The scene update would take three hours, so Dawei passed the time browsing the forums. As expected, players were already abuzz. Some streamers even took advantage of the downtime to pivot into broadcasting mercenary gameplay instead of just singing or selling merchandise.
There were plenty of eye-catching streamers—not much skill, but plenty of charm. Time passed quickly, and as soon as the three hours were up, Dawei logged back into the game to check his character.
[System Prompt: The game scene has been updated. You are currently located in the Sage Forest. You will be transferred to the main city in 12 hours.]
The cursed forest had been completely reworked. Where there was once rot and decay, vibrant meadows now stretched underfoot. Birdseye flowers bloomed everywhere, and the lush green valley shimmered with life. Dawei immediately opened his character panel.
Player: Song ChangdownRace: HumanReputation: World Prestige 300 | Hermit Camp: Appreciation | Beast Camp: TabooClass: Master of Weapons (Intermediate weapon proficiency)Level: 1HP: 21Mana: 80Strength: 2Defense: 4Attack: 1Agility: 3Attack Speed: 3
Personal Equipment: Jugutra's Wrench (SS-rank)Combat Equipment: None
Skills:
Leadership (Basic, with sub-skill arrangements)
Life Recovery (Passive)
War Defense (Basic, Incomplete)
Absolute Accuracy (Passive, Grandmaster)
Achievements:
Perfect Defense
Godslayer
Dispelled Darkness
Blood Sharpened
Vampire's Mark
Dawei furrowed his brow, confused. His race was now listed as "Human"? He didn't mind—probably a result of completing the Cursed Forest mission or a system adjustment related to faction reputation. What concerned him more was his level. Despite killing three major bosses and clearing a god-tier mission, he was still level 1?
He scrolled through the system logs and finally found the explanation:
"Your current attribute values have reached the upper limit for your level. Excess stats have been converted into five skill book rewards as compensation."
A soft sigh escaped Dawei's lips.
"Newborn characters are defaulted to level 1, so this must be the system's way of capping early game advantage. Makes sense. Still, having my attack speed reduced from 6 to 3 hurts..."
He knew full well—six attacks per second versus three wasn't just a numbers game. It was the difference between flickering like a blur and just being "slightly fast." Still, he understood. Early on, an unchecked player with that speed would be a walking cheat code.
The only saving grace was his skill books. Thanks to quest rewards and lucky drops, he had twelve rare skill books stockpiled. That alone kept him ahead of the curve.
Even with the system's nerf, Dawei's balanced growth and stat boosts still made him one of the strongest early-game players. Unlike others who specialized in a single niche, his build leaned toward overall survivability—perfect for a solo player.
But therein lay the problem. This game wasn't built for lone wolves.
The game's core revolved around commanding mercenaries, building territories, and managing large-scale wars. Traditional leveling by grinding mobs or dungeon crawling was too narrow in scope to push world progression. In contrast, real-time battles, production management, and faction wars ensured long-term gameplay variety and engagement.
With 12 hours left before being teleported to the main city, Dawei focused on sorting his loot. First priority: checking the boss drops.
He glanced at the Time Badge. It was damaged and unusable for now—it would need repairs before revealing its purpose.
Next, he inspected the Stone of Sighs.
When he showed it to the Great Sage, the old man gazed at it for a long time before finally speaking. "I can feel an ancient evil sealed within. Perhaps… the essence of the Vampire Count lingers. Or maybe it's a gateway—a fragment of some forgotten power."
Dawei's eyes lit up. "You mean... this could resurrect a god-tier being?"
The sage shook his head, smiling faintly. "Not a god, but something just as dark. A rebirth of something like the Vampire Count, perhaps. I can't say for sure."
[System Tip: You have unlocked item information – Stone of Sighs.]
Dawei frowned thoughtfully. "So... it can hatch? Like an egg?"
The sage nodded. "That's a good way to think of it. But it will need an immense amount of energy to awaken."
That confirmed it—the stone was a rare item directly dropped from a god-tier boss. Whatever came out of it would belong to him, but it wasn't something that could be activated casually. With no immediate use, he stashed it in his backpack along with the Time Badge.
Leaving the Sage's House behind, Dawei began to explore the newly updated high-end zone. With the map reset, new resources and hidden zones were sure to be scattered throughout.
Unfortunately, without his werewolf lineage, he'd lost the beast intuition skill. That meant no underwater treasure diving or instinct-based loot detection. His hopes of salvaging rare materials from the river depths were dashed.
He needed to find a new method. A new balance. A new advantage.
The journey was far from over.