Zane was most satisfied with his Steal skill. Not only had the success rate skyrocketed to 70%, but the activation range had also increased.
This meant he no longer had to physically touch his target to steal from them—a game-changer.
His other skills had also improved, boosting both his survivability and combat prowess.
Among them, the most powerful was undoubtedly Backstab—a guaranteed critical hit on every strike. Its single-target burst damage was insane.
The only slight disappointment was his Poison Coating skill, still stuck at Level 15 due to a lack of poison materials.
But that wasn't his limit—it was simply the limit of his available resources.
"If I told anyone these were just Rank 1 skills, they'd think I was crazy."
Satisfied, Zane closed his skill panel.
"Time to stir up some trouble…"
He narrowed his eyes, an evil grin curling at the corners of his lips as he strolled out of the forest.
The moment he stepped beyond the tree line, his figure vanished.
Zane truly felt the change in his Stealth skill.
His concealment had become next level—his footsteps silent, his presence weightless, like walking on air.
All around him, players were grinding levels, yet he ghosted past them all—completely unnoticed.
As if he was a being that existed outside of the world itself.
"Lonely Wind Cliff, here I come."
With his +80% movement speed, Zane made swift progress.
He crossed Maplewood Forest, Wild Boar Thicket, and several other monster zones.
After about half an hour—
Emerging from the dense underbrush, a towering mountain loomed before him.
Lush greenery stretched across its slopes, teeming with life, and at its peak stood an ominous cliff face—Lonely Wind Cliff.
The foothills were packed with Level 7 grinding spots, so it was easy to imagine that the monsters higher up would be far from ordinary.
Observing for a moment, Zane noticed that solo players avoided the base of the mountain entirely.
Instead, the area was dominated by the three major guilds.
Anyone not from their ranks who tried to approach was immediately driven away.
Zane had checked the chat logs on his way here.
The big three guilds had claimed Lonely Wind Mountain as their personal leveling zone, planning to grind until they were strong enough to make another attempt at the Silver-tier boss, the Blazing Winged Tiger.
They were determined to be the first to kill it.
Of course, the mountain's base was huge—they couldn't guard every inch.
But getting caught meant certain death.
With other grinding areas available nearby, no solo player was stupid enough to try and sneak in.
"But I, Zane, am no ordinary player."
After scouting for a while, Zane casually strolled around the base of the mountain.
Soon, he found a less-patrolled section, using the tall grass and thick shrubs for cover as he crept closer.
"Stay sharp! Don't let any randoms sneak in. This area isn't for those nobodies to enjoy."
A guild patrol team was grinding mobs while keeping watch.
Stealth!
Zane activated his skill.
Emerging silently from the underbrush, his speed surged as he effortlessly slipped past them.
The 120-second duration of Stealth made his infiltration ridiculously easy.
He carefully monitored his surroundings.
Each time his Stealth reached the 10-second mark, he would stop moving, find dense cover, and wait out the cooldown.
With his passive talent, the cooldown was only 20 seconds.
The guild members, busy splitting their focus between grinding and keeping watch, had no idea a thief had just snuck past them…
Just like that, Zane bypassed the outer patrols and entered Lonely Wind Mountain.
The lower slopes were crawling with guild members, while the upper reaches housed only a handful of elite teams grinding away.
If he could just make it to the mid-mountain area, he would be practically undetectable.
Zane stayed cautious, keeping his Stealth active as much as possible.
At Level 35, his Stealth ability was now beyond reason.
At one point, he passed directly in front of a Level 8 Elite Forest Anaconda, but the creature didn't react at all.
His concealment was no longer just about hiding his figure—he masked his scent, footsteps, and even his energy signature.
Before long, Zane reached the mid-mountain area.
Up ahead, a cave entrance came into view, and he spotted a team heading inside.
"Spider Nest."
Opening his map, Zane confirmed that this was one of Lonely Wind Mountain's leveling zones, filled with spider-type monsters.
"That means there should be poisonous spiders inside, right?"
Spiders were notoriously venomous.
With his basic poisons all used up, his Poison Coating skill was useless—but if these creatures dropped venom, that could change.
"Let's check it out."
Seeing that no one was around the entrance, Zane sprinted toward it.
His full Agility build meant that even at Level 5, his movement speed had already hit 67.
Even without Stealth, he was fast—and in just moments, he was inside.
The cave was vast, dark, damp, and filled with an unsettling stench.
As he ventured deeper, the sounds of battle echoed ahead.
Zane activated Stealth and rushed forward.
Along the way, he saw multiple guild parties fighting various spider monsters.
All of them were at Level 8, and even the weaker ones required teamwork to take down.
Clearly, only skilled players came here to grind.
Since the groups were spread out, it was easy for Zane to stay hidden.
Stealth cooldown over.
Zane waited for a moment, then re-entered Stealth, bypassing the grinding teams and going deeper.
The strongest monsters—and possibly a boss—should be deeper in.
After a few minutes, he reached a fork in the tunnel.
Choosing a path at random, he pressed on.
The deeper he went, the fewer players he saw.
Eventually, the sound of intense combat reached his ears.
Stealth!
Zane dashed ahead, following the noise to its source.
The tunnel opened up into a huge cavern.
The ground was littered with beast carcasses, wrapped in thick layers of webbing.
At the center of the chaos, a giant, grotesque, spotted spider was locked in battle against a dozen players.
Venomous Spotted Spider - LV10
Type: Black Iron-tier Boss
HP: 65,754 / 80,000
Attack: 500
Skills: Venom Strike, Blade Dance, Web Bind, Acid Spit, Web Trap
Zane scanned the boss's info before turning his gaze to the players.
His eyes gleamed.
"Well, well, well… what a coincidence."
The one leading the fight?
None other than Silver Spear—a key member of Domination Guild.
Zane chuckled.
"Damn, guys, you're working so hard for me. I should really thank you for drawing all that aggro."
"Guess I'll just help myself to some loot, then!"
Grinning, Zane slipped to the side of the battlefield.
Stopping just four meters away from the boss—
Steal!