Rookie Slayers.
Despite their name suggesting inexperience, they were far from weak—on the contrary, they stood firmly among the top-ranked teams. Over the years, however, they had never managed to claim a first kill on a World Rank boss. Not because they lacked strength, but because they simply had terrible luck.
In fact, Rookie Slayers had lost the first kill four times, and each time, by a margin of less than thirty seconds.
The most outrageous case had happened just last year. They were only one second behind the team that secured the first kill. One second! That excruciating memory was still burned into their minds, like a curse that refused to fade.
But this year, things were finally different.
The moment they entered the Sema Mountains, they encountered a World Rank Boss—the infamous [Bloodchant Ape].
That level of luck? That kind of providence?
It felt as though the goddess of fortune had personally handed them a feast on a silver platter.
Neo, the guild leader, calculated swiftly in his mind. At most, it would take half a day to bring down the boss. That meant by tomorrow morning, the Rookie Slayers would finally secure a World Rank boss first kill.
And not just any first kill—this could be a record-breaking one.
Historically, the fastest first kill on a World Rank boss had taken one day, three hours, and eighteen minutes.
But Neo was confident: if everything went smoothly, they could finish the fight in fifteen hours.
If that happened, this world record could very well stand unbroken for the next hundred years.
And yet, that wasn't even the most important part.
The truly thrilling possibility was that they might just secure the first kill among all races—the Myriad Races First Kill.
That kind of feat would send the name Rookie Slayers echoing through every corner of the continent.
And the rewards? Far beyond what a standard Human-race first kill could offer.
At this moment, Neo's heart was burning with determination.
"Listen up, everyone! We have a real shot at getting this year's Myriad Races First Kill!"
"You all know better than I do just how much that would reward us."
"No more holding back—this is the moment! Use everything you've got! Launch a full assault on [Bloodchant Ape]!"
"Damn it, what are you waiting for? Use your enchantment scrolls! Chug your berserker potions! You think this is the time to save up? Get your heads in the game!"
"And don't worry about the cost—Rookie Slayers will cover every single expense!"
With Neo's booming voice ringing in their ears, the entire strike team's attack rhythm immediately escalated.
After all, if the captain himself had said they'd foot the bill, why hold back?
Do it. Smash it. Wipe it out.
A barrage of high-level spell scrolls rained down on the [Bloodchant Ape] like they were free samples from a festival.
And Neo didn't remain idle either. He personally activated one of his most prized secret techniques—Infernal Earth Enchantment.
This ancient skill was a single-use consumable, but the damage it dealt was no joke.
To put it simply: once activated, Neo's total damage output would rise by 20% for half an hour.
That's how serious things were now.
The Rookie Slayers had gone all in.
Now, as for first kills—there was a hierarchy. The most prestigious was the World First Kill, followed by the Myriad Races First Kill, then the Race-specific First Kill, and finally the Regional First Kill.
Neo never dared to even dream of the World First Kill.
Why?
Because that tier belonged to the Highborn Races, beings that existed beyond the reach of the Myriad Races. Their first kill records for World Rank bosses hovered around five hours—an entirely different plane of existence.
The Myriad Races First Kill, though? That was still within reach. It represented the elite forces of every known race, including humanity.
Of course, Neo had never met a Highborn himself. They were rumored to live not on the continent, but rather upon the Ancient World Tree.
Only those who reached Demigod rank had the qualifications to even lay eyes on them.
The one exception? The legendary Golden Dragons—widely believed to be the purest-blooded dragon race in existence.
Neo wasn't foolish enough to challenge such entities. His gaze remained firmly fixed on achieving greatness within the Myriad Races.
Even securing a Human First Kill would've been enough to satisfy him.
But now? With the Myriad Races First Kill so close he could taste it?
How could he not yearn for more?
The rewards from this single achievement would push the entire Rookie Slayers guild into the top tier. They could finally break through the glass ceiling and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the current "Three Great Strike Guilds" and form a new Big Four.
And Neo himself—his name would go down in history as the greatest hero of the Birdkin race.
The pinnacle of life was right before his eyes.
Neo clenched his fists. His resolve hardened. He roared internally, "Let's go! [Bloodchant Ape], today is your funeral!"
But then, just as the decisive final phase of battle began…
From the gloomy skies above—a blinding flash of golden light!
A divine system announcement lit up the heavens:
[Congratulations to Human: Daniel for achieving the World First Kill! Target Boss: Stoneback Colossus]
[Congratulations to Human: Daniel for setting a new World First Kill record! Total time: 2 hours, 1 minute, 3 seconds]
...
What?
Neo froze.
The entire Rookie Slayers squad froze.
What the hell just happened???
That Daniel—he got the World First Kill?
That… that was impossible!
How could a human—especially one like Daniel—beat out the Highborns?
But the system had no reason to lie.
And it was a World First Kill, not even just Myriad Races.
Their brains short-circuited.
And in that split-second of stunned silence…
[Bloodchant Ape] seized the opportunity.
It broke free of its bindings with a furious roar, and with terrifying strength, hurled a massive boulder straight at Neo's face.
Neo came to his senses—too late.
He tried to dodge, but the rock still caught him square in the chest.
With a sickening crunch, he was sent flying backwards, spitting a mouthful of blood that traveled eight full meters through the air.
———
Meanwhile, at the Royal Academy of the Tin-Silver Empire...
Mejir was in the midst of a feverish monster-hunting spree, working relentlessly to raise his tier.
Thanks to a directive from the elders of his family, he had access to a massive trove of resources.
Put simply—once he leveled up enough, his family would immediately send him into the Whitewild Expanse.
As for Daniel?
Hah. He'd be left eating dust, far behind.
Not only that, but Mejir had already made contact with several elite players from other guilds. As soon as they completed their Star Upgrade Quests, they would all converge on the Whitewild Expanse and begin hunting World Rank bosses en masse.
Their goal wasn't lofty. Just one first kill in the Whitewild Expanse would provide enough resources to fund their second star upgrade.
Of course, for a grand noble house, such material gains weren't the main appeal.
The true value lay in the untradeable treasures that came as first-kill bonuses.
These items often held immense potential—rumor had it that every patriarch and elder of the great noble clans had at least one such artifact in their collection.
But Mejir wasn't content with just that.
His ambition went further.
He didn't just want the first kill—he wanted the final blow.
Only by landing the killing strike could one earn the coveted "Slayer's Glory" achievement.
That achievement significantly increased the odds of receiving a personalized, exclusive skill.
If he could obtain one of those, and then combine it with his SS-tier talent, Mejir was confident he would ascend into the ranks of the strongest prodigies alive.