Ironclad and his twenty-three subordinates all respawned in Shell Town, their bodies dissolving into white light before reforming.
Their faces were grim.
They had planned to take over the Golden-tier Boss that 'Shadow' was fighting, expecting an easy win. But to their shock, the boss turned out to be terrifyingly powerful!
"This is insane! We barely stepped into the swamp before we were swarmed by Silver-tier monsters!"
"And those water jets were spraying everywhere! No way to dodge them in time…"
"I could react, but my speed wasn't enough! That Shadow guy dodged them—just how high is his agility?"
"He must've put everything into agility, right?"
"That doesn't make sense! If he maxed agility, where did his damage come from? How could he bring the boss down to half health?"
"Exactly! We were attacking for a while, and we barely chipped off 3% of its HP…"
"He did it solo… How?"
Ironclad's expression was dark.
This had been a total loss.
His philosophy was simple—losing a bit of non-tradable lifespan wasn't a big deal, as long as he got strong enough before it ran out.
But now…
This was pure, pointless feeding!
"Let's go back," Ironclad said coldly.
Despite the confused and skeptical looks from other players in Shell Town, he led his team out again.
Their full-party wipe had attracted attention—by this point, mass deaths were rare.
Curious onlookers trailed after them, intrigued.
Meanwhile, Riven was far ahead.
By the time Ironclad's group set off, he had already reached the swamp again.
Shadow Slash! Toxic Dagger!
He resumed his battle with the Golden Ghost Ship, using the same hit-and-run tactics.
At half HP, the Ghost Ship gained several new abilities.
One of them was a devastating area attack—when the skeletal oars rowed, waves rippled outward in a deadly shockwave!
With Riven's current stats, getting hit meant instant death…
But dodging it was simple.
All he had to do was jump.
The problem? The waves weren't consistent. Sometimes it was fast, sometimes it was slow, demanding split-second reflexes.
Any slower players who ventured within 100 meters of the ship were doomed.
As for the boss's other attacks, most were single-target.
Since Riven remained invisible, those abilities never even triggered.
All he had to do was evade the AoE.
By the time the Boss had only 25% HP left, Ironclad's group arrived again.
Seeing the swamp littered with life essence orbs, they immediately rushed forward, intent on killing Shadow and stealing the boss kill.
But—
Just as they stepped out of the trees, a bolt of lightning shot from the foliage, striking Ironclad and chaining to several others!
-39!
-34!
-36!
This was the current damage tier for most players.
Hidden in the trees, Lina had ambushed them to prevent interference!
Marcus's team, made up of elites, had long understood the importance of agility in Eclipse of Eternity. This made Lina faster than average players. After landing the attack and seeing them turn around, she immediately bolted.
Riven, still battling the Ghost Ship, saw everything but remained unfazed. Even if those players made it into the swamp, they would likely just die.
Shadow Slash! Toxic Dagger!
Seizing the moment, Riven unleashed another combo—
The boss had only 5,000 HP left—barely 10% of its total!
Just as more players arrived at the swamp's edge, Riven executed his final Shadow Slash. His blade flashed five times in succession, slashing through the Ghost Ship's spectral hull!
-549!
-549!
-549!
[You have slain 'Golden Ghost Ship' (Golden-tier).]
[You have gained 4,800 EXP.]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 8!]
[You have gained 7 Evolution Points.]
[You have acquired 216 days of tradable lifespan.]
Simultaneously, a global announcement rang in every Eclipse of Eternity player's mind:
[Player 'Shadow' (Shell Town) has achieved the world's first kill of a Golden-tier Boss, earning 3 Reputation Points!]
The announcement repeated three times.
Every player, whether in their home country or abroad, was stunned.
A Golden-tier Boss?
First kill?
"What the hell?! This Shadow guy is a monster!"
"Damn it! I can't even kill normal mobs, and he just took down a Golden-tier Boss?!"
"—Which country does Shell Town belong to?"
"The first Golden-tier Boss kill must belong to our great Horn Empire!"
"Wow! 'Shadow' must be a master from the Romin Empire!"
Players worldwide—both inside and outside the game—were shaken.
Even Marcus, who was returning from a scouting mission, froze when he heard the announcement. Just a moment ago, he had been reporting that Shadow might be able to solo a Bronze-tier Boss.
Now?
He had killed a Golden-tier Boss!
"How can there be such a massive gap between players?"
"I have a hidden-class elite squad, and we're barely able to handle a Bronze-tier Boss… yet Shadow soloed a Golden-tier?!"
Marcus was having a full-blown existential crisis.
Meanwhile, in the Land of the Forsaken Gods...
While the world was still reeling from the announcement, Riven remained indifferent. He had seen these global broadcasts before.
In his past life, he had participated in several first-kill events—though always with a team. Now, he was doing it solo.
Boss kills were categorized by rank: Golden, Platinum, Emerald, and Diamond.
Each rank awarded one first-kill announcement.
Now that he had claimed the Golden-tier first kill, no one else could ever achieve it.
Epic-tier Bosses, however, were different. They were unique, named entities, and their kills would always trigger announcements.
Since Riven had fought alone, the announcement displayed only his name.
As his final Shadow Slash landed, the Golden Ghost Ship crumbled into wreckage, dropping a mountain of loot.
Riven hadn't even had time to collect it before a group of players charged into the swamp.
"Bright Side, use your skill! Find that guy!"
"Kill him! We'll take all the Golden-tier loot for ourselves!"
A tall, pale young man, his eyes glowing with greed, barked orders.
A Golden-tier Boss drop!
That meant at least Silver-tier equipment and skill books. There was even golden light—indicating a Golden-tier item!
At his command, a player behind him summoned a Phantom Skyhawk. The spectral bird took flight, pulsing with faint blue energy waves—
A detection skill.
Their plan was simple: Reveal Shadow's location, kill him, and steal everything. However, as the Phantom Skyhawk's detection waves rippled outward…
It found nothing.