Success!
Zane Carter was thrilled. With just a few seconds of Stealth remaining, he quickly backed away and opened his inventory.
A sharp black dagger caught his eye.
[Shadow Blade]
Type: Dagger
Grade: Bronze
Attributes: +140 Attack Power
Special Effect: Increases the duration of any invisibility effect by 30%.
Bound Skill – Shadow Kill: If you kill a target while in Stealth, you will immediately re-enter Stealth for 8 seconds. This effect can stack.
Level Requirement: None
"This is a god-tier weapon for beginners!"
Zane's heart pounded with excitement as he read through the item description.
Normally, an Iron-tier boss wouldn't drop Bronze-tier equipment.
However, Ascension Online had a First-Kill Bonus, where the first players to defeat a boss received rewards one tier higher than usual.
This special loot was meant for the player who landed the first kill…
But Zane had stolen it instead!
Without hesitation, he equipped Shadow Blade, immediately extending his Stealth duration by an extra 4 seconds.
At that moment, the Mutated Shadow Panther was on the verge of death!
"Wait, stop attacking! Let me land the final blow. Killing the boss grants an extra 30% EXP—HAHA!"
Just then, Silver Spear from Domination Guild issued the command, and the other guild members immediately ceased their attacks.
Silver Spear raised a rusted battle axe, his eyes gleaming with greed as he charged toward the dying Shadow Panther.
"Perfect timing!"
Zane smirked.
He was already positioned behind the boss with a 16% movement speed boost from Stealth.
With his superior positioning, he reached the Shadow Panther before Silver Spear could.
"Silver Spear is about to score big. Even though this isn't the first Iron-tier boss kill, he should still get a decent reward, right?"
A nearby Domination Guild member commented enviously.
Hearing that, Silver Spear felt even more smug.
Ever since he joined Domination Guild, he had been enjoying a rising reputation.
Under the watchful eyes of his teammates, he raised his battle axe, activating Heavy Slash to land the final strike.
Swoosh!
A black dagger suddenly appeared out of nowhere, piercing the Shadow Panther first!
-182 (Stealth Attack Bonus +100%)
Zane's ambush attack triggered Stealth Attack Bonus, dealing massive damage!
The Shadow Panther Boss instantly dropped dead!
[System Notification]
You participated in slaying the Iron-tier Boss: Mutated Shadow Panther (Lv. 5) and delivered the final blow! You have gained 1,500 EXP and +100 Reputation!
You achieved a First-Kill on a boss! Special Reward: +2 Free Attribute Points!
[Shadow Kill] activated! You have re-entered Stealth Mode!
In an instant, the dagger disappeared, along with the boss's corpse and loot!
"W-What just happened?!"
Silver Spear froze in place, stunned.
"WHAT THE HELL?! That was MY boss! WHO STOLE MY LAST HIT?!"
His rage skyrocketed, but as a veteran player, he quickly deduced what had happened.
"Some damn thief stole my boss at the last second! Use AOE attacks! Don't let him escape!"
"WHO THE HELL DARES TO MESS WITH DOMINATION GUILD? HUNT HIM DOWN!"
Boom! Boom!
Mages and archers from Domination Guild carpet-bombed the area around the boss's corpse with AOE attacks.
"Idiots."
Zane sneered.
Instead of fleeing, he hid among the Domination Guild members.
Knowing they wouldn't attack their own teammates right away, he weaved through the chaos unnoticed.
Once the confusion settled, he dashed into the nearby forest, vanishing just as his Stealth wore off.
"DAMN IT! WHO THE HELL DID THIS?! SHOW YOURSELF!"
Silver Spear was furious but also bewildered.
"Wait… if it was a thief, shouldn't he have been revealed after attacking? But we didn't see anyone…"
"Did… did we just get robbed by a ghost?!"
At that moment, a wave of hurried footsteps echoed from the opposite side of the forest.
A group of angry players appeared—these were the scattered adventurers that Domination Guild had bullied and killed earlier.
"They're the ones who stole our boss! Get them!"
"Domination Guild, you think solo players are easy to push around? Not anymore! Let's unite and DESTROY THEM!"
"Hmph! You think I'm scared of a bunch of nobodies? Get lost!"
Silver Spear was still furious, but this time, his enemies weren't backing down.
"Screw you! You think you can just kill us and walk away? Brothers, ATTACK!"
Chaos erupted in Maple Leaf Town's forest as battle cries rang through the air.
Zane originally planned to retreat, but after seeing the situation unfold, he changed his mind.
First, he checked his new loot.
Inside his inventory, he found:
2 Gold Coins
1 New Equipment Piece
A few Health Potions
Considering he had also received a First-Kill Bonus, the drop rate in this game was absolute garbage.
New Equipment: [Swift Shadow Boots]
Grade: Black Iron-tier
Effect: +25 Movement Speed
Level Requirement: Lv. 5
Unlike his Shadow Blade, these boots required Level 5, so he couldn't equip them just yet.
Still, with the EXP gained from stealing the boss, he had already reached Level 3!
[Character Status]
Name: Not Your Average Worker
Class: Thief
Level: 3
HP: 430
MP: 430
Attack Power: 156
Magic Power: 13
Physical Defense: 13
Magic Defense: 13
Movement Speed: 30
Accuracy: 15 (2 AGI = 1 ACC)
Evasion: 6 (5 AGI = 1 EVA)
Stats:
Constitution: 13
Strength: 13
Intelligence: 13
Endurance: 13
Agility: 30
Spirit: 13
Seeing the chaotic battle unfolding, Zane grinned.
"Calling me a bastard? Heh, let's see how you like it when you get screwed over instead!"
Stealth Mode, activate!
Zane vanished into thin air.
With Shadow Blade's passive effect, his Stealth duration increased to 20 seconds.
He effortlessly slipped into the battlefield, targeting weakened Domination Guild members.
Steal!
Failed!
Kill!
Swoosh!
The dagger flashed, his Stealth Attack Bonus doubled the damage, and another Domination Guild member was executed!
"Wha—what just happened?!"
The fallen player had no idea what hit him.
Zane disappeared again!
At that moment, he became a shadow of death, silently harvesting lives.
His biggest advantage?
Even if he killed them, they wouldn't know who he was!
And so, the slaughter began…