MMORPG: Rebirth Of The Strongest Assassin-Chapter 86: Shock
Crack!... Crack!
Running through the forest with as fas as he could, Ismail look at his stamina and a wide grin appeared on his face.
"Such a blessing, this AI truly is considerate, making it that no one loses stamina under level 10. If this was in End World, I’ll need 9 or more hours to reach the city and that’s if I’m not pausing cause of stamina loss."
Ismail rejoiced as he kept running and running, he could easily estimate that he would spend half the time to get to the city and not seven to eight hours as he first thought. In fact, he might even reach the city in a matter of four to five hours!
’Yony, oh Yony, if you don’t compensate me for such waste of time I’ll make sure to give you a taste of hell,’ Isma laughed as he kept running.
However, as he was busy thinking of random stuff, a notification rang in his ears, startling him all over and making his d
System Notification: "Player Yone has reached Level 10. Congratulations on being the first in Eclpise Online to reach this milestone."
As the system’s announcement echoed across every player’s interface, the entire server seemed to jolt to life.
"What?! Someone’s already Level 10?!"
"No way... wasn’t the game launched just yesterday?!"
"Who the hell is Yone?!"
The global chat exploded. In the wilds, cities, and dungeons, players froze mid-action, disbelief plastered on their faces. Yet, almost immediately after the announcement, something even stranger occurred.
System Update: "New mechanic unlocked/updated, Stamina. Players now consume stamina when engaging in combat, running, or performing physical actions. Stamina can be restored through rest, potions, or consumables."
Chaos erupted right after.
"What the hell is this?! My character’s slowing down!"
"Damn it, I can’t sprint anymore like I used to do and can’t even run for long anymore. Did something break?"
"Why did everything suddenly get harder?!"
The sudden introduction of stamina disrupted every player’s routine. Casuals were confused. Pros were furious. Guilds immediately called emergency meetings to assess what the change meant.
Meanwhile, Yone stood silently at the edge of Golden Card City, away from the noise and the commotion.
He had been expecting this. Being the first to reach Level 10 wasn’t just about bragging rights; it unlocked hidden systems and game-changing mechanics. Stamina was one of them.
But he wasn’t here for fame. He was here to prepare for what’s even more for that.
Yone stepped into the marketplace of Golden Card City. The city, with its towering white-brick walls and orderly plazas, was empty of any players, and only NPCS roamed around. Most were still confused NPCS who had not much intelligent which Yone ignored and moved further inside the marketplace.
He walked straight to an NPC vendor hidden behind a narrow alley.
"Oh, an adventurer," the vendor muttered. A bearded old man wearing alchemy goggles and stained robes. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
"I’m here for the Beginner’s Alchemy Toolkit and the Flameleaf Recipe," Yone said without beating around the bush; he didn’t have time to waste.
The old man snorted. "Expensive taste for someone just reaching Level 10."
Yone tossed 3 silver coins onto the counter without hesitation.
System Notification: "You have purchased Beginner’s Alchemy Toolkit (Durability: 30/30)."
System Notification: "You have acquired Recipe: Minor Flameleaf Potion."
Yone opened his inventory and glanced at the recipe. It was a stamina-restoring potion, perfect timing, considering what the rest of the server was now facing.
He was about to buy it, but getting it for free is still better than doing that.
With materials still in short supply and very few players knowing how to craft anything, this potion would be in sky-high demand soon.
He made his way to the city’s Alchemy Workshop, a two-story stone building with arcane runes pulsing at its corners. Inside, rows of crafting stations lined the hall.
He claimed an empty one, unwrapped his toolkit, and set the ingredients.
[Alchemy Proficiency: 0/100 – Novice Alchemist]
His hands moved swiftly. Flameleaf. Star Grass. A pinch of Blackroot Dust.
Boil. Stir clockwise. Infuse with mana.
System Notification: "Crafting Successful – Minor Flameleaf Potion (+15 Stamina)." System Notification: "Alchemy Proficiency +3."
He crafted another. And another. By the time he emptied his initial batch of ingredients, his proficiency had reached 21.
Not bad for a start.
The only reason such crafting was easy was because of his Novice Alchemist rank; if he were any higher, he would never be able to easily create such a potion. It would be hell to create even one much less so many!
He then headed to the city’s bulletin board, scrolling through posted missions.
"Gather 20 Flameleaf — Reward: 20 copper." "Hunt Wild Boars and retrieve 10 Boar Livers, Reward: 35 copper." "Escort request: Merchant to Darkmoon Woods. Danger level: Medium. Reward: 1 silver + miscellaneous items."
He accepted all three of them without hesitation.
If he wanted to raise his Alchemy ranking fast, he couldn’t just buy ingredients. He needed to gather them himself. Efficiently and with purpose, not slacking around and wishing for the best like most players did in his past life.
Yone stepped out of the city gates, heading south toward the Flameleaf Hills.
Two hours passed.
In that time, Yone had cleared out two dozen flamevine patches, slain over 30 wild boars, and taken out a roaming elite mob guarding a rare herb.
His inventory was full of herbs, dusts, and a few beast cores he could sell for silver.
More importantly, his Alchemy Proficiency now stood at 63/100.
He returned to the workshop and continued brewing.
Success. Success. Failure. Success. Success.
System Notification: "You have reached 100 Proficiency. You are now an Apprentice Alchemist."
System Notification: "New recipes unlocked. Brewing success rate increased by 10%."
Yone cracked his neck and smiled.
’Progress. If I keep going like this, I’ll be on the same level if not higher than the shop NPCs and can create my own brand at that time, if that happens I’ll rake in money!’ He was excited as he thought of the future and couldn’t wait for it.
He then sold a batch of 15 Flameleaf Potions to an NPC vendor for 1 silver 10 copper. Then he stored the rest. He didn’t need to flood the market yet, he just placed that so the price later can be gauged and controlled way better by him.
In three more days and when the Auction House opens. That would be his real debut.
He walked to the gate when a familiar voice called out.
"Yone?! Damn, it really is you!"
A young brown man in worn leather armor approached. It was Ismail, the only friend Yone kept in the game and outside the game in his past life.
"You arrived pretty quickly despite the stamina debuff, not bad," Yone said calmly.
"No kidding! That shit was a disaster and I almost cursed you for three days and three nights." He then stopped talking and continued with a raised eyebrow," You’re already Level 10? The whole world’s losing its minds over the stamina thing. Haha, that’s my friend, as great as ever."
Yone nodded. "I’ve been preparing."
Isma scratched his head. "I’m still stuck at Level 9. Can we team up? I was planning to hit Lake Forest like you said but decided to go with you as you suggested and shit some good quests and mobs there."
"Sure. Let’s get you to Level 10," Yone said. "I need some beast venom anyway."
They made their way north, toward the misty shores of Lake Forest, where some quests and a lot of beasts awaited, and more importantly. His quest related to the Assassin Brotherhood!
***
At the same time, activity surged across the Guilds scattered throughout the Golden Card City region. Groups scrambled to buy up and distribute Lavastones while relentlessly grinding monsters in high-level zones.
"Life, this place is getting too crowded. Our EXP rate’s been cut in half already. Why don’t we shift to Gloomshade Ravine instead?" A warrior said after casting a blazing Triple Flame Barrage to finish off a weakened Level 10 Shadowfang Werewolf. She turned toward Life, frowning at the ever-growing crowd around them.
Originally, this hunting ground had been ideal, just enough enemies to go around and minimal interference. But thanks to that player’s early arrival in the city, droves of Level 8 and 9 adventurers had begun pouring into the area, trying to catch up.
Naturally, that choked off monster spawns and made leveling slower for everyone involved. Gloomshade Ravine, though more dangerous, promised better rewards and a cleaner grind.
That area housed monsters ranging from Levels 11 to 14. With their gear, they could manage enemies in the lower half of that bracket. It wouldn’t be easy, but the increased risk came with a faster experience gain. Plus, the ravine wasn’t far. They could reach it in thirty minutes at a steady pace, or even ten with a Speed Scroll.
Life scanned the nearby terrain, noting how the number of elite players from various top-tier Guilds had swelled. Each one was skilled in either drawing aggro or kill-stealing. The chaos cut their leveling efficiency to less than half its original pace. Worse, more players were arriving by the minute. If things continued like this, it could take them over seven hours just to reach Level 10.
"You’re right. Let’s relocate once the next Lavastone shipment arrives," she replied, checking the status of her guild members that found a mine that held such stones. If they could place their hands on the Lava stones, she would easily push to level 10 once relocated.
Just then, her communication interface lit up with an incoming call.
At first, she intended to decline without checking; she’d been getting pings nonstop since earlier, but the caller’s name froze her hand mid-motion. It was Requiem.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
Ever since Requiem had reached Golden Card City, she’d tried contacting him several times. Like many others, she’d hit a wall, his interface had been completely shut off. All she could do was leave a message and wait. Now, though, it seemed he was finally reaching out on his own.
