Dust and dirt enveloped Ethan as he moved to The Mire of Whispers's soft, muddy ground. Although his hands were steady, his lungs burned. In his hands, the camera felt warm, and he was alive. It housed a Slime boss of his.
He examined his abilities. Slowly, painfully, Temporal Shutter was beginning to recharge. The cool-down period for Photographic Storage was 30 days, which seemed like an eternity. Once more, he was a quick, feeble child who needed to escape the high-level swamp before he was discovered by a larger monster.
In order to keep an eye out for the Level 25 Frogmen, he used his sharp eyes and Sneak skill to move quickly. He stayed clear of the quicksand places where he had previously fallen. Having learned his lesson, he felt smart.
He continued to run without pausing until the dense fog of the Mire gave way to the familiar area, but somewhat dull view of the Soggy Coast. He was back among the common folks, close to the safe areas.
He discovered a worn-out, deserted fishing hut close to the safe zone's edge. It was private, but it smelled horrible. He quickly opened the camera after ducking inside.
He started by examining the photograph he had shot, "Chaos Incarnate."
He had never captured something so magnificent. The rock throne was already crumbling, and the slime's great, sorrowful eyes were blazing with purple, destructive light. There was a really gloomy monster, but it appeared to be the end of the world.
Ethan smiled foolishly, thinking, This is going to be big.
He uploaded the picture right away, followed by the brief, unsteady video clip he had recorded of the boss right before the throw. Although the attack was not included in the video, it did demonstrate the Level 40 Slime boss enormous size and menacing presence.
He did not wait for the PV to be converted by the system. Holding his breath, he simply closed the camera and uploaded it. He was aware of the impending event. His work was going to be seen by the entire globe.
The primary Aethelgard social feed was opened by Ethan. Not only was the response massive, it was disastrous.
Immediately, the feed was flooded with yelling, shares, and comments.
"WHAT IS THAT THING? Is this a fake? " As one player put it, "It looks like a giant, purple, sad pudding."
"FALSE INFORMATION! LIES! No one below Level 50 can enter the Sunken Temple, which is where the Grand Chaos Slime is meant to be! "Look at this Photoshop gimmick!" exclaimed another.
The lore fanatics, however, were going crazy. An ancient, whispered legend was validated by the image.
"This is the Lore Master! Observe the purple cracks! That's the binding spell! This monster is a prisoner! The entire hypothesis that the Sunken Temple is a jail is supported by this image! "This completely alters the Aethelgard timeline!" cried a comment that received a thousand upvotes.
Then followed the amusing remarks. " I'd like to offer to embrace it. It appears to be in need of a cookie and a snooze". And yet another: "If I was that big and sad, I'd try to destroy the world too, lol."
There was anxiety everywhere. Level 50 and above players were griping that they ought to have located the boss. The image was being referred to as a hack. They were requesting the address.
Ethan let out a big laugh. Once more, he had done it. Compared to the first slime, the level of panic was five times more.
Then the picture began to get picked up by the media. The image was shared by all of the major news outlets in the gaming community.
Aethelgard Daily: "THE CHAOS INCARNATE IS REAL, MYTH CONFIRMED." WHO IS 'THE WITNESS'?
Gamer Weekly: "Is This Aethelgard's Most Dangerous Mob? Check Out This Horrifying Video Clip!"
The main question was who took the picture, even though it was widely used. Players only saw the anonymous identity The Witness when they attempted to locate the author of the original post.
During a live broadcast, one streamer stated, "We looked at the rankings." "The Witness is not a Level 40 player. That name does not belong to any account. This individual is a true ghost! How can they simply disappear after taking this photo?
Ethan grinned so broadly that his face ached as he leaned back against the hut wall. He reasoned, "That's because my level is hidden, buddy." You can't even see my class, which is EX-Tier.
He was just a quick, frail child with a huge secret and an EX-Tier camera.
The Aethelgard Headquarters, located far from the gaming world in the silent, gloomy, high-tech buildings, was the source of the most significant response.
Two officials, Commander Hayes and Data Analyst Miller, were in the Admin Control Room, looking at a large screen that displayed Ethan's picture.
"Verify the information, Miller. Was a seismic event in the Mire sector caused by a Level 40 ability? Hayes inquired in a frightened, piercing voice.
Miller was typing frantically. "Yes, Commander. A power signature of level 40 was found. massive collapse of the ground. However, there are no player deaths displayed by the system close to the epicenter. Additionally, nobody with Levels 40 or 50 went into that dungeon today.
Hayes struck the desk with his fist. "So, who snapped the picture? How did they obtain the sequence of attacks? And how did they avoid being marked while escaping a Level 60 collapse?
Miller displayed the image's sole player information. As The Witness, the user is tracked by the system. It verifies the authenticity of the image by using the distinct signature of the camera.
"What level are they at? What class are they in? Hayes insisted.
Miller looked at the screen and scowled. "The core player info is hidden, sir. This is not a frequent bug. The system appears to be purposefully concealing them. Only their secondary stats are available to us: Agility is high. But nothing about Level, Class, or HP. Everything is null.
Hayes got up and moved in the direction of the screen. The Chaos Incarnate was a terrible, gorgeous, and untraceable image.
Hayes rubbed his jaw and mumbled, "We have a ghost who can film Level 40 attacks and survive a cliff falling on them." Determine the identity of this 'Witness'. Before they ruin the entire Aethelgard lore framework."
Ethan opened his camera to examine the PV conversion while he was still seated in the foul-smelling fishing shack. His picture was causing the world to tremble. He was getting rich, famous, and secret.
He grinned. The whole high-level globe was searching for him, and he had a Level 40 Slime boss in his camera.