Kill The Mechstal

Dain's speech was long and draining, and specifically targeted at Julius for some reason.

.His eyes slyly scanned the crowd, noting the mix of anticipation and uncertainty etched on their faces. Taking a deep breath, he began, his voice resonating with conviction and power.

"My friends," Dain commenced, "we find ourselves at a pivotal moment in our journey. The challenges we face are formidable and unlike anything we have ever seen, but I know that by uniting our strengths and working collaboratively, we can not only overcome these obstacles but also ascend to heights impossible to us in our previous lives. All of you here can contribute meaningfully and achieve something great."

He paused, allowing his words to sink in before continuing.

"However," he said, his tone growing somber, "unity requires trust, and trust is built on integrity. Recently, we've witnessed actions that undermine this foundation. Take, for instance, the case of Julius."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd at the mention of Julius's name.

"Julius chose to act selfishly, stealing a sword that did not rightfully belong to him," Dain stated, his gaze steady. "Such behavior is not only dishonorable but also detrimental to our collective progress. It's for this reason that he has been excluded from our ranks and we have vowed to never allign ourselves with him, lest his attitude should spread into the rest of the people's minds."

He allowed a moment for the weight of his words to resonate. A few eyes spun to Julius' location and a few mutters surfaced, but nothing more was spoken of the matter.

"Let this serve as a reminder," Dain continued, "that our actions have consequences. To achieve greatness, we must uphold the principles of honesty, respect, and collaboration."

Shifting his tone to one of encouragement, he addressed the assembly with renewed vigor.

"To that end, I, along with my team, commit to supporting our lower-level comrades. We will mentor, guide, and assist you in navigating the challenges ahead, ensuring that you have the tools and knowledge necessary to rise through the ranks and so that you may fight with us at the top."

A sense of hope began to permeate the crowd as Dain spoke.

"Together," he declared, "we will tackle major quest lines, face formidable foes, and fight for that God's world. My recent accomplishments have demonstrated a level of strength that is now beyond dispute, and I pledge to leverage this strength for the benefit of us all. So will you all stand in silence, or will you take the step forwards that will change history?"

Dain's eyes gleamed with determination as he extended his hand toward the assembly.

"Join me," he urged. "Let us forge a path to victory, not as isolated individuals, but as a cohesive and unstoppable force. United, there is no challenge we cannot surmount, no enemy we cannot defeat. With systems, power and unity, no force is greater than ours. Join us, and you will never look back, together we will save this world!"

The crowd erupted in applause, the energy palpable as Dain's words ignited a collective resolve among the adventurers.

As the assembly dispersed, conversations buzzed with renewed enthusiasm and a shared sense of purpose. Dain's speech had not only gathered almost every single person into his team, it had also isolated Julius further.

The ceremony concluded, and as the ranked adventurers left the stage, Julius exhaled sharply. He needed to be stronger. His legendary sword, Soul blade, was powerful, but even that wasn't enough. He needed better weapons, better skills, more experience and perhaps new teammates. The gap had grown to such an extent that Dain was far ahead, and Julius was a distant blur.

He turned to Rose. "It wasn't enough, that means there is only one way for me to gain power over him."

'Rose Level 22 Necromancer'

She arched an eyebrow. "Julius…"

"I almost had it. But almost isn't good enough and seeing how Dain is the new leader, I'll need to become powerful if I don't want to bend to his will.." His eyes burned red with exhaustion. "I'll take every quest I can. I'll meet Dain at the summit."

Rose sighed. "Alright, alright. Just don't die."

"I wouldn't mind helping you a little before I leave, just because you'll probably die if I don't." He smirked, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. 

'He must still be feeling down.' Rose presumed.

"What? I don't know about you but this class is way too hard to level. Necromancer, why did I pick this class!"

Rose stumbled forward, muttering under her breath as she fumbled with her necromantic spells. "Ugh, stupid skeletons! Why won't you listen?"

The skeleton she had summoned groaned lifelessly, then fell apart into a useless pile of bones.

Julius leaned against a wall, arms crossed, watching her struggle with a bemused expression. "You know, you could just let me handle this."

"No!" Rose snapped, glaring at him. "I've got this!"

A group of low-level smugglers appeared, brandishing crude weapons. Rose's skeletons finally lurched forward—but before they could do anything, Julius blurred past them, dispatching the enemies in an instant. One-shot, every time.

Finally, they reached the boss—a level 30 thug with an arrogant smirk.

Julius sighed. "I'm short on time."

With a flicker of movement, he appeared behind the thug. A single precise strike later, the fight was over.

Rose huffed. "You're no fun."

Julius sheathed his sword. "I just don't waste time. I won't be seeing you or anyone here for a while. I don't have time to waste, I realize. Especially if he's going to use tricks like that..."

"Just don't die, you'll make at least one person pretty sad." Rose murmured, before walking back.

'Did I upset her? I hope she doesn't take it to heart.' Julius cleansed his minds of any thoughts of Rose or any of the people here. He just needed to raise his level higher and higher.

And so he trained without looking back, without sleeping comfortably, without resting much.

Julius lived inside the quests. He hunted down bandits, cleared dungeons, and fought against powerful monsters for every second he was awake. Each day blurred into the next, filled with battles and hardships. His movements became sharper, his reactions faster. He learned to wield his sword with even greater efficiency, he killed like he meant it.

One day, he had killed so many bandits and beasts that he could not wash the blood off for hours.

Months passed, and his level reached Dain's. Level 40. Level 45. Level 50.

Finally, one fateful day, as he completed a grueling dungeon, a new notification appeared before him.

[Ding! You have reached Level 50!]

[Unique Quest Available: The Sword's Guardian.]

Julius's breath hitched as he read the notification. A Unique Quest? This was new, he assumed it was because he reached level 50.

He opened the details:

[The Sword Guardian]

[Enter the lair of the Mechstal, the monster that is sovereign to all living swords. It can evolve your Soul Blade into a new realm of power, but to do so you must retrieve it's core by defeating it in battle.]

[Objective: Enter the Mechstal's lair, located underneath Linia and complete the trial.]

[Rewards: Soul Blade Evolution, 2 Instant Level-Ups ]

Julius exhaled sharply. His hands trembled slightly—not with fear, but with excitement. This was it. The next step. The opportunity to surpass Dain, to truly prove himself.

He tightened his grip on the Soul Blade and turned toward the distant horizon. If he lost here, it would all be over, he had not seen any of his fellow humans for weeks now. Even rose, was somewhere at the base, lost in the middle of the monthly rankings.

Two months had passed since he got fourth, in the following months he got third twice.

He noticed Dain was level 55 last month, he had been stagnating when it came to levelling recently.

Which was why this unique quest would be the perfect chance to close the lead.