Chương 10: Mantle of the Abyss Lord

Ch 10 - Mantle of the Abyss Lord Jester took another look at the situation between the players, the prince, and his knights. They were still throwing accusations at each other, and now the argument had already turned into a full battle. The people from Silverwings Guild certainly had some serious guts. They were actually fighting against the prince of an entire kingdom. That put them at an incredibly high risk. Maybe this was just the guild members being reckless.

If they failed to kill the prince, every single member of their guild would end up facing the consequences. He was a prince, after all, not some ordinary NPC. If anything happened to him, the entire kingdom, along with this massive region, would surely respond. Still, there was nothing Jester could do about it. This was their own choice. Jester returned to his system panel afterward to check the reward he had received from the achievement. [Achievement Reward Granted.] [Strength +4] [Agility +6] [Magic +5] [Constitution +3] [Stamina +2] [New Passive Skill Acquired: Abyss Tyrant's Inverse] [Passive Skill: Abyss Tyrant's Inverse] [Each time you deal damage to an enemy 20+ levels above you, gain a stacking buff: +3% damage against that enemy (max 5 stacks). Stacks reset when the enemy dies or you change targets. Represents the warped gravity of facing the impossible.] Jester had gained several boosts to his basic attributes.

With a total of 20 stat points, it was the equivalent of gaining two full levels. That was an incredible reward. It showed just how valuable this achievement was supposed to be. On top of that, he had also received a passive skill.

"A passive skill is always an incredible addition," he said with a slow nod. Especially in a virtual game like Eternal Legacy, where there was virtually no limit to how many skills a player could acquire. Hundreds, maybe? There was even a player who claimed to have collected more than 300 skills and spells. Isn't that absolutely insane?! It was an incredibly powerful skill whenever he faced an enemy at least twenty levels higher than himself.

It was almost as if the system had already decided that, sooner or later, he would have to fight opponents with such an overwhelming level gap. A 3% damage increase per stack, with a maximum of five stacks, meant a total bonus of 15%. That was an enormous increase. Even better, it was a passive skill, which meant he did not have to do anything special to activate it. It would trigger on its own as long as he met the conditions.

Jester gave a small nod before opening his inventory, curious about the loot he had received. What exactly was the item that had drawn the attention of a major guild and even the kingdom's Eighth Prince? The first item he saw was a massive piece of hide. [Abys Tyrant Hide | Elite | ×1] [Description: Thick, nearly indestructible hide that provides exceptional physical and magic resistance when crafted into armor.] It was nothing more than a crafting material.

He could always commission a skilled crafter to turn it into a set of armor or something similar. Still, for some reason, Jester felt it would be better to sell the material instead. He would probably make far more money that way. After all, the currency in this game could be converted into real-world money. That was one of the biggest reasons the game had become so popular. Just thinking about how much money he had already earned from this single login session alone was enough to excite him.

He could not wait to finish everything here, log out, and withdraw his very first income from the game. He continued checking his inventory. There were still two more items he had obtained from the raid boss. [Heart of the Abyss | Epic | ×1] If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. [Description: The monster's pulsating core, still radiating immense mana. Essential for crafting legendary accessories or powering magical constructs.] Jester stared at the item for a moment. The raid boss was only supposed to be an Elite-grade monster. Normally, the highest-grade item it should drop would also be Elite. While it was possible for a monster to drop an item of a higher grade, the chances of that happening were incredibly low. This item also appeared to be the monster's mana core. For now, he decided to keep it and figure out later how he could make use of it. Rare materials like this were not something he wanted to sell.

Their true value would be much greater if he could use them to craft something powerful that he might need in the future. He continued checking the next item, only to discover that this one was a piece of equipment. More importantly, it was something he could actually use. [Mantle of the Abyss Lord | Elite | Back] [Weight: 45] [Durability: 235/235] [Skills: Abyss Predator] [Description: A dark cloak woven from abyssal essence. Enhances stealth, reduces detection, and grants resistance to Dark-element attacks.] [Skill: Abyss Predator] [When attacking from stealth or while undetected, your first attack deals +25% damage and ignores 10% of the target's Defense. This effect can trigger once every 60 seconds.] Jester paused for a moment and read the item's description again.

"Abyss Predator?" The skill suited him perfectly. Thanks to his Invisibility skill, he could sneak up on enemies before launching a surprise attack. With an additional 25% bonus damage, the effect was incredibly powerful. Just imagine combining that with his other skills, equipment, and damage bonuses. The amount of burst damage he could unleash would be nothing short of terrifying. Jester equipped the item.

The cloak appeared on his back, its outer layer as black as the abyss while the inner lining shimmered in a deep crimson. The colors matched his outfit perfectly, with its striking combination of black and red.

"Nice. I like it," Jester said with a chuckle. It was a great addition to his equipment. There was no way he was selling this one. He was definitely keeping it. After finishing his inspection of the loot, Jester shifted his attention back to the battle between the players and the NPCs.

"Eh...?" His eyes widened in surprise. Out of everyone who had been fighting just moments ago, only five people were still standing. The prince. And four remaining players. Every knight who had accompanied the prince had already been killed. The battle had ended far more quickly than Jester expected. It looked like both sides had already burned through most of their resources during the raid against the raid boss, leaving little room for a prolonged fight.

Even so, the fact that the prince had managed to kill that many players showed just how powerful he truly was. Even now, he was still holding his own against the four survivors. These players were really going to see this through. There was no turning back now. If they retreated now, they would be inviting disaster upon themselves. The only way forward was to finish the job, kill the prince, and make sure no witnesses were left behind. The prince himself was remarkable.

The more Jester watched, the more impressed he became. The man could fight with both a sword and a bow, switching seamlessly between the two styles as the battle demanded. Such versatility was incredibly rare. There was no way he was an ordinary prince. The fight continued. The prince moved with astonishing speed, weaving between attacks with precise footwork. Every dodge was followed by a swift counterattack, forcing the remaining players onto the defensive. Only a few seconds later, two more players fell.

"No way... He's that strong!" The surviving players were clearly exhausted. Their mana and stamina had almost completely run dry after everything they had gone through. At this rate, the battle would not last much longer.

"You fools!" the prince roared.

"Did you truly think you could lay a hand on a prince of the Valtherion Kingdom? Every one of you will die here! And when I'm done, I'll hunt down your guild, your friends, your families, and every single person who has ever dared to stand beside you. I will erase every trace of your existence!"

"We'll kill you!" one of the players shouted back.

"To the kingdom, you're just another prince. Once you're dead, you'll be nothing more than a forgotten name. No one will ever know what happened here. You're just an insignificant prince!" The prince curled his lips into a cold, mocking smile before stepping forward once more.

"You've underestimated me from the very beginning," the prince said.

"I was born gifted. A prodigy among prodigies. One day, I will rule this kingdom, and eventually, the entire continent will kneel before me. Our levels may not be that far apart, but you foolish players know nothing about true martial skill. You rely on your levels and equipment, yet you've never learned what real strength is."

"Enough talk, you piece of trash. Prince or not, I don't give a damn. Shut your mouth and fight already. Let's settle this here and now. Let's finish this!" The battle resumed. The last two players fought desperately. One was a heavily armored tank, while the other wielded a long spear. Even working together, they could barely keep up with the prince's movements. In a single fluid motion, the prince burst forward.

His sword flashed through the air, cleanly severing the spearman's head before the player could even react. Without slowing down, he spun behind the tank and drove his blade through the gap in the man's armor, piercing straight into his back. The tank froze. A second later, both players dropped to their knees before their bodies dissolved into countless glowing particles.

"The prince won," Jester muttered quietly. But then… The prince slowly turned around. His gaze locked directly onto Jester's hiding place. A chill ran down Jester's spine as the prince calmly put away his sword, took out his bow, and drew a blazing arrow.

"No way..." Jester whispered.

"There's no way he knows where I am..."

"You insignificant insect!" The prince shouted.

"Your death was decided the moment you touched what is mine!" The bowstring reached its limit. The flaming arrow burst forward, tearing through the air as it shot straight toward Jester.