Morning light spilled over Dawnlight Fields, washing the grasslands in gold.
A fresh SYSTEM chime rang across the village as we gathered near the western gates.
[New SYSTEM Update: Field Bosses Unleashed]
Regional Field Bosses now active. First Clear Rewards Available. Warning: Contested targets. No kill ownership until final strike confirmed.
Rayne let out a low whistle.
"Now that sounds like trouble."
Tessa frowned, adjusting her grip on her spear.
"Or opportunity."
Kale just nodded, his shield already strapped tightly to his arm.
And me?
I smiled slightly.
Finally, I thought. Something we can sink our teeth into.
We weren't the only ones paying attention.
All across the plaza, players buzzed like hornets stirred from their nest — shouting, scrambling to form temporary alliances, arguing over who would rush where first.
It was the first real arms race.
And the smart players knew it.
First clears meant recognition. Influence. Silver. Better gear drops.
And more importantly?
Momentum.
If we wanted to stay ahead — to stay relevant once the big guilds fully mobilized — we couldn't afford to wait.
We had to move now.
I pulled up the regional map.
[Field Boss Active: Direhorn Alpha]
Location: Greyhorn Plains
Level: 10
Status: Unclaimed
Recommended Party Size: 4–6
Rayne leaned over my shoulder, whistling again.
"Level ten? We're what, average level seven?"
"Six and a half," Kale corrected dryly.
Tessa smirked.
"Sounds about right for us."
I grinned.
It would be close.
Tight.
Exactly what we needed.
We left the village at a brisk pace, cutting across the rolling fields toward Greyhorn Plains.
The grass grew wilder the farther we traveled — knee-high, studded with patches of thorny bramble and skeletal trees.
Other player parties moved in the same direction — scattered groups of two, three, sometimes five — but no massive mobs yet.
Good.
We still had a chance to claim it before the chaos fully descended.
The Greyhorn Plains was a shallow depression in the land, surrounded by broken stone pillars and cracked earth.
And at its center, grazing calmly among the rubble, was a monster straight out of a nightmare.
The Direhorn Alpha.
A massive boar-like beast, its entire body encased in thick, jagged plates of gray-black armor.
Two curling tusks jutted from its snout, each longer than a full-grown man.
Even from a distance, you could feel the weight of its presence.
It wasn't just another monster.
It was a force of nature.
[Direhorn Alpha – Level 10 Field Boss]
Status: Neutral (Aggressive if Provoked)
Rayne flexed his fingers around his daggers.
"Well. That looks perfectly safe."
Tessa was already studying the terrain, noting the narrow approach paths and scattered boulders.
"Wide arcs. We'll need to kite it, not face it head-on."
Kale knelt, testing the ground.
"Soft earth. We might be able to slow it down if we force it through the marsh pockets."
I smiled.
Smart.
They were learning fast.
"We don't win by brute force," I said quietly. "We win by bleeding it down piece by piece."
Rayne grinned.
"I like the sound of that."
We approached carefully, spreading out into a loose semicircle.
Kale took point, shield raised.
Tessa moved left, spear at the ready.
Rayne drifted right, staying in the beast's blind spot.
I hung back slightly, waiting for the opening.
Kale slammed his shield against his sword once — a loud metallic clang.
The Direhorn Alpha lifted its massive head, snorting.
For a long, frozen moment, it just stared at us.
Then it charged.
The ground shook.
The Direhorn moved with terrifying speed for something its size, kicking up clouds of dust and broken stone.
Kale braced, shield planted firmly — the classic tank anchor.
The impact was brutal.
A thunderous crack echoed across the Plains as beast and shield collided.
Kale staggered but held.
Barely.
[Kale – Minor Concussion Applied]
Tessa was already moving, darting in to jab at the Direhorn's exposed flanks.
[38 Damage Dealt!]
Rayne slashed at the hind legs, trying to hamstring it.
[28 Damage Dealt!]
I moved carefully, positioning myself at its far right — waiting for the opening.
The Direhorn bellowed and swung its massive tusks in a sweeping arc.
Tessa danced back.
Rayne tumbled clear.
Kale absorbed another brutal impact, grunting under the force.
We chipped away.
Little by little.
Blood seeped through cracks in its armored hide — thick, black, and steaming.
But its health bar barely ticked down.
Then — chaos.
Another group of players arrived at the rim of the Greyhorn Plains.
Four of them, in mismatched gear, waving their weapons excitedly.
I recognized them instantly.
Opportunists.
Players who waited for others to weaken bosses — then swooped in to steal the kill.
Rayne saw them too, spitting a curse.
"Vultures."
"They'll wait until it's low," Tessa muttered. "Then try to tag the last hit."
Kale grunted, steadying himself.
I narrowed my eyes.
No way in hell.
"Focus fire on the legs," I snapped. "Slow it down. Make it bleed faster."
We adjusted instantly.
Tessa aimed low, targeting joints.
Rayne switched to hamstring attacks exclusively.
I triggered Quickstep, blinking forward in a controlled burst, slashing deep into a weakened seam near the beast's rear.
[Critical Hit! 72 Damage Dealt!]
The Direhorn roared, staggering.
Movement slower.
Charge patterns sloppier.
Exactly what we needed.
The opportunist party moved closer.
Weapons drawn.
Watching.
Waiting.
I gritted my teeth, heart pounding.
One mistake — one kill steal — and we'd lose everything.
The Direhorn reared up on its hind legs for a devastating stomp attack — telegraphed but deadly.
Kale, battered and bleeding, raised his shield one last time.
Tessa moved into position for a desperate flank.
Rayne slipped behind, daggers flashing.
And me?
I watched the opening widen.
Then triggered Quickstep again — the world snapping into hyperfocus — and launched a savage upward slash at the Direhorn's exposed underbelly.
[Critical Hit! Fatal Strike!]
The beast shuddered violently —
collapsed —
and exploded into a shower of golden light.
The SYSTEM roared in triumph.
[Field Boss Defeated: Direhorn Alpha – First Clear Bonus Awarded!]
1,800 EXP, 50 Silver, Item Drop: Direhorn Plate Greaves (Uncommon) Item Drop: Field Ration Pack (Restores Health/Mana over time)
The opportunists froze — too late — too slow.
Tessa laughed aloud, wiping blood from her forehead.
Rayne pumped a fist.
Kale sagged slightly in relief.
And me?
I just exhaled slowly.
We'd earned it.
Every inch.
I picked up the loot — heavy iron-plated greaves with Direhorn motifs — and a rare Field Ration supply, crucial for early dungeon runs.
Solid rewards.
Solid momentum.
Exactly what we needed to stay ahead.
As we gathered ourselves, another SYSTEM message flickered into view — darker, heavier.
[Warning: Wilderness Zones Will Open in 48 Hours]
Full PvP Combat Enabled. Guild Territory Wars Activated.
Tessa read it aloud, voice grim.
Rayne's grin sharpened.
Kale simply tightened the strap on his shield.
And me?
I smiled.
Not out of arrogance.
Not out of recklessness.
But because I finally understood.
The easy days were over.
Now it was survival. Now it was war.