Top-tier assassins were solitary predators. Orion had spent hours scouring the shadows, but not a single other member of The Crimson Vow had surfaced.
The guild had taken a brutal beating in their recent skirmishes with The Skystrider Guild. Fearing a total wipeout, they had abandoned their large-scale operations, scattering like roaches into the dark. It didn't help that Zane, after joining The Stellar Pact Enforcement Division, had proven unexpectedly brilliant. Leveraging the Pact’s massive resources, he’d systematically dismantled several Crimson Vow cells.
Pinned down and humiliated, The Crimson Vow finally cracked. Maybe they were just tired of Rex Holloway and the boys hounding them 24/7, or maybe the loss of a Sharpshooter as vital as Duke Callahan was too much to ignore. They started biting back—not with blades, but with vitriol.
Ash Valor watched the chaos unfold from a distance. He knew the Galeforce Squad better than anyone; the more the enemy screamed, the more those bastards enjoyed the hunt. Eventually, even Caden Marlowe jumped into the fray. The guild leader was a virtuoso of vitriol, his tongue every bit as lethal as his blade. Unlike a small-timer like Grant Fang, when a powerhouse like Caden started talking, hundreds of thousands of guild members joined the chorus.
The situation devolved into a massive, world-spanning flame war. Ironically, the distraction worked in Ash’s favor. No one was looking for him anymore. He kept to his routine, grinding mobs with Ward’s Bulwark perpetually active, just in case.
A message from Orion blinked into his vision a day later.
"We’ve finished the background check. Duke Callahan wasn't just some random high-tier; he’s a pillar of The Crimson Vow. Our data suggests he’s been alive for at least two centuries. He might even be a 'Pre-Arrival' relic."
Ash whistled. "Two hundred years old? No wonder his stats were cracked. If he’s been stacking points since the world changed, a million HP might actually be a low estimate."
"The longevity is one thing," Orion replied. "But think about the Kill Count. The Vow has spent centuries murdering their own kind. The Contribution Points that guy must have banked... it's unimaginable."
"An old monster," Ash muttered, hefting his spear. It explained everything. With that kind of raw power, sniping high-ranking players from five hundred meters away wasn't just possible—it was easy. "Hard to spot a killer who deletes you from a different zip code."
"The scary part is that Callahan isn't the only one," Orion warned. "The Vow has deep roots. They’re hiding a lot of these old-timers. Compared to them, The Skystrider Guild is a playground. Our oldest members are barely five or six years older than you."
Ash went quiet. He remembered. When he first joined, Southhaven was a graveyard. The previous generation of Skystrider elites had been wiped out almost to a man. Caden and Orion hadn't inherited a guild; they’d inherited a desperate, starving resistance. Ash still remembered Caden—broke and bleeding—soloing bosses just so he could distribute red envelopes to keep the survivors from quitting.
Even now, with the guild thriving, Caden was still the one carrying the heaviest burden. When the world fell into despair, there were always those who picked up the sword and kept walking.
"How does someone stay invisible for three centuries?" Ash asked.
"By being a coward," Orion spat. "When things get dangerous, they hide. When the world is at war, they're the vultures picking the pockets of the dead. It’s easy to live a long time if you have no soul."
Ash understood the instinct to survive—he shared it—but there was a line. "Hiding is one thing. Turning your blade on your own people just to stack stats? That’s where I check out."
"Some people pave the way for the next generation with their lives," Orion said, his voice grim. "Others use the corpses of their kin as stepping stones. I suspect more than a few of our predecessors didn't fall to monsters, but to 'allies' like them."
Ash sighed. "Is there any chance of actually wiping The Crimson Vow out?"
"If The Stellar Pact can't do it, we can't. But we can make them bleed. Actually... Ash, you want to be the bait? If you put yourself out there, I’m betting those old fossils won't be able to resist."
"Fuck that," Ash snapped. "I’ve played that game before. If I make it too obvious, they’ll smell the trap. Besides, I’m not in a hurry to die."
"Fair enough. Our priority is your growth anyway. No point wasting time on a war of attrition against ghosts who have nothing but time."
"Exactly. I need to level. I can’t exactly farm players for XP like those psychos."
"Right. Let Caden handle the Vow. He’s closing in on Level 180; he can start collecting heads soon enough. Especially if he brings Declan Ward along." Orion paused, his tone shifting. "Ash, let's talk about you. It's time to focus on your personal development."
Ash faked a sob. "Five years in this guild, and you finally care about my feelings? I’m touched."
"Shut the hell up. If you’d hit #1 on the GCP five years ago, I would’ve tucked you in at night. Resources are tight; they go to the people who produce."
"Fine, fine. So, how are you going to 'care' for me?"
"The guild’s resources are stretched thin. Territory defense is eating us alive, and infrastructure is behind schedule..."
Ash rolled his eyes. "So, you’re saying there’s no money. This is just a 'thoughts and prayers' kind of talk."
"Will you let me finish? I’m assigning ten people to you. Five Tanks, and five Mana-batteries—healers or mages with high MP recovery. Combine them with your current Galeforce Squad, and you’ve got a full twenty-man raid team."
Ash perked up.
"They aren't S-rankers," Orion continued, "but they’re solid. All C-rank Tier-3s, similar to Brett Fang’s level."
Full C-rank? Ash was impressed. Most guilds only had a handful of B-rankers, and Galeforce already had two. This was a significant investment. "You’re actually giving me a real unit."
"With five people dedicated to feeding you mana and Vera’s aura, you can stop being stingy with your skills. Throw in Brett and the new tanks, and you’ll have a wall of steel in front of you. You provide the DPS, the Assassins clean up the stragglers."
"We won't just be clearing Level 10 Dungeons anymore," Ash realized. With his Death Strike and zero-cooldown mechanics, as long as he stayed alive, he could melt anything.
"Finally, Orion, you’re acting like a human being. Tell you what, I’ll bring you a Level 15 Dungeon clear."
"Don't brag until the boss is dead. Just get them leveled up."
Ash paused. Something felt off. "Wait... you're turning me into a glorified power-leveling service, aren't you?"
"Look at you, #1 on the GCP, and you've got the heart of a miser," Orion scoffed. "It’s called 'mutual growth.' You’re barely higher level than them anyway."
Ash checked his HUD. He was almost 150. "Barely higher? I’m a god to these kids."
"Whatever. What am I supposed to do, send Caden? He’s an Assassin. His solo clear speed is pathetic. You're an AoE monster. It's the tradition of the guild—the veterans lead the rookies. I’m not asking for a hundred-man raid, just ten kids. Greater power, greater responsibility. You know the drill."
Ash grumbled, but he didn't fight it. He needed the mana support anyway. "Fine. I’ll do it. But only because I'm a nice guy."
"God, you’re a pain in the ass."
With the Galeforce Squad expanded to twenty, the logistical nightmare of Ash’s mana consumption vanished. Ellis Yang and Celeste Quinn were already helping, but with five more specialized batteries, Ash felt like he finally had an infinite clip.
The ten new recruits were all fresh Tier-3s, around Level 100.
"Level 100 in six months? Kids these days have it easy," Ash muttered. He looked at his team. "Vera, you’re on tactical command. Brett, you're the main wall. Swap your gear for the Level 130 Epic-Tier set before we move. Lyra, forget the rest of us—keep Brett’s health bar full. Cole, Nina, upgrade your Skill Tomes to Gold-Tier. We prioritize survival over speed. Understood?"
Ash wasn't a dungeon expert, but he knew the stakes. He spent the next two days grinding trash mobs, letting the rookies sync up, until finally, the notification he’d been waiting for flashed gold in his eyes.
[Ding! Level Up! All Stats +20, Free Stat Points +40]
[Level 150 Reached! All Stats +100, Attack Range +20m, Attack +15,000, Attack Speed +0.2]
[You have surpassed Level 150 and become an Elite of the Azure Prime Plane. Reward: 20,000 Gold.]
His attack range hit 480 meters. But the real prize was his wallet.
"22,365,936 Gold..."
It felt surreal. If Sera Ashford hadn't carried him through those high-tier boss kills, he’d still be scraping for copper.
"Time for the upgrade."
Upgrading a Soulbound weapon from Gold to Epic required a staggering amount of resources. Between the gems and the Tier Ascension Stones, he was looking at a 45-million-gold value. Most players in Azure Prime would never see that much money in a lifetime.
[Enhancement Gems x1000 Consumed. Gold -5,000,000]
[Refined Gems x1000 Consumed. Gold -5,000,000]
He winced as his gold balance cratered, but then the bow in his hands began to pulse with a terrifying, violent light.
[Soulbound Weapon Evolved: Soulbound Epic Longbow]
Level: Scaling
All Stats: +5,000
Attack: +100,000
Attack Range: +200m
Attack Speed: +4
EXP Bonus: 80%
Effect 1: 10% Chance to Critical Strike (Bonus +100,000 DMG).
Effect 2: 10% Chance to Ignore DEF.
Effect 3: Reduce target DEF by 10%.
Effect 4: 0.01% Trigger Rate for [Death Strike].
Effect 5: [Homing Shot] – Arrows track targets.
Effect 6: Bow Skill Mana Consumption reduced by 20%.
Upgrade Requirements: 10B EXP, 100M Gold, 10k Enhancement Gems, 10k Refined Gems, 1 Aberrant Beast Sinew, 10 Tier Ascension Stones.
Refinement Level: +2 (All bonuses +20%)
Ash couldn't breathe. The stat jump was obscene. The raw attack power alone was more than most Level 150 players had in their entire build. "Tenfold stats... hundred thousand attack... and the mana reduction?" He checked the market interface. A standard Epic weapon only had two traits. His had six.
"I’m going to be using this until Level 250," he whispered.
He quickly burned another 630k Gold to swap the rest of his gear for a Level 150 Epic set, though he had to keep his Gold-tier rings and necklace for now—jewelry was still too damn expensive.
He pulled up his final status window.
[Ash Valor]
Level: 150
Total Stats: 218,695
Attack Power: 356,026
HP: 768,300 | Mana: 186,352
DEF: 68,112
Range: 580m | Attack Speed: 9.8 | Move Speed: 156
Core Skills: Tenfold Shot, Armorpiercer (Lv.2), Crushing Blow (Lv.2), Meteor Volley, Lifesteal (5%).
Universal Skills: Phantom Summon, Blink, Eye of Clarity, Ward’s Bulwark, Damage Reflection, Granite Bulwark.
He turned his gaze to Chitin. His Undying Skeleton had hit 150 as well, and as an Epic-tier summon, its scaling was even more aggressive than his own.
[Undying Skeleton (Chitin)]
Level: 150 (Epic)
HP: 1,360,000
Attack: 82,001
DEF: 45,352
Skill: [Phantom Summon Lv.6] – Each clone inherits 60% of base stats.
With the 80% EXP bonus from his bow, Ash realized he was now outstripping the leveling speed of almost everyone in the guild. Then, a final chime echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Your comprehensive power has entered the Top 100,000 of the Plane.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Azure Prime Guardian]
[Reward: Attack Range +20m]
"Six hundred meters," Ash grinned, the bow humming in his hand. "Let's see the Crimson Vow try to find me now."