Vol. 3: Chapter 25
"Actually, it wasn't a total loss for me," Kael said after finishing his tale about Elderbloom Sanctuary. He gestured toward the three massive corpses of the bosses. "When they were killed, my Solar Mantle of Apollo upgraded."
He shared the item's stats with Lila.
[Solar Mantle of Apollo (Seal 1/?? Unlocked)]
Physical Defense: +10,000
Magic Defense: +10,000
Strength: +2,000
Constitution: +2,000
Agility: +2,000
[Power Unbound]: The true power of the Solar Mantle of Apollo is sealed. Defeat other players or powerful monsters to gradually unlock its potential.
[Sacred Aegis]: Generates a shield with 100,000 HP every 2 minutes. Shields do not stack.
[Aegis Retaliation]: Upon taking 5 consecutive hits from the same unit, counter-attack for 200% of your total Attack Power.
[Divine Ward]: Protect 2 allied units, granting them 20,000 bonus defense for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 3 minutes.
The mantle's base stats had doubled, and its three skills had received massive buffs. Seeing this, Lila glanced at the Dragonbane in her hands and murmured, "So this is what happens when a seal is unlocked…"
"The power boost depends on the item's tier," Kael explained. "How are the stats on your Dragonbane?"
Lila quickly showed him.
Kael felt a twinge of disappointment. This Dragonbane was significantly weaker than the one he remembered from his past life. Back then, it had been forged when the average player level was around 50. the materials and craftsmanship available back then were in a different league entirely.
However, in that era, there were many weapons that could compete with Dragonbane. Its appearance now, in an environment with nothing else like it, was a different story. So, while its stats weren't as monstrous as its future counterpart, its early arrival gave it an unparalleled advantage.
Kael checked the timer on his [Apollo's Descent] buff. Less than three minutes remaining. "No time to talk," he said urgently. "I've gotta get back inside before my speed drops."
Lila nodded. She knew the buff was followed by a crippling hour-long debuff. He needed to get back to the village while the skill was still active.
"You go on ahead. I'm going to farm some points."
With that, she hefted Dragonbane and charged into the fleeing mob of monsters.
Kael considered summoning his clone to help, but since his own kills didn't grant points, it would be a complete waste. Ignoring the retreating monsters, he walked against the tide of players and headed back into the village.
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"Hey, Sir Dawnbreaker!"
"Our Fourth Chieftain is back!"
"Awesome!"
Players and NPCs greeted him as he passed. Most were too busy chasing down the last of the WarChief's forces to do more than nod before continuing their pursuit.
Kael arrived at the Chieftain's Hall and found Malcolm standing guard at the entrance.
Malcolm rushed forward. "Fourth Chieftain, you're finally back."
"Are the First and Second Chieftains here?" Kael asked.
Malcolm shook his head. "They're outside the village, holding off the WarChief's elite forces."
That was what Kael had expected. "How is the Third Chieftain? I brought back medicine."
Malcolm's eyes lit up. "You did? That's fantastic! He's in the back room. Healer Isaac has been with him this whole time."
Kael nodded and entered the building. He crossed the main hall and went to the back room, where Healer Isaac was busy mixing a poultice.
"Healer Isaac," Kael said, approaching him. "How is the Third Chieftain holding up?"
Isaac's face broke into a wide, ecstatic grin. "You've returned! Did you make it to Elderbloom Valley?"
Kael nodded. "I did. This should cure him." He handed over the vial Aurelia had given him.
Healer Isaac eagerly took it, uncorked it, and took a sniff. "Yes, no doubt about it," he said joyfully. "This is an incredibly rare restorative elixir. This will definitely save the Third Chieftain."
He clutched the potion and hurried into the inner chamber. A moment later, Kael received a notification.
System: Quest complete! Please see Korbin to receive your reward.
Finally, Kael thought. With no idea when the other Chieftains would return, all he could do was wait.
Just then, the golden light enveloping his body flickered twice and then vanished completely.
System: The power of Apollo has faded. [Apollo's Descent] has expired. You are now Weakened.
Well, that's that, he thought. Can't do anything now. He sighed and logged out.
Though Kael was gone, the game world was still buzzing.
System: Congratulations to Starting Village #16698 for being the second to defeat the Burning Horde! All players in the village will receive one Legendary item.
System: Congratulations to Starting Village #9000 for being the third to defeat the Burning Horde! All players in the village will receive one Epic item.
...
A flood of system announcements scrolled across the server, followed by an explosion of celebration in the world chat. And, inevitably, the supporters of Crimson Bloom and Serpent’s Coil started tearing into each other.
[Crimson Bloom Supporters]:
"LMAO, who was that talking big a second ago, claiming they were taking down the boss?"
"Some rando named Dreadfang, I think."
"He's not a rando, he's the leader of Serpent's Coil!"
"Whoa, the GL of Serpent's Coil? Doesn't he have that broken Sunfire Bell?!"
"Yeah, so why'd they still lose? Did the bell bug out? LOL."
"Hahaha..."
[Serpent’s Coil Supporters]:
"STFU! You think we don't know Crimson Bloom didn't even kill their own boss?"
"For real. They just got carried by that freak Dawnbreaker. Without him, you guys are NOTHING."
[Crimson Bloom Supporters]:
"Cry more. So Serpent's Coil is allowed to use the Sunfire Bell, but we can't have Dawnbreaker? Get real."
"Yeah, let's see you try fighting us face-to-face without your crutch item."
"Lmao, without the bell, Serpent's Coil couldn't even break Hazel's shield."
The Serpent's Coil supporters were furious but had no real comeback. They knew this was their own fault for stalling. If Dreadfang had used the Sunfire Bell earlier, the outcome might have been different.
For today, the Crimson Bloom fans were having their moment of triumph.
But their squabbling was just a small part of the server-wide chatter. As more and more server announcements rolled in, players began to notice a disturbing trend.
System: Starting Village #1235 has failed to repel the Orc invasion. All players have been teleported to the nearest affiliated town.
System: Starting Village #5665 has failed to repel the Orc invasion. All players have been teleported to the nearest affiliated town.
...
When the final result was announced, the players were faced with a stunning reality: the inhabitants of over ten thousand starting villages were now homeless.