The streets of the capital, previously choked with commerce, were now choked with a mob. But this wasn't a bread riot. It was a raid group.
Elian hovered fifty feet above the main thoroughfare, his [Cloak of Anonymity] straining to keep him hidden against the backdrop of a blood-red sky. The System, reacting to the massive influx of violent intent directed at a single point, had changed the ambient lighting of the zone to match the mood.
Below, the roar of the crowd was matched only by the frantic scrolling of the Global Chat in the corner of Elian's vision.
[GLOBAL CHAT LOG - Time: 18:42:10]
[Xx_ShadowBlade_xX]: Is this real? The King is a mob?
[Merchant_Galt]: This is treason! The System is trying to overthrow the monarchy!
[FarmBoy_Turned_Warrior]: Does he drop good loot? My axe is chipped.
[Wizard_LFG_Need_Tank]: LFG Palace Raid! Level 3 Elementalist. I have [Fireball]! Need meat shields!
[Royal_Guard_Captain]: CITIZENS OF TYRIA! DISPERSE! ANYONE APPROACHING THE GATES WILL BE CUT DOWN!
[User_8821]: Lol the guard thinks he's people. He's just an add.
[Kaelen_Vanguard]: Lord Elian! The Riverbend militia is moving toward the capital. Should we assist the King or the players?
[Admin_Elian]: Stay away, Kaelen. You aren't high enough level for this content.
Elian closed the chat window with a grimace.
"They're treating regicide like a weekend event."
He looked toward the Palace gates. The Royal Guard, loyal NPCs whose AI hadn't fully grasped the situation, formed a shield wall. They were Level 5 Elites. Formidable against a lone peasant, but not against a thousand reckless players who had just discovered they could respawn (if they weren't on Hardcore settings, which many weren't).
A fireball—small, poorly aimed, likely cast by a Level 2 mage—sailed over the crowd and struck a guard's shield.
[Damage: 12 (Fire)]
That was the catalyst. The guards' nameplates turned red. They were now Hostiles.
The mob surged forward. It was messy. Players died in droves, their bodies turning into motes of light to respawn at the nearest inn, but they dragged the guards down through sheer numbers.
Elian flew over the carnage, heading directly for the Throne Room balcony. He needed to see what the System had done to King Tybalt.
He landed softly on the balcony stone. The massive doors to the throne room were barred from the inside. Elian didn't knock.
[Admin Command: /noclip]
He stepped through the solid oak door like a ghost.
The throne room was vast, lined with golden pillars. At the far end, on a dais made of imported marble, sat the King.
But it wasn't King Tybalt anymore.
The collective hatred of his subjects, channeled through the System's reality-warping mana, had twisted him into a caricature of his own greed.
He was ten feet tall. His skin had fused with his golden armor, making him look like a golem of precious metal. His crown had grown into jagged horns of diamond that pierced his skull. His eyes were no longer human; they were spinning vortexes of gold coins.
He didn't just sit on the throne; he was fused to it. The throne itself had sprouted mechanical, gilded spider legs.
Elian activated [Admin Sight]. The data washed over him, confirming his worst fears.
BOSS ANALYSIS: The Usurper King
Unit ID: WORLD_BOSS_001_TYRIA
Level: 25 (Skull Icon)
HP: 2,500,000 / 2,500,000
Mana: Infinite
Primary Mechanic: The Aggro Table
The King currently has no target. The moment the first player deals damage, they will generate [Threat]. The King will focus attacks on whoever has the highest Threat. (Standard Tank-and-Spank mechanics applied).
Phase 1: The Golden Age (100% - 60% HP)
[Midas Touch]: Melee attack. Turns the target to solid gold statue for 5 seconds (Stun). If they are killed while petrified, they drop double the Gold Coins.
[Taxation Aura]: Passive AoE. Every 3 seconds, all players within 50 yards lose 10 Gold Coins from their inventory. If they have no gold, they take equivalent damage to their HP.
Phase 2: The Corrupt Court (60% - 20% HP)
The King becomes immune to damage.
He summons [Royal Advisor Adds] (Level 15 Elite Mages). Players must kill the adds to break the King's immunity.
Phase 3: Economic Collapse (20% - 0% HP)
[Enrage Timer]: If Phase 3 lasts longer than 5 minutes, the King casts [Hyperinflation].
[Hyperinflation]: Massive AoE explosion that deals 99,999 True Damage to everyone in the zone. (A raid-wipe mechanic).
"This is overtuned," Elian muttered, tapping frantically on his invisible keyboard. "A Level 25 boss with a 2.5 million HP pool against a player base whose average level is 3? He's going to wipe the city."
The main doors to the throne room boomed. The mob had arrived.
BOOM.
The doors splintered inward. A dozen players tumbled in—a disorganized mix of warriors in leather armor, mages holding crooked staves, and rogues holding daggers backward.
They stopped, staring up at the golden monstrosity on the throne.
"By the System..." one warrior gasped. "Look at the size of him."
"Target acquired," the King's voice boomed. It sounded like grinding gears and clinking coins. "YOU DARE ENTER MY CHAMBERS WITHOUT PAYING THE TOLL?"
The King stood up on his mechanical throne-legs. The entire room shook.
A brave, foolish Level 4 Archer nocked an arrow and fired. It pinged off the King's golden chest.
[Damage: 1]
The King's coin-vortex eyes snapped to the archer.
[Threat Generated. Target Locked:
Archer_User_992]
"INSOLENCE!"
The King raised a massive, golden hand. A beam of concentrated avarice shot across the room. It hit the archer.
Instantly, the archer's skin turned to gold. He froze, a perfect statue of terror.
The King stepped forward and smashed the statue with his fist. It shattered into a shower of gore and gold coins.
[Player Archer_User_992 has died.]
The remaining players screamed and scrambled backward, tripping over each other.
"Raid wipe imminent," Elian sighed. "If he gets to Phase 3, he nukes the capital."
Elian stepped out from the shadows of the pillars. He let his [Cloak of Anonymity] drop. The glowing blue circuits of his Administrator coat illuminated the dim room.
The players stopped fleeing, staring at the new arrival.
The King turned his massive head toward Elian.
"ANOTHER BEGGAR COME FOR MY GOLD?"
"Admin Command," Elian said, his voice cutting through the chaos like a razor. He pointed a finger at the giant boss.
He couldn't delete the boss; the backlash would knock Elian unconscious for a week. He couldn't kill it; that would rob the players of the experience they needed.
But he could patch it live.
[EXECUTE HOTFIX: NERF_BOSS_STATS (Target_ID_001)]
[MODIFIER: reduce_HP_pool (0.10)]
[MODIFIER: reduce_damage_output (0.50)]
The King roared in fury, but it was a strained sound. His golden armor dulled slightly. He seemed to shrink by a foot.
Above his head, the massive HP bar visibly chunked down.
[HP: 250,000 / 2,500,000]
"He's weakened!" a warrior shouted, noticing the change. "The blue wizard weakened him!"
Elian turned to the terrified mob of low-level players.
"He's still Level 25," Elian yelled at them. "His mechanics will still kill you if you're stupid. Tanks to the front! Turn him away from the squishies! Healers, focus on the tanks! DPS, wait for the tanks to get aggro before you attack!"
He was teaching them how to play an MMO in real-time, while a golden giant tried to murder them.
"Well?" Elian demanded as the King began to charge up another Midas beam. "Do you want the loot or not?"
Greed overcame fear. With a collective roar, the first true Raid of Aethos began.