It was a treasure, and a rare one at that. The moment Marcus collected the Fusion Stone, his Advanced Gathering skill jumped by ten thousand experience points. He could hardly believe his luck. This must have been an experimental material the Demon Doctor Tarno, the Demon's subordinate, used to create the Zombie Sorcerer. If Marcus's Gathering skill hadn't already been at the Advanced rank, he would never have been able to harvest it.
He quickly stowed the gem safely in his backpack, then turned to the two items lying on the ground beside the corpse.
'Heh, now this is what I call loot.' It was a boss drop, after all, and boss drops rarely disappointed. Between the first-kill bonus and his high Luck, the rewards were bound to be impressive.
The Sorcerer had only dropped two items, but both gleamed with promise; a golden staff and a skill book. Marcus picked them up to inspect their details.
Skeleton Staff: Golden Equipment. Requirement: Level 20 Sorcerer-class. Effect unknown, cannot be used yet.
Skill Book: Rage of the Berserker: Intermediate Skill. Triggers the player's inner bloodlust, increasing Attack Power and Attack Speed. Requirement: Cleric-class profession.
'Ugh.' Neither was of any use to him. His excitement deflated instantly.
The Skeleton Staff was likely part of the Skeleton Set he was wearing, though designed for Sorcerers rather than Fighters. His Skeleton Blade was the fighter's counterpart. A pity.
He sighed and tossed both items into his backpack for later sale or trade. Then, opening his status screen, he allocated the five new attribute points, three into Strength and two into Constitution.
With his stats distributed and his inventory secure, Marcus turned his gaze toward the staircase leading deeper into the Black Rock Spire. The third floor awaited.
What he didn't know was that hitting level twenty-one had sent a shockwave through the entire world of Dominion.
Player A: "No way. Check the leaderboard! Number one just leveled up again. He's two whole levels ahead of second place now. That's not even fair."
Player B: "How is that even possible? I've been grinding for three days straight. Some people are just built different, I guess."
Player C: "Seriously, that has to be a bug. No one levels that fast. No one."
Player D: "The man's a legend. Absolute legend. I'd carry his gear for him."
Female Player A: "Now that's the kind of power you follow anywhere."
Female Player B: "Confident, powerful… a girl could get used to that. Sign me up."
---
RogueTheory, the second-ranked player on the Experts Leaderboard, stared at the screen in disbelief. The top-ranked Knight; still hiding his name, had surged two levels ahead, and the sight sent a jolt of adrenaline through him.
He had just hit Level 19 yesterday, confident he was finally catching up. But now it was clear he'd underestimated his rival. For the first time in a while, he felt that old rush, that thrill of real competition.
"Never underestimate an opponent," RogueTheory muttered, his lips curling into a faint grin.
---
In third place, SoulSync was watching the same update.
"Boss, he did it again. Number one is level twenty-one. He's gotta be farming over-leveled mobs or chaining hidden quests."
"Is that right?" SoulfireBlade, the guild leader, pulled up the leaderboard himself.
After a moment, he said, "I wonder who's behind that nameplate. I'd like to meet him someday." His tone then shifted, becoming grounded and firm. "But he's not our focus. We stick to our own path. As long as we keep moving, nobody will ever look down on the Soulfire Guild."
His voice carried quiet confidence, and it lit a spark of determination among his teammates.
---
InfernoRider001, in fourth place, was the opposite of calm.
"What the hell?! How is he pulling this off?" he roared, slamming his fist on his desk.
He'd been pushing for three days straight, barely sleeping, determined to take the top spot. Not only was first place further away, but that smirking bastard RogueTheory and SoulSync's crew were still ahead of him. The frustration was a physical heat in his chest.
"Dammit, Blaze! What was that mess back there? You're useless! All of you!" he yelled at his three 'lieutenants', Blaze, Ash, and Rock, a trio known collectively as the "Hellhounds."
"Boss, it wasn't our fault," Blaze stammered. "It was that Knight with the rabbit mask. He's the one who…"
'Slap!' The sound cut him off before he could finish.
"You're making excuses? Three of you couldn't handle one guy, and you have the nerve to say it out loud? Pathetic! You better get your levels up, or you're dead weight. You hear me?!"
InfernoRider001's anger boiled over, his voice echoing in the silence that followed.
"Y-yes, Boss. We got it..." the Three mumbled, heads lowered.
It was then that InfernoFiend, the group's strategist and the only one who ever kept a cool head, spoke up. "Blaze," he said in an even voice. "Take your team and start scouting. I want leads on hidden quests, dungeon maps, and intel on the other major guilds. Most importantly, find out who that top-ranked Knight is. The second you have anything, you report back."
He paused, letting the order sink in. "But priority one is locating the Level 30 boss. We secure that Guild Creation Token before anyone else. Nothing else matters."
---
Hexium, fifth on the leaderboard, read through the rankings as well. But unlike the others, he didn't rage or mutter. Instead, a faint, knowing smile crept across his face.
"ShadowWhisper, how are our people doing inside the game?" he asked calmly.
"Everything is on track, sir," ShadowWhisper replied. "The core team is already above level fifteen. Give them ten days to gear up at level twenty, and they'll be ready to secure the Guild Creation Token for you."
"Good. Keep the pressure on. We will be the first to form a guild."
He leaned back, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. Hexium already possessed two top-tier gears; a Golden Sorcerer Staff and an Artifact Necklace, either of which could tip the scales in any fight. But he needed level twenty to equip them.
Once he did, with the combined strength of his subordinates, even that Level 30 boss would fall. The token would be his.
"Also, ShadowWhisper," Hexium added, his voice turning sharp. "I want more people on finding the number one player. I want him located before any of our competitors get to him. Make him an offer. Whatever it takes."
"Understood, sir."
Hexium's eyes glinted. "And if this player is foolish enough to refuse… then make sure he's no longer a problem."
The threat was cold and absolute. The top Knight was hiding his name, which meant he was likely a solo operator. In Hexium's world, that didn't make him independent, it made him vulnerable. If he couldn't be bought, he was merely an obstacle. And Hexium made a habit of removing obstacles before they could grow.
---
ThreeleafAxe69, ranked sixth, refreshed the page again, scowling. "Man, we're slipping. We didn't even crack the top five."
But his longtime partner, ThreeleafDad, was miles away, staring into the middle distance.
"Hey. You listening?" ThreeleafAxe prodded, annoyed.
"Huh? Oh… yeah," ThreeleafDad replied, a soft chuckle escaping him.
"What's so funny?"
"Just thinking," ThreeleafDad said with a wry smirk. "Who do you think would win in a fight? IronWing's Third, or this mystery Knight at number one?"
ThreeleafAxe69 blinked. "Damn. That's a question."
They both knew the Third from the IronWing Five all too well; their guilds had been rivals since forever. For a moment, neither spoke, both lost in the same competitive curiosity.
---
HeavenBreaker, ranked seventh, was already yelling across the guild chat.
"Boss! Hawk! You seeing this? Number one just leveled up again! The guy's an absolute machine! I'm not even mad, I'm impressed!"
From across the room, his friend CloudHawk laughed. "You? Impressed? Now I've seen everything."
"Hey, I've been putting in the work this time!" HeavenBreaker shot back, grinning. "No distractions, no fooling around, and this guy's still in another stratosphere. You gotta give him credit."
CloudHawk raised an eyebrow. "No fooling around? Then who was that player you were with by the fountain yesterday?"
"That? That was a… chance encounter!" HeavenBreaker said, waving a dismissive hand.
"Sure it was," CloudHawk chuckled.
Their laughter mixed with the general hum of the guild reacting to the news. But while the loud ones joked and raged, others watched in silence. A few players didn't react at all, their faces unreadable, their calculations hidden behind quiet eyes.