"Soon, under Vale's call, Alex and his two warrior retainers joined Vale's party, and they continued deeper into the forest."
At that moment, the sky gradually darkened. The two warriors walked at the back, whispering to Alex:
"Commander, are you sure we should follow them? They look too young, and that kid named Vale just feels unreliable. I have a bad feeling we'll end up being used as cannon fodder, lured into the forest to draw monsters for them."
Alex shook his head. "I don't want you to think like that. Let me ask you—"
"Now, it's only been one day since the server opened. Who among you is confident of reaching level 10 in just one day?"
The two warriors frowned. "This… this is impossible. Even back when we were at our best, we couldn't reach level 10 in a single day. "
"At most, we could get to level 7, and even then, we had to use precious double experience scrolls. The maximum we could reach was level 8."
"Although the world's level cap is 10 on the first day, after that, all experience gained is reduced to 10% of the original. For example, if you normally get 1,000 experience, now you only get 10."
Alex nodded. "Exactly. So if they can reach level 10 in just one day, that means they not only have high skill, but they might even be from the upper echelons with special privileges."
The two warriors began to tremble slightly. "You mean… the board of directors of Raygod Company?"
Alex didn't answer the question, but sighed instead. "Although I can't be sure, you should just look at that girl in the red evening dress—her guardian.
It's a level 99 guardian. Even without any equipment, even without any evolution, just the sheer level gap and stats alone could kill any player or boss below level 50 in an instant."
After saying that, the surroundings became unnaturally quiet. A level 99 guardian—something that had never appeared in the entire game before.
"And what's more strange is… this guardian looks really strange. It almost looks like the one from the Palace of Gods… and her name is also Alice. Is that a coincidence?"
The more Alex thought, the more cold sweat ran down his back. "No… Alice is one of the final bosses of the game. How could she be captured and used as a guardian? Plus, she has a divine immortal body—she can't be killed. She just keeps reincarnating endlessly."
Vale had been quietly watching the three people at the back of the group the entire time. He had learned his lesson before—he wasn't heartless, but in this game, any kindness could lead to his downfall.
"Alice, watch over them. If anything feels off, eliminate them immediately." Vale communicated with Alice through his mind.
"No problem, master. You know I need to feed on a fresh batch of blood every day. If they're your descendants, it'll be even better."
As she said that, Alice extended her tempting, pink-tipped tongue and licked her lips, leaving behind a clear, glistening trail of liquid.
Vale's whole body jolted as if struck by electricity. A strange, unbearable itch spread through his lower body, as if something was desperately trying to break free.
Soon, the group found a few Mimic Rabbits. Without hesitation, Vale charged forward in front of everyone's shocked eyes.
The two warriors immediately shouted, "Don't go near them! Those Mimic Rabbits are fast, you won't even be able to touch them!"
Alex's eyes widened. A warm feeling spread across his face. "Did we just get our faces slapped? Just a moment ago, I was praising him, and now he's rushing straight into a speed-based monster! Even at level 10, unless you max out agility, you can't even hit a Mimic Rabbit!"
At that moment, several slashes flashed through the air, instantly filling the rabbits' health bars.
Vale smirked slightly. "You little bastards, you liked chasing me around before, didn't you? Now let's see what it feels like to be chased!"
The rabbits, realizing Vale's speed was far beyond theirs, quickly started to retreat.
[Congratulations! You have gained 1050 experience points (10x experience scroll bonus, 50% party bonus)]
[Congratulations! You have gained 1050 experience points (10x experience scroll bonus, 50% party bonus)]
[…]
Under the eyes of Alex and the others, Vale effortlessly killed the rabbits.
The two warriors felt their mouths twitching uncontrollably. "We spent all our effort chasing them down, and it took us half a day to kill ten of them. But this guy just did it in one second?"
However, Vale didn't stop. He kept running forward, using his overwhelming stats and incredible agility. Even with just basic attacks, he could instantly kill monsters below level 5.
At this point, Vale was no longer satisfied with these weak foes. Soon, he set his sights on a group of 10-level monsters just ahead.
When Alex saw Vale rushing straight toward the 10-level monsters, he shouted in disbelief: "Are you crazy? Even with your high stats, you can't just go head-to-head with a 10-level monster!"
The two warriors, seeing Vale's reckless behavior, finally regained some of their senses. "This must be some rich kid from a powerful family. After all, who would want to kill low-level monsters when they have such stats? These 10-level monsters have high health and heavy damage. Even a player of the same level would be severely injured in a fight with them."
Before they could finish speaking, they saw Vale's blade flash through the air.
At that moment, Vale noticed that the damage was no longer as effective as before. His attack only took off 40% of the 10-level monster's health—not a one-hit kill.
"Damn it, is this the limit of the steel-grade set? Well, I guess I overestimated it."
Quickly, Vale activated the Wind Stealth Cloak, entering a stealth state. The aggression of the 10-level monsters immediately vanished.
"This…" Alex's eyes widened in shock. "This is invisibility? How can a curse-based class have the invisibility skill that only 50-level advanced mages can use?"
The two warriors also gasped in disbelief. "Not only that, look at what he's doing!"
Vale began to cast Bone-Eating Curse. A massive, skeletal skull emerged from the shadows, devouring everything in its path. Soon, the group of 10-level monsters fell one by one, overwhelmed by the curse.
Alex collapsed to the ground, his mind finally clicking into place. "No wonder he's leveling so fast… with these artifacts, it's impossible not to level up quickly. I have to find a way to bring him on board—no matter what it takes. Even if it means offering my daughter and my puppet body."
However, Vale didn't stop. He kept running forward, using his overwhelming stats and incredible agility. Even with just basic attacks, he could instantly kill monsters below level 5.
At this point, Vale was no longer satisfied with these weak foes. Soon, he set his sights on a group of 10-level monsters just ahead.
When Alex saw Vale rushing straight toward the 10-level monsters, he shouted in disbelief: "Are you crazy? Even with your high stats, you can't just go head-to-head with a 10-level monster!"
The two warriors, seeing Vale's reckless behavior, finally regained some of their senses. "This must be some rich kid from a powerful family.
After all, who would want to kill low-level monsters when they have such stats? These 10-level monsters have high health and heavy damage. Even a player of the same level would be severely injured in a fight with them."
Before they could finish speaking, they saw Vale's blade flash through the air.
At that moment, Vale noticed that the damage was no longer as effective as before. His attack only took off 40% of the 10-level monster's health—not a one-hit kill.
"Damn it, is this the limit of the steel-grade set? Well, I guess I overestimated it."
Quickly, Vale activated the Wind Stealth Cloak, entering a stealth state. The aggression of the 10-level monsters immediately vanished.
"At this moment, as the light pillars kept appearing, Alex and his two men in the group had also reached level 8.
Meanwhile, blue light pillars began to gather on the ground — these were the Steel-grade equipment: steel armor, steel bracelets, steel rings, and more.
Victoria and Lora quickly rushed forward to pick up the gear. Alex approached Vale, clasped his fists, and said,
"Master Vale, I've seen your power. I have a request — if you agree, I will offer my daughter Anna as your personal servant, and I will also give you this treasure."
Vale stopped walking and turned to face Alex. "What treasure? Never mind. First, tell me what you want. If it's too much, even if it's something valuable, I won't accept."
Alex's eyes were resolute. "I only want Anna to be your personal servant, to walk by your side.
I don't ask for anything else. Even if you make her do menial work, I'm fine with it. I just ask that you keep her by your side on this journey."
Lora's eyes widened slightly, and Victoria stopped picking up items.
Vale's lips curled into a faint smile. "Oh, that's a smooth way to put it. So you just want me to protect your daughter, right? Then, what do I gain from this?"
Alex pulled out an item. "A Puppet Body. I'm sure you know what it is. I won't say much — this is like having another life. In this stage, I don't need to explain its value, do I?"