The second Cheap Shot's stun duration was winding down.
But Ethan, who had been bracing for his opponent's next move, was caught completely off guard.
Just as the stun was about to wear off,
Bam—
A third strike connected squarely to his head. This one was Ambush, and lasted 15 seconds.
Gone was the smug satisfaction Ethan had once felt when he'd toyed with others like this in his previous life. Back then, he'd relished the thrill, the sneaky delight of outplaying his prey.
Now? He was seething. Furious.
'Damn it, old man! Why didn't you let me pick the Rogue class?'
Right now, he'd gladly take anything else over this humiliation, being controlled for nearly two full minutes without a chance to fight back was torture.
'So this is what it feels like, he thought bitterly. Karma's a cruel Bitch!'
The third stun finally wore off. The moment he regained control, Ethan activated Stealth and jumped down from the wall he had been perched on.
Sure enough, his guess was right. Shadowstrike was just toying with him. Low-level Rogues without advanced abilities rarely risked a head-on confrontation, they'd get obliterated without even a chance to escape.
Ethan gritted his teeth. 'Shadowstrike, just you wait.'
He crouched in the shadows, scanning the area with his sharp eyes. His mind raced. He needed an anti control skill or an item to counter stealth, anything to level the playing field.
Replaying the earlier encounter, Ethan recalled Shadowstrike's initial move. It was clear now. Thiis wasn't just toying. Shadowstrike had been baiting him, trying to make him drop his guard.
Fighting against stealth classes without proper countermeasures was a nightmare. You could never tell if they had left or were still circling you, waiting to strike.
When two stealth classes crossed paths, it became a game of patience. The first one to reveal themselves, whether attacking or farming mobs, would almost always end up dead.
Ten minutes passed.
Ethan moved cautiously, his form blending seamlessly with the terrain. This was a trick he'd mastered in his previous life, a chameleon-like movement technique that drastically reduced the chances of being discovered while in stealth.
'No way a rookie, even with his level of talent , could outmatch four years of experience,' Ethan thought.
A plan began to form in his mind. His gaze locked onto a single blade of grass swaying gently in the breeze. With a determined glint in his eye, Ethan extended a claw and brushed it lightly.
Then he retreated silently, crouching low.
Just as he settled into position, he felt it, a faint ripple in the air beside him.
Gotcha.
Ethan sprang forward, claws lashing out in a swift Shred.
---
Ding...
[You have been attacked by player 'Shadowstrike.']
Ding...
[You have slain player 'Shadowstrike.' This has been evaluated as a counterattack and will not increase your Sin Value.]
---
Through his fading dizziness, Ethan caught a glimpse of Shadowstrike's stunned expression before he crumpled to the ground and vanished into a lifeless heap.
"What a monster…" Ethan murmured, both impressed and rattled.
Shadowstrike's precision was terrifying. Ethan had only managed to preemptively attack because he'd guessed Shadowstrike's position based on the subtle movements near the grass. But as soon as Ethan moved, Shadowstrike had reacted with lightning speed, countering with Ambush.
The result? Ethan landed his Shred a fraction of a second before Shadowstrike's Ambush took effect.
The timing difference was little, barely 0.1 seconds. But to Ethan, it was clear. He would have lost this exchange.
Sure, Shadowstrike was dead, but in terms of technique and reaction speed, the guy had bested him.
In his past life, Ethan knew he wouldn't have been able to retaliate like that in such a short time. Shadowstrike's mastery was leagues ahead of anything he'd faced before.
As Ethan watched the corpse dissolve into a flash of white light. He knew exactly where Shadowstrike would chose to respawn.
In Ethereal, players could either revive at a designated spawn point or opt to "corpse-run" back to their body.
---
Revive Mechanics:
1. Spawn Point Revival:
Corpse disappears as white light.
Penalties: Weakness debuff (1 hour) and -1 level.
2. Corpse Revival:
Corpse becomes a skeleton.
Penalties: Start with 50% HP and lose 20% of current XP.
---
Corpse revival had lighter penalties, but few players wanted to risk playing the game in that form.
Ethan bent down, picking up a glowing item near Shadowstrike's former position. A ring.
A grin tugged at the corners of his lips.
Since the system had flagged Shadowstrike as the aggressor, his name had turned gray. Gray-name players dropped one guaranteed piece of gear upon death. This ring could be valuable.
Just as he thought his expression widened
"Could it be...?"
He quickly examined its stats:
---
[Ring of True Sight]
Grade: Common [Upgradeable]
Attack: 2–5
Attribute 1: Increases the chance of detecting stealth.
Attribute 2 (Locked): Activates the True Sight skill, revealing invisible entities within a 10-foot radius for 10 seconds. (Unlocks at Bronze tier.)
---
Ethan's jaw nearly dropped. This was the ring. The one Shadowstrike had used to make a name for himself in Ethan's previous life.
Rumor had it, Shadowstrike upgraded it all the way to Dark Gold tier, where its detection range expanded to 100 feet, and its duration stretched to five full minutes.
Ethan had fallen victim to this ring countless times. Nicknamed the Rogue's Bane, its reputation was well-deserved.
Now, holding it in his hands, Ethan couldn't help but grin.
'Talk about justice. Looks like the tables have turned. This time, I'm hunting you.'
The frustration from being humiliated earlier was all but forgotten.
Although the ring was only Common grade, accessories were incredibly rare drops in Ethereal. Anything in this category, no matter its stats, was considered special.
'What dumb luck did Shadowstrike have to stumble across this?' Ethan wondered.
Slipping the Ring of True Sight onto his finger, Ethan made his way toward the quest zone.
---
Two hours later, Ethan completed all four of the area's quests.
It hadn't been easy. One of the kill quests demanded an absurd number of monsters to be slain, something most players tackled in groups. Ethan, however, had gone at it solo.
Even with his high attack power, it was slow, methodical work, picking off enemies one by one.
When he finally resurfaced from the underground hunting zone, the area above was bustling with players grinding for experience. Most were around Level 2 by now.
Ethan, on the other hand, was already Level 4 with 54% experience toward his next level.
Looking at the completed quests in his log, he knew turning them in would push him to Level 5.
Transforming into his panther form, Ethan sprinted back toward the surface, moving like a blur. His speed and agility immediately drew the attention of the surrounding players.
"Wait… what's a druid doing here?" one whispered.
"I thought druids weren't supposed to show up until after the Starter Zone?" another added.
Ethan ignored the murmurs. Ideally, he'd stay in stealth to avoid attention, but stealth reduced movement speed by 50%. Even with his panther form's 30% speed boost, it wasn't worth the tradeoff.
---
As soon as Ethan reached the surface, a sharp scream cut through the air.
Looking up, he spotted the source: a newly spawned Level 5 Corrupted Rat Commander.
It must've been triggered by the area's monster kill count reaching its threshold. This was a system that spawned minor bosses in certain regions.
A girl in beginner gear lay pinned beneath the rat's massive claws. Her health bar was plummeting, and after one more bite, it was down to a sliver, barely 10%.
"Help me!" she cried, struggling to break free.
Her strength was too low, her level also too low to escape the boss's grasp.
"Don't worry, I'll save you!"
The shout came from a young man wielding a sword and shield. He charged forward with reckless abandon, clearly intending to play the hero.
"Eat this, you filthy rat!" he yelled, activating his taunt ability.
Ethan winced at the cringe worthy battle cry. This guy clearly had to be some sort of simp who only watched anime all day.
Wether things didn't go as planned or this guy was just too stupid, Ethan couldn't tell. The rat commander turned, releasing the girl and charged at the aspiring hero with terrifying speed. Its fangs sank into his neck with a sickening crunch.
---
-30, -4, -4, -4…
---
The rat's bite triggered a Bleed effect, draining his health rapidly.
"Argh!" the would-be savior screamed as his body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
The rat turned its attention back to the injured girl, who was desperately trying to crawl away.
---
Around them, other players began to panic.
"It's a Level 5 commander!" someone shouted, after using their basic appraisal skill.
"If a tank like that guy got one-shotted, what chance do we have?"
Despite their murmured concerns, no one stepped forward to help.
Sure, the girl was attractive, but she was still a stranger. Why risk their hard-earned experience for someone they didn't even know?
At Level 2, death meant losing 20% of their XP, which was essentially an hour of grinding wasted. None of them were willing to make that sacrifice.
As the rat commander lunged at the girl, its sharp claws ready to strike, a shadow streaked across the battlefield.
Ethan, still in his panther form, leaped into the fray with lightning speed.
___
Author:
I made some changes from earlier chapters so please take note. Support me by adding to your library, commenting and voting. More chapters incoming~