"Boss, how'd you level so fast?" Leo gushed. Lucas's rank seemed impossible.
"Trade secret. Where are you?"
"Blossom Plains Level 1 area. It's a zoo—big guilds are camping all the mobs," Leo complained.
"Wait at the city gate. I'll take you power-leveling," Lucas said.
Leo hesitated. Lucas was Level 4; dragging a Level 1 would slow him down. But Lucas's firm tone left no room for argument: "Hurry up. It won't delay me."
Lucas had planned this—he could quest and level Leo simultaneously, no hassle.
As Lucas waited, his gaze sharpened. A faint blur flickered to his right—an invisible Rogue. He circled casually, confirming the stalker's intent. "A Level 1 Rogue hiding from a Level 4? Pathetic."
He ignored the pest and headed for the gate. Killing wasn't allowed in cities, but he'd deal with it soon.
Leo was already there, sitting on the drawbridge. New players streamed past in plain white cloth armor—pink dresses for females—looking drab.
Then a player in bronze gear, wielding a spiral-tipped sandalwood staff and a blue cloak, appeared. The crowd stared, murmuring in awe.
"That gear's insane!" "Looks like full Bronze… maybe a Silver weapon?"
Leo admired the player—until a message from Lucas popped up: "I'm at the gate. I'm the one with the spiral staff."
Leo gaped. He waved frantically: "Boss, over here!" The onlookers' gaze shifted to him, making his chest swell with pride.
"Impressed by the gear?" Lucas joked, slinging an arm over his shoulder. Leo nodded eagerly: "What tier is that weapon? It's awesome!"
Lucas shared the Firestarter Staff's stats: Gold-tier, +10 Intelligence, +24 Fire Damage, 12% Crit Chance. Leo's jaw dropped. Bronze weapons sold for 500 Credits on the market—Gold-tier was unheard of.
"Want a matching Warrior set?" Lucas asked. Leo shook his head, intimidated: "It's too expensive."
"Trust me—I'll get you one soon," Lucas said.
As they walked, Lucas glanced back. The Rogue from earlier was sprinting toward the gate, then vanished into invisibility behind a wall. He messaged his leader: "Kael, I found him at the gate. What's next?"
In Giant's Hamlet's Level 2 area, Kael—leader of the ruthless guild Black Blood—slit a player's throat, his name bright red with murder. He grinned: "Stay on him. I'm sending Gareth's team to take him out."
Kael had sworn revenge after Lucas humiliated him that morning. Stuck with a red name—barred from using Hearthstones—he'd tasked his scouts in Blossom Plains to track Lucas down.
Lucas led Leo at a leisurely pace, chatting as they crossed the Level 3 mob zone. At the edge of Level 4 territory, he stopped.
"Boss? Are we leveling here?" Leo asked.
"No," Lucas said coldly. "This is where I'll kill them." He spun and cast Fire Blast at the empty air.
The hidden Rogue's fate was sealed—but five deadlier foes were closing in fast.