Sini browsed the leaderboard with a puzzled expression. "Master, what's the deal with the first place on the level leaderboard? An assassin is three levels ahead of the second place?"
The level leaderboard, except for the top-ranking assassin, was filled with players of hidden classes.
John glanced at the leaderboard and said calmly, "Nothing special. He just has an experience boost talent."
This Dark Angel was one of the few players with an SSS-level talent.
However, his SSS-level talent wasn't particularly powerful, merely an auxiliary experience boost that increased his experience gain by 90%.
Sini nodded, not surprised that John knew these details.
In her eyes, John was mysterious and powerful, even someone like Aron didn't dare to offend him.
"Master, to me, you are the strongest," Sini said earnestly.
She wasn't flattering John. Without his help, she wouldn't have reached level 22 so quickly and made it onto the leaderboard.
The level leaderboard ranked players by their level but didn't reflect their true strength.
John turned his attention away from the leaderboard and looked at Sini. "Sini, I'm going to do my class advancement."
"Okay," Sini nodded. For some reason, her cheeks turned red, and she said softly, "I'll log off and prepare dinner. Come offline early."
Without waiting for John's response, she logged off and disappeared.
John smiled, left the Secret Area, and headed to Jade City, the nearest Tier 1 city from the novice village, for his class advancement.
Outside Jade City, there was a hidden trial for the mage class advancement.
In his previous life, he barely passed the three-part trial to become a Judgment Mage during his second class advancement.
But now, John's level 10 attributes far surpassed those of Tier 2 class strongmen, making him more than capable of passing the trial.
...
The appearance of the leaderboard caused quite a stir in the world of Gods.
Especially among various families and guilds.
In the novice village.
Aron had just slain a Tusked Wild Boar, reaching level 7.
"Damn Godslayer!" he cursed through gritted teeth. If it weren't for Godslayer killing him twice, he would have already reached level 10 and completed his class advancement.
He might have even made it onto the leaderboard.
Aron checked the newly appeared leaderboard.
Most of the IDs on the level leaderboard were familiar to him.
But one name surprised him.
Gale!
That was Sini's ID.
The fact that this woman made it onto the leaderboard.
That was something Aron couldn't accept. To him, Sini was just a slave.
He never expected that after escaping his control, she would top the leaderboard.
Moreover, Sini turned out to be a hidden class awakener, a fact she had never disclosed before.
This filled Aron with a fresh surge of nameless anger, feeling as though Sini had played him.
However, Godslayer's ID was nowhere to be found on the level leaderboard.
Aron sneered, "Hmph, I thought you were a formidable opponent. Turns out, you're nothing special."
Having learned that Godslayer might be connected to Ritchie, he no longer dared to seek revenge. He could only vent his frustrations verbally.
Closing the level leaderboard, Aron's attention was drawn to the first item on the equipment leaderboard: a shield.
"An artifact!" He swallowed, eyes filled with greed.
But as he saw the name of the artifact's owner, his excitement deflated.
Owner: Ritchie.
Ritchie's background was something the Smith family absolutely could not provoke.
This artifact shield was out of his reach.
Matt, standing beside him, also noticed the artifact shield, frowning as he pondered something.
Aron asked, "Matt, what's wrong?"
Matt pulled his gaze away and looked at Aron. "Sir, do you remember that hidden task Godslayer had? The reward was an artifact. And on the entire equipment leaderboard, there's only this one artifact."
Matt's hint made Aron realize, "You mean this originally belonged to Godslayer and was taken by Ritchie?"
Matt shook his head. "Ritchie's status means he represents the official side; he wouldn't outright steal. I suspect Godslayer gave it to him. They likely made some sort of deal, like Ritchie offering Godslayer protection..."
"Damn it!" Aron cursed, enraged.
That artifact should have been his!
To help Godslayer complete that task, he had suffered immense losses, even causing his guild to disband.
Now, it seemed he had done all that for someone else's benefit!
Aron felt a deep sense of injustice, but he didn't dare offend Ritchie or make a move against Godslayer.
Seeing Aron's thoughts, Matt smiled slightly, confident and calculating. "Sir, we can't offend Ritchie, but there are those who aren't afraid of him."
Aron's eyes lit up. "You mean the Ancient Martial Arts families?"
But his excitement quickly faded, and he sighed. "The Ancient Martial Arts families rarely involve themselves in worldly affairs. They won't target Ritchie."
"Sir, you're mistaken," Matt said with a cold smile. He was practically a member of one of these families and understood their methods well.
He continued, "Sir, do you think the slaves trained by the Ancient Martial Arts families are just for making money? They're meant to monitor the actions of major families. Sini thinks she's free with that contract, but she doesn't realize she's just a puppet of the Griffin Family, without any true freedom."
Matt's words sent chills down Aron's spine.
To the Smith family, the Ancient Martial Arts families were like a towering mountain, as unattainable as how ordinary people viewed families like theirs.
If the Ancient Martial Arts families wanted to destroy families like theirs, it would be effortless.
Aron took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He looked at Matt and asked, "So you mean to use Sini to stir conflict between the Ancient Martial Arts families and the military?"
"No," Matt shook his head, pointing skyward with confidence. "Sini alone isn't enough. But this game, the world of Gods, is."
Seeing Aron's confusion, Matt explained, "I've verified it through various channels; this isn't just a game. It seems more like a real world. Moreover, any increase in power within the world of Gods translates to reality. The Ancient Martial Arts families aren't greedy for money or power, but if they can improve their cultivation, they'll definitely be interested."
"That makes sense!" Aron nodded repeatedly, his expression excited.
The immense allure of an artifact is irresistible.
If Ritchie could be persuaded to part with it, all would be well. But if he refused, the consequences would be dire.
Aron said, "Matt, I'll leave it to you to contact the Griffin Family."
Matt gave a cold smile, his expression dark. "Sir, if we're going to cause trouble, let's make it big. Why not involve all the Ancient Martial Arts families?"
"Do as you see fit," Aron agreed.
He knew Matt's history: once a slave and puppet cultivated by the Du family, an Ancient Martial Arts family.
But after a serious injury while serving the Roys Family, his cultivation was destroyed.
The high and mighty families showed no compassion. To them, Matt was just a dog. Without value, he was discarded.
Later, Aron's father rescued him, and Matt became fiercely loyal to the Smith family.
...
Meanwhile, John had reached the outskirts of Jade City.
Jade City was a Level 1 city, far more organized and bustling than the novice village.
At the city gate, a guard detachment was stationed, with many players coming and going.
These were players from the surrounding novice villages.
In the city, various profession mentors could advance players to the first tier of their careers, but not to hidden professions.
John didn't enter the city. Instead, he followed an overgrown path leading outside.
Soon, he encountered dilapidated buildings.
Judging by the scale of these ruined structures, this must have been an even more prosperous and grand city than Jade City.
The area was desolate, rarely visited, and free of monster spawns, so few players paid attention to it.
"This should be the place," John stopped in front of a ruined building, brushing away the dust on a stone tablet to reveal four large characters: The Temple of Magic!
In his previous life, he had stumbled upon the Magic Sanctuary trial by chance and successfully advanced to become a Judgement Mage, significantly boosting his strength.
Back then, John barely passed the three trials. He felt that the Judgement Mage wasn't the strongest profession available here.
The trial difficulty was tailored to the player's level.
This time, John was only at level 10, so the difficulty would be greatly reduced, but his attributes were incredibly strong, ensuring he wouldn't stop at just three trials.
Taking a deep breath, he walked into the dilapidated hall and approached a damaged statue, touching it and channeling his mana into it.
Buzz!
Light flashed, emitting a powerful magical aura.
[Magic Sanctuary trial activated. Enter?]