Ethan sat quietly on the cave floor, staring into the campfire that still burned without faltering.
Luna was already asleep on the sleeping bag Ethan had bought from the Equipment Shop—a perfect choice for her, especially when they had to spend nights outdoors like this.
Hissy hadn’t returned to Ethan’s sleeve. Instead, she coiled herself beside Luna, keeping watch over her.
Their closeness had grown naturally over time—Hissy had guarded Luna several times before, and Luna never seemed to feel threatened by her presence.
Ethan smiled faintly. He hadn’t expected Hissy to act so friendly toward anyone other than him.
It was already 10 p.m., yet he didn’t feel sleepy at all. He chose to stay awake until the most dangerous hours passed—around 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.
To pass the time, Ethan opened his individual system panel, checking his stats, skills, and guild ranking.
At the moment, the guild above Sword Liberation was The Light with 81,780 Star Essence, while below him sat Heaven Sword with 73,356.
The competition between ranks ten and eleven was tight—one false move and the positions could flip.
If I don’t hunt more Star Essence tonight, the Heaven Sword team might start farming monsters to regain their rank, he thought.
Ethan stood up and stepped out of the cave. The forest was calm and still, filled only with the faint hum of crickets and night insects.
It was quiet—almost peaceful.
No players in sight, no monsters lurking nearby. Only the whisper of wind between the trees.
But the peace shattered when he caught the sound of approaching footsteps from the front.
He quickly pulled on his black cloak and mask, then moved a short distance away from the cave—far enough that Luna and Hissy would remain undisturbed.
He felt no fear—whether it was a large guild or a mid-sized one, whether many or few—Ethan didn’t care.
His steps stopped when a group of players wearing full-blue uniforms appeared.
Some stood atop branches, others on the forest floor. Their focus was entirely on him. Through the slits of his black mask, Ethan caught the abbreviation on their uniforms—HVS.
Heaven Sword.
It was obvious they had reacted fast after losing their ranking spot.
"Heaven Sword?" Ethan asked calmly.
A woman landed in front of him, stepping out from the group. Her movements were sharp and confident.
She stood before him, meeting his gaze. This was their first encounter—Ethan didn’t know her, but she clearly knew of him.
"SWL? Sword Liberation?" she asked.
"Hmm."
"I didn’t expect we’d meet so soon," said Veres.
"So, you came to defeat me and take my Star Essence?" Ethan asked flatly.
"Something like that," Veres replied with a faint smirk.
"Where are your teammates?" she asked, glancing behind him.
"I’m solo."
"Solo? Don’t joke with me. You expect me to believe you defeated all those guilds alone?"
Ethan didn’t answer.
Meanwhile, Raphael—hidden to the east—had arrived silently, unseen by the Heaven Sword players. He watched the exchange closely from the shadows.
"Hahaha!" Veres laughed mockingly.
"Now that’s a funny one. He claims he can defeat an entire guild by himself."
Raphael frowned slightly but remained hidden, storing every detail in his mind.
His orders were clear: observe, not interfere.
Veres smiled faintly, patting Ethan’s shoulder as if humoring a child.
"How about we make a deal? Hand over half of your Star Essence, and I’ll make you an honored guest of Heaven Sword."
"And if I refuse?" Ethan asked.
"Then we’ll have to kill you."
Ethan tilted his head slightly. "I’m afraid that won’t happen. Sorry to disappoint you."
Veres’s expression hardened. Her friendly smile vanished, replaced by a glare of irritation and anger.
Without another word, she lunged forward and swung her sword at Ethan.
Ethan dodged instantly, his reflexes sharp—so fast that even Raphael, observing from afar, was stunned.
That speed...He’s not ordinary.
Ethan countered with a swift kick to Veres’s stomach, sending her stumbling back.
She was hurt, but her priest immediately healed her with a restoration spell.
"I’m impressed," Veres admitted.
"You actually dodged my strike."
"That was a predictable attack," Ethan replied coldly.
"I didn’t expect the leader of Heaven Sword to be this weak."
He raised his right hand. Red particles of energy gathered and condensed into a single form—a sword with a crimson blade that radiated bloodlust.
Bloodblade Ashura.
The blade of carnage. The sword that made its wielder nearly invincible.
Raphael’s eyes widened. His heartbeat spiked. He recognized that weapon immediately.
Bloodblade Ashura... Gilgamesh has been searching for that sword for months.
He remembered Gilgamesh combing through every equipment shop, dungeon, and tower to find it—yet he never succeeded.
The description matched perfectly: a crimson aura and a blade red as blood.
Even though Ethan hadn’t named it, Raphael knew. That was the sword.
Ethan stabbed the weapon into the ground, and its energy rippled outward, making the Heaven Sword players flinch.
Fear showed on their faces—but Veres shouted for them to stand their ground.
"He’s alone! We outnumber him!" she barked.
Ethan lifted his head slightly.
"If you want my Star Essence," he said, gripping the sword, "then come and take it."
Veres’s patience broke. She dashed forward, her sword gleaming with blue light.
Ethan met her halfway—his crimson blade cutting through the air like a flash of lightning.
He moved like a shadow, slashes horizontally, diagonally, thrusts driving straight through defenses.
His focus wasn’t Veres—it was the priest.
Veres gasped as she caught the blur of red moving toward her team.
"Protect Anggie!" she shouted.
A female mage jumped in front of the priest, activating a defensive rune barrier.
Ethan narrowed his eyes and shifted his stance, swinging Bloodblade Ashura in a wide arc.
The crimson slash collided with the rune barrier, creating a violent explosion of energy.
The mage gritted her teeth, struggling to maintain her spell, but Ethan’s pressure drained her MP rapidly.
"Form up! Protect Nana!" Veres ordered.
Her team obeyed instantly, regrouping and reinforcing their defenses.
Veres tried to take advantage of the distraction to strike Ethan, but he dodged effortlessly and leapt back.
The Heaven Sword team tightened their formation, surrounding Nana and Anggie. Their combined defense managed to block Ethan’s next strike.
Ethan straightened, eyes sharp behind his mask.
"Impressive! As expected from a top-ten guild."
Veres forced a smile, though she was exhausted.
That attack... was only his first skill?
"How can his power be that strong?" she whispered under her breath.
She turned to her aide.
"Call the Sword Team. Tell them to move east and assist us immediately."
Ethan heard her clearly. Reinforcements were coming—strong players from Heaven Sword, maybe even stronger than Veres.
I could activate Seraphelis, but that’s my trump card. I won’t waste it on them.
He exhaled slowly, the crimson aura around him growing thicker.
Fine then... time to get serious. Looks like I’ve finally found a worthy opponent.