Kael wasted no more time on words. He drew his bow and unleashed a Phantom Barrage.
With his 35-yard base range plus the skill’s 15-yard area of effect, the two casters standing over 40 yards away were hit instantly.
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Even with gear from a Hidden Realm, mages and priests were still glass cannons. Kael’s volley vaporized them.
With the ranged threats eliminated, Kael immediately swiveled to the Rogue who was still tearing through Lila’s team. The assassin’s damage was vicious, but he couldn't one-shot Lila, whose health was constantly being topped off by her priest. So, he had switched targets, turning her other teammates into fodder. In the short time Kael had been talking to Magnus, the Rogue had already killed five people.
Kael didn’t hesitate. He took aim and fired a Double Shot.
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The assassin crumpled to the ground.
The last remaining enemy, the massive shield warrior, saw Magnus and the others get wiped and roared in despair.
He hoisted his shield and charged blindly at Kael.
Kael calmly planted his feet and let arrows fly.
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It only took three shots to bring the meat shield down. As the warrior collapsed, his shield clattered to the ground. Kael walked over and picked it up. He did a quick sweep of the other four bodies and found a bow had dropped as well.
[Bulwark of the Vanquished (Epic)]: Level 15
+20 Strength
+60 Constitution
+400 Physical Defense
+250 Magic Defense
Requires: 40 Strength, 100 Constitution
.....
[Van Tassel's Longbow (Epic)]: Level 15
+20 Strength
+60 Agility
+400 Attack Power
Range: 30 yards
Requires: 50 Strength, 100 Agility
Kael glanced at the bow currently in his hands, his trusty Whisperwind.
[Whisperwind (Legendary)]: Level 1
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
+20 Strength
+50 Agility
+200 Attack Power
Range: 35 yards
It was finally time for its retirement. With the new bow, Kael’s basic attacks would hit for over 1800 damage.
Just then, Lila walked up to him. “Who were those guys? How was their gear so insane?”
“They’re the leadership and elite members of Sovereign,” Kael explained. “The first guild founded on the server.”
Lila’s eyes went wide. “What? That Magnus guy was the leader of Sovereign?”
Kael nodded.
She fired off another round of questions. “And what’s this Hidden Realm of Van Tassel you two were talking about? How did they get in? Can we go?”
Kael closed his eyes, running through the options. Certain quests could drop scrolls, and a few NPCs had a rare chance to open a portal, but the simplest way was… that one.
After a moment, he opened his eyes. “They got access because they were the first to form a guild; it was a system reward. You need to establish your guild right now, then go to the Guild Merchant and buy a Van Tassel Teleport Scroll for 200 gold. You have to be fast. There are only six for sale on the entire server. Once they’re gone, the only way in is to get lucky with a random quest drop.”
“What? Only six scrolls?” Lila gasped.
“You need to go. Now,” Kael urged. “I don’t know how many other guilds have been formed already. Hopefully, there are still some left.”
“Okay, I’m heading back to town right now,” she said urgently.
She started to leave, then stopped and turned back to Kael. “But what about your PK status…?”
He waved a hand dismissively. “Go. Don’t worry about me.”
Lila gave him a firm nod. “Don’t go too far. As soon as I get the scroll, I’m coming back to take you to the Hidden Realm with us.”
With that, she and her eight surviving teammates teleported away.
Kael opened his friends list. His inbox was blowing up with messages from Elon and Hazel.
Elon:
Boss, all the stuff is sold. Totaled 50 gold.
Boss, can you come back to town? I need to give you the gold.
Crap, I’m an idiot, forgot you can’t get into the city. Where are you? I’ll bring it to you.
…
Kael sent him a quick reply.
200 yards outside the south gate of Stonehaven.
He closed Elon’s messages and opened Hazel’s.
Mr. Dawnbreaker, are you there?
Grinding zombies is so boring. Can you talk to me for a bit?
Kael smiled. After teaming up with him, it was no surprise she’d find playing with anyone else a drag.
Come to the south gate of Stonehaven, 200 yards out. I’ve got something cool for you.
A reply came back in less than a second.
Yay! I’m on my way! Wait for me, Mr. Dawnbreaker!
Kael closed the window and started a slow walk toward the south gate of Stonehaven. He had just arrived when a server-wide announcement blared across the sky.
[System]: Congratulations to player Lila for establishing the guild [Crimson Bloom]!
Immediately after, Lila’s voice echoed in the world chat.
[Lila (World)]: [Crimson Bloom] is now recruiting female players only. To apply, please contact our vice-president, @Silvana.
The moment she sent the message, world chat exploded.
[Thor_69420]: Whoa, a girls-only guild!
[xX_Chad_Xx]: lol, a harem guild
[ThrillDrill]: Heh heh, sounds like it was made just for me.
[InfoBroker]: @ThrillDrill Dude, you wanna harass the Whitmore family heiress? You got a death wish?
[ThrillDrill]: So what if she’s a Whitmore heiress? Can’t an heiress have a harem?
[SaltySam]: @Lila you lookin for recruits? I’m skilled!
[EnduranceBro]: I’ve got high Constitution!
[Trickster21]: I know a lot of positions!
…
Kael shook his head, watching the stream of increasingly ridiculous comments from the degenerates. Just then, a voice called out from the distance.
“Boss!”
Kael looked up to see Elon running toward him, his face beaming with excitement.
“Boss, it only took three hours to sell all those materials! Here’s the transaction log.” Elon proudly displayed the records for Kael.
Kael glanced through the details and nodded. “Good work. That was fast.”
As they had agreed, Elon kept his 20% cut and traded the remaining 40 gold to Kael.
“Boss, you know how much gold is worth right now? It’s insane. Some guy in town is buying it up for ten thousand dollars a coin. You wanna cash out?”
Kael shook his head. He wasn’t short on cash at the moment. Then a thought struck him. “Wait, the person buying up all the gold… it’s someone from Crimson Bloom, isn’t it?”
Elon nodded. “Yeah.”
Kael immediately opened his friends list and sent Lila a message.
How much gold are you short?
Her reply was almost instant.
Still need 30. Everyone’s spending their money on mats and potions right now, nobody has any extra to sell.
Kael smiled.
Come to the south gate. I’ve got you covered.
