The battlefield, once a storm of havoc and color, now lay eerily still.
The faint shimmer of fading spell effects lingered in the air.
No bodies remained; only the remnants of defeat were left behind: broken shields, stray arrows and the charred outlines where AoE spells had scorched the earth. A light wind rustled through the clearing, carrying away the last traces of battle.
Obi The Limit-Breaker stood in the center, shield slung over his shoulder, breathing steady.
"...And that" he said, scanning the empty field, "is what happens when people mistake confidence for competence."
Point kicked a nearby potion bottle, watching it roll. "Guess they didn't expect a 'support priest' to nuke their entire frontline."
IrisVale rolled her eyes and straightened her staff. "He didn't do anything. Just healed on autopilot."
PointAndShoot smirked. "Yeah. Meanwhile the rest of us were the ones actually sweating."
Zack stayed quiet, his expression unreadable.
Though deep down, he couldn't help thinking. Huh… maybe playing support isn't so bad, not if you've got teammates like these watching your back.
[Character Status – Zack | Priest | Level 5]
HP: 1090/ 1090
MP: 880/ 880
Magic Attack Power: 390-405 | INT: 124 | VIT: 42 | Physical Defense : 67
Even as support, his presence had tipped the battle completely. His buffs had kept everyone at peak form. For an early-game priest, his control over the battlefield was absurd.
Obi glanced back at him and smirked. "Early game or not, remind me never to stand on your bad side."
The once chaotic battlefield now felt more like the aftermath of a raid, one boss standing quietly among the wreckage, surrounded by his team.
Zack simply glanced around at the scattered drops. "Let's grab the loot and move before more guests decide to drop by."
Obi cracked his knuckles and strode forward. "Alright, let's see what the wannabe bullies were hoarding."
He crouched near a dull-silver shield with faint burn marks.
[Bulwark Shield] (Uncommon– Lv 5)
DEF +22 | HP +105 | Str +10
Passive: Reduces Physical Damage taken by 20% when blocking.
"Not bad for early gear" he muttered, equipping it immediately.
Haze also retrieved a dagger from the dirt, its edge faintly red with some weak enchantment.
[Rustfang Dagger] (Uncommon – Lv 5)
ATK: 50–60 | Crit Rate: +5%
Passive: +5% Damage against bleeding enemies
She turned it once between her fingers, unimpressed. She clicked her tongue softly, saying nothing but the smug tilt of her chin made it obvious.
Everyone could tell she was thinking: My weapon hits way harder than that.
Her current weapon gleamed faintly from her belt, the crimson edge humming with inner heat.
[Draconic Talon] (Rare)
ATK: 108–115 | Crit Rate: +6%
Passive: Applies Burn (100 Fire dmg/sec for 3 sec)
Skill Bonus: +10% Damage
Iris caught it immediately and scoffed.
"Alright, alright… I know. Your daggers out damage half the drops at this level."
PointAndShoot was already digging through a pile of scraps and coins, stopping when a light-blue glint caught her eye.
[Frost Pebble Wand] (Uncommon – Lv 3)
MATK: +30 | Mana +50
Passive: Ice-element skills cost 5% less MP
PointAndShoot turned the wand in her hands, expression torn between amusement and guilt.
"…Did we just bully a bunch of undergeared newbies?" she muttered, watching the wand's faint glow flicker out.
Nearby, IrisVale crouched to pick up a faintly glowing silver ring etched with pale runes.
[Novice Healers Ring] (Lv 5)
Heal Power: +25% | MP Regen: +2/sec | HP: +50
Passive: Restores +15 HP to nearby allies when casting a healing skill
Her eyes lit up. "Now this is more like it" she said, slipping it on immediately.
Then, glancing at Zack, she added with a smirk, "Early game or not, I'm catching up to you, mister overpowered priest."
Zack didn't reply but the faint twitch at the corner of his lips said enough.
Standing a little apart from the group, he noticed a faint golden glint in the grass. When he bent down and picked it up, a warm pulse quivered through his finger
[Sanctified Emberstone] (Can be used on weapons)
+5 Magic ATK | +10% Buff Duration
Passive: Healing allies below 30% HP increases output by +10%.
He examined the stats for a moment, lips curving slightly. "Hmm… not bad."
A item like this would fit nicely with his support build or it could be combined later with something more specialized. Worst case, he could hand it over to Iris if she needed it more.
He stored it in his inventory without a second thought.
Obi The Limit-Breaker looked up from the loot window, stretching his shoulders with a grin. "Alright, everyone stocked?"
PointAndShoot shot him a flat look. "Yeah, stocked with disappointment" She waved her newly looted wand. "You see this? I could craft better gear blindfolded. You call this a reward?"
Obi chuckled, completely unbothered. "Hey, RNG's a cruel mistress. Maybe she just doesn't like mages who whine."
Point glared at him. "Maybe she just hates fighters who shout before charging."
Iris snorted from behind her mask. "She's got a point."
Obi The Limit-Breaker raised his shield dramatically. "Mock all you want but that shout struck fear into their hearts!"
"Yeah" Zack muttered dryly, "and probably into ours too."
Obi paused, then let out a sheepish grin, clearly pleased with that outcome anyway.
Their collective eye-roll didn't even finish before the dungeon mist ahead rippled open, the path deeper inside unfolding in front of them.
As they stepped closer, a system prompt flashed across everyone's screen the moment they crossed the threshold.
[Hidden Dungeon: Verdant Veins– Entry Confirmed]
First Entry Bonus Activated!
EXP Gain: +50%
Drop Rate: +20%
A faint hum enveloped the team as the buff icons flared above their heads, pulsing softly in green and gold.
Zack mumbled, "Well, at least those gatekeepers served one purpose, premium entry buff, free of charge."
The moss-laden tunnel opened into a vast green-lit cavern, roots snaking through stone and glowing fungi dotting the walls.
***
Dungeon: Verdant Ruins — Boss Chamber
A giant figure stirred near a collapsed altar, its body half-wood, half-stone with vines pulsing like veins across its chest.
[Tharos, the Rootbound Sentinel] (Boss – Lv 8)
HP: 50,200 | DEF: High | Element: Nature
Passive: "Verdant Pulse" – Restores 2% HP per sec when touching roots.
Obi The Limit-Breaker grunted, tightening his grip on his tower shield. "So we're fighting an overgrown houseplant."
PointAndShoot arched a brow. "If it heals, it's basically a raid boss."
Haze smirked. "Then we burn the roots before it starts healing."
Zack adjusted his staff, the golden runes pulsing. "Focus on burn and burst phases. I'll keep you alive."
The Warden's eyes snapped open, viridian flames glowing deep inside. Its roar shook dust from the ceiling.
Roots erupted across the floor like snakes.
Obi The Limit-Breaker charged first.
[Molten Charge] — 520!
Flames scorched Tharos's bark, but it immediately began to heal.
"Yup" Obi The Limit-Breaker muttered. "Told you it heals."
Haze blink-stepped behind it. [Shadow Mirage] activated, two silhouettes slicing in unison.
-340 -355 -385 -360!
PointAndShoot swept her wrist outward, gathering a surge of blazing energy.
[Lava Vein Burst] — 790!
Root Regeneration: temporarily halted!
Zack called. "Keep the burn going!"
Tharos stomped the ground — BOOM! — sending a shockwave outward.
-280 AoE Damage!
Zack reacted instantly.
[Divine Barrier] — absorbs 230 dmg
IrisVale raised her staff, chanting.
[Cauterize] — +120 HP
[Sanctuary Field] — +60 HP/2 sec for 10 sec!
Haze danced around the boss's arm, her daggers glinting.
[Backstab] — 460!
[Piercing Thrust] — 470!
Zack reset his buff cooldown using [Momentum Shift], keeping [Benediction Aura] up without downtime.
Green roots twitched under the burning ground, the regeneration finally slowed.
Tharos's chest glowed, summoning vines from every direction.
[Bramble Maelstrom] — AoE, -160 per sec!
"Go mid!" Zack ordered.
[Blessing of Resolve] — DEF +15%, RES +15%!
[Heal II] — +132 HP on Obi The Limit-Breaker!
Obi The Limit-Breaker tanked through it, hammering his shield down.
[Drake Roar] — Stun 2 sec!
"Burn it now!" he shouted.
PointAndShoot's staff blazed red.
[Fireball] — 590!
[Frost Shard] — 440!
Haze fading into stealth.
[Assassinate] — Critical! 1310!
Tharos howled, bark splitting open to reveal glowing sap.
Its health dipped below 10%, triggering a defensive buff.
Tharos enters "Verdant Rampart" DEF doubled, ATK increased by 25%!
Zack's eye brightened, finally, time to put his DPS to work.
He raised his staff, a golden circle expanding beneath the boss. Aura flaring and pointed his staff toward Tharos.
[Judgement Ray] Activated!
A pillar of light speared downward — 780!
The boss reeled, vines curling from its arms.
Zack didn't pause.
[Ice Lance] Cast!
A frost spear pierced through its bark — Critical! -740!
Freeze chance triggered —
Blue electricity danced along his staff as he raised it again.
[Chain Lightning] Released!
-720! → -680! → -705!→ -763!→ -663!
(Lightning chained through root clusters, stunning nearby sprouts)
Obi The Limit-Breaker's blazing strikes tore through the boss armor: -390, -415!
Haze and her clone shredded the roots anchoring the boss: -360 -355 -375!
PointAndShoot finished channeling—
[Lava Vein Burst] — Critical! 1070!
Zack's healing light exploded outward.
[Benediction Aura + Sanctuary Field Overlap] — +110+ HP/sec total regen!
Tharos roared one last time before collapsing, dissolving into specks of green light.
[Boss Defeated: Verdant Warden Tharos!]
EXP Gained: 750
The cavern fell silent, broken only by the low, steady vibration of the mana crystals.
Obi planted his shield and stared. "So, that's it??"
PointAndShoot smirked, "What did you expect? I burned the entire thing from head to toe."
Haze brushed off her cloak. "We made that look easy."
Her gaze drifted toward Zack.
IrisVale smiled, staff still glowing faintly.
Zack gave a small shrug, glancing over their HP bars, still nearly full, though their mana pools were running low.
[System Notice: Dungeon "Verdant Ruins" Cleared — First Completion!]
Rewards: + 5 Stats | +10 Gold
Golden light flared, washing over the team as the dungeon crystal resonated.
Obi chuckled, "Alright, team, loot window, screenshots and out."
The air shimmered as loot chests materialized in a ring of emerald light, each one etched with faint vine-patterns that seemed to shift like living roots.
Zack stepped forward, tapping his chest open:
[Verdant Bloom Sigil] ( Amulet )
Effect: +20% Healing Efficiency | +50 HP | +50 Mana
Passive: Verdant Pulse — Restores 2% HP to nearby allies every 10 seconds inside dungeons.
Other loot shimmered nearby:
[Sylvan Thread Robe] (Uncommon) – +15 DEF, +25 MP, +40 HP
[Rooted Wand Fragment] (Material) – Can be reforged into a rare weapon core.
[Verdant Sap Crystal] (Crafting Material) – Used in potion or staff recipes.
[Emerald Dust] ×3 – Mid-tier enchanting reagent.
Being the "only priest", Iris naturally snagged the amulet. Zack pocketed the wand fragment and crystal without complaint.
Then he opened his status window, the familiar blue interface sliding into view. Five unspent stat points glowed faintly at the bottom corner.
Without much thought, he dragged them all into INT.
[+5 INT Allocated]
[Character Status – Zack | Priest | Level 5]
HP: 1090/ 1090
MP: 905/ 905
Magic Attack Power: 402.5-417.5 | INT: 129 | VIT: 42 | Physical Defense : 67
Then Iris filled Point in on the guild they were planning to form and casually asked if she wanted to join.
She added, "Zack's joining too" which immediately made both Point and Obi glance his way, only to find Zack completely absorbed in his stats panel, not paying attention at all.
Point exchanged a look with Obi, mulled it over for a moment, then nodded.
"Yeah, I'll join" she said. Then she jabbed a thumb at Obi The Limit-Breaker. "And him too. I'll drag him in if I have to."
Meanwhile, Obi let out a dramatic groan.
"Fine, fine— I'll join," he said, "But only if the guild name is actually badass. I'm talking about something that makes people hover over our tags and go, 'Damn, who are these monsters'?"
He jerked a thumb at Point.
"If it sounds like a bargain-bin starter guild? I'm out."
Iris tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well… to be fair, we haven't actually picked a name yet."
Haze shrugged, adjusting her daggers. "And we don't need to right now. We can just vote for one when the guild feature unlocks. No point thinking before we even have the interface."
Point snapped her fingers. "Yeah, that works."
Obi grumbled but nodded. "Fine" he relented, though he mumbled under his breath, as long as the final name doesn't make us look bad…
The tension easing as the debate drifted off on its own.
With that resolved, Zack exchanged farewells with the group.
A soft flare of blue light followed as each of them activated their Return Stones, their figures dissolving into shimmering particles as they warped out of the dungeon.
Exhaustion settled in but Zack still had one routine left, finish his marketplace profit cycle, then figure out his next move.
Zack's profit window finally blinked green as the last trade confirmed.
[Sales Complete]
Current Balance: 3,881 Gold — 10 gold left
[Crafting Summary]
38,900 Successful Potions
[Listing Summary]
Item: Spirit Draught ×38,900
Price Each: 22 silver
Expected Earnings: 7,702.2 gold
Zack breathed out quietly, the exhaustion of the day creeping up on him.
Between long forging sessions, trips to the market and alchemy and the team's first dungeon clear, he had spent the entire day grinding his proficiency nonstop since morning.
Now, with his marketplace listings complete and his gold balance practically reset, a rare sense of satisfaction settled in.
Everything that needed to be done was done.
[System Notice: Logging Out…]
The disconnect prompt vanished and Zack reclined quietly in the capsule, giving himself a moment to get his thoughts cleared before getting up.