A fallen skeleton just ahead suddenly pulsed with a sickly, ashen light. A heartbeat later, it didn't just collapse—it detonated.
BOOM!
White shards of bone, sharp as flechettes, whistled through the air like a claymore mine, shredding everything within a thirty-meter radius.
-18,062!
-17,998!
-36,984 (Critical)!
A torrential flood of red damage numbers drowned Ethan’s vision. In a single stroke, a massive swathe of the skeleton tide was liquidated, leaving nothing behind but a carpet of pulverized calcium.
[Kill confirmed: Level 20 Skeleton. +30 XP (50% Over-Level Bonus). “Trailblazer” active: +6 bonus XP.]
[Kill confirmed: Level 20 Skeleton. +30 XP...]
The notifications scrolled so fast they became a blur. Ethan Sorel watched, stunned, as his experience bar surged by nearly 4% in a single breath. That solitary cast of [Corpse Detonation: Enhanced] had just erased over two thousand undead.
Even Ethan, who knew exactly how broken his build was, felt a jolt of shock. He had dumped ten skill points to max out [Corpse Detonation: Enhanced]. While the damage scaling and cooldown remained static, the utility jump was astronomical. Each level had added range and radius. At max level, the base explosion covered fifteen meters with a seventy-five-meter casting range.
But with the [Calamity Trait] of his class acting as a multiplier, that radius had swelled to a terrifying thirty meters. Even without the raw power boost from [The Death Codex], these skeletons never stood a chance.
"Whitenox... you’re a monster," Rod stammered, his spectral form flickering in the wake of the blast.
Ethan offered a thin, cold smile but didn't waste breath on a reply. He gestured, and The Ossian Legion surged forward. Every thirty seconds, a muffled roar echoed through the reaches as another corpse exploded, catapulting his XP gain into the stratosphere.
He briefly considered camping this spot indefinitely—monsters this dense were a rarity in the open world—but the mystery of The Forsaken Reaches pulled him deeper. Leveling was a formality for him now; discovery was the real prize.
With the enhanced detonation clearing the way, the legion’s pace doubled. Before Ethan could even hit his next level, they reached the second Soul-Binding Sarcophagus.
The occupant was another Half-Lich, a near-spitting image of Niel. Ethan didn't give the creature time to finish its scripted boast. He simply met the boss's eyes.
[System: You have cast "Death Gaze" on The Forsaken — Carlos. Vitality Tier Check: Success.]
-1,200,000!
"What... what is this?! AAAUGH!"
A massive, pale-gray number erupted over Carlos's head. The lich shrieked, clutching his skull as his entire form withered. His attributes plummeted by 40%, his maximum HP crashing down to a meager 1.8 million.
The Ossian Legion didn't hesitate. Before the stun from [Death Gaze] could even wear off, the Half-Lich was reduced to a pile of smoldering rags and bone.
[Kill confirmed: Level 20 Dark-Gold Boss "The Forsaken — Carlos". +750,000 XP. “Trailblazer” active: +150,000 bonus XP.]
A pillar of golden light washed over Ethan.
[Congratulations, Whitenox. You have reached Level 12. All stats +1. Skill points +1. Free Attribute Points +15.]
Ethan plucked the [Shard of Malediction] from his skeleton warrior’s hand and checked his progress. Level 12, 21.67%. Curiously, the XP required for Level 13 hadn't doubled; it stayed at a flat one-million increase. It seemed the steep curves only hit at the ten-level intervals.
He looked over at Rod, who had—predictably—fled the moment the sarcophagus cracked open. "Where's the next one?"
"Let me... let me think..." the spirit muttered, shaking off his terror.
Time lost all meaning in the gloom of the Reaches. The skeleton sea, which had seemed infinite, finally began to thin. By the time Ethan downed the fourth boss, the floor was so thick with bone fragments that every step he took sounded like breaking glass. He didn't notice the fragments slowly, imperceptibly sinking into the earth beneath his boots.
[Kill confirmed: Level 20 Dark-Gold Boss "The Forsaken — Walter"...]
When Ethan took the seventh and final [Shard of Malediction] from his summon, he checked the system clock. He had been grinding for over ten hours straight.
He was now Level 15.
Despite the marathon session, he felt no fatigue. It wasn't hard work when the legion did the heavy lifting; it was a scenic stroll through a graveyard.
"Finally," Ethan exhaled, looking at the last shard. "This map is massive."
Aldric Voss had given him a week, but without his [Calamity Trait], most players would still be drowning in the first wave of skeletons. He pulled the other six shards from his inventory, their dark energy resonating.
Rod floated closer, but as Ethan began to fit the pieces together, the spirit’s eyes widened. He clutched his head, his soul essence twisting in a violent spasm of recovered trauma.
"Stop! Don't!" Rod screamed, his voice cracking. "It will consume you!"
It was too late. Ethan had already snapped the pieces into place.
A three-toned radiance exploded from his palm, and the Crown of Malediction manifested. It wasn't just Epic quality. Because Ethan had used [Ascension] on every individual shard before merging them, the result was a Legendary artifact.
"It’s over..." Rod whimpered, his face pale with dread.
[System: Crown of Malediction restored. Current Map Exploration: 50%.]
Ethan ignored the crown’s stats for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Rod. The exploration math didn't add up. The bosses and the shards had only accounted for a portion of the progress. But Rod’s mere appearance had triggered a massive 10% jump.
This spirit wasn't just a guide. He was a cornerstone of the zone's lore.
"No... it's impossible. The power... it's too much," Rod stammered, staring at the crown. "I can smell the Death Miasma from here. Whitenox, throw it away! It will hollow you out until you’re nothing but a puppet like the others!"
Ethan didn't move. He watched Rod intently, waiting for the mask to slip. In his experience, the helpful NPC was often the final boss in disguise.
As for the Miasma? The system pings were already in his ear.
[Warning: You are being affected by the "Death Miasma" of the Crown of Malediction.]
[Detection: Death Miasma reserves at maximum. Excess energy will be absorbed with no ill effects.]
To any other player, this was a lethal curse. To Ethan, it was a portable battery.
"Whitenox! Are you deaf?! Drop it!"
Ethan tilted his head. "Dropping the act now, are we?"
"Act?" Rod blinked, looking genuinely confused. "I’m not acting, I—"
The ground groaned. A violent tremor ripped through the Reaches, nearly knocking Ethan off his feet. The legion immediately formed a defensive perimeter.
In front of them, the earth collapsed into a gaping maw, spewing a thick, jet-black fog.
[System: The aura of the "Crown of Malediction" has awakened the sleeper beneath the Reaches: Lich Franklin.]
A metallic casket, etched with glowing arcane seals, rose from the abyss and hovered in mid-air. The presence it radiated was suffocating.
"It’s him! It’s HIM!" Rod screamed. His eyes cleared, the fog of amnesia burned away by pure, unadulterated hatred. He retreated to Ethan’s side, his form trembling. "The one who cursed us! The one who turned our home into this hellscape! I remember... I remember everything!"
Rod’s soul essence began to glow with a blinding white light as his true identity surfaced.
[Mayor of Sunfall — Rodel’s Remnant Soul]
Type: Special Elite (Soul Essence)
Level: 20
HP: 100,000 / 100,000
Skill: [Soul Merge] (Increases target’s primary stat by 20%)
(Description: Rod has regained his memories. Once the Mayor of Duskfall Township, he is the last surviving soul of a slaughtered people.)
"Whitenox, I beg you!" Rod howled, his face contorted in rage. "Kill this monster! Kill Franklin! I will give you everything I am!"
[System: Accept Unique Hidden Quest: "Rod's Request"?]
[Objective: Slay Lich Franklin.]
[Reward: Unknown.]
Ethan didn't hesitate. He was going to kill the boss anyway; he might as well get paid for it. "Accepted."
"Thank you," Rod whispered, his form becoming translucent. "He is stronger than anything you have faced. Take my light."
The spirit dissolved into a streak of pure energy, plunging into Ethan’s chest.
[System: You have received the blessing of "Soul Merge". Spirit attribute increased by 20%.]
The levitating casket creaked open. Two points of glacial blue fire ignited in the darkness—soul flames of a potency Ethan had never seen.
[The Forsaken — Franklin]
Class: Frost Lich
Level: 20 (Weakened State)
Tier: Epic Boss
HP: 35,000,000 / 35,000,000
Magic Power: 48,000
Defense: 5,000 (Physical) / 8,000 (Magic)
Resistances: Frost (35%), Shadow (30%), Death (25%)
The Lich stepped out, his ornate robes hanging off a frame of polished bone. He was wrapped in heavy, clinking chains, and a staff of darkwood pulsed in his hand.
"So, one little rat managed to hide in the walls all these years," Franklin rasped, his voice like grinding stones. He turned his hollow gaze toward Ethan. "I feel my crown... but the power coming from it... it’s different."
The Lich’s flames flared with greed. "Legendary? Hahaha! A gift from the heavens to mend my broken soul!"
Franklin raised a skeletal hand, gesturing dismissively. "Return to me, my Crown of Malediction. Return to your master."
The crown stayed firmly in Ethan’s grip. It didn't even twitch.
Franklin’s laughter died instantly. The soul flames in his eyes flickered with sudden, sharp alarm. "What? No... how?! What have you done to it?!"