When two skills triggered a mutation upgrade at the same time, Thomas couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. He quickly opened his skill panel to check the results.
[Sneak]
Type: Skill
Grade: Level 1, LV3 (0/300)
Effect 1: Enter stealth mode with superb concealment abilities, making you invisible for 16 seconds. Movement speed +16%. The stealth will break upon attacking or being attacked.
Effect 2: Invisibility-breaking attack damage +100% (Skill Mutation Effect)
Cost: 40 Mana
Cooldown: 40 seconds
[Theft]
Type: Skill
Grade: Level 1, LV6 (0/600)
Effect: Attempt to steal from a target with a 12% success rate. Bound items cannot be stolen.
Cost: 20 Mana
Cooldown: 20 seconds
"The chance of stealing has reached 12%!" Thomas grinned.
Based on the previous upgrade patterns, a LV6 Theft skill should normally have only a 6% success rate. Clearly, the skill mutation had boosted it further.
"Perfect! Time to head into the wild!"
Thomas let out a long breath, his eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint. After practicing his skills for over half an hour, it was time to test them out on real prey.
Of course, he wasn't interested in farming ordinary monsters anymore. "If you're going to step out, aim for elite monsters or even bosses!"
With that thought, Thomas left the Bouncing Rabbit zone and headed toward the deeper wilderness beyond the outskirts of town.
"Oh my God, look! It's Brother Lutu! He finally gave up!"
"Haha, that fool is still level 0!"
"I'm dying over here. Didn't I say beating rabbits won't get you anywhere?"
Nearby players laughed mockingly as Thomas left. Apparently, during his training, they had given him the nickname "Brother Lutu" in the chat because of how long he'd spent in the beginner area.
Thomas only rolled his eyes. "Just wait. Soon, you'll see how terrifying I can be!"
Without responding to the jeers, he quietly left the area.
As he moved farther from Crimson Capes Town, the monsters around him grew progressively stronger — from level 1 to level 2, and then to level 3.
Thomas made a point of avoiding conflict as much as possible. If he couldn't sneak past a monster, he'd simply activate stealth and slip by unnoticed.
Thanks to his upgraded stealth, now at LV4, low-level monsters couldn't detect him at all.
After about twenty minutes of careful maneuvering—
[You are entering Maple Forest. Please proceed with caution.]
The system notification popped up as Thomas stepped into a new leveling zone.
The map revealed that monsters here were around level 5.
Suddenly, loud voices echoed through the woods.
"This Shadow Panther boss belongs to our Tyrannical Guild! Anyone who dares interfere will be chopped up!"
"We found this mini-boss first! It's ours!"
"Tough luck! We have more people. Deal with it!"
Curious, Thomas crept closer.
Through the gaps in the trees, he spotted two groups of players locked in a fierce standoff. A guild—with all players marked by the "Tyrannical" tag—had overwhelmed a team of ten solo players.
It wasn't long before the solo players were either dead or running for their lives.
At the center of the clearing, the Tyrannical Guild members, under the leadership of a sneaky-looking youth named "Peter", refocused their attention on a ferocious black panther.
Thomas stayed hidden under a thick tree, his body blending perfectly with the shadows.
[Mutated Shadow Leopard - LV5]
Type: Iron-tier BOSS
HP: 18455/30000
Attack Power: 200
Skills: Shadow Strike, Cheetah Assault, Savage Bite, Double Strike
Description: A mutated, ultra-aggressive version of the Shadow Leopard.
"Level 5 mini-boss, high health, heavy attack power... one swipe and I'm toast."
Thomas grinned mischievously. Fortunately, these players had already engaged the boss, saving him the trouble of wearing it down.
He knew from gaming experience that "probability-based skills" like theft had better success when used on weaker targets. If these players could bleed the boss down to critical health, his chances of stealing something valuable would shoot up.
And if they noticed afterward? Well, Thomas wasn't afraid of a little chaos.
The battle grew fiercer by the minute.
The Tyrannical Guild showed excellent teamwork. Twenty-seven players strong, most were level 3, while Peter and a few elites had already reached level 4.
Following Peter's orders, the frontline warriors and shield-bearers took turns taunting the boss and absorbing its blows. Meanwhile, swordsmen and thieves darted in to deal damage, archers and mages rained attacks from a distance, and priests worked hard to keep everyone shielded and healed.
Small numbers floated continuously above the Shadow Leopard:
-1
-1
-12
-14
MISS!
The damage wasn't huge, but it was steady. And without any significant healing abilities, the boss's HP was slowly but surely chipped away.
Time trickled by.
Thomas licked his lips in anticipation.
"They're doing good work. Now, it's my turn."
He noted that the Shadow Leopard's health had dipped below 10%.
Thomas rubbed his hands together eagerly. His current stealth lasted for 16 seconds, and thanks to cooldown reduction, he could stealth again every 10 seconds.
This meant he could attempt two thefts before anyone noticed—if he played it right.
"Let's go!"
When he was still a fair distance from the battle, Thomas activated "Sneak".
Immediately, his figure blurred and disappeared into the forest shadows.
He circled around the Tyrannical Guild's flank, moving like a whisper.
The Shadow Leopard, though ferocious, showed a flicker of wariness, sensing another presence. But it had no chance to react, overwhelmed by the guild's furious attacks.
Thomas approached the boss from behind and activated "Theft"—
Failure!
"Tch."
He didn't panic. With a 12% success rate, it wasn't surprising. Especially considering he was lower level and this was a boss monster.
"It's fine. I have another shot."
The battle raged on. The Shadow Leopard now had barely 3% of its HP left.
Ten seconds passed.
Time for the second attempt.
Thomas lunged forward and activated "Theft" again.
[Successful Theft! Skill Proficiency +20!]
[You have acquired hidden equipment: 'Shadow Blade' x1!]
Thomas nearly burst out laughing!
He quickly retreated several steps into the brush, staying hidden.
The "Shadow Blade" sounded like a rare drop. Boss-exclusive gear!
But now wasn't the time to gawk.
The Shadow Leopard roared one final time before collapsing under the guild's relentless assault.
Peter led his group to crowd around the boss's corpse, eagerly examining the loot.
"Damn it! Only dropped two pieces of equipment?"
"Yeah, what the hell. Where's the hidden drop?"
Peter cursed and kicked the dead boss.
Meanwhile, Thomas crouched hidden in the shadows, smiling like a thief in the night.
"You idiots will never know that the real treasure is already in my pocket!"
Checking his bag quickly, he found the "Shadow Blade":
[Shadow Blade]
Type: Dagger
Attack: +35
Special Effect: +8% attack speed, +5% critical strike chance
Requirement: Level 5
Description: A dagger made from the shadows. Increases stealth abilities slightly when equipped.
This weapon was clearly designed for an assassin class like Thomas!
It would greatly boost both his DPS and his ability to move unseen.
At this point, Thomas couldn't hold back his excitement.
"This trip was so worth it!"
He waited for a few more minutes until the Tyrannical Guild members packed up and left, grumbling.
Then, like a ghost, Thomas slipped out of the forest, leaving no trace.
In the darkened woods, a quiet laugh echoed faintly.
In the game "Crimson Capes," a new legend was beginning to take shape — one that would send shockwaves through all the major guilds.
A lone figure, unseen and untouchable, stealing victory right out from under their noses.
And his name... was Thomas.