The Skill Tome fetched a staggering 240 Gold—well beyond Ash’s most optimistic projections. In a market where a piece of Bronze-Tier Valor Gear went for about ten gold at The Exchange, that single book was a fortune.
A full set of armor cost sixty gold. Adding a Level 20 Bronze-Tier weapon brought the total to a hundred and thirty.
"Maybe I can actually afford a necklace now," Ash muttered, scrolling through the marketplace listings.
The Valor set was a game-changer. Each piece provided a flat +20 boost to Strength, Agility, and Intelligence. For a player at his level, it was a massive leap in raw power.
[Boots of Valor]
Tier: Bronze
Stats: +20 STR, +20 AGI, +20 INT
Speed: +18
One by one, the notifications chimed as he finalized the purchases.
You have obtained Valor's Helm!
You have obtained Gauntlets of Valor.
You have obtained Valor Belt.
You have obtained Valor Chestpiece.
You have obtained Valor Greaves.
You have obtained Valor's Bulwark.
As he equipped the final piece, a golden aura flared around him.
Set Bonus Activated: Valor's Regalia. +1,000 Max HP, +100 Total Defense.
Next came the firepower.
[Bronze Bow]
Tier: Bronze (Level 20)
Stats: +30 STR, +30 AGI, +30 SPR
Attack: +101
Range: +10m
Effect: 10% chance to trigger Critical Strike (Attack +200).
He hesitated at the last item. A single necklace cost a hundred gold—more than the weapon itself. The premium came from its lack of level requirements; a Level 1 player could wear it if they had the coin.
"A hundred gold for one slot... absolute robbery," Ash hissed, yet he clicked 'Buy' anyway.
You have obtained Galeswift Necklace.
[Galeswift Necklace]
Tier: Bronze (Level: None)
Stats: All Stats +10
Passive: Attack increased by 10%.
After the shopping spree, Ash’s balance plummeted to a measly two gold.
"Just two rings short of a perfect build," he sighed. Opportunities to make two hundred gold in one go didn't happen twice. "Still, hundreds of solo runs finally paid off. One Skill Tome drop is a fair trade for that kind of grind."
Compared to his peers, Ash was now geared like a god. Of course, players like Simon Cross were still in a different league, but the gap was closing.
Ash Valor (LV 22)
Exp: 60,000
Total Stats: 2,086
Attack: 2,658
HP: 5,196
Defense: 215
Range: 30m
Undying Skeleton (LV 20)
Attack: 205 | HP: 1,600 | Defense: 40
If these stats couldn't handle a Hard Dungeon, nothing would. He approached the Level 2 Dungeon portal, only to find the entry fee had spiked to 1 Gold. A five-fold increase.
"Black-hearted bastards," he cursed. Before diving in solo, he pulled up the community forums to see what justified the price hike.
The consensus was clear: Hard mode featured five randomized bosses. Each was a stat-boosted version of the standard boss. Five bosses meant five times the loot drops and a chance at rare specials.
"Only one map. Kill all five to earn the achievement," Ash noted. It was a high-risk, high-reward efficiency play.
[Rogue Captain]
Level: 20
HP: 32,000
Attack: 1,600
Defense: 400
Ash winced. The Captain could nearly one-shot his summon, Chitin, and Ash himself wouldn't survive more than four hits. A single misstep with a skill would mean an instant trip back to the graveyard.
"Patience," he told himself. He knew these patterns by heart. With his current range and damage, he could put the boss down in under twenty arrows. "My movement speed is double his. As long as I don't get cornered, he can’t touch me."
The boss moved at a sluggish 5 or 6. Ash was sitting at 12. He could kite the Captain into the dirt.
"Chitin, stay back. Just keep a lookout," Ash ordered. It was a bit pathetic; having a phantom summon should have made his life easier, not more stressful.
The Level 2 boss's aggro radius was twenty meters. Ash’s range was thirty. By the time the Captain even registered his presence and started walking, Ash would have already landed half a dozen arrows, stripping thirty percent of its health.
Zero-damage clear. That’s the goal, Ash thought. This wasn't just about loot; it was about refining his mechanics—shooting on the move, perfecting his pathing, and maximizing every second of the run.
Eventually, he could pull four or five bosses at once. For an Archer with his stats, low-tier dungeons were becoming a playground.
-2,183
CRITICAL: -2,313
-2,212
The first boss collapsed in a heap of pixels before it even got within striking distance.
"Too easy," Ash murmured. He preferred it that way.
Killed Rogue Captain. Exp +800 (+200). Silver +40. Guild Contribution +1.
To hit Level 23, he needed 75 boss kills—roughly fifteen full runs. Entirely doable.
You have obtained Shadowsteel Helm (Level 20).
It was Black-Iron tier, an upgrade for most, but trash compared to his Valor set. He immediately listed it on The Exchange for 60 Silver.
"No mob drops in Hard mode... if every boss only gives 100 silver total, I'm losing money on the entry fee," he calculated. One gold in, half a gold out. But the math changed the moment a Bronze-Tier set piece dropped. One of those would net him ten gold instantly.
Ash settled into a rhythm, intending to grind until Level 25. He could finish the set in a week if he pushed.
By his fifth clear, he had rotated through every possible boss.
Ding! You have completed a Level 2 Dungeon with zero damage taken. Achievement Earned: [First Bloom].
Reward: All Stats +3, Attack +10.
On the eighth run, a pair of Bronze-Tier gauntlets finally dropped, putting him back in the black. His daily profit was hovering around a hundred silver. It wasn't the "Skill Tome" lottery, but it was steady.
Just as Ash was preparing for another run, a system-wide broadcast blared across Southhaven, freezing every Awakened in their tracks.
[Global Announcement: Player Evan Valor has cleared a Level 10 Dungeon and slain the True Boss. All Southhaven players receive All Stats +10. Level 11 Dungeons are now unlocked.]
[Warning: World Convergence is accelerating. Increase your strength immediately. Aim to hunt monsters Level 100 and above.]
Ash stared at the text. True Boss? Was the crap I’ve been killing fake?
The city's top guilds were in an uproar. "Who the hell is Evan Valor?" "How did we miss a powerhouse like this?"
Anyone capable of clearing a Level 10 Dungeon should have been a household name.
"Wait," someone shouted in the city chat. "The broadcast only mentioned Evan Valor. Not a team. One name."
The implication was staggering. A solo clear of a Level 10 Dungeon? Even the top ten players on the global leaderboards shouldn't have been able to pull that off.
Southhaven was a powder keg of excitement. If they had a protector of this caliber, the pressure of survival suddenly felt lighter.
"Message him! Get him on the horn!"
"Private messages are blocked!"
"Look at the Leaderboards!"
[Evan Valor]
Class: Elementalist
Level: 106
Global Rank: 11
The city channel exploded. Then, a pinned message from Evan Valor himself appeared.
[Evan Valor: To my fellow combatants in Southhaven, I apologize for the silence. I’ve been occupied with the dungeons. As a thank-you for maintaining the city while I was away, I am opening my party. Any players Level 50 or higher, join me. We are going to purge the Level 50+ zones outside the walls.]
[After the purge, I will lead team dungeon runs for several months. Once I clear the Level 11 Dungeon, we will march on the Abyss Rift and end that threat for good.]
For high-level players, progression had hit a wall. Even Level 0 dungeons had a terrifying mortality rate. Now, a savior had appeared.
Ash watched the messages fly by. "Incredible," he whispered. One man was literally tilting the scales of a city’s fate.
[Evan Valor: I have listed a cache of high-tier gear and rare items on The Exchange. Buy what you need.]
The listings were a feast: Skill Tomes, Crystal Cores, precious gems, and Silver-Tier gear. Ash couldn't afford a single item, but the city’s elite were frantically pooling their funds.
Southhaven changed overnight. The oppressive atmosphere lifted. Reports flooded in of legendary fiends being slain—monsters that had blockaded the city for decades were being wiped out.
By the time Ash reached Level 25, the high-level threats surrounding Southhaven had been thinned out. The Level 50+ monsters were hiding, though the low-level swarms remained a constant threat.
Ash decided it was time to leave the dungeons and see the world outside the walls. He joined a guild expedition, this time led by Orion, a Level 48 Berserker. All the Level 50+ veterans were busy following Evan Valor, leaving the mid-tier players to handle the periphery.
Ash spent his accumulated four thousand Contribution Points on a massive haul of low-tier herbs, maxing out his permanent stat gains from consumables.
"Total Stats +316," Ash noted. "It's a start."
Ash Valor (LV 25)
Total Stats: 2,467
Attack: 2,853
Speed: 13 | Attack Speed: 0.3
HP: 5,936 | Defense: 389
Stepping outside the city gates wasn't a hunt; it was a war zone.
Region Buff: Warbrand Aura (+80 Attack).
Party Buff: Battle Fervor (+60 Attack, +30 Defense).
Dozens of guild buffs stacked onto him the moment he reached the rally point. In this state, a Level 3 Dungeon would be a joke. His basic attacks were hitting for over four thousand.
Ash spent an hour scouting until he found a perfect grind spot. A group of tanks was struggling to hold a swarm of Abyssal Widows. The front line was buckling under the sheer numbers.
"So many Level 20s," Ash grinned. He summoned Chitin.
The players nearby looked up, hopeful at first, then disappointed when they saw the skeleton's stats. "Great, a Summoner. We needed DPS, not a bone-shield."
"Don't worry," Ash said, his voice calm. "I'm the DPS."
Ash hopped onto Chitin’s shoulders, using the skeleton as a mobile platform for a better vantage point. From twenty-five meters out, he drew his bow.
Quad Shot.
Four arrows whistled through the air. Four Abyssal Widows dropped dead instantly.
"What the hell? That range!"
"One-shotting Level 20s? Who is this guy?"
Ash didn't stop. "Keep them busy. I'll thin the herd."
"Cap, can we add you? We’re always looking for a solid lead," one of them asked.
"Sure," Ash said. He had hundreds of names on his friends list, though many had gone dark over the months. It was the reality of the world.
The group consisted of Victor Ward, a Shield Vanguard, and Lily Mercer, a Healer. It was a defensive-heavy team with almost no kill pressure.
"Join the Galeforce Squad," Victor invited. "You’re Level 25; you should take the lead."
"Galeforce? You guys move more like a glacier," Ash joked, but he accepted the invite.
You have joined Galeforce Squad. Party XP Bonus: +5%.
"Captain, with that damage, you'll hit Level 30 in no time," Lily said.
"A month, maybe," Ash replied.
"Man, we’ll be lucky if we hit 20 by then," Victor sighed. "Assuming we’re still breathing."
"We'll be fine," Ash said, though they all knew the lie.
Suddenly, a massive shape skittered out of the gloom. A Level 25 Elite Dread Widow, sporting thirty thousand HP.
"Elite! I can't hold this!" Victor shouted.
"Don't hold it. Let it come," Ash commanded. His HP was nearly equal to the tank's now. "Lily, buff me."
Battle Fervor (+176 Attack).
Sluggish Hex (on boss).
The squad was well-coordinated, even if they were underleveled. Ash kept the Elite's threat locked on him, kiting it in wide circles while his arrows tore through its chitinous armor.
Kill Confirmed. Silver +40. Spidersilk Thread +1.
Over the next few days, Ash's contribution rank within the guild climbed into the top ten thousand. He was generating over 200 GCP a day. By the fourth day, his teammates hit Level 20, and Ash hit Level 26.
Thinking of how Simon Cross had helped him, Ash made a choice. "You guys are Level 20 now. You need Black-Iron gear."
"Cap, we can't afford sixty silver a piece," Victor admitted.
"I’m lending each of you 500 silver. Get geared. We’re moving to higher-value targets." Ash knew there was a good chance he'd never see that money again, but some things were worth the investment.
"Cap... you're a lifesaver," Victor breathed.
"I'm giving you a full gold, Victor. Get a Black-Iron shield and weapon. I need my tank to actually survive a hit."
With the new gear, Victor finally looked the part: 8,600 HP and 465 Defense.
"Remote units, listen up!" Orion’s voice boomed over the guild comms. "Coordinates 112, 156. We have a Level 45 Undying Overlord. All DPS with 4,000+ power, converge now!"
Ash didn't hesitate. A Level 45 boss was a rare opportunity for massive XP and GCP.
When he arrived, he saw a towering skeleton, three times the size of Chitin. Its soulfire burned like a furnace.
[Undying Overlord]
Level: 45 | HP: 367,516 | Defense: 2,025
At the center of the chaos, a single tank was holding the line, his shield glowing under the pressure of the Overlord’s mace.
"Stone?" Ash blinked.
The kid who had once struggled with Level 5 bosses was now successfully tanking a Level 45 behemoth. The gap between them was wide, but seeing Stone succeed filled Ash with a strange pride.
The raid was clinical. Hundreds of ranged players wore the boss down over fifteen minutes.
Exp +4,000 (+800).
Gold/Silver Distribution: +200 Silver.
Ash’s contribution was a mere 0.4%, but the payout was still significant. He watched Stone level up to 44 amidst a cheering crowd, then quietly slipped away to continue his own grind.
"Chitin," Ash looked at his summon. "One day, you'll be that big."
He hit Level 27 a few days later. With his savings, he bought a second ring.
[Ring of Resonance]
Tier: Bronze
Stats: +20 STR, +20 AGI, +20 VIT
Bonus: +3% Crit, +5 Attack Range.
His total range was now forty meters. He was no longer content with Level 20 trash. He pushed deeper into the wilds until he found it: a Level 30 Elite.
[Widow Champion]
Level: 30
HP: 250,000 | Defense: 615
"Perfect."
Ash engaged from maximum distance. His arrows thudded into the Champion for four thousand damage a pop. He moved with a grace born of hundreds of solo dungeon hours—sidestepping venom, kiting through trees, and maintaining a perfect forty-meter gap.
Ten minutes later, the notification chimed.
Killed Widow Champion (LV 30). Exp +2,000. Silver +100.
Drop: Bronze Dagger (LV 30).
"Yes!" Ash pumped a fist. A Level 30 Bronze weapon would sell for nearly a hundred gold.
He immediately liquidated the dagger and bought his final piece of gear, another Ring of Resonance. He was now fully decked out in Bronze-Tier equipment.
"Captain," Victor noted as Ash returned to the squad's camp. "Is it just me, or are you shooting from another zip code now?"
Ash grinned, notches of his bow catching the light. "New ring. I figured if I’m going to be an Archer, I might as well be the one they never see coming."