Shadow Blade, the Invisible God of Death!
Success!
Thomas was overjoyed. With a few seconds of invisibility left, he immediately retreated into the forest and opened his backpack to check the spoils of war.
A sharp black dagger gleamed menacingly.
[Shadow Blade]
Type: Short Knife
Rank: Bronze
Attribute: Attack Power +140
Additional Effect: Increases the duration of any invisibility effect by 30%.
Additional Skill: Shadow Kill - If you attack and kill a target in stealth mode, you re-enter stealth for 8 seconds. Can be repeated.
Required Level: None
"Jackpot! A top-tier novice weapon!" Thomas exclaimed.
Normally, an Iron-level boss wouldn't drop Bronze-grade gear. However, "Crimson Capes" had a first-kill mechanism, rewarding players with loot beyond the boss's normal drop table.
Thomas guessed that this hidden weapon was meant for the first kill — and he'd stolen it!
Without hesitation, he equipped the Shadow Blade. His invisibility, which was about to expire, stretched by another 4 seconds thanks to the blade's bonus.
Meanwhile, the Shadow Leopard boss was already on its last breath.
"Hold on! Let me land the final hit. Killing blow grants 30% more experience, hahaha!" shouted Peter, the leader of the Tyrannical Guild.
Everyone immediately backed off.
Peter charged toward the dying boss, brandishing a rusted giant axe.
"Perfect opportunity!"
Thomas darted forward from behind the Shadow Leopard. Thanks to his stealth mode's 16% speed bonus and his proximity, he reached the boss first.
"Brother Peter's in luck today! Special rewards usually come with boss kills!" someone from the guild commented, looking envious.
Peter wore a smug expression, raising his axe high to unleash a warrior's Heavy Slash.
But—
Swoosh!
A black blade appeared silently, piercing into the Shadow Leopard!
-144 (Invisibility-breaking attack +100% damage)
In an instant, Thomas triggered his enhanced stealth attack, dealing massive damage.
[You participated in killing the Iron-level BOSS Mutated Shadow Panther LV5 and completed the final blow. You receive +1500 experience points and +100 reputation!]
[You complete a boss first kill and receive a special reward: Free attribute points +2!]
["Shadow Kill" skill activated. Re-entering stealth mode!]
The dagger flashed—then vanished into the shadows.
The Shadow Leopard collapsed with a low groan.
Peter's Heavy Slash hit nothing but air.
Everyone was stunned.
Moments ago, they had a boss. Now, it was dead, and the loot had vanished too!
"What the hell just happened?!" Peter screamed.
He quickly pieced it together.
"There's a thief among us! Archers and mages, cover fire! Don't let them escape!"
"Whoever's messing with us will pay! Find him!"
Magic blasts and arrows bombarded the clearing.
But Thomas was already blending among the Tyrannical players in stealth.
"Idiots. You won't think to attack your own."
Thomas slipped into the dense woods, disappearing into the tall grass.
"Damn it! Who dares mess with me?! Get your ass out here!" Peter roared.
Still no sign of the thief.
"He can't have gone far! Search the area! Capture anyone suspicious!" Peter ordered.
Suddenly, another group of players burst onto the scene.
"There they are! These Tyrannical bastards stole our boss!"
"You think us solo players are easy prey? We'll show you! Attack!"
The individual players who had fled earlier had rallied reinforcements.
Chaos erupted as both sides clashed violently.
Thomas grinned darkly. "Things just got interesting."
Initially planning to leave, he now decided to stay for the show.
First, he checked the loot he'd snatched.
Two more gold coins, a piece of equipment, and several basic potions.
Not bad! Including the Shadow Blade, it was a clean haul.
The new piece of equipment:
[Speed Shoes]
Grade: Black Iron
Attribute: Movement Speed +25
Required Level: 5
Unfortunately, Thomas was still level 3, so he tucked the boots away for later.
Thanks to the stolen boss kill, Thomas had gained enough experience to reach Level 3.
In "Crimson Capes," each level-up automatically boosted strength, endurance, stamina, and spirit by +1, along with +5 free attribute points.
Health and mana also increased by +100 each!
Without hesitation, Thomas dumped all 17 free points into Agility.
[Character Sheet]
Player: Thomas ("I will never work for someone like Zhou" ID)
Class: Thief
Level: 3
HP: 430
Mana: 430
Attack Power: 156
Spell Power: 13
Physical Defense: 13
Spell Defense: 13
Movement Speed: 30
Hit Rate: 15 (2 Agility = 1 Hit)
Dodge: 6 (5 Agility = 1 Dodge)
Attributes: Strength 13 | Intelligence 13 | Endurance 13 | Stamina 13 | Spirit 13 | Agility 30
Now significantly faster and deadlier, Thomas turned his eyes toward the chaotic battlefield.
"Dare to mock me earlier? Time for payback!"
Activating "Sneak," Thomas melted into invisibility.
With the Shadow Blade's bonus, stealth now lasted 20 seconds.
He became a ghost, weaving through the battlefield, targeting weakened Tyrannical players.
First, he attempted to "Theft!"
Failure.
No matter.
He slashed!
Laugh!
The blade shimmered as the invisibility-breaking effect triggered, doubling the attack damage.
"What's happening?!"
A Tyrannical player barely glimpsed a black flash before crumpling into white light and dying.
Thomas immediately vanished again!
He was an invisible god of death, silently harvesting lives on the battlefield.
He wasn't worried about being exposed.
Normally, even if someone hid their ID, victims could see the attacker's info upon death—but only if they'd seen the attacker before dying.
Since Thomas killed while fully stealthed, his identity remained a total mystery!
The forest was alive with the sounds of war—and in the heart of it all, an unseen force grinned wickedly, hunting without mercy.
And so, in "Crimson Capes," a legend of the unseen reaper began to spread...