....
Although it was the early stages of «World's Destiny: Redemption», the present Treasure Chest ranged from Uncommon to that of the Mythical Rank. As for the rankings beyond, they weren't present due to certain reasons.
Beginning with the «Uncommon Treasure Chest», Kaiden opened them one by one receiving notable loot in the process.
The «Uncommon Treasure Chest» yielded an Lv.4 Uncommon Staff, increasing a decent amount of Intelligence and Spirit and 25 Coppers.
The «Bronze Treasure Chest» yielded an Lv.3 Bronze Plate Pauldrons with a hefty increase to defensive stats. An Lv.3 Uncommon Cloth Pants increasing a decent amount of Intelligence and Spirit and 60 Coppers.
The «Silver Treasure Chest», however, revealed a silver glinting shield, a pale purple skill book & an obscure looking scroll.
「Item Name: Overlord Shield
Level: 4
Rank: Silver
Type: Shield
Block Chance: +12%
Defense: +25
Bonus: Endurance +8, Vitality +5, Strength +4
[«Equipment Skills»]-
«Protective Rebound»: Absorbs 50% of the damage received from the next attack and returns it back at the target. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Durability 50/50
Requirement: Lv.4 Warrior, 10 Strength.」
「Skill Name: Sword Wave - Dispersion
Rank: Special
Type: Active
Level: 1/10 (Skill Proficiency: 0/1,000)
Information: Gathers force into the sword, generating 5 sword lights successively. Each sword light deals increasing damage starting from 125% of Attack Power, finally capping at 225% in a 4 square meter area.
Cooldown: 30 seconds.
Requirement: Lv.3 Warrior.」
「Item Name: Guild Creation Scroll
Item Rank: Special
Usage: Allows for one to present this scroll to any branch of the Adventurer Guild Hall, bypassing the tasks needed to complete the Guild Creation Quest present at Lv.20, essentially shortening the process. Furthermore, it also reduces the fee of creation to a fraction of its original cost.」
Screaming in an incomprehensible manner, Kaiden gawked at the information on the three items. Meanwhile, Hollow guffawed at his behavior. After the episode of foolishness, Kaiden turned toward him. passed the shield and pauldrons to Hollow who stood there, frozen.
"Although this was given to me by the system, I have no use for it. So.. I'll give it to you, but you'll essentially become my slave mwahaha!" cackled Kaiden as he joked with Hollow Stance.
"Deal! I'll gladly be your slave for that equipment! It's shiny and you can keep all of the other loot which drops!" excitedly responded Hollow Stance as his eyes remained on the gleaming shield.
Surprised about this, Kaiden then took the matter seriously since this was the case. At that instant, the demeanor of a businessman presented itself, "Wait! Although it sounds fun, let's take this in another route and think about our future. What would you think about creating a professional guild and becoming the main tank?"
'I could sell this to one of those famous guilds giving them an edge and charge an astronomical price. That'd instantly take care of the matter of securing a GRVIP. However, that's just immediate gains and limited thinking. The better option would be to keep the long-term benefits in mind. Therefore… I'll create a guild!'
Looking intrigued by the idea, Hollow responded, "That sounds good. But, I also saw on the main forum, that guilds are only available after Lv.20 and they take Gold not Silver to establish. How will we get the gold to do that?"
"It does, however, if we sign a contract right now binding us. I'll show you something in my inventory," added Kaiden while holding the Guild Creation Scroll.
"Ok, I'll sign it. Just don't fuck me over, haha!" lightly laughed Hollow Stance although his words voiced his true feelings.
"I wouldn't do that. What am I, some elaborate con-man? I'm a high school graduate!" responded Kaiden while waving his hand. A screen appeared before him which he then began designing the contents of the contract.
「Item Name: Destiny Sealing Contract
Issuer: Unsheathed
Recipient: Hollow Stance
Information: A system backed contract created by Unsheathed for the user Hollow Stance.
[«Terms»] -
1. In the not so distant future, Unsheathed will create a guild in which you will hold a vital role. Being assigned the role of Main Tank as well as Captain of the Core Members, you'll be expected to contribute greatly to the rapid growth of the guild.
2. You will be given rewards accordingly as well as a salary. However, during the infancy stages of the guild's construction, your payment will be in arrears until the guild thrives to the point of profitability. After this, you will be paid the lump sum and updated to "payment in advance" status.
3. Your Founding Core Member Pay Package will consist of: 2% share in the guild & starting monthly salary: $4,000.
4. This contract carries the weight of a non-disclosure agreement. Ergo, any matters pertaining to the existence and stability of the guild are to be protected in both real life and in-game. If not, permanent disciplinary actions will take place, facilitated by the «World's Destiny: Redemption» legal system on both fronts.
5. Like being rewarded; if you breach the contract, you will be held liable. In the event of such occurrences, you will be expected to remit any rewards received from the start (or their calculated worth) as well repaying your cumulative salary tenfold .」
Looking at the contents of the contract Hollow was shocked by the business jargon articulated and in-depth future planning presented by the contract.
"Wow, what do you mean?! You sound exactly like a conman. Haha, but... I think I accept it. Let's embark on this journey together," smiled Hollow as he accepted the contract and held out his hand for a fist bump. Sealing the deal, a system notification sounded.
[System: Your Destiny Sealing Contract has been recorded in «World's Destiny: Redemption's» permanent records.]
"Since that's done. No need to act like strangers anymore, call me Key from now on when matters aren't serious," chuckled Kaiden.
"Sure, then you can also call me Arty," chuckled Hollow before his eyes widened in shock. Kaiden showed him the Guild Creation Scroll causing his heart to skip a beat!
"You lucker dog! My god. I'm actually glad I signed that contract now. How can your luck be so good? You must have stolen it," joked Hollow.
"Heh, who knows why but let's get back to murdering those Lv.6 Normal Golems. Lure as many as you can, I want to test how much damage this skill is capable of," said Kaiden ready for battle.
Dashing off, Hollow ended up aggroing over 10 Stone Golems. Dropping his stance, reaching his left arm around his body with the sword resting after his right side, he closed his eyes.
Opening them abruptly, Kaiden waited until Hollow passed before swinging his sword generating 5 powerful sword winds. "Sword Wave – Dispersion," he uttered.
-83, -103, -121, -140, -159
A scene of disbelief happened! The approaching monsters disintegrated into pixels of light. Meanwhile, a radiant luster surrounded Kaiden while also greeted with continuous messages.
[System: Over-leveled Kill with a Level difference: 3. 50(+5)% experience bonus applied. Lv.6 Stone Golem (Normal) slain. You have gained 110 Experience.]
Finally, after multiple repeats, the other message became apparent.
[System: You have reached Level Lv.4(610/7,000). You have received 8 Attribute Points and 1 Mastery Point.]
"Holy mother of god! Key what the fuck?! That skill is ridiculous, you're our new certified monster lawnmower, granted by yours truly," boisterously expressed Hollow while remaining unable to wrap his mind around the situation.
'Hmm, I have this new skill. So for the moment, it's more important to increase Strength.'
In light of this not only did Kaiden temporarily switch his stat allocation to Strength 4: Agility 2: Dexterity 2. He added the 5 Attribute Points from the reward to his Strength as well. Increasing them to 40, 24, and 29 respectively.
"There's a 30-second cooldown on this skill. So try to aggro as many as you can by then but don't die, pfft..." instructed Kaiden while letting out a small chuckle.
"Oi, why would I? Shut up," quipped Hollow Stance as he dashed into the fray of monster, hidden behind his shield.
….
30 seconds later…
Kaiden got into the stance needed to activate «Sword Wave - Dispersion». In a fleeting moment, numerous particles filled the area. Massive amounts of experience were rewarded in return while numerous notifications sounded. Kaiden picked up the scattered loot which shockingly was only materials and currency. Although Kaiden didn't level again, Hollow had reached Lv.4
[System: Your current experience: 5,066/7,000.]
"Although it's a shame there are no equipment or skill books… I'm not complaining since the experience is amazing and I'm able to equip my shield!" smugly smirked Hollow as he equipped the Overlord Shield.
Nodding, Kaiden smirked, "Looking good there. Now, instead of running for our lives this time. Let's confront that Bouldris thing and give him a piece of our mind."
"Oh yeah! Let's go," agreed Hollow as his eyes gleamed with excitement.
….
Traveling 3 minutes into the direction they first ran into Bouldris, they once again made contact with it. Only this time, there were no tense nerves. Seeing as they were Lv.4 and possessed new gear; they felt there was nothing to be afraid of.
"I'll lead. My Defense should be suitable," remarked Hollow as he tested the waters. Executing an abrupt «Charge», he triggered Bouldris' aggro. Although he only dealt 18 damage, this opened a window for Kaiden due to the 0.5s stun period the monster was under.
Slightly surprised by the low damage. Kaiden first launched a «Sword Wave - Dispersion» followed by «Charging Slash». However, the next second made him agitated. Bouldris recovered 20 Health!
-58, -69, -80, -92, -101
-94 «Stunned! +1s»
「Monster Name: Bouldris
Level: 8
Rank: Named Special Elite
Health: 1,456 (75%)」
"Damn, what kind of defense does this thing have? This isn't quite bullying it! Not only did we only deal 25% percent of its health, but it also recovers 20 Health per second? Supervisor! Where are you? I have issues. I mean issues with this scenario!" complained Kaiden.
"His Defense may be better than mine. Holy shit, it kind of makes me look like a baby!" commented Hollow Stance while bashing his shield into Bouldris.
Following up, Kaiden executed another fluid combo on Bouldris, keeping it stunned with «Charge».
-38, -35
-87 «Stunned! +.5s»
-50, -51 (Double Slash)
"Crap! I think his defense is increasing. My strikes are only dealing 40% of my attack power," exclaimed Kaiden.
"Yeah, I think it's defense is approaching twice that of mine," added Hollow as they got ready with Bouldris recovering."
As they fought, Kaiden actively heightened his focus. It was needed to deal with this situation. Oftentimes, Bouldris would smash Hollow Stance's shield dealing over 40 damage. Despite his high health and defense, he'd only be able to withstand 10 or so hits without a healer.
"Use the bread from the Beginner's package!" instructed Kaiden while tearing into a loaf of bread.
「Item Name: Bread
Rank: Normal
Type: Consumable
Usage: Recovers 50 Health, over a 5 second period.
Cooldown: 10 seconds.」
Doing the same, Hollow Stance recovered a slight amount of Health. However, now, Kaiden began incorporating Grip Switch into every basic attack. Of course, this began to brutally impact his Concentration.
-33, -35, -31,
-38 (Thrust)
As the war of attrition continued to pair became privy to more things. For every 10% lost after 70% Health, Bouldris' defense would increase in turn.
3 minutes later, Bouldris' fists gleamed with a red glint and it used a skill named «Explosive Smash». Lifting his shield to defend, Hollow activated the «Defensive Posture» skill.
'Booom!'
Unfortunately, even with his efforts, a huge damage value appeared above his head as his feet indented the ground along with a thunderous echo.
"Crap!" exclaimed Kaiden before dashing up performing a basic thrust. He aimed for what looked like the throat. But then, drawing back, he executed a Switch Grip dual basic slash combo dealing 97 damage cumulatively.
Immediately after, he raised his sword, defending. Receiving 76 damage, he shook his arm, trying to remedy the vibrating pain.
「Monster Name: Bouldris
Level: 8
Rank: Named Special Elite
Health: 283(15%)」
«Kaiden's Remaining Health: 82/305»
«Hollow's Remaining Health: 210/530»
It was then Kaiden began experiencing a faint splitting headache. His original senses became somewhat dull. Although, unbeknownst to Kaiden, a small voice was calling out to him directing his battle. Something seemed to be triggered.
Tightening his grip on his sword, Kaiden executed a triple-slash that landed on different areas on Bouldris; tts 2 armpits, and navel. Before Bouldris' next smash connected, Kaiden rotated his sword parrying the strike guiding it to the ground directly next to him. Kicking off the golem's hand, Kaiden delivered 2 lightning quick thrust into the eyes of Bouldris.
-48! (Critical) -48! (Critical)
'Graaahh!' those two strikes resulted in 2 critical hits and resulted in Bouldris entering a Berserk state.
Entering this state, Bouldris' body swelled to 2.5 meters, as it smashed its hand into the ground hurtling rocks of varying sizes forward in a 180⁰ range. Remarkably, a mind-boggling situation took place after.
Kaiden began minimally reflecting singular rocks and circularly deflecting groups proceeded by minute shifts in between the one's in which he couldn't deflect, receiving zero damage.
Hollow was dumbfounded at the movements Kaiden was performing. It was the first time he saw someone move like this. Hence, he was inspired. "I want to learn this type of control. I should train with Key to see how he does it."
Dashing in, performing a second yet accelerated movement, Kaiden ducked dodging Bouldris' berserk horizontal swing before launching an upward thrust piercing under its chin.
-47! (Critical)
A critical followed lowering Bouldris' health to 8%, but Kaiden's movements were far from finished. Turning his sword to a backhanded grip, Kaiden spun slicing at its torso, holding the sword closer to himself using the centripetal force he performed a second acceleration directly following the blade's path almost instantly.
At this point, Sword Wave – Dispersion came off cooldown. Backing away slightly, Kaiden launched the skill claiming the last bit of Bouldris' health, dropping his sword and falling on his back, panting heavily with strained and reddened eyes.
1 system alert and 2 system notifications sounded out.
[System Alert: Brain wave activity frequency is reaching critical levels. Cease action or force Log-Out will commence in 15 seconds.]
[System: Over- Leveled Kill with a Level difference: 4. 80(+5)% experience bonus applied. Lv.8 Bouldris (Named Special Elite) slain. You have gained 2,268 Experience.]
[System: Would you like to announce your feat to the Pendragon Kingdom area? (Y/N) ?]
'Although broadcasting this will likely turn me into a target, growth seldom happens without pressure. After all, diamonds are created from the greatest of pressures,' thought Kaiden before regaining an iota of Concentration, and replying. "Yes."
「«Pendragon Kingdom Area System Announcement»-
Congratulations to the team of users: Unsheathed and Hollow Stance for defeating the Stone Plains Lv.8 Bouldris (Named Special Elite). They have been rewarded. (You have been rewarded: 2,500 Experience, 5 Attribute Points, 2 Silver, and 20 Reputation.)」
Usually, per different regions of a Leveling Field, only 2 or 3 Named Special Elites, 2 Champions & 1 Boss existed, so killing them resulted in kingdom announcements at the least. Needless to say, those announcements gave additional rewards. On the other hand, this caused a slight uproar throughout the kingdom area. 2 consecutive feats? What was happening?!
Meanwhile, after sitting up, Kaiden and Hollow Stance's eyes gleamed at the pile of loot before them.