The voices from the entrance caught Kael completely by surprise.

  How? he wondered. Those three illusions should have kept Serpent's Coil running in circles for hours. How did they get here so fast?

  He and Orion exchanged a look of disbelief. Orion glanced from the boss’s corpse to the staircase.

  "Boss, you grab the loot and check that chest. I'll go buy us some time at the entrance."

  Before Kael could object, Orion was already sprinting toward the narrow passage. Wasting no time, Kael scooped up everything the Arctic Phantomfox had dropped. A quick scan of his inventory revealed an impressive haul: three pieces of level 25 legendary gear and a variety of rare crafting materials. But it was a single skill book that made his eyes light up.

  [Mirror Image]

  Description: Create 2 clones of yourself. Each clone inherits 50% of your primary stats (HP, Attack, etc.). Clones cannot use active skills but inherit 100% of your on-hit attack effects. Duration: 180 seconds. Cooldown: 20 seconds.

  Skill Points Cost: 5

  Class Requirement: Strength or Agility based

  Stat Requirement: 120 Strength, 200 Agility

  They’d actually looted the boss’s signature ability. Kael’s current attack power was 8,400; 50% of that was still over 4,000 per clone.

  But the real power lay in the fine print: 100% inheritance of attack effects. That meant his triple damage criticals and his Pierce passive would apply to the clones’ attacks. This was a game-breaking skill, well worth its five-point cost.

  As for the stat requirements, Kael barely gave them a second thought. A typical player, allocating their points at a 4:1 Agility to Strength ratio, might hit those numbers around level 50. But the 200 all-stats bonus from Kael’s title alone made the requirement child's play.

  He crushed the book in his hand, and a notification appeared.

  System: You have learned [Mirror Image].

  Without hesitation, Kael activated the skill. His body blurred and vanished. Half a second later, three identical "Dawnbreakers" stood in its place.

  The two clones weren't static statues; they had their own idle animations. One was scanning the cavern, while the other fiddled with its bowstring. If Kael wasn't the one controlling them, even he wouldn't be able to tell them apart. The illusion was perfect.

  He dispatched the two clones to the entrance and set their behavior to attack-on-sight. Then, Kael himself walked toward the treasure chest at the far end of the chamber.

  This chest was completely different from the one on the floor above. That one had been large and imposing, with the rough, practical design of a military footlocker. The chest before him now was small and delicate, no larger than a jewelry box, its surface covered in exquisite filigree.

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  Kael reached out to open it, but as his fingers brushed the lid, a system notification popped up.

  System: You have obtained [Faelan's Box].

  Kael blinked. He’d opened countless chests, but he could count on one hand the number of times he’d been able to just pick the whole thing up.

  Before he could inspect the box, a series of bloodcurdling screams echoed from behind him, accompanied by a rapid-fire cascade of system messages.

  System: You have killed the player [Seaspray]. Your Infamy Score has increased by 1.

  System: You have killed the player [Tidewatcher]. Your Infamy Score has increased by 1.

  …

  Kael quickly stowed the box in his inventory and rushed to the entrance. Peering up the narrow staircase, he saw a crowd of players holding torches, making their way down into the cavern.

  They were met with a storm of arrows.

  -2194

  -3215 (Pierce)

  -9939 (Critical)

  -3020 (Silkbind Shot)

  …

  The few who survived the initial volley froze, staring in horror at the scene below.

  "How are there two of him?!"

  "Which one is the real Dawnbreaker?"

  "The one on the left! Get the one on the left!"

  "No, it's the one on the right!"

  "They're both real!"

  "Aaargh—!"

  Kael’s two clones were acting as merciless executioners, mowing down the Serpent’s Coil members as they descended. The tanks, with four or five thousand HP, could sometimes survive one or two hits. The rest were not so lucky, dropping in a single shot. Players who tried to hide behind their tanks were promptly skewered by the Pierce passive. In less than a minute, over forty players had fallen to Kael’s clones.

  Outside the entrance, Caleb Mordant’s face grew grim as the death notifications flooded his guild chat. "Stop! Everyone, halt!" he roared.

  The players froze, looking to their guild leader for orders.

  "All Protection Warriors, Druids, Paladins, and any other tanks, get to the front! Form a spearhead!"

  It took five minutes of chaotic shuffling, but eventually, the guild’s sturdiest players were positioned at the front of the line.

  "Alright," Caleb continued, his voice low and intense. "Listen carefully to my command…"

  Down below, the assault had ceased. Kael knew they were regrouping and strategizing. He wasn't worried. Let them come. He would adapt.

  Feeling a bit bored, he began to wander around the chamber. Orion came up beside him.

  "Boss, are you looking for the exit?"

  Kael shook his head. "Seeing if there are any other chests."

  "What about those guys outside?" Orion asked, the anxiety clear in his voice. "I have a Town Portal Scroll… I've been saving it. Maybe you should use it to get out of here."

  Orion held out a scroll. Kael was taken aback. Town Portal Scrolls were exceedingly rare; they couldn't be bought in shops and were only available through special quest rewards. He didn't even have one himself. He hesitated for a moment, then took it.

  "Alright. Then this is for you. From the boss."

  Kael initiated a trade, giving Orion five types of crafting materials and a level 25 Legendary ring with an intelligence bonus. There was a stack of Fox Hide, some bundles of Fox Fur, and several vials of Fox Blood.

  Orion's face lit up. "This quality of fur is perfect for making a Runic Brush! And the fox blood will be amazing for empowering my sigils! And this ring is…"

  Kael let him ramble, continuing his search of the cavern. Suddenly, a new notification appeared.

  System: You have detected a key to an [Apollo Hidden Realm] nearby.

  A jolt of excitement ran through him. When he'd acquired the Divine Archer legacy, he had gained a passive skill called Sense Hidden Realms. This was the first time it had ever triggered.

  He searched meticulously, finally spotting a tiny, almost invisible hole in the wall. It had to be a keyhole. Kael took out his lockpicking tools.

  System: You have discovered a hidden lock requiring [Grandmaster] Lockpicking skill. Do you wish to open it?

  "Yes."

  A stone brick slid out from the wall, revealing a compartment. Inside rested a green scroll. Kael quickly snatched it up.

  System: You have obtained the Hidden Realm Scroll: Land of the Behemoth.

  Kael’s excitement gave way to a healthy dose of apprehension. A Behemoth? That’s a primal beast… Am I strong enough to take that on?