CHAPTER 35: HARDCORE ENJOYER

[Congratulations, you have slain an Elder-rank monster.]

Lucien’s eyes widened.

’It really was an Elder-rank.’

He’d expected it, but witnessing the confirmation still sent a shock through him.

Then more messages flooded in.

[You have received 29,780 Fusion Points]

[You have Leveled Up!]

[You have received an item]

[You have received an item]

[You have received a Divinity Fragment]

Lucien stared at the display, his face slowly twisting with dark, crushing realization.

One measly level... for a level 80, elder-rank monster?!

Lucien snarled.

"This is beyond moderate. This is straight-up selfish and evil."

He’d expected at least five levels from that kill, but all he got was one. Just one. Which equaled killing around eight elite ranks.

When he thought about it, one could just really go for killing the elder rank, granted the fact that it was incredibly difficult to kill.

Lucien nodded with a pale smile creeping across his face.

"I see... I see... I get it now. This is a hardcore game..."

He said it while chuckling like he’d just lost his soul. Thinking about how much harder it would get in the future made him want to quit.

And that was the point of it again!

That feeling was ethereal.

If Lucien had ever wanted to quit at anything, it was because the thing was too easy. But this game?

He’d always thought gaming was the easiest thing to do—simply because it was gaming. But being here like this was teaching him otherwise. It was so difficult, going to be far more difficult than passing that Industrial Physics exam that, even though it was completely useless and boring, he’d still managed to cram and score perfectly.

This one filled him with dread and fear of hardship, and that was exactly what he wanted, what thrilled him. The thought of triumphing against all odds was intoxicating.

He grinned. In that instant, if anyone had been around, they definitely would have taken him for a madman.

Lucien grinned and finally summoned the drops he’d received.

The first one was a short sword.

[THE KAGE FANG]

Type: Short Sword (Piercing / Slash)

Grade: Unique

Slot: Main Hand / Off-Hand

Required Level: 68

Attack Rating: 2,970

Weight: Ultra-Light

Durability: 470 / 470

Elemental Affinity: Decay / Spirit

—

[CORE ATTRIBUTES]

+35% Attack Speed

+18% Critical Strike Chance

Every 3rd hit applies [Fadebrand] — causes the target to leave behind a fading spirit clone that can be struck once for bonus damage (120% Weapon Damage)

Passive: [Silent Hollowstep] — Dodging leaves behind an illusion that absorbs 1 hit (Cooldown: 15s)

+25% Damage to enemies suffering from Fear, Silence, or Wither

—

[EVOLUTION]

Evolution Potential: Moderate

Condition:

(1) Kill 88 enemies affected by their own spirit clone (Fadebrand hit)

(2) Land the killing blow on an Elder Monster without taking more than 10% HP loss

(3) Enter the Hollow Grove (Night Phase Only) and offer the blade to the Pale Tree

Next Form: Fang of the Forgotten Grove

—

[INFORMATION]

Before the Hollow Grove was closed, he carved this blade from the ribs on its right side. But the fine sword caught the eye of a greedy thief, and he stole the sword from the Wounded Guardian. The sword weeps at times, missing its other ribs.

Lucien carefully read through all the information about the sword. It was a level 68 weapon, yet its attack power was even lower than that of the Palebranch Spear.

’I guess that can be compensated for by the fact that it has five deadly attributes while the spear only has four—which I wouldn’t even call deadly.’

For example, the Forsaken sword already boosted his speed by 50%, and now this Kage Fang would add another 35%, bringing his total speed increase to 85% of his current base speed.

His critical strike chance also surged. The Forsaken sword offered him 30.5%, but only against nature-type monsters—and no matter how he looked at it, The Black Godzilla definitely wasn’t a nature type.

But this one raised his chances substantially across the board.

Then there were the Fadebrand effect and Silent Hollowstep. Both were bound to be devastatingly useful.

Lucien grinned and examined the pale sword in his hands—no cross guard, white cloth wrapped around its hilt. The blade was narrow, straight, but short.

He nodded in satisfaction and quickly checked the next item.

[GREY THREADS]

Type: Cloth Garment (Unarmored)

Grade: Enhanced (Bound)

Slot: Chest

Required Level: None

Defense Rating: 1

Weight: Near Weightless

Durability: ∞ / ∞

Elemental Affinity: None

—

[CORE ATTRIBUTES]

+0% Physical Resistance

+0% Elemental Resistance

Passive: [Enduring Weave] — This garment passively regenerates itself from any damage, no matter the severity. Burn it, shred it, stain it—it will be whole again within minutes.

—

[EVOLUTION]

Evolution Potential: High

Condition: ???

Next Form: ???

—

[INFORMATION]

Worn by wanderers of the Forsaken time. No crest, no origin mark, no reinforced lining—just fabric that refuses to die. No matter the battle, the weather, or the blood spilled into it, the Grey Threads remain. It is unknown whether this is the result of old magic, divine oversight, or stubborn craftsmanship. Most don’t even notice. And that’s how it likes it.

———

The clothes had no practical use aside from lasting forever. They couldn’t even defend him if he needed protection. Lucien wanted to dismiss them as useless, but the fact that they could repair themselves held dangerous potential to make them an utterly broken item.

So he withheld judgment.

There was just one last thing he wanted to examine—the Divinity Fragment. Whatever that fragment was, it had Lucien’s heart surging with the anticipation of a raging storm.

However, a violent tremor suddenly shook the slope Lucien was standing on. He quickly grabbed onto the shoulder bone of the deceased monster, stopping himself from tumbling off while the head rolled down the incline.

It was only after gripping it that Lucien realized the monster hadn’t vanished even after he’d finished looting it. The Palebranch Kage’s corpse was still lying there.

However, Lucien didn’t have time to dwell on the thought.

Because the Black Godzilla was coming back.