Liam considered himself well-acquainted with Novice Village. The version of Miller the Smith he knew was already dead, and he had never heard a whisper of the man having a brother.
The resemblance was unsettling. The man standing before him looked almost identical to the blacksmith. Liam would have found it easier to believe that Miller had simply been resurrected.
"Who told you Miller didn't have a brother?" the man asked, his voice cold. "He did. His brother was the original Village Chief of this place. Unfortunately, on his very first day in office, the previous Mayor refused to relinquish power. A conflict broke out, and the brother was driven into the wilderness to fend for himself."
Liam’s pupils constricted.
"Why do you think the 'Elder' in Elder Mayor exists?" the man continued, his sneer deepening. "It’s because he’s the former Village Chief. I should have been the one leading Novice Village all along!"
Finally, Liam managed to inspect the man's attributes.
Wang the Village Chief (Silver Grade)
Level: 20
HP: 5,255,500 / 5,255,500
Attack: 3,999
Skills: ???
(Note: The Village Chief of Novice Village and brother of Miller the Smith. Driven out after a conflict with the Elder Mayor, he succumbed to darkness and became a Field Boss. He is orchestrating a terrifying plot; do not let him succeed, or you will face the wrath of the gods.)
Liam’s expression soured. The system had classified this man as a Field Boss—and a Silver Grade one at that. Five million HP and four thousand Attack power? At this stage of the game, those stats represented a massive power gap.
"So, you’re the real Village Chief, Wang. But I’m curious—what exactly are you planning? Destroying Novice Village doesn't seem to benefit you at all."
Under normal circumstances, Wang should have been trying to reclaim his throne. But with the village in ruins, the title of Village Chief was meaningless.
"Who said I wanted to be the chief of this pathetic village?" Wang barked. "What I want is to become the Royal Consort of the Star-Rank Astral Kingdom!"
Liam’s eyes narrowed. He immediately thought of Princess Leona. She was the princess of the Astral Kingdom, and she just happened to be in Novice Village.
"Princess Leona is right here. You could have just pursued her. There was no need to level the village."
"There was every need," Wang snarled, his face twisting into a mask of rage. "Why would someone like Leona ever look at a lowly commoner like me? To make her submit, I have to make her desperate. I have to make her need me."
"Oh?" Liam’s interest was piqued. He realized he had likely triggered a major hidden plot.
"After I was exiled, I took two of the village's Blessings of the Gods with me. When I discovered the Princess was here, I began my preparations."
Liam nodded slowly. "The Astral Kingdom has no princes. If you become the Royal Consort, you’d be in a prime position to contend for the throne."
"Exactly," Wang grinned, his teeth bared. "I didn’t expect a traveler like you to know about the Astral Kingdom’s politics. If Leona were ever released, she would leave through the Altar of Rebirth. That’s why the Altar had to be destroyed beyond repair. And that’s why the Mayor and his lot had to die."
A wild realization struck Liam. "You want to use her escape as leverage. You’re blackmailing her."
"Precisely," Wang confirmed. "The Hydra-Cypress and the Mustelid are both my subordinates. I even arranged for those two Quest Scrolls to be found, waiting for the right 'chosen one' to kill the Mayor for me."
Liam let out a dry laugh. He had done all that work only to end up as a pawn in someone else’s game.
"So why are you here now? Shouldn’t you be looking for the Princess?"
"I’m here to take back the Quest Scroll," Wang said, his grin widening. "I want the Blessing of the Gods for myself. You’ve already received one blessing; you should be satisfied. Hand over the scroll, and I’ll let you walk away."
Liam raised an eyebrow. "You intentionally designed a Rival Quest to make your plan foolproof. Clever."
"Indeed. Now that you understand the situation, give me the items."
"And why would I do that?" Liam smirked. "I’m leaving the village anyway. Whether I die here or elsewhere makes no difference. At worst, I just get killed and respawn."
Wang’s face darkened. "Suit yourself. With your current Infamy Points, once I kill you, everything in your inventory is going to drop anyway."
With those words, Wang blurred into a shadow, lunging at Liam.
Liam reacted instantly. An arrow whistled through the air as it left his bow. Simultaneously, he downed three potions in quick succession: Movement Speed, Attack Velocity, and Life-Steal.
-13,358!
A massive damage number erupted over Wang’s head. But a split second later, a number popped up over Liam as well.
-10,000!
Liam’s heart hammered against his ribs. Integer Damage Reflection?
This mechanic reflected damage based on the nearest whole increment of the damage taken. It meant the reflection rate was at least fifty percent—or even a hundred percent if the hit was exactly on a threshold. Against a boss with five million HP, Liam couldn't win a war of attrition against that kind of reflection.
Liam leaped into the air, landing lightly on a steel wire stretched across the gap.
"You think you can run now? It’s far too late for that!" Wang shouted.
A sense of impending dread washed over Liam. His instincts screamed that something was wrong. Suddenly, the rock face above the Desolate Precipice shattered, and a thick vine whipped out toward him.
"The Hydra-Cypress?!"
Liam performed a desperate backflip, narrowly dodging the blow, but the vine smashed the steel wire to pieces. Before he could hit the ground, he heard the air tearing behind him.
Clang!
Sharp claws raked across Liam’s armor, sending a shower of sparks flying.
-1,580!!
The damage wasn't fatal, but the situation was becoming a nightmare. Both the Hydra-Cypress and the Mustelid were monstrous opponents at this stage. Separately, Liam could handle them. Together, he might still find a way. But with the Silver Grade Wang added to the mix, his odds were plummeting.
Liam’s expression turned grim. With the wire gone, escaping the precipice was no longer an option.
"Frost Monarch," Wang called out, sounding almost reasonable. "There’s no need to waste more time. Hand over the items, and we can be allies. When I become the King of the Astral Kingdom, I can grant you an Earldom and a Lord’s Heart."
Liam’s brow twitched. Strictly speaking, he had no reason to refuse. The Blessing of the Gods was incredible, but in this current situation, success seemed impossible.
Unless…
Liam looked up at the Desolate Precipice. Snowflakes began to drift down from the sky, and the temperature plummeted.
[System Alert]: You are affected by chilling air. Movement Speed -12%, Attack Velocity -12%.
[System Alert]: You are taking Frost Damage. Continuous HP loss initiated.
-240.
-240.
Wang’s expression shifted instantly. He, the Hydra-Cypress, and the Mustelid all began losing health simultaneously.
A woman dressed in magnificent silk stepped out onto the edge of the precipice. She walked forward into empty air, but with every step, frost coalesced beneath her feet, forming delicate ice flowers that held her weight.
One step, two steps, three… she walked upon a path of blooming ice.
Even from this distance, Liam knew exactly who she was.
Leona.
In all of Novice Village, she was the only one capable of such a feat.
"Respected Princess Leona, you’ve arrived?" Wang’s hostile demeanor vanished, replaced by a sycophantic smile.
Leona swept a cold, indifferent gaze over him. "I know exactly what you are trying to do."
Wang stiffened for a moment, then chuckled. "Since you know, then you must be aware of my... deep admiration for you."
"Why bother being so hypocritical?" Leona sneered. "You think everything is under your control? Did it ever occur to you that I could simply kill you?"
Wang’s eyes narrowed, but he merely shrugged. "Great Princess, you certainly could. But have you thought about how you would leave this place afterward? Your ambition wouldn't allow you to remain trapped in Novice Village forever."
Leona let out a chilling laugh. "That is not your concern. I know my own path."
The frost radiating from her surged outward. Wang’s face went pale.
"Tyrant's Might! Unstoppable! Dance of the Broken Wings!"
In an instant, Wang activated three skills at once. A pair of tattered, skeletal wings sprouted from his back. With a powerful flap, he took to the sky, trying to fly up toward the top of the precipice.
Leona merely raised a hand. A massive Frost Sigil manifested above Wang’s head. From the center of the array, an endless barrage of ice spikes rained down.
-15,928.
-15,929.
A flurry of damage numbers filled the air. A single spell had shaved off over a million of Wang’s health points. It was terrifying.
Liam had known Leona was powerful, but this was beyond his imagination. No wonder Wang had chosen to flee the moment she showed signs of aggression.
In the sky, Wang swerved, trying to weave through the icy onslaught. The Hydra-Cypress and the Mustelid lunged forward, attempting to distract the princess. But in the blink of an eye, both powerful bosses were frozen solid into blocks of ice.
Leona raised her hand again. An enormous ice shield appeared behind Wang, slamming into him with the force of a falling mountain and pinning him to the ground.
Recognizing he couldn't escape, Wang stopped running. He climbed to his feet and glared at Leona. "Go ahead, kill me. If you can do it, then I accept my fate."
Leona didn't strike again. Liam, watching from the sidelines, quickly pieced together the reason why.
Wang was no longer a standard NPC; he was a Field Boss. Field Bosses had a specific trait: when killed, they eventually respawned. Liam had already "killed" the Hydra-Cypress and the Mustelid before, yet here they were.
"What? Not going to kill me?" Wang began to calm down. "If you're done, then listen to me. I want to marry you. I want to be the future King of the Astral Kingdom."
Leona’s aura turned volatile, and the temperature dropped even further.
"Don't get angry so quickly. This is about mutual benefit," Wang continued. "You’ve been away from the Astral Kingdom for a long time. If you return suddenly, you’ll have no allies. But if you marry me, I can help you. I am a monster, yes, but I am also an NPC. Most importantly, I received a Blessing of the Gods that allows me to level up and grow just like an Adventurer."
The mention of "leveling up and growing" finally caused a ripple in Leona's stoic expression. Normally, NPCs and monsters were bound by their birth-stats, unable to break through their innate limits to become stronger.
Seeing Leona hesitate, Liam felt a surge of unease. If she accepted Wang's proposal, his chance at the second Blessing of the Gods would vanish. He had worked too hard to lose it now.
"Think about it," Wang urged. "A helper who can grow and respawn infinitely. You know exactly how much of an advantage that gives you in the struggle for the throne. It can be a marriage in name only—it won't affect your personal life. All that matters is that we end up ruling the Astral Kingdom."
Liam had to admit, from a purely pragmatic standpoint, Wang's offer was incredibly tempting.
I guess I've lost my chance, Liam sighed inwardly.
However, Leona’s next words reignited his hope.
"I think I have many potential partners to choose from," she said coldly. "For instance... the Frost Monarch!"
Wang’s pupils shrank. "He’s just an Adventurer! You can't be sure if he'll stay loyal."
"No," Leona shook her head. "I don't intend to marry him. I intend to give him a quest. Frost Monarch! Are you willing to support me in becoming the Queen of the Astral Kingdom? If you can place me on that throne, I will build three thousand shrines in your honor and name you the God of War of my realm!"
Liam stared at her in disbelief.
In the late stages of Twilight of the Gods, standard Attack and Magic Power became secondary. The elite players all pursued divinity. And the first step toward godhood was accumulating Essence of Faith from followers.
Leona was offering exactly that. She would build shrines and facilitate worship so that Liam could harvest the Essence of Faith from her entire kingdom.
[System Alert]: Princess Leona has issued a quest to you.
Quest Objective: Help her become the next Ruler of the Star-Rank Astral Kingdom.
Failure Penalty: Unknown.
Quest Reward: The title of [God of War] and the construction of 3,000 [Shrines of Faith].
"I accept!" Liam didn't hesitate. In his past life, countless experts had died trying to reach godhood, only to fail because they couldn't gather enough Essence of Faith. It was the hardest resource in the game to obtain.
"Leona! Even if you have a champion, how do you plan to leave Novice Village?" Wang shouted, his composure slipping.
Leona’s gaze fell upon the Yin-Yang Array. "It's simple. We release Hanba the Drought-Bringer. He will naturally shatter the Spatial Barrier. We will simply follow in his wake."
Wang looked like he was about to have a breakdown. "Leona, you’re insane! Do you have any idea what kind of catastrophe you'll unleash by letting Hanba out?"