The Shadowfen Vale, bathed in an eerie moonlight, is a high-level zone renowned for its twisted, weeping trees and hostile wildlife.
The air in Shadowfen Vale was thick and heavy, carrying the scent of wet earth and decay.
Twisted trees with bark like wrinkled skin reached up to the sky, their branches hanging low with thick, sticky sap that sparkled in the soft moonlight.
"Bro, are you sure about this?" Jay Antonio whispered, his voice trembling slightly as he clutched the new staff he'd gotten from the Snow Fox.
He eyed a hulking, shadowy beast in the distance.
That's a Level 5 Gloomfang Wolf.
It'll turn us into a two-course meal.
You'll be the appetizer, and I'll be the slightly less-chewy main course.
Jason Henry chuckled, his confidence a brutal contrast to Jay's anxiety.
He pulled out two frosty mugs of a dark, frothy liquid from his inventory.
Relax.
I present to you, Stoutheart Ale.
One sip of this, and we'll be seeing those Level 5 wolves as cuddly Level 3 puppies.
Jay blinked.
You want us to get drunk… to fight monsters? Is this your grand strategy? Are we drowning our sorrows before we die?
It's a game mechanic, you goof, Jason said, handing a mug to Jay.
The Drunken Hazedebuff blurs our vision slightly but tricks the system into lowering the monster-level suppression for us.
It's a loophole the devs left in, probably after a wild Friday night party.
To us, these Level 5s will feel like Level 3s. Drink up.
Hesitantly, Jay took a sip.
A notification popped up: [You are afflicted with Drunken Haze. Your perception is slightly blurred. Monsters +2 Levels above you are now perceived as being on par with your level.]
Jay swayed.
Whoa.
Okay, the world is a little wobbly, but that Level 5 wolf now has a Level 3 tag over its head.
You're a mad genius, Jason!
"I know," Jason said with a grin.
Now, let's get to work.
This is the best grinding spot in the region, and thanks to our little alcoholic advantage, we have it all to ourselves.
For the next hour, the vale echoed with the sounds of their efficient slaughter.
Jason, with his ridiculously high Agility, moved like a phantom, his blade a silver streak under the moon.
Jay, emboldened by the lack of level suppression, launched Dark Arrows and Evil Whips with newfound confidence.
The experience points poured in, and their bags began to fill with wolf pelts and vendor trash.
They were just finishing off a pack of three Gloomfang Wolves when an unnatural stillness fell over the clearing.
The chirping of crickets ceased.
The wind died.
"Uh, Jason?" Jay said, his drunken haze instantly replaced by a sober fear.
"Did you feel that?"
Jason's eyes narrowed.
He didn't reply, instead slowly turning his head, his senses screaming a warning.
"Get behind me now."
Suddenly, three figures emerged from the shadows beneath the weeping trees, their forms wrapped in darkness and daggers glinting with deadly intent.
They were Assassins from The Phantoms.
At their lead was a player named Silent Striker, the very same one who had ambushed them before.
"Well, well, look what we have here," Silent Striker hissed, his voice like grinding stones.
Two little rats, scurrying around in a place they don't belong.
Blazing Fang wants his items back.
And your heads.
Before the last word left his lips, he vanished.
The air itself seemed to split apart.
Jason heard a low whoosh as the air shifted, his only warning that something was coming.
He didn't even turn.
He simply sidestepped, His movement was so quick and smooth, it looked as if he had vanished and reappeared in an instant.
A silver dagger sliced through the space where his neck had been a millisecond ago, its tip coated in a venomous green liquid.
The other two Assassins didn't wait.
They saw Jay as the weak link and charged forward.
"Jay, Evil Whip, five meters to your left!" Jason barked, not even looking.
Jay, panicking, did as he was told.
A dark tendril burst from his staff, coiling around the invisible Assassin's ankle and ripping him out of stealth with a violent snap, dragging him into the open.
The third Assassin, however, was already on him, his dagger plunging towards Jay's back.
BOOM!
The ground beneath Jason's feet didn't just crack, it exploded.
He hurled himself forward like a cannonball, wrapped in a roaring spiral of wind.
The air shrieked as he moved, creating a visible sonic boom that rippled outwards, kicking up dirt and leaves.
He wasn't just fast; he was violence given motion.
He reached the third Assassin just as the dagger was about to pierce Jay's robes.
He didn't use his sword.
He clenched his fist.
"Get away from my friend," he growled.
He punched out with his entire might.
His fist, glowing with a faint energy from his absurd Strength stat, slammed into the Assassin's side.
CRACK!
A sickening crunch echoed through the clearing.
It wasn't just the sound of armor breaking; it was the sound of bones turning to powder.
A visible shockwave erupted from the point of impact, and the Assassin was launched sideways as if hit by a freight train, his body tossing around through the air before slamming into a gnarled tree with a wet thud.
He dissolved into particles of light before his body even hit the ground.
One down.
Silent Striker reappeared behind Jason, his face a mask of disbelief and rage.
He thrust with his dagger again, a high-speed skill that left after-images.
This time, Jason met him head-on.
He spun, his Novice Sword a blur.
CLANG!
The sound was deafening, a high-pitched scream of metal on metal that sent sparks flying.
Jason's Parry skill deflected the blow perfectly.
But he didn't stop there.
Using the momentum of the block, he twisted his body, his sword now aimed at the second Assassin, the one Jay had revealed.
He activated a skill.
[Thunderclap Slash]!
Three arcs of silver lightning erupted from his blade, each one faster and more powerful than the last.
They tore through the air, leaving sizzling trails of energy.
-45!
-54! (Critical!)
-63! (Amplified Damage!)
The second Assassin, a Level 2 player with leather armor, had no chance.
His health bar evaporated.
He looked down in shock at his chest, where three burning gashes had suddenly appeared, then, in a flash of light, his body began to fade away.
Two down.
Silent Striker was now alone.
His professional calm was shattered, replaced by raw, primal fear.
This wasn't a player,this was a monster.
He tried to vanish into the shadows again, to use his stealth to escape.
"Not so fast," Jason said, his voice cold.
Jason stomped his foot.
Another shockwave, this one smaller, rippled through the ground, momentarily stunning Silent Striker and interrupting his stealth skill.
In that split second of hesitation, Jason closed the distance.
His sword moved.
It wasn't a flashy skill this time, just a simple, brutally efficient upward slash aimed at Silent Striker's throat.
The blade moved so fast it hummed, the wind itself shrieking in protest.
Silent Striker's eyes went wide.
He tried to bring his dagger up to block, but he was too slow.
Far, far too slow.
The blade connected.
A thin red line appeared on his neck, and then he, too, vanished in a shower of light, dropping a pair of leather boots and a few silver coins.
The clearing fell silent again, the only sound being Jay's heavy breathing.
He stared at the three spots where the Assassins had died, then at Jason, who was calmly flicking a speck of dust off his shoulder.
"You… you…" Jay stammered.
"That was… what the hell was that? A sonic boom? You created a sonic boom!"
Jason grinned and walked over to pick up the dropped boots.
Just warming up.
Now, let's see what these gentlemen so kindly donated to our cause.
See? Getting ambushed is the fastest way to get new gear.
It's like extreme, non-consensual shopping.
Jay could only shake his head, a laugh bubbling up, a mix of relief and pure, unadulterated awe.
He was on a team with an absolute monster.
And he wouldn't have it any other way.