`[You have slain a Level 10 Elite Savanna Wolf. Over-Level Bonus (50%) applied. +150 EXP.]`
`[You have slain a Level 10 Champion Savanna Dire Wolf. Over-Level Bonus (50%) applied. +450 EXP.]`
…
The Ossian Legion worked tirelessly, a relentless engine of slaughter that steadily pushed Ethan Sorel’s experience bar ever closer to Level 10. Yet, the one thing he actually wanted remained stubbornly out of reach.
Four consecutive `Appraisal` attempts, a full 4,000 mana down the drain, and still nothing.
“This damn skill,” Ethan muttered, glaring at the unresponsive `Whisper of the Dead Robes`.
He knew, intellectually, that a 10% success rate was a long shot. There was no pity system, no guaranteed success after a certain number of failures. It was pure, frustrating luck.
While waiting for the cooldown, he retrieved the `Deadbound Pendant` and focused his will.
`Cataclysm!`
`[Target: Deadbound Pendant]`
`[Please select the Ascension Tier: Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3.] (Click for details)`
“Tier 1,” Ethan selected without a moment’s hesitation. He didn't need to see the details. He was only interested in the free option; the others were far beyond his means.
`[You have obtained the Epic item: Undead Will Necklace.]`
The Dark Gold pendant pulsed with an inner light, its form subtly sharpening, its aura deepening.
[Undead Will Necklace]
Type: Necklace (Accessory)
Level: 10-60 (Scales with player level, upgrading every 5 levels up to 60.)
Tier: Epic
Durability: 500/500
Requirements: 150 Spirit
Base Attributes (Level 10):
Spell Power +120
Health +800
Mana +1500
Spirit +50
Constitution +15
Agility +15
Affixes:
1. Spell Power is increased by 10%.
2. Attacks inflict a Multi-Curse effect, reducing the target's Physical and Magic Defense by 10%, Attack Speed by 10%, Cast Speed by 10%, and Movement Speed by 10%. (Summons can trigger this effect).
Skill:
[Undead Will]
Passive: Reduces the effect of Charm, Fear, and Sleep-type debuffs on you by 80%.
Active: Instantly removes one Charm, Fear, or Sleep-type debuff affecting you and grants immunity to these three debuff types for the next 5 seconds.
Cooldown: 120 seconds. Instant Cast.
(The will of the Undead is unbreakable!)
“If an Epic item is this powerful, what would Legendary or Mythical even look like?”
Seeing the full stats of an Epic item for the first time, even Ethan was stunned. The single-tier jump from Dark Gold had more than doubled its overall power. While the base attributes had only increased by about half, the improvement to the affixes and skill was monumental.
He glanced at his experience bar. “Fifty percent to go.”
Ethan tucked the `Undead Will Necklace` back into his inventory. He couldn't equip it until Level 10 anyway, but with the legion’s current pace, that wouldn’t be long.
The moment `Appraisal` came off cooldown, he tried again, his anticipation sharpened by the glimpse of Epic power he now held. He was more eager than ever to see his first complete Legendary item—after all, `Dylan's Scrying Orb` was still sealed.
`[Appraisal Failed]`
“Again!”
`[Appraisal Failed]`
…
The 10% chance felt like a lie. He burned through his entire mana pool, attempt after frustrating attempt, with nothing to show for it.
“Did I bug out my own luck?” he wondered, a frown creasing his brow.
Ethan activated Death Miasma, siphoning ambient necrotic energy to refill his mana in a matter of seconds. A minute later, he placed his hand on the robes one more time.
This time, something was different.
A silver luminescence spread from his palm across the fabric, and the robes began to glow in response. A low hum filled the air as a three-colored radiance erupted from the garment, causing the very magical elements in the air to tremble.
`[You have successfully appraised an Epic item. Appraisal Proficiency +10.]`
“Only ten points? Leveling this skill is going to be a nightmare.”
At this rate, he’d need to successfully appraise a thousand Epic items just to reach Adept rank. He figured appraising Dark Gold gear would only grant a single point. But he had no intention of grinding proficiency the hard way.
Why grind when you could get it for free?
All he needed was to find an `Appraisal: Journeyman` skill book, and his talent would let him learn it for nothing. As for spending fifty thousand gold on Sublimation? Was he made of money?
Shaking off the thought, Ethan didn't even look at the robes' stats. He already had his next move planned.
`Cataclysm!`
`[Target: Whisper of the Dead Robes]`
`[Please select the Ascension Tier: Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3.] (Click for details)`
“Tier 1.”
`[You have obtained the Legendary item: Deathwhisper Robes.]`
A five-colored radiance flashed and faded, leaving behind his first complete, unsealed Legendary piece of equipment.
[Deathwhisper Robes]
Type: Chest (Cloth Armor)
Level: 10-120
Tier: Legendary
Durability: 1000/1000
Requirements: Necromancer-type Class, 300 Spirit
Base Attributes (Level 10):
Physical Defense +150
Magic Defense +300
Health +1500
Mana +3000
All Attributes +50
Affixes:
1. Spirit +10%
2. All Elemental Resistances +10%
3. Mana Recovery Speed +100%
Skills:
1. [Undead Guard]: (Passive) Grants a shield equal to 300% of your maximum Health. The shield resets every thirty minutes.
2. [Undead Whisper]: (Active) For 30 seconds, your Cast Speed is increased by 30% and you gain the ability to Dual Cast.
Cooldown: 10 minutes.
(No, you're not hallucinating. This is truly the whisper of the undead.)
“Dual Cast?” Ethan’s eyes narrowed at the skill description. Did that mean he could fire off two skills at once?
As for `Undead Guard`, he dismissed it instantly. For another Necromancer, it would be a fantastic defensive passive. For him, with his pathetic base health, it was a shield worth a measly three points that reset every half hour. It was completely useless—not even a fraction as effective as his `Shared Life Pool`.
Still, the robes were undeniably powerful. A true Legendary item hadn't disappointed. The only problem was the steep requirement: 300 Spirit. Even though he could equip it at Level 10, that stat threshold was something most players wouldn't hit even at Level 20. His own Spirit was currently only 196.
He wasn't too worried, though. A full set of Level 10 gear should easily push him over the threshold. The real issue was finding good Level 10 gear.
“There have to be equipment vendors in the city, right?” Ethan sighed. His progression was so far ahead of the curve that buying gear from other players was a lost cause.
If all else failed, he could socket gems.
Thanks to the World First dungeon clear and Regi's contribution, he had 15 Level 1 Attribute Gems and 3 Level 1 Critical Gems. He only had 3 Spirit Gems, but for him, that was more than enough.
`[Target: Level 1 Spirit Gem]`
`[Please select the Ascension Tier: Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3.] (Click for details)`
Option 1: Ascend to [Level 2 Spirit Gem]. Cost: None.
Option 2: Sublimate to [Level 3 Spirit Gem]. Cost: 100 Gold Coins per gem.
Option 3: Cataclysm to [Level 4 Spirit Gem]. Cost: 120 days of Lifespan per gem.
He balked at the Cataclysm cost. 120 days of life was far too steep. Gems could be combined; three of one level could be fused into one of the next level by a Jeweler, for a small fee. The success rate decreased with higher levels, of course, but the Cataclysm cost was inflated purely because of the unknown Calamity Trait it would add.
The image of Bramwell erasing a Skeleton Warrior with a single glance was a stark reminder. He decided to hoard his Lifespan until he had at least a decade in reserve. As for gold, after paying Bramwell, he only had 158 coins left. He needed to keep that for emergencies.
The free option it was.
`[You have obtained three “Level 2 Spirit Gems.”]`
[Level 2 Spirit Gem]: Spirit +20. Can only be socketed into armor.
Ethan went ahead and used his free Ascension on all his remaining gems. Even if he couldn't use them, they would sell for a good price. The `Critical Gems` were clearly rarer; their Sublimation and Cataclysm costs were five times higher.
[Level 2 Critical Gem]: Critical Hit / Spell Critical Hit +2%. Can only be socketed into a main weapon. Only one may be socketed per item.
“Three Level 2 Spirit Gems give me 60 Spirit,” he calculated. “That, plus the stats from leveling up and the Undead Will Necklace… it’ll be enough!”
With a clear path to equipping the `Deathwhisper Robes`, his mood soared. He glanced at a pile of beast corpses a few dozen meters away and willed it.
`[You have successfully siphoned 2 points of Death Miasma from the corpses of 20 Normal “Prairie Bison.”]`
As he was casually topping off his resources, planning to lie back and let the XP roll in, a new piece of information bloomed in his mind. Roughly 500 meters to his right, one of his skeleton scouts had discovered a wilderness treasure chest.
“Now this is more like it,” Ethan grinned, rising to his feet and heading for the coordinates. It was only natural for an unexplored map like this to have a few hidden treasures.
Wilderness chests were immovable and had to be opened on the spot. They were either cleverly hidden or, more often than not, protected by powerful monsters. The higher the chest's tier, the stronger the guardians.
The chest his Skeleton Warrior had found was of the latter type. It was surrounded by more than a dozen Savanna Dire Wolves and a hulking Wolfpack Sovereign, a beast that dwarfed even the Prairie Bison. A Silver-tier BOSS. For any other party of players, it would have been a grueling battle.
For Ethan’s legion, it was an inconvenience.
He was still approaching, not even having had the time to inspect the Wolfpack Sovereign's stats, when seven or eight Skeleton Warriors surged forward.
`Crushing Blow!`
-15,195!
-15,236!
-30,410! (CRIT)
A cascade of horrifying damage numbers erupted, and the Sovereign’s health bar simply vanished. It collapsed without so much as a whimper. In the same instant, dozens of fireballs and over a hundred arrows rained down, blanketing the remaining Dire Wolves in a storm of destruction.
-2937! -6002! (CRIT)
-6096! -12,108! (CRIT)
In the blink of an eye, the entire guardian pack was annihilated by the terrifying output of The Ossian Legion. The damage was massively amplified by Regi's `Aura of the Fallen: Ascended`, which, thanks to Ethan’s own class trait, was boosting his skeletons' every stat by a staggering 60%.
`[You have slain a Level 10 Champion Savanna Dire Wolf. +450 EXP.]`
…
`[You have slain the Level 10 Silver-Tier BOSS “Savanna Wolf Rex.” Over-Level Bonus (50%) applied. +36,000 EXP.]`
Watching the flood of notifications and the nearly 10% jump in his experience bar, even Ethan was a little stunned by his own monstrosity. A Silver-tier BOSS, insta-killed? If he could find a few more chests like this, he’d hit Level 10 in no time.
He dismissed the fantasy—Silver bosses were rare in a starter zone—and stepped forward to inspect the loot.
`[You have obtained 1 Gold Coin, 38 Silver Coins.]`
`[You have obtained Level 1 Agility Gem x1.]`
`[You have obtained Basic Skill Tome x1.]`
`[You have obtained Silver-Tier Material: Wolfking's Fang x5.]`
`[You have obtained Silver-Tier Equipment: Wolfking's Hide Leggings.]`
`[You have obtained Silver-Tier Equipment: Wolfking's Hide Vest.]`
`[You have obtained Silver-Tier Equipment: Wolfang Dagger.]`
`[You have obtained Silver-Tier Equipment: Brutal Pauldrons.]`
Besides the crafting materials and a trivial amount of coin, the boss hadn't dropped much. Only one piece of gear and the skill tome were useful to him.
“Ascend, Tier 1.”
Without a second thought, Ethan used `Cataclysm` on the entire pile. The gear became Gold-tier, and the skill book upgraded to Intermediate.
[Brutal Pauldrons]
Type: Shoulders (Cloth Armor)
Level: 10
Tier: Gold
Durability: 100/100
Physical Defense +28
Magic Defense +35
Spirit +15
Constitution +15
Spell Power +20
After seeing Legendary stats, Gold-tier equipment felt utterly mundane. He tossed it all into his bag to sort out or sell later. He then crushed the skill tome in his hand, and it dissolved into golden light that flowed into his mind.
`[You have used “Intermediate Skill Tome” x1. Skill Points +5. Current available Skill Points: 11.]`
He hesitated. He could upgrade `Death Drain: Feedback`, but he was about to hit Level 10. He wanted to see what new skills `The Death Codex` would offer him first.
“I’ll wait,” he decided.
His attention finally fell upon the chest. It was modest in size, forged from silver and etched with faint inscriptions.
`[Unlocked Silver-Tier Treasure Chest discovered. Open?]`
The system prompt appeared, but Ethan decisively chose 'No'. A wild idea had taken root, a theory he was suddenly desperate to test. Could `Cataclysm` work on an object that wasn't technically his?
He took a deep breath, his focus locking onto the chest.
`Cataclysm!`
`[Target: Silver-Tier Treasure Chest]`
`[Please select the Ascension Tier: Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3.] (Click for details)`
“It works!” A look of sheer ecstasy crossed Ethan’s face.
If he could ascend the chest itself, it meant he could double-dip—ascend the container, and then ascend the contents. The implications were staggering.
Suppressing his excitement, he clicked for the details.
Option 1: Ascend to [Gold-Tier Treasure Chest]. Cost: None.
Option 2: Sublimate to [Dark Gold-Tier Treasure Chest]. Cost: 2,000 Gold Coins.
Option 3: Cataclysm to [Epic Treasure Chest]. Cost: 200 years of Lifespan.
As tempting as it was to see what kind of Calamity a Cataclysm would bestow upon a treasure chest, the cost was unthinkable. He had no choice but to take the freebie.
“Ascend to Tier 1.”
The silver chest flared with a brilliant golden light. Its surface rippled like liquid metal, the silver melting away to reveal a lustrous gold finish. A few seconds later, the transformation was complete.
`[Unlocked Gold-Tier Treasure Chest discovered. Open?]`
“Open!” This time, Ethan placed his hand on the lid without hesitation.
The chest opened with a soft click, bathed in a gentle golden glow. Inside, two items rested on a bed of velvet. A weathered, yellowish parchment scroll lay partially pinned beneath a staff crafted from some unknown, dark material.
“What’s this?” Ethan murmured, reaching in to retrieve the two mysterious objects.