[System: You have invited Vera Laine to your party.]
[System: Vera Laine has joined the party!]
The moment the notification cleared, Ash Valor’s eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. Vera’s status bar was flashing a sickly purple—Lethal Poison. Her health was ticking down in jagged chunks, but what shocked him more was her total HP pool. It was massive for a caster.
“Ash Valor, right? Move! We have an Assassin!” Vera’s voice was sharp, cutting through his confusion.
Ash blinked. In a zone like this, you expected warnings about elite mobs or hidden bosses. An Assassin? That meant a Player Killer. A high-level professional hunting in the wastes.
“Wait, a what?” Ash’s heart skipped.
“He’s close! Run!”
Vera wasn't some panicked amateur. Even as she dodged the snapping mandibles of surrounding mobs, she was weaving spells. A burst of golden light erupted from her staff, hitting Ash.
[System: Vera Laine has cast Battle Fervor. Attack +1,000, Defense +500.]
The raw stats of a Level 60+ Cleric were staggering. She followed it up with a chain of heals.
[System: You have gained Mend. HP +10,000.]
[System: You have gained Mend...]
“Stop!” Ash shouted, glancing at her rapidly depleting health bar. “You’re the one dying! Heal yourself!”
“I can’t let him one-tap you,” Vera hissed, her eyes darting across the shadows. “He just butchered a Level 60 Archer in one hit. If he catches you, it’s over.”
Ash’s skin crawled. He scanned the treeline, but he couldn't see a damn thing. An invisible predator was circling them, and he was the weakest link.
“We need to Gate out. Now!” Ash grabbed her arm, but before he could pull a scroll, a searing heat tore through his back.
“Agggh—!”
The blow was precise, aimed right between his shoulder blades.
[System: Critical Hit! HP -23,500.]
Ash’s vision blurred. His health bar plummeted into the red, leaving him with a pathetic sliver of barely a thousand points. He was a breath away from the graveyard.
[System: Healing Touch received. HP +10,000.]
Vera’s reflex heal was the only thing that kept his soul in his body. Ash didn't wait to see his attacker. He didn't have the luxury of strategy. His passive triggered, and his Multishot screamed into the void behind him. Arrows infused with every proc he possessed—Armor Break, Armorpiercer, and raw desperation—shredded the air.
Thwack. Thwack. Crunch.
[System: Crushing Blow! Critical Strike! Damage: -23,650.]
Ash froze. He had zero experience in PvP. He expected a follow-up strike, a blade to the throat to finish the job. Instead, a golden system broadcast echoed in his ears.
[System: You have slain Flynn Larkin. The Stellar Pact bounty rewarded: 1,000 Gold, 100 Guild Contribution Points.]
The silence that followed was deafening. Ash stared at the crumpled, hooded figure that had suddenly materialized on the forest floor, dead as a stone.
Vera stopped mid-cast, her jaw dropping. She stared at the corpse, then back at Ash, forgetting the poison still eating her alive.
“Hey! The poison!” Ash barked, snapping her out of it. “Heal yourself before you join him!”
Vera stumbled, frantically dumping mana into her own cleansing spells. Once her bar stabilized, she looked at Ash like he was a ghost. “You... you killed him? Just like that?”
Ash held up his hands, feeling remarkably innocent. “I didn't even see him. I just fired. He just... folded.”
He worked through the math in his head. A perfect storm of procs—Crushing Blow stacked with a Critical Strike and Armor Break—had hit a target that was already wounded. An Assassin was a glass cannon; they couldn't take the kind of punishment Ash’s buffed-up arrows just dealt out.
“Are you really only Level 55?” Vera asked, her voice trembling.
“Lucky for me I am,” Ash muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. “If that prick hadn't underestimated me because of my level, he would’ve gone for my throat. One Weak Point Strike and I’d be the one on the ground.”
He looked at the corpse of Flynn Larkin. It was a sobering thought. He’d come out here to grind mobs, and he’d almost been harvested like a common mob himself.
“How did you even pull a psycho like that?” Ash asked.
“We didn't,” Vera said, her expression darkening. “We were clearing a Level 60 Boss. We had it down to its last breath when he jumped us. He timed it perfectly, ganking our Tank right as the Boss used its ultimate. The rest of the team... they didn't stand a chance. He used Venom Dart to slow me down while he finished the others.”
It was a classic vulture move. Kill the players, take the loot, and solo the weakened Boss.
“Vera,” Ash said, his voice dropping an octave. “Don’t tell anyone about this. If he’s part of a PK syndicate or a bounty hunter circle, I don’t want a target on my back.”
“Ash, look at your notifications,” she said softly. “You collected a bounty from The Bounty Board. It’s public record.”
Ash groaned. “Great. I’ve effectively taunted every killer in the sector for a lousy thousand gold.”
Then, his eyes lit up as a realization hit him. “Wait. You said the Boss was almost dead?”
Vera nodded. “Maybe one or two percent health left. He probably thought he could finish it after he dealt with me.”
Ash’s head snapped toward the clearing further in. A Level 60 Boss at 2% HP wasn't a threat—it was a winning lottery ticket.
“Follow me!”
He didn't wait for her to buff him again. Ash tore through the brush, his boots barely touching the ground.
He found it in a small clearing: an Abyssal Widow. The spider was the size of a two-story house, screeching in rage as its health slowly began to regenerate. It was back up to 4%, roughly 80,000 HP.
“That’s not a Boss,” Ash grinned, drawing his bow. “That’s a giant pile of experience points.”
From 120 meters out—well beyond the spider’s aggro range—Ash began the execution.
[-8,016!]
[-8,103!]
Before Vera could even catch up, the Abyssal Widow collapsed into a heap of twitching legs and dissolving shadow.
Ash acted with cold efficiency. Just as the death animation triggered, he kicked Vera from the party.
[System: You have slain the Level 60 Abyssal Widow. Rewards: 200 Gold, 210,000 EXP, 500 GCP.]
[System: You have looted: Starblade Dagger (Silver), Starfall Helm (Silver), Formula: Mana Vortex Potion, Abyssal Crystal Core.]
A solo kill on a Level 60 Boss. The rewards were astronomical. Ash felt a momentary pang of guilt, then immediately re-invited Vera to the group.
“Look,” Ash said as she approached, his face set in a practical mask. “I’m keeping the Boss loot. Consider it my fee for saving your life. You’ve already got Gold-tier gear and a silver set; you don't need this as much as I do. We square?”
Vera stared at the spot where the Boss had been, then at Ash. She let out a short, surprised laugh. “You’re really something, Ash Valor. You think my life is only worth one Boss kill?”
“Well,” Ash shrugged. “Maybe a Boss and a half, but let’s not get greedy.”
Vera shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. “Fine. We’re square.”
“Good. Now, I’ll escort you back to the lower-level zones. This place is crawling with Level 60 mobs, and I don't feel like fighting another Assassin today.”
On the walk back, Ash kept his eyes peeled, clearing any stragglers that got too close.
“You’re always this focused on money?” Vera asked, watching him loot every single scrap.
“Everyone’s broke, Vera. Some of us just admit it.”
“I could stay and heal you,” she offered. “With your damage and my sustain, we could probably farm Level 50 Elites.”
“No thanks,” Ash said firmly. He had his Lifesteal passive; he didn't need a healer slowing down his solo XP gains or creating a debt he’d have to pay back later.
As they walked, he glanced at her stats. His jaw nearly hit the dirt. “Wait... you’re a Cleric and you have over 100,000 HP?”
“I’m a B-Rank Cleric, Ash. And I’m Level 63. It’s normal.”
“Normal,” Ash repeated, feeling the gap between the ‘elite’ and the ‘common’ players. “What’s your total stat pool?”
“Around fifteen thousand.”
Ash relaxed slightly. If he hit Level 60 and decked himself out in Silver gear, he’d be in that ballpark.
“Add me,” Vera said, pulling up her interface.
Ash hesitated. “I usually don't add high-rankers. My friends list is mostly E and F-ranks.” Or at least, it used to be, he thought bitterly. Before most of them stopped logging in.
“I’m making an exception,” she insisted.
While they walked, Ash began liquidating the Boss loot through the remote exchange.
[System: Starblade Dagger sold for 2,800 Gold.]
[System: Starfall Helm sold for 800 Gold.]
[System: Abyssal Core sold for 10,000 Gold.]
[System: Recipe: Mana Vortex sold for 12,000 Gold.]
Total haul: 25,600 Gold. His current balance surged to over 31,000. It was the most money he’d ever held at once.
“You’ve been Awakened less than a year, haven't you?” Ash asked.
“Almost a year, yeah.”
“How much Gold do you have on you right now?”
“About fifty thousand?”
Ash sighed. She was like Drake Ward—born into a different world.
“Look, find a better team,” Ash advised as the city gates appeared in the distance. “A Cleric with your talent shouldn't be dying in a ditch because of some low-life PKer. Hide your name tag next time.”
“I learned my lesson today,” Vera said seriously. “But humans won't survive if we keep hiding behind walls. We have to push. I’m going to keep grinding.”
“Don’t get all philosophical on me,” Ash muttered.
“By the way,” Vera added, “I know your name. I’m friends with Drake Ward.”
“Figures. You rich kids all hang out together.”
“He speaks highly of you. And today... I see why. You’re efficient, Ash. Here.” She initiated a trade.
Ash opened the window and felt his heart stop.
[Luminary Necklace (Gold-Tier)]
“Whoa, whoa. No. This is way too much.”
“It’s an extra,” Vera said dismissively. “I have better. Consider it a real thank you for the life save. I want to see you at Level 80, Ash. Don't let the shadows catch you.”
She waved and vanished into the city crowd before he could argue. Ash stood there, staring at the golden glow in his inventory.
[Luminary Necklace (Gold-Tier)]
[Level Requirement: None]
[Stats: All Stats +100, Attack +20%]
[Effect: 10% Chance to evade any incoming damage.]
It was a god-tier item. In the Exchange, this would go for 30,000 Gold easily.
“Well,” Ash whispered, a grin spreading across his face. “I guess I saved a very expensive life.”
He didn't head for the tavern. He headed for the shops. He had 31,000 Gold burning a hole in his pocket, and it was time to turn his summon into a monster.
[System: You have purchased 2x Undying Sacred Flame (Bronze). Cost: 10,000 Gold.]
[System: You have purchased 80x Undying Crystal Core (Iron). Cost: 1,600 Gold.]
[System: You have purchased 100x Undying Crystal Core (Bronze). Cost: 20,000 Gold.]
Ash poured the resources into his summon, Chitin. The skeleton’s bones began to hum with a restless, spectral energy. The brittle white frame thickened, turning into a polished, metallic silver. Its height increased, its ribs knitting together into a solid plate of bone armor.
[System: Your Phantom Summon has ascended to Silver-Tier!]
[HP +20,000, Attack +1,000]
[System: Fusion complete. Stats updated.]
[Summon: Chitin (Level 55, Silver-Tier)]
[HP: 140,000]
[Attack: 10,001]
[Defense: 1,852]
[Skill: Phantom Summon (Lvl 4) - Each clone inherits 40% of base stats.]
“Now we’re talking,” Ash muttered. With 140,000 HP, Chitin was officially tankier than a Level 60 Cleric.
Feeling invincible, Ash bypassed the low-level zones and headed straight for the Guild Grounds. He wanted to test his new power, but as he stepped into the hub, he noticed something strange. People were staring. People were... smiling?
“Hey, it’s the big shot!” a warrior shouted, waving.
Ash paused. “Big shot?”
“Don't be humble, Ash Valor! Slapping down a Bounty Board Assassin at your level? That’s legendary!”
Ash’s stomach dropped. “How do you know about that?”
“Zane,” the warrior laughed. “The idiot’s been screaming it in the Guild Channel for an hour. He’s been posting the combat logs everywhere.”
Ash’s face turned a brilliant shade of red. “Zane, you son of a...”
He frantically toggled his privacy settings, hiding his name, level, and gear.
“Don’t worry,” the warrior added. “Orion got sick of him and muted him in the Guild Chat.”
“Thank god for Orion.”
“Yeah, so Zane went and started spamming the City-wide channel instead.”
Ash wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Half of Southhaven now knew he was a giant-killer. His ‘low-profile’ was officially nuked.
He opened his messages, and the notifications exploded.
Simon Cross: Knew you had it in you. Impressive.
Stone: Crazy stats, man. Keep it up.
Zane: You're welcome! I made you famous! Drinks are on you!
Hazel Lane: So much for staying under the radar, huh?
Orion: You brought honor to the Guild. Check your mail. I’ve sent an Iron-Tier Skill Tome as a reward.
Ash sighed and opened the mail. At least the Guild Master was practical. He popped the tome, hoping for a game-changer.
[System: You have learned Passive: Eagle Eye.]
[Effect: Attack Range +10.]
Ash stared at the screen. Ten meters. After everything he’d been through today, he got an extra ten meters of range.
“...Figures,” Ash muttered, heading back into the wild. “At least I can see the trouble coming from further away.”