Jill was a bit surprised, but still, Ethan's decision to side with another guild was his own choice. She couldn't force him, especially since LionArk had already left a bad impression on him.
Without finishing the wine she had brought, Jill said her goodbyes. In a day or two, she would leave Nile and return to Mavelard.
During that time, she wouldn't be able to focus her attention on Ethan anymore.
Ethan nodded. He didn't walk her to the door, but his eyes fell on the half-empty wine bottle she had left behind. Of course, he wasn't about to let that go to waste.
"When the time is right, I'll still come and join LionArk."
"You'd better hang on until that time comes."
He picked up the wine bottle and glass, then stood by the window and poured himself another drink.
Ethan enjoyed the cool night breeze and the peaceful silence, sipping the wine Jill had left for him.
The tournament was over. Players were starting to disperse and rest.
As time passed, the city center grew quieter, and only a few players still walked through the streets.
Ethan stopped drinking when the bell from the city's cathedral rang—it was midnight. The perfect time to test his luck with the Golden Gachapon.
If he failed, he'd just try again tomorrow, and the next day, until he got the best Soul Servant possible.
He left the inn and walked toward the city park. Unlike before, there wasn't a single player around doing gacha at this hour.
What could a beginner player even expect? Most of them probably didn't know this trick.
Ethan stood in front of the Golden Gachapon. With a light touch of his hand, the system panel appeared in front of him.
[Golden Gachapon]
[R: 60% || S-R: 40% || SS-R: 10% || SSS-R: 2%]
[1x Summon (Free)] [10x Summon (10x Golden Keys)]
For the first try, Ethan chose [1x Summon (Free)] to use the free gacha. Maybe his luck would come on the first pull.
A golden light shone from the Gachapon, bright enough to make Ethan squint. A glass orb rolled out—it was gray. Not a good sign.
"Just Soul Essence," Ethan muttered.
For the second time, he pressed the summon button again and waited. This time, the Golden Gachapon glowed longer than before.
In seconds, a new orb rolled out, its color enough to make Ethan grin. Maybe luck really did come from using that midnight bug.
[DING! Congratulations, you obtained a Soul Servant]
[Neryss Abyssborn (SR)]
Water element?
Ethan looked through the stats and abilities of the Soul Servant named Neryss Abyssborn.
To him, Neryss was a rare servant—probably one only a few people could get.
From the soul card he got, Ethan noticed two important abilities: Regen and Purify.
In big fights, stun and all kinds of debuffs can be deadly. If Neryss can purify all debuffs, she'll be a huge help.
Ethan was thrilled to get Neryss, especially since she was an SR-ranked Soul Servant.
With her power, he'd become even more unstoppable.
He tapped the [Deploy] button on Neryss's card, filling his second Soul Servant slot immediately.
The first servant—Maelis. The second—Neryss. Earth and Water.
A perfect combo for defense and survivability.
"It'll be even better if my three Soul Servants are a mix of Fire, Water, and Earth."
"That would give me the perfect balance."
On the other hand, if he focused on triple Earth, his defense would be like steel. Triple Water would give insane healing, and triple Fire would mean unmatched attack power.
I should collect more Soul Servants first and then decide which combination suits me best.
[DING! Congratulations, you have deployed a Soul Servant]
[ATK: 5204 || DEF: 4600]
"HAHA!"
"I knew it!"
"Soul Servants boost power and defense a lot, especially those above Rare rank."
Ethan was overjoyed. He never expected his strength to reach 5,204 points before even hitting level 50.
Not only his Base ATK, but also his Base DEF increased significantly thanks to Neryss's presence.
He could finally relax for a moment—his first big problem was solved.
Now he just had to wait for his PK status to disappear before leaving the southern region and heading to the central one.
Ethan opened his skill panel and studied it carefully. He could actually raise his skills up to level 25 now, but he remembered the Talent Quest.
There's no point wasting money on Skill Gems if I'll get a level boost from the Talent Quest later anyway.
The next Talent Quest will unlock when I reach level 55. I still have time—I need to prepare.
Still, his attention shifted to a small replace symbol on the top right corner of the skill circle.
He just realized that after passing level 40, he could replace his default skill with another one of his choice.
Skill Tokens are only sold in the central cities. I doubt beginner cities like Ascardan, Estelle, or Nile have them.
All my problems will be solved once I reach the central region—that's where the strong players are.
"This boost is pretty big. I should go back and—"
"HELP ME!"
Ethan's words were suddenly cut off by a woman's scream coming from the street. He narrowed his eyes—the sound was clear even from the park.
The quiet night and his sharp awareness made it easy for him to pick it up.
He summoned his sword and moved quietly, hiding in a narrow alley close to the direction of the scream.
Peeking from behind a wall, he saw a female player being grabbed by three bulky, drunk men.
"Drunk?" Ethan whispered.
"Wait! Don't hurt my sister!"
Sister? Wait… are there siblings trapped in this game together?
He couldn't just stand by. Ethan stepped out of the alley, gripping his sword tightly as his killing aura spread.
The three men turned around—their faces flushed with alcohol, but they were sober enough to realize who they were looking at. Their eyes went wide in terror.
"T-That's the Reaper!"
"RUN!" one of them shouted.
The three cowards bolted down the street, leaving the young woman trembling on the ground.
Her clothes were torn, and she was wounded. A simple HP Potion would heal her completely.
The situation calmed down. Ethan dismissed his sword and walked closer, but the woman screamed in panic, tears streaming down her red eyes.
"Don't touch me, murderer!"
Her younger brother ran up and hugged her. Ethan stopped and watched them silently—the warmth of family, the bond between siblings.
It all felt so real, even inside a game.
Ah, right. I'm a murderer, after all.
A killer doesn't deserve to be called a hero.
Ethan sighed and materialized two HP Potions. With a wave of his hand, he sent them both to the siblings.
"T-Thank you, Ethan," the younger brother said, about sixteen years old.
"Level up quickly and join a guild. That's the best choice for both of you."
Without saying another word, Ethan turned and walked back toward the inn. His sword was gone, and his alertness faded as the quiet night returned.
I have to get rid of my PK status soon… then head to the central region.