At the town resurrection point, a blue magic array flared to life as four players were resurrected simultaneously. The light scattered like shattered glass across the early morning streets of Green Leaf Town, now bustling with activity as the sun rose over God's Realm Online.
"Damn. Who are those guys?"
"How the hell is their level that high?"
"The lowest one among them is level 24… No way. I need to go talk to them. Maybe they can help me level up," one player muttered, eyes gleaming with greed. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the group and locked eyes with the Level 26 Elementalist—the highest among them.
"Brother Expert!" the Level 6 Ranger called out dramatically. "Please help me level up. I'm from the Richards' family. I'll pay 10 million naira in real-world currency."
"Ten million naira?!" gasped the surrounding players.
"These guys just hit the jackpot."
"All that just to power-level? It really pays to be born into the right family."
The Level 26 Elementalist gave the Ranger a cold, emotionless look, then simply snorted and turned away. Without uttering a word, the other three followed behind him. None of them even spared the boy from the Richards family a second glance.
"What the hell…?"
"He got ignored?"
"Money means nothing to these kinds of players…"
"Wonder what guild they're from?"
"They don't look like they're with any known guild."
"Maybe they're from some ultra-powerful background. That would explain why they brushed off a noob's offer like that."
Speculation ran wild across Green Leaf Town, but the four couldn't care less. Once they reached a secluded alley behind the teleportation plaza, White Emperor slammed his shield into the ground, his brows furrowed in frustration.
"I got careless. Because of me, we all died and lost a level. I'm truly sorry," White Emperor said, bowing deeply. His voice trembled with remorse. He and Angel Michael were both Level 26, the highest in the group.
"It's my fault," Young Star added, bowing as well. "I couldn't hold the monster's aggro properly."
"No... it was mine," Angel Michael followed. "I didn't unleash my full power. I hesitated... and we paid for it. Please, forgive me."
Only Trust remained standing, blinking awkwardly at the three of them. At Level 24, he was now the lowest-ranked among the team.
They had all died inside the ruins—and lost a level after being resurrected at the town's altar.
"I think you guys need to stop beating yourselves up," Trust said suddenly, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "That was a Silver Tier monster. Who the hell expects that kind of threat in a beginner's town? We need to inform Boss before he walks into the same trap. Then, we can go back and back him up if needed."
His words hit like thunder.
Angel Michael immediately pulled up his system interface and tapped on Malik's contact. After a few rings, the call connected. He didn't waste time.
"Boss, we got wiped by a Silver Tier boss hiding in the ruins. It was brutal. We didn't even stand a chance."
"Thanks for the heads-up," Malik replied. "That'll help a lot."
"Boss, are you going in alone? Should we regroup and back you up?" White Emperor asked, concern lacing his voice.
But Malik's response was firm and cool as ever. "You guys are overdue for your Tier 1 promotions. Head to any city of your choice and take on your quests. I'll handle things here."
The call ended.
The team stared at one another, stunned.
"Boss is just built different," White Emperor muttered. "I wonder what his fight against that Silver Tier monster's gonna look like…"
"If only dungeon recordings were allowed. The internet would've broken in half after seeing the footage of Boss fighting that Infernal Feral King," Young Star said wistfully.
'Is Brother Malik really that awesome?' Trust thought, eyes gleaming with awe. 'Before we could even kill one monster, our EXP bars were skyrocketing. We leveled up like crazy… In one night, I gained eleven levels. Even if I lost one now, that kind of growth is insane.'
'If I can keep grinding like this… it won't be long before I—'
"What's with that smug look on your face, Trust?" Angel Michael asked, smirking.
"You look like you're about to sell us out for five silver," Young Star added, placing a hand on his saber.
"I—I wasn't…!" Trust stuttered, raising his hands in surrender.
The trio burst into laughter, and black lines formed across Trust's face.
"Good luck, guys. I'm heading to Blackroot City," White Emperor said, turning around.
"I'm coming too!" Angel Michael said, grinning as he followed.
Trust and Young Star exchanged glances before tagging along.
"Hey! Where do you guys think you're going?" White Emperor asked when he turned and saw the group following him.
"Blackroot City."
"Wait—you thought we were following you?" Young Star laughed. "We're just headed there for our Tier 1 promotion quests."
"Better be."
"But you're covering our teleport fees," Angel Michael teased, slinging an arm around White Emperor's shoulder.
"SCRAM!" White Emperor bellowed, his silhouette bolting away like lightning.
Their laughter echoed long after.
…
'A Silver Tier monster… here, of all places. No wonder their names had turned grey—it makes perfect sense now. The gap between a Common monster and a Bronze monster is already huge. But the difference between Bronze and Silver? That's like comparing Earth to the Heavens.
I might be able to one-shot a Common-tier and hold my own against Bronze-tier beasts, but a Silver-tier monster… that's another level entirely. Even now that I'm nearing the peak of the Body Refinement realm, this will be my toughest challenge yet.
My Feral Gloves' progression is still stuck at 10%, and I've got no weapon support. Can I rely solely on my fists and legs? Well, there's only one way to find out.
I've been tired of stomping weaklings anyway. My level's hit a wall at 20, and since the system refines Pure SQP separately, my leveling speed's twice as slow as a normal player's.'
Malik was walking toward the coordinates his team had sent him when his eyes lit up. Beneath a distant tree, four monsters lounged in the shade, unaware of the predator stalking them.
[Direbrinbare] [Lv30 Silver Tier Monster]
HP: 30,000
'Direbrinbares... I've fought the common tier of these wolves before. Good thing they're part of the Wolf Race—I'll equip my Wolf Slayer title to cut their movement speed. Then I'll crush them with my speed and technique.
Sure, there's a world of difference between Level 30 and Level 20. And yeah, their tier's a full grade above mine.
But I'm not just any ordinary player…'
'I'm a Cultivator, baby.'