A flicker of surprise crossed Shadow-Slayer’s face. He had to admit, Liam’s idea was nothing short of insane.
However, having witnessed Liam’s mechanical skill firsthand, he knew the plan was entirely feasible.
“Fine.”
“Then we find Alvis first.”
Liam sent a party invitation over to Shadow-Slayer.
“I’ll power-level you for a bit.”
For the experience distribution, Liam kept it at The 90/10 Split. There was no helping it; that was the maximum allowed deviation.
Then, the slaughter began.
Liam started deleting mobs.
Every arrow claimed a Stone Beetle.
Due to Chain Lightning, some Stone Beetles collapsed into static-charged husks before Liam even turned his bow toward them.
Even though Liam’s high level triggered an experience penalty for partying with a lower-level player, his clear speed was simply too fast for it to matter.
In just ten minutes, Shadow-Slayer hit Level 6.
Another fifteen minutes passed, and he reached Level 7.
The push to Level 8 took only ten minutes more.
By then, Liam had moved on to farming Elite Grade Stone Beetles, which naturally provided far more experience.
“Frost Monarch, your damage... it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. Did you awaken an Innate Talent?”
“Yeah.”
Liam gave a curt nod.
Shadow-Slayer was smart enough not to pry into what that talent actually was.
That would be crossing a line.
In this world, an Innate Talent was a player’s ultimate secret.
Even with his knowledge from his past life, Liam only knew the talents of a few legendary figures by hearsay. He might know the general rank of a top-tier player’s talent, but the specific effects were almost always kept under wraps.
Take Shadow-Slayer, for example.
Liam knew the man possessed a Divine Grade Innate Talent, but the exact attributes remained a mystery.
Suddenly, a harsh shout echoed from the depths of the cave.
“Alvis, you ungrateful little rat! The Master treated you like his own, and this is how you repay him? Stealing his ore?”
Liam and Shadow-Slayer crept forward, moving with practiced caution.
Three NPCs appeared in the clearing ahead.
Alvis was a lean, somewhat short youth, while his two pursuers were burly, muscular men.
Alvis: Level 10
HP: ???
Attack: ???
Skills: ???
(Note: Originally a mole planted by Elder Mayor at Miller the Smith’s side. He is carrying something of immense value.)
The attributes for the other two NPCs were identical—rows of question marks for HP, Attack, and Skills.
The only difference was their description: Disciples of Miller the Smith. Assisting them may yield unexpected rewards.
Any ordinary player would have jumped at the chance to help the two disciples.
Liam didn't move. Though he already had a plan, he wanted to wait and see if any new plot triggers would manifest.
Twilight of the Gods could never be treated as just a game.
To truly excel, one had to view it as a parallel world and treat NPCs as living, breathing people.
Only through that perspective could the greatest rewards be unearthed.
Shadow-Slayer stayed low beside Liam, watching silently from a distance.
“Miller the Smith is driven by Primal Ambition!” Alvis’s voice was thin but his eyes burned with conviction. “As a resident of Novice Village, I will report his treachery to The Village Chief. He will see Miller executed!”
Though his frame was small, his gaze never wavered.
“He intends to use the Frost-Flame Ore to release that monster—the boss that exceeds the limits of Novice Village! If he succeeds, our home will be turned into a wasteland!”
One of the disciples let out a cold snort. “Enough! It’s not your place to question the Master’s designs.”
“The Elder Mayor is senile and incompetent. Our Master is the only one fit to be The Village Chief.”
The two sides were deadlocked in their ideologies.
I knew it.
Miller was playing me.
Liam’s expression darkened.
The smith hadn't asked for the Frost-Flame Ore to "upgrade" Liam's equipment.
He was trying to break a seal on a boss.
What kind of hidden boss is tucked away in Novice Village?
Could it be Hanba the Drought-Bringer?
Liam didn't have long to ponder. Alvis and the two disciples clashed, their weapons ringing out in the cavern.
While their individual strengths seemed comparable, the numbers game quickly took its toll. Alvis was rapidly being forced into a corner.
Whiz!
An arrow tore through the air.
Liam made his move.
The projectile streaked across the cave, catching Sam Miller squarely in the temple.
-2,512!
A massive critical hit notification popped up.
Simultaneously, a staggering number erupted over Liam’s own head.
-1,256!!
Damage Reflection!!
Liam’s pupils constricted. His current Life-Steal wasn't high enough. Against a monster with a reflect mechanic this potent, he couldn't survive a direct trade.
The opponent was a Level 10 Boss; at the very least, his stats were on par with the Twisted Treant King, if not higher.
Snapping his head toward the source of the ambush, Sam Miller’s gaze turned predatory.
“Adventurers? You must be the help the Elder Mayor sent for this traitor.”
“In that case, you can rot in this cave with him.”
Sam Miller swung his heavy broadsword in a vicious downward arc.
Whiz!
Liam’s reactions were surgical. Another arrow slammed into the disciple, interrupting the rhythm of his assault.
However, the 50% Damage Reflection made Liam’s skin crawl.
In the early stages of the game, reflect mechanics were notoriously broken.
Even with the bonuses from his current set, Liam only had 10% Damage Reflection. The disparity was massive.
Shadow-Slayer realized the danger immediately. For an Assassin, a reflect-tank was a nightmare scenario.
“What’s the play?” Shadow-Slayer asked, his voice low and tense.
“Kite them,” Liam replied coldly.
The reflected damage was a problem, but it wasn't insurmountable. They weren't soloing; they were supporting Alvis.
“Sam and Seth are both wearing Armor of Retribution!” Alvis shouted, sensing his new allies' hesitation. “Their Damage Reflection is high, but their HP is low!”
Alvis raised his hand, and two spheres of obsidian light surged into Liam’s chest.
[System: You have received Alvis’s Blessing. Damage taken reduced by 10%.]
Liam’s eyes brightened. This was exactly what he needed.
He immediately swapped to the Jungle Longbow.
The reason was simple: the Jungle Longbow provided 500 flat HP and 2% Life-Steal.
When facing a reflection specialist, Life-Steal became the most critical stat in the game.
Your reflection is strong?
If my Life-Steal outpaces your reflect, you’re just a target dummy.
Even though his primary weapon didn't belong to the Treant Set, Liam’s base health regeneration was still a staggering 180 per second.
Combined with the Life-Steal from the bow and the 10% damage reduction from Alvis’s Blessing, he could finally sustain the trade with Sam and Seth.
Whiz!
Another massive crit landed.
Liam’s HP dipped by over a thousand, but green numbers immediately began ticking upward as his regeneration and lifesteal kicked in.
Shadow-Slayer remained poised, waiting. He didn't rush in blindly.
As an Assassin, when the environment turned hostile, one had to remain cold-blooded and wait for the perfect opening.
“Kill the brat first!”
Seth Miller roared, abandoning Alvis to charge straight at Liam.
Spiral-Draw Archery!
Using the massive kinetic impact of the skill, Liam hammered an arrow into Seth’s chest, the force of the blow physically knocking the brute backward.
The damage from the reflection continued to gnaw at Liam’s health bar, a constant, punishing tax on his aggression.
There was only one reason: his HP was plummeting.
Even without a critical hit, every arrow drained about six hundred of Liam’s health.
However, Liam was no longer acting as the primary DPS; his focus had shifted to CC.
An Archer could carry as a main damage dealer, but when a situation spiraled out of control, they had to step into a crowd-control role.
Like now.
Liam utilized his Spiral-Draw Archery to relentlessly disrupt the rhythm of Sam Miller and Seth Miller’s attacks, forcing their skill casts to cancel.
He was kiting two opponents simultaneously.
It created a perfect opening for Alvis to pour on the damage.
Watching Liam juggle two targets with CC, Shadow-Slayer felt a sense of numbness creeping into his mind.
At first, he had convinced himself that Liam only managed to kill him because of superior stats—that with his own top-tier combat techniques, he might still stand a chance.
But after everything that had transpired recently, a harsh reality set in.
Liam’s combat prowess was on an entirely different level.
Shadow-Slayer began to speculate about Liam’s true identity.
In the entire Dragon Empire, there was only one group capable of such mechanical perfection.
Ancient Martial Artists.
They were similar to the Martial Paragons of old. He even knew that some had cultivated Inner Force, making them terrifyingly powerful.
Their combat techniques were peerless. Even in the War Division, several instructors were Ancient Martial Artists.
Those were individuals who could single-handedly dismantle an entire special operations team.
In Shadow-Slayer’s eyes, Liam was now one of those overwhelming, legendary figures.
The battle raged on.
Caged by Liam’s god-like CC, Sam Miller and Seth Miller saw their HP bars rapidly vanish.
Furthermore, Liam was deliberately managing his own health, keeping himself in a relatively safe zone.
According to his calculations, he still had to kill Alvis after finishing off the Miller brothers.
Finally.
Sam Miller and Seth Miller’s HP dropped below the ten percent mark.
Yet, they still hadn't triggered Unstoppable, which confirmed they didn't possess the skill.
It seemed the "rule" from his past life held true.
Level 10 field mobs and NPCs in the Novice Village generally lacked the Unstoppable and Berserk skills.
However, Alvis’s health had only decreased by thirty percent, which left Liam dissatisfied.
He began to maneuver himself behind Alvis. He knew the Millers’ final death-struggle would undoubtedly be aimed at him.
Sure enough.
As soon as their HP hit five percent, Sam Miller and Seth Miller launched a desperate, frenzied charge toward Liam.
They rushed forward with a suicidal resolve to take him down with them.
Liam used Tactical Scramble, diving neatly behind Alvis.
Alvis didn't think twice about it, assuming Liam was merely scurrying for safety.
Facing the near-death Millers, Alvis showed no fear and threw himself back into the fray.
Liam abruptly left the party with Shadow-Slayer. He couldn't risk Miller the Smith or the Elder Mayor finding any link between them if things went south.
In matters like this, it was better to be cautious.
Just as Sam Miller was about to be struck down, an arrow from Liam interrupted Alvis’s finishing blow.
"Sorry, my hand slipped," Liam offered a curt explanation as his second arrow was already in flight.
Spiral-Draw Archery!
Critical Hit!
-2518!
Ding! You have slain the Novice Village Boss, Sam Miller. A Server-Wide Broadcast is about to commence. Would you like to hide your name?
"Hide it."
Liam had no intention of letting Miller the Smith know he had murdered his apprentices; otherwise, all those Gold Sovereigns he’d spent would be for nothing.
Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player 'Anonymous Mode' for achieving the World First kill of Sam Miller! This achievement has been recorded. May all players continue to strive for excellence.
Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player 'Anonymous Mode' for achieving the World First kill of Sam Miller! This achievement has been recorded...
The broadcast left the player base in a state of confusion.
What was going on?
Sam Miller?
That sounded like the name of some random lackey.
Before the shock could even settle, another system notification rang out.
Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player 'Anonymous Mode' for achieving the World First kill of Seth Miller! This achievement has been recorded. May all players continue to strive for excellence.
Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player 'Anonymous Mode' for achieving the World First kill of Seth Miller! This achievement has been recorded...
"Sam Miller? Seth Miller? What the hell? Those names sound like total goons, but they’re actually considered bosses? They got a Server-Wide Broadcast?"
"Wait, I think I know who they are. They're Miller the Smith's apprentices back in the Novice Village!"
"Holy sht, you're right! Seth Miller was the one who fixed my weapon's Durability while I was farming Stone Beetles!"
Sam and Seth were actually quite well-known in the Novice Village.
Whenever a player’s Durability ran low, they headed to The Iron Anvil.
The two apprentices were usually the ones handling the repairs.
"This is insane. Sam and Seth were bosses this whole time?"
Inside The Iron Anvil, Miller the Smith’s expression turned dark and predatory.
He had heard the broadcast clearly.
"Who was it?"
"Who could have killed them? Did that old bastard, the Elder Mayor, send an elite?"
The reason Liam had left the party was specifically because of the broadcast.
If he had stayed in the group, it would have been far too easy for a trail to lead back to him.
"Now!" Liam called out to Shadow-Slayer.
When Liam had "accidentally" shot Alvis earlier, it was a calculated test to see if the man possessed a Damage Reflection attribute.
The result: he didn't.
Slash!
Shadow-Slayer was primed and ready. He opened with a Throat-Slit.
-195.
Bleeding...
-26.
-26.
Alvis’s face contorted. "What are you doing?!"
Whiz!
A piercing arrow was the only reply.
Critical Hit!
-2526!
A massive damage number erupted above his head.
Liam’s follow-up attacks were relentless.
Alvis was caught between shock and fury. He couldn't comprehend why these Adventurers, who had been fighting by his side moments ago, would suddenly turn on him without a word.
Ding! You have been affected by Alvis’s Curse. Damage taken increased by 10%.
Liam’s expression remained stony. His arrows flew in a steady stream, precisely interrupting every move Alvis tried to make.
During the fight with the Millers, Liam had already memorized Alvis’s combat rhythm.
Now, he systematically dismantled it.
The sheer frequency of Triple-Shot Cadence left Alvis with no room to breathe, let alone counterattack.
No Damage Reflection.
No Unstoppable or Berserk.
To Liam, Alvis was nothing more than a stationary target practice dummy.
Whiz!
Another arrow struck home.
This shot finally knocked Alvis into the air.
What followed was an endless cycle of Suspension.
Watching Liam perform that miraculous juggling technique again, Shadow-Slayer’s jaw dropped.
Liam’s mechanical skill was simply monstrous.
"Get the killing blow," Liam commanded. "And remember: Anonymous Mode."
Liam couldn't afford to be the one to kill Alvis. If he did, the Village Chief might notice something suspicious when he went to turn in the quest for slaying ten Novice Village bosses.
"Got it," Shadow-Slayer replied.