Looking at the steadily decreasing health of the Blackwind Stronghold Chieftain, Ethan suddenly remembered the Lucky Scroll in his inventory—a rare item that doubled drop rates.
Humanoid monsters had distinct classes, and their loot was always tied to their respective professions. The Blackwind Stronghold Strategist was a mage, and as expected, had dropped a pile of mage gear. The Chieftain, on the other hand, was clearly an assassin-type. There was no doubt he would drop assassin-class equipment. And since this was the first Silver-tier boss kill, the system would already enhance its drop rate. If he used the Lucky Scroll on top of that…
Just the thought made Ethan's blood boil with excitement. He hurriedly took out the scroll and activated it. The buff would last for thirty minutes, but this boss had, at most, five minutes left to live. Using it now was perfect timing.
The Blackwind Stronghold Chieftain, despite his immense strength, had no way to display his prowess. He was slowly and painfully whittled down by his relentless foe, eventually collapsing in utter humiliation.
"Ding! Congratulations! You have slain the Silver-tier boss [Blackwind Stronghold Chieftain]! You have earned 500 Prestige Points, 40,000 EXP, and your pet Silverfang has earned 10,000 EXP."
"Ding! Congratulations! You have leveled up! +40 HP, +20 MP, +10 Free Attribute Points. Please distribute them wisely."
"Ding! Congratulations! Your pet Silverfang has leveled up! Current Level: 14."
"Ding! Talent Trait Activated. Venom Damage +1. Maximum Venom Stacks +1. Current Venom Damage: 428 per second. Maximum Stacks: 4."
"Ding! Immortal Physique Activated. Maximum HP +1. Current Immortal Physique Bonus: +577 HP."
At the same time, a server-wide announcement rang across the entirety of Zentaria.
"Server Announcement: Congratulations to player [Sealed] for defeating the Silver-tier boss [Blackwind Stronghold Chieftain]! As the first player in the server to defeat a Silver-tier boss, you have been awarded +1,000 Prestige, 30 Gold, and +30 Free Attribute Points!"
Perhaps players had grown accustomed to these system-wide notifications, or maybe they simply didn't understand just how strong a Silver-tier boss was. This time, while the announcement still caused a stir, the reactions were noticeably calmer than before.
"After all this time, Sealed has finally made headlines again!"
"Knew it. There's no way a legend like Sealed could stay quiet for too long."
"A Silver-tier boss? How did he even find one? I haven't even seen a single one yet."
"Yo, Sealed, did you get any Silver-tier gear? Show us!"
Public chat channels across every region instantly exploded with excitement, but this time, there were no voices of doubt—only admiration.
Golden Ridge City – Dominion's Elite Guild Headquarters
Jeremy saw the server announcement and sighed, "As expected… Even in the main city, he's still ridiculously ahead of the curve."
Harold nodded in agreement. "Yeah. At this point, Sealed isn't just a top player anymore—he's a legend."
Autumn Tide City – Ethereal Blossoms Guild
A team of twenty female players was engaged in a battle against a colossal sea creature—a Level 12 Bronze-tier boss [Deep Sea Tortoise].
Their teamwork was seamless, their classes perfectly balanced, and their damage output was remarkable. But what was even more eye-catching was that all twenty of them were women. The sight of these skillful, well-coordinated beauties dodging and attacking in perfect sync was mesmerizing.
At the center of the group, a woman in a flowing white priest's robe stood out like a radiant rose among a field of flowers. Even among such a stunning lineup, she was undoubtedly the most dazzling presence.
With a mere wave of her hand, a Healing Light enveloped a frontline warrior, instantly restoring her from the brink of death. The massive 900+ healing numbers floating above her head were enough to leave most clerics in sheer envy. It was this overwhelming healing power that allowed their team to challenge a Bronze-tier boss with just twenty members.
The healed warrior let out a playful sigh of relief. "Damn, Bloom, you're totally wasted as a priest. You should be out there nuking enemies instead."
Celestial Bloom shook her head helplessly. Once, she had been universally acknowledged as the top mage. Her original plan had been to continue playing as a spellcaster in Oracle, but fate had played a cruel joke on her—her innate Talent was +100% Healing Effectiveness. Given such a blessing, she had no choice but to switch to the Cleric class. Otherwise, it would have been a waste of a god-tier ability.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about that. Besides, being a healer has its perks—at least it keeps all of you reckless idiots alive." Celestial Bloom chuckled.
"Who exactly is this Sealed? I've played online games for years, but I've never come across this ID before," one of the girls asked, shifting the conversation. The recent world announcement had caught all their attention."No idea. Never heard of him before Oracle, maybe he's some gaming pro using a new alias?" a female archer speculated.
At that moment, even Celestial Bloom began to grow curious about this mysterious player…
Golden Ridge City
Sovereign's leader, Jeremy, wore a dark expression. "Him again. Looks like we need to put a stop to Sealed's progress. If we let him keep growing, he'll become a real threat to us."
"Agreed, but from what Liam said, Sealed always wears a mask in-game. That makes him harder to track down," Nathan added.
"We have thousands of members in Golden Ridge City. You really think we can't find one person?" Harold sneered.
Jeremy's eyes narrowed coldly. "Find him. If he's useful, recruit him. If not—eliminate him. Golden Ridge City is Sovereign's domain. I don't want anyone here we can't control."
Meanwhile, Ethan was oblivious to the storm brewing outside. He was too busy staring, eyes gleaming with excitement, at the mountain of loot piled before him—the most he had ever seen drop from a single boss.
His hands moved swiftly, scooping up every last item from the ground. As he glanced at his nearly full inventory, his heart pounded with exhilaration.
First, there were a total of 8 gold coins and 52 silver coins, almost matching the reward from the first kill of the Wild Boar King. Then came the equipment—4 Silver-tier pieces, 6 Bronze-tier pieces, and 8 Black Iron-tier pieces. He didn't bother picking up any Common-tier gear. Surprisingly, two skill books dropped, most likely due to the effect of the Lucky Scroll; otherwise, there was no way two would have dropped.
Additionally, there were 2 special scrolls, 2 attribute fruits, a strange-looking potion, a key, an unidentified parchment, and a quest-related head.This was a massive haul. Oracle's inventory system allowed stacking identical materials and potions up to 1,000 per slot, but gear took up individual slots. Typically, loot rates were so low that most players never had to worry about inventory space. Yet now, his 40-slot backpack was nearly overflowing from a single boss fight.
With hands trembling in excitement, Ethan began inspecting his newly acquired gear.
Silver-tier Equipment:
[Soul-Devour Dagger] (Silver-tier)
Physical Attack +280
Attack Speed +10%
Life Steal +10%
Bonus Attributes: Strength +24, Agility +22, Stamina +23
Requirement: Assassin
[Blackwind Leather Armor] (Silver-tier)
Health +800
Mana +200
Physical Defense +50
Magic Defense +50
Damage Reduction +5%
Bonus Attributes: Stamina +25, Endurance +23, Spirit +22
Requirement: Assassin, Archer
[Blackwind Helm] (Silver-tier)
Health +500
Physical Defense +45
Magic Defense +45
Critical Resistance +8%
Bonus Attributes: Stamina +22, Endurance +21, Agility +20
Requirement: All Classes
[Gale Bracer] (Silver-tier)
Physical Attack +160
Attack Speed +10%
Armor Penetration +10%
Bonus Attributes: Agility +22, Strength +21, Endurance +20
Requirement: Assassin, Archer
Bronze-tier Equipment:
[Graphite Ring] (Bronze-tier)
Health +300
Physical Attack +125
Cooldown Reduction +5%
Bonus Attributes: Strength +23, Stamina +22
Requirement: Physical Classes
[Graphite Belt] (Bronze-tier)
Health +400
Physical Defense +35
Magic Defense +35
Bonus Attributes: Stamina +21, Endurance +22
Requirement: All Classes
[Graphite Necklace] (Bronze-tier)
Physical Attack +140
Critical Rate +5%
Luck +5
Bonus Attributes: Strength +20, Agility +22
Requirement: Physical Classes
[Graphite Boots] (Bronze-tier)
Movement Speed +60
Physical Defense +30
Magic Defense +30
Bonus Attributes: Agility +21, Endurance +22
Requirement: All Classes
[Graphite Helm] (Bronze-tier)
Health +300
Physical Defense +30
Magic Defense +30
Critical Resistance +5%
Bonus Attributes: Stamina +24, Endurance +25
Requirement: All Classes
[Graphite Bracer] (Bronze-tier)
Physical Attack +130
Attack Speed +5%
Armor Penetration +5%
Bonus Attributes: Strength +23, Agility +24
Requirement: Assassin, Archer
Ethan's eyes gleamed as he inspected his new gear. Almost everything was tailored for his class. This is a complete gear overhaul! My combat strength just skyrocketed.
Without hesitation, he equipped all the upgraded pieces. His Soul-Devour Dagger alone boosted his attack power significantly, and the Blackwind Leather Armor provided him with excellent defense and survivability.
This is the power of a boss first-kill. The rewards are insane!
As for the Iron-tier equipment, Ethan didn't even bother looking at it.