Level 30 Instance Dungeon, Ruins of the Angels.
Level 30. This could be said to be the changing point within "The Boundless World." It was the real start of the game, a milestone for adventurers. However, it still did not explain why this dungeon was highly infamous amongst all Instance Dungeons.
For adventurers below Level 50, the most excellent highlight of this dungeon was the highly coveted reward, "Osir's Blessings," the only Equipment Set available at this point. For adventurers below Level 30, this was the single Instance Dungeon that offered Experience Points for every first clearance within the week.
Amongst the highly experienced players, this dungeon had another purpose. The most straightforwardly grueling Epic Mission, the "Stone of Eternity," was set here. It had demanded the adventurers' astronomically colossal amounts of time spent within this dungeon.
The Ruins of the Angels was a notorious Household Name. Five years from the game's debut, several adventurers had already reached the highest level, 120. Even then, their laboriously grinding within the Ruins of the Angels had sapped the life out of them, scarring them eternally.
Additionally, this Instance Dungeon was the toughest one yet for anyone below Level 30. The Final Boss, Wandering Angel of Death, was seemingly invincible, sending hopelessness and despair crashing onto the young and inexperienced players. Only with hours of training and practice did the parties finally graduate from the hands of this unbeatable Boss.
Despite the fact that the game had already been online for five years, its popularity had been soaring within the last twelve months. As such, the number of parties sharpening their skills in the dungeon had been on a steady rise. At the multiple entrances to the dungeons, countless parties had congregated. Many adventurers clenched their jaws, their sharp resolute eyes focused on the dungeon as they re-entered after yet another defeat.
By their sides, the streets were bustling with other adventurers.
"Party of 5 recruiting the last member! Knight and Healer have already been recruited. We need someone with a high Damage Per Second (DPS), with at least a Silver Tier piece. Preferably a Mage, no amateurs!"
"Outstanding Healer looking for a party! Huge Mana reserves ensuring your Health returns to you like the flooding waves. Guaranteed HP!"
"Silver Tier Mage bracelet for sale! Just for 5 gold coins. PM if interested!"
"Any party looking for a Botanist? Botanist…! Botanist…!"
"Botanist? …Sorry, we're full!"
...
The outskirts of the little town of Aiur housed one of the entrances to the Ruins of the Angels. Groups after groups of Level 30 adventurers were screaming and hollering, requesting to form parties or selling their prized rewards. With the cacophony of hustle as a backdrop, an intermingling surge of vitality and drive washed through the bustling town.
At the spawn point, a glimmering ball of light appeared. A man, clad in a low-key black from head to toe, walked out from the ball of white light. His profession was clear, an Assassin. The muscular and tall man weaved his way through the crowd, avoiding contact with any others. He exuded a dominating presence with a stern face topping off his well-sculpted body, highlighting his potentially extraordinary abilities.
Instantly, any group who were still missing members zoomed in a beeline over to him, asking the same question. "Brother, my team still lacks a high DPS member. Are you interested?"
"Sorry, I already have a team." With a small smile, he declined without hesitation. The next moment, his body turned translucent and disappeared. He had already entered the Instance Dungeon.
What the heck? How did he get a party so fast? Didn't he just log on?
As the parties scratched their heads puzzled, the Assassin had already materialized within the Ruins of the Angels. Unbeknownst to the hopeful adventurers outside, there was no one around this tall stealthy figure. This man was challenging the largest source of headache within "The Boundless World" all by himself!
He turned and scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes. Bits of debris dotted the ground, forming ragged piles of rubble. Buildings and pillars had crumbled, sinking, and morphing into one with the earth. Glancing behind one of the pillars, he sensed danger. Groups of Undead Monsters had gathered, roaming aimlessly between the cracking walls.
Watching the overly familiar sight of undead creatures wandering about, an inexplicable vile sensation churned in his stomach. Narrowing his eyes onto these monsters, Ye Chen activated his skill, "Sneak." Leaving as a motion blur, Ye Chen weaved his way between the dense monsters and pillars smoothly.
Within the Ruins of the Angels, it was not only the Boss that was a pain to fight. The minions before the Boss fight proved to be a substantial headache for the weaker parties. Even with the Assassins' Sneak, accidentally ramming into a monster would spell death by mass butchering.
On the other hand, Ye Chen swerved his way through this vast sea of monsters without a hitch. What's more, he even had the confidence to do so, even with both his eyes closed.
Within a minute, he had breezed through the cluster of undead monsters, arriving at a dilapidated garden.
Untidy patches of grass speckled across the ground of this Ancient Roman garden. On the unkempt bushes, tiny, vibrantly colored flowers added exquisite dots of life, bringing color to the desolate garden. Within it, a tall angel loitered about. Its movements were rigid and sullen, completely drained of life. On its back, where one may expect to see a pair of majestic wings, there was only one left. This zombie-like angel was none other than the biggest obstacle new adventurers would have met until this point, the Wandering Angel of Death.
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes onto the handicapped angel. His feet did not slow down. Instead, his strides widened and accelerated. As he leaned forward, his body zoomed straight towards the Boss.
BAM!
511!
Sneaking up silently, Ye Chen appeared by the back of the Boss. With one swift slash, his sneak attack hit its mark from point-blank. Above the Boss's head, a crimson red value flashed. Critical Hit!
"WRAWWW!"
The thunderous roar of the Boss reverberated through the garden. As it turned, the Angel of Death clawed at Ye Chen.
Alas, all it got in its claws were air. The instant the Boss turned, Ye Chen had taken a swift sidestep and circled to the Boss's back. Gripping tightly on his deep red dagger, he thrust viciously onto its back once again.
BAM!
...
When Assassins assaulted their enemies from behind, the damage would be multiplied. While the attack this time did not land a critical hit, another enormous value flashed above the Boss's head.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
...
The unceasing efforts of the Boss to retaliate against this unannounced Assassin was to no avail. Every one of its attacks missed Ye Chen by a hair's width. This solo Assassin was seemingly virtual, without an actual physical body. Within the onslaught of torrential attacks, he was like a sprout of common duckweed. Living within the everlasting danger of getting hit mercilessly, yet drifting along the water surface constantly to avoid it. His impeccable movements and leg work likened to a beautiful dance on the rippling water, a tranquillity within the chaos.
What a flawless execution of the Phantom Dance!
"Phantom Dance" was the so-called creme de la creme of all of the skills available to Assassins. The execution by Ye Chen was wholly pleasing to the eye. Should this Boss fight be recorded and uploaded onto the forums, it would spread like wildfire. Undoubtedly, everyone would have the same thought.
This man— he must be the best Assassin, "Black Phantom."
"WRAWWW!"
"WRAWWW!"
"WRAWWW!"
The Boss's HP was plummeting like a boulder thrown off the cliff. This Assassin's individual DPS was way higher than the combined DPS of a six-man elite party. From the start to the end, never once did the Boss land a single hit on its attacker. The only change would be malicious roars, which boomed louder and louder.
SLASH!
Suddenly, the remnants of its monolith feathers snapped off the Boss's wings, bulleting straight to Ye Chen.
A large Area of Effect (AOE) attack! There was no place to hide!
Alas, the instant the first feather was about to break off, the Assassin had leaped onto a crumbling marble pillar by the side. With another leap, Ye Chen soared high above the Boss. As the father-bullets were about to make a bird out of him, he backflipped. Right at that moment, the entire swarm of feathers shot by, right below his scalp.
This was not a spell or an Assassin's skill. It was a simple technique of a midair backflip. Yet, the number of players able to execute it so smoothly during an actual Boss fight was countable with two hands.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
Without delay, the barrage of lethal strikes from Ye Chen continued to rain upon the Boss after the missed AOE Attack. Like a running tap, the Boss's HP plummeted.
"WARRRRAAWWW!"
Another critical hit found its way onto the Boss's back, drawing a hoarse cry from the Boss. The grayish-black angel buckled, crashing onto the ground slowly. Upon impact, it dissipated as dust, leaving behind some items scattered across the ground.
Seeing the sparkling rock within the rewards, the corners of Ye Chen's lips lifted.
As he picked the rewards up, the system displayed:
[You have received an item, "A fragment of the Stone of Eternity."]
A fragment of the Stone of Eternity. It was a locked item. It could not be sold or thrown away. It was an item demanded by the Epic Mission, "Stone of Eternity." The adventurer had to collect 999 fragments to exchange for "Stone of Eternity" from Grandmaster Brando.
"After three long years, I finally have the last fragment! HAHAHAHA!"
As the number of fragments jumped to 999 within his inventory, Ye Chen burst into a bray of maniacal laughter.
He could finally wave goodbye to this plague-like nightmare of a dungeon three long years and uncountable missions within the Ruins of the Angels. "Finally, I'm out of this God-damned place!"
Picking up the other rewards of the ground, Ye Chen turned and left.
"Oh? Brother, you are out so soon! Did you get annihilated? Then, join us! We all have Silver Equipment. I guarantee that we are effective as a group!"
Since his entry into the Instance Dungeon, only four minutes had passed. Seeing his speedy return, the parties swarmed forward and attempted to recruit him again.
"No thanks, I've cleared it." With a smile, Ye Chen took out his map and chanted.
The last ten seconds past within a blink of an eye. Within a ball of white light, Ye Chen vanished from the entrance of the dungeon.
Only when Ye Chen had disappeared did the adventurer register those words. Immediately, a face of disbelief took the place of his friendly smile.
"You cleared it? Only idiots would believe you!"
At the spawn point of Aiur Town, Ye Chen materialized.
Scanning his surroundings, he walked towards a secluded area.
Aiur town could be known as the hometown for the Level 30 adventurers. Many monster spawn points and Instance Dungeons were around the suburbs. Despite the isolated area on the map, there were still many adventurers gathered. At any time, the town was bustling with life. Lively chatters could be heard at every moment with numerous adventurers talking to the NPCs, trading items, or completing missions.
Of all the NPCs, only one man had no one in front of him. That was the man Ye Chen was looking for, Mr. Adolf.
"Mr. Adolf, I wish to undergo Character Rebirth." He examined his character, who had long finished his Rebirth Mission two years ago.
The snoozing old man immediately burst with vitality, "Character Rebirth? Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Immediately, the old man's eyes sparkled with energy. He had only one role within the entire game: to facilitate the adventurer's character rebirth.
Character Rebirth was highly similar to deleting an account in the old games. But, there were crucial differences.
"Keke, Character Rebirth will result in the reset of your level, and all of your skills will be deleted. Knowing all of this, do you still wish to continue?" With concern flowing from his voice, Adolf asked again.
"Yes!"
"Are you really sure? This will mean that the majority of your efforts will be lost." Again, he dutifully and earnestly persuaded this child from Character Rebirth, for fear he would make a wrong decision.
"YES!" Ye Chen's face darkened. His patience had snapped.
What the heck?! I've been reborn so many times, and this old man only gets more annoying!
"Keke, what a brave child. Actually, being reborn and working from scratch is not a bad thing. While your level and skills would be lost, your items, reputation, gold, and experience points will be inherited by your new character. However, let me warn you. If your equipment or attributes were obtained from a mission, clearing the same mission would not grant you these rewards again."
"Also, regarding your secondary profession. Should your new character choose a similar profession, the proficiency of your skills can be inherited. The items, gold, and equipment can be taken from the storage immediately after your rebirth. However, the proficiency, reputation, and experience points of your secondary profession can only be collected from me after you reach a level similar to your current level. Do you understand?"
Clearing his throat, Adolf recited a lengthy explanation to Ye Chen. This message was a piece of good news for Ye Chen, but still, he could almost memorize them by heart already.
"Yes, please allow me to be reborn." Ye Chen nodded.
"Very well, please choose a new profession and username."
"Profession, Botanist. Name, Page of Lingering Dust." The moment Ye Chen finished his sentence, Adolf whipped his hands across the air.
Ye Chen's body burst into a streak of white light, disappearing from Aiur Town.