Works beyond great success.
It was a level that any Player in the crafting series sought after, and there were quite a few who succeeded, but right now, Dahav’s mind was filled only with Wilhelm.
‘Wilhelm’s Dark Knight.’
The only being to have earned the title of Wilhelm of the Domain of One.
What made Wilhelm possible were none other than the Dark Knights crafted through Reverse.
‘If it were just Ghouls, it wouldn’t be called the Domain of One.’
As one might guess from the name, the Ghoul race itself wasn’t particularly strong.
The Dark Knight, which emerged from masterpieces or higher, was a superior evolution of Ghouls, but it was actually weaker than typical spirits or summoned creatures.
‘However, if they wear good items, the story changes entirely.’
If a masterpiece or higher Dark Knight is created through Reverse, unlike other summoned creatures, they can equip items just like Players.
Wilhelm took full advantage of this, equipping his Dark Knights with his own gear and accessories.
The army formed this way became incomparable to even the best spirits and summons.
That’s when the title of Domain of One came about.
The fact that such a masterpiece was created was already a success, but it didn’t end there.
‘There’s also the bonus of random skill acquisition.’
Just imagining what skill you might get was enough to get excited.
All the corpses used for Reverse skills were powerful monsters of Unique rank or higher.
Not all randomness is the same — the average rank determined that they would definitely get at least one Unique rank skill, making it like a royal lottery ticket without any risk.
And Dahav was delighted that he got better skills than expected.
[Valiant Dark Knight with Iron Armor]
- Level: 25
- Species: Undead
- HP: 1310 (+280)
- MP: 650 (+330)
- Status: Strength 19 (+33) / Agility 71 (+41) / Stamina 131 (+28) / Spirit 65 (+33)
- Command Power: 35
- Active Skills
- Provocative Roar Lvl. 5 (Consumes 100 MP) – Emits a provocative roar, forcibly drawing the attention of nearby enemies for 1 minute and 30 seconds. (Cooldown: 2 minutes)
- Indomitable Body Lvl. 3 (Consumes 148 MP per minute) – Hardens the body like armor with unique toughness, drastically increasing defense but greatly reducing movement speed. (Movement speed reduced by 80%, defense increased by 100%)
- Desert’s Wrath Lvl. 1 (Consumes 40 MP) – Upon casting, borrows the power of the desert for 1 minute and 30 seconds, increasing strength by 10500. While under the desert’s blessing, deals damage every second to nearby enemies equal to 1% of the Dark Knight’s maximum HP. (Cooldown: 5 minutes)
- Special Features
- Unlike Ghouls, does not share level or experience with its master.
- To level up, Soul Fragment Points obtained from monster hunting must reach maximum capacity.
- Can be promoted upon reaching level 50.
- Dark Knights possess a certain degree of intelligence. They can equip and use gear and can respond independently in battle.
Just looking at the completed Ghoul’s stats and skills made Dahav involuntarily sigh in amazement.
“This is insane…”
It was a natural reaction.
Even though the Link Cadaver’s level had increased by two, sharing 15% of the stats and thus making the Dark Knights stronger, the base stats of the Dark Knight alone were already impressive.
With naturally high stats, combined with the boosts from the Link Cadaver and Achievements, the stats were on another level, and the skills were reinforced to an extent incomparable to before.
Plus, the added skill, ‘Desert’s Wrath.’
With some control, adjusting the aggro along with existing Ghouls, this was a hidden card that could easily serve as the main tank for the Harpy Queen raid.
Moreover, since it didn’t share experience and could grow and promote independently, there was no need to swap out Dark Knights as they grew.
‘The only downside is that command power is consumed too much.’
From level 12 to 30, command power increased as he leveled up, and thanks to the bonus from the King of the Frozen Earth Set, the remaining command power exactly hit 35.
This was undoubtedly a level blessed by the gods.
“Long live ASA. Long live the God Game…”
Though he wanted to level up a bit more, there was an urgent task to do for the Harpy Queen solo kill.
“First, I’ll move the army to the hunting ground and get some rest.”
After creating the masterpiece, the 20 hours of intense concentration fatigue that had been forgotten all came crashing down, making his eyelids heavy as if weighed down by a thousand pounds.
Correct judgment and excellent control come only from a healthy body and mind, so conditioning before the raid was essential.
Dahav put his pride aside for a moment, logged out, and surrendered to sleepiness.
***
Mid-2038, news spread that a Supernova had appeared in Amsphere, the most popular City of Beginning.
The top guilds were in crisis from this Supernova news.
For some time, there had been no exceptional Rookies, but this newly appeared Supernova was so outstanding it caused alarm.
Even the number one guild of ASA, Heaven Guild, immediately organized and dispatched a Supernova Scout Team centered on Bak Yujin, whose game nickname was Tae Eul Seonin.
And after seeing the Supernova Player, Tae Eul Seonin gave high praise and even offered an unprecedented contract bonus of 2 billion for an inexperienced Rookie who wasn’t even level 10 yet.
The result was naturally acceptance.
Thanks to the swift action of Heaven Guild, they managed to recruit Jung Jonghwan, known as Karua, the Supernova and Super Rookie.
While scouting was successful, the biggest problem was the resistance from the anti-Heaven Guild coalition aiming for a Rookie who didn’t even know the game yet.
As expected, the hostile guilds mainly focused their opposition on new recruits, the lifeblood of a guild, rather than the higher-ranking guild officials.
Because of this uproar, it was inevitable that Karua would receive guardians and Helpers to support his growth.
Claine, the department head of management at Heaven Guild and a natural Helper, had no choice but to accept this role, which delayed his own growth and caused frustration.
‘No matter how good his control is, he’s still a rookie. Wouldn’t it be better for me, a current top 1000 ranked player, to keep growing and help the guild more?’
At first, he harbored such resentment, but it didn’t last long. Soon, his dissatisfaction melted away and he grew to admire Karua.
‘This is what a level 30 Player looks like?’
It was when Karua reached level 30 and was hunting Harpies in Sky Ridge.
Because of the limited number of nets in Sky Ridge, hunting in a party was standard.
Even without the nets, the cunning intelligence of Harpies made hunting them very difficult.
But Karua casually disregarded these conventions.
‘This can’t be real.’
At the moment the Harpy descended to the ground, Karua launched an onslaught like an explosion, using the grounded Harpy as a springboard to perform aerial maneuvers, luring the rest of the flock.
Although he allowed an attack on his back by one Harpy, it didn’t affect the battle’s momentum.
As expected, the remaining Harpies were soon scattered and the battle ended with Karua’s overwhelming victory.
‘To think a mere level 30 user could hunt a whole flock of Harpies in Sky Ridge so easily.’
It was an impossible situation, but this spectacular scene right before their eyes was undeniable.
At the same time, it became clear why the guild executives were so determined to protect Karua.
‘If he continues growing this smoothly, he’ll become a monster capable of overturning the ongoing power struggle.’
While inwardly marveling, Karua finished off the last Harpy.
“I’m getting a little tired of hunting Harpies, but haven’t you confirmed the location of the Harpy Queen yet?”
“Not yet, but we hired the Green Army, a search company, so no one else will get ahead of us.”
Hearing Claine’s words, Karua’s eyes widened, and he slapped his hand.
“What? You hired the Green Army? I know their hiring fee is at least 300 gold. Isn’t that wasteful? It’s better not to hire them.”
“Karua, the career you build is Heaven Guild’s career. The Harpy Queen is the same one Grabo failed to defeat. If we catch her, Heaven Guild’s position solidifies, so the investment is necessary. Don’t worry so much.”
Karua still looked unconvinced.
“But there was no need to hire the Green Army. I’m not a beginner, and there aren’t many people even looking for the Harpy Queen. Normal users and even decent Rookies spend a lot of time forming parties, so I’ll definitely get to hunt the Harpy Queen first.”
Claine nodded in agreement with Karua’s opinion.
“That’s true… but since your growth is also the guild’s growth, the guild master said not to spare any expense. This is like buying time with money, so it’s not really a waste.”
“I’m sorry and grateful every time for how generously and thoughtfully you take care of me…”
Just as the two were talking, Claine’s eyes suddenly glazed over, his face freezing in surprise.
This was the first time Claine showed such an intense emotional reaction, so Karua cautiously asked,
“…Is something wrong?”
“They say the Green Army has discovered the Harpy Queen.”
Claine delivered the awaited news, but judging by his expression, Karua couldn’t feel happy.
“So, a variable has appeared?”
“Yes… a big variable. Someone is already attempting the raid.”
“Attempting the raid?!”
Karua involuntarily raised his voice.
It was natural.
From the beginning, only the guild Siren had recruited enough Rookies to even try the Harpy Queen raid as a team.
However, Siren seemed remarkably uninterested in trophies.
In other words, there was no team currently capable of raiding the Harpy Queen, so hearing “attempting” was shocking.
Then Claine said something even more shocking.
“Apparently it’s a solo kill attempt. The Supernova named Dahav, who appeared in Shiniga before.”
Karua seemed stunned for a moment but quickly composed himself and began thinking of the best countermeasures.
“If it’s a solo kill, we should get there quickly and line up.”
Dahav, the Supernova of Shinaga.
From Amorfopallus to the fights with the hunters, the greats’ greatest concern was this, so Karua had also watched those videos.
‘He’s a skilled Player. But not great enough to solo the Harpy Queen.’
Besides, he was ‘alone.’
Without a guild, no professional analysis team, and no information on the Harpy Queen’s yet undisclosed patterns.
In other words, he shouldn’t succeed.
Claine, reading Karua’s thoughts, nodded and responded.
“Yeah! Exactly. We have to go quickly and be first in line.”
The two nodded to each other and headed towards where the Harpy Queen had appeared.
***
At the battlefield.
Dahav looked satisfied as he gazed at the Dark Knight standing upright, clad in jet-black plated armor and shield, solid muscles covered by armadillo-like skin, and tough black veins shielding his entire body.
“Dressing him like this really makes it look like we’ve recruited a real party member.”
At first, he only looked like a bulky monster.
But after buying decent armor and shields at the intermediary, the Dark Knight now had a formidable presence.
“I hope he’s as reliable as he looks.”
Dahav patted his shoulder as if showing trust, and the Dark Knight let out a roar.
Kraang!
In the vast Sky Ridge, the roar echoed deeply.
Its mighty volume reverberated throughout the valley-like terrain.
The roar was like a challenge sent to the queen of Sky Ridge, the Harpy Queen.
The huge Harpy Queen descended, spreading her vast wings wide enough to block the sun.
Just her presence was overwhelming, and many predators had been consumed by fear.
But the rotten flesh before her didn’t cower in fear; rather, it roared provocatively.
Kraaaang!
Though the Harpy Queen was among the most intelligent of her kind and normally wouldn’t be afraid of such a sight, right now she was clearly off-balance.
Like meeting her mortal enemy on a lone tree branch, she shot a sharp glare and immediately launched an assault.
Hidden behind a tree, Dahav’s lips curled into a smile as he watched the Harpy Queen caught by the Provocative Roar.
‘Provocative Roar… its effect is better than I thought.’
Originally, the goal was simply to draw the Harpy Queen’s attention.
But now it was showing an even greater effect.
The taunted Harpy Queen aggressively exposed herself to the enemy and charged recklessly.
‘Thanks to this, we successfully forced her to the ground, which was harder than expected.’
One of the Harpy Queen’s trickiest traits, being a flying species, had been nullified.
Changing the flow of the battle and leading the fight is a skillful Harpy Queen’s advantage, but the conditions were gone thanks to Provocative Roar.
The Harpy Queen came down on her own to directly attack the Ghoul.
From Dahav’s perspective, this was an opportunity.
The first phase of the Harpy Queen’s attack, now deprived of flight, was as easy as pie.
Screeeek—!
The Harpy Queen reached the Ghoul’s melee range on the ground.
‘Now!’
But there was no time to relax, thinking about phases two and three.
Dahav sprang off the ground and charged forward.