Between these two choices, the latter was clearly unreliable.
Gambling on a 0.5% instant-kill probability in such a crisis was suicide.
Liam checked the Mastery of Death Cycle. He was only seven points away from reaching the next Star-Rank, and a group of respawned Blood-Backed Black Turtles lingered nearby.
If he used his 5.63 Attack Velocity to slaughter seven turtles and upgrade Death Cycle before turning his blade back to the Silver Grade Commander... would it work?
It seemed feasible on paper, but Liam knew it was a desperate gamble. Thus, he chose a third option.
He ran.
A simple retreat wouldn't suffice. Liam leaped into the depths of Black-Water Lake. The water was bottomless; he unequipped his heavy gear and dove with everything he had.
At that moment, the Silver Grade Commander finished charging his ultimate. An attack hurtled toward Liam.
Boom!!
The spear slammed into the surface, sending a plume of water dozens of meters into the air. The weapon continued its descent through the depths, homing in on Liam with terrifying speed.
Liam instantly swapped to a shield to mitigate the impact.
-349,580.
A horrifying damage number rose above Liam’s head.
He sucked in a sharp breath, but a wave of relief followed. He hadn't been one-shotted. As long as he breathed, he had a chance.
He swam frantically toward the shore. The moment he broke the surface, his first instinct was to strike a Blood-Backed Black Turtle.
He needed the Life-Steal to replenish his health while pushing Death Cycle to its second Star-Rank.
Death Cycle: 2 Star-Rank
Effect: Your attacks have a 1% chance to instantly kill the target unit.
Cooldown: None.
Cost: None.
Mastery: 3/10,000 (Note: Mastery is gained by killing monsters, NPCs, or Adventurers whose level is not lower than your own. Each kill grants 1 Mastery point.)
Liam had just slaughtered ten Blood-Backed Black Turtles in a single breath, causing the Mastery to overflow into the next rank.
He had no time for calculations. The Silver Grade Commander was right on his heels. The commander erupted from the water, his spear wreathed in flames, thrusting directly at Liam’s face.
Liam spun, retaliating with Quintuple Shot as he maintained his distance. Without the Berserk state, the Silver Grade Commander’s threat level plummeted. Liam could easily out-heal the incoming damage through Life-Steal.
However, as a Silver Grade boss and the Imperial Guard Captain of The Astral Kingdom, the commander wasn't blind to the situation. The cold plunge into Black-Water Lake had cleared his head.
"To me! Activate Unstoppable and Berserk! Give him everything!"
The nineteen Bronze guards surged forward. With both buffs active, they launched a collective Vanguard Charge at Liam.
Liam’s scalp tingled with the sudden pressure. He retreated instantly, firing another Quintuple Shot.
Thud!
Liam’s eyes widened, a look of pure shock and joy washing over his face.
The Silver Grade Commander was dead.
System: You have slain the Silver Grade Commander, Commander Varun. A Server-Wide Broadcast is imminent. Would you like to hide your name?
"Hide it."
Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player [Anonymous] for achieving the World First kill of the Silver Grade Commander, Commander Varun! This achievement has been recorded. May all players continue to strive for greatness.
Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player [Anonymous] for achieving the World First kill of the Silver Grade Commander, Commander Varun...
The 1% instant-kill proc had triggered almost immediately after the upgrade.
With the Silver Grade Commander gone, the remaining Bronze guards were no longer a threat. Even with Berserk and Unstoppable active, Liam didn't flinch. Their leader's sudden death had shattered their formation. Their attacks grew frantic and disorganized, their crowd-control chains failing to link.
Liam picked them off one by one.
When the last Bronze guard collapsed, Liam finally allowed himself a satisfied smile. It was finally time to loot the bodies.
The Astral Kingdom, The Royal Palace, The Pluvius Palace.
Queen Fiona’s expression darkened. "How can Commander Varun be dead?"
"At this stage, none of those Adventurers should have the strength to kill him."
She had sensed something was wrong when the earlier broadcast announced the deaths of the Bronze guards. Now that even a Silver Grade Commander had fallen, she realized the gravity of the situation.
"Could it be that Red-Name Status Adventurer?" the Crone standing behind her rasped, clutching a Skull Staff.
Fiona shook her head. "With Varun’s strength, that Adventurer couldn't possibly be his match."
"But since the Power of the Gods descended, only kills made by Adventurers trigger these world-wide announcements. If not him, then who?"
"Do not forget, a Divine Envoy has already appeared among the Adventurers. Those slumbering gods might be trying to seize control of The Astral Kingdom once more."
The Crone’s face twisted. "We have only seen traces of the Divine Envoy; their identity remains a mystery. However, regarding this Red-Name player... it is almost certain he is the Frost Monarch. He is powerful and unaffiliated with the gods. Perhaps we should recruit him to our side?"
"It is an option," Fiona replied. "But would he cooperate if he knew I was the one who ordered his capture? That might make things... difficult."
"You need not worry, My Queen," the Crone cackled. "I never gave your Queen's Edict to Commander Varun, fearing such a complication. The Frost Monarch knows nothing. As for recruitment... I shall handle the negotiations personally."
"Very well. Go. Offer him whatever it takes. With The Throne War approaching, we need experts of his caliber."
Out in the wilderness, Liam was tallying his rewards.
Level 50 gear, Level 50 Skill Tomes, various potions, and materials. To him, these were negligible for now. The spear-class weapons and skills were useless for his build. The real prize was the 45,000 Guild Achievement Points.
Still, compared to the ten million points required to upgrade a 5-Star-Rank Guild to 6-Star-Rank, this was just a drop in the bucket.
After stowing the loot, Liam prepared to resume grinding. Suddenly, he glanced over his shoulder.
Fifty meters away, an Assassin was lurking in Stealth. Thanks to The Immaculate Eye, Liam could see the player as clearly as if they were standing in broad daylight.
"Guild Master, it's confirmed. The target of Geryon's bounty and the Red-Name player are the same person."
"He's likely the Frost Monarch. He’s currently farming Blood-Backed Black Turtles. His damage is insane—he’s going to be a problem."
"Understood," Misty Snow replied calmly through the chat. "Hold your position. I’m bringing the elite squad immediately. That bounty belongs to Dream-Chaser."
Liam knew the Assassin was there, but he didn't care. Most guilds employed specialized scouts to map out mob distributions and hidden mechanics. These scouts usually sat at a lower level, boosted occasionally by high-level players using a 90/10 Split to keep them functional.
Liam kept farming while the Assassin watched from a distance, neither approaching nor leaving. After two more rounds of clearing turtles, Liam grew bored. He turned his gaze directly toward the hidden player.
"What? Are you waiting for your guild to arrive?"
The Assassin froze. Did he see me? Impossible!
They were fifty meters apart, and he was in Stealth. There was no way he had been detected.
Liam chuckled at the player’s attempt to play dead. If it weren't for the slight micro-movements of the character model, he would have thought the guy had logged off.
Whiz!
An arrow whistled through the air, thudding into the ground at the Assassin's feet. "Still going to pretend you’re not there?"
The scout’s face paled. He broke Stealth. "How did you see me?"
Liam didn't bother explaining. "I don't know which guild you're from, but tell your leader: don't provoke me. Otherwise, I don't mind racking up more Infamy Points."
The scout, like Liam, had his name hidden.
"Frost Monarch, you certainly have a big mouth."
A cold voice cut through the air. Misty Snow emerged, leading over a hundred members of her guild's elite squad.
Liam raised an eyebrow. He felt... insulted. Not because a guild was hunting him, and not because it was Misty Snow.
It was because she had only brought a hundred people.
What is this? Are you looking down on me?
The elites behind her were decent—mostly Level 10 and fully geared. A few even sported complete equipment sets.
"You're here for Geryon’s bounty, I assume," Liam said. "I’d suggest you don't do anything stupid. You'll only end up losing levels for Dream-Chaser."
A Mage standing beside Misty Snow snorted in derision. "Hmph. Facing death and still talking big."
The Mage waved his staff, sending a fireball hurtling toward Liam.
-98.
With his Hydra Gear and pieces from the Venom-Green Spider King, Liam’s resistances were leagues beyond what they had been at Level 1.
System: You have been maliciously attacked. You are now free to retaliate.
Liam raised his bow and loosed a single arrow.
Whiz!
A Guardian instantly stepped forward, raising a shield to intercept the projectile.
-15,429.
A massive damage number popped up. Liam was actually surprised; the arrow hadn't killed the Level 15 Guardian.
Normally, even a Guardian who put every point into HP would only have about 1,500 health at Level 15. This man had managed to scrape together over 14,000 extra HP through external factors.
The Guardian was even more terrified. He had completed a hidden quest in the Novice Village that granted him the Wild Growth skill, giving him a 10% HP bonus and an extra 100 HP per level. Combined with his Level 15 tank gear, he had nearly 16,000 health.
Liam’s single arrow had nearly deleted him.
Misty Snow’s expression darkened, but she didn't waver. "Go all out! Chain your crowd control! Lock him down until he’s dead!"
They had over a hundred players. If each person could stun or silence Liam for just 0.5 seconds, they could lock him down for nearly a minute. No matter how much HP he had, he wouldn't survive a minute of focused fire.
The battle erupted.
The first to move weren't the fighters, but the Priests. They raised their staves, calling down a Pillar of Silence. If it hit, Liam would be silenced, unable to use skills.
But to Liam, the attack was sluggish. He sidestepped with a casual stride, easily clearing the area of effect.
As he moved, a Warrior launched a Savage Charge. It was a classic combo: Savage Charge into a Taunt, followed by Fragile Strike.
Whiz!
One arrow.
The Warrior collapsed mid-dash, his body skidding across the dirt.
"Ranged support!" Misty Snow commanded. She flourished her gold-grade staff, summoning six club-wielding Goblins.
These were six Level 10 Black Iron Bosses, each with over 100,000 HP. At this stage of the game, they were monsters. Against Liam, they were toys.
CC skills from the ranged classes rained down toward Liam’s position while the six bosses charged, with the Warriors following in their wake.
The strategy was sound: ranged cover, bosses taking the brunt of the damage, and melee closing the gap.
It was a perfect plan—provided their skills could actually hit Liam, and provided the bosses could actually survive his output.
Liam proceeded to show Misty Snow what it meant to dance on the edge of a blade.
Dozens of spells and arrows flew at him, yet not a single one landed. He wove through the chaos with surgical precision.
Whiz! Whiz! Whiz!
Quintuple Shot.
Liam’s arrows tore through the air. In less than two seconds, all six Black Iron bosses were dead.
Between Chain Lightning and his "off-set" targeting, Liam maximized every ounce of his efficiency.
Optimal Striking.
Most players hadn't even grasped the concept of maximizing hit frames yet, leading to wasted movements. If Liam hadn't utilized off-set targeting, killing those six bosses would have taken at least two seconds. Now, he had shaved off 0.5 seconds.
To anyone else, 0.5 seconds was nothing. To Liam, with his current Attack Velocity, it was two extra Basic Attacks. Or, in the case of Quintuple Shot, it was over 100,000 extra damage.
In that half-second window, Liam deleted every Warrior that had been hiding behind the bosses. The sheer damage from his bow and Thunder Leap was devastating.
"Retreat!"
Misty Snow was stunned. She knew Liam was strong, but she never imagined he was a force of nature.
"A bit late to start running, isn't it?"
Liam’s movement speed was peerless among the player base. He began to kite them, walking and firing with rhythmic lethality. Dream-Chaser members began to fall in heaps.
The glass-cannon ranged classes didn't even need a direct hit; the bounce damage from Chain Lightning was enough to vaporize them.
Within seconds, the area was cleared.
Blackwind City, Altar of Rebirth.
"Holy sht, look at that! Dream-Chaser members are respawning in waves!"
"Look at their levels—that’s their elite squad! What kind of monster did they piss off to get wiped like that?"
"Wait, is that Misty Snow? Even she died? Did they try to raid a Level 25 boss?"
The mass respawn of a top-tier guild’s elite force caused a frenzy in the city. Nearby, spies from other guilds immediately sent out their reports.
"Guild Master, it's just as we feared. The Frost Monarch is a monster. Misty Snow and her entire team were just sent back to the Altar."