Zack reappeared in a small, desolate graveyard, surrounded by the very players his party had slain. For a brief, unnatural moment, all eyes immediately turned towards him, some filled with pure hostility, others with envy and a few with obvious greed.
He took a moment to process. Of course, it was a safe zone.
No wonder he had not been finished off. Iris and Point respawned right behind him and for a second, everyone just stared at each other, completely speechless.
Point rolled up her sleeves, smirk spreading across her face.
"Oh wow! Look at you lot— f*cking geniuses!" she shouted, voice dripping with mock admiration.
"Three of us, and you had to gang up like a bunch of brain-dead f*cking zombies? Really? Couldn't let a bunch of girls have some fun, huh?!"
She moved a bit further, wagging a finger at the stunned players.
"Don't worry, I'm noting all your faces. Every single one. And when I see you again? Yeah, I will f*cking hunt you down."
The graveyard went silent.
For once, even the boldest players had no words. They shifted uncomfortably, some glaring, some lowering their heads in shame. A handful even took a step back, finally grasping that Point hadn't been bluffing.
Their experience had already been gutted, their gear lost. And still, that wasn't the worst of it. The humiliation was palpable. The raiders had just been slapped hard and all they could do was stare, helpless wanting nothing more than to cry.
While Iris was standing nearby, equally bewildered. The enemies had been humiliated and Point made sure they knew it.
Zack's EXP had taken the same eighty percent hit. He inhaled sharply, noticing a few items had dropped from his inventory but thankfully, nothing too valuable.
He scanned the system log's and noticed the debuff had cleared just before his death, taking the crimson-stain from his name with it. Lucky, he mused.
Without that, he might have ended up in an even worse situation. Good thing the patch accounted for this, he thought wryly.
He glanced around, realizing Obi was nowhere near the cemetery.
He couldn't help but wonder what the scene would have looked like if the Fighter had been around. Probably, half of these players would have logged off on the spot. Obi wouldn't have given them a single chance to breathe.
Then it hit him; Obi had probably died before the debuff lifted. As he was in middle of that thought Iris called out, her voice carrying over the graveyard.
"Haze is waiting for us in Gaia City. Hurry, use your Recall Stones!"
Both Point and Zack nodded, activating their stones at the same time. The familiar glow surrounded them and in the next moment, the group vanished from the silent graveyard.
The blue flare of the Return Stones blinked out and the five members of The Vultari materialized in the heart of Gaia City — the capital hub where trade posts and teleport crystals pulsed like veins of light.
The air here was still, a world away from the chaos of the swamp.
Zack regrouped with the others, though most of the attention quickly drifted to Obi. He stood there in nothing but his default gears; pants-armor gone, shield gone, helmet gone.
Even an accessory had vanished when Point asked what else he had lost.
Poor guy. Zack shook his head, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Man… you look like a walking disaster."
Obi gave a mock salute, wincing as he adjusted his bare shoulders.
"Yeah, thanks for noticing. And I ain't piggy backing you now without my armor."
Zack face twitched.
Still, after how thoroughly he'd taunted the enemy and painted a target on himself, no one felt particularly sorry for him. If anything, they silently agreed he'd deserved it.
Luckily, he had just hit level six and hadn't built up much EXP yet. Otherwise, he'd be sobbing in some forgotten graveyard instead of standing there half-dressed.
Zack let out a long sigh of relief. He shivered at the thought of what might have happened if he had still been under his crimson name. Some situations were better left untested.
Obi started circling Iris and Haze like a starving NPC sniffing for a quest reward.
Iris shot him a flat look and jabbed a thumb at Zack instead.
"Why are you harassing me? Zack's the one sitting on a mountain of loot. Go bother the rich guy."
Obi froze like she'd just handed him the coordinates to buried treasure.
Then he slowly looked toward Zack with the reverence of a monk spotting a holy relic.
She gestured at herself and Haze. "We've been partying with him for hours... you think we're running around in these outfits for free?"
Realization dawned across Obi's face like a sunrise.
"…Ah. So that's why you two glow like walking credit cards."
Iris rolled her eyes.
She waved both hands at him like she was chasing off a stray chicken.
"Exactly. Now go. Shoo, shoo. I'm not your loot fountain."
Meanwhile...
The trade chat, local chat, even zone chats were flooded. For thirty straight minutes, the server was nothing but salt, disbelief and memes about "The Vultures."
The party had opened the Global Chat.
[Global Chat] was agitated.
Bluemist: No way that was humanly possible.
Ourk: HOW do you outdamage 700+ people?!
QuestLord: I could not even see my own damage how the f* they manage to last hit it.
[SaltedPlayer]: WHOEVER GOT THE SWAMP MARSH BOSS LAST HIT—SHOW YOURSELVES
[ValkyrieVee]: drops are gone?? HELLO???
Iris's face was almost radiant as she scrolled through the comments, feeling a mix of fear and excitement, her heart racing. "They're going crazy over this."
PointAndShoot chimed in, "Can't say I blame them…" With a grin that mirrored Iris's, unsure how they managed to land the final blow.
She had merely followed their lead, helped them defeat the players that were after them and her feelings knew no bounds, she was practically waiting to boast about it sooner or later.
Meanwhile, Obi had latched onto Zack like a lifeline.
"Bro—no, Master Zack. Shifu. Guru. Enlightened One. Please guide this humble disciple" he said, practically bowing as he trailed behind him.
Zack scratched his neck, wondering how one man could out-Rin Rin.
"Cut it out" he muttered, but Obi only nodded reverently, as if he'd just been blessed.
Where as Haze was now somewhat calm now, she shot Zack a sideways glance, quick, subtle but acknowledging.
She knew all the credit should go to Zack as he was the one who got them the last hit. As well as protected them from others. He even gave them his potion stacks just so they could fare better.
Then casually revealed the Crest of Fivefold— a special item that added hundred HP and granted five free stat points.
Point was practically drooling at that point, Obi struggled to keep his composure despite the excitement shining in his eyes and Iris could only stare in stunned silence.
Even she was speechless. In that moment, the boss hardly mattered; getting free stats like that already felt like a victory.
Zack finally exchanged glances with other party members and gave a big satisfied grin.
***
They all remembered clearly what had happened Hour's earlier.
The swamp had been hell. Over a thousand players and dropping fast. Every magic spell and strike sent ripples through the shallow water.
Zack stood at the edge of the Leviathan's range.
"HP at seventy-two, lower it further" he muttered.
"Okay" Haze replied, though a bit worried.
"Do it. Drop me to forty. No lower."
Her blade flashed once; a controlled strike that bled his HP down to 35%. The warning pinged but Zack ignored it.
Adrenaline Rush II — Pushes the body beyond its limits.
→ Increases Movement Speed and Attack Power by 20% for 15 sec.
→ Gains bonus attack (cap +50%) as HP decreases.
Cooldown: 110 sec
(Attack Power increases by 10% for every 15% HP lost.)
He was counting on the buffs.
Iris also used her latest buff skill she got when Zack gave the signal.
[Skill Activated: Blessing of Dawn I]
Type: Support / Buff
Cooldown: 600 seconds
Cast Time: 1.8s
Mana Cost: 200 MP
Description:
Channels radiant energy to empower allies within a 20-meter radius. Increases Attack Power by +50% and minor HP regeneration for 18 seconds.
Additional Effect: Restores 10% Mana instantly to caster and main target upon activation.
Zack's aura flared crimson.
With Haze and Obi at the frontline making sure no one touches Zack.
Obi adjusted his shield "You really think someone's going to rush you mid-raid?"
Zack shrugged and said, "It's better to be safe than sorry."
They moved. Haze and Obi stood firm, intercepting stray projectiles from desperate guilds trying to land hits.
The boss's HP crashed down — 90k… 60k.
Players swarmed like ants, throwing everything they had.
Zack's raised his staff and used all the buff skills in his arsenal, then used his strongest attack: Chain Lightning.
[Skill: Chain Lightning II Activated]
–1,630! –1,530!
[Skill activated : Momentum Shift II ] — Resets cooldowns of non-ultimate skills.
→ Instantly resets the cooldown of the used non-ultimate skill.
→ Each reset grants +10 to Main Stat for 20 sec | Cooldown: 80 sec
Then arcane surge for the guaranteed critical's.
Critical Hit!
–3,130! Critical!–3,330! Critical!
[Boss HP: 5425 → 0]
The Leviathan let out a single, distorted roar before its health bar evaporated.
[System Alert] Boss Defeated!
[You Dealt the Final Blow!]
Zack's system pinged him.
The others got the system ping half a second later.
Back in Gaia City – Present
Now, sitting on the steps of the trade plaza, the afterglow had finally settled in.
After stuffing his inventory with everything he swindled out of Zack, Obi elbowed him. "So, oh wise one, when do I get my first lesson in the Secret Vultari Arts? Asking for a very traumatized friend."
Zack could only sigh and wait, only Rin had the patience and nerve to handle this one.
Haze, who had been quietly observing until now, gave him another sidelong glance, still trying to figure out how their little guild managed to pick up a player like him.
Iris tilted her head, smile bright and unbothered.
"You know… if we weren't on your side, I'd assume you were the final boss."
PointAndShoot quipped. "For real. Back when Obi and I were grinding outside Gaia City, this guy walked up with a dagger and looked like some wannabe newbie Assassin itching for PvP. We almost jumped him on instinct.
Unfortunately we missed the opportunity, at that time we would likely have defeated him easily but it turned out he had become a field boss masquerading as a priest."
Zack had no idea how to respond to that.
If anything, the truth was almost disappointing. None of this was planned. Today had been pure luck, first-clear bonuses + buffs stacking up, timing the last hit after the patch, he couldn't replicate any of it on command.
He couldn't even pick new skills anymore.
They sat together, surprisingly composed amid the commotion unfolding in every chat channel. The world was falling apart, with accusations and rumors flying everywhere, yet their small group was grinning like fools.
Eventually, PointAndShoot leaned in closer. "Okay, Haze. Quit keeping us in the dark."
Iris nodded enthusiastically. "Yah— let us see the loot already."
Haze sighed, though a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She opened her inventory and shared the loot.