Under normal circumstances, a Gold-tier Boss would drop 2 to 4 pieces of Silver-grade gear, with only a microscopic chance of dropping a single Gold-tier item.
But for Silas, the rules were different. Due to the Epic-tier Hand of Greed, every single piece of loot had its quality forcibly promoted by one rank. This turned the potential Silver haul into a guaranteed Gold harvest, with three items pushed even further into the Platinum-tier.
Silas meticulously sorted through the items. Three of the high-tier drops were specifically for the Assassin class.
The first was a set of dual blades that hummed with a spectral resonance.
[Wraith-Cutter Twin Blades (Platinum): Assassin Weapon]
Attack Power: +136
Agility: +22
Attack Speed: +24%
Armor Penetration: +17
Level Requirement: 5
Unique Effect [Spectral Echo]: Every basic attack deals damage twice.
"The unique effect is mediocre since my primary output is skill-based," Silas analyzed. "However, the base Attack Power is massive, and +22 Agility is a game-changer. The Attack Speed will also significantly reduce my skill animation lock, making my combos feel more fluid. Plus, that Armor Penetration is vital, it's why my damage felt so sluggish against the Ghost Ship's defense."
He immediately equipped the blades, feeling the surge of raw power in his hands. Next, he checked his new defensive layer.
[Soul-Wail Leather Armor (Gold): Chest Armor]
Physical Defense: +25
Fire Resistance: +50
Damage Block: +14
Max HP: +419
Level Requirement: 5
"Excellent," Silas noted. "The 'Damage Block' stat alone will make me nearly immune to standard Level 1-5 players. Since I haven't invested points into Vitality, my base HP was a fragile 350. This single piece of gear more than doubles my survivability."
Finally, he picked up a glowing skill manual.
[Ghost-Shadow Blur (Gold): Assassin Skill]
Type: Passive
Effect: Grants a flat 15% Evasion rate. Upon a successful dodge, you become immune to all damage for the next 0.5 seconds.
Silas's eyes lit up. This was the holy grail of Assassin survival. "In the God-Abandoned Game, 'Dodge-builds' are usually a trap because Evasion stats are hard to stack. But with my ability to evolve skills infinitely... even an 80% dodge rate isn't out of the question."
He looked at his 21 stored Evolution Points. He didn't hesitate. Offense was still the best defense; the faster he killed, the fewer chances he gave the enemy to strike.
He focused on Instant Shadow Slash.
[Consumed 3+5 Evolution Points. Remaining: 13.]
[Instant Shadow Slash (Platinum -> Emerald -> Diamond!)]
Blink Distance: 21m -> 27m
Stealth Duration: 7s -> 9s
Slashes: 5 -> 7
Slash Width: 3.1m -> 4.1m
Bonus Attack Power per Slash: 200 -> 300
The damage potential of the skill had effectively doubled. A full 7-hit combo with Backstab bonuses would now deal upwards of 6,000 to 7,000 damage. Even a Gold-tier Boss would be shredded in minutes.
With 13 points left, he turned to his basic mastery: Backstab Enhancement.
[Consumed 2+3+5 Evolution Points. Remaining: 3.]
[Skill: Backstab Enhancement (Common -> Gold!)]
Passive: Damage increased when attacking from behind: 15% -> 30%.
His combat efficiency was now a tier above any player on Earth. He checked his remaining inventory: a Platinum bow and a Platinum Priest manual.
"Platinum items are too valuable to sell for raw lifespan right now," Silas decided. "No one can afford the 5-to-10-year price tag yet. I'll hold onto them."
He still had seven or eight Gold-tier items. He planned to sell the Mage-specific gear to Lily (Black Dahlia) at a massive discount, honoring their deal, and because the Void-Anchor Ring he got from her was worth far more. The rest of the Warrior and Archer gear would go to Titan's team, even if they had to buy it on credit. He knew Titan was a man of his word.
Silas exited the marsh and opened a private channel.
Silas: "Lily, where are you?"
Lily: "I'm back at Shell Town. Tony Iron-Heart's guys caught me while you were fighting, and I got sent to the respawn point. Luckily, I gave all our tradeable lifespan to the Captain for safekeeping before I died."
Silas: "Good. I'm coming back now. I have your items."
As Silas slipped into the shadows to return to town, he saw Tony Iron-Heart leading another twenty men toward the swamp. Silas didn't even slow down; he viewed them as little more than wild animals waiting to be culled.
Moonlight Town: Riverspire Region
In another starter zone, Lucia was struggling. Even as a "Life Priest" hidden class, her team was barely scraping by against Level 2 mobs. But the team chat was buzzing with the global news.
"Did you hear? Shell Town is in our district! It's one of the Riverspire starters!"
"That means 'Shadow' is probably from our city in the real world!"
Lucia's eyes widened with greed and excitement. The "Shadow God," the world's #1 player, was her fellow citizen?
"Once someone in this town hits Level 5 and opens the portal," Lucia thought, looking at her bumbling, low-level teammates with utter disdain, "I'm going straight to Shell Town to find the Shadow. With my Hidden Class, he'll definitely want me on his team. We can ditch these losers and I can finally reach Fabian's level!"
She felt a surge of arrogance. In her mind, the "Shadow" was her destined partner, unaware that the "God" she worshipped was the brother she had just discarded like trash.