8:00 PM.
"Ethan, you're back late."
Jade Gale rose gracefully from the sofa, her blue silk nightgown accentuating her elegance.
"I had some things to take care of," Ethan replied nonchalantly.
In truth, he had left the level 10 training zone by 6 PM. Afterward, he'd taken a bus to scope out the level 15 training zone to pinpoint where he'd be leveling tomorrow. Upon finding a suitable area with level 15 Splitclaw Hounds, he had returned home. It was already 8:00 by the time he walked through the door.
Jade didn't press him for details. She understood that if Ethan didn't want to explain, he had his reasons. She moved closer to him, her gaze soft. "Darling, do you think I look good tonight?"
Ethan cleared his throat. "Yes, you look… great."
He hadn't really taken a close look before, but now that she was mere inches away, he found it hard not to notice. Jade's soft features and well-kept complexion, nurtured from years of relaxation and care, were stunning. Just being this close was enough to make any man's thoughts wander.
"Hmm, if I look so good, why don't you seem the least bit interested?" she pouted, crossing her arms. "Or have you found someone else you like?"
Ethan chuckled awkwardly. "No, of course not."
Jade gave a mischievous smile and leaned in closer. "Oh? What about that girl who came by yesterday? Is she… your little girlfriend?"
Ethan was at a loss for words.
"Relax," Jade said, giving him a playful wink. "Even if you date someone, I won't mind. Just let me know." She looked him up and down, her eyes sparkling with playful mischief. "After all, I'm already yours."
Ethan's composure cracked, and he couldn't help but let out a nervous laugh. Jade was just too good at this.
The next morning.
Ding!
"Dear passengers, we have arrived at the level 15 'Splitclaw Hound' training zone. Please exit through the rear door."
Ethan opened his eyes as the bus came to a stop. He disembarked with a few other passengers.
"Did you see that guy? He was really cute!"
"Which one? I missed him!"
"Right there, behind you!"
"Oh wow, he is handsome!"
Ignoring the giggles and whispers from a group of girls nearby, Ethan walked directly into the training area. Though it was only 7 AM, the zone was already packed. Every couple of thousand meters, there were groups furiously battling Splitclaw Hounds.
Level 15 Splitclaw Hound
Strength: 45Spirit: 30Constitution: 42Agility: 40Skill: Rend
Ethan glanced over the stats and nodded in satisfaction. He had checked out this area yesterday, so he knew what to expect.
People quickly noticed him and invited him to join their hunting parties. Ethan politely declined.
"Hmph, what a snob!"
"Yeah, I'd like to see him take on these beasts alone. Splitclaws are all about raw power; he won't last a minute!"
"Exactly! A squishy mage like him? He'll be begging to join us soon enough!"
After being rejected, the other players settled in to watch the show, waiting for Ethan to fail.
But Ethan just ignored their jeers.
"If killing quickly summons a BOSS, then let's see if we can make it happen!"
He raised his staff high, gathering energy as lightning converged at its tip.
Supreme Thunderstorm!
In mere seconds, the once-clear sky above darkened, thunderheads rolling in as if heralding an impending storm.
"Uh… was it supposed to rain today?"
"No idea. The weather's been so unpredictable lately."
"Who cares? We've got leveling to do!"
The mercenaries grumbled, resuming their attacks. But then—
Boom!
Crack! Crack!
Thick bolts of lightning, wide as tree trunks, crashed down, annihilating every Splitclaw Hound within a 10,000-meter radius.
[You have defeated a level 15 Splitclaw Hound, earning 1,500 (+80%) XP.]
[You have defeated a level 15 Splitclaw Hound, earning 1,500 (+80%) XP.]
Ding… Ding…
Ethan grinned as the notifications rolled in. The sheer volume of experience was incredible, each Splitclaw Hound kill bringing him 2,700 XP—almost double what he'd earned from Savage Wolves.
Still…
"Hm? No BOSS after a single Thunderstorm?" Ethan raised an eyebrow as the storm died down.
If one Thunderstorm wasn't enough, he'd just cast it again.
Without hesitation, he raised his staff, summoning another surge of elemental energy.
Supreme Thunderstorm!
Boom!
Crack! Crack!
Once more, bolts of lightning tore through the air, illuminating the sky. The surrounding training parties, now on the edges of the storm, watched in awe.
"No way, another one?"
"Who's up there showing off in our low-level zone?"
"This is too much! I'm just here to grind, man!"
From their vantage points, they couldn't see who was responsible for the thunderstorm, but they could feel its immense power. The sky alternated between bright sunlight and thunderous clouds, leaving them baffled.
When the storm finally cleared, Ethan heard the rumble of massive footsteps approaching.
Out on the horizon, he saw them—dozens of Splitclaw Hound BOSSes advancing toward him.
"So many BOSSes?" Ethan's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Looks like I hit the jackpot!"
The pack was filled with Splitclaw Hound BOSSes, each one as fierce as the last.
"What the—what's going on?"
"Those are Splitclaw BOSSes! Run!"
Splitclaws were known for their high strength, making them some of the most dangerous creatures. Normally, players could exploit their low speed, but with so many BOSSes bearing down, there was no time to strategize. Panic swept through the area as players fled.
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"Damn it! It's all that Thunderstorm user's fault!"
"Doesn't he know summoning too many BOSSes can wreck our leveling?"
"Unbelievable! I was so close to leveling up!"
Ethan tuned out their complaints, standing at the storm's center with his staff held high. As soon as the cooldown ended, he summoned another storm.
Supreme Thunderstorm!
Boom!
Crack! Crack!
The storm answered his call, lightning bolts honing in on the Splitclaw BOSSes with deadly precision.
"Aroo!" "Aroo!" "Arooooo!"
The hounds howled as the lightning ravaged them. In seconds, the Thunderstorm's 10-second onslaught had reduced the entire pack to charred remains.
Ding! You have defeated a Splitclaw Hound BOSS, earning 15,000 XP (+80%).
Ding! Level Up! Current Level: 8.
Ding! You have defeated a Splitclaw Hound BOSS, earning 15,000 XP (+70%).
The system notifications flooded in as Ethan's experience bar skyrocketed.
"This experience gain is incredible!"
As the sky cleared once more, Ethan checked his experience bar, thoroughly satisfied. He swiftly collected all the loot, stashing everything away with ease.
Ah, the perks of having an enormous inventory—there was never a need to worry about running out of space. Just from the pile of Splitclaw Hound corpses alone, he'd likely raked in a few million coins.
"But…" Ethan mused, "didn't that guy say only one BOSS would appear at a time? How come so many showed up today?"
He looked over at the vanishing BOSS corpses and quickly realized the answer. It wasn't that only one BOSS could spawn—it was that only one wave of BOSSes could spawn per day. And the faster you killed, the more BOSSes appeared in that wave.
No ordinary person could clear monsters at Ethan's pace. Even if someone had a high-level skill with similar reach, they'd never come to a low-level area like this.
As the storm finally subsided and the BOSSes lay defeated, those who had fled began to trickle back, their eyes widening as they took in the empty battlefield.
"Wait… did that guy just kill all the BOSSes by himself?"
"This is unreal. One person, one skill, and he wiped out over a hundred BOSSes?"
"It's like watching a god descend!"
Everyone around was awestruck. The sight of Ethan's Supreme Thunderstorm had left them in shock. They'd only ever seen displays of power like this on TV, where top-tier fighters destroyed interdimensional beasts. To witness it firsthand was another matter entirely.
After a few moments of stunned silence, people began to swarm toward him.
"Big bro, could you help me level up? I'm from the Jones family in Tidespring. I can pay you a lot!"
"Boss, let me join you for leveling too!"
"I'll pay 100,000 coins per day if you take me!"
"Pfft, 100,000? I'll offer 200,000!"
"Out of the way! I'm offering 500,000!"
"Forget it—here's a million! Just help me out, big bro!"
Over a hundred people crowded around Ethan, shouting out bids. He frowned and swiftly found a gap in the crowd, slipping away before anyone could stop him. With his agility stat nearing 200, he left the mob behind, quickly distancing himself from the chaos.
This place was massive, after all—he could find another spot to grind without trouble.
Half an hour later, he finally settled into a quieter part of the zone.
"Finally, some peace and quiet."
Ethan smiled to himself, relieved to resume grinding. He'd be more discreet this time; no more Supreme Thunderstorm. The radius was simply too wide—it was practically begging for more attention and trouble.
But after about fifteen minutes…
"Hey there, big bro! That skill you used was amazing. Can I join you? I'll pay 20,000 coins a day!"
"Wow, I'll pay 50,000!"
"Forget them—I'm offering 100,000!"
Despite his efforts to lay low, people still flocked to him. The allure of Elemental Destruction was hard to ignore.
This time, he quickly improvised a story, claiming that his party was full and he was just waiting for his clients. Satisfied, the crowd dispersed without much fuss.
"Looks like having overpowered skills isn't always a good thing." Ethan sighed, though he was grateful that the crowd left this time without a fuss.
With the distractions gone, he could finally grind in peace.
[You have defeated a level 15 Splitclaw Hound, earning 1,500 XP (+70%).]
Ding… Ding…
Hours passed, and by late afternoon, Ethan's experience bar had filled up again.
Level Up! Current Level: 9.
Status: Supreme Elemental Archmage - Ethan Gale
Level: 9
Attributes: Strength 180, Spirit 1115, Constitution 180, Agility 180
"Finally leveled up! Almost to level 10 now!"
He was pleased with his progress. While his leveling was slower compared to his earlier BOSS blitz, the experience gains were still impressive. His spirit stat alone had surged past 1100, enhancing the power of Thunderstorm and Elemental Destruction even further.
"Just two days until the big exam. I might even hit level 11…"
Satisfied, he was about to return to grinding when a commotion caught his attention.
"Come on, hurry up! The Windstorm Squad is here!"
"What? The Windstorm Squad? Why are they here?"
"Word is that a dimensional rift opened up in this training zone!"
"A dimensional rift?"
"Yeah, and it's not just Windstorm. Tons of squads are heading over there!"
"Oh man, this is huge! Let's go check it out!"
Ethan overheard snippets of conversation as people moved past him in a rush. Curiosity piqued, he joined the crowd heading toward the rift.
Ethan recalled some of the lessons on Dimensional Rifts and their similar counterparts, Extraplanar Realms, that he'd studied in class.
To put it simply, Dimensional Rifts and Extraplanar Realms could appear randomly anywhere in the world, at any time. These rifts were somewhat like game dungeons: if the monsters inside weren't cleared within a certain timeframe, they would breach the rift and invade the real world. However, if the rift or realm was fully conquered, the resources within would materialize in reality, sometimes forming landscapes, treasures, or even new training areas for adventurers.
In a sense, the appearance of such realms could bring great fortune to the nation that controlled them.
However, a typical rift only remained open for 1-3 days and had a difficulty roughly five times that of regular monsters. Only the strongest adventurers could hope to conquer these rifts, as even the weakest foes within were as powerful as bosses found in leveling zones.
As for Extraplanar Realms, they were classified by star ratings from 1 to 5, with the lowest, 1-star realms, being at least ten times harder than the average Dimensional Rift. Each realm's duration varied significantly:
1 year: 10x Rift difficulty.
10 years: 20x difficulty.
100 years: 50x difficulty.
1,000 years: 100x difficulty.
10,000 years: 200x difficulty.
Each realm was heavily guarded by military forces to prevent unexpected breaches, and only the most elite squads were allowed entry. Some of the world's most powerful entities watched over the 5-star realms, yet none had succeeded in conquering them. Even in this country, two such realms existed, ominous and unchallenged, along with nearly a dozen 4-star realms that had plagued them for centuries, only a handful of which had been conquered.
These high-tier realms hung like a sword over the world, a constant threat. For most adventurers, leveling up happened in training zones rather than in these perilous realms or rifts. Only those with unparalleled luck would stumble upon one.
At the rift entrance, Ethan noticed many wounded adventurers, some looking dejected while others received healing from their party healers.
"What's going on here?" he asked one of the bystanders.
"Oh, those guys? That's the Red Hawk Squad. Their healer died during their attempt at the rift," the man explained. "And over there in black, that's the Black Cannon Squad—they failed too. The whole team's severely injured."
He gestured toward a few other groups, some looking distraught, others devastated.
"That's a lot of people," Ethan noted, as the man continued.
"Yeah, it's rough. The Windstorm Squad went in not long ago too…"
In this age, tackling rifts and realms was a risky venture. The stories of powerful adventurers falling in battle were common, something Ethan had read about often but had never witnessed until now. Seeing it with his own eyes made him realize just how fragile life could be.
If the monsters in a rift were merely five times tougher than those in a normal training zone, maybe it was finally time for him to test his strength.
But unlike realms, which could accommodate unlimited teams, only one team could enter a rift at a time. Ethan would have to wait his turn.
Soon enough, the Windstorm Squad emerged, their faces showing exhaustion and frustration.
"What happened, Windstorm? What did you face at 21% progress?" someone asked as soon as they stepped out.
Windstorm's leader shook his head, teeth clenched. "A terrifying Venomous Spider. Its speed and control were off the charts. We didn't stand a chance... If Nine hadn't used his Death Immunity Scroll, none of us would've made it out."
"A Death Immunity Scroll? That bad?"
"Even Windstorm couldn't handle it… Does that mean there's no hope for local squads to clear this rift?"
"Unbelievable—a level 15 rift is this tough?"
"Guess we'll have to settle for lower-level rifts, like the level 5s and 10s…"
Someone broke down, grieving for a fallen teammate. "Our healer didn't make it out…"
"Stay strong, man. Someone has already called the Tidespring Adventurer Guild. The guild master should be sending reinforcements soon," another consoled him.
The crowd around the rift fell into a somber silence, each team reflecting on their own failures and losses. Though some had alerted the Adventurer Guild, they knew it would be at least half an hour before help arrived.
Even then, only those at the same level as the rift could enter. A level 15 rift restricted entry to level 15 adventurers, meaning high-level reinforcements could only offer buffs and support from outside.
Amidst this grim atmosphere, Ethan suddenly strode toward the rift.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
The man Ethan had spoken to earlier looked at him in surprise.
"What does he think he's doing? Is he going to solo the rift?"
"He must be crazy! Windstorm could only get to 21%—he'll just get himself killed!"
Even Windstorm's members, still bearing fresh wounds, watched in bewilderment. They knew the rift's difficulty firsthand, having barely survived.
Was this guy trying to show off? Did he think he was invincible, or was he mocking their failure?
Regardless, all eyes were now on Ethan.
Venomous Swamp
Type: Bronze-tier Dimensional Rift
Monsters: Level 1-15
Description: A deadly swamp filled with poisonous creatures, shrouded in a toxic miasma that instills fear in the bravest of souls.
Ethan glanced at the rift information and stepped through. He felt a brief sensation of vertigo, as though moving through space itself. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a swampy wasteland, the ground slick with muck and the air thick with a noxious purple haze.