Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

—

A wall in the lair moved aside once Dusvim lifted his hand and performed a complex hand seal. From the deep rumbling, it was clear the wall was extremely heavy and made to withstand several powerful impacts.

After their heated battle, this wall was the sole undamaged wall. Kieran naturally suspected something amiss with the wall, but he didn't need to raise that question anymore.

"The fruits of our actions are collected inside. It's not everything since it was expensive to equip our members continuously, but a worthwhile amount is inside," Dusvim stated.

As he spoke, his eyes conveyed his emotion to remain alive.

"Altair," Kieran called out.

Altair stepped forward after noticing Kieran's signal to check out the contents behind the wall.

Dusvim's fingers twitched nervously while his eyes darted from Kieran to Ezra, who stood close by.

"His words are true. This area is a hidden treasury of sorts. I don't know how much is present, but I haven't seen anything like it," Altair remarked. He extended his hand with a raised thumb.

Kieran gave a soft smile and glanced at Dusvim.

"It's a shame I never promised to keep you alive. You should have addressed that habit and learned to seek confirmation before acting, tsk tsk."

"Y-you—!" Dusvim's eyes widened in disbelief as they fell upon Kieran indifferently lifting his blade to Dusvim's throat.

Shnk!

Dusvim wasn't given the luxury of completing his sentence before Kieran's blade lobbed off his head. The expression of disbelief remained painted across his face as Dusvim's head rolled next to Kieran's foot.

Kieran naturally had zero intentions of letting Dusvim live.

One of the quest objectives was to claim Dusvim's head. Without his death, Kieran could never complete the quest.

Furthermore, the new quest didn't rely upon Dusvim's survival, or it would have explicitly stated so.

In the end, Dusvim was a sorry excuse of a pawn that Kieran disregarded.

〈System: You have gained 2,240,965 Experience!〉

〈System: Congratulations, you have leveled up! [Lv.41→Lv.42]〉

〈System: You have received 12 Unassigned Attribute Points and 8 Skill Points.〉

Everyone leveled up after receiving the Dusvim's hefty Experience Reward, growing closer to Lv.50. But in Kieran's eyes, their excessive progress was alarming.

At least, it was worrisome if they continued at this pace.

Unlike Kieran, the others didn't possess the Zero Loss of Potential trait. Their level would continue to rise past Lv.50 if they continued to fight such difficult enemies. But, this would similarly mean they'll miss out on maximized stats.

Nevertheless, Kieran's worries were interrupted by a system message.

Ding!

〈System: You and your party are the first to defeat an Epic NPC. Would you like to announce your feat and claim your rewards?〉

〈Alert: Refusing to announce your identity will lessen the rewards for your accomplishment!〉

Kieran looked at the alert that followed the system notification and frowned. 'We're already heading into these times?'

Zenith Online was designed to promote courage and foster indomitable players, so cowardice was frowned upon by the system. After its first metamorphosis, players who chose to hide their merits were penalized for their cowardly actions.

However, sometimes courage wasn't the route to be taken, especially if the stipulations were cataclysmic.

Nevertheless, Kieran was unperturbed by the notification. Kieran's actual worries were the potential rewards and how great they were. An Epic NPC was a substantial opponent, so the rewards should be incredible.

'Please don't give me what I think you're going to,' Kieran inwardly remarked. However, Kieran looked to the others, specifically Ezra, before deciding what he would do.

"You'll be roped into my issues if we reveal our feat. Is that something you're willing to do? I'll choose based on your opinion."

"Um," Ezra chewed her lip before glancing at Lux and Camila for advice.

Lux scratched his head and sighed defeatedly. "I'm sure the board will learn of Aatrox's feats, but you must consider their willingness to shoulder the burdens of associating with a meteoric individual."

Camila hugged her bust and shook her head.

"Don't forget that a few Commanders and Vice Guild Masters eye your spot. One wrong decision and your renown as Eclipse's Guild Master could all be history. At any rate, it's your decision, so you should trust your instincts."

Ezra gazed at Kieran while listening to the input of her guild members. 'Do I take a leap of faith, potentially jeopardizing my guild's safety, or do I take the safe route?'

Regardless of her concerns, Kieran has displayed incredible skill thus far. Moreover, his class mystified Ezra, driving her to question its limits. Would anyone with similar strength rise?

"Screw it. Announce it. I'll handle the backlash, if any. But, you owe me. And I'd like to be repaid with ample training." Ezra's lips curved into an alluring smile when she heard Kieran's soft chuckle.

In the next moment, a notification set the entire player base ablaze.

┌───────────────────

Zenith Online World Announcement-

Congratulation to players: Aatrox, Altair, Alice, Bastion, Camila, Ezra, Luna, Lux, Nemean, and Sera for their feat of defeating an Epic NPC. Their stellar feat has been rewarded accordingly. Strive to reach the zenith and achieve supremacy!

└───────────────────

〈System: You have received 50 Gold.〉

〈System: You have received an «Epic Grade Treasure Chest»!〉

〈System: You have received «Basic Refined Mastery Elixir» x10!〉

〈System: You have acquired 200 World Fame.〉

〈System: Your World Fame has reached the second minor milestone. In light of these accomplishments, you will be held in the same regard as a Lord in all human civilizations.〉

〈System: As the first Lord-rank player, you have received a «Conquest Order»!〉

Kieran staggered after reading his reward for his jump in World Fame. A Conquest Order! This might be unfamiliar to many players, but Kieran knew the worth of a Conquest Order if appropriately used.

'I'll save this for now. It'll have immense value in the future once I make the necessary preparations,' Kieran thought.

At the same time, everyone gasped and stared at their rewards with agape mouths.

"Holy crap! I got an Epic Treasure Chest!" Bastion shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I thought Aatrox said Epic Items were tough to come by," Altair muttered.

"I did say that," Kieran nodded. However, he clarified a moment later. "But an Epic Grade Treasure Chest isn't viewed as an Epic Item. It does NOT ensure you'll receive an Epic Item, but there is a chance you'll receive one. In exchange for the low probability, it produces items of incredible personal value."

"So… Potential trash can come out of these? It's like gambling?!" Nemean grumbled. He was famed for accursed luck.

Kieran grimaced while searching for a suitable description.

"Somewhat, but not entirely. After reading through the information, an Epic Grade Treasure Chest varies greatly from the Rare version. The lowest possible item is a Rare Item, but its Item Level will be incredibly high."

"Oh, I don't give a fuck! I'm opening this thing!" Bastion exclaimed.

An exquisite, large silver chest with violet inscriptions appeared before Bastion with a thunderous tremor.

"So impatient," Kieran sighed. But, he didn't stop Bastion from using his Epic Treasure Chest. He would be lying if he said he wasn't excited to see Bastion's luck.

The chest's lid flung open, releasing a vibrant orange hue sandwiched by two deep violet glows of unmatched brilliance.

This outcome made Kieran's jaw drop, and pupils constrict. The segmented light meant Bastion spawned at least three items, but based on the color, Kieran despaired!

'Oh fuck… what did he just intrude upon!?'

Contrary to being happy, Kieran was frightened!

Why? An orange light signified a Legendary Item! An item like that undoubtedly came from some illustrious background.

Kieran bolted up to Bastion's chest and looked inside with a slight change of expression. "Huh…"

A huge crease formed between Bastion's brows while retrieving his items with a deep frown. "I've been jipped. Not even one piece of equipment! Just a damned scroll, skill book, and I'm guessing this odd thing a material?!"

"Pfft," Nemean covered his mouth and stifled a laugh, but Bastion heard it and pounced on him like an enraged tiger.

"Hold on," Kieran suddenly called out and blew on the skill book before picking it up. "You're complaining when you haven't even read your loot."

「 Enhanced Skill Book - Last Stand (Special Consumable)

Item Rank: Epic

Item Level: N/A

Item Usage: Upon usage, the user will learn the Enhanced S Rank Skill - Last Stand. (Can only be learned by defensive classes.)

Description: An enhanced version of Last Stand, tailored to fit defensive classes and extract the highest potential. (This skill requires Will. Only a select few classes can learn this skill.)」

With widened eyes, Kieran shifted his attention to the scroll Bastion disregarded.

「 Promotion Scroll - Ancient Defender (Special Consumable)

Item Rank: Legendary

Item Level: N/A

Item Usage: This item is usable if the user possesses a defensive class. The user will receive the Legendary Hidden Class - Ancient Defender upon usage. (The user must be above Lv.20 but below Lv.50 to use.)

Description: A job change scroll with Heroic potential.  」

'Ancient Defender… If I'm not mistaken, this belongs to one of the Five Great Empires, the Terran Empire, famed for their impenetrable tanks! Damn it all,' Kieran groaned inwardly.

This could become an issue if the Terran Empire learned that an outsider had obtained its core legacy.

Nevertheless, Kieran looked at Bastion scornfully.

"You dumbass, this is a Class Change scroll! And you're stupidly dismissing it?!"

"SAY WHAT?!"

Bastion scrambled and snatched the two items out of Kieran. After reading through their information, he jumped for joy.

"You forgot the last item."