Princess Leona gave a faint, noncommittal smile. "I know. But so what?"
The moment the words left her lips, she struck without hesitation.
In the blink of an eye, a frost so absolute it defied logic encased everything for a hundred miles!
The Village Chief’s eyes bugged out in shock, but he was frozen instantly, turned into a statuesque prisoner who couldn't move a single muscle.
"Frost Monarch, open the seal."
Liam gave a curt nod. He stashed all his current equipment into the guild warehouse, then carefully placed the Frost-Flame Ore and the Mysterious Key into the designated slots.
A heartbeat later, the world began to groan.
The earth shuddered violently. Cracks spiderwebbed across the Yin-Yang Fish Sigil as a blistering, oppressive heat began to bleed out from the depths below.
"I’m not planning on dying today, so I'm heading out first," Leona said. She took a single step forward and vanished into thin air.
Liam’s scalp prickled with dread.
If you’re bailing through a Spatial Rift, at least take me with you! What kind of partner leaves a guy hanging like this?
Right then, a Server-Wide Broadcast thundered across the sky.
[Warning! Warning! An unknown individual has released the sealed Hanba the Drought-Bringer. World Boss: Hanba the Drought-Bringer is about to descend upon the world. All Adventurers, proceed with extreme caution.]
[Warning! Warning! An unknown individual has released the sealed Hanba the Drought-Bringer. World Boss: Hanba the Drought-Bringer is about to descend upon the world. All Adventurers, proceed with extreme caution.]
...
As the alarm echoed through every corner of the server, countless players stood frozen in disbelief.
"What the hell? Am I hallucinating?"
"You’re not hallucinating! A World Boss? Is the system bugged? We can barely take down a Black Iron Boss right now. How are we supposed to fight a World Boss?"
"Heh, who cares how? One thing’s for sure—if we actually kill it, the rewards will be insane."
The entirety of Twilight of the Gods was in an uproar.
Major gaming clubs, financial conglomerates, and even The Regency called emergency meetings. A World Boss appearing this early was unprecedented. Whoever managed to land the killing blow would reap unimaginable benefits.
Inside the War Division of The Regency, an elder with graying temples walked into the briefing room.
"You are the finest analysts in The Dragon Empire," the elder said, his voice grave. "Our Spec-Ops Division members have already encountered Black Iron, Bronze, and even Silver Grade bosses. But this World Boss—we must secure it."
The lead analyst sighed and shook his head. "Sir, according to our projections, a World Boss’s health pool won't be lower than a hundred million. Its attributes will be catastrophic. Even if every single member of the Spec-Ops Division attacked at once, it would be like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water."
"Is there no way?" The elder frowned.
"There is one: human wave tactics. The core Capital Cities currently hold tens of millions of players. If we mobilize ten million players to swarm it, there might be a one-in-ten-thousand chance of a kill."
"One in ten thousand?" The elder nearly choked. "Ten million players, and the odds are still that low?"
"Correct," the analyst nodded. "And that’s assuming the Hidden Classes and those with high-level Innate Talents give it everything they’ve got. Otherwise, there’s no chance at all."
"I see..." The elder’s expression soured. The World Boss was a beacon of hope, yet they were utterly powerless against it.
If the War Division was stumped, the other clubs and guilds reached the same conclusion: at this stage of the game, players simply didn't have the strength to contend with such a monster.
The birth of Hanba the Drought-Bringer didn't just rattle the players; it stirred ancient entities within the world of Twilight of the Gods.
In the Star-Rank Astral Kingdom, within the heart of the Royal Palace, Queen Fiona looked up the moment she heard the broadcast, her gaze piercing the distance toward the Novice Village.
"After all these years... has it finally come out?"
Standing beside the Queen was a hunched, wizened crone holding a Skull Staff. Her voice was a sharp, raspy cackle. "Your Majesty, this might just be the opportunity we’ve been waiting for."
Fiona’s eyes flashed with a cold, predatory light. "The Star-Rank Astral Kingdom has been peaceful for far too long. It is indeed time for a change. Send out the orders. Phase one of the plan begins now."
Across the kingdom, other hidden powers began to move. The appearance of a World Boss had the potential to completely rewrite the existing power structure.
Liam was oblivious to the political storm. He was currently standing right next to the Yin-Yang Array, feeling his skin sizzle.
[System: You are suffering from Burn damage. You will lose health continuously.]
-4,000
-4,000
...
Liam felt a surge of numbness. The seal wasn't even fully broken yet, and the passive damage was already this absurd?
He had the Purifying Jade Amulet, which granted him 80% resistance to negative status effects. Since Burn counted as one, it meant that without the amulet, he would be losing 20,000 HP per second.
In his past life, he had never crossed paths with Hanba. He hadn't known much about the boss's true power, but he was getting a very clear, very painful demonstration now.
BOOM!!
A massive explosion tore through the air. The earth split, and Liam was sent flying like a ragdoll.
-99,999
A mere shockwave from the release had nearly deleted his health bar. But Liam didn't care. He was looking for a way out, and dying would let him respawn in a Capital City.
Then, a figure shrouded in raging white flames soared into the sky. Everywhere the creature’s gaze fell, the world erupted into an inferno.
However, when those eyes landed on Liam, the flames subsided slightly. The figure drifted down, walking slowly toward him.
Liam used his appraisal skill.
??? : ???
HP: ???
ATK: ???
Skills: ???
Liam stared at the strings of question marks. Just how high was this thing’s level?
"Was it you who set me free?"
The voice was hauntingly melodic—a mix of feminine softness and masculine grit, making it impossible to discern a gender. The face was a mangled, hideous mask of scars and scorched flesh.
According to the quest, this was the Scion of the Golden Emperor. Liam recalled myths where Hanba was the daughter of the Golden Emperor, but the lore in Twilight of the Gods wasn't always a one-to-one match for mythology.
"Yes," Liam answered simply.
Hanba scanned him and let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Did it never occur to you that releasing me would bring nothing but suffering to this world?"
"I don't think it will," Liam replied. "You were a good person once. I believe you still are."
"A good person?" Hanba’s laugh turned bitter. "I was indeed a 'good person.' I helped countless people. Even after I became this... this thing, I continued to help. But because I am Hanba, the world spat on me. They cursed me and tried to destroy me. If my essence weren't immortal, they would have erased me instead of just sealing me away."
Hanba’s hand suddenly shot out, clutching Liam by the throat. "I don’t want to be a good person anymore. I will be a monster. The greatest demon this world has ever seen!"
Liam stared back into the burning eyes, gasping through the grip. "No... you still have a conscience. If you had truly turned, you wouldn't be talking to me. You would have wiped me from existence the moment you saw me."
A murderous glint flashed in Hanba’s eyes. "The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because it's been a long time since I've had someone to talk to."
With that, Hanba slammed a palm into Liam’s chest.
Liam’s health bar vanished instantly.
A moment later, Liam respawned in Blackwind City, a major hub within the Star-Rank Astral Kingdom. He was currently in the ghost state, waiting for the revival timer to count down.
Suddenly, a city-wide announcement blared.
[City Announcement: A heinous criminal has entered Blackwind City. The Castellan has issued an emergency quest: Hunt the Wicked.]
[City Announcement: A heinous criminal has entered Blackwind City. The Castellan has issued an emergency quest: Hunt the Wicked.]
...
Every player in Blackwind City suddenly received a notification for a new quest.
Quest: Hunt the Wicked
Objective: Kill the wicked individual who entered Blackwind City (Any Adventurer with over 10,000 Infamy Points).
Target Kills: 0/100
Penalty: None
Reward: For every kill, receive one piece of Bronze Grade equipment and 10 Free Attribute Points.
"Holy sht!"
The players in Blackwind City lost their minds.
"What am I looking at? Is this a giveaway quest?"
"Quick, find him! Who’s the player with 10k Infamy? Come out and let me kill you a hundred times!"
"Ten AP per kill? That’s a thousand AP for the full quest, plus a hundred pieces of Bronze gear. If I solo-kill him a hundred times, I’ll be a god!"
"Calm down! Think about what that guy must have done to rack up over ten thousand Infamy points..."
The streets of Blackwind City were buzzing with excitement. Meanwhile, Liam was staring at the screen, his face darkening. What did I do to deserve a bounty like this?
He looked at his revival timer and started planning his escape. Fight his way out? There was no other option. Infamy Points couldn't be hidden; they hovered over his head in a massive, glowing crimson font. Sneaking out was a fantasy.
He equipped the Ninefold Longbow and the Bloodstained Necklace, then readied his speed and shield potions. He was going to have to bolt.
He had to thank the "kind souls" back in the Novice Village; their deaths had provided him with a decent hoard of supplies.
But before he could even respawn, a Kingdom-Wide Announcement followed.
[Kingdom Announcement: A heinous criminal has entered the Star-Rank Astral Kingdom. The King has issued an emergency quest: Hunt the Wicked.]
Liam stared blankly at the sky. Seriously? This is personal now.
Now, it wasn't just Blackwind City. Every player in the Star-Rank Astral Kingdom—which essentially meant every player in the Dragon Empire region since nobody had hit their Second Advancement yet—was hunting him.
"Holy sht, the King’s rewards are double what the Castellan offered! I’m in love!"
"Hahaha! Hey, Red-Name! Just come out and die quietly. You can't hide. It’s an honor for you to be turned into our gear and attributes!"
"Usually we’re hunting World Bosses, now we’re hunting a Red-Name player. I seriously want to know how he managed to grind that much Infamy."
The Dragon Empire region was in a frenzy.
Finally, the timer hit zero. Liam materialized at the Altar of Rebirth.
Level 1!
Because his Infamy was so high, a single death had wiped his level and all his experience. The moment he stepped off the Altar, he activated every speed buff he had and sprinted for the city gates.
But the million Infamy points over his head acted like a lighthouse in the dark.
"There he is!"
"Where? Which one?"
"Holy fck! His Infamy... it’s a million!!"
"Kill him!"
In a Capital City, Red-Name players were fair game. The law didn't protect them. Liam didn't dare fight back—if he did, the city guards would join the fray. If the guards caught him, he’d be tossed into a dungeon for a sentence based on his Infamy. With a million points, he might as well delete his account because he'd be in prison for years of real-time.
As for fighting the guards? Impossible. At Level 1 with no resistances, a city guard would delete him in a nanosecond.
He had to run.
At Level 1, he could barely equip anything. He had the Purifying Jade Amulet, the Ninefold Longbow (which had no level requirement), and the Bloodstained Necklace. None of them provided defense or resistance.
The players' attacks hit him like true damage.
-512
-198
-299
...
A torrential rain of damage numbers erupted above his head. Behind him, a literal tide of hundreds of thousands of players gave chase. Liam was fast, but there were people everywhere. He was quickly boxed in.
"Dammit, they’re not giving me an inch!"
Liam leaped into the air, using the players' shoulders as stepping stones to keep moving. But everywhere he landed, a barrage of skills followed. Even if each individual hit only did a hundred or so damage, there were thousands of them.
He was losing over 100,000 HP per second.
"Jesus, I never realized the distance from the Altar to the gate was this long!"
Liam’s face was grim. Just before the killing blow landed, he dumped all his equipped items back into the guild warehouse.
He died.
Through sheer mechanical skill and desperate kiting, his 440,000 HP had lasted exactly nine seconds. And that was only because he had caught them off guard at the start.
He stared at the revival countdown, then looked at the mob of players currently camping the Altar of Rebirth.
He didn't have a prayer. Not a single one.
"Go to hell, all of you!"
"I’m a goddamn Reincarnator, and I’m getting spawn-camped twice in a single day? Where is the justice?"
He looked at the hundreds of thousands of players clogging the city, with even more arriving from the outskirts. He gave up. With forty-odd thousand health, he was just a pinball in a room full of hammers.
Sure enough, the moment he respawned, a volley of spells and arrows turned him back into a ghost.
Liam stared at the gray screen. This isn't fun. This is stupid.
Liam chose to log off right there. Fine, camp all you want. I’m going offline. You can kill my ghost a thousand times for all I care—it’s not gonna ruin my day.