The shattered fragments of the [Relic of Apollo] pulsed with a final, blinding light before crumbling into a pile of fine, gray ash. A thick cloud of dust rose from the stone altar, swirling and coalescing in the windless air until it formed the shimmering, translucent shape of a man.

  The spirit looked at Kael, its voice a distant echo of forgotten power. "I am Apollo. Young one, was it you who awakened me?"

  Kael bowed his head respectfully. "It was. I am Dawnbreaker. I have long admired your legend, and I sought out your relic to bring you back."

  A bitter, ethereal laugh escaped the spirit. "Relic? Hah! Do you know from whence this 'relic' came?"

  "I have heard that your apprentice, Phaeton, crafted it from your ashes to honor your memory," Kael replied.

  "Honor me?" Apollo scoffed. "My death was Phaeton's own doing. He used my ashes to forge this prison, not to honor me, but to bind my spirit and steal what remained of my power for himself."

  Kael’s face hardened with manufactured rage. "He did what? The treacherous bastard!"

  The spirit seemed pleased with Kael's reaction. "My power is not so easily tamed. Even after all this time, he has failed to grasp a fraction of what I once was."

  Kael feigned surprise. "He… he is still alive?"

  "Of course. With my divine power sustaining him, a few millennia are but a passing moment," the spirit explained. "Dawnbreaker, there is a task I would ask of you. I wonder if you would accept?"

  Kael’s heart hammered in his chest. This was it.

  "Great One, please, speak your will," he said, his voice filled with earnest devotion. "I would do anything you ask."

  "The story they tell—that I took my own life in despair over a lost love—is a lie," Apollo said, his form flickering with anger. "It was all a lie fabricated by Phaeton to conceal his betrayal. After murdering me, he feared my spirit would eventually reform. To prevent this, he shattered my soul and imprisoned the fragments in ten Hidden Realms across the world."

  The spirit paused, its gaze piercing Kael. "The task I ask of you is this: find those ten realms and release my soul-shards."

  [System: You have received a quest from the spirit of Apollo, [Free the Soul-Shards]. Do you accept?]

  Kael didn't accept immediately. Instead, he frowned, letting out a heavy sigh. "I am but a novice, my skills are weak and my power is insignificant. I fear I am not worthy of such a monumental task."

  Apollo let out a booming laugh that seemed to shake the very mountain. "That is a simple matter to correct."

  The spirit waved a shimmering hand, and a new notification flashed before Kael's eyes.

  [System: You have been offered the legacy of Apollo. Advance your Class to [Divine Archer]?]

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  "Accept!" Kael said without a moment's hesitation.

  [System: You have advanced to the [Divine Archer] class. Your Free Attribute Points have been reset.]

  Kael's original class talent, [Marksman’s Instinct], was instantly upgraded.

  [Divine Archer · Marksman’s Instinct]:

  Your attacks deal additional bonus damage equal to (Agility * 2).

  Not only that, but he also gained two new, powerful talents.

  [Divine Archer · Pierce]:

  Your arrows pass through your primary target, striking up to 2 additional targets within 10 yards behind it for 100% of the original damage.

  [Divine Archer · Vital Agility]:

  Your Constitution score is also added to your Agility score when calculating damage and skill effects.

  In that single moment, Kael was reborn. The upgrade to [Marksman’s Instinct] was a massive leap in damage; the old talent only added 0.5x Agility, and even the next standard class advancement would have only raised it to 1x. The [Divine Archer] version doubled that.

  [Pierce] was similarly overpowered, hitting two extra targets for full damage instead of one for reduced damage.

  But the most important, the rarest and most game-breaking talent, was [Vital Agility].

  With this single passive, Kael was no longer a glass cannon.

  He immediately opened his character sheet and dumped all 100 of his reset attribute points into Constitution.

  He was level 20. He had 100 points to allocate.

  His titles granted him a combined +70 to all five core stats.

  His base Constitution was now 190. His base Agility was 90.

  His gear added another 20 Constitution and 370 Agility.

  Kael’s final stats were 210 Constitution and 460 Agility. But with [Vital Agility], his effective Agility for damage calculation was 210 + 460, for a staggering total of 670.

  His basic attacks now dealt over 1660 damage per shot.

  And because he had stacked Constitution, his health pool had skyrocketed to 4200 HP. He was now as durable as a dedicated tank. In his past life, it was this exact build that had allowed him to survive countless ambushes and escape impossible odds.

  Completely satisfied with his new power, Kael turned back to Apollo. "I swear to you, I will dedicate myself to freeing your soul."

  Apollo’s spirit nodded, and then the sky itself seemed to ignite. The spirit began to glow with an intensity that rivaled the sun, forcing Kael to shield his eyes. The blinding light then shrank rapidly, condensing into a single point of light no bigger than a grain of sand, which shot forward and merged with Kael’s chest.

  [System: You have accepted Apollo's quest: [Free the Soul-Shards].]

  [Quest Progress: 1/10]

  [System: You have learned the passive skill: [Sense Hidden Realms].]

  As Apollo's spirit vanished, the sky darkened once more. Ominous clouds gathered overhead, and a moment later, a flash of lightning was followed by a torrential downpour.

  Kael didn't mind. He felt a profound sense of relief as he walked back toward his quarters, his steps light and easy. The three-day marathon was over. He had reached level 20 and secured his hidden class. It was nothing short of a miracle.

  .....

  Meanwhile, in Stonehaven, Lila was frantic.

  The previous night, upon hearing that the game's first guild had been formed, she had logged back in immediately. Through her information channels, she learned that Magnus had obtained the [Guild Charter] from a Level 15 boss. She had immediately organized her own forces to hunt for one.

  They found a boss, a monstrous Giant Serpent, but their excitement quickly turned to despair. For whatever reason—perhaps the higher population density around Stonehaven—this boss was significantly stronger than the one near Emberfall.

  The real problem, however, was its ultimate ability. Every time they managed to whittle its health below 30%, the serpent would unleash a devastating area-of-effect lifesteal, healing itself back to full health in seconds.

  They had been fighting it since last night. They had lost hundreds of players. They had made zero progress.

  What were they supposed to do?

  Desperate, Lila opened her friends list, her eyes scanning the names. Suddenly, they stopped on one, and a flicker of hope ignited within her.