Chapter 7: Who Are They?
The system stirred to life as the final blow landed on the Epic Boss. A special event had been triggered—one designed to unfold only upon the defeat of any of the six Epic Boss-class monsters scattered throughout the realm of Meldivar. Each of these legendary beings was not merely a powerful adversary but also a key—one that could unlock events, hidden NPCs, and long-lost secrets buried deep in the code of EOP.
Among them was Mermidion, a formidable Level 100 foe whose fall now initiated the highly anticipated Pitboss Marathon. For the next seven days, every map across Meldivar would become battlegrounds where common bosses spawned in waves. Epic Bosses, however, remained elusive, randomly warping between locations to retain their mystique and challenge. The chaos was carefully calibrated, designed to flood the world with opportunities—and danger.
As the event kicked off, the number of active players surged. Rumors ignited like wildfire across global chat and online forums: two mysterious players had taken down an Epic Boss without help. They were dubbed Black Shadow and Blue Lightning. No one had clearly seen their faces or their in-game names. Witnesses could only agree on two things—their ridiculous movement speed, and the colors they wore: one cloaked in black, the other clad in gleaming blue armor. Some swore these two were monsters themselves, obliterating the boss with terrifying efficiency. The story was spreading fast—even reaching beyond the game's borders into the real world.
Naturally, the whispers reached Zaphro and Slicer.
To avoid unnecessary attention, they kept to the shadows, staying away from bustling villages and wearing black cloaks to conceal their gear. With the threat of being hunted by greedy or vengeful players, caution was key. They visited an NPC vendor to bind their most valuable items. Zaphro, whose armor, wings, and weapon were already character-bound, spent 30 million gold binding his rings and armlet. Slicer, not as lucky, ended up broke after binding all eleven of his precious items—at 5 million apiece. Only 6 million gold remained in his name.
They divided the valuable crystals they had acquired. Slicer equipped himself with two Rings of Immortality and two Armlets of Immortality—top-tier accessories that dramatically boosted his stats. He also claimed the Armor of the Death God set and the Black Flame Sword, with a massive attack damage range of 2500–3000. Zaphro's own weapon, the Ancient Reaper, rivaled it in power but wielded elemental synergy—ice and cold fire—while Slicer's sword blazed in ominous black flames.
Despite both of them growing stronger, there was no denying Zaphro still held the edge. He belonged to the elusive Angelic Class, after all.
"Dude, you look deep in thought," Zaphro said with a smirk, nudging his partner.
Slicer scoffed. "If you're thinking I'm sulking over my gold, you're dead wrong. I'm just figuring out our next move. There's an event going on—are we joining or what?"
"Of course we are. It lasts for a week. To clear the map of Meldivar, we need to defeat every common boss. But honestly, I think there still aren't many strong players in the game right now."
"Same here. We're not even close to full power. We're just on our third subclass path. To reach our full potential, we need to hit Level 80," Slicer replied thoughtfully.
"Still, we're strong even at low level. We beat an Epic Boss, didn't we?" Zaphro grinned confidently.
"That was pure luck—your item boosts are insane," Slicer teased, laughing.
"By the way… have you noticed those dark areas on the map?" Zaphro asked, shifting the conversation.
"I have. Why?"
"They're unexplored zones—no player's reached them yet. I think they might hold bosses that no one's discovered."
Slicer's eyes lit up. He caught on immediately—Zaphro wanted to go boss hunting in these unknown areas. No competition, no interference. If they were lucky, they might even encounter another Epic Boss—and maybe, just maybe, uncover the path to the Hidden Realm.
"I'm in," Slicer said, grinning.
Zaphro pointed at a spot on the virtual map. "We'll start here."
"Hey, that's just near your village. Let's do it." Slicer stood up, visibly pumped.
After twenty minutes of sprinting, they reached the location. A massive, eerie gate loomed before them. Above it, a whimsical yet unsettling sign read:
Welcome to Happy Land
It looked like a haunted version of an amusement park. Fog crept across the ground, and a cold drizzle fell from the dark sky. The whole place gave off a cursed, abandoned theme park vibe.
"Man, I swear this place has ghosts," Slicer whispered.
"You scared of ghosts now?" Zaphro teased.
"What? No! Psh, course not," he lied quickly.
"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go," Zaphro said with a grin.
The gate creaked open by itself.
"This is exactly what I was talking about…" Slicer muttered under his breath.
"Huh? What'd you say?" Zaphro asked.
"Nothing! Let's go," Slicer answered quickly and stepped inside.
As they entered, Slicer glanced back at the gate. He felt a wave of relief seeing it remain open.
They were now inside Happy Land, an area designed for players between Level 45–65. According to the game manual—which automatically updated whenever a player discovered a new zone—the boss of this location was a common event summon:
Unhappy Clown
Category: Common Boss
Level: 100
HP: 40,000 / 40,000
DEF: 6,000
Gold Reward: 80,000,000
Item Drops:
Rare Crystals (5 Types)
Epic to Rare Eggs (Pet/Ride/Courier)
Divine Pendant (Ultra-Rare)
Common to Rare Armor Sets
Chance of Back Item (Wings, Cape, Jet Booster)
"Amazing. We've got this whole area to ourselves," Zaphro said, clearly excited.
"This place is huge. How do we even find it?" Slicer asked, looking around.
"We'll search every spot until we reach the inner section. It's probably hiding in some creepy corner. Just keep dodging the mobs—we'll spot it eventually. It's a clown, after all. Probably giant and flashy," Zaphro replied confidently.
They mapped out their strategy carefully. Every step was planned.
Their objective: Find and eliminate the Unhappy Clown.
"Let's do this!" they shouted in unison—and sprinted into the fog.