Chapter 52: The Monarchs Bloody Declaration
It took only fifteen seconds for the Bronze Grade Alpha Twin-Headed Direwolf to fall.
It was a total slaughter, effortless in every way.
[Ding! Your party has achieved the First Clear of "The Blighted Direwolf." A server-wide broadcast is about to begin. Would you like to hide your names?]
"No."
[Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to players Frost Monarch and Barney for achieving the First Clear of "The Blighted Direwolf"! May their victory inspire all players to strive for greatness!]
[Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to players Frost Monarch and Barney for achieving the First Clear of "The Blighted Direwolf"! May their victory inspire all players to strive for greatness!]
......
Elsewhere, Berserk, who was currently leading a team through the Normal Difficulty version of the dungeon, felt his face pale.
"Frost Monarch cleared it already? How is that possible? Did he not choose Hell Difficulty this time?"
After a dungeon’s First Clear, a leaderboard would be established to record the fastest completion times for each difficulty. The shortest time would be engraved upon The Boundary Monolith standing before the dungeon entrance, granting the players massive exposure.
Guilds lived for these records; it was the most effective way to build their reputation. However, most guilds were currently stuck competing over the Normal and Hard versions. Even Nightmare Difficulty was a wall they could barely scale, let alone worrying about their clear times.
In this regard, Liam hadn't really put much pressure on them lately. He usually ignored the Level 10 to Level 30 dungeons, leaving them for the guilds to squabble over. But whenever Liam did step into a dungeon, he invariably chose Hell Difficulty. Because of his usual habits, Berserk had held onto a sliver of hope that he might actually snatch this First Clear.
"The Blade, Frost Monarch probably chose Normal Difficulty," one of his teammates suggested. "There’s no other way he could be this fast."
"Clear the dungeon first," Berserk gritted out. "We’ll know for sure once we’re out."
Relying on his Gold Grade set and a competent team, Berserk managed to clear the dungeon shortly after. The moment they warped out, they sprinted to the records board.
Two names sat at the very top, mocking them.
Frost Monarch, Barney.
Difficulty: Hell Difficulty!!
Berserk and his men sucked in a sharp breath, their eyes bulging.
"The Blade... this... this is..."
Berserk’s pupils dilated as he scrolled to the final clear time. There, in bold letters, it read: Fifty-six seconds!!
"Son of a bitch!"
Berserk felt as if a million stampeding beasts were trampling over his sanity. Liam had achieved First Clears before, but those usually took several minutes, sometimes longer. But this time, against a Level 50 Hell Difficulty dungeon, he had finished it in fifty-six seconds.
"Is it because of this Barney?" Berserk’s expression turned grim. "Find someone to get in touch with this guy. See if there’s any chance we can recruit him."
Meanwhile, Liam and Barney had finished looting the corpses and exited the dungeon.
"Liam, that was insane," Barney said, still buzzing from the speed of the run.
Liam offered a small smile. This First Clear had granted him another 50 AP, bringing his total accumulated AP to 1,200. He reached into his bag and pulled out a Saintly Grade Awakening Stone.
"Barney, give this Awakening Stone to Monty."
Monty’s Innate Talent was also Saintly Grade; once awakened, he would become a powerhouse. Liam remembered Monty’s talent from his past life:
[The Polymath's Grace]
Rank: Saintly Grade (Cannot be upgraded)
Effect 1: All AP gained is multiplied by five (including AP earned prior to awakening).
Effect 2: Assigning AP to any single attribute increases all core attributes (HP, Mana, Armor, Magic Resist, Attack, Ability Power, Attack Speed, Movement Speed, Physical Penetration, and Magic Penetration). This applies retroactively to AP spent before awakening.
These two effects were monstrous. It far outstripped the Game Maven talent, which only granted twenty-five AP per level. While Effect 1 essentially resulted in twenty-five AP per level, it wasn't limited to leveling up. Any AP gained from quests or achievements would also be quintupled.
The fifty AP Liam just earned would have been two hundred and fifty in Monty’s hands.
Furthermore, Effect 2 was the real game-changer. One AP spent was effectively ten AP utilized across all core stats. Combined with the five-times multiplier, the actual value of a single AP point for Monty was fifty times that of a normal player.
Monty would have no weaknesses. He truly lived up to the name "The Polymath." However, the strength of this talent scaled with the total AP earned. If he relied solely on leveling, he would be strong, but not invincible. But if he followed Liam’s lead—hunting achievements and high-reward quests—he would reach godhood.
"Barney, I have several tasks coming up that I can't bring you and Monty along for," Liam explained. "Your attributes are high enough now. Take Monty and start poaching First Clears for other dungeons."
To maximize Monty’s potential, they needed to farm as much AP as possible. In Twilight of the Gods, there were many ways to earn AP, though most quests only gave one to ten points. Only a rare few rewarded dozens or hundreds.
"Got it, Liam," Barney nodded.
After seeing Barney off, Liam began planning the assassination of Corvus the Guide. Corvus’s exact strength was an unknown variable. Moreover, if the attempt failed and Corvus retreated into the safety of The Royal Palace, killing him would become nearly impossible.
Liam needed a lure to draw him out. After a moment of thought, the answer was obvious.
"Black-Wind Stronghold."
Based on the information Liam had gathered, Black-Wind Stronghold was a puppet force under the Queen. If he attacked it, the Queen would undoubtedly dispatch Corvus to handle the situation.
With his decision made, Liam returned to the stronghold. It was only a Level 30 dungeon; with Liam’s current stats, he was a god compared to the last time he was here.
Upon arrival, he was surprised to see another group already laying siege to the gates.
"Misty Snow?"
Liam recognized the leader—it was the Dream-Chaser Guild. They had a team of about thirty players, mostly Level 20. They had all completed their First Advancement and were decently geared. They handled the ordinary bandits with ease, but as soon as the Elite Grade bandits swarmed out, the Dream-Chaser team began to buckle.
Liam watched from the shadows. He knew they were doomed. The bandits of Black-Wind Stronghold didn't play by the rules.
Sure enough, as soon as the first wave of Elites died, dozens more surged out from the gates, led by the Black-Wind Stronghold Second Chieftain.
"Run!" Misty Snow shouted.
Realizing the situation was hopeless, she didn't hesitate. She ordered a retreat to save her team from the penalty of losing levels.
"Hahaha! A pack of cowards! Is that all?" The Second Chieftain roared with laughter.
Liam shook his head. Bully the weak, fear the strong.
Whiz!
An arrow shrieked through the air, burying itself directly between the Second Chieftain’s eyes.
[-420,158! (CRITICAL)]
The massive damage number hovered in the air, freezing the Chieftain’s laughter in his throat. Before he could even process the shock, Liam’s second arrow arrived.
With an Attack Speed of twelve arrows per second, the Second Chieftain didn't even have time to scream before he collapsed into pixels. Liam continued his barrage, his fingers a blur. Not a single Elite bandit could withstand his output; they fell like wheat before a scythe.
Once the area was cleared, Liam strolled toward the stronghold. Inside, the halls were once again empty.
"Fast runners," Liam muttered.
He had intentionally slowed his pace, giving the Great Chieftain enough time to flee and report back. He wasn't here to wipe out the stronghold; he was here to use it as a signal fire.
He walked into the warehouse. As expected, it was stocked with standard-issue weapons. The stats were mediocre—only useful as transitional gear for new players arriving in the Capital City—but every bit helped. He swept everything into the guild warehouse.
Then, he sat down and waited.
He didn't have to wait long. The person he was expecting finally appeared.
Corvus the Guide.
"Frost Monarch," Corvus said, walking forward with a measured, calm pace. "I understand you are frustrated that the Queen sent you into the Ruins of the Frost-Corpse. We can negotiate. Coming here to vent your anger on a mere outpost is... beneath you."
"I wouldn't call it venting," Liam replied with a thin smile. "I'm a player. Clearing an open-world map is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
"Let us not play games. Tell me what you want."
Liam nodded. "Since you’re being direct, Corvus, I won’t beat around the bush. I helped you out of the goodness of my heart, and you lot tried to set me up. It wouldn't be right if I didn't get some compensation for my trouble."
Even though he had promised Tiana he would kill Corvus, there was no reason he couldn't squeeze the man for resources first.
"What do you want?" Corvus asked, his voice low.
"Give me a piece of Unique Gear. Ideally something with Life-Steal," Liam said.
Corvus shook his head. "Unrealistic. Ask for something I can actually give."
"Fine. What’s 'realistic' to you?"
"Fifty AP?"
Liam scoffed. "I get that much from a single First Clear. Three hundred."
"Impossible," Corvus’s expression darkened. "One hundred. If you refuse, then keep the stronghold. I don't believe you can stand guard here forever."
"Fine," Liam relented. "One hundred it is."
[Ding! Corvus the Guide has gifted you 100 AP.]
Liam’s smile widened as he confirmed the transfer. "Excellent. I won't be bothering Black-Wind Stronghold anymore."
Corvus nodded. "Frost Monarch, the Queen wishes to befriend you. The previous incident was merely a test. I hope you can understand."
"Befriend me?" Liam repeated. "Perhaps."
It didn't matter. Liam had already made his choice.
Whiz!
Liam’s hand blurred as an arrow tore through the air. Corvus’s eyes widened, his body moving with unnatural speed as he blurred to the side, narrowly dodging the projectile.
Liam’s lips curled into a predatory grin. "Fast reflexes. Let’s see how you handle my Celestial Scatter Shot."
With Quintuple Volley and an Attack Speed of twelve, Liam unleashed sixty energy arrows in a single second. The air hissed with the friction of the barrage. No matter how fast Corvus was, there was no gap wide enough to dodge through.
"Frost Monarch! What are you doing?!"
Liam didn't answer. He let the arrows fly.
"Mystic Ice Shield!"
Corvus raised a hand, summoning a massive crystalline barrier. It didn't matter. The shield, which usually had a high damage threshold, shattered instantly under the sheer weight of Liam’s raw damage.
However, the moment the shield broke, Corvus vanished.
"Shit!"
Liam spun around, his instincts screaming. He unleashed a barrage behind him, but he was a fraction of a second too late. A massive magic circle erupted beneath his feet. Countless jagged ice spikes lunged upward, intending to impale him.
Liam didn't even try to dodge. He ignored the spikes entirely, focusing solely on his own output, firing like a man possessed.
[-210,858!]
[-210,861!]
[......]
The damage numbers were staggering. The ice spikes slammed into Liam, but they failed to even make him flinch.
"How... how is this possible?" Corvus gasped, her eyes filled with terror.
She never got her answer. Death Cycle triggered.
Corvus the Guide fell.
[Ding! You have killed Corvus the Guide. A server-wide broadcast is about to begin. Would you like to hide your name?]
"No."
Normally, Liam would have stayed in the shadows. But this time, he wanted the Queen to see. He wanted the world to know exactly who had struck down her confidant on behalf of Tiana.
[Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player Frost Monarch for slaying Corvus the Guide! May this victory inspire all players to strive for greatness!]
[Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player Frost Monarch for slaying Corvus the Guide! May this victory inspire all players to strive for greatness!]
......
The broadcast sent ripples through the player base, but among the NPCs, it was an earthquake. Specifically, within the circles of the nobility, the news was catastrophic.
Everyone knew Corvus’s strength. More importantly, everyone knew her identity: the hand-picked confidant of Queen Fiona herself.
To kill her so openly? It wasn't just a challenge; it was a death wish.
"This Frost Monarch... he’s truly gone too far."
The advance reading chapters on have reached 12chapters. Thank you for reading!
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