Jin sat at his desk, staring blankly at his computer screen. It was another long day at work, and he was exhausted. The fluorescent lights above him buzzed incessantly, casting an eerie glow over the dreary cubicle farm.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes, trying to fight off the fatigue. He'd been working at the same dead-end job for years, with no end in sight. It seemed like he was always struggling to make ends meet, and he had little to show for his efforts.
But there was one thing that kept Jin going, one thing that made life bearable: "Eternal Quest.”
The massively multiplayer online role-playing game had been Jin's escape for as long as he could remember. Infact, it wasn’t just his escape. The game had over 3 billion active players. In the game, he was known as Shadow, a feared and respected player who had risen to the top of the leaderboard. It was the one place where Jin could be whoever he wanted to be, where he could forget about his mundane life and become a hero.
As he logged in to the game, he felt a rush of excitement. The familiar sound of the login screen music filled his ears, and he grinned. For a moment, he forgot about his problems in the real world.
‘Who needs the real world when you’ve got this one.’ Was quite a common phrase of his
Jin spent hours exploring the game's virtual world, battling monsters and completing quests. He lost himself in the game, feeling powerful and in control. In "Eternal Quest," he was no longer just Jin – he was Shadow, a name that struck fear into the hearts of other players.
Unfortunately for Jin, the game had just undergone a change that would significantly reduce his power. In the game's world, players could receive incredible abilities from one of the many gods who resided there. However, the god whom Jin had been serving was assassinated due to their high status as the strongest god.
The news of the god's assassination sent shockwaves throughout the game's community. Players scrambled to align themselves with new gods, hoping to gain power and influence. Jin, on the other hand, felt lost. Without the god's support, he knew that his character would be significantly weakened. He thought to himself ‘All of my hard work over the past few years, devoted to serving this god have all gone to waste. My level has dropped back to 25, I lost all of my titles and I’m the weakest I’ve ever been… Atleast I still have my One Strike skill. That took me a whole year focussed on one single quest to get.’
[Jin Lv. 25]
Class: Assassin
Blessing: None
Title(s): None
Str- 80
Agi- 160
Stm- 10
Int- 10
Dex- 40
Rem- 0
Skills: {Stealth}, {Advanced Dagger Arts}, {Critical Strike}, {One Strike}]
He spent hours scouring the game's forums, searching for any information or tips that could help him regain his former strength. But everything he found only confirmed his fears – he was no longer the formidable player he once was.
Jin's frustration and desperation grew with each passing day. He started neglecting his real-world responsibilities, calling in sick to work so he could spend more time playing the game. His relationships with friends and family suffered, as he became more and more consumed by "Eternal Quest.”
One day, while wandering through the game's virtual forests, Jin stumbled upon a mysterious figure. The stranger was dressed in black robes, with their face hidden by a hood. Jin's first instinct was to attack, but something about the stranger's aura made him hesitate.
"Excuse me, Shadow," the man spoke. Jin saw the figure shrouded in a hooded cloak, their face obscured in shadow.
"Who are you?" Jin asked, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword hilt.
The stranger chuckled. "No need for violence, Shadow. My name is irrelevant, but you can call me Hood.” The man stepped out of the shadows, his name tag revealing that he was an NPC “I've been watching you for some time now, and I believe you have the potential to help me with a little problem.”
Jin raised an eyebrow. "What problem?”
Hood leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "There's a powerful guild known as the Immortal Titans
that's been causing trouble in the world. They're hoarding resources and bullying smaller guilds. I've tried to take them down myself, but they're too strong. That's where you come in.”
Jin crossed his arms, studying the stranger. "Why me?”
Hood grinned. "Because you're the best player in the game. You have the skills and the reputation to take on the guild, and I have a plan to help you.”
Jin frowned. "What kind of plan?”
Hood leaned back, pulling out a map of the game's world from beneath his cloak. "This is a map of the guild's stronghold. I've discovered a secret entrance that will allow you to sneak in undetected. Once you're inside, you can take out the guild leader and ensure their destruction.”
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The raid was quite a big move, one that could change the course of the game's history. Jin knew that it was a risky move, but he also knew that it was his best chance to regain his power and prove himself as a player.
Jin studied the map, his mind racing with the possibilities. It was a risky plan, but if it worked, it could be the biggest victory he'd ever had in the game.
‘Dammit, this plan is extremely half-assed. If I don’t participate then this plan is nearly guaranteed to fail within a few minutes… The only chance this has of success is if I go along with it.’
"I'm in," he said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Hood nodded, a sly grin on his face. "Excellent. Meet me at the entrance to the stronghold tomorrow night. We have work to do.”
Jin quickly objected “Hang on, we’re doing this tomorrow? A big plan like this should have atleast a few weeks preparation for it, why rush into it?”
Hood acknowledged Jin’s complaints but they were all put to rest with his explanation. “When we found their hidden stronghold’s location we also learned that they had planned to move it in under a week… I fear that my failed raid is the cause of it.”
Jin realised that this was truly a do or die situation for him. If he joined the raid then he had the chance to obtain the blessings of a new god and awaken some new untapped power, however if he were to perish in the raid then he could become the target of a major guild. In this situation where his power and reputation had both already been taken away from him after the defeat of his god this was a very difficult decision.
Jin weighed the options in his mind, the risks and the potential rewards. He knew that this was a make-or-break moment for him in the game. He couldn't afford to back down now.
"I'm in," he said finally, determination etched on his face.
Hood nodded approvingly. "Good. We'll meet at the entrance to the stronghold tomorrow night. Be prepared for anything.”
With that, Hood disappeared into the shadows, leaving Jin alone with his thoughts.
Jin spent the rest of the day preparing for the raid. He spent countless hours repairing his weapons and armour, studying the map of the stronghold and coming up with a plan of attack.
He knew that he would be facing some of the game's strongest players, and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
As the sun set and darkness crept across the real world, Jin logged back into the game.
He made his way to the entrance of the stronghold, where Hood and a bunch of other assassins were waiting for him.
"You're ready," Hood said, a note of approval in his voice.
Jin nodded, trying to keep his nerves under control. He knew that the next few hours could change everything for him in the game.
Hood led Jin to the secret entrance, hidden behind a waterfall. The pack slipped inside undetected, moving quietly through the dark corridors of the stronghold.
Jin's heart pounded in his chest as they approached the guild leader's chambers.
He drew his sword, ready for the fight of his life. Hood gave him a reassuring nod and stepped back, disappearing into the shadows.
Jin kicked open the door and charged into the room. The guild leader was waiting for him, flanked by several other powerful players. As soon as Jin and the assassin troupe barged into the room, they unleashed the enemies revealed that they had prepared a trap and cast a spell that shot out a massive wave of fire. Jin hurriedly used his daggers to block part of the impact but barely survived by ducking and blocking with his flame resistant cloak.
Everyone else died in that fire. Jin was left alone, he felt responsible for their deaths. What was even worse is that since their NPC’s they would never return to this world again.
Jin stood up, his eyes ablaze with raw fury and emotion. He pointed his dagger towards the wizard who had cast the spell.
“You’re dead” Was all he needed to say to send shivers down the spines of every single person in the building. The aura of a former top ranker is not easily blocked.
Jin opened his inventory and pulled out a one time use item, it was an item that was sealed behind a one user only quest so it could be called one of the rarest items in the entire game. It raises each of the users stats by 30 for each of their allies who had died within the last minute, the effect only lasts for about 5 minutes, however each of Jin’s stats temporarily rose by 1200. Jin was by far the strongest person in the room.
The battle was fierce. Although he was outnumbered and outmatched, Although he could feel his strength waning with each passing moment, he fought with every single thing he had. Every one of his opponents fell to the ground dead. The guild master finally charged forwards, his sword drawn to destroy Jin. Suddenly, Jin’s stat boost gradually began to fade. He was losing his gained stats at a rapid rate.
Just when all seemed lost, he heard a voice in his mind, a voice he recognised as that of a god. The god had seen his determination to fight for his allies and had decided to bestow upon him a blessing, an incredible ability that he had never seen before. Jin had gained the new ability {Shadow Force}, a unique skill that allows the users movement speed to increase by 200% for ten seconds.
This skill may seem useless to a normal player, however to a skilled ranker like Jin who possessed supreme control over their virtual body, this was the strongest power possible.
With the power of the god behind him, Jin surged forward, striking down his opponents attacks with ease. He moved like a blur, his sword flashing in the darkness.
The guild leader stood up, his hands raised in surrender.
"Please, Shadow," the guild leader said, his voice shaking with fear. "I beg of you, spare my life. I will do anything you ask.”
Jin narrowed his eyes, suspicious of the guild leader's sudden change of heart. "Why should I spare you? You've caused nothing but trouble in the game's world.”
The guild leader fell to his knees, his eyes pleading. "I know, I know. But I was only doing what I had to do to survive. Please, I can make it up to you. I have resources, I have connections. I can help you in your future endeavors.”
Jin hesitated, his sword still drawn. He didn't know if he could trust the guild leader, but something about his desperation seemed genuine.
"Fine," Jin said, sheathing his sword. "I'll spare your life. But you have to promise me that you'll stop causing trouble in the game's world. And you have to give up all of your ill-gotten gains.”
The guild leader nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with relief. "Of course, of course. Anything you say.”
Jin turned to leave, but stopped and said “Oh yeah, one last thing.”
The guild leader raised an eyebrow. "What is it?”
Jin spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "Death”
Jin charged forward and stabbed his dagger directly through the guild leaders heart.
In the end, he stood victorious, the guild leader defeated and the stronghold in ruins. He had proven himself once again as one of the strongest players in the game. This was only supported by the system that alerted him to some new rewards.
[You have successfully raided the {Titan} guild]
[You have received the backing of the god {Phantom}]
[You have unlocked skills, {Shadow Force}, {Shadow Strike} and {Shadow Shield}]
[Shadow Force]
[A decisive skill that increases the users speed by 200% for a short duration allowing the user to quickly move to their target, leaving behind a shadow trail, making it difficult for enemies to track them.
Skill Mana Cost: 100 mana
Skill Cooldown Time: 10 seconds]
[Shadow Strike]
[A quick and deadly attack that deals a significant amount of damage to a single target and has a 25% chance to stun them. The user will quickly move to their target, leaving behind a shadow trail, making it difficult for enemies to track them.
Skill Mana Cost: 80 mana
Skill Cooldown Time: 10 seconds]
[Shadow Shield]
This skill creates a shadow shield that absorbs between 30-100% of incoming damage. The shield lasts for a short duration and provides a 50% boost to the user's defence, making them harder to hit. While the shield is active, the user also gains a 50% speed boost, allowing them to quickly move around the battlefield.
Skill Mana Cost: 30 mana per second
Skill Cooldown Time: 10 minutes]
Jin felt a surge of pride and relief. He knew that he had taken a risk, but it had paid off. He had regained part of his power and his reputation in the game.