Enemies from a Past Life
Laughter suddenly echoed through the forest.
"Look at all this loot. We're going to make a fortune."
"Hahaha. We didn't even have to search for it. It just fell into our hands."
"Everyone calm down. Collect everything first. I'll divide it fairly."
A group of players stepped out from the trees, their eyes burning with greed as they stared at the scattered equipment and materials left behind by the giant apes. Their leader, Victor Nightfall, stood at the front with a wide grin while his men rushed forward to gather the spoils.
Before anyone could touch the items, a figure walked calmly out of the forest.
Ethan Quinn.
One of the players noticed him first and froze.
"Wait. Why is there someone coming this way?"
Another player frowned nervously. "Boss… those drops might belong to him."
"So what do we do? Are we still picking them up?"
Victor Nightfall's expression darkened as the noise continued around him. Of course he understood exactly who had killed the monsters here. The bodies of the giant apes and the damage marks carved into the ground made that obvious. But the greed already burning in his mind drowned out any hesitation.
"Why wouldn't we pick them up?" Victor sneered. "If we found them first, they belong to us."
He stepped forward with a cold smile and blocked Ethan's path.
"Kid. If you know what's good for you, turn around and leave. From now on, this area belongs to the Nightfall Guild."
Ethan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Anyone with basic intelligence would understand what the battlefield around them meant. The corpses of giant apes were scattered everywhere, and their leader had been killed as well. Any normal player would realize that whoever accomplished this was far beyond their level.
Yet the man standing in front of him seemed completely unaware.
Ethan studied him for a moment.
Then recognition appeared in his eyes.
Victor Nightfall.
So it's you.
A faint smile formed on Ethan's face.
Victor Nightfall was a notorious second generation rich kid. In his previous life, his strange personality and petty temper made him unpopular among serious players. However, his wealth allowed him to gather a group of opportunists who followed him around like shadows.
Ethan had once clashed with him over a valuable upgrade resource.
The conflict had lasted for months.
After being reborn, Ethan had nearly forgotten about this annoying fool. He never expected to run into him here in the river valley.
And now the same fool was trying to steal his loot.
Ethan slowly drew the Dragon Slayer Blade.
Victor burst into laughter when he saw the weapon.
"Oh? You dare draw your sword at me? Do you even know who I am?"
He waved his hand arrogantly.
"I'll count to ten. If you're not gone by then, my guild will help you leave."
Ethan felt his patience evaporate.
Without another word, he activated Flying Immortal.
His body vanished from the ground and appeared high in the air.
Before Victor and his followers could react, a rain of sword light descended from above.
Damage numbers exploded across the battlefield.
3932
3967
3948
Each strike carried sixty percent of Ethan's attack power. Combined with his Tenfold Critical Talent and the Dragon Slayer Blade's damage bonus, the results were devastating.
None of Victor's followers had enough defense to withstand even a single hit.
Within seconds, the entire group collapsed onto the ground.
Their bodies faded as the system forced them to respawn.
Novice Village Resurrection Point
Victor Nightfall and his men reappeared in confusion.
"What the hell was that damage?" one of them shouted.
"Yeah. He killed me instantly with one hit."
"I checked the combat log. One attack did more than three thousand damage."
"What did you say?" Victor's face twisted in shock.
He had spent a large amount of money to build what he believed was the strongest early game character. With over seventy attack power, he thought he could dominate the Novice Village.
Instead he was wiped out instantly by a single player.
"That has to be cheating," someone muttered.
Victor slammed his fist against the respawn pillar.
"Report him. That kind of damage has to be a cheat."
"If he's not cheating, I'll cut off my own head."
He immediately opened the game forums and began typing furiously, writing a long complaint accusing Ethan of hacking.
Back in the river valley, Ethan calmly finished collecting the items dropped by Victor's group. The equipment drop rate for player deaths was only five percent, but the number of players involved meant he still gained several pieces of low level gear and a handful of coins.
Once he finished gathering the items, Ethan looked back toward the battlefield.
The giant apes had died across a wide area, leaving materials scattered everywhere. Collecting them alone would take time.
His gaze shifted toward the bushes.
"Come out. It's safe now."
A small figure stepped out slowly.
Lily Rowan.
She had watched the entire battle unfold. Seeing Ethan slaughter more than fifty players had clearly terrified her. Her hands trembled slightly as she approached.
Ethan noticed the fear on her face and spoke calmly.
"They were my enemies. I'm not going to hurt you."
Lily hesitated before speaking.
"Then… can I go now?"
Her voice shook slightly.
Ethan sighed inwardly. His previous fight had clearly frightened her more than he intended. But he could not allow her to leave yet.
The moment he inspected her earlier, Ethan recognized who she was.
Lily Rowan was the trigger NPC for a hidden quest chain in Novice Village. Completing her mission would not only grant a large amount of experience but also increase favor with both Lily and her mysterious mentor.
Professor Elara Snow.
In Divine Realm, most NPC favorability provided limited rewards. But Lily and her mentor were different. Their quests opened access to rare resources that players could obtain repeatedly.
They were essentially a moving treasure vault.
Ethan knelt down so he was closer to Lily's height.
His voice softened.
"Can you tell me why you came to this valley?"
"I… I'm looking for Black Truffles," she said quietly.
A system notification appeared.
Random Quest Triggered
Lily Rowan's Black Truffles
Quest acceptance difficulty increased.
Ethan frowned slightly before relaxing.
He stood and smiled gently.
"Alright. I'll help you find them."
Lily shook her head quickly.
"No. I don't want to look anymore. I want to go home."
Ethan sighed.
Then he flicked the Dragon Slayer Blade with his finger.
The sharp metallic sound rang through the forest.
"Are we looking for them or not?"
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
"…We're looking for them."
Quest accepted.
Lily Rowan's Black Truffles.