The couple, a man named Grant and a woman named Maya, moved through the woods with a misplaced confidence. Grant was a Warrior, tall and sturdy at 1.8 meters, while Maya followed as his Priest, clutching a crude staff. It was a classic tank-and-healer duo, much like the dynamic Silas and Lucia had shared in their previous life.
"Stay close" Grant boasted, stepping forward. "If anything jumps out, I'll-"
A sudden whoosh of air cut him short.
Before either could react, two thick, pale strands of silk lashed out from the canopy, snaring them both and slamming them against a tree. Descending slowly from the branches was a nightmare: a two-meter-tall, obsidian-black arachnid covered in hundreds of unblinking eyes.
"God... what is that?!" "A spider! Help! Get it off me!"
[The Breeder (Level 1)]
Rank: Bronze (Mini-Boss)
Silas watched from the deep shadows, his breathing shallow and controlled. To most players, this was a death sentence, a Bronze mini-boss usually possessed between 1,500 and 2,000 HP, far beyond the reach of any novice. But to Silas, it was a goldmine. Slaying a Boss-class organism guaranteed a 100% drop rate for Evolution Points.
He didn't move to help them. He didn't even flinch when the "Breeder" signaled its brood.
A rustling sound filled the trees as dozens of smaller, pitch-black spiders, each with legs a meter long, scuttled toward the trapped couple.
[Breeder Spawn (Level 1)]
Rank: Common
The "strong and steady" Grant was now a trembling wreck. The silk was too tough; at their current levels, they didn't have the Strength to break free. They could only scream as the spiderlings swarmed over them, their fangs sinking into soft tissue.
"Aaaagh!"
Damage numbers flooded the air above them. In seconds, their life force was snuffed out, collapsing into grey-white orbs of lifespan that the spiders began to greedily consume.
Now.
A cold flash of silver cut through the silver moonlight. Silas erupted from the void, his Scrap Iron Dagger driving deep into one of the Breeder's massive primary eyes.
-338! (Weak Point Critical)
The Breeder screeched, its hundreds of eyes swiveling to lock onto Silas. But before its silk-glands could fire, Silas had already vanished. He had stepped back into the "Arbiter's" veil, disappearing from its perception entirely.
The beast stood confused, its mandibles clicking in fury. Its spiderlings continued to feast on the couple's remains, oblivious.
Twenty-six seconds later, the "Phantom" returned.
Silas appeared on the Breeder's flank, the blade dancing across another cluster of eyes.
-338! (Weak Point Critical)
Again, he vanished. The Breeder was down to half health and losing its mind. It began a frantic, wide-area attack, spraying silk in every direction like a chaotic web-gun. This "Desperation Protocol" could wipe out a six-man team in seconds, but Silas had already retreated twenty meters away. He waited, calm and patient.
When the cloak refreshed, he stepped forward once more.
Strike.
-338!
The beast let out a final, guttural hiss and attempted to flee, scurrying up a nearby tree. Silas didn't chase it. He reached down and picked up a jagged, fist-sized stone.
In the God-Abandoned Game, every object had stats. This rock had a base Attack of 2.
Silas took aim and hurled the stone with the full force of his Agility and the +90 bonus from breaking stealth.
CRACK.
The stone caught the Breeder in its soft underbelly.
-279! (Weak Point Critical)
Even a rock became a lethal projectile when powered by the Shadow Cloak's bonus. Silas vanished again. The Breeder was now a broken mess, trying to crawl through the branches, but Silas appeared one last time, hurling a second stone.
THUD.
-279!
[You have slain 'The Breeder (Bronze-tier)'.][Gained 300 XP.][Congratulations! You have reached Level 2!][Congratulations! You have gained 2 Evolution Points!][Congratulations! You have unlocked the Shell Town Leaderboard and gained 1 Prestige Point!]
Across the minds of the 300+ players currently in Shell Town, a global system notification thundered:
[Player 'Shadow' has slain 'The Breeder (Bronze-tier)' and is the first to reach Level 2! The Shell Town Leaderboard is now officially unlocked!]
In the plaza, Plum and her team froze. Back at the resurrection point, the newly-revived Grant and Maya stared at the sky in shock.
The name "Shadow" was now burned into the consciousness of every survivor in the region. The hunt had only been active for minutes, and someone was already playing a completely different game.