Max felt a mix of awe and excitement. Night wasn't just a companion anymore—it was a fully-fledged warrior in its own right, capable of holding its own in combat, possibly even outperforming Max in pure damage output.
And nobody else could see it.
To other players, Max would appear to be a solo fighter. They wouldn't see the armored shadow warrior fighting beside him, wouldn't know that nearly half his damage output came from an invisible entity.
Max dismissed Night, and the shadow warrior dissolved back into his shadow. But the connection remained—stronger now, more defined. He could sense Night resting, waiting, its presence a constant comfort.
A notification appeared:
[CHAINS OF ETERNITY – PART 3: ???]
Status: LOCKED
Requirements: Reach Level 20, Complete ??? Dungeon
Reward: ???
The next stage of the questline. Max would have to wait until level 20 to see what came next.
His Discord buzzed with a message from Velara:
Velara: hit level 10 yet? Phoenix is doing a level 12 dungeon run tonight. if youre 10+ you can join as a trial member
Max looked at the message, then at his character sheet, then thought about Night—his secret weapon that could tip the scales in any battle.
MaxThorne: just hit 10. what time?
Velara: 8 PM. meet at the northern gate of Veridian. this is your audition btw. impress the guild leaders and the offer becomes official
MaxThorne: ill be there
Velara: good. bring your A-game. these guys dont fuck around
Max logged out to grab food and rest before the evening run. He had four hours to prepare, both mentally and physically.
Tonight, he would be running with Phoenix Guild—one of the top competitive guilds in the world.
REAL WORLD – Tokyo, Japan
December 3rd, 2025 – 4:15 PM
Max pulled off the NeuroSync headset and immediately felt the familiar disconnect—his body heavy, his muscles stiff from sitting for hours. He grabbed his water bottle and drained it, then stretched, feeling his joints pop.
Four hours until the Phoenix Guild run. Enough time to eat, research, and prepare mentally.
But first, he wanted to check something.
Max opened his laptop and navigated to the Aetheria Online official website. The homepage had been completely redesigned since launch, now featuring rotating banners of player achievements, upcoming events, and—most prominently—the global leaderboards.
[AETHERIA ONLINE - GLOBAL RANKINGS]
Updated in Real-Time
Current Active Players: 1,847,293,021
Nearly two billion active players. The number was staggering.
Max clicked on the Player Level Rankings tab.
TOP 10 PLAYERS BY LEVEL (Global)
[1. Kronos_Ascendant – Level 42 – Necromancer – Guild: Eternal Empire]
[2. BladeDancer_Supreme – Level 41 – Shadowblade – Guild: Phoenix]
[3. VoidEmpress – Level 40 – Voidcaller – Guild: Crimson Dawn]
[4. SteelTitan – Level 40 – Berserker – Guild: Phoenix]
[5. HolyPaladin_Luz – Level 39 – Paladin – Guild: Divine Order]
[6. ArchMage_Kira – Level 39 – Mage – Guild: Phoenix]
[7. DeathlessOne – Level 38 – Corruption Sage – Guild: Eternal Empire]
[8. SwiftArrow_Kai – Level 38 – Ranger – Guild: Crimson Dawn]
[9. SummonerKing – Level 37 – Summoner – Guild: Phoenix]
[10. DarkRequiem – Level 37 – Soulbinder – Guild: Solo]
Max stared at the screen. Level 42. The game had been live for less than three days, and someone was already level 42.
Phoenix Guild had three players in the top ten. No wonder Yuki was confident—her guild was absolutely stacked with top-tier talent.
But what caught Max's attention was #10.
DarkRequiem – Level 37 – Soulbinder
Another Soulbinder, and a high-level one. Max clicked on the name, which brought up a public profile:
[PLAYER PROFILE: DarkRequiem]
[Level: 37]
[Class: Soulbinder]
[Race: Human]
[Server: North America - West]
[Notable Achievements]:
[First Soulbinder to reach Level 30]
[Solo cleared "Dungeon of Endless Torment" (Level 25, Rank B)]
[Possesses Legendary-tier contract: "Ember Phoenix"]
[Streaming: Active on VirtualStream - 2.3M followers]
[Social Media: @DarkRequiem_Official]
2.3 million followers. This person was a legitimate celebrity.
Max clicked through to their VirtualStream page. The channel featured a VTuber avatar—an edgy, dark-themed character with black and red color scheme, glowing red eyes, and an aesthetic that screamed "mysterious lone wolf."
The most recent stream had been earlier today. Max clicked on the VOD.
The stream opened with DarkRequiem's VTuber avatar appearing on screen, the character posed dramatically with arms crossed. The voice was processed—deep, slightly distorted, designed to sound mysterious and cool.
"What's up, Requiem Squad," the streamer said. "Today we're pushing for Level 38 and testing out some new gear synergies. For those just joining, yes, I'm a Soulbinder—the most underrated class in Aetheria."
The gameplay footage showed DarkRequiem's in-game character—a human male dressed in dark robes, wielding a staff that crackled with energy. The gear was impressive, clearly high-tier stuff.
[DarkRequiem – Level 37 Soulbinder]
Equipment visible:
Voidweave Robes (Legendary) – Defense +85, Intelligence +25, MP +500
Staff of the Eternal Flame (Epic) – Magic Attack +120, Fire Damage +40%
Multiple rings and accessories, all glowing with enchantments
"Big thanks to the viewers who helped me get this staff," DarkRequiem continued. "The donations really helped push me over the edge for the auction. You guys are the best."
So the viewers had funded his gear. That explained the legendary-tier equipment at level 37.
The stream cut to a battle sequence. DarkRequiem was fighting in some high-level zone, facing off against creatures Max didn't recognize—twisted demon-like entities that were level 35+.
"Alright, here's how Soulbinder actually works," the streamer explained. "A lot of people think it's like Summoner, but it's completely different. My Ember Phoenix contract gives me permanent passive buffs—fire damage, magic power, resistance to fire. But I can't actually summon it to fight. It's more like... I absorbed its power."