Chapter 38: Ambush and Royal Summons
Next came the tally of the first-clear rewards.
Ding! You have received Skill Tome x42.
Ding! You have received Gear x65.
Ding! You have received Gold Sovereigns +2,200.
Ding! You have received Dragon Gall x1.
Ding! You have received...
A rapid string of system notifications chimed in his ears.
For Liam, it was another massive windfall. He didn't even bother looking at the gear; the level requirements were far beyond him for now. He turned his attention to the Skill Tomes, though even that gave him a slight headache. Upon reaching the Capital City, skills and equipment became much more specialized. The requirements for learning and equipping them were significantly stricter than back in the Novice Village.
However, as the player who secured the dungeon’s first clear, he enjoyed a few special perks. For instance, the Blood-Thirsty Dragon Scale skill he’d looted earlier was originally restricted to the Warrior class. But because Liam had cleared the dungeon, that restriction seemed to have vanished. He was actually able to learn it.
"Learn Blood-Thirsty Dragon Scale."
Liam didn’t hesitate for a second.
[Blood-Thirsty Dragon Scale]
Rank: 1 Star-Rank
Effect: 5% of all damage taken is converted into healing to restore your HP.
Cost: None
Cooldown: None
Mastery: 0/1,000
(Note: Mastery is earned at a rate of 10% of the HP restored through this skill.)
Liam’s eyebrows shot up. This was incredible. The Star-Rank would level up in no time. Whenever Liam fought a boss now, he frequently took tens of thousands of points of damage. Even at five percent, that was five hundred healing points per hit—meaning fifty Mastery points per proc.
In other words, ranking this skill up would be effortless.
Of course, that only applied to Liam. For any other player, even a dedicated tank, it wouldn't be so easy. Most tanks between Level 10 and Level 15 had between five to ten thousand HP; only a rare few hit twenty thousand. A player like that simply couldn't survive the kind of sustained, massive damage needed to grind this skill effectively. Even if a tank with fifteen thousand HP took enough damage to empty their bar, they’d gain less than a hundred Mastery.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Liam dumped the loot into his guild warehouse. The 5 Star-Rank guild warehouse was more than spacious enough to hold everything.
He stepped out of the dungeon and checked the time. By his calculations, Barney should be arriving soon.
But at that exact moment, a shadow flickered behind him. A movement skill!
"Launch!"
-295.
The damage wasn't particularly high. As soon as the attacker’s skill connected, they followed up with a triple thrust, knocking Liam into the air and locking him into a "Stunned" state.
Liam’s eyes narrowed. Who was this? Who dared to ambush him?
Before he could process it, a second figure appeared. Just as Liam was about to hit the ground, a hand clamped onto his throat.
Throat Lock!
Following the lock was a devastating Impact Punch, sending Liam flying once more.
"His Tenacity is insane," the player who used the punch muttered, sounding shocked. The knockback effect from his skill hadn't behaved the way it usually did against other players. Still, he didn't slow down, unleashing his next move instantly.
Chain Explosive Fists!
-315.
-312.
-314.
...
A flurry of damage numbers erupted over Liam’s head. He was about to land, but a pillar of flame erupted from beneath his feet, blasting him skyward again.
"Magma Burst... that’s a Level 30 Elemental Mage skill!"
Liam was genuinely surprised. Who was that Mage? To have acquired a Level 30 skill before even completing their first class advancement... they had to have a serious background.
"Stone-Crushing Palm!"
The player in front of Liam struck again, knocking him back mid-air. Beside him, a Warrior wielding a longsword moved in perfect synchronization, striking Liam into a "Suspension" state.
"Ancient Martial Artists!" Liam thought, his eyes glinting.
This Suspension and knockback coordination was remarkably similar to his own Aerial Archery. It wasn't a mechanic built directly into Twilight of the Gods; it was pure, raw combat technique. Melee Aerial Combos were slightly easier to pull off than ranged ones, but they were still far beyond the reach of average players. Honestly, even if the top-tier pros from the major clubs were gathered here, it was unlikely they could pull this off at this stage of the game.
Liam wasn't in a hurry to use his Star-Rank Lunar Purge. Barney hadn't arrived yet anyway, so he decided to let them beat on him for a bit to grind the Mastery for Blood-Thirsty Dragon Scale.
Before Liam could hit the dirt, a fourth attacker appeared. The four of them worked in such perfect harmony that Liam remained suspended in the air, hit by a continuous combo that quickly surpassed a hundred hits.
The higher the Aerial Combo count, the higher the damage. Their basic attacks had started at around three hundred damage, but as the combo built, a single hit was now shaving off over five hundred HP. Because they were timing their strikes to maintain the Suspension rather than attacking all at once, Liam was only taking about a thousand damage per second.
However, Tears of the Life Goddess restored ten thousand HP every second. They literally couldn't hurt him faster than he could heal.
The four attackers noticed this too, but they didn't panic. If a hundred-hit combo wasn't enough, they’d go for a thousand. As long as Liam didn't have a cleanse skill, they were confident they could juggle him until he died.
Liam watched their attack patterns closely, trying to identify which martial arts faction they belonged to. Suddenly, it clicked.
In his past life, there had been a notorious guild.
The Overlord Guild.
Their members relied on exquisite coordination to execute infinite combos. They specialized in sniping high-level players and looting their gear. Under normal circumstances, even with a cleanse skill, a solo player would find it nearly impossible to break their rhythm.
"Dammit, this guy is a freak!" one of them complained. The combo counter had just passed five hundred. Their combined damage per second had broken the five thousand mark.
But did it matter? Not in the slightest.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Barney had arrived. Seeing Liam under fire, he immediately triggered Savage Charge, hurtling toward the person closest to Liam.
Seeing Barney's approach, the Mage’s expression shifted. "Hold the line! I’ll handle the Warrior."
She waved her staff, and a ripple of fire expanded from her body.
Ring of Repulsion!
This skill had a higher priority than Savage Charge, instantly cancelling Barney’s momentum. As his charge broke, three consecutive fireballs screeched toward him. Barney instinctively tried to sidestep, but his movement speed was too low. The Mage had predicted his path the moment the Ring of Repulsion ended, and the fireballs slammed into him with perfect precision.
-288.
-289.
-291.
A string of damage numbers popped up over Barney’s head, but his health bar barely flinched.
"How... how is that possible?!"
They knew Liam was strong, but they never dreamed the Warrior standing next to him would have such a terrifyingly large health pool.
"Retreat!" the Mage barked.
The other three were reluctant. "Kaitlyn, the combo is at five hundred! We can take him!"
"I said retreat!" Her voice turned sharp. She swung her staff, conjuring flames beneath Liam’s feet. The fire carried a slow effect, intended to trap Liam and give her team a chance to escape.
However, they were being naive.
The moment Liam’s feet touched the ground, he raised his bow and fired a single arrow. With that one shot, the entire group was wiped out.
The arrow triggered Chain Lightning. Even the secondary arcs of electricity carried enough power to vaporize them instantly.
"Who were they?" Barney asked, looking stunned.
Liam shook his head. "Not sure yet. Probably bounty hunters after the reward from Demon King Geryon."
As he spoke, Liam picked up the gear the attackers had dropped. "Having this bounty on me is going to be a nuisance. You need to try and kill me."
Liam said "try" because he wasn't entirely sure how much damage Barney could actually put out yet.
"Oh, right. These three Skill Tomes are for you." Liam handed over Unstoppable, Berserk, and Blood-Thirsty Dragon Scale—all of which had dropped from the Blood-Eyed Dragon Turtle.
"You're way too cracked," Barney muttered, staring at the books.
Liam offered a non-committal smile and began unshipping all his equipment. He had to; if he stayed geared up, Barney would never be able to kill him.
"Go ahead."
Barney didn't hesitate. He had already completed his class advancement, choosing the path of a Berserker rather than a Guardian. He figured that since his bond with Liam already gave him massive HP, the smartest move was to go Berserker to make up for his lack of damage. Between that and his three passive skills, he would be virtually invincible.
He swung his sword.
-918.
The damage was decent. He had earned some solid gear from Miller the Smith's quest and had already collected the bounty from Liam’s first "death" in The Astral Kingdom. His attack power was nothing to scoff at.
But the moment the damage landed, green healing numbers popped up over Liam’s head.
+46.
+500.
These were the procs from Blood-Thirsty Dragon Scale and Resurgence. Liam could take off his clothes, but he couldn't "unequip" his passive skills.
"Wait, this is going to take too long," Liam said.
He ran off to find some ordinary Blood-Backed Black Turtles, drawing their aggro until five Blood-Eyed Black Turtles had spawned. He stood there and let them wail on him. As Level 45 Black Iron Bosses, they managed to shave off a third of his health in short order while he remained idle. Once his health dropped to about ten thousand, Liam retreated.
After exiting combat with the turtles, a prepared Barney unleashed everything he had.
-919.
Stone-Crushing Slash!
-1,258.
-1,258.
The skill triggered the Dual Slash passive, doubling the damage. This was why Barney had been able to maintain such an advantage early on. Under Barney's relentless assault, Liam finally collapsed.
Because his Infamy Points were so high, he didn't just die—he was reset all the way back to Level 1.
When he respawned at the Altar of Rebirth, his Infamy Points immediately drew stares. However, the onlookers quickly realized a major problem: the bounty from Demon King Geryon was gone. Liam had already been "claimed."
Without a profit motive, most people lost interest. Harassing Liam now would just be a waste of time.
But while the players were willing to let it slide, the City Guard was not. Not long after Liam stepped off the altar, a squad of armored guards surrounded him.
"Blackwind City does not welcome the wicked. Leave at once!"
Liam raised an eyebrow. He’d fully expected to be exiled upon returning to the Capital City. But just as the guards were moving in, an aged voice cut through the air.
"Step aside."
The captain of the guard frowned. "The City Guard is conducting official business! Clear the way, old man!"
In response, Corvus the Guide reached into his robes and produced a gold medallion.
The moment the guards saw the token, they dropped to their knees in a synchronized clatter of armor. "Greetings, Excellency!"
"I am taking this man with me," Corvus said flatly. Without another word, he led Liam away.
The surrounding players were speechless. In the Capital City, the City Guard held immense authority. They could interfere in almost anything. And yet, today, they had knelt in unison before a stranger who then walked off with Liam.
"What’s going on with Frost Monarch? Where are they taking him?"
"Is he being taken to the gallows because of his Infamy?"
"Doesn't look like it. If I had to guess, he probably triggered some kind of hidden reward."
As the players gossiped, Liam followed Corvus into the Royal Palace.
"You're a smart man," Corvus said quietly. "You should know what to say when you see His Majesty."
"I understand," Liam nodded.
Corvus led him to the exterior of a grand hall. From within, the sounds of clinking glasses and boisterous laughter echoed. Above the din, voices were heard praising Leona.
"Princess Leona’s achievement is truly remarkable! To be so young and have such a benefactor aiding her..."
Then, someone asked, "Princess, might we know the identity of this benefactor? Surely such a hero deserves to be named?"
The NPCs of Twilight of the Gods were highly intelligent. When the Server-Wide Broadcast went out, they knew the person who killed Valerius Geryon wasn't one of their own. According to the laws of this world, only an "Adventurer" could trigger such a message.
"Lord Chancellor, I must keep the benefactor's identity a secret at their request. Please, forgive me," Leona replied gracefully.
At that moment, Chancellor Kaslow chuckled.
"I heard that an Adventurer named Frost Monarch has been making quite a name for himself in our kingdom lately. He seems to be hogging all the Server-Wide Broadcasts."
"It is a pity he is a man of such profound wickedness, with millions of Infamy Points to his name. Otherwise, he might have been a candidate for mentorship."
The Chancellor paused, his tone shifting to a subtle taunt. "Princess Leona, surely it wasn't that villain Frost Monarch who helped you slay Valerius Geryon... was it?"
Leona’s face darkened instantly.
"Chancellor, you are a veteran of the court. Making baseless speculations about things you do not know... is unbecoming!"