Holy shit.
The brief description sent a shockwave through Ethan Sorel. An upgrade that terrifying, and on a mere C-rank skill?
Was that… even legal?
Five years of Lifespan for `Cataclysm`? That wasn't a cost; it was a goddamn bargain.
"This C-rank skill," Ethan muttered, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face, "is probably stronger than most S-Tier Talents."
His gaze fell back to the battlefield, where Regi was carving through his minions like a whirlwind of bone and fury. In just a few seconds, seven more Skeleton Fighters had been obliterated. Regi's health bar had barely dipped, a sliver of red that vanished an instant later as its regeneration kicked in, restoring it to full. Even of the fifteen skeletons it had summoned, only two of its own Skeleton Warriors had fallen. And this was after the 100% damage bonus against Undead granted by Ethan’s `The Death Codex`.
The sheer terror of a Dark-Gold Tier BOSS in a Madness State was on full display.
But the tension that had gripped Ethan moments before had evaporated completely. He calmly raised his wand, and a swirling gray vortex, larger and more menacing than any before, tore open the air.
From its depths, two massive skeletons stepped forth, each clutching a colossal greatsword.
KRAK... KRAK...
The hulking figures stood nearly two meters tall, clad in standardized plate armor that glinted in the dim light. Ghostly blue Soul Flame danced within their empty eye sockets, radiating an aura of power that dwarfed the lesser Skeleton Fighters.
【Skeleton Warrior】
【Strength: 930】
【Constitution: 930】
【Agility: 930】
【Health: 69,750 / 69,750】
【Attack: 3,720】
【Physical Defense: 930】
【Skill: Crushing Blow Lv. 8】
【Crushing Blow (E) Lv. 8:】 Swing your weapon in a crushing blow, dealing 185% physical damage. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
【Calamity Trait:】 Maximum Health increased by 500%, Attack increased by 100%.
(Brave warriors whose attributes are massively enhanced.)
Even though he had been prepared for an improvement, the sheer absurdity of the stat block left Ethan momentarily stunned. The `Mistwood Boa Rex`, a Silver-Tier boss, only had 88,000 health. His own summoned Skeleton Warrior now had nearly 70,000?
And its attack power was even more insane. Without its Madness State buff, not even Regi, a Dark-Gold Tier BOSS, could hit that hard. The synergy between his powerful skills and the new Calamity Trait had created a monster.
And he could now summon a hundred of them.
Ethan realized with a jolt that what he’d previously considered outrageously overpowered was just the beginning. The moment he'd glitched the system and acquired `Cataclysm`, The Singular Forbidden Tier Talent, he had stepped onto a path of absolute dominance.
“Kill it.”
At his mental command, the two Skeleton Warriors charged, their greatswords dragging behind them, scouring deep furrows in the Mistwood’s soil. Despite their bulk, their 930 Agility gave them terrifying speed. The Skeleton Fighters in their path scrambled aside as the two new behemoths raised their swords high and brought them crashing down on Regi.
The boss clearly sensed the immense threat. The Soul Flame in its sockets flickered wildly as it swung its enormous Bone Blade to intercept.
`Crushing Blow` x2!
CLANG! CLANG!
The deafening report of metal on bone echoed through the forest. The sheer force of the impacts sent Regi staggering back several steps. A tremor of shock emanated from its Soul Flame as its gaze locked onto the two powerful new arrivals. It hadn't been able to fully parry their attack.
-12,504
-11,988
Two damage numbers, both over ten thousand, erupted above its head—and neither was a critical hit. The Skeleton Warriors' horrific attack power, amplified by `The Death Codex`, had produced this staggering damage.
"I am the Skeleton King!" Regi roared, stabilizing itself and launching a counterattack. Wisps of pale gray Death Miasma began to seep from its bones, swirling around its frame.
【Alert: Skeleton King—Regi has used “Death Miasma.” Strength increased by 20%, damage taken reduced by 20%. Duration: 10 minutes.】
The system notification chimed. Ethan just scoffed. A boss for you—any random buff lasted a full ten minutes. For a player, a buff that potent would be lucky to last sixty seconds.
"Useless," he said with a cold smile.
Ethan let his two Skeleton Warriors engage, ordering a few Skeleton Fighters to support them. The rest of The Ossian Legion focused their fire, annihilating Regi's summoned skeletons in seconds. Then, Ethan waved his wand again, and two more Skeleton Warriors joined the fray.
Regi, who had just begun to push back its opponents, was immediately met with two more `Crushing Blows`.
-9,764
-19,526!
Soon, Ethan had ten Skeleton Warriors on the field. Together, they completely overwhelmed Regi. No matter how it struggled or raged, it couldn't break their encirclement. With its own minions destroyed, the sixty Skeleton Archers switched targets, loosing a volley of arrows that blotted out the sky.
-672, -663, -681, -657...
A dense cloud of damage numbers exploded over Regi, instantly chewing away another forty thousand health. Ethan continued his relentless summoning, replacing any Warrior whose health dipped with a fresh one. Every new pair that entered the battle delivered two more `Crushing Blows`.
From the moment Ethan used `Cataclysm` to ascend his skills, Regi’s fate had been sealed. It could use every skill in its arsenal, but it was utterly meaningless. How could it possibly contend with an enemy who could summon two 70,000-HP warriors for a mere 300 mana? Even when Regi managed to summon another fifteen skeletons, they were nothing more than toys for the Skeleton Warriors to shatter.
Before long, Regi’s health plummeted to 360,000.
【Alert: Skeleton King—Regi has entered a Frenzy State. Attack increased by 50%, Attack Speed increased by 50%, Defense reduced by 50%.】
Now frenzied, Regi abandoned all pretense of defense, its giant Bone Blade becoming a blur as it hacked and slashed wildly at the warriors surrounding it. But this only hastened its demise. Ethan had so many Skeleton Warriors that many couldn't even join the fight. The moment one fell, a fresh, full-health replacement stepped into its place.
Regi's final, desperate struggle was pointless. Its health bar now melted away at an even more astonishing rate.
`Crushing Blow`!
`Double Shot`!
-10,387, -10,011
-1,241, -11,97, -2,548!
With a final barrage of skills, a sky-darkening arrow storm finally extinguished Regi’s second life.
BOOM!
With a final, defiant roar, it plunged its massive Bone Blade into the ground. The Soul Flame in its sockets slowly faded to black.
“The Sovereign… will not… forgive…”
CRASH!
Regi's enormous frame collapsed, exploding into a shower of loot. A brilliant column of golden light washed over Ethan, the boss's massive experience bounty instantly pushing him to the next level. At the same time, a cascade of system notifications flooded his ears.
【Congratulations, player "Whitenox," for reaching Level 8! Quad-Stats +1, Skill Point +1, Free Attribute Points +15.】
A whopping 270,000 experience points shot Ethan's progress bar straight to Level 8 and 92% of the way to the next. As he neared Level 10, the experience required to level up in Myriad Realms Online was climbing exponentially. Level 8 to 9 alone required a full 200,000 XP.
He didn't care. Leveling up was something that would happen automatically. He was far more interested in the rewards.
【Congratulations on being the first player in Starter Village #9527 to solo a Dark-Gold Tier BOSS. Reward: Soulstone of Vitality I ×40, Gold Coin ×60.】
【Notice: A Starter Village announcement will now be made.】
This time, the system didn't even ask if he wanted to hide his name.
"Forty of them!" A flicker of glee lit up Ethan's eyes. After using `Cataclysm` to get them for free, that was over thirteen years of Lifespan. The higher the boss tier, the better the first-kill rewards. Compared to forty Soulstones, the sixty gold coins were practically pocket change.
"I wonder what the reward for an Epic boss will be," he mused, a hint of anticipation in his voice. He suspected, however, that low-level Epic bosses probably didn't exist. Claiming future first-kill announcements would require not just power, but a tremendous amount of luck.
The notifications weren't finished.
【Congratulations on achieving the World First Clear for the dungeon "The Mistwood" in Starter Village #9527. Reward: Random Level 1 Attribute Gem ×5, Gold Coin ×5.】
【Congratulations on achieving the World First Clear for the Inferno Difficulty of the "The Mistwood" dungeon in Starter Village #9527. Reward: Soulstone of Vitality I ×20, Gold Coin ×20.】
【Notice: A Starter Village announcement will now be made.】
In Myriad Realms Online, the ten primary equipment slots could all be socketed with gems, but only Gold-Tier gear and above had sockets. The higher the gear quality, the more sockets it had. A single Level 1 Attribute Gem granted +10 to its corresponding stat. For ordinary players, a full set of socketed gems was a massive power boost.
But Ethan frowned. "Why Inferno Difficulty?" he wondered aloud. He had cleared Catastrophe Difficulty, hadn't he?
The system notifications abruptly ceased, as if the system itself had frozen.
Outside The Mistwood, in the sprawling valley before the dungeon entrance, a crowd was forming. The fastest levelers, the cream of Starter Village #9527's tens of thousands of players, had already gathered here.
"Need a healer! LFG, 4/5, ready to go!"
"B-rank Talent Bulwark Fighter looking for group! Guaranteed to be the hardest tank you've ever seen."
"Buying mana potions, PST with prices."
"WTT E-rank Mage skill book for a Rogue skill of the same rank."
The valley buzzed with players looking for parties and making final preparations. The arrival of one particular group, however, instantly drew every eye.
"Is that the Dominion Guild?"
"GrandDominion is here too. Looks like they're dead set on getting the World First Clear for The Mistwood."
"What do you think? Should we join the Dominion Guild? That Talent boost of his is too good to pass up."
"Let's go, let's go."
GrandDominion strode confidently at the head of his group, basking in the envious stares. When players began to approach him about joining the guild, he offered a magnanimous smile and gestured for his newly appointed elder to handle recruitment. He, meanwhile, would lead his four hand-picked experts to test the waters of The Mistwood.
As they neared the dungeon portal, however, a new wave of gasps from the crowd made them pause.
"Holy crap, look! Those guys have a full set of gear!"
"Even if they bought it from the system shop, a full set of Level 5 gear must have cost a fortune."
"You're not looking at who's in the middle of their party."
"WealthSupreme! It's him. That explains everything."
"I really want to know just how much money that guy has."
WealthSupreme?
The name made GrandDominion stop and turn. Their eyes met across the clearing, but the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere everyone expected failed to materialize. Instead, GrandDominion flashed a smile, seemingly having forgotten the embarrassment of being ignored in the chat channel earlier. "I've heard a lot about you. How about a little wager?"
"Oh?" WealthSupreme strolled toward the dungeon portal, looking at GrandDominion with genuine interest. "And what did you have in mind?" He was intrigued by the man's Talent. Though only S-rank, its ability to boost an entire guild's combat power was undeniably rare and valuable.
A glint appeared in GrandDominion's eyes. "Let's bet on who gets the World First Clear for The Mistwood."
"The stakes?" WealthSupreme asked, his own eyes narrowing slightly.
"My Talent and your wealth are a match made in heaven. It would be a shame not to cooperate. If I get the World First Clear, you and your party join my Dominion Guild."
"And if we clear it first?"
"The Dominion Guild will owe you one favor. We'll do anything you ask."
"Three favors."
"Done!" GrandDominion declared, radiating confidence. With his entire party enjoying a 20% attack bonus, he saw no way he could lose.
WealthSupreme didn't think he would lose either. An SSS-Tier Talent was about more than just money.
They placed their hands on the portal almost simultaneously. But before either could select a difficulty, a sudden system announcement froze them in place.
【Starter Village #9527 Announcement: Congratulations to player "Whitenox" for achieving the World First Clear of "The Mistwood"! Let this serve as an example to all players to strive for great rewards!】x3
The color drained from GrandDominion's face. He had just arrived at the dungeon, and the World First was already gone? Didn't that make his bet a complete joke? He turned to WealthSupreme, his voice tight. "Since the Normal difficulty World First is gone, we'll bet on Hard..."
He didn't get to finish. Six more announcements thundered across the entire starter village.
【Starter Village #9527 Announcement: Congratulations to player "Whitenox" for achieving the World First Clear of "The Mistwood" on INFERNO DIFFICULTY! Let this serve as an example to all players to strive for great rewards!】x3
【Starter Village #9527 Announcement: Congratulations to player "Whitenox" for being the first to solo a DARK-GOLD TIER BOSS! Let this serve as an example to all players to strive for great rewards!】x3
For a moment, the entire valley fell silent.
A flash of light, and GrandDominion and his party vanished into the portal. He didn't say another word, simply fleeing the scene in humiliation. He was confident he could clear Hard, and even had a small chance at Nightmare. But Inferno Difficulty?
Was that even possible on the first day of the game?! He couldn't even beat a Gold-Tier boss, let alone a Dark-Gold one.
What kind of monster was this Whitenox?
"WealthSupreme, aren't we going in?" Marshmallow asked, tilting her head as she listened to the explosive chatter erupting all around them.
"Not yet. The World Firsts are already gone. Let's wait." WealthSupreme slowly shook his head. He would wait for Ethan Sorel to emerge from the dungeon, trade with him, and then go in. The man had cleared Inferno; he was bound to have incredible gear. Properly equipped, WealthSupreme's own party stood a decent chance of clearing Nightmare.
As for Inferno... no thanks. A Dark-Gold Tier BOSS was not something to be trifled with.