On the *Godfall* forum, a screenshot of the equipment leaderboard was pinned at the top, attracting countless comments and speculations.
"Are you kidding me? The game just launched, and this guy already has Purple-Gold gear? He must be cheating!"
"Exactly! Even Cat King from *Chasing Cat's Tail* only has one Gold item, and it's a limited-time one. How did this guy get Purple-Gold gear?"
"By the way, does anyone know who this Dustwalker is?"
"I've never heard of him. My guess is he's exploiting some kind of bug."
"I know! A couple of days ago, he killed a core member of 'Third Heaven.' Angel of War is currently leading a squad to hunt him down. I have screenshots."
Beneath the comment were three images. One showed Ethan riding a sled, another captured him killing a *Third Heaven* player, and the last one depicted Angel of War leading his men.
"Holy crap, where did he get a sled? That thing isn't supposed to be available to players!"
"Exactly! Sleds aren't available to players. It looks like this Dustwalker guy is a hidden expert."
"If he's an expert, why isn't he on the level leaderboard?"
"Maybe he's hiding his ID."
"If he's hiding his ID, why didn't he hide his gear on the leaderboard?"
"Maybe he forgot."
"Anyone who forgets something like that isn't an expert."
"What's your name?"
"Me? I'm 'Dung Fly in a Toilet.' Why?"
"I'm 'Maggot in a Sea of Sewage.' Want to come out and spar?"
...
At the same time, near Frostleaf Town, south of the Dragonspine Mountains, Angel of War was staring at the equipment leaderboard with a dark expression.
He never imagined that the newcomer would have not just one but two Purple-Gold items. The best item he had was only Silver-tier, and it wasn't even a great one. Who exactly was this Ethan?
First, he somehow obtained a sled, and now he was dominating the leaderboard.
Angel of War had ambition. For the sake of profit, he could set aside personal grudges. He had even considered recruiting Ethan, but the guy wouldn't even answer his calls.
It was clear Ethan wasn't taking him seriously.
"Hmph, if you don't respect me, don't blame me for what happens next." Angel of War turned to his subordinates and commanded, "Increase surveillance. Watch the area around Dragonspine Mountain around the clock. The moment you spot Dustwalker, report to me immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, inside a luxurious villa, Damien lay on a bed, gasping for breath.
"Damien, you're amazing—way better than my husband."
"Get out."
"Damien, did I do something wrong…?"
"I said get out. Didn't you hear me?"
Damien's cold gaze shut her up, and she left, looking dejected after hurriedly gathering her clothes.
"Ding..."
At that moment, Damien's phone rang. He didn't pick it up immediately, instead pouring himself a glass of red wine. Only after taking a sip did he leisurely press the answer button.
"Hello? What is it?"
"Damien, it's me. I have the results you asked for."
"Oh!"
Damien immediately perked up.
"Tell me. What's Ethan been up to? Who has he been in contact with?"
"Well… unfortunately, you might be disappointed. Ethan hasn't been in contact with anyone recently."
"That's impossible! Are you sure you looked into it thoroughly?"
"Damien, you can rest assured. We wouldn't dare slack off on your orders. Ethan really hasn't been seeing anyone. However…"
"However, what?" Damien sat up straight, his interest piqued.
"A few days ago, Ethan received a large sum of money."
"Oh?" Damien's eyes lit up. "Who transferred the money to him?"
"It came from the Ingram Family."
"Which Ingram Family?" Damien asked, puzzled.
"The one in New York."
"No way!"
Damien immediately dismissed the idea. The Ingram Family was a major player in international metal trading. Though it was a sunset industry, their wealth and influence were still formidable. There was no way a lowlife like Ethan would have any connection to such a powerful family.
"I'm telling the truth. The money came from the Ingram Family, and it was specifically from Naomi's account."
"Naomi?"
Damien was stunned, as if he'd just heard the punchline of a joke.
Naomi was the heiress of the Ingram Family, holding 10% of their company's shares. She had also founded her own company, G&G, though he wasn't sure what it was all about. Regardless, her net worth was at least ten billion, making her a quintessential rich heiress.
How could someone like Naomi have any connection with Ethan?
"Could it be… Ethan is her secret lover? No, no, that's impossible."
Damien immediately rejected the thought. Naomi was engaged to Hunter, the second son of the powerful Vance Family. If Hunter found out, all hell would break loose.
But why would Naomi send money to Ethan?
"You're sure there's no mistake?" Damien asked again to confirm.
"Absolutely. I checked several times."
"Alright. Keep this quiet. By the way, what about Scarface? Has he moved in yet?"
"Don't worry, Damien. Scarface will pay Ethan a visit today to collect the debt. We'll make sure Ethan loses everything."
"Good."
Damien hung up the phone, unable to suppress a sinister smile.
"Ethan, it doesn't matter what your connection with Naomi is—you will never rise again."
Damien thought for a moment before dialing another number.
"Arrange a meeting with Hunter from the Vance Family."
"Yes, sir."
Several minutes later, Damien's phone rang again.
"Hello, did you set it up?"
"I'm sorry, sir. Hunter said he's too busy playing a game to meet right now…"
"A game?"
Damien was dumbfounded. The second son of the prestigious Vance Family was too busy playing a game to meet him?
Was the Vance Family planning to invest in the gaming industry?
"Fine, if he can't meet today, we'll reschedule."
Damien wasn't too pushy, though the situation did make him feel uneasy. He couldn't allow Ethan any chance to recover—he had to utterly destroy him.
…
In the world of Argoth, *AFKandChill* was in a bad mood after logging back in.
"Damn it, what's wrong with people? Some guy wanted to meet me—disgusting!"
Earlier, his butler had pulled him out of the game, saying Damien from the Adams Family wanted to meet him. But Hunter, aka *AFKandChill*, couldn't care less about who Damien was—especially not if it meant meeting some guy. How revolting!
Besides, he was too busy trying to woo Naomi to bother with anything else.
"AFKandChill, what's the rush? Did your family go bankrupt, or did your parents get divorced?" *OverallSuspender* taunted him as soon as he logged back in.
"Shut your filthy mouth! Your family's bankrupt! Your parents are divorced!"
Hunter shot back, the two of them always at each other's throats. They couldn't stand each other in real life, and they clashed even more in the game. If *OverallSuspender* hadn't been from a similarly influential family, Hunter would've hired a hitman to take him out already.
At that moment, Naomi approached from afar, and Hunter immediately ran to her, wagging his tail like a loyal puppy.
"Naomi, you're here! Are we running the Treasure Cave today?"
"Not today," Naomi shook her head. Ethan hadn't returned yet, so they couldn't even attempt it without him.
"Why not? Did that guy, Dustwalker, fail to give you the strategy guide?"
"No, he didn't have the guide," Naomi replied.
"I knew it! He's a scammer! No one has cleared the difficult-level dungeon yet, so how could he possibly have a guide?"
Hunter immediately began badmouthing Ethan, throwing a glance at *OverallSuspender* while he was at it.
"Only a fool would trust someone like that. What an idiot."
"You're full of crap! You're the idiot! Dustwalker would never lie!" *OverallSuspender* shot back, unafraid. As a fellow rich kid, there was no reason to fear Hunter.
"Enough, both of you!" Naomi said, exasperated as she shook her head.
Why couldn't this group get along for once? They always seemed to be bickering. Meanwhile, *Third Heaven's* elite players were already marching toward Winterhold, while they were still stuck in the Northlands, stressing over a single dungeon.
Naomi sighed and added, "It's not that there's no guide—Dustwalker needs to lead us in person."
"What? He's going to lead us?" Hunter's eyes widened, and he shook his head furiously. "No way! I'll only take orders from you, Naomi. I'm not letting some nobody be our leader!"
"Hunter, you're over
estimating yourself. Someone like you isn't even worthy to be on Dustwalker's team," *OverallSuspender* taunted.
"Who are you calling unworthy, you piece of—"
"Cut it out! If you two keep arguing, just leave the party," Naomi scolded, her face stern.
Both of them shut up immediately.
*OverallSuspender* didn't want to upset Naomi. He was a pure gamer who admired strength, and Naomi was someone he respected. As for Hunter, he didn't want to leave the group and lose face.
"I've already made a deal with Dustwalker. We'll wait for him to return tomorrow. That's final," Naomi concluded.
…