Lightning Jump

Highreach Guard stared in utter shock. He had been mesmerized by Varek's flawless execution against the boss, missing the cloaked figure slipping through the shadows.

The assassin materialized out of the shadowy void right before their eyes, standing tall in menacing dark leather armor. A cold, suffocating murderous intent flooded the forest clearing.

"Glacial King! He's trying to steal the boss!" Guard shouted, his grip tightening on his shield.

Varek ignored the panicked tank. His gaze locked onto the intruder. The assassin casually spun his dark dagger, the very weapon that had cleanly deflected Varek's timed arrow moments prior. Pulling off a mechanical parry on the game's first day meant this guy wasn't an average player. The sheer killing intent radiating from his avatar felt heavy and practiced.

"Invite me to the party, and we'll split the boss loot," the assassin demanded, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

"No," Varek replied. His tone laced with unwavering finality.

The instant the rejection left his lips, the assassin vanished seamlessly back into stealth. The air rippled slightly before settling into stillness.

"What the hell? What does he mean by that?" Guard stammered, his shock giving way to arrogant irritation. "Just logged in and thinks he can steal a boss? Kid, I'm from Highreach Guild! I advise you to leave right now, or else..."

"Watch out!" Varek barked a sharp warning.

Before Guard could finish his threat, Varek's bowstring snapped. He fired an arrow toward the rogue's estimated trajectory.

He was a fraction of a split second too late.

The assassin materialized directly behind Highreach Guard, ruthlessly slashing his dagger across the armored warrior's throat.

A massive, crimson critical hit number exploded in the air.

-642

Bleeding.

-90

Guard's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. The burst of damage instantly drained his remaining health. He collapsed into the dirt, cleanly killed.

Back at the Novice Settlement's revival altar, Highreach Guard respawned with a pale flash of light. Watching his level drop and a piece of his level 5 equipment vanish, his worldview of the game shattered. He was a dedicated tank wearing solid armor, yet he had been deleted in a single strike. "What the hell? Did that guy just kill me in one shot?"

Back at the arena, Varek’s gaze sharpened into a predatory glare. For a level 8 assassin to bypass an elite tank's armor and deal over 600 damage, the killer possessed either rare early-game gear or powerful innate passives. A normal level 8 rogue would cap out around 80 attack power.

Unfazed by the lethal display, Varek watched the assassin gesture tauntingly before fading away into stealth once again.

"You want to show me your skills?" Varek sneered.

Relying on ten years of grueling, life-or-death gaming experience from his past life, Varek ignored the visual tricks. He tapped into his battle instincts. He listened to the rustling leaves and felt the subtle shift in the digital wind. He immediately nocked two arrows and loosed a rapid, predictive double-shot into a specific patch of shadows.

Whoosh!

The twin projectiles cut through the air, forcing the concealed assassin out of stealth. The rogue's eyes widened in sudden panic as his character model became visible.

Meanwhile, the Warped Treant King began regenerating its health. Varek ignored the beast.

He maintained a steady attack speed, unleashing a continuous barrage. The assassin desperately raised his small dagger, trying to block the incoming projectiles. However, the sheer, mathematical force of Varek's arrows—each one carrying over 500 points of raw damage—overwhelmed the rogue's fragile block mechanic.

After parrying multiple shots, the assassin's hands shook. His expression darkened. Forced into executing a desperate mid-air backflip to evade the onslaught, the assassin inadvertently left himself wide open to the sky.

"Seeking death!" Varek sneered coldly.

He calmly tracked the target and struck the airborne assassin squarely in the abdomen with a heavy shot.

-502

The massive impact shattered his momentum, juggling him in the air. A swift second shot pierced his chest, finishing him off before he even hit the ground. The assassin dissolved into white light, sent packing to the revival altar.

The brief but intense PvP skirmish came to a satisfying, abrupt end. Varek lowered his bow, his breathing steady and unbothered. Approaching the dissipating corpse, Varek noticed a glowing item left behind in the grass. He reached out and picked up the item, letting the game interface scan the gear's data into his personal inventory system.

[Brutal Boots (Elite)]

Level Requirement: 7

Effect 1: +0.5 Movement Speed

Effect 2: +1% Critical Chance

Durability: 100/100

Varek appreciated the added flat movement speed and critical chance they provided. Still, he internally noted with annoyance that pure attack speed was what he truly needed. To continuously and efficiently stack his health and basic attack damage via Heaven's Hand, he had to shoot faster. Every fraction of a second shaved off his draw time translated directly to a massive power spike in sustained combat. He quickly equipped the boots, feeling a subtle burst of swiftness wrap around his avatar's legs.

Returning his undivided focus to the wounded Warped Treant King, Varek dominated the remainder of the encounter. The colossal beast roared, attempting to cast its deadly, damage-reflecting Thorn Shield. Varek's precise, unrelenting archery flawlessly interrupted every single desperate attempt the boss made. Since the boss lacked the crowd-control immunity of higher-tier enemies, it was rendered helpless.

Within moments, the monstrous tree collapsed into a pile of shattered bark and glowing loot. The lingering tension in the forest air finally evaporated, replaced by the soothing, victorious chime of the game's completion sound.

Ding!

"You have defeated the Warped Treant King beyond your level. Experience points +8250."

"You are the first player to kill a boss. A server-wide announcement will be made. Do you wish to hide your character name?"

Prompted by the glowing system UI for securing the server's very first boss kill, Varek deliberately made a calculated choice. He selected "No."

He knew he needed to rapidly amass monumental global prestige and influence to eventually seize control of the world's resources and successfully confront the Alarite Star System invasion. Anonymity would only hinder his grand strategy.

Suddenly, a grand, server-wide announcement broadcasted the name "Glacial King" in golden text to all players online.

"Server-wide announcement: Congratulations to the player Glacial King for being the first to kill Warped Treant King. This announcement is made with the hope that all players will continue to strive forward."

Ding!

"Congratulations, you are the first player to kill a boss in Dusk of Divine Lords. You have received the following rewards: Attribute Points +50, Class Skill Book +1, Class Main Weapon +1, Gold +500."

Varek's lips curled into a deep smile. Without hesitation, he aggressively dumped all 50 attribute points directly into attack speed. He watched his status panel update, surging his firing rate to an unrivaled 2.13 arrows per second. Firing more than two shots every single second at his current level was mechanically game-breaking.

He then eagerly pulled out his new skill book and inspected it. The electric blue text hovered before his eyes, illuminating the clearing with its rare glow.

[Lightning Jump (Passive Skill): 1 Star]

Effect: Your basic attacks have a 50% chance to trigger Lightning Jump, chaining up to 10 nearby targets within a 66-foot radius. Lightning Jump damage is equal to 10% of your basic attack damage.

Cooldown: None.

Cost: None.

Proficiency: 0/1000.

Reading the tooltip, Varek's breath hitched. He ran the numbers in his head. If he leveled this skill up, would the damage scaling increase to 90%? Would the jump range expand, and would the target limit disappear?

Imagining the skill's future, infinitely scaling potential when paired with his true damage, Varek couldn't help but shiver with pure excitement. His single-target damage was already absurd; now, his only glaring tactical flaw of lacking efficient area-of-effect mob-clearing ability had been addressed.

Armed with his new area-of-effect capabilities and soaring attack speed, Varek was primed to dominate the farming zones. With this game-breaking combination secured on the very first day of the server's launch, the path ahead was crystal clear. The journey to the very pinnacle of Dusk of Divine Lords had officially begun.