Max and Cathy revived in the cemetery, their bodies reforming in a dull, eerie glow. The moment they opened their eyes, an overwhelming sense of weakness washed over them. Their once-powerful stats had plummeted, their high levels stripped away as if all their hard work meant nothing.
Max's fingers trembled as he checked his status window.
> [You have lost 1 level due to death.]
[You are now Level 1.]
His breath hitched, his chest tightening with disbelief.
"No… this can't be real…"
His hands clenched into tight fists, his nails digging into his palms as rage boiled inside him.
He turned to Cathy, who was standing in stunned silence. Her beautiful face twisted with anger, her jaw clenching so tightly it looked like she might shatter her teeth.
But then—
"AHHH! DAMN IT!"
A voice full of despair echoed behind them.
Max and Cathy turned to see their once-proud guild members—Rising Solutions—staring at their screens in horror.
They had all dropped to Level 0.
For players below Level 1, revival meant losing all combat abilities, leaving them pathetically weak until they could grind back their levels.
The realization crushed them.
"We… we lost everything?" one of them whispered, his voice shaking.
"How the hell did we die so fast!?" another yelled, his face red with rage.
"We were a hundred strong! A hundred! And we still got slaughtered!?"
The atmosphere was filled with frustration, regret, and disbelief.
The powerful warriors of Rising Solutions had been reduced to nothing.
---
The Burning Hatred – Who Did This to Us?
Cathy's fists trembled with fury as she replayed the battle in her mind.
Everything had been going perfectly.
They had killed the Special Elite Golem, expecting it to drop rare loot that would make them even stronger.
But then—disaster struck.
A new golem was born.
A monstrous, enraged version of the first one, far more powerful than anything they had ever faced.
It had ripped through them mercilessly, swiping players aside like rag dolls, its attacks crushing bodies, snapping bones, and reducing them to nothing but corpses in seconds.
No matter how hard they fought—
No matter how much they screamed—
They were completely powerless.
They had been baited.
Tricked.
Someone had planned this.
Cathy's teeth ground together as her anger reached a boiling point.
"Someone set us up," she hissed.
Max's eyes flickered with realization, his rage sharp and deadly.
"Whoever killed that first golem… they did this to us," he muttered, his voice like ice.
"Someone knew… and they left us to die."
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A dark killing intent swirled around them.
Whoever it was, they would pay.
---
The Desperate Gamble – Taking Back the Loot
Max took a deep breath, forcing his rage down. They had lost everything, but there was one last chance.
Their loot hadn't disappeared yet.
In God's Garden, dropped loot remained on the ground for at least an hour before despawning. If they hurried, they could reclaim their fallen items before someone else took them.
"We're going back," Max growled.
One of his surviving guildmates hesitated.
"But… Max… the golem is still there," he said nervously.
Max snapped his head toward him, his eyes burning with fury.
"And? You want to sit here and cry?" he spat. "We lost our gear, our coins, our materials! Are you telling me you want to start from nothing!?"
The player swallowed hard, fear warring with desperation.
Max was right.
If they lost their loot, it would take weeks to grind back what they had. But if they moved fast enough, they could at least recover something.
Max pointed toward the cave.
"Everyone, move! We're going to take back our loot!"
Cathy stepped beside him, her eyes gleaming with malice.
"And if we find the bastard who did this to us…" she murmured, her voice dripping with venom.
Max's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Then we make them suffer."
With hatred burning in their hearts, the broken remnants of Rising Solutions marched back to the cave—unaware that an even greater nightmare was waiting for them.
Max and Cathy led what remained of Rising Solutions through the dense, misty forest surrounding the cave. Their mood was as foul as the bitter night air, their frustration only growing as the weakened players stumbled behind them.
"We lost everything because of you useless idiots!" Max snarled, his voice sharp as a blade.
A Level 0 archer flinched. "But Max, we—"
SMACK!
Max's palm struck the player's face, sending him staggering back.
"Shut the hell up! Don't make excuses!" Max spat, his fury overflowing.
Cathy, equally livid, folded her arms. "He's right. If you weren't all so damn useless, we wouldn't be in this mess."
The remaining members lowered their heads, their anger toward Max and Cathy suppressed only by their desperation.
Every step they took back toward the cave was filled with dread and frustration.
The humiliation of dying like insects still burned in their minds, and the only thing keeping them moving was the hope of recovering their loot.
But what if—
What if someone else took it?
The thought alone sent chills through their bodies.
Max gritted his teeth and picked up the pace. "We need to hurry before some bastard steals our stuff!"
Cathy nodded. "If someone dares touch our loot, we'll make sure they regret it!"
Their hatred burned like a fire, but they had no idea that they were already too late.
---
Arrival at the Cave – A Nightmare Realized
When they finally reached the cave entrance, their breaths were heavy, their bodies exhausted from running in their weakened state.
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was the loot.
Max's eyes darted around, scanning the ground where their corpses had fallen.
His heart pounded.
His hands clenched into fists.
And then—
His blood ran cold.
Everything was gone.
Not a single coin.
Not a single weapon.
Not even a scrap of iron ore or healing herbs.
The entire battlefield, once littered with their hard-earned gear and materials, was completely empty.
"Wh—What…?" Cathy stumbled forward, her body trembling.
"No… No, no, no, NO!" Max roared, his voice echoing through the cave.
He rushed forward, desperately searching, his hands clawing at the dirt as if the loot had somehow been buried.
Nothing.
The realization hit him like a thunderbolt.
"Somebody took it… Someone looted everything!" Cathy screamed in disbelief.
Max's vision blurred with rage. His entire body shook, his nails digging into his palms so hard they nearly drew blood.
"WHO!? WHO TOOK OUR LOOT!?" he bellowed.
His furious voice carried through the dark cave, but only silence answered him.
Their rage, their despair, their humiliation—
It all reached a boiling point as the truth crushed them like an iron weight.
They had not only died pathetically—
They had been stripped of everything.
Cathy's hands trembled as she scanned the empty battlefield, her breath shallow and uneven. She refused to believe it—there had to be something left!
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a glint of copper on the ground.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Max!" she called out, her voice filled with urgency and disbelief.
Max, still seething with rage, stormed over. "What is it!?"
Cathy bent down and picked up a single copper coin—a humiliating mockery of the fortune they had lost. But what made her blood boil was the small, crumpled piece of paper beside it.
She unfolded it with shaking fingers, and as her eyes scanned the words, her face turned deathly pale.
"Return gift for your generosity. Thank you, fools.
—Phantom"
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then—
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
Max's roar of rage shattered the air, his entire body shaking with uncontrollable fury.
**He crushed the note in his fist
Max stood at the entrance of the dark cave, his face contorted with anger. The cold wind blew through the hollow tunnel, but he barely felt it. Cathy stood beside him, her arms crossed, her expression filled with frustration and disbelief.
The loot was gone. Every last piece. Instead, all that remained was a single copper coin and a small, mocking note.
> "Thank you, fools. – Phantom"
Cathy's fists clenched as she read the note again, her rage boiling over.
"How the hell did this happen, Max?" she snapped, turning toward him. "We had everything here! Now there's nothing!"
Max barely had time to respond before his guild communicator buzzed. He stiffened. The caller ID displayed a name that sent a chill down his spine.
[Incoming Call: Real Solutions – Guild Higher-Up]
Cathy raised an eyebrow. "Who is it?"
Max ignored her, stepping away from the cave entrance as he reluctantly accepted the call. A cold, commanding voice filled his ears.
> [Real Solutions Higher-Up]:
Max, what the hell happened? You took 100 players into God's Garden, and now I hear you're all dead?
Max's jaw tightened, and Cathy leaned in slightly, listening with narrowed eyes. He turned away from her and forced himself to speak.
> [Max]:
We were ambushed… by a Special Elite Golem. No one expected it to spawn at Level 5.
The voice on the other end scoffed.
> [Real Solutions Higher-Up]:
A Level 5 Golem wiped out 100 players?
Max felt his stomach twist with frustration. He could feel Cathy's glare digging into his back, her silent judgment pressing on him like a weight.
> [Max]:
It wasn't just the Golem. Someone else was there… A player. Calls himself 'Phantom'.
There was a long pause. Then the voice returned, sharp and unforgiving.
> [Real Solutions Higher-Up]:
And what did this 'Phantom' do?
Max gritted his teeth, glancing at Cathy, whose expression darkened as she waited for his response. Admitting the truth in front of her was humiliating.
> [Max]:
He took everything. All our loot, our materials, our money. He even left a mocking note.
Cathy's eyes widened in shock. Then, her expression turned into pure rage. "Are you serious?!" she yelled.
Max ignored her outburst, but the Real Solutions higher-up didn't.
> [Real Solutions Higher-Up]:
So, let me get this straight. Some random player outplayed you, stole all your loot, and left a joke behind?
Max felt his blood boil. Cathy's expression twisted in disgust.
> [Cathy]:
"You're telling me that after all that effort… we got played like fools?!"
> [Real Solutions Higher-Up]:
That sounds like an excuse, Max. Maybe you're just incompetent?
Max gritted his teeth so hard it hurt. Cathy let out a bitter laugh.
> [Cathy]:
"Unbelievable. All this time, you were acting like you were some big-shot leader, but look at you now."
Max's hands shook with barely contained fury.
> [Max]:
I'll find him. I'll make him pay.
> [Real Solutions Higher-Up]:
You better. Otherwise, Rising Solutions won't have a place in the next operation. Fix this mess, Max. Or you're finished.
The call ended, leaving only a heavy silence between him and Cathy.
She took a deep breath, crossing her arms. "So? What now, 'leader'? You got a plan, or are you just going to let that Phantom guy keep making a fool out of us?"
Max clenched his fists. His humiliation burned hotter than ever.
"We're going after him."
His rage was now personal.
Author note :hello guys i hope you like the story i am dark eye it is my pen name if you like this wanna by me a coffe can contact me through email [email protected] and my line id darkeye2326 you can get advance chapters if you contact me thank you.can accept any ideas from you guys.