The Moon Tower was a disappointment. It was crowded with ghosts that yielded poor EXP. Sebastian had cleared the first floor, realized the respawn rates were too slow for his needs, and moved deeper into the zone, finding the entrance to the Crystalvein Mines beneath the tower's foundation.
The Mines were a different beast entirely.
The air here was thick with mana dust, glittering in the dark like suspended stars. The walls were studded with jagged purple crystals that pulsed with a rhythmic, humming light.
[Zone: Crystalvein Mines]
[Recommended Level: 10-15]
This was a zone meant for full parties. The enemies here were Crystalline Golems and Obsidian Scorpions—monsters with insanely high physical defense and resistance to basic magic.
Skitter. Skitter.
From the shadows of the tunnel, three shapes emerged.
[Monster: Obsidian Scorpion]
[Level: 12]
[HP: 1,200]
[Defense: High]
Their carapaces shone like black glass. Their tails dripped with acidic venom.
Sebastian held the Moon Reaper in his right hand. He wasn't afraid of their defense. god-Slayer's Edge made armor irrelevant. But he needed to clear them fast. He needed Level 10 within the hour to secure the server first achievement.
"Time to test the new toy," Sebastian muttered.
He opened his inventory. He pulled out the [Moon Reaper]. Then, he pulled out a handful of the [Shadow Dust] he had looted from the specters in the tower above.
[Talent Activated: Forbidden Alchemy]
"Combine."
His mana surged, wrapping the dagger and the dust in a chaotic green vortex.
[Ding! Combination Successful.]
[Item Upgraded: Moon Reaper -> Shadowfang (Epic)]
[New Attribute added: Shadow Weave.]
Sebastian looked at the weapon. The blade had turned a translucent, smoky black.
[Passive: Shadow Weave +2]
[Effect: Every attack coats the user in a layer of shadows, increasing Evasion by 20%. Stacks up to 5 times.]
"Perfect."
The scorpions lunged.
Sebastian moved. He didn't use Void Walk this time; he needed to conserve the mental focus for the grind. He relied on his raw stats and the new weapon.
He side-stepped a venomous stinger, the movement fluid and precise. He slashed.
Shing!
The Shadowfang sliced through the obsidian shell of the lead scorpion without a sound.
[-2,400 (True Damage)]
The scorpion was bisected instantly. Black ichor sprayed the walls.
[Ding! You have killed Obsidian Scorpion. EXP +120.]
As the scorpion died, a wisp of shadow detached from the blade and wrapped around Sebastian's shoulders like a cloak.
[Shadow Weave: 1 Stack.]
The other two scorpions clicked their pincers and attacked simultaneously. Sebastian spun, the shadows trailing his movements, blurring his silhouette. The pincers snapped at empty air where he had been a millisecond before.
Slash. Slash.
Two more bisected corpses.
[Shadow Weave: 3 Stacks.]
Sebastian felt lighter. The shadows were actively distorting his hitbox, making him harder to track.
"Good. Now, I need a mob."
He ran deeper into the mines. He didn't stop to fight individual groups. He sprinted through the tunnels, aggroing everything.
Five golems. Ten scorpions. A massive Crystal Spider.
They chased him, a thundering horde of death clattering against the stone floor.
"He's crazy!" a hiding Thief player whispered from a stealth corner, watching Sebastian run past with fifty monsters on his tail. "He's going to suicide train!"
Sebastian reached the central cavern of the mine, a massive hollow space filled with glowing stalactites.
He stopped in the center.
The horde poured into the cavern, surrounding him. There were at least sixty monsters. Level 12 elites.
They screeched and roared, closing the circle.
Sebastian smiled. His mana bar was full.
"I don't need defense penetration for this," he whispered. "I need the sun."
He raised his hand high.
"Solar Flare. Output: Maximum."
[Warning! Mana Depletion Imminent.]
The cavern went white.
It wasn't a fire. It was an erasure event. A sphere of plasma expanded from Sebastian's body, pushing outward in a terrifying wave of heat and light.
The Obsidian Scorpions didn't shatter; they melted. The Crystalline Golems, made of magic-resistant rock, instantly turned into pools of glowing lava. The Crystal Spider vaporized.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the mountain above. The shockwave blasted through the tunnels, knocking the hiding Thief player out of stealth and onto his back two hundred meters away.
[Ding! You have killed Obsidian Scorpion x42.]
[Ding! You have killed Crystal Golem x15.]
[Ding! You have killed Crystal Broodmother.]
[Experience Overload.]
The notifications scrolled so fast they were a blur.
[Ding! Level Up!]
[Ding! Level Up!]
[Ding! Level Up!]
A golden pillar of light erupted around Sebastian, piercing the ceiling of the cavern.
[System Announcement: Congratulations to Player 'Zero' for being the First Player to reach Level 10!]
[Reward: 50 Gold, +5 All Stats, Title: The Pioneer.]
[Player 'Zero' is now eligible to leave the Novice Village and enter the Main Cities.]
Sebastian stood in the center of the molten lake, the glass floor cooling beneath his boots. He checked his status.
[Name: Zero]
[Level: 10]
[Class: Drifter]
[SP: ∞]
He swiped the notification away.
"Tutorial over," he said, equipping the Shadowfang. "Now the real game begins."