Savannah nodded. "He's extraordinary—sharp yet steady. A future top player. Did he tell you how to get the eels?" Lila confirmed, and Savannah messaged the team: "Back to town. Meet under the southern oak after losing the crowd—let's verify his method."
Tristan crossed his arms, still bitter. "It's a trick. Why would he give us a real spot?" The team hesitated—half the members were contracted, unsure whether to follow Savannah or Tristan.
Savannah's voice turned cold. "Are you coming?" Tristan wilted. "Fine, fine. I'll go." He knew the cave might be real—he just hated Lila's connection to Lucas. In two weeks, RMT would go live, and he could buy his way to the top anyway.
Meanwhile, Lucas slipped out of Giant's Hollow's north gate, heading straight for level 5 mobs. With Crispy Electric Eel Fillets boosting his stats, he finally stood a chance—but he'd never fight fair. Exploits were part of the game, and he planned to weaponize every one he remembered.
In Forsaken World, each mob level gap meant a massive stat disparity. A level 0 player stood no chance against a level 3 mob, let alone level 5. But Lucas held a trump card—a game-breaking exploit only a handful would ever discover.
After an hour's run, he reached Silent Plains—a border between level 2 and 3 mobs, sparsely populated by grouped players. There, he found Fletcher the Shepherd, pacing anxiously.
"Why didn't I tie her up? My mare… she's my only mount!" Fletcher groaned.
"I'd help, but I have no tools," Lucas said, feigning helplessness.
Fletcher thrust a lasso into his hands. "Please! This is my roping cord—bring her back!"
System Notification: You have accepted Fletcher's Request – Retrieve the Lost Mare. You have obtained Fletcher's Lasso.
Lucas's heart raced. This lasso was the stuff of legend—a game-breaking exploit documented in a niche past-life guide. A player had accidentally lassoed a cliff outcrop while chasing the mare, only to find the rope let them scale the otherwise unscalable rock face.
At the top lay a level 5 bison spawn and a concave ledge— a perfect cheese spot. Players on the ledge could attack the bison below without retaliation. The discoverer, who'd logged in three days late, had used this exploit to rocket into the top 10 server rankings.
Lucas navigated the level 2 mobs carefully, reaching the cliff base. He hurled the lasso, snaring a rock outcrop, then climbed to the ledge. Below, a herd of level 5 Bison grazed—ferocious, fast, and deadly in groups. Even tanks struggled against their charge, but Lucas was untouchable here.
He targeted a bison and cast Fireball. Fireball – Cost: 12 Mana, Cast Time: 3s, Range: 30yds, Damage: 14-22 Fire Damage.
With 10 base Intelligence, +10 from the Demon's Heart, and +5 from the eel fillet, his Spell Damage hit 25. The Fireball dealt 42 damage—enough to chip away at the bison's 580 HP.
The bison roared, charging the cliff. It slammed into the rock face, bouncing back. Six more bison joined in, but none could reach Lucas. He kept casting, killing one bison every 45 seconds. System Notification: You killed a Bison. Gained 75 XP (25 XP for level disparity).
Level 0 to 1 required 5,000 XP—Lucas would hit level 1 in two hours, twice as fast as the server's top grinders stuck on level 1 mobs. This was the power of foreknowledge.
Down by the Lando River, Lila led Frostborne to the bridge. "He said it's here." Savannah nodded. "Two of you—dive and check."
Tristan scoffed. "Waste of time. He lied—there's nothing here." Just as he finished, a player surfaced, holding an electric eel aloft. "Found it! There are tons down here!"
Tristan froze, his face flaming with embarrassment. While he seethed, Lucas on the cliff ledge readied another Fireball—unaware that his exploit-fueled power spike was about to draw the attention of a far deadlier predator.