Chapter 47: Resurgence of the True Village
"Yes," Rivers said, a small smile playing on his lips. "To you Adventurers, we are the true Novice Village."
Liam blinked in surprise.
Anyone plucked at random from Rivers' group could easily crush the likes of Elder Mayor or Miller the Smith from the previous village. Yet here was Rivers, claiming that they were the ones who truly held the title.
What did that make the other place? A bunch of impostors?
"I know what you’re thinking," Rivers continued, as if reading his mind. "That other Novice Village wasn't a village in the truest sense. They were merely placeholders, filling our roles while we were absent. Now that Eira, the Frost Goddess's Ethereal Form has been destroyed, we are finally free to leave this place and fulfill our duties."
As the words left his mouth, a pillar of light descended from the heavens.
[Server-Wide Broadcast: The true Novice Village is Resurging. The destroyed Novice Village is returning.]
[Server-Wide Broadcast: The true Novice Village is Resurging. The destroyed Novice Village is returning.]
The announcement thundered across the world, instantly throwing the player base into a frenzy.
"What the hell happened?"
"The true Novice Village is resurging? Are you telling me the place we’ve been staying is a fake?"
"Holy sht, does this mean new players are going to get a massive head start? I’m actually jealous."
Conversations erupted everywhere. The emergence of the true Novice Village was a tectonic shift that no one had seen coming.
As Liam watched the village begin to fade from the pocket dimension, a system notification chimed in his ear.
[Ding! You have assisted in the Resurgence of the Novice Village. Rewards: Infamy Points cleared. Title: Sanctuary of Fellowship.]
[Title: Sanctuary of Fellowship (Special)]
[Effect: Regardless of time or location, you may set the Novice Village as your designated respawn point.]
Liam stared at the attribute, a look of bewilderment crossing his face.
On the surface, this title didn't seem powerful at all. It was just a utility for changing one's respawn location. However, as he thought about it, its potential for preventing ganks became clear.
In the mid-to-late stages of the game, once players established Fiefdoms, they could have Inscribers create Town Portal Scrolls and set their respawn points to their own territory. But Fiefdoms weren't invincible. During the era of Fiefdom Wars, enemies could breach a city and camp the Altar of Rebirth, slaughtering the guild’s leadership repeatedly until they were reset to Level 1.
Liam had seen it happen in his past life.
This title effectively neutralized that threat. If Liam ever found himself spawn-camped like he had been back in Blackwind City—unable to break out and unable to fight back—he could simply force a respawn back at the Novice Village.
Still, for his current level of power, this Innate Talent felt a bit redundant.
Preventing spawn-camping?
It felt illogical. With his current strength, it wouldn't be easy for anyone to camp him in the first place. But he shrugged it off. A title was a title; having it didn't hurt.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Liam turned and left. There was nothing left for him here.
Stepping out of the dungeon portal, Liam found himself back in the Royal Palace of the Astral Kingdom.
Only the High Priest stood there waiting. When he saw Liam materialize, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"You... how are you out already?"
Liam gave a casual shrug, a faint smile on his face. "I cleared the dungeon. Naturally, I came out."
"That’s... that’s impossible!" The High Priest’s face went pale with disbelief. "No one has ever returned from that place. How did you do it?"
Liam arched an eyebrow. "How I did it isn't important. What matters is that the challenge is complete."
The High Priest didn't wait for another word. He spun around and shouted toward the hall, "Guards! Come quickly! The Frost Monarch has returned!"
Within minutes, the great hall was crowded. Leona, Tiana, the Grand Chancellor, the Grand Marshal, Queen Fiona, and King Abraham all arrived in short order.
Every one of them was stunned. None of them had truly expected Liam to walk out of that dungeon alive.
"Frost Monarch, you’re back?" Leona gasped, her eyes wide. "Is your infamy gone?"
An irrepressible wave of excitement washed over her face, though she quickly tried to suppress it. She knew she couldn't let it show too clearly; the people in this room were all old foxes who would sniff out any abnormality.
Fiona, meanwhile, looked like she had swallowed a fly. She had been praying for Liam to be trapped in that dungeon forever. Seeing him stand there now sent a shiver of dread down her spine. Not only had he survived, but he also held her secret. If he decided to turn on her for forcing him into that deathtrap, her position would be precarious.
"Your Majesty," Liam said, his voice calm and pleasant. "What now?"
Abraham nodded slowly. "Frost Monarch, you have truly given me a magnificent surprise." He paused, then asked, "Tell me, what reward do you seek?"
"A Divine Awakening Stone," Liam said, getting straight to the point.
Awakening Stones weren't rare, but high-grade ones like Saintly or Divine were crucial for his progression. His Innate Talent was Beyond God-Tier, but because he had only used a Divine Grade stone last time, he had only partially awakened it. He suspected that if he didn't continue with Divine-tier stones, his growth would eventually stall.
Abraham fell into a brief silence. "Frost Monarch, I do possess a Divine Awakening Stone. However, the purpose of that dungeon was to clear your sins. To ask for such a prize on top of that... it is a bit excessive."
Liam frowned. "Then what does Your Majesty consider a fair reward?"
Abraham smiled. "I cannot give you a Divine Grade stone. But if you have need of it, I can grant you one of the Saintly Grade."
Liam’s frown deepened, but he knew he didn't have the leverage to haggle here. He was in the heart of the capital; he took what he could get.
"Fine. Since Your Majesty has spoken, Saintly Grade will suffice."
Abraham waved a hand, and an attendant promptly brought forth a Saintly Grade Awakening Stone. Liam took it and gave a curt nod.
"Your Majesty, My Queen, since my mission is complete, I assume I am free to go?"
"Of course," Abraham laughed.
Liam turned and left without looking back. Now that his Infamy Points were gone, it was time to move on to other matters. As he walked, a series of notifications pinged in his vision.
[Ding! You have completed the Corpse Miasma Vial quest. Rewards: 500 AP, 1x Blessing of the Gods, 1x Instant Rebirth.]
Liam’s eyes lit up. The rewards were incredibly generous.
[Skill: Instant Rebirth (Passive)]
[Rank: Non-Upgradeable]
[Effect: Upon death, you may choose to immediately resurrect on the spot with full HP and MP. If you choose not to use Instant Rebirth, you will respawn at the Altar of Rebirth as normal.]
[Cost: None | Cooldown: None | Mastery: None]
Liam stared at the screen, stunned. Wait, what?
This was essentially a broken, God-tier artifact in skill form. However, a thought occurred to him: Will this still work after Reality Convergence?
Once the game merged with reality, the Fountain Respawn system became a thing of the past. Everyone only had one life. While a Priest’s resurrection skill could still work, the success rate was abysmally low. This skill, however, promised an "Instant Rebirth" without limits.
It was beyond absurd. Even strictly within the game's current mechanics, it was a terrifying advantage.
[Ding! Because you cleared 'Traces of the Frost-Corpse' on Hell Difficulty, you have triggered a follow-up quest: The Resurgence of the Primordial Eastern Empire.]
[Quest Requirement: Bring about the Resurgence of the Primordial Eastern Empire.]
[Penalty: Unknown | Reward: Unknown]
Liam took a deep breath. He would have pursued this path regardless; he had already committed to this storyline.
"Use Blessing of the Gods."
A pillar of light crashed down from the sky. Liam felt a surge of anticipation. Which deity’s blessing would he receive this time? Given his trajectory, he expected someone from the Eastern Realms.
[Ding! You have received the Blessing of the Gods...]
[Ding! The Weaver of Fate is granting you a Divine Blessing...]
Liam froze. The Weaver of Fate?
He didn't know if he wanted anything to do with her. If she gave him some bizarre, esoteric blessing, he’d be beyond frustrated.
[Ding! You have obtained: Crimson Thread of Destiny.]
[Item: Crimson Thread of Destiny (Special)]
[Effect: Bind to one female target (No restriction on Adventurer, NPC, Monster, or Goddess; Gender only). You gain a portion of her Attack Speed and Movement Speed.]
[Current Bound Target: None]
[Durability: 100]
Liam’s eyebrows shot up. When he first saw the name, he’d panicked, thinking it was some kind of romance-related skill. But this?
This was a massive power spike. What did he lack most? Attack Speed and Movement Speed! These two stats were the lifeblood of his build.
While it only allowed for one target—unlike Barney’s Innate Talent which could stack multiple—the raw utility for Liam was immense. And he already had a target in mind.
Leona.
She might not be the strongest entity in the late game, but at this stage, she was a monster. Of course, she was just a placeholder. She wasn't an Archer, and while she was fast, she likely couldn't match a high-level Archer's pure speed. But for now, she was the strongest female NPC he could reliably access.
Liam opened his character panel to survey his progress.
Name: Frost Monarch
Level: 20 (Advancement Pending)
Class: Archer
HP: 3,510,000 / 3,510,000
MP: 450 / 450
Attack: 2,129 | Magic Power: 5
Armor: 3 | Magic Resist: 1
Attack Speed: 12.15 | Move Speed: 14.3
Physical Pen: 0% | Magic Pen: 0%
Special: Life-Steal +5%, Crit Rate +55%
Free Attribute Points: 1000
Luck: Hidden
Guild: The Solitary Snow Guild (6-Star)
Innate Talent: Hand of Heavenly Punishment (Transcendent Grade)
Mark: God-Slayer
Title: Sanctuary of Fellowship
Skills: Rapid Fire (5), Basic Reach (5), Chain Lightning (5), Verdant Rebirth (4), Resurgence (5), Invincible Aegis (1), Death Cycle (2), Void Blink (1), Blood-Thirsty Dragon Scale (4), Glacial Wings (1), Glacial Gaze (1), Dual True Damage (Max), Instant Rebirth (Max).
Equipment: The Ninefold Longbow (Gold), Bloodstained Necklace, Purifying Jade Amulet, The Immaculate Eye, The Tome of Mortality (God-Blessed), The Frost Decree, Tears of the Life Goddess.
His performance in the Frost-Corpse ruins had leveled up several of his skills. More importantly, his guild had ascended from 5-Star to 6-Star.
Rising through the guild ranks was notoriously difficult. Usually, it required the collective effort of thousands of members contributing points. For Liam to push it up a rank on his own was a testament to the dungeon's difficulty.
The jump to 6-Star had granted a new guild-wide buff: +5% Omni-Life-Steal.
For a single player, 5% might seem negligible. But for a guild with hundreds of thousands or millions of players, it was a game-changer. For Liam specifically, it was a godsend. His HP was massive, but his resistances were non-existent. As long as he could Life-Steal fast enough, nothing could kill him.
Stepping out of the palace gates, Liam looked toward the horizon. His infamy was gone. The next item on the agenda was clear: it was time to secure the Divine Grade Hidden Class for the Archer.
He had wondered if he should hold out for a Transcendent Grade Class, given his Innate Talent. But without a guide or a known trigger, finding such a class was harder than reaching the heavens.
Betting on pure luck? Liam shook his head. Based on how often he had to rely on Death Cycle, his luck wasn't that good.
The advance reading chapters on have reached 12chapters. Thank you for reading!
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