Harem Online: My Party Is Full of Beautiful Celebrities-Chapter 41: Stubborn Fools

Martin’s eyes locked onto a pickaxe half-buried in the blue crystal.

This has to be it. Yeah, the clue has been here all along!

At once, the description of the pickaxe he had picked up on the first floor resurfaced in his mind. It wasn’t an ordinary mining tool, but one meant to excavate even denser blue crystals straight from the raw source of the dungeon itself.

His gaze shifted back to the Goblin Boss, whose body was wrapped in the same blue crystal, though Martin no longer saw that shell as something invincible. The boss had evolved enough to coat himself in it, but the mana feeding that armor was still only level five, which meant it could never compare to the raw crystal veins pulsing through the dungeon.

That was the difference.

The dungeon’s crystal was the source, while the boss’s armor was only an imitation shaped from weaker power.

And if this pickaxe had been made to carve through the real thing, then it had to be able to break him too.

[Time: 00:33]

[Emperoar: Keep him busy, Chaos!]

Without waiting for her response, Martin sprinted toward the pickaxe.

He rushed past the Goblin Boss, whose body shifted just enough to show he had noticed him, yet the monster never fully turned. Chaosgraphy was still too close, still too dangerous, and exposing his back to her for even a second would have been reckless even for him.

So instead of chasing Martin directly, the boss kept his main attention on the duelist and only gave Martin part of his side.

That was more than enough.

Martin did not need a perfect opening. He only needed one chance to prove his theory right.

Time ticked down.

Martin’s steps felt lighter than ever as he rushed for the tool. He probably looked ridiculous sprinting like that, but who cared? The moment he reached it, he seized the pickaxe’s handle.

It didn’t budge.

Oh, come on. You’re not Excalibur!

Taking a few steps back, Martin used Bulwark Dash and slammed into the crystal heap. Then, with the strength buff still on him, he ripped the pickaxe free.

[You have acquired A Crystal Pickaxe (Orange)]

[A Crystal Pickaxe (Orange)]

[A mining pickaxe reinforced with a dense crystal edge. Built for carving into veins of ore and cracking tough rock, it grants Strength +15.] 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

[Time: 00:11]

Martin didn’t bother reading the description with the timer bearing down on him. When he turned around, he saw Chaosgraphy parrying the boss and chaining buffs after each riposte just to keep up with his overwhelming strength.

She was clearly slower now, which meant the boss had weakened less than the weight dragging at her arms.

Even so, her hands had to feel lighter than they had under the full crystallization debuff, when they had nearly stopped responding.

Martin stomped the floor and shouted, "TAUNT!"

The boss answered the provocation at once and charged as well. The Goblin Boss thrust his needle-like sword forward, aiming for Martin’s shield, but Martin shifted the shield’s weight aside and used Aegis Tumble to close the distance while softening the incoming hit.

The sword skewered his shoulder.

Martin twisted his torso and swung the pickaxe straight into the boss’s armored knee.

BANG!

CRACK!

A small fracture split open.

The boss’s eyes widened, and a low grunt escaped his lips.

[Time: 00:01]

"We’ll be back," Martin said with a smirk.

Then he vanished from the dungeon along with his teammates.

The Goblin Boss stood still for half a second, then howled hard enough to shake the entire buried mine site. A few breaths later, the whole dungeon reset.

—

Martin respawned at the foot of the Light Tree.

He wore neither the victorious smirk nor the long face that usually came with a respawn around here. Walking away from the tree so no one would bother him, he opened his inventory.

A small blue pickaxe icon sat in one of the many slots.

We can take items out of the dungeon. This place is more than a gold mine for us, but that’s for later. With this pickaxe and its dense crystal edge, I can actually prepare for the Goblin Boss and counter him.

"You’re so lost in thought that you didn’t notice me standing right in front of you," Chaosgraphy said after pinching Martin’s nose.

Martin blinked and looked at her. "Ah. I was thinking about turning this pickaxe into a new weapon, something that can crack open the boss’s crystal armor and tough hide. As long as he bleeds, you’ll have way more options in that fight, and you could even use your dash to reposition whenever I can’t keep hold of him."

"Yep, that’s about it. That blunder on my end taught me something too. I need to learn more about your skills and the way you hold enemies. I should’ve expected you wouldn’t give up control of him that easily. That one was on me," Chaosgraphy said, recalling the mistake that had sent her flying.

Martin parted his lips in surprise.

For a moment, he couldn’t think of any reply at all.

He felt strangely... cherished. He had made a mistake, yet Chaos had taken it on herself.

He shook his head and smiled.

"No, that was on me. I dragged you into it. I should’ve communicated better. We have voice chat for a reason, so that was definitely my fault," Martin said.

Chaosgraphy stared at him.

Crossing her arms, she tilted her head and studied him more closely. "No. It was my fault."

Martin narrowed his eyes and stepped closer. Taller than her, he leaned down slightly and held her gaze.

"I disagree," he said. "In the first place, I was leading that tango."

Chaosgraphy’s orange eyes lit up like stars. "You were leading, yes, and then you forgot about me. Remember? Our opening move worked because I moved ahead of your lead. I tried to repeat that on the second exchange and failed. If that’s not my fault, then you’re blind."

"Then so be it. I’m blind, and it was still my fault," Martin shot back with a sneer.

Chaosgraphy bit her lower lip, clear annoyance flashing across her face.

Off to the side, Kill Clause and NukEncore watched Martin and Chaosgraphy continue their stubborn little argument.

NukEncore’s gaze kept bouncing between them, her lips slowly parting in disbelief as the two somehow managed to turn a simple exchange of blame into an actual contest. Beside her, Kill Clause stood with her arms folded and her usual cool expression, though the faint narrowing of her eyes made it clear that even her patience was starting to wear thin.

The ironic part was that the two of them had already reached a clear understanding while Martin and Chaosgraphy were still busy arguing over blame. On the next run, the backline would deal with the goblin waves first, keep the pressure off the front, and then move in to support once Martin and Chaosgraphy opened a proper chance against the boss.

It was a clean enough plan.

Unfortunately, the two people at the center of it were currently more interested in arguing over whose mistake had gotten Chaosgraphy launched across the room.

NukEncore let out a small huff before glancing at Kill Clause. "What do we do with these two fools?"

Kill Clause exhaled softly and glanced away for a moment, as though giving herself one last second of restraint before stepping in.

"We log out," she said at last, her tone calm and flat in that way that usually meant she had already decided the matter. "We take a proper break in the real world, clear our heads, and come back after that."

Her eyes shifted to Martin and Chaosgraphy again, both of whom still looked more than capable of dragging the argument out if left alone.

"This run gave us enough. We know more than we did before, and next time we should come in prepared instead of trying to solve everything in the middle of the fight."

"Mhm! Leave it to me, then!" NukEncore nodded.

She ran lightly toward the arguing duo, then leaped between them and split them apart.

"No more team fighting! Friendly fire is off!" NukEncore pressed her small hands against Martin’s and Chaosgraphy’s chests, forcing a little space between them. "We’re taking a break now! I’m going to shower, put on a mask, and relax with a podcast! Clause is doing the same, so you two are not allowed to argue with me. Log out right now!"

Martin chuckled. "Fine. Can’t say no to you when you’re like that."

"Hehe," NukEncore laughed.

Chaosgraphy sighed. "Indeed. Too much gaming dries my skin out. See you later."

"See ya," Martin said with a smile.

Chaosgraphy gave Martin one last side glance before her avatar dissolved into light.

Kill Clause logged out soon after, as cleanly and quietly as ever, while NukEncore lingered only long enough to point at both of them in warning, making it absolutely clear that she expected them to cool their heads before the next run.

A brief silence settled beneath the Light Tree once they were gone, and Martin remained there for a moment with the image of the crystal pickaxe still sharp in his mind.

Now they knew what they had to prepare, and more importantly, they finally understood how they were supposed to fight that boss.

With that thought lingering in his chest, Martin logged out too.

In his small, cramped studio apartment, Martin decided to use the break to clean up some of the mess now that he had a little time on his hands. It would be good enough as a stretch, and his mom’s food was already waiting to be warmed up in the microwave, which made the short break feel surprisingly nice.

I should craft a new weapon from the pickaxe’s edge... I should talk to Rangar about it.