Ten arrows. That was all it took for Ash Valor to bring down a Level 40 mob. Every thirty seconds, another notch went into his kill count. He wasn’t alone in the fray, but his high base damage and steady output ensured he secured the finishing blows more often than not.
The siege was a meat grinder. Below the ramparts, the tides of the undead were relentless. Ash watched, jaw tight, as several Level 30-plus players were swarmed and dragged down.
A frantic shout cut through the cacophony of clashing steel. "Elite incoming! Level 50! Someone intercept!"
Ash pivoted, his gaze locking onto a monstrosity lumbering toward the wall. It stood nearly six meters tall—a towering colossus of bleached bone and flickering soulfire. Its skull was almost level with the top of the rampart.
"Sht," Ash muttered, reaching for his quiver. "Don't let that thing breach the line!"
The sheer density of the horde was the only thing slowing the giant down. It stepped over its lesser kin, crushing them into powder as it moved.
[Level 50 Skeleton Champion]
HP: 480,000 | ATK: 2,500 | DEF: 1,200
Skill: Undying Summons
The Champion let out a hollow, rattling roar. Suddenly, a hundred Level 45 Undying Skeletons burst from the ground, charging the rampart. It was the same Phantom Summon mechanic Chitin used, but on a terrifyingly superior scale.
"Perfect," Ash whispered, a grim smile tugging at his lips. "Line 'em up."
He didn't panic at the sight of the high-level reinforcements. Instead, he pulled out bundle after bundle of Arcane Grenades. "Six months of crafting hand-made explosives... I’ve been waiting for a moment like this."
Boom!
A series of deafening explosions rocked the base of the wall. Dust and bone fragments rained down as a section of the horde was simply erased.
[EXP +2,400]
[Copper +720]
[Item Received: Undying Gemstone (Iron-Tier) x2]
The timing was impeccable. Ash immediately fused the gemstones into Chitin.
[Chitin: HP +200 | ATK +80 | DEF +30]
In seconds, he’d burned through nearly fifty gold worth of materials. Raising a Phantom Summon was a black hole for resources—far more expensive than gearing himself.
"Holy hell, Ash!" a teammate yelled over the roar of the fire. "What was that?"
"Arcane Grenades," Ash replied, tossing another bundle. "Quantity has a quality of its own."
He had over ten thousand of the damn things stashed away. Whenever the high-level mobs clumped together, he let them fly.
BOOM!
He threw hundreds at once this time. The kill feed scrolled past his eyes in a blur of gold and experience. By the seventh volley, half his stockpile was gone, but his experience bar was surging.
The Skeleton Champion’s soulfire flared. It had spotted him. Just as it prepared to lung, a figure blurred past Ash, leaping off the rampart directly into the giant's path.
A Level 50 Battle Monk slammed into the Champion, instantly locking its threat.
"Check out that Tank!" someone cheered. The Monk’s HP bar sat at a comfortable 100,000. Ash didn't recognize the name—likely one of the guild’s rising stars.
"Focus fire!" the Battle Monk roared, effortlessly parrying a massive bone club. "Kill it now! I’ve got other sectors to save!"
The ranged DPS didn't need telling twice. Ash unleashed his Quintuple Shot, one of the five arrows consistently homing in on the Champion's ribs. His damage was stable, hovering in the middle of the contribution rankings. He lacked the explosive burst of the top-tier mages, but he never missed.
With a tank that powerful, the Elite was a textbook kill.
Ash wasn't aiming for glory; he just wanted a slice of the experience. But as the Champion’s health bar flickered into the red, he released one final, timed shot.
Ping!
[Notification: You have secured the Kill Count on a Level 50 Elite.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Novice Slayer (All Stats +5, Gold +5)]
[EXP +4,000 | Gold +10]
[Level Up! You are now Level 37. All Stats +1 | Free Stat Points +5]
[Loot Received: Necklace of Radiance]
Ash froze. The notifications were a flash-bang to his brain. He’d actually sniped the kill? And a drop?
[Necklace of Radiance (Silver-Tier)]
Level Requirement: None
Effect: All Stats +40 | Attack Power +20%]
"My luck is finally turning," he breathed. A Silver-Tier necklace was worth more than most weapons on the open market. He checked the Exchange—similar pieces were going for over two thousand gold.
He instantly swapped out his Galeswift Necklace. With the new stats and the percentage modifier, his base attack hit 5,039. With his buffs active? He was breaking 10,000 damage.
He didn't sell the old Galeswift piece. Instead, he performed a rare act of personal luxury: he equipped it on Chitin. The summon’s stats spiked. Only two ring slots remained empty before the beast was fully geared.
At Level 37, he felt like a different person. He scanned the battlefield, hungry. Bring on the next Elite.
The defense of the Territory was a brutal affair. Even with Ash’s increased damage, the Galeforce Squad was barely holding on. Coordination was the only thing keeping them alive.
Other sectors weren't so lucky. In areas where Level 60 mobs had breached, players were being wiped out in seconds. At one point, a swarm of Burrowing Carapace Beetles nearly overran their section of the wall. Ash had to dump his entire remaining stock of Arcane Grenades into the trench to stabilize the line.
Days blurred together. More Elites appeared, and Ash participated in every hunt, though his luck didn't strike twice.
Ping!
[Trait Triggered: One in a Million. Random Stat +10]
By the time he hit Level 38, the guild’s investment began to show.
[Guild Notice: 100,000 Contribution Points consumed. Level 1 Defense Tower constructed.]
A massive stone spire rose behind them, hummed with energy, and began spitting out six-shot volleys with a 200-meter range. It was more efficient than any five players combined.
"Hold the line, brothers!" Orion’s voice boomed over the guild channel. "The worst is behind us. Ten more days and the frontline stabilizes!"
The "worst" had cost them two thousand lives.
"Level 60 Boss approaching North Gate!" a commander barked. "Orion, Rex—intercept! Don't let it touch the walls!"
"The supply lines from Southhaven are cut," another update followed. "High-level mobs have occupied the roads. No reinforcements are coming. We hold until the Rift Gate is complete."
Ash cursed under his breath. We’re being left to rot?
Ping!
[Team Distribution: Gold +200]
Ash stared at the gold. Fine. I can be bought.
The guild was dumping its treasury to keep morale up. Two hundred gold was enough for most players to buy a full set of Bronze-Tier gear. Ash spent his share on ten Iron-Tier Undying Gemstones, pumping Chitin’s HP up another 2,000 points.
As the siege dragged into its second week, the scale of the conflict became clear. Ten territories had been established outside Southhaven simultaneously to bleed the horde. High-level players—the Level 100 powerhouses—were miles out in the wasteland, intercepting the true monsters before they could reach the settlements.
Suddenly, a notification popped up in the corner of his HUD.
[Zane has joined the party.]
Ash blinked. Zane? The roads were blocked—how did he get here? And more importantly...
"Level 51?" Ash whispered. The gap was widening.
"Heads up, team! Friendly coming in hot!" Zane’s voice crackled in the chat.
A massive shadow swept over the rampart. A black eagle, five meters long with a wingspan that could cover a house, soared over their heads. A flying mount.
"Talk about an entrance," Ash muttered, watching the Dusktalon dive.
"Looks like things are getting spicy down there!" Zane yelled from the eagle’s back. "Earthwarden Bear, go fetch!"
A Level 51 bear, the size of a small cottage, plummeted from the sky and crashed into the mob with 50,000 HP and a roar that shook the stones. Its Earthshatter Stomp turned the surrounding skeletons into splinters.
Zane wasn't done. He immediately began spamming the guild channel.
"Crowdfunding alert! Need gold for a Silver-Tier Phantom Summon. Give me your spare change and I'll give you a Level 50 nuke!"
"Come on, big spenders! A little from you changes a life for me!"
"Summoners are broke, guys. Help a brother out!"
Ash watched in stunned silence. Zane had no shame.
"Zane, stop spamming," Orion messaged.
"Orion! My man! You finally noticed me! Can I borrow five hundred?"
"...DM me. Get off the public channel."
"So that's a yes?"
Ash shook his head. He actually pulled it off.
Within minutes, a third summon appeared beside Zane.
[Skeleton Ranger (Silver-Tier)]
Level: 51 | ATK: 11,305 | HP: 20,000
Seeing that 11,000 attack stat made Ash’s chest ache. If a Silver-Tier was that strong, what was a Gold-Tier? Unlike Chitin, these summons had multiple awakening skills. A high-level summoner really was a one-man army.
"I need to step it up," Ash resolved.
He opened his inventory and pulled out two Professional Skill Tomes he’d been saving.
[Notification: Attack Range +10 meters]
[Notification: Armorpiercer leveled to Rank 2 (Damage +20%)]
His range was now 60 meters—unheard of for an archer at his level.
The tide of battle shifted again as the guild’s heavy hitters returned from the wastes. Caden Marlowe took command.
"Clearance operations are commencing. Survival-specced players follow Rex Ward. We’re purging everything within a five-mile radius."
Ash sighed. He was a glass cannon. One hit from a Level 60 boss and he’d be a red smudge on the grass. He was stuck on the wall.
"Ash! Stop daydreaming!"
He looked up to see Zane hovering overhead on the giant eagle.
"Jump on. Let's go leech some XP."
Ash didn't hesitate. He scrambled onto the eagle’s broad back. "Thanks, Zane."
"Don't mention it. Your attack power is almost catching up to my Ranger."
Ash looked at the Skeleton Ranger’s stats and then his own. "I'm still a long way off."
"Eh, you're Level 38. For a solo hunter, you're a freak," Zane laughed. "Now, I’m going to teach you how the pros level up. Open the Exchange. Buy ten thousand Arcane Grenades."
"Ten thousand? That's ten gold."
"Do it. Then follow me. We fly over the densest clusters and just... drop them. Don't worry about the cost. Level 40 mobs drop enough silver to cover the overhead. It’s a self-sustaining cycle of violence."
Ash tried it over a nest of Dread Widows. One bundle of grenades cleared the pit. Between the silver drops and the loot, he actually made a profit.
"Holy sht," Ash whispered.
"Right? When the big boys move out, we hover high, stay out of aggro range, and rain hell. My Ranger snipes the survivors. It’s the ultimate coward's strat."
"Zane, I think we're going to go far," Ash grinned.
For the next few hours, the sky rained fire. Ash borrowed another hundred gold from a teammate to buy a stockpile of 100,000 grenades. He was a carpet bomber now.
By the time Rex Ward’s ground team reached the first objective, Ash had hit Level 39. He dumped all five free points into Agility.
Below them, Rex’s team of Level 50s was surrounded by a sea of monsters, but they moved like a hot knife through butter.
"First target," Zane pointed. "Undying Dire Ape."
[Undying Dire Ape (Silver-Tier)]
Level: 60 | HP: 860,000 | DEF: 7,200
"Zane, my damage drops to maybe a thousand per hit against that defense," Ash warned.
"Doesn't matter. As long as you tag it, the team contribution XP is massive. You'll be last on the leaderboard, but who cares? The ape has no anti-air. It’s a literal punching bag for us."
Zane adjusted his mount's altitude. "We’ll wait until it hits 1% HP, then we dump ten thousand grenades and every arrow we have. If we time it right, we might just steal the Kill Count from the guild leaders."