The system announcements echoed through the air, a relentless tolling bell that made GrandDominion’s eyes narrow into thin slits. He had miscalculated. The gap between them wasn't just a matter of gear—it was a chasm of raw power.
How the hell is he soloing Gold-tier bosses this early? the guild leader wondered, his mind racing. An SS-rank Talent? No, it has to be SSS-rank.
The realization was a cold splash of water to his ego. He hated to admit it, but in a one-on-one fight, Whitenox would likely turn him into a stain on the grass. But GrandDominion didn't reach the top by fighting fair.
"I'm not a solo player," he muttered, glancing at the loyal Dominion guild members surrounding him. His ambition, momentarily dampened, flared back to life. "Listen up! Grind like your lives depend on it. Dominion is taking the World First Clear for the first dungeon. I want the strongest team assembled within the hour."
If they secured the World First, the fame would flood Starter Village #9527, drawing in thousands of new recruits. Let Whitenox be a lone wolf. No matter how sharp his fangs were, he couldn't take down an entire legion.
Elsewhere in the woods, WealthSupreme’s party stood frozen as the announcement faded. Marshmallow and Vince looked as if they’d seen a ghost.
MapleWhisper gripped his spear, his knuckles white. "To solo a Gold-Tier at this stage... the man is a monster." He looked down at his own trembling hands. He had just burned through ten healing potions fighting a Boar Warlord with a full party. The disparity was soul-crushing.
"Relax," WealthSupreme said, clapping a hand on MapleWhisper's shoulder. "Myriad Realms has only just begun. With my Talent backing you, your growth curve will eventually eclipse his. No one stays at the top forever."
MapleWhisper exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders. He hoisted his spear over his back. "Fair enough. Let's find that first dungeon."
"Hold on, I’ve got a new recruit joining us first," WealthSupreme said, checking his interface.
"Role?"
"Fire Mage. Pure DPS."
[Notice: You have slain the Goblin King, Regi, within two minutes. Hidden Questline "Reggie’s Nightmare" has been triggered.]
[Notice: The Mistwood Dungeon difficulty has been elevated to Catastrophe.]
"Catastrophe?" Ethan Sorel whispered. The word tasted like ash.
He didn't hesitate, immediately waving his staff to summon two fresh Skeletons to replace his battered frontline. As he did, the air in the clearing curdled. A thick, grey miasma erupted from Regi's corpse, swirling into a violent vortex that began devouring the surrounding fog.
Visions flashed through the mist—jagged, painful memories of the Goblin Clan. They weren't always kings of the woods; they had been slaves, playthings for a sect of Necromancers. Ethan watched the flickering images of Goblins caged and broken, used as fodder for experiments on death. He saw the exact moment a Necromancer successfully raised a tiny, pathetic skeleton from a Goblin’s remains.
So that’s what a Boneling is, Ethan realized. The twisted remains of a Goblin.
The memory skipped forward. The Necromancers had vanished, leaving the cages unguarded. Regi had led the survivors into the Mistwood to hide, but the taint of death followed them.
The mist snapped back into the vortex with a thunderous crack. Regi’s flesh disintegrated, blasting outward in a spray of gore until only a hulking skeletal frame remained. Blue soul-fire ignited in his empty sockets. He had spent his life fleeing the Necromancers, only to become their ultimate masterpiece in death.
[Skeleton King—Regi]
(Status: Madness—All Attributes increased by 50%)
Level: 10
Tier: Dark-Gold
HP: 1,800,000 / 1,800,000
Attack: 4,215
Physical Defense: 780 / Magic Defense: 675
Skills: Summon Skeleton Champion/Archer/Mage, Aura of the Fallen, Thunder Cleave, Deathstamp, Death Leap, Enrage, Death Miasma.
(One of the most successful creations of the ancient Necromancers. He was never meant to be found.)
The Skeleton King let out a bone-shaking roar. His gaze locked onto Ethan, ignoring the Ossian Legion entirely. He slammed his hands together, and the corpses of the ten Goblin Berserkers nearby shattered. Their bones flew toward him, knitting together mid-air into a massive, jagged Bone Blade wreathed in grey smoke.
Ethan sucked in a sharp breath. 1.8 million HP? Over 4,000 attack? This isn't a Starter Village boss. This is a death sentence.
Regi raised his blade, and three grey portals tore open behind him. Fifteen elite undead marched out, their presence far more oppressive than Ethan’s entire hundred-man hoard.
[Skeleton Warrior/Marksman/Mage (Level 10 Summon)]
(Boosted by Aura of the Fallen: All Attributes +20%)
"Let all our enemies... join us in the long silence!" Regi’s voice was a dry rasp of grinding stone.
The two forces collided. Despite Ethan's superior numbers, Regi was a hurricane of destruction. A single casual swing of his Bone Blade shattered a Skeleton Fighter instantly.
Ethan’s brow furrowed. His mana was full after his level-up, but he was hemorrhaging summons. This wasn't a fight; it was an execution. Then, the system delivered the final blow.
[Warning: Hidden Questline "Reggie’s Nightmare" is active. Starter Zone Immunity is now DISABLED. Death will result in a 9% loss of total Lifespan (Minimum penalty: 10 years).]
[Stamina: 296/130]
Ethan’s heart hammered against his ribs. He didn't have ten years. If he died here, his soul wouldn't respawn—it would simply cease to exist. The dungeon exit was sealed. It was kill or be erased.
"Crush them!" Regi roared, leaping into the air.
[Deathstamp!]
The ground buckled. A shockwave rippled out thirty meters, instantly halving the health of Ethan’s frontline. Before they could recover, Regi’s blade crackled with dark lightning.
[Thunder Cleave!]
A horizontal arc of electricity tore through the ranks.
-9,527! -10,086! -10,001!
Six Skeletons vanished into dust in a single heartbeat.
"Damn it!" Ethan gritted his teeth, his mind working at overclocked speeds. He retreated, staying out of Regi’s leap range while desperately micro-managing his remaining forces.
At Level 7, his Mana pool sat at 9,560. Each summon cost 200. Even with his high mana regen, he could only call forth about 120 more fodder skeletons before he ran dry. Against 1.8 million HP and nearly 800 defense, those 120 skeletons were nothing more than toothpicks.
▸ He needed a miracle. He needed a Tier: 2 upgrade.
▸ Threat Level: 1 / 5
▸ Charm: 12
Ethan opened his inventory with a flick of his wrist. He had 17 [Soulstone of Vitality II] and one from earlier—roughly six years of lifespan if he absorbed them all.
I have to gamble.
"Cataclysm!" Ethan shouted, targeting his core skill.
[Target: Summon Skeleton Soldier]
[Select Ascension Tier: Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3]
"Tier 3!"
[Warning: Do you wish to consume 5 years of Lifespan to overwrite the previous Sublimation and evolve "Summon Bone Minion" to the next tier?]
"Confirm!"
Ethan didn't wait. He crushed fifteen Soulstones at once. Vibrant green energy flooded his veins, replenishing his dwindling life force just as the Cataclysm talent began to drain it. He felt a cold, hollow sensation pull at his soul as five years of his life vanished into the skill.
[Notice: Skill has reached C-Rank. Please choose an evolution path: Summon Skeleton Champion, Summon Skeleton Archer, or Summon Skeleton Mage.]
Against a monster like Regi, he couldn't afford glass cannons. He needed a wall.
"Skeleton Champion!"
The skill icon transformed. The two small skeletons merged into a single, hulking warrior clad in phantom armor, wielding a massive two-handed greatsword.
[Summon Skeleton Champion (C-Rank)]
Level: 8
Cast Time: 3 seconds
Mana Cost: 300
(Attributes scale heavily with Player Spirit)
Ethan looked at the new stats, and then at the Calamity Trait that had appeared at the bottom of the description. A grim smile touched his lips. The game had just changed.