Lila leveled her sword, her voice cold as ice. “Kill them.”

  With that command, she led her dozen remaining teammates in a devastating charge. She crashed into the enemy lines, a whirlwind of steel.

  Whirlwind!

  -322

  -388

  …

  The enemy players weren’t about to just stand there and die. So what if they couldn’t catch Kael? Were they really going to get wiped by this woman?

  They raised their weapons and swarmed Lila.

  -35

  -1

  -71

  …

  Decked out in her full epic-tier set and empowered by a stack of buffs, Lila was unfazed by the mob. She moved like a Valkyrie, carving through the disorganized rabble with brutal efficiency. Her teammates knew better than to get in her way. Aside from a priest keeping her health topped off, the others simply formed a perimeter, cutting off any routes of escape.

  Five minutes later, every last one of the hunters had been sent back to the respawn point.

  Kael watched from the side, a flicker of admiration in his eyes. Just as I remember. The only female guild leader of a top-20 guild in my past life. Decisive, a powerhouse in a fight, and a sharp leader.

  He walked over to Lila and opened a trade window, placing the Guild Charter into the slot.

  Lila stared at the item. She had organized nearly a hundred people and spent half the day fighting for this very thing, all for nothing. And Kael had gotten it in minutes. A wave of complex emotions washed over her.

  She accepted the Guild Charter, pausing for a moment before speaking.

  “Thanks. How much do I owe you?”

  Kael shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Just consider it my way of repaying you for the help you gave me in my past life.”

  “Past life?” Lila found his words bizarre. Was this man trying to use this as some kind of ploy to seduce her? But looking into his clear eyes, she realized she had completely misjudged him.

  “You…” Lila began to say.

  Suddenly, Kael’s expression shifted. “Look out!” he yelled, diving to the side.

  As he moved, a figure shimmered into view right behind where he had been standing, a dagger poised to strike.

  Lila’s eyes narrowed. Who the hell is this guy? Attacking Dawnbreaker right in front of me, and all alone?

  She executed a perfect Lunge, closing the distance to the Rogue in an instant, and immediately triggered Whirlwind. Normally, the combo was a guaranteed kill on a squishy class like a Rogue. With their low defense and HP pools—maybe four or five hundred at level 15—the Lunge and a single hit were all it took.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  She had already killed four Rogues that way tonight.

  This time, however, something was wrong.

  As her blade was about to connect, the word MISS appeared over the Rogue’s head.

  A skill missed?! It was the first time that had ever happened to her.

  By the time she initiated her Whirlwind, the Rogue had already dodged to the side. Another complete miss. As Lila’s spin ended, the assassin was on her, a Backstab sinking deep into her armor.

  -863

  Her health bar plummeted into the red. Seeing their leader about to fall, her teammates surged forward to help.

  But their path was suddenly blocked by a mountain of a man. A warrior, easily seven feet tall, materialized before them, an impassable wall of muscle and steel. Without hesitation, they unleashed everything they had on him.

  -11

  -1

  -21

  …

  Their attacks barely scratched his armor.

  A wave of shock washed over Lila and her crew. Who the hell are these guys? They were supposed to be the top team in Starlight Crossing, yet in front of these two, they felt like helpless children.

  Kael was just as confused. It was one thing for a Rogue to sneak up on him; that was their whole deal. But how did a Warrior, a class with no inherent stealth, manage the same feat?

  Wait a minute… could it be? Oh, crap.

  A possibility clicked in his mind, and he immediately tried to disengage. It was too late.

  -1182

  -1311

  An arrow and a fireball slammed into him simultaneously, vaporizing over 2,400 of his health. If he hadn't completed his Class Advancement to Divine Archer, pushing his HP to a massive 4,200, it would have been game over.

  Without a second’s thought, Kael fell back, creating distance.

  Clap. Clap. Clap.

  A slow, mocking applause echoed from behind him. Kael turned, and his eyes blazed with fury. The man standing there was his mortal enemy from his past life—Magnus. Next to him stood an archer.

  “Dawnbreaker,” Magnus sneered. “You live up to your reputation. I can’t believe a 2,000-damage burst didn’t finish you off.”

  Kael retreated further, ensuring he was more than 40 yards away from them to prevent another ambush. “How did you just appear out of nowhere?” he demanded.

  Magnus gave him a cryptic smile. “We just walked over. Maybe you should get your eyes checked.”

  Kael obviously didn’t buy his bullshit. Their sudden appearance only confirmed his suspicion. There was an item, an extremely rare herb that could grant invisibility. It could only be found in a Hidden Realm. The insane gear Magnus and his team were wearing could only mean one thing.

  “Dawnbreaker, since you’re about to die, I’ll let you in on it,” Magnus said, his voice dripping with malice. “Ashveil is my cousin. You sent him to prison, so it’s only fair I kill you a few times, right?”

  “If you think you can,” Kael retorted, his eyes scanning the surroundings while he kept Magnus talking.

  Suddenly, Kael nocked an arrow, spun, and fired twice at a patch of empty air to his left rear.

  Double Shot!

  -1373

  -2832

  Two damage numbers erupted fifteen yards away. A Knight materialized out of thin air, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

  “You…”

  He couldn’t finish his sentence before collapsing to the ground, dead.

  Magnus was stunned. He had been deliberately talking to Kael to give his Knight the opening to close in.

  “You… How did you know he was there?”

  Kael offered a faint smile. “Wraith-Weed. It grants stealth to a party of five for one minute. You…” He gestured to Magnus’s group. “Only four of you showed yourselves. It was obvious one was still trying to sneak up on me.”

  Magnus’s shock deepened. “You know about Wraith-Weed?”

  “If those two had coordinated their attack from the start, you might have actually one-shot me,” Kael continued, his confidence growing. “Too bad your Rogue was cocky and thought he could solo me. That gave me all the warning I needed. And now, you’ve lost your chance.”

  “Hahaha!” Magnus threw his head back and laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding me! You have no idea how terrifying our gear is.”

  Kael just shook his head. “No, I do. You’ve been to the Hidden Realm of Van Tassel.”

  This time, the laughter died in Magnus’s throat. His voice trembled as he spoke. “You… How do you even know about the Hidden Realm of Van Tassel?!”