MMORPG: Rise of the Strongest Shadow God

Whether Flynn was Starfall or not, Chad knew the truth better than anyone. He had met Starfall once in person at a gaming gathering, and the man he saw that day was definitely not the same person as his friend.

Yet Flynn’s performance in the video was far beyond what any rookie could possibly achieve. At first, Chad had suspected the obvious explanations. Maybe Flynn had somehow gotten hold of hacks, or maybe he had stumbled upon some exploit or hidden bug. But the more Chad replayed the footage in his mind, the less those theories made sense.

Especially those last two bombs.

They had been thrown with flawless timing and terrifying accuracy, landing exactly where they needed to be at the exact moment they needed to explode. That kind of control required skill and instinct, not automation. Hacks could aim, perhaps, but they could not create that level of battlefield awareness. And besides, the game had only just launched. As far as anyone knew, there weren’t any hacks for it yet.

The more Chad thought about it, the more restless he became. It felt as if hundreds of tiny claws were scratching at the inside of his chest, digging deeper with every passing second. His curiosity quickly became unbearable.

In the end he could not hold back any longer.

He said a quick goodbye to his teammates, logged out of the game, and rushed down the hallway toward Flynn’s room. Without hesitation he began hammering the green call button on the side of Flynn’s gaming pod.

Inside the game, Flynn and his team were just preparing to engage another group of trash mobs when the system notified him of an external call. His first reaction was worry. Chad would not normally interrupt him during a dungeon run unless something important had happened.

Flynn immediately logged out.

The pod lid opened, and the moment he stepped out he saw Chad standing there, practically vibrating with anticipation.

"Fatso, what’s going on?" Flynn asked.

"Are you using hacks?" Chad blurted out the instant Flynn appeared.

Flynn stared at him. "Hacks? What are those?"

Chad almost choked on his own saliva.

He waved his hand in frustration and shook his head. Even if hacks somehow existed for this game already, there was no way a complete gaming novice like Flynn could possibly obtain such sophisticated software.

"Then did you find some kind of bug?" Chad pressed.

"No bug!" At least Flynn knew what that word meant.

Chad rubbed his face in disbelief. "Then how are you this good? You told me you’d never played games before."

"I haven’t." Flynn frowned at him. "You dragged me out here just to ask that?"

"Of course I did! Your performance in that video was insane. Those moves were way too clean. You don’t look like a beginner at all. I’m telling you, it either has to be hacks or some kind of bug. Are you absolutely sure it’s neither?"

"I’m not. And if you don’t drop it, I’m kicking you out," Flynn shot back, fed up.

Chad studied him for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Fine. One last question. Can that video be shared?"

Flynn shook his head. "Not yet, I think. My teammates said it’s only for you to see for now. They know you’re an expert, so they trust you not to spread it around."

Chad raised both hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Don’t worry, I won’t leak it." A grin crept onto his face. "Honestly, I might just keep it secret anyway. Wouldn’t want to stir up trouble and end up having to clean up whatever mess you cause."

Flynn did not know whether to laugh or sigh. In the end he simply pushed Chad toward the door and kicked him out of the room.

This guy clearly still did not believe him.

After returning to the game, Let-There-Be-Light and the others immediately asked what had happened. Flynn explained casually, "My friend, Blood-Stained-Boxers, thought I was using hacks."

"Wait, Blood-Stained-Boxers tracked you down in real life? You two live together or something?" Not-A-Bystander went straight for the point.

"Holy crap, breaking news!" Let-There-Be-Light jumped in with a grin. "Blood-Stained-Boxers has a boyfriend now?"

Amy’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she leaned closer. "Two guys?"

"Oh come on," Flynn groaned, rubbing his forehead. "He’s just staying at my place temporarily. Stop exaggerating everything. Let’s finish this dungeon already. I still need to grab some food before bed."

They had started the dungeon run around eight o’clock, and by now nearly three hours had passed.

"Alright everyone," Let-There-Be-Light said, clapping his hands lightly. "Let’s push forward. We still have two Bosses left, so finishing before midnight is going to be tough."

Flynn blinked in surprise. "Wait, two? I thought there was only one Boss left."

"Hell mode works differently from the other two modes," Let-There-Be-Light explained. "After Prince Markel dies, the ghost of Duke Ceylan appears and the story continues. The dungeon only officially ends after Duke Ceylan is defeated."

"Oh," Flynn said slowly. "I thought we were almost done."

"Not even close," Not-A-Bystander replied with a tired chuckle. "We need to try to finish before midnight. Otherwise the Heroic and Hell mode dungeons reset at midnight and our progress disappears. If that happens, everything we’ve done tonight will be wasted."

Flynn considered that for a moment, then looked at the others. "If we can’t finish in time, are you planning to try again after the reset?"

Let-There-Be-Light gave a helpless smile. "If nobody claims the world first before then, we probably will. But Night-Stalker, if you’re not up for staying past midnight, that’s completely understandable."

He knew it would be unreasonable to expect Flynn to keep playing indefinitely if the dungeon reset.

Flynn opened the dungeon leaderboard to take a look. The team currently ranked first was led by a player named Ripple, but their progress was also stuck at Prince Markel. They had not managed to defeat him either.

After thinking for a moment, Flynn spoke up.

"If you guys don’t mind, how about we stop for now? Everyone can take a break, grab something to eat, maybe even get some sleep. If nobody has cleared Duke Ceylan within the next two hours, we meet back here at 11:55 and start again after the reset."

Let-There-Be-Light hesitated.

Duke Ceylan would not be easy to defeat. Players had been challenging Hell mode since yesterday evening, but even now no team had managed to get past Prince Markel. The difficulty level was extremely high. Many top players had already withdrawn to focus on leveling up and improving their gear before attempting it again.

Not-A-Bystander also frowned thoughtfully. "That’s risky. If another team clears Duke Ceylan while we’re resting, all our effort tonight will be wasted."

Flynn shrugged. "I’m just suggesting it. But realistically, beating Duke Ceylan tonight won’t be easy for anyone."

Let-There-Be-Light slowly scanned the group.

Aside from Flynn, everyone else was clearly showing signs of fatigue. Virtual games were immersive, and during casual play the strain was hardly noticeable. But intense dungeon runs and Boss battles required constant concentration, and over several hours that mental pressure built up quickly. A short rest could easily restore their focus, but pushing forward while exhausted would dramatically increase the chance of mistakes.

Finally his gaze returned to Flynn.

Seeing the calm confidence on Flynn’s face, Let-There-Be-Light gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"Alright," he said quietly. "Let’s gamble. We’ll bet that nobody clears Duke Ceylan tonight. For now we’ll push forward to Prince Markel, observe his abilities, then everyone logs off to rest and eat. We meet back here at 11:55 sharp."

Flynn shook his head.

"No need to fight the Prince right now. I can ask my friend later and get some information. I’m guessing he’ll be at the Prince’s chamber around that time."

Let-There-Be-Light thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright then. Everyone rest up."

A collective sigh of relief spread through the group as they logged out one after another. They made sure to remain near the dungeon entrance before exiting the game; otherwise, if the dungeon reset at midnight, they would waste precious time running all the way back.

Soon Flynn was the only one left inside the dungeon.

He was just about to log off as well when his eyes drifted toward the corner of the chamber where Gaimer, the Sword Master, had appeared earlier. A thought suddenly crossed his mind, and without really thinking about it he walked over.

There was a hidden door in the wall.

When Gaimer had emerged earlier, the door had quietly closed behind him. The others had not noticed anything unusual, but Flynn had paid close attention to Gaimer’s words. The Sword Master had clearly implied that he had been interrogating a prisoner before coming out.

That meant someone was being held here.

Who could it be? And could it possibly be connected to the quest Mia had given him?

Curiosity pushed Flynn forward. He ran his hand slowly along the wall, searching for any mechanism. When his fingers brushed against an oil lamp mounted on the wall, he felt it shift slightly.

With a soft click, the hidden door swung open.

Behind it was a long, narrow passage. A steep staircase descended into darkness, and a heavy metallic smell drifted up from below.

The scent of blood.

Flynn frowned slightly. For a smell that strong to accumulate, a lot of blood must have been spilled here.

He activated Stealth and quietly stepped inside, descending the narrow staircase. At the end of the passage stood two heavily armored guards, one on each side of the corridor. Their presence alone radiated a dangerous aura.

Flynn immediately judged the situation. Even in a one-on-one fight, defeating one of them would not be easy, and facing both at once would almost certainly end badly.

Remaining in Stealth, he carefully slipped between them.

However, as he passed by, both guards suddenly turned their heads slightly toward the space where Flynn had just moved. Their brows furrowed as if sensing something unusual.

Flynn held his breath and continued walking without stopping.

After a few tense seconds he moved past them completely. The guards eventually returned to their original positions, standing motionless once again.

Only then did Flynn allow himself to exhale quietly.

These monsters were truly troublesome. Even Stealth was not completely reliable against them.

Beyond the guards was a hidden chamber.

The room resembled a prison cell. Various torture devices hung from the stone walls, their metal surfaces stained dark with old blood. A thin layer of straw covered the floor, and in one corner several shattered skeletons were piled together like discarded trash. Small gray rats darted through the straw, their shrill squeaks echoing faintly in the confined space.

At the far end of the room stood a crude wooden crucifix.

A tall, emaciated man was bound to it.

His head hung limply forward, his long hair matted with dried blood. His bare body was covered with deep wounds, some freshly opened and still dripping onto the floor below.

The moment Flynn saw the name above the man’s head, his eyes widened.

[Edruson.]

"So it really is him," Flynn muttered silently, struggling to contain his excitement. "My quest finally has a lead."

This quest had proven far more complicated than he expected. Not only had he needed to pass through the first three Bosses of the dungeon, but if he had not discovered this hidden door, even clearing the entire dungeon would have accomplished nothing.

However, finding Edruson immediately raised another problem.

Flynn was alone.

He had no confidence that he could defeat the two armored guards outside. And if he could not deal with them, how was he supposed to rescue Edruson?

Just as Flynn was hesitating, the bound man suddenly lifted his head.

His gaunt face showed clear surprise, and his eyes fixed directly on the corner where Flynn was hiding.

"Is someone there?" he whispered hoarsely. "Are you a fellow Rogue from the Guild?"

Flynn froze in shock.

Edruson could sense him even from that distance?

"Don’t panic," Edruson continued quietly. "I can feel the disturbance in the air around you. I am a Rogue as well. Young Rogue, if you can hear me, help me retrieve my gear. Once I have it, I can leave this place."

Flynn’s surprise quickly turned into excitement.

If Edruson spoke with such confidence, then it meant he believed he could escape once properly equipped. Considering he was Mia’s mentor, his strength must be extraordinary. Perhaps defeating those two guards would not be a problem for him.

Moving carefully, Flynn began searching the secret room.

Since Edruson had been imprisoned here, his equipment could not have been taken very far. After a short search, Flynn began discovering scattered pieces of gear hidden in inconspicuous corners of the chamber.