The aftermath of the Black Wind Bandit Lord's defeat left Lukas standing amidst the chaos, his blade gleaming with the blood of his enemies. The system's notification rang in his mind, signaling his triumph once more.
[System Notification: Congratulations, you have killed the Black Wind Bandit Lord. You have obtained the following rewards: Green-Grade Treasure Chest (Excellent) × 1, 100 Free Attribute Points.]
Lukas stepped forward, his eyes scanning the loot scattered across the ground where the boss had fallen. The rewards were as follows:
White-Grade Health Potion × 2
White-Grade Mana Potion × 1
Black Iron Pauldrons (Green-Grade Excellent) × 1
Coins × 671
The three potions would come in handy during prolonged battles, but Lukas' interest was piqued by the green-grade equipment. He quickly checked its stats.
[Black Iron Pauldrons – Green Grade (Excellent)]
Type: Shoulder Armor
Effect: +2000 Health
"Not bad," Lukas muttered, equipping the pauldrons. With their added defensive properties, his survivability in future battles increased.
...
Having gathered his spoils, Lukas began exploring the bandit camp for the missing villagers. It took him nearly half an hour to locate them in a hidden cell beneath the main hall. The villagers were scared but unharmed. Lukas led them out of the camp and started escorting them back to Novice Village 18.
As the group reached the village gates, the horizon darkened, and the first signs of night began to fall. In the Novice World, the night brought with it a blood moon that caused all monsters to enter a berserk state. The dangers multiplied exponentially, and staying outside after dark was practically a death sentence for most novices.
With the villagers safely returned to the square, Lukas approached the village elder to complete the quest. The elder's face lit up upon seeing the rescued villagers.
"Brave adventurer, I cannot thank you enough for your courage. You have saved our people, and for that, you have my deepest gratitude." The elder handed Lukas a small, intricately carved jade token in the shape of a sword.
[System Notification: Quest – Rescue the Villagers Completed. Reward: 1000 Free Attribute Points, Sword Talisman Key × 1.]
Lukas examined the jade token closely.
[Item: Sword Talisman Key]
Description: A key to unlock an unknown, powerful dungeon.
A smirk spread across Lukas' face. "Finally, it's mine."
This key was the entry point to the hidden Swordmaster's Tomb, a Level 7 dungeon known to only a select few. In his previous life, Lukas had watched from the sidelines as a lucky novice stumbled upon the dungeon and emerged with unparalleled rewards—most notably, a god-tier skill capable of both single-target and area-of-effect damage. The skill had carried that player to unimaginable heights.
"This time, it's my turn," Lukas thought, clenching the token tightly. His determination burned brighter than ever. The advantages this dungeon could provide were too valuable to ignore.
...
After leaving the square, Lukas decided to delay accepting the elder's next task. The village elder's questline had three stages, and the final stage could wait until after he had cleared the Swordmaster's Tomb.
As for the other NPC quests scattered throughout the village, Lukas deemed them irrelevant. Most of these tasks catered to novices below Level 5 and offered minimal rewards compared to what he could achieve elsewhere. His time was far too valuable to waste.
Returning to his designated cabin, Lukas opened the Novice Village 18 chat channel, curious about the progress of the other players.
"After two tasks today, I've finally reached Level 2."
"You're faster than me. I just hit Level 1. Meanwhile, Wraith is already taking down Level 8 bosses. He's probably Level 7 or higher by now."
"No doubt about it. Even with god-tier talent, you'd need at least Level 7 to handle an 8th Level Boss."
"I awakened a B-Grade talent that gives me an extra 50% attribute points per level-up. I've managed to hit Level 4 so far."
"Wow, you're definitely one of the strongest in the village right now. Most of us don't have anything better than C-Grade talents."
Reading the chat, Lukas noted that most players were still far behind him in progress. It was no surprise; his overwhelming advantage stemmed from the Main God-Level Talent that allowed him to collect exponentially more attribute points than anyone else.
Satisfied with his lead, Lukas decided to bide his time and rest for now. He had no intention of grinding monsters endlessly tonight. His focus lay elsewhere.
...
The night grew darker, and Lukas' thoughts turned to the next challenge. In his past life, he vividly remembered that the first Hundred-District Boss would appear shortly after nightfall.
The Hundred-District Boss was an event monster designed to reward players en masse. With health that rivaled mountains and devastating attacks, it required the cooperation of players from up to 100 nearby districts to defeat. Rewards were distributed based on individual contributions to the boss's defeat.
In his previous life, Lukas had been too weak to participate meaningfully in this event. His limited talents and low level had left him with nothing but scraps. But now, armed with god-tier talent and unparalleled strength, he had every intention of claiming the lion's share of the rewards.
...
Far away, in the 67th District's 34th Novice Village, a group of players from Solaris was farming a group of Level 2 Fire Lizard monsters in the Flame Ridge.
One player's attack struck a golden lizard, and as it fell, the ground beneath them began to quake violently. A massive golden-scaled creature emerged from the fissure, its size dwarfing everything around it. The beast's fiery breath scorched the earth, obliterating the Solaris players in an instant. Red damage numbers exceeding 2000 floated above their heads as their bodies turned to ash.
Above the beast, a title appeared: Hundred-District Boss – Level 10 Golden Flame Drake.
The system promptly issued a worldwide announcement:
[System Notification: The Hundred-District Boss – Level 10 Golden Flame Drake has appeared in the 67th District's Flame Ridge. Players from Districts 17 through 117 can now access the boss area via teleportation gates. Contribution rewards will be distributed accordingly.]
...
Back in the 92nd District's 18th Novice Village, Lukas' eyes gleamed as the system notification appeared.
"Finally," he muttered. "It's time."
Before heading to the teleportation gate, Lukas opened the treasure chest he had earned from the Black Wind Bandit Lord.
[System Notification: You have opened a Green-Grade Treasure Chest (Excellent) and received the following: Azure Wind Helm × 1.]
"Another green-grade item," Lukas remarked, equipping the helm. Although he had hoped for a rare blue-grade item, the 1% drop rate for such treasures made it unlikely.
[Azure Wind Helm – Green Grade (Excellent)]
Type: Headgear
Effect: +2000 Health
With the helm equipped, Lukas checked his gear:
Weapon: Cold Iron Blade (Green-Grade Excellent)
Armor: Wolfhide Jerkin (White-Grade Common)
Pauldrons: Black Iron Pauldrons (Green-Grade Excellent)
Knee Guards: Long Fang Greaves (Green-Grade Excellent)
Necklace: Azure Jewel Pendant (Green-Grade Excellent)
Helm: Azure Wind Helm (Green-Grade Excellent)
"Six pieces down, two to go," Lukas noted. "I'll need boots and a ring to complete my set."
Finally, he turned his attention to his attribute points. Between leveling up, completing quests, and earning rewards, he had amassed a staggering 9100 points.
"Let's see how far this will take me," Lukas thought, a smirk forming on his lips as he prepared for the battle ahead.
Lukas stood at the teleportation gate, his gaze steady as he stepped into the shimmering portal. The system's announcement had confirmed his expectations—the Hundred-District Boss had appeared. He adjusted his Azure Wind Helm, the green-grade gear glinting faintly under the moonlight, and prepared for battle.
The moment he emerged, the battlefield stretched before him—a vast, fiery landscape littered with players from various nations. The ground shook with every movement of the colossal creature dominating the scene.
[Hundred-District Boss: Level 10 Golden Flame Drake]
Attack: 1000
Defense: 150
Agility: 100
Health: 10,000,000
The beast's fiery scales gleamed like molten gold, and its massive claws gouged deep furrows into the earth. A single swipe from its tail sent players flying, red damage numbers floating above their heads as many were instantly obliterated.
"So weak," Lukas muttered, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the players' futile attempts. Most of them were novices below Level 5, their attacks barely scratching the boss's thick hide. It was chaos as players scrambled to dodge the Drake's flame breath, which incinerated entire groups in seconds.
The chat channels buzzed with heated arguments:
"This boss belongs to our Great Solaris! Everyone else, leave!"
"Ridiculous! The world doesn't belong to you! Step aside and let the strong handle it!"
"Only our Dragon Nation has the strength to defeat this beast!"
Lukas ignored the noise. He wasn't here to argue. He was here to claim the rewards.
...
Among the chaos, Serena Noxbourne stood at the edge of the battlefield, her weapon drawn. The heiress of the Noxbourne family had entered the portal from the 74th District, intent on testing her strength against the infamous Hundred-District Boss. Her attack landed on the Golden Flame Drake, a clean strike aimed at its side.
-452.
Serena frowned. Her damage was negligible against the boss's towering health pool. "What a terrifying monster," she muttered, tightening her grip on her weapon. "Even with all my training, I'm barely making a dent."
Then it happened.
A massive red number floated above the Drake's head:
-28,514.
The battlefield fell silent for a moment as everyone stared in disbelief. A single attack had dealt more damage than dozens of players combined.
"What was that?! Who did that?" someone shouted.
Serena's eyes darted around, searching for the source of the attack. All eyes turned toward a figure striding confidently across the battlefield, his Cold Iron Blade gleaming in the firelight.
"It's him!" someone exclaimed. "The Abyss God from District 92! He's the one who completed the first kill of the Novice World Boss!"
The chat exploded:
"How is that possible? He's only been here for a few hours! How can his attack power exceed 10,000?"
"Cheating! He must be cheating! There's no way someone can reach that level this quickly!"
"You're just jealous because you can't do it. Face it, the Abyss God is on a whole different level!"
Lukas paid no attention to the commotion. He activated Wind Slash again, his mana reserves sufficient for several powerful attacks thanks to his C-grade mana recovery talent.
-28,514.
-28,514.
-28,514.
Three more devastating blows landed on the Drake, each one carving deep into its golden scales. The beast roared in fury, its health dropping rapidly. Players gawked at the sight, their disbelief turning to awe.
"Unbelievable," Serena whispered, her heart racing. "That level of strength... Could it really be him?"
...
Lukas continued his relentless assault, dodging the Drake's attacks with ease. His agility, though lower than his other stats, was still far superior to the boss's, allowing him to evade the slow swipes of its claws and tail.
"This is too easy," Lukas thought, smirking as he unleashed another Wind Slash. The Drake's health bar plummeted further, now below 50%. The system announced his contribution to the fight:
[System Notification: Player Wraith has dealt 40% of the total damage to the Hundred-District Boss.]
Gasps rippled through the crowd. No single player had ever dominated a Hundred-District Boss event to this extent.
...
At the edge of the battlefield, Serena's gaze fixed on Lukas. The name "Wraith" echoed in her mind, and a realization struck her like a thunderbolt.
"It's him," she murmured, her voice barely audible. "Lukas..."
Her heart sank. The person who had broken records, caused a global sensation, and surpassed all expectations was none other than the man she had cast aside. Regret surged through her as she watched him command the battlefield with unparalleled strength.
...
The Golden Flame Drake's health fell to 10%, its movements becoming erratic as it entered a berserk state. Lukas remained unfazed. He activated his final Wind Slash, the blade's arc glowing with energy as it struck the Drake's exposed neck.
-32,742.
The Drake let out a final, ear-shattering roar before collapsing. The ground shook as its massive body hit the earth, flames flickering out. The battlefield fell silent as the system issued its announcement:
[System Notification: Congratulations to all players who contributed to the defeat of the Hundred-District Boss – Level 10 Golden Flame Drake. Contribution rewards are being distributed.]
Lukas' contribution exceeded 60%, earning him the highest tier of rewards.
[System Notification: Player Wraith has received the following rewards: Blue-Grade Treasure Chest (Rare) × 1, 2000 Free Attribute Points.]
A satisfied smile crossed Lukas' face as he collected his rewards. The crowd remained frozen, their awe palpable. They had just witnessed the rise of a legend.