MMORPG: Rise of the Strongest Shadow God

Karvis turned out to be a man of his word. The moment the ore was safely in his possession, he produced a neatly written list detailing six townspeople who had moved to Knightly Town within the last three years. All of them had taken up mining as a way to support themselves. The parchment was thorough to an almost unsettling degree, listing addresses, family members, and short personal profiles alongside each name.

Flynn read through it twice, memorizing every detail. Of the six, three had arrived with families in tow. Two others lived alone, but one of them was a young man who had not even married yet, far too young to be Bass. That narrowed it down to two real suspects: a solitary, heavily built miner and a pair of men who claimed to be brothers.

Karvis leaned closer, lowering his voice as if he were sharing a secret. "Those two say they’re brothers, Spart and Mort, but I don’t buy it. Not for a second. Spart looks like a walking slab of stone, all muscle and old scars. Trouble follows men like that. But Mort?" Karvis snorted softly. "Soft-spoken, always smiling, skin so pale you’d think he’s never seen the sun. Spends most of his time wandering around town instead of working."

Flynn nodded slowly. Based on that description alone, he already had a strong suspicion, but he needed certainty before making a move.

With his part of the deal fulfilled, Karvis wasted no time excusing himself. Military orders were piling up, and he could not afford delays. Failing to meet a contract meant a fine large enough to erase half a year’s profits. If it were not for the two glasses of Iron-Snake Gall Wine Flynn had promised earlier, Karvis would never have stepped away from his forge at all.

After Karvis left, Flynn noticed that Chad had logged back in and immediately sent a message.

The guy actually managed to get drunk in a video game. That’s got to be some kind of record.

A moment later, Chad opened a voice channel, sounding as carefree as ever, completely unaware that Flynn had spent the previous night reading through his less-than-glorious history. "Hey, Flynn. You got any good business for your favorite sidekick?"

Flynn laughed. "Actually, I do. How much tungsten and silver does your guild have in stock?"

He remembered what Big-Mountain had said before. The limited supply of rare ore in Moster City was almost entirely monopolized by the major guilds. Iron-Blooded Academy was one of the strongest factions in the city. If anyone had reserves, it would be them. And since demand had not peaked yet, they were probably sitting on it instead of selling low.

Chad perked up immediately. "Why? Last I checked, we had around ten stacks of each. Still pretty rare. We don’t need much for current gear, so we’ve been holding onto it."

"Only ten?" Flynn muttered, unable to hide his disappointment. He had scavenged nearly three stacks on his own. A guild of that size only having twenty stacks total felt absurd.

Chad sounded mildly offended. "You think this stuff grows on trees? Every guild in the city is fighting over it. The second a merchant restocks, it’s gone. We’ve got guys camping vendors in shifts just to secure what we have. Night-Song doesn’t even have ten stacks total yet. Why? You need some? I can pull a few stacks if you’re desperate."

"I don’t need it personally," Flynn said after a pause. "But twenty stacks should be enough. Listen, the class mentors in the city are starting to give out special quests. They need tungsten and silver. If you negotiate properly, you can trade it for Bronze-grade recipes."

He sent over the schematics he had obtained. "These are what I got from two different engineering mentors."

There was a brief silence before Chad sucked in a breath. "Not bad? These are insane. The blasting powder, sure, that depends on how good the explosion actually is. But this rifle schematic..." His voice climbed with excitement. "Level twenty-five military grade? The stats are basically Silver-tier."

"But can anyone even use rifles?" Flynn asked.

"Yeah," Chad replied. "A lot of classes can equip them. Even a Rogue like you could hold one, but your damage would be awful, just base weapon stats. There’s really only one class that can use rifles properly. Hunters."

"Hunter?" Flynn frowned. "That wasn’t on the starting class list."

"It’s a specialization," Chad explained. "An advanced path for Rangers. Only high-performing Rangers can take the certification trial from their mentor. Pass it, and you become a Hunter. It’s not a starting class, so it’s not listed in the basic manual, but the info’s buried in the advanced lore."

That finally clicked. Flynn remembered NPCs in the starter zone being called hunters and assumed it was just flavor text. "Is the trial hard? Do Rogues have anything like that?"

"Haven’t heard of one for Rogues yet. Not every class gets a specialization. As for the Hunter trial, it’s tough, but not impossible. Someone at Amy’s level could probably pass. The real reason you don’t see Hunters yet is because no one’s high enough level. Once players hit level twenty and start choosing specialization paths, they’ll start popping up everywhere."

Specialization paths were essentially class evolutions, branching roles that reshaped how a class functioned entirely.

Flynn thought about it briefly. "If Amy can pass it, it can’t be that bad."

"Hey," Chad protested. "I said not impossible, not easy. She’s solid. Not elite, but well above average."

"Oh? I didn’t realize she was that good," Flynn said, genuinely surprised.

Chad laughed. "To someone like you, even Sun-King probably looks average."

"Sun-King?" Flynn’s expression sharpened. The name stirred old memories from the starter zone. Sun-King had been the only player who noticed him while he was in stealth. "He’s skilled."

Chad paused. "You know him?"

"Met him once. We tested each other."

"And?" Chad asked eagerly. "Don’t tell me he crushed you."

"It was a draw," Flynn said lightly.

"No way. Has he really gotten that soft?"

"He hasn’t. I’m just better."

Chad snorted and sent a rude emoji. "Sure you are. Anyway, how did things go with Misty Rain? What’s their offer?"

"Jingle interrupted us yesterday. We didn’t finish. She hasn’t contacted me today."

Chad went quiet for a moment, then spoke carefully. "Just be cautious. Don’t trust her too much."

"I know," Flynn replied, smiling faintly. He didn’t mention that he already knew the history between them. That conversation could wait.

"I’m going to get people moving on those quests," Chad said, sounding casual as he logged off. "And don’t underestimate Sun-King. He’s top ten on the Asian server for a reason."

Flynn stayed seated in the tavern for a while after that. He had expected Misty Rain to reach out earlier, but it was already past ten in the morning. He wondered what kind of angle she was playing.

Right on cue, a notification chimed. Flynn chuckled as he opened it. "Speak of the devil."

The message read: "Night-Stalker, do you have a moment?"

"I’ve got plenty of time," he replied. "Been waiting all morning. Didn’t think you’d log in this late."

She sent back a smiling emoji. "Sorry. Had some things to handle. Where are you? I’ll come to you so we can finish discussing the True-Sight Crystal."

"Iron-Fang Tavern, Knightly Town."

Flynn closed the chat, his smile turning cold. Logging in late, acting busy, trying to project confidence. She was setting the stage to make it look like her guild was not desperate. It was a familiar tactic. Flynn did not care about the price, though. He was more interested in her reaction to what he intended to do.

Not long after, Misty Rain appeared at the tavern entrance. Her gaze swept the room before settling on Flynn. She walked over, wearing a soft, polished smile. "Hello, Night-Stalker."

"Hey," Flynn said, nodding toward the chair across from him. "Sit. Want a drink?"

She ordered juice and studied him quietly. "What brings you to Knightly Town? Back to the mines? If you want to farm ore, I can have people clear out an area for you. No one will bother you."

"No need," Flynn replied as he stood, brushing imaginary dust from his clothes. "Just here on a quest. Enjoy your drink. I’ve got somewhere to be."

She froze, glass halfway to her lips. "Wait. Aren’t we here to talk about the crystal?"

"The crystal?" Flynn shrugged. "You’re not in a hurry. Neither am I. We can talk later."

He turned to leave.

Panic flashed across her face. Not in a rush? The guild was bleeding without the True-Sight Crystal. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his arm. "No. You can’t go yet."

The words came out sharper and more emotional than she intended. Her face flushed red as the implication settled in.