Kael had been saving Phantom Barrage throughout the entire Frost Giant fight, waiting for this exact moment. Years of gaming experience had taught him that enemies tend to strike when you're at your most vulnerable.
The moment he’d been stunned by the giant’s ice ball, his first instinct had been to tell Orion to use Effigy of Substitution to intercept the boss. The goal had been to save the Blink skill on his Warp Emblem.
So, when the ambush finally came, he was able to instantly unleash Phantom Barrage and then immediately Blink to the side.
“Dammit, we were so close!” Caleb Mordant cursed, filled with regret. “I should have waited for the assassins to get in melee range before attacking.”
“Haha, so naive,” Kael laughed. “You know why I didn't pop a potion right away?”
The question sent a chill down Caleb’s spine. “You… you did it on purpose?”
“What do you think?” Kael replied. “To bait you out, I even took a few steps closer to the entrance.”
Hearing that he’d walked right into a trap, Caleb started grinding his teeth. “Weren’t you afraid you’d miscalculate and get focused down by us?”
“Hah.” Kael let out a contemptuous laugh.
Just then, the Frost Giant broke free from the effigy’s taunt and charged straight for Kael again. Kael calmly fired a Double Shot, triggering Silkbind Shot and rooting it in place.
Seeing this, Caleb immediately rallied his eight remaining players to swarm Kael. “Don’t think you’ve won just because you wiped half our team! Let’s see you handle the boss while eight of us are on you!”
With that, Caleb ordered his men to spread out. It was a classic pincer move. If Kael attacked them, he’d lose control of the boss. If he ignored them, he was a sitting duck. A confident smile crept back on Caleb’s face. So what if you were prepared? My plan still works.
“Forget the boss!” he shouted to his team. “Focus Dawnbreaker! Make him drop that Ascendant weapon!”
Kael just smiled. “Looks like you really don’t know much about me, do you?”
“Keep talking. Famous last words,” Caleb shot back, but a nagging feeling of dread began to surface.
Kael drew his bow and fired a single normal attack at the boss. It didn't trigger Silkbind Shot, and the giant continued its charge. But then Caleb witnessed something bizarre: two arrows split off from Kael's main shot, curving in mid-air to strike two of his teammates.
“Watch out!” Caleb yelled, but it was too late.
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The Splintering Arrows found their marks. Neither was a critical hit, but against normal players, it was more than enough.
They were dead.
Kael continued to reposition, casually strafing closer to the Serpent’s Coil members. Splintering Arrow was a brokenly powerful skill; it automatically targeted any enemies within Kael’s line of sight and attack range. With every adjustment he made to kite the giant, two more players dropped dead.
In less than a minute, seven more members of Serpent’s Coil were gone, leaving only Caleb Mordant.
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With a roar of fury, Caleb charged from behind, raising his greatsword. “I’ll kill you myself!”
A heavy Sundering Blow hit Kael squarely in the head.
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Kael didn’t even flinch, absorbing the full force of the attack. He turned to face Caleb, a mocking look in his eyes. “Well, not bad. You’re even a special class. A Blademaster.”
Caleb didn’t hesitate, immediately following up with a two-hit combo.
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Kael’s health dropped by half. He raised his bow, aimed it right at Caleb’s forehead, and smiled. “By the way, I heard the Blackheart Legacy treasure contains a secret manual called the [Phantom Blade Dance]. A shame you won’t be getting it.”
He released the string. The arrow flew true, embedding itself in Caleb’s head.
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As his body dissolved into light, Caleb Mordant’s eyes were filled with rage and utter regret.
***
Frostfall Ridge, Safe Zone.
“DAWNBREAKER! I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!” A savage roar echoed through the town square.
Caleb Mordant had respawned. He’d been lucky enough to unlock the Blademaster class, and his master had given him a Treasure Map, saying it would lead to something he desired. He never knew what it was.
But now, thanks to Dawnbreaker’s taunt, he knew: it was the legendary [Phantom Blade Dance].
The fury boiling inside Caleb was indescribable.
“Boss, what now?” one of his guild members asked, having just respawned himself.
Caleb stared in the direction of Blackheart Grotto, his jaw clenched. “Get everyone online. We’re massing the entire guild. We’re storming that grotto! He dares to steal treasure on my turf? I’ll make sure he gets in, but never gets out!”
Back in the grotto, Kael finished off the Frost Giant's remaining health.
[System: Congratulations, you have killed the Frost Giant. You gain 1,000,000 EXP.]
[System: Lucky Bonus Triggered! You gain an additional 1,000,000 EXP.]
Kael checked his upgraded experience: Level 23 (88 million / 120 million). He shook his head with a sigh and went to collect the loot. The boss had dropped three level 25 items: two blues and one purple.
“As the archives foretold! Boss, you’re incredible! You soloed the boss and wiped out twenty-plus chumps!” Orion popped out from his hiding spot and started laying on the flattery thick. “Those guys were idiots for messing with you. They really had a death wish!”
Kael ignored him and shared the boss’s material drops. “See if there’s anything you want.”
“As the archives foretold, let me see.” Orion looked through the list, picking out two items. “This [Frostcrystal Shard] is nice, I can use it to make ice-aspected sigils. Ooh, and these three batches of [Glacial Cinnabar] will be great for inscribing. They should add special effects.”
Kael tossed the rest of the materials into his bag.
“Boss,” Orion said, tapping Kael’s shoulder and pointing at the three chests. “What about those? My Lockpicking isn't high enough.”
Kael smiled. He stood up and led Orion over to the chests. Crouching down, he ran a hand over the lid of one. “These three chests are the Blackheart Legacy. That middle one should hold the [Phantom Blade Dance].
Orion was stunned. “This is it? I thought there’d be another, deeper cave.”
Kael just nodded. He pulled a set of Lockpicking tools from his pack and inserted them into the keyhole of the chest on the right. In just a minute, the lock clicked open.
[System: You have used your [Journeyman] Lockpicking skill to open the chest.]
They looked inside and saw it was filled with gold and jewels. Kael reached in, and a system prompt appeared.
[System: You have received a large amount of treasure. Converted to gold: 1000g.]
[System: Lucky Bonus Triggered! You gain an additional 1000g.]
Kael shared the loot log with Orion, whose jaw dropped. “One thousand gold… I don’t even have one gold to my name. This Diviner class is such a money sink.”
Kael chuckled and initiated a trade for 500 gold. Orion immediately cancelled it, waving his hands frantically. “No, no, I didn’t do anything. I don’t deserve that much.”
Kael sent the trade request again. “You earned it. You used your Effigy of Substitution to save me back there. It’s not a freebie.”
Orion scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed. “Well, if you insist…”
Next, Kael opened the chest on the left. This one contained various potions and elixirs: a "Vial of Deadly Venom," a "Potion of Giant's Strength," an "Elixir of Mental Acuity"—over twenty potions in total. This time, Orion only took two elixirs that temporarily boosted his Spirit and Intelligence, which would help him inscribe more powerful sigils later.
Finally, their attention turned to the largest chest in the middle. Kael inserted his tools into the lock. This one was more complex, taking him a full two minutes.
[System: You have used your [Expert] Lockpicking skill to open the chest.]
Kael slowly lifted the heavy lid.
A brilliant white light shot out from inside.
“Whoa…” Orion breathed in awe.
And then, from behind them, a hand reached past them into the chest…
