[Boss: Mirelord Gorgath – Lv. 8]
HP: 10,000 | Element: Poison / Earth
The Mirelord emerged from the swamp pool, grotesque and ancient. The chamber reeked of decay and iron; each step it took created ripples across the water.
Mirelord Gorgath has unleashed [Toxic Wave]
→ The party suffered 90 Poison DoT over 10s.
"Spread out!" Zack exclaimed, his daggers shining. A flash of white responded. [Purify] — the toxic DoT was shredded away.
Then Haze disappeared in an instant. [Shadowstep] → [Backstab]!
Her daggers pierced the Mirelord's side. Critical hit! 380 Damage.
The beast lashed out with its tail, sending mud flying toward the group. [Tail Lash] → Haze took 250 damage. She reeled back.
IrisVale acted promptly. Heal → +234 HP. Haze inhaled deeply; the wound closed, for the time being.
Zack lifted both hands -Divine Barrier. The golden dome flared up, absorbing the next Mud Crash — 200 blocked.
He pushed forward aggressively as Arcane Surge activated, runes skimming to life along his dagger; his magical attack was boosted by 25%.
The swamp water crackled. Chain Lightning!
The bolt surged through the pooled water and slammed into the Mirelord's chest in a single, devastating arc.
–384! –398!
The creature roared, venom and steam hissing from its injuries. It retaliated with [Acid Spit] spraying the battlefield. → 220 Damage + ongoing burn.
Zack blinked, all abilities were on cooldown. The team staggered under the strain; Iris's skills were unavailable since she had already healed and cast holy ward.
The Mirelord reared back, preparing for another crushing attack.
Haze let out a sharp, fierce cry and seized the opening without hesitation.
[Adrenaline Rush – Lv.1] quickened her actions (+20% move and attack for 10s).
Her daggers discovered new vulnerabilities; [Venom Edge] the assassin's signature technique for boss fights, stacked — five ticks at 100/sec each now seared into the creature.
The Mirelord struck the earth with a tremor. Toxic Quake! → 200 AoE damage. Iris fell back, breathing rapidly.
Heal! → +234 HP.
When the next Mud Crash threatened to obliterate them, Zack reacted without delay. He activated Momentum Shift — the Divine Barrier returned; he cast it again. The dome flared into existence just in time, absorbing the full impact and preventing Iris from collapsing.
200 blocked.
With the Mirelord staggered and its attacks momentarily delayed, Zack took his chance. Frost gathered into a spear and pierced through the monster's throat.
–308! –118!
Effect: Slow -30% for 5s.
Poison flared across the Mirelord's skin, slowing its movements. Haze launched forward, using Shadowstep → Backstab and the daggers sunk deep again, green ichor sprayed against the stone.
The boss attempted to roar, but its strikes were lethargic. Still, it hit hard, every attack nearly wiped them out; every heal barely kept them standing.
As the Mirelord's HP fell into its last segment, the atmosphere shifted in the chamber.
What had once been a wide-open arena now felt suffocating. Thick fog curled around their legs while poisonous mists drifted low and heavy.
Acidic water hissed wherever it touched the glowing runes carved into the cavern walls, each glimmer of light growing weaker as the boss's HP bled away.
Haze weaved between dissipating poison pools, her movements a blur.
Every strike from her daggers landed with exact precision — slash, pivot, vanish, the toxic edge of her blades layered on the final doses of poison until the Mirelord's hide throbbed with venomous green fissures.
While Zack continuously cast Ice Lance during the entire battle, each spear piercing through the Mirelord's masked breath.
He also consumed mana and health potions throughout the entire encounter. He ultimately unleashed a Chain Lightning spell.
The bolt hit its target, sinking into the creature's bright amber gaze.
A high-pitched, guttural roar echoed through the cavern as the Mirelord thrashed violently. Steam erupted from its wounds; fragments of its mossy exterior crumbled away, splashing into the murky pool below.
The light in its eyes flickered once before fading to darkness.
[System Message: Dungeon Cleared!]
You have achieved: First Clear – Ruins of the Deep Marsh
[You have received +5 unallocated stat points.]
+1 gold coin
Despite the absence of any global announcement, it was enough to bring smiles to their faces.
IrisVale stretched her limbs, her staff still glowing faintly from the last healing spell.
IrisVale: "So we didn't go viral... but I'm happy with the +5 any day."
Haze smirked, cleaning the blood off her daggers.
Haze: "Stats are stats. We'll make the announcement next time."
Zack remained silent, he just looked at his status window briefly before shutting it again. The sense of satisfaction was subtle but genuine.
The heavily built boss's body began to sink into the pool, transforming into streams of light. Glowing droplets emerged on the mossy floor, scattering like treasure cascading from a chest.
[Mirelord chestplate] – Armor Level 5 (Rare)
Defense +25 | Agility +3 | HP + 30
Effect: Enhances poison damage by 50%.
[Gorgath's Fang] – Dagger (Level 5)
Attack Power: 75–80 | Agility + 10
Passive: 5% chance on hit to administer venom, inflicting 300 poison damage per second for 5 seconds.
[Slimeheart Loop] – Accessory (Level 5)
HP +100 | MP +50
Effect: Restores 2% HP every 10 seconds during combat.
[Swamp Keeper's Boots] – Rare (Level 5)
Defense +20 | Agility +5 | Movement Speed +5%
Effect: Immune to slow effects from terrain.
[Staff of Withering Veins] – Weapon (Rare) Level 5
Magic Power - 80-95 | Intelligence + 15
Passive: Boosts skill effects by 15%.
The loot drops exceeded their expectations.
Most of the items were a perfect fit for Haze's class, while Zack managed to claim the loop with impressive stats and a passive HP regeneration benefit, also taking the staff for future use.
The staff and loop that dropped had excellent stats, a clear improvement for Zack; equipped with it, his build would gain significant durability once he reached level 5.
Haze occasionally glanced toward him, clearly wishing he'd either give it to her or at least sell it.
Even without any skill drops, the party felt satisfied.
The +5 stat points from the dungeon's first-clear reward felt almost like attaining an entire level on its own.
He was eager to reach the next level and start investing points into Vitality.
His current defense felt extremely weak and with assassins lurking around, a single fortunate critical hit could take him down before he had a chance to react.
No amount of skill could save him if he couldn't survive.
After sorting through the loot, Zack ultimately made the decision to part ways with Haze and Iris.
Iris abruptly chimed in, her voice slicing through the brief silence.
"By the way, Zack… if you're thinking about joining a guild once the feature becomes available, you might want to consider ours."
Haze turned her head sharply toward Iris, giving her a look as though she'd just done something wrong.
Iris simply shrugged and continued, "Haze intends to create one as soon as guilds are active."
Zack blinked, taken by surprise. The proposal caught him off guard.
He had only selected the Priest class because he didn't understand what that mysterious letter meant by "getting strong" and if allies contributed to that objective, joining a guild didn't sound like a bad idea.
Considering the advantages and disadvantages, he cautiously inquired, "If I join… am I obligated to it? Like, will my movements be restricted or something? I'm not really accustomed to games like this."
Iris shook her head. "Nope. We aim to keep it relaxed.
We offer assistance to each other when necessary. There will be guild quests eventually but as long as you complete the ones you take on, you're good."
She leaned in a bit, her eyes bright with excitement. "And who knows? There might be guild battles in the future.
It's better to have strong allies than formidable foes, right? You seem like someone we'd prefer beside us."
She flashed a broad, self-assured smile.
Zack exhaled softly, genuinely impressed. "Okay. If you both go ahead and establish a guild, I'll join. Just message me later."
They exchanged friend requests after that and went their separate ways, each pursuing their own objectives.
Haze found her thoughts drifting back to him.
There was an essence in the way Zack held himself— calm, reliable, modest yet unmistakably powerful. His influence remained even after he had left.
Perhaps it was merely admiration… or could it be something a bit more profound?
Meanwhile, in another server
[Server: Obsidian Domain]
The atmosphere shimmered with heat and traces of mana.
Cracked ground extended for miles beneath a blood-red sky.
An enormous, decaying dragon — the Ashen Devourer (Field Boss - Lv 6) — emitted one final, deafening roar before collapsing into the dust.
[Critical Hit! — 420 Damage]
[Boss HP: 0%]
[Field Boss "Ashen Devourer" Defeated!]
[EXP +2,000 | First Kill Achievement = Stat Points +5]
As the dust settled, a solitary figure emerged, Kael Draven.
His obsidian armor stained with blood and molten embers. He lowered his greatsword, the blade resonating softly from mana overload.
[Level Up: 3 → 4]
[Unassigned Stat Points: +10]
Kael slowly exhaled and opened his status screen.
"Ten points," he muttered. "Let's make them count."
He allocated the points methodically —
→ +4 Strength
→ +2 Vitality
→ +4 Agility
[Stats Updated]
A faint smile crossed his face as his health bar rose.
"Perfect"
Behind him, two other players came closer both breathless, with cracked armor.
"Boss, that creature nearly one-shot us—"
Kael silenced their complaint with a look. "Nearly. But it didn't"
He turned towards the fading carcass of the Field boss, where a radiant crystal hovered momentarily before breaking into fragments.
Kael glanced at the glowing crystal in his hand, its veins pulsing softly. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly.
"First part of the quest completed," he muttered. "Two more to go."
He sheathed his sword and opened his message feed. Most notifications were— praise, jealousy, challenge requests. However, one unread thread lingered at the top, tagged with his real name:
From: House Draven – 'Regarding Your Proposal'
He tapped on it. The message briefly expanded before he closed it without reading, his jaw tightening.
"So, she really turned me down"
He let out a low, humorless laugh. "After everything her father and our family arranged…"
He dismissed the menu, his expression darkening as the ash around him began to stir again from the mana residue.
She's in another server now, Kael thought, sliding his sword into its sheath. "Otherwise, I'd have reminded her of her actual place."
His voice deepened, each word laced with malice. He tightened his fist and the Ashen Devourer Core in his palm slightly cracked, releasing a faint red glow.
He let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "After embarrassing me in front of my father? After rejecting a proposal from House Draven?"
He spat the last words like a curse.
The air shimmered slightly around him, heat and mana distorting as his anger seeped through his avatar's control.
His party members exchanged anxious glances but remained silent.
"She believes walking away resolves everything." Kael murmured under his breath.
"But that was her miscalculation. She's already connected to this, whether she likes it or not" he growled, striding towards the dying flames of the battlefield.
He opened his menu and sent a brief message to his aide.
"She made her choice. You know what to do."