Death stood right before Aaryan's eyes, but just then—suddenly—he was saved by Captain Boulder's attack being intercepted.
Aaryan looked up to see Nitish standing in front of him, having blocked the attack with his sword.
"Don't worry," Nitish said firmly, "I won't let you die so easily."
Without wasting a second, Nitish twisted his blade and unleashed another powerful Draconic Strike, slashing directly at Boulder with overwhelming force.
Boulder was thrown back once again, crashing at a distance.
Aaryan quickly followed up by casting Dark Shot, which not only inflicted more damage but also applied the Weakness status effect on Boulder.
Now, the two of them—Nitish and Aaryan—began attacking Boulder together. Nitish weaved between attacks with swift dodges, striking whenever he saw an opening, while also jumping in to shield Aaryan whenever needed.
Finally, after an intense battle, they managed to bring Boulder down.
"WE DID IT, BRO!" Aaryan shouted, unable to contain his joy.
But Nitish wasn't celebrating. His eyes remained fixed on the sword in his hand.
"What's wrong, man? Aren't you happy?"
"It's nothing," Nitish said with a faint smile, though there was a tinge of sadness in his voice. "I made a big mistake."
"Mistake? What mistake? You just did something no one else could even dream of!"
"It's the durability... My sword's durability is gone. It might break with the very next strike."
"What?! No way! That was a high-rank sword, wasn't it? How can its durability drop so fast?!"
Nitish replied quietly, "It's because I used it to block Boulder's special skill. That single blow drained it almost completely."
Just then, a system notification popped up for Nitish:
You have killed Captain Boulder [Elite] (Level 9). You have gained 4900 EXP.
Nitish wasn't particularly surprised—but Aaryan, who had received even less EXP due to his lower contribution, was baffled.
"Wait, he was an Elite, right? Then why the hell did he give so little EXP?"
"It's basic logic," Nitish explained. "If we had killed him without being on a quest, we'd have gotten a ton more EXP. But since this was part of a quest, the loot and EXP both get reduced. You saw it yourself—what we got was pretty low."
They both moved to check Boulder's loot. Aaryan, however, didn't touch a single item—he believed the loot belonged to his brother. Unless Nitish offered him something, he wouldn't take anything.
Nitish picked up the dropped items and smiled upon seeing one of them.
The Elite had dropped four items in total:
A pair of bronze-ranked gloves, wearable by knights
A golden-colored key
Captain Boulder's heart
And a blueprint for a hidden blade glove, which looked surprisingly easy to craft
"Aaryan, here," Nitish said with a grin. "Put on these bronze gloves—they're way better than your old ones."
"Bro, at least keep something for yourself," Aaryan said with a mix of guilt and admiration. "You're giving me everything…"
"Don't worry," Nitish replied. "I've kept some great stuff for myself too—like this key and the blueprint. Now come on, let's go finish our quest."
Character: Smight (Human)Affiliated Kingdom: Great Fornia KingdomTitle: NoneJob: SwordsmanLevel: 1HP: 120 / 150Physical Attack Power: 16Defense: 12Attack Speed: 9Movement Speed: 8
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Agility: 5
Endurance: 6
Intelligence: 3
Vitality: 4
Free Attribute Points: 8
Weapon Mastery:
One-handed Sword Mastery +5 (Apprentice Rank – Increases One-handed Sword Damage by 5%)
Two-handed Sword Mastery +5 (Apprentice Rank – Increases Two-handed Sword Damage by 5%)
Free Mastery Points: 0
Job Talents:
Swordsman Talent 1: +5 to all Sword-related Masteries
Swordsman Talent 2: Gain 8 Free Mastery Points every 5 levels
Swordsman Talent 3: 50% increased proficiency gain in all sword-related skills
Skills:
Chop(Active Skill) – Requires: SwordDeals an additional 40% of base damage. (Level 8)Proficiency: 280 / 68,000Cooldown: 5 seconds
Draconic Strike(Active Skill) – No requirementDeals 150% bonus damage and boosts all stats by 100% for 1 minute.(Level 1)EXP needed to sacrifice: 0 / 50,000Cooldown: 5 minutes
Harakiri Slash(Active Skill) – Requires: SwordDelivers 3 rapid slashes, each dealing 40% extra damage. (Level 2)Proficiency: 900 / 9,000Cooldown: 30 seconds
Nitish couldn't hide his excitement as he scanned his stats. Without wasting time, he assigned 6 points to Agility and the remaining 2 to Strength.
Then, both Nitish and Aaryan quickly set off toward Blackstone's residence. Upon arriving, Nitish pulled out Captain Boulder's heart and held it up for Blackstone to see.
"Here, sir—we've defeated Boulder."
"Excellent! I had a feeling you two were more than capable. Now, only one final test remains," Blackstone said with a proud smile.
Hearing those words, Aaryan turned to Nitish with a look that clearly said, If this guy gives us another ridiculous task, I'm going to crack his skull open.
"Your final task is simple," Blackstone continued. "You need to collect 1,000 white ores. That's it—your final challenge!"
Nitish actually felt relieved hearing this and nodded in agreement. He then motioned for Aaryan to follow, and the two of them began heading toward the Plain Caves.
"Nitish, wait—why are we going there now? How exactly are we supposed to get these white ores?" Aaryan asked, confused.
"Well," Nitish began, "the Plain Caves are home to monsters called Dark Gnomes. They drop white ores when defeated."
Aaryan's face tensed slightly. "And how the hell are we supposed to collect a thousand ores? Isn't that a bit much?"
"It is tough to kill gnomes, no doubt," Nitish said, smiling confidently, "but don't worry—your brother's got a solid plan."
After walking for some time, they finally arrived at the entrance of the Plain Caves. Once there, Nitish turned to Aaryan to explain the strategy.
"Alright, listen up. From here on, it's all on you. You're going to attack the gnomes from a distance. I'll lure them toward me and group them up in one place," Nitish explained.
Without waiting for a response, he dashed straight into the cave, charging toward the gnomes with determined speed.
The gnomes were surprisingly tall—each one nearly the same height as Nitish and Aaryan. In their hands, they wielded two large daggers, and a few of them carried dual short axes instead.
Within minutes, Nitish had lured thirty gnomes to follow him. After running around and dodging their attacks for a while, he suddenly pulled a smoke bomb from his bag and hurled it toward the pursuing enemies.
As the bomb exploded, a thick cloud of smoke engulfed the entire area surrounding the gnomes.
Aaryan watched the scene unfold, both impressed and thrilled.
"Now you can attack them from a distance without fear," Nitish called out. "They won't be able to notice you through the smoke. It'll last for 15 minutes."
Dark Gnome (Level 4)HP: 800 / 800
Aaryan cast Dark Shot at one of the gnomes. Just as Nitish had predicted, the creature didn't react to Aaryan's presence. Instead, the gnome looked around, confused and disoriented, unable to figure out where the attack had come from.
Moments later, the gnome collapsed—dead—and dropped loot.
Aaryan was ecstatic. With each successful hit, his excitement grew, and he continued firing from a distance non-stop.
Within just fifteen minutes, he had wiped out all thirty gnomes. The EXP they gained from the kills left both Aaryan and Nitish pumped with energy. However, since Aaryan was already Level 4, his EXP gain was lower. Nitish received even less because his only contribution was drawing the gnomes' attention—he hadn't landed any actual attacks.
Afterward, the two began gathering the loot from the fallen gnomes.
"Wow, Aaryan! Your luck is incredible—we got 120 white ores from just these 30 gnomes! Plus a ton of common-ranked items too," Nitish said with a grin.
"Hahaha! You think your brother's anything less than a pro?" Aaryan laughed proudly.
Once they finished looting, they waited near the spawn point for the gnomes to reappear.
They repeated the same strategy again and again—Nitish would lure the gnomes, throw a smoke bomb, and Aaryan would take them out from a distance.
Before long, they had collected a total of 680 white ores.
Nitish had just thrown another smoke bomb when suddenly—a strange feeling crept over him. Before he could process what was happening, his health dropped sharply, leaving him with only 20 HP.
"AARYAN!" he shouted, immediately activating Defensive Blade to block the flurry of incoming strikes.
Aaryan, stunned by the sudden turn of events, began losing health as well.
"ASSASSINS!" Nitish yelled, leaping backward while using a parry to protect Aaryan. With one swift motion, he flung Aaryan behind him to safety.
"I remember when Red Wolf told me you weren't some ordinary player," a voice rang out from the shadows. "Back then, I thought he was just exaggerating—but now I see he was right. You're actually strong."
Out from behind a massive rock emerged Raging Alpha, accompanied by several of his men.
"You…" Nitish growled through clenched teeth. He turned and dashed toward Aaryan—
—but it was already too late. Aaryan had been struck down by the assassins.
Seeing this, Nitish dove back, trying to retreat. But the assassins who had killed Aaryan were swift—and they weren't about to let him get away so easily.
Nitish quickly activated Harakiri Slash, the flurry of strikes forcing the assassins back. Without wasting a moment, he tapped his Swift Ring, its effect kicking in instantly as he darted away at high speed.
Just as Raging Alpha's men prepared to chase after him, their leader raised a hand and stopped them.
"Let him go. Don't waste your energy," Raging Alpha said, signaling them to stand down.
"But boss… he humiliated me! He insulted our guild! And now you're telling us to just let him go?" Lone Wolf protested, clearly frustrated.
"You idiot," Raging Alpha scoffed. "We can kill him later. But look around—this place is perfect. The monsters here are easy to farm, and we'll get loot too. That fool Smight just handed us the best grinding spot."
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
He ordered his men to lure more gnomes into the area. Within minutes, they had drawn in nearly a hundred gnomes, and the entire team began engaging them.
Meanwhile, back in the village hall, Aaryan had respawned. He walked out with disappointment weighing on his shoulders—completely dejected.
Just then, he saw Nitish walking toward him.
"Bro... bro…" Aaryan rushed over, his voice cracking, almost on the verge of tears.
"It's all over, isn't it? That bastard Red Wolf and his guild stole our spot. How are we supposed to finish the quest now?" His voice trembled, eyes filled with defeat.
But to Aaryan's surprise, Nitish let out a small chuckle.
"Man… everything's ruined and you're laughing?" Aaryan snapped. "I lost a whole level! And they stole the main spot we needed for the quest! And you're still laughing?!"
"I'm laughing," Nitish said, still grinning, "because this is hilarious."
Aaryan stared at him, confused.
"They really think they've won?" Nitish continued. "That by killing you and scaring me off, they could just sit back and farm EXP in peace?"
He leaned closer, his expression shifting into a devilish smirk.
"You remember, right? That smoke bomb has a timer. And once that timer runs out…"
Aaryan's face lit up as realization struck. "If the smoke wears off—then Raging Alpha's entire team is screwed."
A wide grin spread across Aaryan's face.
"Let's go, Aaryan," Nitish said, his eyes burning with resolve. "It's time to get your revenge."
Aaryan followed close behind Nitish, excitement sparkling in his eyes.
Back at the Plain Caves, Raging Alpha was on top of the world. His team had just taken down a huge wave of gnomes, and every one of them had leveled up.
"Hahahahaha! Let's see who can stand up to me now!" Raging Alpha roared. "I've reached Level 3—I'll be Level 5 in no time! Then I'll clear this dungeon, rule the town, and my guild will be unstoppable!"
He bent down to check the loot the gnomes had dropped, but instead of collecting it, he waved his hand, instructing his men to bring in more enemies. Soon, they returned, luring another thirty-seven gnomes toward their position.
As the team began attacking the new batch from a distance—
—the smoke cleared.
And in that moment, every gnome locked eyes directly on Raging Alpha's group.
Raging Alpha froze. His pupils shrank. Cold sweat poured down his face.
"Oh, shit! That bastard Smight tricked us?! The smoke wasn't permanent?!"
He felt like slamming his head against a wall. Panic set in across his team.
Even Red Wolf and the other assassins were trembling, their confidence shattered as the gnomes began charging at them with wild speed.
"RUN, EVERYONE!" Raging Alpha screamed, bolting as fast as he could. The assassins, being faster, dashed ahead quickly. But Raging Alpha, clad in heavy knight armor, lagged behind—too slow to escape.
Red Wolf ran furthest ahead, using his assassin speed to gain distance. He thought he'd made it out safely—until—
ARGH! SLAAAASH!
"I told you, mutt," a cold voice echoed behind him, "I'd make you and your guild regret ever crossing me."
Three ruthless slashes tore across Red Wolf's body. He didn't even see it coming.
It was Nitish—his eyes merciless, his movements silent as death. Harakiri Slash had ended Red Wolf's life in a blink. Not a single sound escaped Red Wolf's lips before he crumpled to the ground, health dropping straight to zero.
The assassins who arrived just seconds later were stunned—unable to believe what they were seeing. That their strongest companion had just been obliterated in three strikes.
Suddenly, a Dark Shot hit one of them from afar—it was Aaryan. He followed it up with a standard dark attack, and within five seconds, that assassin was dead too.
Goosebumps rippled through every bystander who witnessed the massacre.
The slower members of Raging Alpha's team, left behind in the chaos, were slaughtered by the gnomes.
Meanwhile, Raging Alpha himself, dodging attacks from six gnomes, was trying to reach Nitish.
"YOU BASTARD! YOU MADE FOOLS OUT OF US!" Raging Alpha roared, raising his massive sword and charging.
BOOM!
Nitish raised a hand and struck down with a single blow.
Raging Alpha's sword shattered clean in two.
"Holy hell…" one of the nearby players muttered, sweat pouring down his face.
"You picked the wrong person to mess with," Nitish said.
Before anyone could react, Nitish—powered up by the Draconic Strike boost—delivered a standard attack, followed instantly by Chop. The combined power overwhelmed Raging Alpha, and he fell dead on the spot.
The remaining members of his team—just four now—panicked and began to flee.
But Nitish was already chasing them down with cold-blooded fury.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Wherever his sword landed, screams of agony followed. No one could understand—how was someone at Level 1 this powerful?
After cutting down nearly all of them, Nitish sprinted toward the final surviving assassin and yelled:
"I know Raging Alpha wasn't your real guild leader. So when you revive, make sure you deliver this message to the actual one—'I am not normal.'"
With those words, Nitish struck him down.
Even in death, that assassin's eyes were frozen in terror.
After wiping out the entire enemy squad, Nitish turned to Aaryan, and they clasped hands before bursting into laughter—loud, victorious, and unbothered.
As for the gnomes that had chased the others? Nitish and Aaryan had already put plenty of distance between themselves and the chaos.
"Bro, that was insane. You're a beast," Aaryan said, breathless and amazed.
"I know," Nitish replied with a cool grin.
They returned to the Plain Caves, threw another smoke bomb—and wiped out the remaining gnomes effortlessly.
Now, it was loot collection time.
It took them nearly thirty minutes just to pick it all up.
"Bro, we've collected way more than a thousand white ores," Aaryan laughed like an overjoyed child. "Raging Alpha actually made our job easier!"
"Forget the ores—look at all this gear!" Nitish grinned. "We've got tons of common armor pieces. We can even sell some of these."
In total, the two had acquired twelve common-ranked items and one bronze-ranked item. Aside from that, slaying the monsters had also earned them two silver coins.
After catching their breath, Nitish started picking up the items dropped by the players Raging Alpha had brought along.
Yes—in this world, when a player dies, they drop one or two items from their inventory. Even Aaryan had dropped his staff when he was killed earlier, though thankfully, they had recovered it.
Most of Raging Alpha's men had dropped basic weapons and low-tier gear. But there was one item in particular that caught Nitish's eye—something Raging Alpha himself had dropped upon death.
Nitish immediately recognized its value.
Black MouldA rare material that can upgrade any common-ranked item to bronze rank.
A slow, satisfied smile spread across Nitish's face.
After this loss, Raging Alpha must be going absolutely mad, he thought.
"Let's head back to Blackstone," Nitish said with a spark in his voice. "We're upgrading something to bronze."
Still riding the high of victory, the two took a short rest and then made their way back toward Blackstone's house.
Meanwhile, in Pink Blossom Town:
Raging Alpha and the rest of his guild members had just respawned in the village square.
But none of them were in any mood to speak.
They were devastated.
All the levels they had gained from killing the gnomes were now gone—and worse, they had dropped valuable items upon death.
But no one was angrier than Raging Alpha himself.
He had lost not only his shield, but also the Black Mould he'd painstakingly earned.
"I won't let you get away with this… I won't let you live, Smight!" Raging Alpha roared, his eyes blazing red with fury.
His voice echoed across the town square like the growl of a beast on the verge of madness.