At this stage, the "Anti-Stealth" skills players could obtain were all Rank 1.
Silas, however, was no ordinary player. His Shadow class granted him an innate +1 to Stealth Priority. To the Ghost-Hawk circling above, the marsh was as empty as a desert. Silas didn't rush to the loot; he knew the Isu-scripted ownership protection would last for five minutes.
He watched the twelve "vultures" move toward the wreckage, their leader, the gaunt young man, smirking as he looked at the shimmer of gold in the mud.
"He ran," the leader sneered. "Smart kid. He knew the hawk would find him. But he left the gold behind. Five minutes, boys. Then the Wraith-Cutter's spoils are ours."
They huddled together, drawing strength from the blue ripples of the hawk's detection field. It was a fatal mistake.
A shimmer of obsidian light suddenly bisected their formation.
Instant Shadow Slash!
A series of red damage numbers erupted in a perfect line. They didn't even have time to scream; they simply dissolved into twelve grey life-orbs.
"If you'd stayed scattered, it might have taken me ten seconds to kill you all," Silas's disembodied voice drifted through the swamp. "Since you grouped up... thanks for the convenience."
The marsh was finally silent. Silas checked his surroundings, Lily was still nowhere to be seen, and opened his status panel. He had 6 stored Evolution Points, and the Gold Boss had just given him 7.
"Evolution: Hand of Greed."
[Consumed 13 Evolution Points. Hand of Greed: Diamond → Epic!]
Extra Loot Chance: 220% → 300%.Tier-Up Chance: 40% → 100% (Guaranteed).
Silas felt his pulse quicken. Epic-tier Hand of Greed. In nine years of the apocalypse, he had never heard of a skill this absurd. 300% chance meant three guaranteed extra drops. And every single one of those drops would automatically be promoted by one tier.
He reached for the Golden Ghost Ship's remains.
[Skill 'Hand of Greed' Success!]
Gained 21 Evolution Points! (7 Base + 14 Bonus)
Gained 648 Days of Tradeable Lifespan! (216 Base + 432 Bonus)
He scooped up his own dropped orb and the remnants of the ambushers.
Total Tradeable Lifespan: 3,115 Days.
He went to click evolution again, but the system chimed a warning:
[Warning: To evolve an Epic skill to 'Legendary' requires a 10x multiplier. Requirement: 210 Evolution Points.]
"Two hundred and ten?" Silas exhaled. "The cost of godhood is steep."
He turned his attention to the physical loot. Among the piles of glowing gear, he found the prize he had been hunting: the Soul-Wail Bell.
[Soul-Wail Bell (Unique Relic)]
Death Protection: Prevents Lifespan loss on death (Cooldown: 1565s).
Soul Harvest (Passive): Increases Lifespan gained from kills by +20%.
Soul Shock (Active): Stuns all enemies in a 100m radius for 3s (Cooldown: 521s).
In the late game, this item was priceless. But thanks to the Epic Hand of Greed, Silas didn't just have one.
He had two.
He checked his hidden attributes. The "Soul Harvest" bonus read: 40%.
"My income just increased by nearly half," Silas noted, a rare sense of triumph washing over him. While the active stuns and death protection shared a global cooldown, the passive harvest bonus stacked. From this moment on, every day of life Silas earned would be 1.4 days.
He looked at the rest of the pile. Thanks to the Tier-Up effect, he wasn't just looking at Gold gear.
In his hands were 11 pieces of Gold gear/skills and 3 pieces of Platinum-tier loot.
Shell Town was no longer big enough to contain him.