Player A: "Are you for real? How is someone that lucky? Why does this crap never happen to me?"
Player B: "What level are you, man?"
Player A: "20."
Player B: "That's not bad, but the Guild Creation Token only drops from Level 30+ Silver BOSSES. You think you can take one of those down?"
Player A: "…"
Player B: "Yeah, exactly. Don't sit around waiting for a miracle. You gotta put in the work. They say luck is preparation meeting opportunity, so you gotta—"
Player A: "Oh, shut up. Who made you a life coach? Get off my back!"
—-
Marcus quickly stashed the Guild Creation Token in his inventory. This thing was a treasure. He had zero interest in running a guild himself, but selling this bad boy was going to net him an absolute fortune.
He could just imagine the top players on the Leaderboards hearing that announcement; a mix of pure shock and bitter frustration. But that was their problem, not his.
He turned his attention back to the Golden Werewolf Cabaro's corpse. It was a Golden BOSS, for crying out loud. There was no way it dropped only one single item.
No doubt about it. Marcus was absolutely right. Under his sharp gaze, he could see two more incredible drops.
Cabaro's Gauntlets: Golden equipment. Requirement: Level 30. Effect unknown, cannot be equipped.
Cabaro's Greaves: Golden equipment. Requirement: Level 30. Effect unknown, cannot be equipped.
What a lucky break. After days of grinding the third level of Black Rock Spire, taking down the Werewolf Cabaro once a day, he'd finally pieced together almost the entire set. That first kill had netted him Cabaro's Greataxe and Boots, and since then he'd managed to get the Tunic and the Wolf Helm. Now he had the full Cabaro set, and every piece was Golden-tier.
Once he hit Level 30 and suited up in the full set, he was going to turn some serious heads. He almost felt like he owed the Werewolf Cabaro a thank-you card. Since the beast had been so damn generous, the least Marcus could do was clean up. He turned to the corpse and activated his Gathering skill.
"Ding! Congratulations, Player Stonehaven, you have gathered the Darkfire Crystal. Gathering proficiency has increased."
A Darkfire Crystal? Sounded valuable. His Gathering skill had jumped a decent chunk, too. He pulled up the item info.
Darkfire Crystal: Advanced Gem. A mystical gem the Werewolf Cabaro stumbled upon, containing immense energy. It has wide-ranging uses, but its specific effects require appraisal.
"Hell yeah," he muttered to himself. This was definitely a win.
"Cheep... cheep..."
"What's up, buddy?"
"Cheep, cheep..."
Just as he was admiring the crystal, his pet; Phoenix Chick, started chirping nonstop. He asked the little bird what was wrong, but of course, pets couldn't understand human language, let alone talk back. Phoenix Chick just kept chirping, fluttering its wings and circling around him.
Marcus looked at Phoenix Chick. The chick's fiery red eyes were locked onto the Darkfire Crystal in his hand, and its chirps were getting more and more insistent.
"What is it? You like this thing? Don't tell me you can appraise a gem. Alright, fine, take a look."
He held the Darkfire Crystal out toward Phoenix Chick, feeling a surge of pride. Finding a high-grade gem like this was definitely something to show off, even to his pet.
"Phoenix Chick, you—"
'You have got to be kidding me.'
The second Marcus extended the crystal, Phoenix Chick let out a sharp "cheep!", stretched its neck, and pecked at the gem. He thought it was just inspecting it, but before he could react, the chick swallowed the Darkfire Crystal whole. He was completely dumbstruck.
He was about to lose his mind. The Darkfire Crystal! An Advanced Gem! That thing would have been perfect for forging a killer weapon or some other high-end craft. And just like that, it was gone, eaten by a bird.
As he was stewing in his frustration, Phoenix Chick's body began to shudder violently. Its fiery red feathers puffed up, and a light, black shot through with gold, erupted from within its small body. It looked a lot like the aura Cabaro had when it was evolving.
'See? Indigestion. That's what you get for eating things you're not supposed to.'
But looking closer, the black-and-gold light coming from Phoenix Chick was a little different. At the same time, a scarlet flame ignited around the chick, gradually merging with the other energy. The combined power pulsed and swirled, coursing through Phoenix Chick's small frame.
The whole process took over twenty minutes. Marcus used the time to clear out several respawned waves of Skeleton Warriors and Bloodlust Worms. Finally, Phoenix Chick settled down, the scarlet flames and black-gold light fading away.
Phoenix Chick let out a long, clear cry that was nothing like its previous chirps. Its body was noticeably larger now, its feathers fuller. When it spread its wings, they were twice their original size. And the bright red feathers had changed, now streaked with threads of black light, settling into a deep, mesmerizing crimson-black.
'Wait, did Phoenix Chick just… evolve?' Marcus was stunned.
"Ding! Congratulations, Stonehaven, your pet Phoenix Chick has leveled up! It is now Level 13. Health increased by 50, Mana increased by 50, Attack increased by 30, Defense increased by 30."
"Ding! Congratulations, Stonehaven, your pet Phoenix Chick has leveled up! It is now Level 14. Health increased by 50, Mana increased by 50, Attack increased by 30, Defense increased by 30."
"Ding! Congratulations, Stonehaven, your pet Phoenix Chick has leveled up! It is now Level 15. Health increased by 50, Mana increased by 50, Attack increased by 30, Defense increased by 30."
"Ding! Congratulations, Player Stonehaven, your pet Phoenix Chick has successfully evolved into a Darkfire Phoenix! Health increased by 500, Mana increased by 500, Attack increased by 200, Defense increased by 100. It now possesses the Dark attribute, and its future growth will follow the Darkfire Phoenix attribute curve."
"Ding! Congratulations, Player Stonehaven, your Darkfire Phoenix has reached Level 15 and has learned the skills Sea of Darkfire and Dark Absorption."
It was true. His pet had actually evolved.
No freaking way. Phoenix Chick had evolved. This was insane, completely reckless, and the luckiest break he'd ever had.
The success rate for pet evolution was one in tens of millions, and he'd just… stumbled into it. He couldn't believe it. He quickly pulled up the stats for Phoenix Chick—no, for the Darkfire Phoenix.
Darkfire Phoenix: Level 8 Advanced Pet. Possesses Fire and Dark attributes, with extremely high growth potential.
Level: 15
Health: 1450
Mana: 1450
Attack: 750
Defense: 650
Loyalty: 100
Skills: Ember Shot, Fire Arrow, Sea of Darkfire, Dark Absorption.
Sea of Darkfire: Intermediate Active Skill. Area-of-Effect Attack. Unleashes a sea of fire to burn opponents, dealing 100 Fire damage and 100 Dark damage. Attack Range: 5 meters. Fire Sea Area: 1 square meter. Duration: 20 seconds.
Dark Absorption: Passive Skill. Beginner. Absorbs 20% of Fire-type damage.
What kind of monster pet was this? It was completely broken! At only Level 15, it was already more powerful than Marcus himself, a Level 27 powerhouse.