A legendary-tier chest materialized where the boss had stood, glowing with golden light.
Max crawled toward it—literally crawled, his stamina too depleted to stand—and opened it with trembling hands.
Light exploded from the chest.
[LEGENDARY LOOT OBTAINED]
[VOIDREAVER – LEGENDARY ONE-HANDED SWORD]
Attack: +285
Agility: +35
Intelligence: +25
Special Effect: Void Strike – 15% chance on hit to deal 500% weapon damage and reduce target's defense by 50% for 5 seconds
Special Ability: Abyssal Edge – Active: Your next three attacks ignore all armor and deal pure damage. Cooldown: 60 seconds
Level Requirement: 20
Soulbound to: MaxThorne
Max stared at the weapon. It was beautiful—a blade of dark metal with purple energy crackling along its edge. The grip was wrapped in black leather, and the guard was shaped like twisted shadows.
It was worth easily $50,000 in real money.
Maybe more.
With shaking hands, Max equipped it, and his attack power jumped from 400 to 685.
He checked his notifications:
[MaxThorne – Level 23 Soulbinder]
HP: 620/620
MP: 750/750
Attack Power: 685
Three more levels from the solo kill bonus. A legendary weapon. Mythic achievements.
Max started laughing—slightly hysterical, exhausted laughter that echoed through the empty boss chamber.
He actually did it.
OUTSIDE THE DUNGEON
The raid team stood frozen, staring at the party interface.
[MaxThorne – Level 23 Soulbinder]
Status: ALIVE
Location: Obsidian Overlord's Chamber
Then the notification appeared for everyone:
[DUNGEON COMPLETE: THE OBSIDIAN DEPTHS]
[RAID ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: OBSIDIAN CONQUERORS]
[PHOENIX GUILD: FOURTH GUILD WORLDWIDE TO CLEAR THE OBSIDIAN DEPTHS]
Silence.
Complete, absolute silence.
Then Kaito whispered, "He killed it. He actually killed it."
"Alone," Ayame breathed. "He soloed the final 5% of a mythic boss."
The raid erupted in chaos—people shouting, checking their achievement lists, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Velara was staring at the interface, her expression unreadable.
"Level 23," she said quietly. "He was 20 when we started. He jumped three levels from the solo kill."
The dungeon portal shimmered, and Max emerged.
He looked terrible—his equipment damaged, his avatar covered in virtual blood and ash, barely able to stand.
But he was smiling.
And in his hand was a sword that radiated legendary power.
The entire raid stared at him in stunned silence.
Max looked at Kaito and Ayame, then at the rest of the team.
"We cleared it," he said simply.
Then he collapsed, his stamina finally giving out completely, and Velara caught him before he hit the ground.
"YOU DID IT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
IronFortress's roar shattered the stunned silence. The massive tank rushed forward, grabbing Max in a hug that lifted him off his feet despite Velara trying to support him.
"YOU ACTUALLY FUCKING DID IT!"
The dam broke.
The entire raid erupted in celebration. SteelTitan was jumping up and down like a kid. FrostQueen had her hands over her mouth in disbelief. ThunderStrike was laughing hysterically.
"OBSIDIAN DEPTHS CLEARED!" someone screamed.
"FOURTH GUILD WORLDWIDE!"
"WE FUCKING DID IT!"
Max was passed from player to player, everyone wanting to congratulate him. The exhaustion in his body made him sway dangerously, but the adrenaline of victory kept him standing.
Notifications began flooding everyone's interfaces:
[DUNGEON COMPLETION REWARDS]
[All Party Members Receive:]
15,000 Gold
Achievement: Obsidian Conqueror
Title: Depth Walker Phoenix Guild
Reputation: +1,000
[Additional Loot Distribution Based on Contribution:]
The legendary chest had contained multiple items beyond Max's sword. Epic-tier armor pieces, rare crafting materials, unique accessories—all automatically distributed based on each player's contribution throughout the dungeon.
ArchMage_Kira received an epic staff that increased spell damage by 40%. SteelTitan got legendary gauntlets. Velara obtained a rare cloak with stealth bonuses. Even the players who had died before the final phase received substantial rewards.
Everyone was checking their loot, their gold counters, their achievements—the despair from minutes ago completely replaced by euphoria.
Kaito pushed through the crowd, Ayame beside him. The guild leaders approached Max, and the celebration quieted slightly.
Kaito stopped in front of Max, and for a moment, the level 43 guild leader—one of the top players in the world—just looked at him.
Then Kaito bowed. Not a casual nod, but a proper, respectful bow.
"We owe you everything," Kaito said, his voice sincere. "Without you, this raid would have been a complete failure. You saved us. You saved Phoenix's reputation."
Max, still exhausted, managed a tired smile. "We did it together. I just... finished what you all started."
"No," Ayame said, also bowing. "What you did was extraordinary. Soloing the final phase of a mythic boss at level 20—now 23—is unprecedented. You've earned your place in Phoenix Guild permanently. Trial period is over. You're a full member, effective immediately."
[PHOENIX GUILD STATUS UPDATED]
[MaxThorne: TRIAL MEMBER → FULL MEMBER]
[Benefits Unlocked: Monthly Salary, Full Guild Bank Access, Leadership Voting Rights]
Max wanted to respond, wanted to say something meaningful, but the world was starting to blur at the edges. The exhaustion wasn't just virtual anymore—his real body was crashing hard from the extended neural immersion and adrenaline overload.
"Thank... you..." Max managed.
Then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed completely.
Velara caught him, lowering him gently to the ground. "Max? MAX?"
"He's fine," Ayame said, checking his status. "Complete stamina depletion plus neural fatigue. His brain is forcing a logout. It's a safety feature."
Max's avatar began to dissolve into particles of light—the automatic logout triggering as his consciousness disconnected.
The last thing he heard was Velara's voice: "Rest well, you crazy bastard."