like thunderbolts hurled by the sky.

The ship jolted a bit from recoil, nearly sending the Barons sprawling but they caught themselves at the railing. Their eyes widened.

Below, the impact was devastating.

Explosions ripped through the monster ranks.

Howls and growls turned to shrieks of agony.

The ground was painted red in an instant.

Bodies burst apart.

Flesh tore.

Blood sprayed.

The monsters never even had the chance to dodge. The projectiles fell too fast and too precise.

The battlefield became a slaughterhouse.

The two Barons and their soldiers stood frozen, jaws hanging wide.

The sight was too brutal and too graphic. Something no sane man would ever believe if told secondhand.

Yet as the slaughter continued, shock gave way to something else.

Hope.

Their blood stirred and their hearts pounded.

Cheers erupted.

"Go for it, Baron!"

"HAHAHA! Those monsters are done for!"

The soldiers joined in. Their despair burned away with every monster that fell.

Edric brimmed with laughter and clutched the Barons' shoulders as though sharing a drink at a festival. Soon the three were trading comments like spectators at an arena match.

Before long, they were even placing bets... wagering on how long it would take before the horde was completely wiped out.

Despair had vanished. In its place came laughter, relief and even a spark of gambling spirit.

Meanwhile, Lucien's ears filled with the sweet chime of system notifications.

Kill confirmations, one after another.

His eyes lit with excitement.

He also leveled up a few time which invigorated his core.

Fueled by this new momentum, he didn't slow down.

He pressed harder. Faster.

The hunt had only just begun.

But then…

A shift.

The monsters' movements changed.

Maxim narrowed his eyes. "Nephew… I think the Boss Monsters are giving commands."

Lucien's gaze sharpened. "I see. No wonder they're so organized."

The suspicion was confirmed when deep, guttural howls split the air. The horde reacted instantly.

Their formation broke apart as groups diverted in different directions.

Lucien's expression darkened. "Not good… If they scatter, hitting them efficiently will be difficult."

Just then, a firm hand patted his shoulder.

"Continue, my grandson."

It was Cielius.

Raising his hand, the old man invoked a spell.

The earth itself rumbled.

Far below, colossal stone walls erupted from the ground, sealing off the monsters' paths and forcing them back into confined channels.

Lucien blinked in surprise.

The sheer scale… the precision… and all while Cielius remained aboard the airship. His control reached that far and wide.

'Grandpa really is amazing…'

Without hesitation, Lucien seized the opening. His hands tightened on the controls as he unleashed another relentless volley.

The slaughter resumed.

But then… the monsters shifted again.

This time, their fury turned upward.

The horde began attacking the airship itself.

The crew braced instinctively for impact.

Lucien, however, only smirked.

First of all... the airship was flying far too high for most of them to reach.

And second…

The minotaurs proved otherwise.

With their massive frames, they hefted boulders the size of wagons and hurled them skyward. The stones whistled through the air...

...and connected.

But instead of shattering wood and steel, the ship flared with radiant light. Intricate runes along its frame lit up, forming a barrier that absorbed the blow.

Not even a tremor reached the deck.

Lucien's grin widened. "Of course. The defenses are working perfectly."

Wasting no time, he refocused. With Maxim's keen assistance, he quickly pinpointed the Boss Monsters hiding among the ranks.

Target locked.

A few precise strikes later, the leaders fell. And without commands to guide them, the lesser monsters faltered. Their unity broke and panic spread through the horde.

Cielius's earth walls forced their scattered ranks back into linear paths. The airship's firepower tore through them like wheat before the scythe.

Lucien, however, felt the drain.

He realized then that the ballistae consumed far more mana than keeping the airship itself airborne. The Aether Core Crystal's gauge dipped dangerously low.

Clicking his tongue, he swiftly slotted in more high-grade mana cores.

Two hundred cores already used. Twice the cost of the ship's recipe itself.

He exhaled, shaking his head. "High maintenance as expected…"

But even so, he pressed on.

Bolt after bolt.

Volley after volley.

Until the battlefield below was awash with death.

Soon, they noticed it. The stream of monsters was thinning.

And then… nothing.

Not a single creature emerged from the dungeon's maw.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

They waited...

Seconds…

Minutes…

Still nothing.

It was over.

The disaster had been prevented.

Elunara's eyes gleamed with quiet joy. To her, the sacrifice of a portion of her life force had been worth it if it meant saving countless others.

Her color returned and a rare genuine smile graced her face. She turned to Lucien with gratitude as she met his gaze.

Lucien nodded to the group.

At once, Baron Hornvale and Baron Needlehart rushed toward him.

"Baron Lootwell! Hahaha, thank you! Without you, we'd have no reason left to live."

"Yes, Baron! Our people will never even know they nearly faced such a disaster... because you stopped it before it began."

The two Barons couldn't stop speaking. Their relief spilled into laughter and praise.

Lucien simply smiled at them.

"Please, don't be too polite. It's only what I should do as an ally haha."

The two Barons exchanged a glance and grinned.

Indeed, choosing to ally with Lucien and to do so with genuine sincerity was the best decision they had ever made.

Lucien lowered the airship.

At last, the battlefield lay before them.

What greeted them was nothing short of horrifying.

The stench of blood hung thick in the air.

Shredded flesh littered the ground, scattered among torn monster corpses in grotesque heaps.

It was enough to make the stomach turn.

Several flinched at the sight with their faces paling.

But someone like Sebas who was hardened by years of bloodshed, stood unfazed.

Lucien, however, saw something different.

Drops.

Dozens upon dozens of glowing cubes scattered across the carnage.

His pulse quickened. Excitement pushed aside the disgust.

Against the setting sun, the drops gleamed faintly like jewels strewn across the battlefield. To him, it was almost beautiful.

But there was a problem. The sheer number of drops far exceeded what his INVENTORY could hold.

Clicking his tongue, Lucien summoned his MONSTERDEX.

The book materialized out of thin air, startling those who hadn't seen it before.

Cielius only stroked his beard knowingly and muttered. "Of course… of course, my grandson would have that as well."

Lucien flipped the MONSTERDEX open to a specific page.

With practiced ease, he pulled out a monster card.

The Infinity Slime.

"Summon."

The card pulsed and it glowed with radiant light before shooting down to the ground. The glow swelled then dissolved…

...revealing a tiny slime.

It was translucent, its body a clear membrane filled with what looked like a miniature galaxy.

Swirling stars and faint cosmic light twinkled inside.

It resembled the third-level dungeon boss yet cuter and oddly enchanting.

Compact.

Pretty.

Adorable.

The little creature bounced in place, trembling with excitement as if overjoyed to finally meet Lucien.

Lucien smirked, already prepared.

"I'll call you Nyxis."

He smiled.

'Nobody can complain about my naming sense this time, right? I don't even know what it means but it sounds cool.'

At his words, the slime bobbed up and down energetically as if recognizing and accepting the name.

The others were struck silent, taken aback by the unexpected summon.

But Sebas who was more knowledgeable than the rest quickly explained.

The others couldn't help but soften. For all its mystical presence, the slime was simply too charming.

"Cute…" someone muttered.

"Beautiful," another added.

And so…

Lucien gave it a command.

For now, he only had one order in mind.

Collect the drops.

What happened next surprised him.

Nyxis trembled. Suddenly, a rift in space tore open beside it, shimmering with distorted light.

Then—

Whoosh!

Every glowing drop scattered across the field was instantly sucked into the void, vanishing in a blink.

Lucien's eyes widened then gleamed.

'So it's not just absorbing… it's storing them in another dimension. Not just a Slime Storage skill… this is more like an Item Box.'

The realization thrilled him.

But to the others, it was baffling. They couldn't even see the drops to begin with... only strange distortions in space that vanished just as quickly. Confusion spread across their faces.

Meanwhile, Nyxis bounced cheerfully in front of him, rippling with pride. It practically demanded praise.

Lucien chuckled and patted its soft body.

"Well done, Nyxis."

The slime vibrated happily at his approval.

Soon after, Lucien gave a second order.

Make a path to the dungeon entrance.

Nyxis quivered again. Space rippled.

Another rift bloomed open like a mirror. At the same time, an identical rift appeared near the dungeon's entrance.

Lucien's expression sharpened.

'This… I recognize this. The Dungeon Boss used the same ability. A warp?'

Nyxis wasted no time. With a delighted bounce, it hopped into the rift and in an instant... reappeared on the other side, right by the dungeon's mouth.

The group stared in stunned silence.

Lucien smiled faintly. His new companion was already proving to be more useful than he could've imagined.

Lucien laughed softly.

Seeing that there was no issue, he stepped into the rift as well.

The transition was seamless.

No resistance. No distortion.

It didn't even feel like moving at all. One moment he was outside and the next, the scenery shifted. It was as if two places had simply been stitched together.

The others followed. They were glad they didn't have to set foot on the blood-soaked field.

And then… they entered the dungeon.

The halls were eerily quiet. No monsters spawned. Not even a hint of resistance barred their way. Boss rooms stood empty as if the dungeon itself was holding its breath.

They pressed deeper.

Five levels in total.

Until, at the deepest chamber, they saw it.

The dungeon core.

For Lucien, it was the first time laying eyes on one. A crystalline sphere glowed faintly with an inner light, pulsing with the heartbeat of the dungeon itself.

But instead of awe, dread tightened in his chest.

Not because of the core itself...

But because of the carved magic circle wrapped around it.

The moment his eyes locked on it, a cold shiver crawled down his spine.

It was the exact same design as the magic circle they had once taken from the assassin's belongings.

A heavy silence fell. Faces darkened.

This wasn't just coincidence.

This was proof.