Isaac was farming solo while Red Team worked together in their own squad. After just two and a half hours, a golden light flared beneath his feet.
Level up!
[Character Bound: Isaac]
[Race: Special Sturdy · Special Agile · Special Robust Hyenaman]
[Quality (Star 2 — Maxed): Base Strength, Agility, Constitution +100%]
[Level: 9 (Progress: 48/100000)]
Isaac blinked at the number.
"Wait, 50,000 XP to go from 8 to 9, but now it's 100,000 to reach level 10?!"
"Damn, that's double. Something big must happen at level 10…"
Well, it wasn't like he was the only one grinding that much XP. No point complaining.
[Strength: 32 (26+6)]
[Agility: 34 (26+8)]
[Constitution: 32 (26+6)]
[Attack: 57–63]
[Defense: 28 (13+15)]
[Health: 1150 (920+230)]
[Talent: "Inferior/Hyena Bloodline" (Tier 2): 14% chance of double damage on basic attacks]
[Talent Evolution Shards: 0/80 (Tier 3)]
[Quality Evolution Points: 0/80 (Star 3)]
[Monster Reputation: 38]
[Legion Recruitment Order (Three-Unit): 38/2000]
"Hah! Over 60 attack and 1100 health now!"
Every level-up gave Isaac a very real power spike.
He still had a dozen Tier 3 Talent Shards and six Star 3 Points unallocated, along with a pile of Star 1 and 2 materials. He hadn't used them yet, since those low-level mats might still be needed for leveling up new recruits later.
"Having my own squad makes leveling so much faster," Isaac said with a grin.
He was also curious if he'd be able to access cultivation abilities once he hit level 10—spells, spirit powers, and the like.
Of course, Isaac couldn't walk into the level 10 capital. There were probably NPC guards there that'd turn him to mush. But there was still hope: the Reputation Shop.
"Once I hit 10, I'll exchange more reputation and see if I can unlock anything new."
While leveling, Isaac noticed strange activity in the distance—three to four hundred meters out, near the foot of the slope. Occasionally, he could even hear voices.
"Damn… are top-tier players reaching this far already?" He quickly pushed to level 9 before investigating.
With Red Team trailing behind, Isaac cautiously headed toward the noise. As he got closer, he signaled them to wait and crept ahead alone.
Soon, he found several loot bags lying around—right next to level 6 and 7 Hyenaman corpses.
"Huh? Players have been farming here?" he muttered. "But why would anyone leave loot like this? Rich bastards?"
Curious, Isaac looted a body—and found several healing potions.
"Thirteen healing potions? Hell yeah!"
But something didn't feel right.
"Wait a sec… monsters don't drop healing potions!"
Then it clicked.
These weren't monster drops. They were player death drops.
In Celestia: The Eternal Realms, players under level 10 had beginner protection. They didn't lose money or gear upon dying—but they did drop their potions.
Which meant…
"Someone died here. Several people, probably."
When a player died, their body vanished and returned to the village, but any dropped potions would remain behind as a lootable bag.
And judging by the looks of it, no one had returned to claim them.
"Must've gotten wiped and decided not to risk it again…"
Isaac explored further and found even more loot scattered around densely packed Hyenaman areas.
He wasn't worried about aggro, so he casually swept the place clean.
"Damn… even more potions. Why do players keep coming here if they can't handle the mobs?"
By the end of his scavenging spree, Isaac had scored 49 healing potions.
"Jackpot! I was just wondering how I'd restock on these…"
As he ventured into an open area—less level 7s here, more level 5s and 6s—he was about to head back when he heard voices behind him.
"Whoa! We found the BOSS!"
"Wait… that's not Quinn, right? This Hyenaman doesn't even have a name…"
"Yeah, but look at the prefix—'Special Sturdy · Special Agile · Special Robust'? That's three prefixes, man. If that's not a boss, what is?!"
Isaac blinked and glanced up at his own name.
No doubt about it. He was the "boss" they were talking about.
There was no other Hyenaman nearby with that ridiculous three-prefix name.
"Oh my god, maybe he is Greedy Daffino! Look—he's holding Cragstone! And those are leather shoulders!"
Isaac looked down at the Cragstone Hyenaman Club in his hand…
Then at his leather shoulderpads…
"…Well, crap. That's basically evidence right there."
"It's him! That's Greedy Daffino!"
Isaac blinked rapidly.
He turned and saw a group of five approaching: their leader, Crimson Pact White Jack, and his teammates—Muscleman, Seductress, BruiserBear, and IronHawk.
Apparently, they were from the Crimson Pact guild.
Not a bad crew. On par with AishaDoll's team, maybe even a little stronger. All five were level 5, each holding a basic Hyenaman Club.
"Ha! Jackpot!" White Jack's eyes lit up. "We finally found the boss!"
"Cragstone's not gonna be LoneMadness's exclusive anymore!"
"If we can get just a couple of these drops, we'll leap ahead of every other guild in the newbie village!"
"This guy's level 10 though… can we really take him?" IronHawk asked hesitantly.
"Don't chicken out. This is tough, yeah—but we're veterans. If we manage our cooldowns and play smart, we've got a shot," said White Jack, eyes locked onto Isaac.
"Exactly. LoneMadness might be level 6 at best. If he can do it, why not us?" BruiserBear chimed in.
Seductress—who, honestly, didn't live up to her name—tilted her head flirtatiously and cooed, "Aw, scared now, IronHawk? We're one of the top teams in the village. A wild boss like this? Cakewalk."
IronHawk snorted. "Scared? Nah. Just cautious."
Isaac wanted to tell them: Guys, I'm not Greedy Daffino.
But something told him that speaking up would cause even more chaos.
He was a monster, after all. Time to play the part.
"Alright everyone, listen up," White Jack barked. "This fight is crucial to our guild's early momentum. Let's go all out."
"Crimson Pact is the best!"
"Damn right we are!"
"Potions ready. Track cooldowns. Share the aggro—no dedicated tank. Don't kite into other mobs!"
"BruiserBear, start the pull!"