Dark clouds shrouded the sky, followed by the darkness and chaos that descended upon the earth. The spiral stone stairwell, bloody corpses, armories, weapons—everything was chaotic and bleak, carrying the scent of death and danger.
Rhode took a deep breath, but wasn't able to taste the cold and bloody air. After all, it was just a game. He shook his head and turned to his comrades who sat on the ground not far from him. Currently, they were resting in silence, restoring their health and repairing their weapons. On the surface, it was no different from the usual day, but Rhode knew that this fight was clearly not as easy as before.
"How many survived?"
He asked in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this question, his comrades looked at one another. And soon after, a skinny mage stood up.
"Reporting, Guild Leader! There are 96 of us left. The Void Dragon Dungeon is even more dangerous than we expected. A lot of our men were caught in the earlier traps. Luckily, we still have a diverse number of classes left with us."
"Good."
Rhode nodded and didn't say anything more. The crowd also fell into silence.
If it were an ordinary guild, they would have lost their courage long ago and fallen into disorder. After all, what they were about to face was the most powerful, brutal, and one of the game's most elite bosses—the unconquered Void Dragon. It was the final boss of the Third Chapter in Dragon Soul Continent Online. At that moment, it was known as the most ruthless existence. Facing such a strong battle, ordinary guilds needed to organize at least 10 parties to challenge it. But now, only 96 members survived within Rhode's guild, which was clearly insufficient. Despite that, there was not even the slightest panic in their eyes. There was only calmness, confidence, and trust.
The person whom they trusted with their avatars' lives was currently standing on the stairwell ahead. He looked up to the sky with a face full of fortitude. A cold scar that left one awestruck could be seen on his brow. A shining magical armor encased his strong body as if it were a mighty bulwark that would never collapse.
Of course, it wasn't because of his dignified appearance that had made others trust the man in front of them. No matter how strong he looked, it was just part of his character design, and the scar across his brow was merely a cosmetic item.
What was outstanding of him were the countless achievements and prestigious titles.
First player to rank top of all professional players.
First player to be acknowledged as the top player of the most difficult playable class, 'Spirit Swordsman.'
Since the First Chapter of 'Dragon Soul Continent Online: The Coming Darkness', he had led the guild by solely relying on his own ability. His frightening degree of familiarity towards other classes had helped him sweep three quarterly leaderboards and defeat all the bosses in the first kill as the leader of the guild. All of his dungeon videos would be reproduced by numerous players. He was worshiped as the holy teacher, and the Dragon Soul Continent's No. 1 guild leader—Rhode.
He had personally conquered 'The Coming Darkness', and paved the way to the Second Chapter, 'The Turbulent Era'. Then, he dominated the 'The Turbulent Era', and arrived at 'The Void Trial'. And now, he would once again use his own hands to end 'The Void Trial'. However, the new era would no longer be started by him alone.
How many years has it been?
Rhode shifted his gaze away from the distant bolts of lightnings in the sea of dark clouds.
Since the death of his sister, he had been in the Dragon Soul Continent for seven years. In the past seven years, in order to make himself forget the pain, he repeatedly set impossible goals and achieved them one after another. At that moment, the achievements brought him great excitement and glory, which alleviated his agony.
However, everything was about to stop.
A month ago, Rhode's parents had traveled abroad. But unfortunately, the plane that they were on flew into a hurricane and crashed, killing them instantly. He could no longer remember what the call he received was about, and how he felt back then when he heard the news. Now, he had made the decision to leave the game and return to real life. This wasn't just for the sake of his parents, but also for his future as well. He was very clear that it was time for him to change his life around.
"… L-Leader?"
A trembling voice sounded, interrupting his reverie. He looked up and saw a timid female mage who raised her hand from the crowd, looking at him with a meaningful gaze.
"A-Are you really leaving us?"
"Yes."
Rhode nodded and held back his complicated emotions. He shook his head and looked at his companions; these were all his memories and achievements. They were comrades that had been fighting with him for the past seven years. But soon, he would eventually leave them. Although this was only a game, he could effortlessly sense their intentions with just a small hand gesture from them. But after removing the gaming helmet and going back to reality, it seemed like he wouldn't be able to recognize any of them.
"I sent out my resume yesterday. I hope I can find a company that will take me in."
"Guild Leader, if I receive your resume, I will definitely appoint you as a departmental manager; just rest assured!"
A knight waved the sword in his hand. His words had also livened up the previously heavy atmosphere and made everyone bursting into laughter.
"Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, I didn't include my gaming experience on my resume. As you know, our guild has many enemies. If my resume were to be received by people from another guild, my life would be over."
Rhode answered with a smile, before coughing with a serious expression.
"I suppose we all know how we overcame the past years."
Upon hearing his words, the people who laughed earlier, kept quiet and listened intently.
"We also know that in the forums, there are a lot of people who accuse us of undermining the balance of the game, monopolizing all the first kills of bosses, and making the word 'competition' lose its meaning… Frankly, they're not wrong, but…"
Suddenly, Rhode clenched and swung his fist forcefully.
"But this is what we do! We are the strongest guild! We have the strength! So we have to do what we must! The other guilds aren't strong enough, so it's their fault for being defeated. If they were powerful enough, they should've been able to contend with us. We neither relied on orthodox methods nor flattered the game company to monopolize the first kills of bosses. We relied on our own strength! We never give up, we never admit defeat, we never slack, so what we have now is what we deserve. It is just that simple."
Rhode paused and continued after a short while.
"I love this guild. I will also miss the time we have spent together over the past seven years. But in this world, all good things have to come to an end. I need to go on to find my purpose in life, but I will never forget everyone, neither will I forget the guild, which carries my most painful memories, but also my happiest ones. I will always remember Starlight forever."
Rhode said, pointing to his head.
"A lot of them said that our guild will crumble after I leave. I know many guilds have also heard the news about my departure and are now sharpening their weapons to crush us. But they have underestimated us. Dragon Soul Continent Online is not a game with only me in it. I can't establish a guild myself. I can't form a party by myself, and it is impossible for me to take the first kills of bosses by myself. That is why I hope that after I leave, all of you can teach those people the reason why this guild is so strong…"
"Because we have the power—the power to bring ourselves to top!"
"Yes!"
"No problem, Leader!"
"Leave it to us. When the time calls for it, we will give those idiots a perfect answer!"
"Very good."
Upon hearing everyone's answer, Rhode nodded, turning to the right side of the crowd.
"Old Ryu."
After hearing Rhode's voice, a thin mage walked out of the crowd and came to his side. Rhode looked quietly at the mage before him for a moment, before retrieving his guild badge from his pocket and placing it in his hands.
[System Notice: Transferring Guild Leadership. Transferring Party Leadership]
"The next era is yours."
Rhode let go of his hand. His voice was calm without the slightest change.
"No problem, Rhode."
The mage nodded, but soon, he spoke again.
"Well, as the new guild leader and party leader, I order you to lead everyone for one last time."
"What?"
Upon hearing his words, Rhode couldn't help but knit his brows. The thin mage smiled and patted Rhode's shoulder.
"You are the one who started this era, so you are the one who is supposed to end it too, Rhode. This is how it should be."
"…"
Rhode went silent; he looked toward his companions who weren't far away. At that moment, they were ready, waiting for his orders attentively as always.
Then, Rhode raised his sword, pointing it forward.
"Get ready to attack!"
As expected, the Void Dragon was extremely powerful.
Rhode had fought against almost all the higher level bosses in the Dragon Soul Continent, but none of them was as tough as this Void Dragon in front of him. Its attack pattern was complex and almost random. Its damage was several times higher than ordinary bosses. Needless to say, its speed, reaction time, and even defence were all S-class level.
Tsk, what a tough opponent…
Rhode held his sword and gnashed his teeth, staring at the Void Dragon in front of him. The fight reached its peak, and he was the only survivor. But even so, his HP was almost gone; the red alert flashing on his retinas continuously reminded him that his vitality had reached its limit.
So what if it is the Void Dragon?
As everyone looked at one another's health bars, it could be seen that the dragon's eyes were filled with hatred. Suddenly, Rhode had an odd feeling; he seemed to be able to feel the dragon's emotions.As the game's most powerful and undefeated boss, you must feel really terrible to have fallen into this state. In that case, I shall leave this place with you.
At that thought, Rhode raised his left hand.
Along with the sharp cry of a bird, Rhode's sword erupted blazing flames that morphed into a soaring flame bird. The flame bird locked eyes on the Void Dragon and soared toward it immediately. Facing this attack from Rhode, the Void Dragon let out a menacing bellow, raising its claws high and slashing forward.
"!!!"
Rhode trembled abruptly to the mighty force that struck at the flame bird and crushed it into bits. But before the flame bird disappeared entirely into light dust, it exploded and repelled the Void Dragon's claw.
In an instant, Rhode witnessed an opening.
He gnashed his teeth. The alert flashing in his eyes grew into an even deeper shade of red, reminding him that the damage he received had reached the critical point. However, this wasn't within his concern anymore. This was his last chance; he would either win or perish. He raised the sword in his hand and darted ahead. Meanwhile, the Void Dragon also pulled itself together. It growled and swung down its claw again, while Rhode hurled out the sword in his hand.
Thunderbolt!
The sword transformed into a dazzling light that shot toward the dragon's chest. Rhode watched intently as the pillar of light tore through the Void Dragon's claw and penetrated its scales effortlessly.
The Void Dragon snarled in agony. However, it continued to slam its claw onto Rhode's body.
A bloody redness warped his entire vision. He could no longer see anything in front of him. But the system prompt in the corner could still be seen clearly as usual.
[Congratulations. Starlight Guild has obtained the first BOSS kill in the Void Dragon Dungeon. An evil of eternity has just been wiped out.]
[Character has received fatal damage and will soon perish.]
It's finally over.
As soon as Rhode witnessed the system prompt, he revealed a pleasant smile.
And at that moment, a bright pillar of light descended from above, shining and warping him to the respawn platform.
At that moment, a pure white light shot up and penetrated the dark sky, dispersing the dark, lingering clouds.
The players who had already respawned quickly rushed toward the respawning platform. Even the other players around the world who were furious that Starlight had once again broken the record gathered. All of them stared at the platform silently, waiting for Rhode to appear.
But at the top of their screens, a system announcement appeared.
[System Notice: Player 'Rhode' went offline.]
A legendary player that had conquered the three eras disappeared.