When the monsters start playing mind games, the rules of engagement change entirely.
Ash Valor’s heart hammered against his ribs. He’d narrowly avoided disaster; if that last reflection had triggered a Death Strike, it would have been his own head on the chopping block. He didn't dare touch the boss again. Instead, he burned his Blink charges to weave through the chaos, raining arrows into the surrounding mob of lesser monsters.
He needed the life-leech from his damage output to counteract the corrosive serpent venom coursing through his veins. When Blink was on cooldown, he slammed Potions of Instant Recovery like his life depended on it—because it did. He’d stockpiled these for a potential run-in with an Assassin, never dreaming he’d be forced to chug them just to survive a PvE encounter.
"Thank God I dumped those points into Vitality," he hissed, his lungs burning. A lower health pool would have seen him gray-screened minutes ago.
"Human," the serpent hissed, its voice a grating slither in his mind. "You are slowed. Why do you still move with such haste? And your willpower... how is it so resilient?"
The beast wasn't just talking; it was closing the gap. It was faster than him, a shimmering blur of scales and malice. Its massive tail whipped out, slamming into Ward's Bulwark. The magical shield shattered instantly under the sheer kinetic force.
"Blink!"
Ash reappeared twenty yards away, desperate. "Look, let’s not be unreasonable. Give me a pass, and I’ll go bother the guys next door. What do you say?" If he thought begging would work, he would have been on his knees in a heartbeat.
"I said something similar to you moments ago," the serpent mocked, its scales rattling. "You didn't listen then. Why should I now? If I kill you, I grow. If you kill me, you grow. It is the only logic that matters."
The realization hit Ash like a physical blow. To these creatures, he wasn't a hero; he was just another high-value elite mob to be farmed.
"You can't keep Damage Reflection up forever," Ash shouted, testing the waters.
"By all means," the boss countered, its eyes gleaming with predatory intelligence. "Try me."
Ash hesitated, then loosed a single tentative arrow.
[-87,936]
No reflection. His health bar surged back toward the 100,000 mark. But the reprieve was short-lived. The serpent’s tail lashed out again, catching him square in the chest.
[-16,857]
His health plummeted back to 80,000. Fortunately, Ward’s Bulwark hummed back to life as the cooldown reset. Pure flight wasn't an option; the beast was too fast. He needed a miracle.
[Health +30,000]
A Death Strike proc! One of the smaller snakes evaporated, instantly refilling a massive chunk of Ash’s HP. He downed another Potion of Instant Recovery, pushing his health back to full.
"You’re a sturdy one, human," the serpent hissed, its posture shifting. "I suppose I’ll have to stop playing with my food."
More tricks? Ash had been chased for hundreds of meters, barely keeping his head above water. The pressure was suffocating. "Enough of this!" he roared, firing again.
Blue sparks flew. Damage Reflection!
"Son of a—!" Ash scrambled back, his own damage nearly dropping him. He felt toyed with, like a mouse in a cat's claws. But then, a thought flickered. Wait. Why does it keep using its tail? Why not just bite me?
He watched the serpent's movements. The reflection only seemed to trigger when he hit the armored scales. If the beast opened its mouth, it was exposing soft tissue. Every monster had a flaw.
And Ash Valor was an Archer who specialized in homing shots.
He couldn't afford to hit the scales again. One bad proc and he was dead. "Fine. Let's gamble."
He locked his aim on the serpent’s lidless, glowing eyes and loosed a rapid-fire volley of six arrows.
[Weak Point Strike: -169,825]
[Critical Strike: -180,369]
[Crushing Blow: -336,854]
The impact was devastating. The boss reacted with startling speed, flipping its head back and retreating in reverse without losing a beat of momentum. It looked ridiculous, but the threat remained—its tail whipped around for another punishing strike.
[-17,863]
"My arrows track, you bastard! You think turning your head will save you?"
The serpent twisted and turned, but the magical projectiles curved in mid-air, relentlessly seeking its eyes.
"Cunning rat! You've forced my hand!" the serpent shrieked. A thick, oily Shadow Surge began to leak from its scales. The air grew heavy with necrotic energy. Ash knew that if even a drop of that sludge touched him, his health would melt.
The shadows coalesced into a dark, serpentine dragon that lunged at him with impossible speed. Ash froze. Even with multiple Blinks, he couldn't outrun this.
"This is it," he muttered, bracing himself. He didn't even try to run. He just drew his bow one last time, determined to go out swinging.
"Death Coil—!"
The boss’s ultimate skill died in its throat. The Obsidian Serpent collapsed, its massive body slamming into the dirt with a final, heavy thud.
[You have triggered Death Strike!]
[Kill Count: Silver-Tier True Monster. Rewards: 10,000 Gold, 40,000 Contribution Points, 400,000 EXP.]
[Kill Count: True Boss. All Stats +10.]
[Loot Acquired: Glory Helm (Epic), Glory Plate (Epic), Viper Gall (Epic).]
Ash stood frozen, staring at the system logs as they flooded his vision. He collapsed onto the grass, chest heaving, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Then, he started to laugh—a manic, relieved sound that echoed through the woods.
He didn't stay long. A Level 100 boss death was like a dinner bell for every other apex predator in the area. He popped another potion and burned a Blink, feeling lighter than he had in hours. He didn't stop until he was miles away, surrounded by harmless Level 0 trash mobs.
"Level 100 bosses are a different breed," he muttered. "The AI is too damn smart."
He checked his haul. The Viper Gall was a high-tier crafting material, so he offloaded it to The Exchange immediately for a cool 80,000 Gold. Between that and his previous savings, his balance sat at 460,000 Gold.
He looked at the two Glory Set pieces. They were Level 100 Epic gear. While the jewelry for this set cost millions, the armor was relatively affordable.
"Might as well commit," he decided. He dropped 400,000 Gold to complete the four-piece armor set: the Plate, Greaves, Gauntlets, and Pauldrons.
[Glory Plate (Epic)]
Level: 100
Stats: +200 All Stats, +20,000 HP, +5,000 DEF
Effect 1: HP Regen +10%
Effect 2: Reflect 20% Physical Damage
[Glory Greaves (Epic)]
Level: 100
Stats: +200 All Stats, +20 Move Speed
Effect 1: 20% Evasion Chance
Effect 2: Swiftness Proc (20% Move Speed bonus)
[Set Bonus Triggered: +10,000 HP, +2,000 DEF]
Compared to Gold-Tier gear, these were monstrous. The stat boosts were nearly double, and the passive effects were game-changers. He felt like a new man. He tossed his old Gold-Tier gear to Chitin, his loyal skeleton summon, giving the undead a significant power boost.
He opened his status window and grinned.
[Ash Valor: LV102]
[Attack: 123,006 | HP: 391,800 | DEF: 34,125]
[Attack Speed: 6.5 | Range: 300m | Move Speed: 89]
His health had spiked by 60,000 and his defense by 5,000. With a combat stim, he’d be pushing 400k HP—tank territory for an Archer. But the real prize was the Damage Reflection. Now, if an Assassin tried to burst him down, they’d be hitting themselves just as hard.
"Time for a change of scenery," Ash said. The serpents had stressed him out enough. "Let's go hunt something that doesn't talk back."
He headed toward the forest's edge, where the greenery gave way to a bleached wasteland of bone. This was the territory of the Undying Creatures. He watched as Chitin, now decked out in Ash’s old Gold-Tier gear, charged into a pack of Level 100 skeletons with a massive cleaver.
Ash checked the global rankings. In the Azure Prime Plane, he was now ranked in the top 100 million players—a respectable elite. Among those in his own level tier, he had cracked the top 10,000. It was a staggering climb.
Planar broadcasts flickered occasionally, mostly detailing the exploits of Evan Valor, the plane's undisputed champion. The man was a monster, racking up World Firsts and clearing legendary dungeons like they were morning chores. Ash didn't envy him; he just focused on his own grind.
A month passed in a blur of bone dust and steel. He took down a Level 100 Undying Knight boss after a grueling three-hour marathon, earning another 300,000 Gold and hitting Level 105.
But then, the atmosphere changed. A crimson Planar Broadcast cut through his HUD.
[Planar Broadcast: Blackstone has fallen. Over 10,000 'True' Monsters have descended. 50 million casualties reported. Six of the Top 100 Rankers have been confirmed KIA.]
Ash felt a chill. Ten thousand monsters, each potentially as strong as the serpent he’d barely killed? "That's a problem for the big hitters," he whispered, trying to shake off the dread. "I’m just one guy."
He looked at his 670,000 Gold balance. A weapon upgrade to Level 2 would cost 500k for a measly 10% boost. No. Save it. I need twenty million to evolve the Soulbound Weapon to the next tier. That’s where the real power is.
"Chitin, let's push deeper."
He Blinked through the woods until he hit a place called The Bloom Wastes. The beauty of the area was short-lived. A sudden, jarring pressure slammed into his mind.
[Warning: You have been struck by a Psychic Storm. Stunned for 2 seconds.]
Ash stood frozen, his vision swimming. Psychic Storm? What the hell?
"This human’s willpower is high," a voice echoed, cold and alien. "Only a two-second stun."
"No matter. We will rotate our casts. Keep him locked."
"Or just end him. We can't extract memories from a mind this fortified."
Panic flared. If they could chain-stun him, he was dead. And memory extraction? That was some nightmare-tier shit. He couldn't even see his attackers.
"Run!" he screamed internally. The moment the stun broke, he tried to Blink, but the wave hit him again.
[Stunned for 2 seconds!]
"Chitin! Protect me!"
The skeleton moved, but it was useless. Ash was being farmed. In a moment of clarity between stuns, he smashed a Displacement Talisman.
CRACK.
Space folded, and he was gone. He landed hard in a dense thicket miles away, his heart hammering. A notification pinged: Chitin and the rest of his summons had been wiped out instantly.
He looked down from his position in the trees and felt his stomach drop. The monsters below were Level 130... Level 140. He’d jumped from the frying pan into a volcano.
"Okay, don't panic. The Exchange still works." He immediately bought two more Random Displacement Talismans for 10,000 Gold each. Only then did he dare to look up.
The sky was bleeding.
A jagged black line had torn through the blue—a Void Rift. It was small, but growing. Through the crack, Ash saw a massive, necrotic Flesh Claw reaching through, its talons gripping the edges of reality and tearing it wider.
"It's trying to force its way in," Ash whispered, his voice trembling.
Southhaven was less than fifty miles away. If this thing got through, the city was dust. Ash gripped his bow. He was within range. The rift was still small, and the creature was stuck.
"I shouldn't do this. I should just run." But he knew he couldn't. If Southhaven fell, he lost everything.
He downed a Gold-Tier Swiftness Draught, cranking his Attack Speed to 7.6. He hid behind the foliage, using his homing arrows to fire from a steep angle so the beast couldn't track his position.
[-3,654]
[-3,365]
The numbers were pathetic. The creature had over 100,000 Defense. He was barely scratching it. But the monster didn't react; it was too focused on the rift.
"I have maybe ten minutes," Ash calculated. He immediately messaged Orion.
Ash Valor: "Orion, Void Rift opening near Southhaven. Level 200+ Unknown entity. Sending coordinates now. Notify the Stellar Pact. We need the heavy hitters here NOW."
Orion’s reply was instantaneous and panicked. "Are you insane? Get out of there! We’re scrambling the city defense, but the Level 160s are ten minutes out. Ash, leave it! You can't kill that thing!"
Ash ignored him. He kept firing. Six minutes passed. The sky turned a bruised purple. He could see the reinforcements in the distance—a dozen Level 150 players flying at top speed. But they wouldn't be fast enough. The rift was wide enough for the creature's head now.
"Come on... just one proc..."
[Planar Broadcast: Southhaven Resident 'Ash Valor' has achieved the World First Kill of a Level 201 'Rift Harbinger' (Unknown Silver-Tier Entity).]
[The Void Rift has been sealed.]
[Global Buff: All Players in Azure Prime Plane: All Stats +20, Gold +100.]
[Regional Buff: Southhaven Players: All Stats +10, Attack +200.]
[Guild Buff: Skystrider Members: All Stats +200, Contribution +10,000.]
Orion, standing on the city ramparts, froze as the notifications flooded his screen. "He actually did it... that crazy son of a bitch. Death Strike... it actually worked."
Back in the forest, Ash sat in a daze. He’d just jumped to Level 110 in a single second.
[Level 110 Reached: All Stats +20, Range +10, Attack +3,000.]
[World First Kill Bonus: All Stats +1,000, Attack +10,000, HP +20,000, DEF +5,000.]
[Rewards: Epic Attribute Fruit, Tier Ascension Stone, 200,000 Gold, 1,000,000 Contribution Points.]
He checked his new gear drops. Two more pieces of the Glory Set, but these were Level 200 versions. He couldn't wear them, so he put them on The Exchange for a staggering 2 million Gold. They sold within seconds to a high-ranking guild.
His total wealth now sat at 2.95 million Gold. Including the Guild's bonus for saving the city, he was pushing 4 million.
He ate the Epic Attribute Fruit immediately.
[Ash Valor: LV110]
[Attack: 137,016 | HP: 438,000 | DEF: 38,325]
[Total Attributes: 117,236]
He was a titan among his peers. He had the health of a raid boss and the damage of a siege engine. Yet, as he looked back at the spot where the Psychic Storm had hit him, he didn't feel invincible.
"Four million gold," Ash whispered, looking at his trembling hands. "And I'm still one bad stun away from being a memory."
He gripped his bow, his eyes hardening. He needed to be stronger. Much stronger.