MMORPG: Rise of the Strongest Shadow God

Flynn gathered the scattered pieces of equipment from the floor one by one, turning each item over in his hands as he inspected it. Even without seeing the stats, he could tell these were not ordinary pieces of gear. Every single item was silver-grade. As Mia’s mentor, the equipment Edruson used was obviously far from mediocre. If these had been normal drops instead of quest items, Flynn would have happily stuffed them straight into his inventory.

Still, the sight of them lying around the filthy prison cell made him shake his head.

Silver-grade gear, abandoned like garbage. One leather helmet had even become a nest for rats. It was clearly a quirk of the quest system, but from a logical standpoint it still felt absurd.

Suppressing the thought, Flynn quietly gathered the scattered pieces together and slipped them back to Edruson. Once the gear was returned, he moved behind the bound Rogue and pulled out his dagger. With a few careful cuts, he sliced through the ropes binding Edruson’s wrists and ankles.

The moment his dagger struck the ropes, Flynn’s Stealth shattered.

Whenever a Rogue attacked anything, Stealth was immediately broken. The two heavily armored guards stationed at the entrance reacted instantly. Their heads snapped toward him as they roared and charged forward.

"A rat snuck in here!" one guard bellowed. "Damn it, how did we miss him?!"

"Kill him!"

Two massive greatswords came crashing down toward Flynn, the blades surging with violent force.

Before the attack could land, Edruson suddenly shoved Flynn aside.

"Hey, kid," he said calmly, stepping away. "Do me a favor and deal with those two."

Flynn almost choked. "Are you kidding? I can’t kill them. Their defense is insane!"

"Their weak points," Edruson replied without urgency. "Aim for their weak points. Those suits of armor look impressive, but their natural defense isn’t that high. Hold them off for five minutes. Just five minutes, and I’ll recover."

While speaking, he casually stepped to the side and pulled out a small tube filled with green ointment. He began applying the thick substance to his wounds. As soon as it touched his skin, a faint green glow spread across his body and the gruesome injuries began healing at a visible pace.

Flynn’s eyes lit up.

"That’s some good stuff."

This Edruson was a walking treasure chest. Flynn immediately began wondering whether there was some way to get a few of those items out of him later.

Unfortunately, his momentary distraction almost cost him dearly.

A greatsword suddenly swept past his neck, the blade grazing his skin.

"Crap!"

Flynn jumped back in alarm, his heart pounding as he narrowly avoided losing his head. From that moment on he didn’t dare divide his attention. His focus snapped entirely back to the two armored guards advancing on him.

"Weak points, huh? Easy to say," he muttered.

The guards’ armor covered them almost completely. Thick iron plates sealed every part of their bodies. The joints around the neck were protected by flexible layered plating, while even their eyes were shielded by a thin crystal-like film that allowed vision but blocked attacks.

Finding a weakness on opponents like this was far from easy.

The only advantage Flynn could see was their speed. The heavy armor slowed them down significantly, and their sword swings were not particularly fast. That allowed Flynn to dodge their attacks with relative safety. Unfortunately, it also meant that his own attacks could barely harm them. Getting too close was dangerous as well. A single sweep from those enormous swords would end the fight instantly.

"What a pain."

As the two guards swung their massive weapons again, something suddenly flashed through Flynn’s mind.

He glanced at them and grinned.

"Let’s try something. Worth a shot, even if it doesn’t work."

Chuckling under his breath, Flynn began darting around the cell in a deliberately erratic pattern. The two guards followed him relentlessly, each adjusting their position to cut off his movement.

Slowly, almost unconsciously, they drifted farther apart until Flynn stood directly between them.

Estimating the distance carefully, Flynn suddenly stopped.

Both guards immediately charged.

Their greatswords descended at the same time, dark blood-colored energy swirling along the blades. Just before the weapons struck him, Flynn lunged forward and slipped between them.

The two massive swords collided instead.

Thwack!

The impact sent a violent shock through both guards. Two bursts of blood sprayed from their armor, and their health bars dropped sharply.

Flynn did not waste the opportunity. He flashed between them and drove his dagger into a narrow crack in one guard’s armor. A huge damage number burst above the monster’s head.

"It worked!"

Grinning, Flynn rolled away before the guard’s counterattack could reach him. However, when he glanced at the enemy’s health bar again, his excitement faded slightly.

These were elite monsters after all. Even that critical weak-point strike had barely scratched their massive health pools.

"A pity, young man," Edruson said lazily from the side. "You found the weakness, but your attack power is simply too low."

The green glow around him had faded. His wounds had completely vanished, and he now stood fully equipped. His expression looked relaxed and refreshed, as though the torture he had endured earlier had never happened.

With a faint smile, Edruson suddenly disappeared. His voice echoed through the chamber.

"Watch closely."

When he appeared again, he was already behind one of the guards.

His dagger slid neatly into the narrow seam between two armor plates. Beneath the iron plating was only soft leather, and the blade sliced through it effortlessly.

The guard tried to turn and retaliate, but Edruson’s footwork was astonishingly nimble. He stayed glued to the monster’s back like a shadow, never giving it the chance to face him.

The guard’s health plummeted and within seconds it had dropped into the red.

Less than ten seconds later, the elite monster with more than three thousand health let out a pained roar and collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Edruson wiped his blade lightly and chuckled.

"You see? Once their defense is broken, they’re nothing but a big target. Young man, if a giant boulder blocks your path, you go around it. If a mountain stands in your way, then you carve straight through its weakest point. That’s all there is to it."

"Incredible," Flynn said sincerely.

This world operated under rules very different from reality. In the real world, Edruson would undoubtedly be considered a master Assassin. Even so, within this game world there was clearly a great deal Flynn could learn from someone like him.

As he thought about the demonstration he had just seen, inspiration flickered in his mind.

Without hesitation, Flynn slipped behind the remaining guard and attempted to mimic Edruson’s precise dagger thrust.

The armor plates were not fused together. Instead they were connected by layers of leather and small rivets, leaving extremely narrow seams. Normally Flynn would never attempt to strike such a tiny target. Even if he knew the seams existed, landing a precise hit while the enemy was moving was extraordinarily difficult.

But if Edruson could do it, Flynn believed he could as well.

His body clung to the guard’s back like a shadow while his eyes carefully studied the armor. Sure enough, the backplate consisted of many small iron pieces linked together by leather straps and rivets. Without careful observation, those tiny gaps would be nearly impossible to notice.

Once he located the seam, Flynn drove his dagger forward.

Clang!

Sparks burst from the armor.

The blade struck the outer plate instead of the gap, leaving only a faint scratch. The seam had been less than a millimeter away.

That tiny difference ruined the entire attempt.

It was not that Flynn lacked skill. The problem was that his control over his in-game body was still incomplete. His awareness, perception, and the character’s Strength, Agility, and Speed had not yet fully synchronized.

Still, Flynn did not feel discouraged.

He remained glued to the guard’s back and continued searching for another opportunity.

Attempt after attempt followed.

Nine failed strikes.

On the tenth attempt, the dagger finally slipped perfectly into the seam.

The blade cut through the leather beneath the plates, and a burst of blood sprayed out.

"Hey, you did it," Edruson said with mild surprise.

He had leaned casually against the wall and was now watching the fight like an amused spectator, showing no intention of helping further.

Flynn simply smiled without replying.

From that moment on, his dagger became noticeably more precise.

His attack power was nowhere near Edruson’s level, so he could not kill the guard instantly like the man had. Instead, he slowly whittled the monster down, strike by careful strike.

Fortunately, patience was something Flynn had in abundance. Five minutes later, the heavily armored guard finally collapsed.

Because Flynn had almost defeated it alone, the monster dropped a generous pile of silver coins along with a large amount of experience.

Edruson walked over and clapped Flynn on the shoulder.

"Well done, young man. I honestly thought I was going to die in this dungeon. I never imagined someone would find this place."

"Mentor Edruson," Flynn said with a grin, finally having a chance to speak properly. "Mentor Mia heard that you went missing somewhere in this castle. She asked me to come find you."

"Oh, Mia?" Edruson’s expression softened slightly. "So she still remembers this old man. I heard she’s been training new Rogues in some of the starter zones. You must be one of her apprentices."

He chuckled quietly.

"It’s good of her to still think of me. Your quest is complete now, but there’s something else I need your help with."

With that, he casually kicked the corpses of the two armored guards aside and headed up the staircase.

At the same time, a string of system notifications appeared before Flynn’s eyes.

Mia’s quest had been completed.

The massive amount of experience instantly pushed him to level sixteen. Flynn immediately equipped the silver-grade dagger that had dropped from the first Boss earlier, and his attack power jumped noticeably.

He nodded in satisfaction.

When he returned to the main hall, he found Edruson casually wiping blood from his blade while Gaimer’s head rolled across the floor nearby.

"That damned guy," Edruson muttered. "He tortured me quite a bit."

Flynn stared at the corpse in surprise.

"You really held a grudge against him. But Gaimer looked more intimidating than he actually was. His strength didn’t seem that impressive. How did he manage to capture you?"

Although Edruson had only revealed his strength for a few seconds earlier, Flynn could clearly tell that the Rogue mentor was far stronger than the Sword Master.

Edruson slowly raised his head.

His gaze settled on Prince Markel, who stood on the second floor balcony overlooking the hall.

Hatred burned in his eyes.

"Young Rogue," he said coldly, "I need your help. Together, we are going to kill that damned Markel."

Flynn’s heart immediately began pounding.

"So that’s it," he said excitedly. "That’s the real way to kill Markel!"

He clenched his fists, barely containing his excitement.

"Mentor Edruson, it might be difficult for just the two of us. But I have some companions who would definitely be willing to help."

"Of course," Edruson replied calmly. "You can call them. But remember, my reward is only for you. My fortune isn’t large enough to pay an entire mercenary team."

Flynn nodded eagerly. Without hesitation, he opened his friends list.