Resting in the cool shade of a tree, Daisuke glanced down at Zephyr still dozing peacefully inside his shirt. Then he turned his attention to his status window and ruffled his hair roughly.
Eight levels from a single advancement quest—I still can't quite wrap my head around it. Then again, I guess it makes sense—it's a hidden class, and those dungeon mobs were all well over level 200. Honestly, I had no business being there at all; definitely dozens of levels way too soon.
And that freakin' Gorgothor! That scheming bastard really thought it had me cornered by dropping me straight into that deathtrap. It might've worked, too, if I didn't have the Congenial Denizen title. Without it, Kaizyreus would've swatted me like a fly at his level.
Anyway, that's all behind me now. But there's something strange—didn't I just complete the advancement quest? I'm certain I did, so why hasn't my class changed?
[Name: Haxks
Species: Human
Level: 43 | EXP: 40,959/288,906 (14.17%)
Class: Dual Blader [!]
Affiliation: Adventurers' Guild | Merchants' Guild
Title: Lone Wolf, Pathfinder, Unwavering Spirit, Congenial Denizen, Master of Divine Beast, Devoted Hunter, The Liberator of Races, Master of Djinn, One-Hit Kill
HP: 9656/9656 | MP: 1255/1255
Strength: 102 (+22) | Stamina: 162 (+22) | Agility: 200 (+35) | Intelligence: 53 (+10) | Dexterity: 42 (+75) | Composure: 28 | Indomitable: 16 | Perception: 5 | Stealth: 4
Stat Points: 0]
Active Skills:
▪︎ Eye of Verity
▪︎ Stat Reset
▪︎ Alchemy
▪︎ Intimidate
▪︎ Magic Missile
▪︎ Magic Chains
▪︎ Impeccable Parry
▪︎ Dash
▪︎ Cosmic Cutter
▪︎ Meteor Smash
▪︎ Shadow Veil
▪︎ Bird's-Eye View
▪︎ Eagle Eye
Passive Skills:
▪︎ Αφινίτη's Blessing
▪︎ Novice Dagger Mastery
▪︎ Novice Polearm Mastery
▪︎ Novice Archery Mastery
▪︎ Lightning Edge
▪︎ Sixth Sense
Gold: 260,780]
Clicking on the icon next to his current class promptly brought up a notification window.
DING!
[Weapons Master]
[Status: Pending
Rank:
Classification:
Lvl:
Proficiency:
Class advancements become accessible at every 25-level interval, granting you the opportunity to ascend to the next mastery stage. You will be eligible for this progression once you reach level 50.
Current levels remaining: [7].
Skill Effect:]
Before Daisuke could express any measure of dissatisfaction about the class description, a vague but unsettling sensation prickled at the back of his neck. He could sense the weight of various types of long-range scouting skills honing in on him, their attention sharp and predatory. In that moment, he experienced firsthand the raw feeling of being hunted. The metaphorical eyes that watched and scrutinized him from the shadows were cold and unforgiving.
In time, he could sense himself being surrounded by what felt like a small army. In preparation for the possible mayhem that was about to unfold, he donned his mask, pulled his hood over his head, and pushed to his feet, butterscotch eyes burning with an icy indifference.
"Hey, is that really him?" murmured one of the many players who started arriving on the scene in droves. "Can't be… he's just a kid."
"That's definitely level-one gear for sure," said another, brow furrowed in disbelief.
"How's he managing to take down so many rare mobs wearing that junk?"
"Maybe it's a skin?"
"Skins are only available during special events, you dolt—and for limited times only. No way that's just cosmetic."
"I'm going to convince him to join our party," one player declared.
"Forget parties," someone else interjected. "I pooled all the gold from my guild to offer as tribute if he'll join us."
"Who the hell cares about partying or being guildmates with this guy; I just need to know how he's become a magnet to Field Bosses and Hidden Dungeons."
"If he won't share his secrets willingly," growled a man brandishing a lance, his eyes narrowing, "I'll carve him to pieces until he does."
Daisuke stood alone, facing down a mob of players whose intent was clear from the glint of their weapons and the cold determination in their eyes. And yet, he didn't display any signs of fear—instead, a dark aura seemingly rolled off his body like a toxic miasma, a pair of golden eyes gleaming, piercing through the shadows that clung to his black-clad figure.
Rather than charging in, the players—despite their clear advantage in numbers—remained rooted in place, their courage now overshadowed by the dark, foreboding presence before them. Rumors of Haxks—only level 25—single-handedly taking down Field Bosses, even Gorgothor that was of a higher level, made them second-guess every step.
Their caution held firm.
Except for one.
"Idiots," scoffed a man clad in impressive leather armor as he swaggered forward, confidently taking center stage. Behind him loomed an entourage of grim-faced mercenaries, their intimidating presence drawing gasps from the crowd. "He just soloed a Hidden Dungeon mere moments ago. Do you honestly believe he has enough stamina left to stand up against a force like this?"
"My sentiments exactly," agreed a familiar individual who also took center stage, the upper section of his wand adorned with the intricate and revealing form of a woman's torso and arms, posed as if bound in servitude.
"And just who invited trash like you?" the other man sneered. "I didn't think Field Bosses and Hidden Dungeons had any appeal for your kind."
Bendova grinned, his gaze slicing into Daisuke like a razor's edge. "Even our guild needs gold to fund our… preferred pastimes," he defended smoothly. "And, let's just say, I've got a personal score to settle with this little prick."
"I couldn't care less about you or your petty grudge," came the cold response. "Stand down, or I'll start by cutting down you and your sorry excuse for a guild."
Bendova chuckled. "I'd love to see you try," he challenged.
From the cover of the bushes, Nigel and his drone keenly observed as the fated confrontation between Haxks and a horde of indignant players unraveled. Several other freelance journalists were already beginning to converge on the scene, but aside from being far more prominent than his counterparts, Nigel had been the first to dig deeper into the story and had unearthed a rare scoop worth its weight in gold.
The camera shifted from Daisuke, panning over to the two players who had broken into a heated argument. Those who had tuned into the livestream were treated to an up-close view of both characters, their rising tempers and tense gestures added a fresh layer of drama for the audience.
[NightShade13: Trust my guy Nigel to get us the inside scoop ahead of the game! Bro even found the perfect spot to give us a prime view of the action 😎
BlazeOfGlory: Damn! I can't believe it's finally happening! 😧🫣
GhostlyArcher: The fated showdown!
ShadowKnightX: TAKE HIM TO THE GALLOWS! DEATH TO HAXKS! ☠️☠️
SteelVanguard: BRING HIM TO THE GUILLOTINE! 💀💀
CrimsonSpectre: Dude! Look at all those people! You'd think a World Boss was about to spawn there or something!
RadiantKnight: It was inevitable, really. Unlike other games, SO doesn't readily provide information through the System, forcing players to piece together every scrap of knowledge they can find. It's evident that Haxks has unearthed some kind of cheat, and now everyone is clamoring for their share of the spoils.
IronRogue: Gee, thanks for stating the obvious, nerd 🥱
InfernoBlade: Hey, isn't that Bendova guy the Guildmaster of that infamous guild? What's it called again?
MysticShadow: Men of Culture.
DarkOracle: Ha! That's just a generous way of saying they're a bunch of thirsty, desperate weirdos, always on the lookout for a new way to get their thrills at someone else's expense. Damn perverts!
FiendBlade: They're just low-key pedos.
Stonebreaker: They don't even bother to make an effort to conceal it in-game, do they? Did you all catch the rumors about what they've been doing to the Florians?
NightHowl: Tragic…
Sausage_Party: No lie, my raging hormones were kinda hoping they'd succeed with their plan. Blame God for creating puberty.
SoulStealer: Brah.
RiftWalker: You should be ashamed to confess such a thing 😨🤢🤮
Sausage_Party: @RiftWalker: Lighten up, Moses—it's just a friggin' game!
Meowster: It's been bugging me for a while now, but who's the guy arguing with the pervert? Doesn't he look kinda familiar? 🤔
BustyxBuster: Now that you mention it…
Nigel: I suspect he's from the Dragonsbane Guild.
RustyNeedle: YOU'RE KIDDING?!
RadiantKnight: That actually makes a lot of sense. Large guilds tend to earn bad rep when they interfere with low-level players, but this new guy isn't widely known yet. If he's part of Dragonsbane, he's bound by loyalty to the guild, which means they can trust him to relay any valuable information he gathers about Haxks.
Pokégurl: I guess that also explains why he brought mercenaries along instead of his own guildmates.]
DING!
[Player | Bendova | Lvl 74 | Mage | Men of Culture]
DING!
[Player | FrostbiteNinja | Lvl 82 | Ninja | Dragonsbane]
"I'm sure you know exactly why we're all here," FrostbiteNinja, otherwise known as Jace, sneered at Daisuke, his tone condescending despite his efforts to sound inviting and charitable. "Your recent feats have caught the eye of many, including mine. As a captain of a well-respected guild, I'm not here just to extract information like the rest of these vultures. I'm here to extend an invitation to join my guild and offer you our protection. Among everyone gathered here, I am the only one truly standing by your side."
"You conniving little bastard," Bendova scoffed.
Disgruntled murmurs rippled through the crowd at the man's underhanded ploy. Yet, if his claim held any truth—that he was indeed the captain of a prominent guild—none dared to raise their weapons against him.
While it was widely seen as bad form for large guilds to bully low-level players, the dynamics shifted dramatically when such behavior was deemed justified. In such cases, guilds had a notorious reputation for pressuring players to the brink, often pushing them to their limits and driving them to quit the game entirely.
"So?" Jace asked, extending his hand with a sly smile. "What do you say? Do we have ourselves a deal?"