The air in the Iron Hearth Guildhall didn't feel like the start of an adventure; it felt like a funeral for two billion people. Liam stood by the stone pillar, adjusting the straps on his Gauntlets. He didn't look at the sobbing players lining the stone walls, teenagers who had realised their "cute" cat ears were permanent, and their moms weren't coming to pick them up. To Liam, they were static noise. No EXP. No utility.
He checked his interface. The Ring of Hestia sat heavy on his finger, a band of obsidian and flickering embers.
[Item: Ring of Hestia]
[Effect: The Goddess of the Hearth demands a feast of souls.]
[Passive: 1 Kill = 10 Kills on the Global Counter.]
[Voice: Hestia's whispers provide +5% Focus per active combat minute.]
"Liam, you're doing that thing again," Ellie muttered. Her pink cat ears were pinned flat against her skull, her tail lashing with enough force to whistle. "The 'calculator face.' We're walking into a death-trap for a stove, and you're doing math."
"Basalt searing requires a Level 3 Hearth, Ellie. Without it, the Golem Heart-Shard is just a rock. Without that buff, we hit the volcanic zones and melt in five minutes. The math is the only thing that isn't lying to us right now," Liam replied, his voice like grinding stone, devoid of the panic infecting everyone else.
The War Room doors opened to a sea of anxiety. Out of a hundred players, maybe five were men, most trying not to be noticed. Liam entered, his scent—wood and cinnamon—cutting through sweat and fear.
Noir, the Cheetah-kin, paused, nose twitching at Liam's scent. She masked her reaction with a sneer, but her tail curled tightly.
"A Warrior?" Noir's voice had a sharp, academic bite as she looked at Ellie. "Bold choice for Day two. Most people who look that... delicate... picked support roles so they wouldn't have to see the blood. I assume you're hoping Liam handles the heavy lifting?"
Ellie didn't flinch. She stepped closer to Liam, her hand gripping his arm, anchoring herself. "I'm a Warrior because I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, Noir, was it? Maybe if you spent less time sniffing the air and more time buffing, we'd already be at the portal. And for the record? Liam doesn't lift for me. We move together."
"Enough," Saffron purred, the sound vibrating in her chest. She looked at Liam, her pupils dilating just like Noir's. "The Goblin Ridge instance is open. Anyone who isn't ready to kill can stay here and starve. Move out."
[Raid Instance: Goblin Ridge (Level 10-15)]
[Current Party: 100 Players]
The world snapped from the cool air of the farm to a jagged, sun-scorched ravine. The smell of rotted meat and sulphur was immediate.
"Front line, forward!" Johan roared, his massive white rabbit ears twitching at the sound of distant shrieks.
Liam stood ten paces ahead of the Iron Hearth's shield wall, his black iron greatsword resting on his shoulder. He wasn't looking at the girls behind him, only watching the Shaman on the ridge above, its bone-staff pulsing with a sickly, rhythmic purple light. Inside his mind, Hestia's voice was a low, crackling fire.
Hestia's voice echoed in his mind, a low, crackling fire. "They are so small, so insignificant. Burn them for me, Chef. Let the aroma of their fear fill the sky."
"What is he doing?" one of the mages in the back yelled. "He's going to get swarmed!"
"Watch," was all Ellie said, her sword drawn. She knew he wasn't being a hero; he was being an architect.
A pack of twelve goblins scrambled over the rocks, their rusted daggers gleaming with poison. They saw a lone man in a singlet with silver hair. To them, he was meat.
"Feed me, my little chef."
The first goblin lunged. Liam shifted, his sword moving like an extension of his arm.
[Skill Activated: Bull Rush]
He exploded forward, shoulder lowered to strike the lead goblin directly in the chest, turning its ribcage into powder. Before the body could hit the dirt, Liam raised his sword in a sweeping arc, performing a horizontal cleave that cleanly sheared through the necks of the two goblins standing directly behind the first.
[Kill Count: 3 (+27)]
[Total Kills: 30]
[EXP Gained: 12,000]
"He... he just deleted them," Noir whispered. She was supposed to be casting buffs, but her hands were frozen. Her Cheetah instincts were screaming—not in fear, but in response to the pheromones Liam was putting off. As his heart rate climbed, the woodsmoke scent became thick, almost oily, in the air.
[Level Up! Level 13 -> 14]
[Level 14 Stats]
[HP: 300 / 500 (+200 Cap Increase)]
[STAMINA: 300 / 500]
[STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 20 (Automatically assigned to Speed)]
[SPEED: 15 -> 35 / 500]
"Wait, look at his speed!" Noir shouted, her eyes darting to the party's combat log. "He just spiked! He's moving faster than the system should allow for a Vanguard!"
Forty Hobgoblin Vanguards emerged as Level 12 elites in scrap-metal armour. "Shields up! Hold the line!" Johan shouted.
Liam stood his ground instead of moving toward the shield wall's safety. With deliberate steps forward, he approached the swarm of Hobgoblins. As he went, he dragged the tip of his blade across the dry earth, the motion carving a shallow trench in the dirt.
[Stamina: 280 / 500]
[Legendary Talent: Absorption Level 1 (900 / 1000)]
The lead Elite swung a spiked mace at Liam. Liam pivoted to the side, causing the heavy weapon's wind to ruffle his silver hair. In a seamless motion, he released his sword with one hand and drove his Vulcan Gauntlet directly into the Hobgoblin's chest.
[Skill Activated: Absorption]
[Target: Hobgoblin Elite (Level 12)]
[Result: 10% Strength siphoned.]
[Bull Rush.]
He became a silver projectile, ploughing through the elite formation. Ducking low, he twisted on his heel and slipped behind them.
[Spin to Win.]
He spun rapidly, his entire body twisting to drive the black iron blade in a wide, deadly arc. The speed and momentum turned his sword into a blur, creating the effect of an invisible disc of death that lashed through the front line of enemies.
[Kill Count: 211–251 (+400)]
[Total Kills: 610]
[Level Up! Level 14 -> 15]
[System: Stat Cap Increase Unlocked!]
[Level 15 Stats]
HP: 500 / 500
STAMINA: 500 / 500
SPEED: 35 -> 55 / 500
ATTACK: 100 / 500
DEFENSE: 95 / 500