Fenrir Pagoda cut down the Flame Serpent in front of him and opened the video.
"The damage is insane."
That was his first reaction. But a moment later, he froze.
"How can anyone kite that fluently at this stage of the game?"
Fenrir was an Archer himself, and one of the best in the business. He knew exactly how difficult it was to maintain fluid kiting in Twilight of the Gods.
"Which guild is he from? We need to find a way to poach him. Offer him a ten-million-dollar annual salary."
After the initial shock, his mind immediately jumped to recruitment.
"Got it. I'll look into it," a subordinate replied.
Meanwhile, Liam was rapidly harvesting Twisted Treants.
The drop rates in Twilight of the Gods were truly pathetic. Despite hunting so many high-level Twisted Treants, Liam had only managed to get the Ring of Resurgence from earlier.
Clink.
Suddenly, a crisp sound echoed as an item dropped.
Treant Pauldrons
Quality: Common
Requirement: Level 10, All Classes
Effect: HP +200
Durability: 100/100
"You want this?" Liam looked at Bulwark Pagoda.
"I do. But this price can’t be the same as the ring, right?"
"Three thousand," Liam said flatly.
Pauldrons were standard equipment and relatively common drops. They couldn't command the same premium as a ring.
"Deal."
In truth, money would eventually become useless, but Liam needed it to cover his immediate real-life expenses. Once he had enough to live on, he would start bartering equipment for in-game resources instead.
Just then, a system announcement rang out.
[Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player Berserk for being the first to reach the Capital City! Rewards: 500 Gold Sovereigns, 1 Black Iron Grade Class Set, 1 Class Skill Tome, and 50 Attribute Points. Let this serve as an inspiration to all players!]
[Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player Berserk for being the first to reach the Capital City...]
...
"Holy shit!" Bulwark checked the time. "That was fast. How the hell did Berserk hit Level 10 already?"
"And the rewards for being the first to leave for the Capital City are massive."
Liam didn't care. To him, those rewards weren't even worth a second look. The Novice Village was a literal treasure trove. Leaving it just because you had the strength to do so was a mistake you could never undo. In his past life, countless players had beaten their chests in regret once the hidden benefits of the Novice Village were finally revealed.
"Step it up," Liam said.
"By the way, you're incredible. Which guild do you belong to?" Bulwark asked.
"Solo player."
"Solo?" Bulwark was stunned. Liam’s skill didn't look like that of a solo player at all. But then, a realization hit him.
Liam had to be a Primal Veteran.
Back in the era of PC gaming, some veterans had incredible game sense and tactical clarity. However, as they aged, their hand speed couldn't keep up, and they were gradually phased out. But Twilight of the Gods was a full-dive VR game. Everything was digitized; physical hand speed no longer mattered.
Seeing Liam focused on the grind, Bulwark wisely stayed quiet.
[Ding! You have reached Level 4. AP +5.]
Liam dumped all his points into Attack Velocity, increasing it by 0.1 to reach 0.93. At the same time, his HP pool swelled by over a thousand, further boosting his basic attack damage.
-448.
-448.
At this damage level, it still took five arrows to bring down a Twisted Treant, but he was closing in on the four-shot threshold. Bulwark watched Liam level up with silent envy. Since Liam was doing the heavy lifting, he took the lion's share of the experience. Leveling up wasn't easy for a leech.
"Finally, it showed up." Liam looked at the Twisted Treant ahead, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
Elite Twisted Treant
Level: 10
HP: 5,700/5,700
Attack: 49
Skills: Resurgence, Vine Whirl, Vine Entwine.
The Elite Grade Treant had gained a crowd-control skill.
"Want me to tank it for you?" Bulwark asked. He was a pure tank build and, thanks to his deep pockets, had already equipped several low-level pieces. He felt his stats were quite impressive.
"No need," Liam replied curtly and opened fire.
-449.
-449.
The output was stable, though it would take thirteen arrows to kill an Elite. Under Liam's kiting, the Treant died before it could even get close.
[Ding! You have slain an Elite Twisted Treant. XP +321.]
Liam smiled. Hunting Elites was definitely the way to go for experience. Even Bulwark, as a party member, received 32 XP.
One, two, three...
Liam’s health pool continued to stack. Meanwhile, server broadcasts kept chiming. Players from major guilds—and even a few solo players—were hitting Level 10 and entering the Capital City.
Bulwark was dying of envy, but there was nothing he could do. "I'm falling so far behind," he muttered.
Liam remained cold and distant, ignoring the complaints. Just then, another item dropped.
Elite Treant Armor
Level: 10
Effect 1: Magic Resist +10
Effect 2: HP +500
Durability: 100/100
"Hell yeah! Is this one of the set pieces you mentioned?" Bulwark's eyes lit up.
Liam nodded and tossed the armor to him. "Yes. Hunt enough of these Elites, and you'll get the full Treant Set."
"You're the best. When you logged off earlier, I thought you'd ditched me."
Liam’s face darkened, but he said nothing, continuing the slaughter. An hour passed. One thing the Novice Village excelled at was its respawn rate; otherwise, it never could have sustained Liam’s frantic pace.
[Ding! You have reached Level 6. AP +5.]
In just one hour, Liam had jumped from Level 4 to Level 6. His Attack Velocity rose from 0.93 to 1.13. He also managed to find three more pieces of the Treant Set, all of which went to Bulwark.
A player could wear up to thirteen pieces of equipment: Main Weapon, Boots, Heart-Guard, Armor, Helmet, Cloak, two Rings, Necklace, two Pauldrons, and two Legguards. Bulwark now had four.
This set was arguably the strongest Guardian set available before Level 20. Even the Level 20 dungeon sets paled in comparison to the Treant Set.
With 10 pieces, the set effect triggered: Regenerate 50 HP per second, uninterrupted by combat. This was game-breaking in the early stages.
With all 13 pieces, a second effect unlocked: 10% reflected damage on all incoming physical attacks.
Combined with the raw stats, the set turned a Guardian into a high-recovery, high-damage, unkillable tank. For 300,000 dollars, Bulwark was getting an absolute steal.
[Ding! Your slaughter of the Twisted Treants has enraged the Twisted Treant King. It will arrive on the battlefield in five minutes. Leave immediately.]
Both Liam and Bulwark received the notification.
"Finally," Liam muttered.
Bulwark was ecstatic. "A boss spawned! Are we taking it?"
Liam nodded, and then... a system prompt flashed before Bulwark’s eyes.
[Ding! You have been kicked from the party by Liam.]
Bulwark froze. "What the hell? You're not taking me for the boss?"
Liam nodded again. "Stay out of the way. Go hide."
"Wait, but—" Bulwark felt slighted. Is this how you treat a paying client? "Isn't this a bit unfair?"
"I promised to boost you to Level 10. I never promised to share a boss kill," Liam replied simply.
All boss First Kills granted special rewards. If completed solo, those rewards were even more lucrative. Bringing a piece of dead weight like Bulwark would only dilute his prizes.
Bulwark opened his mouth to argue, but then he saw a massive silhouette lumbering toward them.
Twisted Treant King (Black Iron Boss)
Level: 10
HP: 116,800
Attack: 325
Skills: Summon Treants, Resurgence, Vine Bind, Thorn Shield, Vine Cage.
"Holy shit!" Bulwark gasped. "That’s the boss? Over a hundred thousand HP? Look at that attack power! No one can kill that at this level."
Even if Liam dealt 500 damage per shot, he’d need over two hundred hits to kill it. "This is ridiculous."
Bulwark backed away instinctively, a hint of schadenfreude bubbling up. The boss's stats are insane. Let’s see you 'solo' this!
The Treant King was a magic-based monster, meaning its hidden magic power was likely much higher than its physical attack. With two crowd-control skills, soloing it was suicide.
Just as Bulwark expected Liam to retreat, a whistle pierced the air.
Thwack!
An arrow struck the Treant King’s core with surgical precision.
-501.
"Zero crit rate, so even hitting a weak point won't trigger critical damage," Liam muttered. He wasn't afraid. The moment the arrow left the string, he shifted his positioning and fired again.
-501.
The damage was respectable, but the Treant King’s movement speed, attack speed, and range were far superior to ordinary mobs. A massive vine whipped through the air, lashing across Liam’s chest.
-319.
The sight of a 300+ damage hit made Bulwark’s jaw drop. He was Level 6 now, and even with his gear, he only had about 700 HP. He could take three hits at most.
But in the next heartbeat, Bulwark saw something that made his skin crawl.
Liam’s health bar had barely moved. The 319 damage was a mere sliver—hardly noticeable.
"What the... How?! What?!" Bulwark’s brain stalled. If he didn't know better, he would have screamed that Liam was cheating. This felt more broken than any hack.
Liam ignored the shocked onlooker. He had taken the hit on purpose to test the King’s damage. The basic attacks were negligible. The skills, however, would be a problem.
Since he could tank the basics, there was no need to waste time dodging them. Liam stopped kiting and began trading blows directly with the Treant King.
Bulwark stared, speechless. Who trades hits with a boss? He quickly hit the record button. He knew that if his Guild Master saw this, his eyes would pop out of his head.
Then, Liam’s next move truly broke Bulwark’s mind.
The Treant King’s vines glowed as it prepared to cast a skill. Bulwark smirked, knowing the magic damage would be devastating. But as the boss began its incantation, Liam fired an arrow into the King’s lashing "wrist," physically jerking the limb and forcing the cast to fail.
"Is that... a Precision Strike?!"
Bulwark was an elite player; he understood the theory. But hitting a specific joint on a moving vine to interrupt a cast? You could hire an Olympic archer and they still wouldn't pull that off in a virtual environment.
Whistle!
Liam’s rhythm never faltered. His kiting was a masterpiece of movement. Every time the Treant King tried to use a skill, Liam shut it down with a perfectly timed arrow to the weak point.
What kind of monster is this guy?
Bulwark could accept high stats—maybe Liam got lucky with a hidden quest or a God-tier item. But combining those stats with this level of mechanical skill? It was terrifying.
The Black Iron Boss was being toyed with. It looked powerful, but against Liam, it was just a target dummy. With over 25,000 HP, Liam could stand there and take three hundred hits if he wanted to.
"I have to get him into the guild. No matter what," Bulwark resolved. He wasn't just an elite member; he was the Young Scion of the Pagoda Guild.
The Treant King’s HP continued to dwindle. Liam’s fire rate remained constant. Finally, the boss was down to its last 5%. It was moments from death.
Suddenly, Liam stopped.
Bulwark blinked, confused. Then, he saw Liam pivot and fire an arrow into the empty air behind the boss.
Zip!
The arrow sliced through the wind.
Clang!
A metallic ring echoed as a dagger materialized out of thin air, parrying the arrow.
"Holy shit, an Assassin!"