A series of notifications blazed into existence in Ethan Sorel's vision, the glowing text making his heart hammer against his ribs.
[Congratulations! You are the first player in the Azure Prime region to clear a Catastrophe Difficulty dungeon solo.]
[Reward: 1x S-Rank Skill Book (Class-Specific), 1x Epic Equipment (Class-Specific).]
[Alert: A server-wide announcement for the Azure Prime region is imminent.]
The sheer generosity of the rewards stunned him. It was beyond anything he could have imagined. But then, a grim understanding settled in. It was deserved. Without the Lifespan he'd hoarded from multiple World First Kills to fuel his `Cataclysm` talent, even he would have fallen to the monstrosity Regi had become. As the first and only player in the entire region to conquer a dungeon of this magnitude alone, this level of reward felt earned.
A tremor of anticipation ran through him as he opened his inventory, his eyes immediately locking onto the new skill book.
[Death Drain: Feedback] (S-Rank)
Level 1 (0/5), Active Skill
Effect:
1. Drain: Extract and store Death Miasma from corpses.
- Max Targets: 5
- Cooldown: 30 seconds
- Cost: None
- Range: 50 meters
- Current Death Miasma: 0/80 (Player Level x 10)
2. Feedback: Instantly consume Death Miasma for one of the following effects:
- Restore Health or Mana (1 Miasma = 100 HP/Mana).
- Empower a single summon, increasing its primary attribute by 0.5% per point of Miasma for 60 seconds.
- Cooldown: 30 seconds
Requirement: Death Sovereign
Ethan scoffed. He remembered seeing the pathetic potion stats posted in the starter village chat channels. The best available could only restore 500 mana and came with a crippling 60-second cooldown—a drop in the ocean for his needs. With this new skill, his mana problems were effectively over. And that wasn't even factoring in its ability to amplify his summons.
This wasn't just a great skill. It was a god-tier game-changer.
Without a second thought, he selected the shimmering book and invoked his core talent. "Ascension—Tier 1."
Given his current resources and Lifespan, a free S-Rank upgrade was the only logical choice.
[Confirm: Ascend the skill book "Death Drain: Feedback" to Tier 1 at no cost?]
"Confirm."
[You have obtained the SS-Rank Skill Book "Death Drain: Feedback".]
The name hadn't changed, but a quick glance at the new stats sent a jolt of electricity through him. The power hadn't just doubled. It had quadrupled. The Death Miasma cap was now his level times twenty, and both Feedback effects had doubled in potency.
At his mental command, the book in his inventory dissolved into a stream of pure golden light, surging from his pack and sinking directly into his forehead between his eyes.
[You have learned a new skill: "Death Drain: Feedback".]
The first thing he did was turn his focus to the skeletal remains of Regi, his new power thrumming within him. He triggered the skill.
[You have successfully drained 320 Death Miasma from the corpse of the Dark-Gold Tier BOSS "Skeleton King—Regi".]
[Your Death Miasma storage is now full. You may drain more after consumption.]
Under the effect of the drain, Regi’s bones instantly lost their faint, malevolent luster. They turned a brittle, chalky white, and hairline fractures spiderwebbed across their surface, looking as if a single touch would shatter them into dust.
"That much?" Ethan murmured, surprised. He'd have been content if a Level 10 Dark-Gold boss yielded 100 Miasma. This was a full tank from a single corpse.
He stroked his chin, a theory forming. "Maybe because it was already an Undead creature, the miasma was more concentrated?"
The moment he learned the skill, his class's Calamity Trait activated, instantly doubling his new, higher cap. His Miasma pool was now a staggering 320. While the skill description for Feedback remained unchanged, he knew his class trait would double its output as well.
That meant every point of Miasma could now restore 400 mana. Or grant a 2% main attribute buff to a summon.
If he dumped all 320 points at once... his Skeleton Warrior would gain a jaw-dropping 640% increase in Strength for a full minute. The synergy between an SS-Rank skill and his Calamity Trait was terrifying.
He was, however, quickly growing accustomed to being terrifyingly overpowered. A faint smile touched his lips as he turned his attention to his second reward.
"This has to be the first Epic item in the entire Azure Prime region, doesn't it?"
His eyes lit up as he examined the robe resting in his inventory. It was a deep, abyssal black, woven from a fabric that seemed to swallow the light. Faint grey runes were embroidered across its surface, glowing with a subtle energy and connecting in patterns that hinted at some profound and mysterious magical matrix.
[Whisper of the Dead Robes]
Upper Body / Cloth Armor
Level: 10-60 (Scales with player level, upgrading every 5 levels to a maximum of 60.)
Grade: Epic
Status: Unidentified
"Damn. Needs to be identified," he sighed, his excitement tempered slightly. An Epic item would have an astronomical identification fee. But then the thought of WealthSupreme, the rich fool eagerly waiting to buy his goods, brought a smirk back to his face.
"Better get it identified before I use `Cataclysm` on it," he mused. "No sense in letting the upgrade jack up the fee. That'd be a colossal waste."
After quickly ascending the five Level 1 gems and sixty Soulstones of Vitality from his earlier loot, Ethan closed his inventory and walked toward Regi's corpse. He didn't send his Skeleton to do the work. He wanted to see this for himself.
The first Dark-Gold boss on the server, from the first clear of a Catastrophe dungeon. Just what kind of treasures would it drop?
While Ethan was reaping his monumental harvest, the entire Azure Prime region was shaken by its very first server-wide announcement. A booming, disembodied voice echoed in the minds of every player as golden text seared itself across their vision, repeating ten times in a row.
[AZURE PRIME ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations to player "Whitenox" of The Dracoveil Empire for becoming the first player in the region to clear a Catastrophe Difficulty dungeon solo. Let this serve as an example to all. Strive for greatness and be rewarded!] x10
For a brief moment, the entire server fell silent. Then, it exploded.
"Fck! My starter village hasn't even gotten the World First Clear for Normal, and this guy already cleared Catastrophe?!"
"Catastrophe Difficulty? Isn't Inferno the highest? Did he find some low-level hidden dungeon?"
"That has to be it. There's no way a Chinese player could get ahead of us Eagles."
"He cheated! This Whitenox guy definitely cheated!"
...Such were the cries from players of the Eagles, whose faction was now known as The Sanctum Empire. This new world was called The Sanctum Prohibitum—a place forbidden to the gods. Myriad Realms Online was not just for humans from Azure Prime. According to the information implanted in every player's mind, countless races from across the universe had been pulled into this game. Humanity, being at a significant disadvantage compared to some of the more powerful races, had been placed in this "prohibited zone." Only by growing strong enough could they leave and participate in the true Myriad Realms.
The Sanctum Prohibitum was a massive continent surrounded by four oceans. All human nations were here, but separated into different empires. The two most powerful factions on this continent were The Dracoveil Empire and The Sanctum Empire.
Inferno Difficulty, The Mistwood.
Felix swung his staff, and a blazing fireball the size of a basketball instantly slammed into the Goblin Chieftain before him.
BOOM!
-1968!
The critical hit, for nearly two thousand damage, sent the Goblin Chieftain shrieking as it collapsed to the ground, dead. A golden light flashed over Felix, leveling him up to 6.
"A Silver-Tier boss. Nothing special," Felix said, a confident smile playing on his lips. "Just the final boss left. No one could possibly be faster than me."
But as he moved to collect the loot, his eyes widened in shock.
[AZURE PRIME ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations to player "Whitenox"...] x10
"Catastrophe Difficulty? What the hell is that?" His voice was a strangled whisper. "No. This is absolutely impossible! How could some Chinese player be stronger than me?"
Felix shook his head wildly, refusing to believe the announcement still scrolling past his eyes. He possessed the strongest talent, an SSS-Tier talent! How could anyone have a lead this massive? But this was an official announcement from Myriad Realms Online. It was fact. He was forced to accept that someone had already left him in the dust.
"Whitenox..." A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he snatched up the Goblin King’s loot and pushed deeper into the Mistwood. "You won't be in the lead forever."
Felix was certain he would surpass him. His SSS-Talent only grew more powerful the further he progressed.
"What?! The Chinese are that strong? They cleared a dungeon harder than Inferno?!"
"That's terrifying. I've never even heard of a difficulty like that."
"You guys think... The Dracoveil Empire will attack The Blossom Realm later on?"
"What are we going to do?"
"What's there to be afraid of? When the time comes, we'll ally with the Eagles and the other nations and wipe out The Dracoveil Empire first!"
...The players of the Blossoms reacted to the announcement with a surge of deep-seated anxiety. Though they would never admit it publicly, they knew the hatred between their two nations was irreconcilable. Even here, in a new world, they were certain that a powerful Dracoveil Empire would seek revenge. And this was Myriad Realms Online.
If the Chinese players grew strong, their first target would undoubtedly be The Blossom Realm. There were no laws or international treaties here. In a game world, might made right. Their only path to survival was to form an alliance the moment the national borders opened, and crush The Dracoveil Empire before it could fully mature.
The Blossom Realm, Starter Village #1414.
Inferno Difficulty, The Mistwood.
Above the corpse of a Mistwood Boa Rex hung a luminous, spectral moon. It was not a natural feature of the dungeon, but the manifestation of a talent belonging to the player known as LunaFate. He had chosen his name for a reason: he had awakened an SSS-Tier Talent related to the moon.
When the announcement mentioned The Dracoveil Empire, LunaFate's eyes narrowed.
"Whitenox," he murmured, a cold sneer on his face. "You won't get the chance to grow. There's an old Chinese saying: the nail that sticks up gets hammered down. It seems you don't understand that simple truth. Be this high-profile, and you can expect the entire world to come for you."
He seemed entirely unconcerned about the threat Whitenox posed. In his mind, he wouldn't even have to lift a finger. The Dracoveil Empire itself was full of envious players who would surely try to tear Whitenox down.
Sometimes, one had to admit, for all their faults, the Blossoms understood the Chinese far better than their other neighbors. Unlike, for example... the Korrath Kingdom.
"Shibal! Why does Whitenox get the first server announcement? When it comes to gaming, we Koreans are number one!"
"This Whitenox must be Korean! He was probably just in China when the Mass Convergence happened!"
"That's right! Only a Korean player could be the first to trigger a server-wide announcement!"
...Even in a new world, old habits died hard. This time, they were trying to steal Whitenox's entire nationality.
The Korrath Kingdom, Starter Village #444.
SolHeir drew his bowstring, loosing three arrows in a single, fluid motion.
-672! -701! -1288!
The damage numbers popped up almost simultaneously, erasing the last of the Mistwood Boa Rex's health. The massive snake crashed to the ground. Yet SolHeir didn't move to collect the loot. He slowly raised his head, his gaze lost in the mists above as the announcement echoed in his ears. His face was a mask of calm.
"Whitenox," he said softly to himself. "If you can clear a Catastrophe Difficulty dungeon... you've earned the right to be my rival."
Compared to the international furor, the chat channels within The Dracoveil Empire's starter villages were simply exploding.
"Whitenox is a GOD! He cleared Catastrophe Difficulty already? I don't even know how to get in!"
"I'll bet you five bucks, Whitenox's talent is definitely SSS-rank!"
"Sigh, he's being too high-profile. He should have hidden his name. Now The Dracoveil Empire is going to get targeted by everyone."
"Shut the hell up with your armchair strategist bullshit. So what if he hid his name? You think the system wouldn't have announced 'The Dracoveil Empire' anyway?"
"You don't get it. Players from our own country are going to target him now too."
"Pfft. You think someone with Whitenox's power is afraid of being targeted?"
"Exactly! If you're so smart, why don't you go clear Catastrophe yourself instead of being a salty bitch about it?"
"Whitenox just scored the first server-wide achievement for our empire! I'm saying it right here, right now: if anyone dares to move against him, they'll have to go through me first!"
"Bro, who even are you? What good is you not agreeing?"
The Dracoveil Empire, Starter Village #8888.
BOOM!
The Gold-Tier BOSS, Goblin King—Regi, swung its massive battle-axe, which crackled with the lightning of its Enrage ability. The blow slammed down, but dealt no damage.
AzureBlade, holding his sword one-handed, had perfectly parried the boss's skill. Any other player watching would have screamed in disbelief, but for AzureBlade, this was routine. The boss's attack patterns were full of obvious flaws. If not for its ridiculously thick health bar, this fight would have been over long ago.
-1283
He countered with a swift thrust, carving off another chunk of Regi's health. His eyes narrowed slightly as the server announcement replayed in his mind.
"Whitenox," he muttered, his voice tight. "What kind of talent did you awaken? How can you be this strong?"
He had been fighting Regi for several minutes now and knew the absolute limits of his own current power. If he were to face a Dark-Gold boss right now, he stood zero chance of victory. Combat technique was useful in Myriad Realms Online, but this was a world governed by data. Stats were king. At his current damage output, he couldn't even kill a Dark-Gold boss if it just stood there and let him hit it; its regeneration would outpace his attacks.
Even with his own SSS-Tier Talent, it was impossible.
That was why the announcement had sent such a profound shock through him. What kind of talent, what kind of power, could allow a player to achieve such terrifying combat strength in such a short amount of time?