The colossal, five-meter-tall Earth-stone Saltwater Crocodile unleashed a final, furious roar and leaped high into the air, its body arcing above Mirabella, ready to smash her into the sand.
At that moment, an internal burst of power surged through Mirabella.
{All negative effects have been neutralized.}
'You are truly arrogant. Fighting someone who possesses a Master Account is nothing but suicidal,' she thought, her expression cold beneath the helmet. Her vast Spirit Energy erupted outward, instantly shattering the crushing gravity that had pinned her.
In perfect unison, the one hundred magical arrows she had conjured shot forward. The barrage smashed into the descending World Boss with the force of an artillery strike.
BOOOOOM!!!
GRAAAAAAA!!!
The monster shrieked in pain and rage as it fell heavily to the ground, its massive, scaled body dead before it impacted the sand.
[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT: Guild: Ghost. Leader: Spectral, killed a World Boss! Everyone in the guild gained 20 Neutral Reputation.]
{Congratulations! Gained 50,000 EXP.}
{Congratulations, You Leveled up to Lv36.}
A brilliant flash of golden light bathed Mirabella.
[Congratulations, Player Spectral; You gained a title: World Boss Blade.]
[Title Boost: Increase self's and all members' stats in your team by 100%.]
Mirabella watched as a glowing, golden skill scroll materialized from the vanishing remains of the crocodile.
"Is this a Legendary-class skill?" She walked toward the drop, her movements now imbued with the confidence of superior strength, and unfolded the scroll.
{Congratulations!! Host gained a new skill: Blood Slash.}
{Description: Blood Slash: Deal damage to one target in a ten meters radius, Attacks bypass all defense. Legendary class skill, active skill; 10,000 Spirit energy per use.}
{Second skill: Host successfully copied the Saltwater Crocodile's gravity skill.}
{Sonic gravity: Unleashed a ten fold gravitational force on a target, epic skill, 1,000 Spirit energy per use.}
{Due to the Royal bloodline, both skills have been maxed.}
{Blood Slash Maxed: Deal damage to ten targets in a one hundred-meter radius. Attacks bypass all defense. Legendary-class skill. Active skill, 5,000 Spirit Energy per use.}
{Sonic Gravity Maxed: Unleash a one hundred-fold gravitational force on one hundred targets. Epic skill, Active skill, 500 Spirit Energy per use.}
'I actually copied a skill! And I earned a permanent stat-boosting title! I've just become exponentially more powerful. Good! With this, I can absolutely face that Devil Knight!' The fear and hesitation from the earlier encounter vanished, replaced by cold certainty.
She quickly reviewed her updated profile:
{Name: Mirabella Sunny.}
{Game Nickname: Spectral.}
{Level: Lv36. (5%).}
{Age: 22.}
{Physical Attack: 2,000.}
{Agility: 6,504.}
{Defense: 595,720.}
{Health: 2,825,600.}
{Magic Attack: 2,000.}
{Spirit energy: 80,500/80,500.}
{Kills: 5,855.}
{Boss killed: 45.}
{World Boss Killed: 2.}
{Neutral Reputation Gained: 40.}
{Title: World Boss Blade.}
{Normal Bloodline: Mage.}
{God rank Bloodline: Royal.}
{Royal Bloodline Skill: Assassin Bloodline.}
Mirabella deactivated her Skull Black Armor, the plating dissolving into light, revealing her determined expression. She turned to see Cupcake and Carl rushing toward her.
"Wow! You are strong!" Carl exclaimed, awe filling his voice.
"Yes. I think I am strong enough to hold my ground against any enemy now," she confirmed. She turned to Carl, a newfound openness in her eyes.
"There is no need to hide our strength anymore. I want to see the ones who try to kill us." She scanned the horizon, daring the world to challenge her.
"What is your level now?"
"Thanks to you and that World Boss's EXP, I am now Lv20!" Carl beamed, puffing out his chest.
"Ten more levels, and you will break through to an Awakened Player," she paused, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. 'No...'
"What happened?" Carl asked, tilting his head.
"You will need 100 Awaken Stones to become an Awakened Player," she said, her tone puzzled. 'This is weird. I never used any Awaken Stones.'
{Because Host has the Master Account.}
'Wow. This system is truly dangerous. Thanks to this, I am guaranteed to be the strongest player in Galaxy Fall, maybe even across the second server tiers,' she realized.
"Awaken Stones? How can I get that?" Carl asked, looking lost.
"You can only get Awaken Stones once you are selected, after you've pledged allegiance to an Empire," Mirabella explained.
"Okay... I will go with whatever you pick." Carl's loyalty was absolute, follow to the very end.
Mirabella stared at him for a moment, appreciating his simple faith, and nodded slowly. "Go. All the eggs are yours."
Carl's eyes instantly lit up. "Wow! Thanks, My Queen!!" He rushed to the nest, furiously dug up the sand, and began punching every single egg, shattering them with powerful blows.
"Hahahaha!! I actually leveled up to Level 21! This is so good!" he yelled with delight.
"Come on." Mirabella mounted Cupcake, who had enlarged, and started walking back toward the forest.
"Where are we going now?" Carl asked, quickly following behind her, still buzzing from the EXP boost.
"We are going after that Devil's Personal Knight. It's time to see how powerful he truly is." She looked at him over her shoulder. "You will take care of the Wraiths. Any kill you make will be yours." She looked ahead, her mind already calculating the combat scenarios.
'As long as he stays in the team, my new World Boss Blade title will boost his stats by 100%. He will be safe, and strong enough to handle Level 20 Wraiths.'
___
[Galaxy City.]
BOOM!!
Citizens and players alike looked up as the sky filled with glowing, moving script, announcing an event that defied the current power curve of the server.
[WORLD ANNOUNCEMENT: Guild: Ghost. Leader: Spectral, killed a World Boss! Everyone in the guild gained 20 Neutral Reputation.]
A collective gasp swept through the city, stunning everyone in a daze.
"....?!!"
Alice, standing near the Galaxy Association building, blinked rapidly, processing the notification.
"Wait!" she exclaimed, her mind piecing together the facts. "The second member in the Ghost guild is Carl! Yes, his nickname is Handsome Captain... Does that mean he now has Neutral Reputation too?! No, that's not the main question…"
She rushed back inside, her previous dismissal of Carl evaporated, replaced by frantic realization.
"Carl knows Spectral!"
This connection, between the server's sudden strongest player and the boy they had mocked, was about to send shockwaves through the entire beginner server's social and power structure.