InfernoRider001, ranked fourth, glared at the three names above his, fury tightening his jaw.
"You gotta be kidding me!" he snapped as his voice dropped to a low growl. "Fourth? I'm looking at three other names? Get the hell out of here."
'SoulSync, RogueTheory, and that nameless Knight.'
He'd never been anything but first in any game that mattered. He was the guy. The one everyone else followed. And his Inferno Clan had always owned every server they set foot in.
"Boss," InfernoFiend001 cut in, his tone level. "Dominion's the only server. The whole country's playing. This isn't our old stomping grounds. Besides Soulfire, you've got the Threeleaf guys. And if outfits like CarterPrime and PantherTech start bankrolling new guilds, this is gonna be a bloodbath. And these other players… Hexium, GimmeABlade… they're for real. Anyone on the Wealth Board is a problem."
InfernoFiend001 was the guilds strategist, the guy who watched the money. He didn't lose sleep over one player's stats. A lone wolf, no matter how good, can't fight a whole guild. His eyes were locked on the upcoming Guild Leaderboards, that's where you really proved you owned the place. And he was damn sure they'd be on top when it dropped.
"Fiend, what's everyone else's deal? Why are they dragging their feet on the class advances? Tell them to stop screwing around and stock up on potions. I'm grinding all night."
He clenched his fists, the fire in his gut still burning.
'Enjoy the view from the top while you can,' he thought, a grim smile touching his lips. 'It won't last. I'm coming. And I'm gonna make every single person logging into Dominion remember the name InfernoRider. They're all gonna know who the best really is.'
—
HeavenBreaker, ranked fifth on the Top Ten Experts Leaderboard, stared at the rankings with a complicated look on his face.
"Damn, Boss. This number one guy is a machine. I didn't think anyone but Third could make a gaming legend like me look like a noob. Looks like we're out of the running this time," he said, shooting a lopsided grin at SixWingedBoss.
"Knock it off," SixWingedBoss shot back, his annoyance clear at the mention of 'Third'. "If you'd focused on leveling instead of chasing that stupid side-quest, you'd be Level 11 by now."
"Oh, come on, that's bull!" HeavenBreaker moaned, dragging a hand down his face. "That asshole makes us ditch the IronWing tag, change our names, and then leaves me with all the grinding. This is the worst! And now who's supposed to carry me? Who's gonna help me farm for gear…?"
He saw SixWingedBoss's face darken and immediately backpedaled. "Anyway, Big bro, Second and Fourth just ported in. We should go meet them."
HeavenBreaker sighed to himself. 'Third, you really crossed a line. Serena's a mess.' A knot of worry tightened in his chest. 'It's been months, man. You haven't even called. Did you just… move on?'
He had always known the Third loved Serena, but how things had unfolded was far beyond anything he had expected.
—
Hexium, ranked sixth on the Leaderboard, was also staring silently at the same rankings.
"Master, the servers have only been live for a day," ShadowWhisper said, his voice barely a whisper. "We have time. We will close the gap."
He knew his 'Master' well. The calm on Hexium's face was a mask. Underneath, he was seething.
A setback this early? Hexium's eyes narrowed to slits. No matter. The real competition starts in a month, when the real-money trading opens. That's when the game begins.
"ShadowWhisper," Hexium said, his voice cold and even. "I want more bodies in this game. Now. Map every boss spawn before any other guild even knows they exist."
"Understood." ShadowWhisper let out a quiet breath of relief as he turned to leave. When the Master started giving orders, the worst of his anger had passed.
---
ThreeleafAxe69, ranked eighth, let out a deep sigh as he looked at the rankings.
"Sunlight, you think we're falling behind? Maybe we're not as strong as we thought. We didn't even make the top five."
"Relax, man," ThreeleafDad said evenly, "Dominion has drawn players from across the country. You and I have only been in the game for a day, same as everyone else. The Inferno and Soulfire guilds jumped in early, so the competition's fierce. But the fact we made the top ten already says a lot. Remember, we're competing against over a hundred million players."
"Yeah, I guess," ThreeleafAxe69 admitted, though he still looked bothered. "But where's the IronWing crew? None of them are on here? With their Third's skills, he should be top five, easy. I had mad respect for that guy. The game feels kinda empty without the IronWing Five around."
"Before launch, I did some digging," ThreeleafDad said, pausing for a moment. "Their leader and the Third had a serious falling out. IronWing's disbanded. Their leader said he's just playing casually this time, no plans to go all out."
"You're kidding me," ThreeleafAxe69 sighed, genuinely disappointed. "That sucks. If they were still around, an alliance with them would've been unstoppable."
"No joke," ThreeleafDad agreed with a faint smile. "Nobody gets us like they did. We were rivals, but after all those fights… there's a respect there. Funny how trying to beat each other's brains out can make you friends, huh?"
---
GimmeABlade, ranked ninth, stared at the rankings with a frown.
"Soulfire, Inferno, Threeleaf… all the old giants are here," he muttered under his breath. "And so many new players coming out of nowhere… Dominion really is the only game that matters." He paused, his voice dropping. "If I'm gonna make my mark, skill alone isn't gonna cut it. I need to make some friends in high places…"
When he first logged in, he'd pictured his name at the top. He wanted that proof, that beacon, to show he was more than what he was in real life, that he was someone to be reckoned with.
The reality was a slap in the face. He'd barely scraped into the top ten, and he was tied with some girl named VioletNova.
Being ranked below a woman? The thought was a bitter pill to swallow.
'Fine. If I can't win in the light, I'll win from the shadows.'
The most dangerous enemy is the one you never see. Let the big dogs fight it out. Let them waste their energy. He'd just have to be patient, wait for the perfect moment to strike. One well-placed ambush was all it would take to make everyone remember his name.
After all, hiding in the dark was what he did best.
A slow, cold smile spread across GimmeABlade's face.
---
Meanwhile, back in Newbie Village, three players stood glaring at the Top Ten Experts Leaderboard, their tempers ready to explode.
"That son of a bitch in the rabbit mask! I swear to God, next time I see him, he's dead. If it wasn't for him, with my level and that treasure map loot, my name would be right there!"
"Stop crying about it," another one snarled. "Next time we see that bastard, we'll camp his corpse until he quits the game. Nobody screws with the Inferno Clan and gets away with it. We're gonna make him wish he never logged in."
"Both of you, shut up and grind! You know how the Boss gets when he's pissed. You wanna be the one to tell him we're still stuck here?"
They were the same trio who'd tried to jump Marcus for his boss kill, only to get wiped out instead. Now, all they could do was curse the name of the player with the rabbit mask.
---
"Achoo! Who's talking about me?"
Marcus rubbed his nose, completely unaware of the storm his rabbit mask had stirred up across Dominion.
"Ding! Congratulations, Player Stonehaven. Your level has increased. You are now Level 13. HP +10, Mana +10. You have 5 attribute points to distribute."
After cutting down a few more Level 15 Black Panthers, Marcus leveled up again. He assigned his points in his usual 3:2 split between Strength and Constitution.
'Heh, I can feel it. I'm stronger again.'
"Ding! You have collected Black Panther Bone. Gathering skill proficiency increased."
"Ding! You have collected Black Panther Hide. Gathering skill proficiency increased."
"Ding! You have collected Herb. Herb Gathering skill proficiency increased."
"Ding! You have mined Bronze. Mining skill proficiency increased."