'God, that battle was something else!'
Lying sprawled on the ground, I thought about my fight against the Red Fleece Ram.
My stamina had been stretched thin during the battle and I was a hair's breadth away from losing a level. Just one more hit, and I would have been a goner but the thrill was worth it.
Somehow, against all odds, I had won.
Now that I thought about it, it made sense why climbing up the cliff was so difficult.
Only the players who had stats comparable to Lv5 and higher stood a fighting chance against this monster. So, that last jump was meant to keep everyone who did not meet this requirement away from the platform!
My gaze moved towards the only remains of the Red-Fleece Ram - the proof of my triumph - my loot.
Two huge smoldering Ebony Horns lay on the ground next to a shiny red fleece coat. I had already inspected them and all three of them were Black-Stone Grade materials.
Other than the materials, I had also received a generous amount of Exp for killing a Rare Elite 3 levels higher than me. The abundant Exp had pushed my level from Lv2 all the way to Lv4.
—-
Samar
Level: 4 (375/450)
Race: Deathless (Elf)
Faction: Coven of Elves
Reputation: 100
Combat Class: NA
Life Profession: NA
HP: 117
MP: 30
STR: 14
AGI: 13
VIG: 7
INT: 5
Unused Stat Points: 8
—-
[Hidden Stats Unlocked - 1]
DEX: 5
—-
Skills
—-
Masteries -
Bow Mastery: Initiate (864/3000)
Active Skills -
Rapid Shot (Tier 0, Lv 1)
Counter (Lv 1)
Passive Skills -
Evasion (Lv 1)
Utility Skills -
Arrow Crafting Technique (Novice, Lv 1)
—---
I had mixed feelings about this victory. I felt an enormous amount of joy and a huge sense of relief. It was like, "Yeah, I did it!" but also, "Dang, that was way too close for comfort."
But the reward was worth the risk. I had not felt this kind of adrenaline rush for nearly 3 years, since I quit Kailan.
I missed those days with my gang, the Ragtags. We used to challenge bosses on our own; When we defied the top guilds and had bounties on our heads and the way we played them for fools.
Things had gotten so out of hand that one particular Guild had threatened the livelihood of our family members. It was a behemoth in the real world that we just couldn't challenge.
Hence, we had to disband.
Others had gotten over this and joined the same guilds we used to harass but I had to quit Kailan completely. After all, that was the condition.
Did I miss them? Of course. Everyday.
I missed our tank, Pepico's vile mouthed taunts. I could not forget our gentle giant Sumo and his legendary mis-heals. Bald Warrior Kuna, Circumcising Assassin Bulli, Fearless Mage Sid, Guild's Mommy Julia, Hothead Admin Ina…
I missed each and everyone of them. Even after we disbanded our Ragtag guild, I had kept in touch with most of them.
Much to my disappointment, they had moved on and started to join the other guilds.
I raged back then, considered it betrayal but I let go of my resentment over time. Stivi had helped me work through it.
However, one betrayal stung the most. When Ina joined the Xi Dynasty Gaming Guild.
We had fought against the Xi Dynasty because their Vice Leader had insulted Ina. We had gone over and above to make life hell for them. Our small guild had started a war against that behemoth for her.
We had relied on my strategies and skills of my guild member to bring that behemoth to its knees, humiliating them so much that other larger guilds had intervened on behalf of them.
Yet, we had not given up our only demand - Apologize to Ina.
That war had made us all stars and earned me my current nickname, Samar (The Undefeated Commander). At the same time, it had also painted a target on everyone's back.
Several corporations had banded together to exert pressure on our families and affected their jobs. Hell, we had to disband our small guild just so the Xi Dynasty would leave our families alone!
Yet, she had joined the very same guild as an R4 member!
R4 was the top administrative position in a Guild, only under the R6 Guild Leader and R5 Vice Leaders. One did not become R4 in a prestigious guild overnight.
Still, Ina had become one. It could only mean that she had cut a deal and betrayed us when she was with us.
I had enraged when I heard the news. However, I could not do anything. After all, Xi Dynasty was backed by the huge Summer Flower Corporation.
Anyways, these were the stories of the past. I did not know whether Ina or the Xi Dynasty planned to join Dreamverse VR. I did not know whether any of my former friends and comrades had joined this game or were planning to join.
Even if I knew, so what?
Maybe I would join them for a pint of beer to talk about old times but there was no chance any of them would leave their well paying jobs to reform our casual guild. Even I did not want to do the same.
Now that I had joined the Grandeur Guild, I wanted to prove my worth and advance in ranks to become a management level figure. I wanted to earn the cozy figures those R4 and above Guild Executives earned.
If I could, I wanted to save enough of a sum to seriously hurt the Xi Dynasty and the Summer Flower Corporation behind it.
For now, however, I wanted to take the first step of my plan. Becoming a permanent member of Grandeur Guild and joining their ranks.
It was not easy to join any Corporate Guild or Professional Gaming Guild. You had to possess either a unique talent, wealth or formidable prowess or a combination of all to become permanent members of the Guild.
Since I was unwilling to expose my past identity, nothing would help prove my potential more than the fact that I had hunted an Lv5 Rare Elite on my own as an Lv2!