The deeper I ventured into the Concrete Jungle, the darker and more foreboding it became. Every step echoed against the concrete trees, every crack or creak sending a chill down my spine. It wasn’t just the eerie silence—it was the feeling of being watched. It gnawed at me, unrelenting, until I heard it. A faint scrape, boots against the ground.

I turned, my hand already on the hilt of the Unbidden Blade. He stood there, a figure cloaked in shadow, his stance low and poised for combat. The name above his head flickered, clear enough to read: Blackfist, Level 99.

“You’ve got quite the reputation,” he said, his voice calm but cutting. “Astraeus, the great solo player. Master of builds. The one who stands alone.”

The PvP alert flashed across my HUD, a warning I didn’t take lightly. I tightened my grip on the blade. “Looking for a fight?” I asked, my tone cold, trying to gauge his intentions.

He smirked, his eyes narrowing. “Not just a fight. A reckoning.”

His words carried weight, but it was the way he moved—graceful, deliberate—that caught my attention. His gear wasn’t just for show; it was optimized, every piece clearly tailored to a Monk/Pugilist hybrid. That class combination wasn’t new, but it was rare. And then it clicked: the way he carried himself, the calculated aggression. This wasn’t just another player.

“You’re from Royale Online,” I said, the realization dawning on me.

He laughed bitterly. “Took you long enough. Yeah, I’m from Royale Online. Back when the Sun Bringers were more than just Blazer’s vanity project. Before you waltzed in and destroyed everything we built.”

I raised an eyebrow, genuinely puzzled. “Destroyed? You’re blaming me for that mess? Blazer had the ego of a planet. Whatever happened to Sun Bringers was on him, not me.”

“You really don’t get it, do you?” His fists began to spark with black lightning, the energy crackling ominously. “It wasn’t just Blazer. You showed up with your so-called genius builds, shaking up the meta, and everyone flocked to you. Suddenly, my guild, my strategies, were irrelevant. I was tossed aside like garbage.”

“That’s not on me,” I said, my voice steady. “If your builds couldn’t hold up, that’s on you. I didn’t ruin anything—I made the game better.”

His eyes darkened, and the lightning around his fists intensified. “Better? You turned it into a playground for min-maxing sycophants. And now, here you are again, at the top, thinking you’re untouchable.”

“Let me guess,” I said, trying to keep him talking, “you’ve been nursing this grudge for years? How pathetic.”

“I don’t need your pity,” he growled. And then, the title appeared above his head: Ascended.

My stomach sank. He wasn’t just another PvP junkie—he was one of them. “The Ascended…” I muttered. “So you sold out. Took their shortcut to power.”

His grin widened, his teeth bared like a predator. “Power you couldn’t possibly understand. The Architects see potential in me, something you could never achieve. And now, they’ve sent me to deliver a message.”

He stepped forward, the ground cracking beneath his boots as black lightning surged around him. “The Architects send this warning: ‘The world will bow before us. Those who stand in our way will be blinded by their own arrogance.’”

“The Architects?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “What the hell are they?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said, his tone mocking. “If you live long enough.”

He lunged, and I barely had time to react. His speed was unlike anything I’d faced before. One second he was ten feet away, the next his fist was slamming into my blade, the sheer force sending me flying back. I hit the ground hard, my HP dropping by nearly a third.

“You’re slow,” he taunted, his voice cold. “All that theorycrafting, and you forgot how to fight.”

I scrambled to my feet, activating Dark Pact: Stamina Drain to try and keep up with his relentless assault. I swung the Unbidden Blade, the black lightning coursing through it clashing against his fists. But it was no use—he was faster, stronger, and completely overwhelming.

He hit me with a devastating combo, each strike precise and punishing. My HP bar blinked red, a sliver away from zero. Every time I tried to counter, he was already three moves ahead, dodging or blocking with ease.

“Is this all you’ve got?” he sneered, landing a crushing blow to my ribs that sent me crashing into a tree. “I expected more from the so-called master.”

I coughed, struggling to stand. “You’re just a puppet,” I spat, my voice defiant despite the pain. “Whatever power you have, it’s borrowed. You’re nothing without them.”

He laughed, a hollow, joyless sound. “Keep telling yourself that, Astraeus. Maybe it’ll make the pain more bearable.”

With a final, devastating kick, he sent me sprawling onto the ground. My vision blurred as the world tilted, my HP hovering dangerously close to zero. He loomed over me, his fists still crackling with power.

“You’re lucky I don’t kill you outright,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain. “But consider this your warning. The Architects are coming, and when they do, there won’t be a place left for you.”

With that, he vanished in a flash of black lightning, leaving me broken and humiliated in the middle of the Concrete Jungle. As the pain subsided and I regained my composure, one thought burned in my mind: this wasn’t over. The Architects had declared war, and I wasn’t about to lose.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

My HP began to regenerate, but it was painfully slow. Blackfist's debuffs had hit me hard: Slow Regen, Min Heal, Like a Rock, and Low Attack. My recovery, speed, and attack were all gutted. It felt like I was trudging through a swamp. I opened my inventory and downed a Remedy X, watching the effects vanish from my HUD one by one.

Still shaken, I opened my friends list and sent a voice message to Mira.

"What is it, Astraeus?" she asked, her tone brisk but concerned.

"Where’s Blazar?" I asked.

"On a business trip with his father. Why?"

"I just ran into your old guild master from Royale Online," I said flatly. Silence lingered on the line before she replied.

"Bokken... He always blamed you for ruining R.O., turning it into your personal playground," she said cautiously.

"Well, he just beat the hell out of me in the Concrete Jungle," I said, grimacing at the memory. "If AoE had synaptic feedback, I’d need a stretcher."

Her gasp was audible. "He’s in Age of Eternity?"

"Ascended. And, Mira? He hits like a damn truck, no scratch that he hits like a truck throwing another truck, chunked my HP before I even knew what hit me. He said something about ‘the Architects.’ I don’t know what they are, but I’ll figure it out. Warn Apollo. I think he might target the guild next."

"You’re part of the guild too, you know," she said, frustration creeping into her voice. "Reach out if you’re in trouble."

"I know," I said. "Just tell Apollo. As for me, I’ll make sure the next time we meet, I’m ready."

I ended the call and returned to the Coiled City. After logging out, I leaned back in my chair, the fire of determination burning in my chest. I opened the patch notes for The Isles of Destiny and scrolled through until something caught my eye.

"After the Illuminate Queen used the last of her powers to send her message across the skies, it came with a gift. Introducing 12 new subclasses and 6 new main line classes, this time in Age of Eternity there will be free respeccing not just for the Atlas of Power but for your primary classes as well, Tired of being locked in playing a Fighter/Ranger? Respec your entire playstyle, just remember to buy or make the equipment yourselves" This got me excited so I started looking.

I scrolled down the list, looking for something that fit me. My eyes stopped at one word: Spellblade. The description was short but enough to grab my attention.

SPELLBLADE: OVERVIEW

* Combines melee combat with elemental magic.

* Offers increased speed, mobility, and tactical versatility.

* Perfect for hybrid builds that lack speed and stopping power.

I clicked for more details. The abilities were built for someone like me: Elemental Imbuement to boost damage, Second Blade to summon a spectral version of my primary weapon, and Ethereal Dash for mobility. But it was Second Blade that sealed the deal. A second Unbidden Blade, mirroring the stats and abilities of my main weapon? The possibilities were endless.

Even better, unlocking the subclass was simple—a quest tied to an old shrine in the Crystal Tomb. All I had to do was defeat an elemental spirit. Easy enough.

I set down my tablet, a grin spreading across my face. This was exactly what I needed. Blackfist had outpaced me, but Spellblade would change that. I’d be faster, deadlier, and ready for round two. Logging back in, I immediately set the Concrete Jungle quest aside. The allure of unlocking the Spellblade subclass was too enticing to resist. The quest, titled "The Quest of Sword and Sorcery," appeared on my HUD:

Long ago, before the Eternal Convergence, there were warriors who blended the raw force of sorcery with the precision of a blade. These Spellblades were lethal, harnessing illusions and elemental magic to become unstoppable combatants. But their ultimate pursuit was the elusive, legendary power known as Vorpal—the ability to sever fate itself.

I couldn’t help but smirk at the mention of Vorpal. The lore surrounding the ability was infamous in gaming circles: a chance to deliver a single, devastating strike that could end fights outright by severing an opponent's head—or even cutting them clean in half. The idea of weaving that into my build was irresistible.

The quest marker pointed to the Crystal Tomb, located on Floor 5 of the Lower Dungeon. The tomb’s entrance would only open for those actively on the quest. With a quick check of my inventory and gear, I set out, weaving through the familiar traps and corridors of the Lower Dungeon until I reached the floor. As I approached the tomb’s wall, the solid crystal shimmered, and sharp, claw-like formations pried it apart, revealing an entryway. The moment I stepped inside, the wall slammed shut behind me with a resonating boom.

The air felt heavy with power, every step I took echoing sharply against the crystalline floor. A booming voice reverberated through the chamber:

Seeker of the Spellblade, prove your worth. Defeat the Crystal Elemental and claim its heart... or perish."

I glanced at the updated quest log: "Objective: Obtain the heart of the Crystal Elemental."

Straightforward enough—on paper. I’d read forum posts about these tertiary subclass quests and their notoriously brutal difficulty. Most of the complaints came from players attempting them at level 20 or lower, ignoring warnings to properly prepare. The moderators’ responses always made me laugh: “Come back when you’re ready, kid.”

As I ventured deeper, the tunnel walls glistened with refracted light. The ambient glow intensified as crystalline skeletons began forming from the walls, shards breaking apart to assemble humanoid figures armed with jagged weapons. I drew my Unbidden sword, its dark blade flickering with black lightning, and began carving through them.

They shattered with satisfying cracks, but more kept spawning, surging from the walls in an unrelenting tide. Realizing the futility of fighting them endlessly, I pushed forward, using my mobility skills to dodge and weave through the narrow passageways until I reached a massive clearing.

Before me stood a colossal chamber. Four enormous crystalline golems loomed like sentinels, encircling the centerpiece: a monolithic Crystal Elemental. Its translucent body pulsed with raw energy, a massive crystalline heart beating visibly at its core. A swirling storm of shards and light enveloped it, radiating power.

I crouched low, taking in my surroundings. Smaller crystal creatures patrolled the floor below, shimmering as they moved in erratic patterns. Their reactions to any disturbance were instantaneous, and I had no intention of being overwhelmed. I picked up a loose rock and hurled it into the center of the chamber. The moment it struck the ground, the creatures swarmed it, reducing it to dust before returning to their posts.

"Noted," I muttered. Brute force wasn’t going to cut it here—at least not yet.

I leaped down into the pit, activating Light Step mid-air to control my descent. As soon as I landed, the crystal creatures surged toward me, their jagged bodies gleaming under the storm’s light. I swung my blade in wide arcs, the black lightning coursing through it slicing cleanly through their crystalline forms. Shards scattered like rain, but my assault triggered one of the larger golems.

The ground trembled as the massive sentinel came to life, its crystalline body groaning under the strain of movement. It stomped toward me, each step sending shockwaves through the chamber. I dodged its first swipe, activating Dark Pact: Stamina Drain to keep my energy replenished as I struck its legs. The shards chipped away but barely made a dent in its HP bar.

"Great," I muttered, sidestepping another massive swing. "A damage sponge."

The smaller crystal creatures weren’t letting up either, forcing me to divide my focus between clearing them out and avoiding the golem’s relentless attacks. I activated Dark Pact: Mana Drain, channeling energy from the creatures into my reserves, and fired off an Arcanic Blast at the golem’s chest. The blast hit, staggering it slightly, but its HP bar barely budged.

This was going to be a war of attrition, and I was just getting started.