Mana Source
Ares was thrilled; this sword seemed practically tailor-made for him!
What did he need most right now?
Attack power.
With his SSS-grade talent, every bit of added attack power would be massively amplified.
By equipping the Judgment Sword, his Attack instantly soared to 220.
Multiply that by his 500-fold bonus, and each strike would deal a jaw-dropping 110,000 damage!
Even against a boss with 200,000 HP, he'd only need two hits.
Plus, there was the skill!
Phantom Seven-Strike was the icing on the cake—rapid consecutive hits with no resource cost whatsoever, making it the perfect fit with his talent.
Taking a steady breath, Ares gripped the Judgment Sword, eyes locked onto the Ruins Guardian.
"Let's see what this can do," he said calmly.
He streaked forward like a black bolt of lightning, taking aim and activating Phantom Seven-Strike. In a flash, his silhouette flickered like a phantom, and the Judgment Sword became seven arcs of purple light, stabbing out in rapid succession.
"-87,000!"
"-87,000!"
"-87,000!"
...
Seven huge damage numbers appeared one after another over the boss's head!
Its HP hit zero in a heartbeat, and the onslaught of damage continued until it collapsed. Even if its health were triple that amount, Ares would have cut it down all the same.
When the Ruins Guardian crashed to the ground, its body dissolved into a treasure haul scattered across the dirt.
[Congratulations on killing the Elite BOSS, Ruins Guardian. Announcing server-wide!]
[Server Announcement: Player "Ares" has successfully slain an Elite BOSS!]
Across the server, the message again flashed on the world channel.
Far away, Felix—who had been relaxing on a sofa enjoying a massage from two scantily clad Elven attendants—suddenly sat bolt upright.
He shoved the sultry elf maid aside and hurried to the window, lost in thought.
A Level 5 newbie?
An Elite BOSS?
Even the most imaginative mind couldn't put those two phrases together.
The bare minimum level for an Elite BOSS is 50. How could a mere Level 5 possibly defeat that kind of monster?
"Fresh out of the newbie village and he's already dropping Elite BOSSes?" Felix's face darkened.
He knew well that even Apocalyptic Guild's core members needed at least 30 well-coordinated players around the boss's level to bring it down.
A dangerous glint flared in his eyes.
"This Ares clearly has massive potential—his awakened talent must be at least S-grade, maybe SS. I can't let a guy like that slip away. If he won't join me, I'll have to get rid of him."
Meanwhile, Elsa, waiting for news at the ruins entrance, almost fumbled her ice sword when she heard the announcement.
Surprise and intrigue about Ares sparkled in her eyes.
…
Ares stood where the Ruins Guardian had fallen, sorting through the loot.
[You have defeated a boss at a much higher level, triggering a bonus EXP effect. Your level has increased!]
A surge of warmth coursed through him as the EXP poured in, steadily raising his level.
"Ding! Congratulations—you've reached Level 6."
"Ding! Congratulations—you've reached Level 7."
…
"Ding! Congratulations—you've reached Level 15!"
Ares gained ten full levels in one go, ultimately hitting Level 15.
He instantly allocated every bonus point to INT once again.
As he did, he felt that same distinct magic current flowing through him, while his MP shot up to 1,600.
"I can feel this unique energy running through my body. Feels great." Ares flashed a satisfied grin.
He then turned his attention to a magic scroll that had dropped—Earthquake.
[Skill Book: Earthquake]
[When cast, deals damage equal to one normal attack to enemies within a 30-yard area.]
[MP Cost: 20]
A faint glow shimmered the moment he opened the scroll, and Ares instantly learned the skill.
Unfortunately, his 1,600 MP wouldn't be enough to cast it under his own talent's 100x mana cost.
"If I had enough MP, I could unleash some really powerful spells…" he mused, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Just then, he spotted a cloak shining with star-like radiance lying on the ground. Intricate patterns swirled across it, hinting at mysterious power.
Picking it up, he heard the system confirm:
[Guardian's Cloak (A-grade)]
[+20 AGI, +20 INT, +20 STR]
[Passive: Swift—equipping it boosts movement speed by 5% and lets you pass through the Ruins barrier.]
Ares immediately put it on, feeling lighter and more agile in an instant.
Lastly, a blue gem caught his eye.
[Mana Source]: Unlimited-use item. Restores full MP, 60-second cooldown.
"Holy shit!"
Ares could hardly believe his luck.
Given he was now Level 15, with the cloak's bonus of +20 INT, his MP soared to 2,100.
Meanwhile, Earthquake's cost of 20 MP translates to 2,000 with his 100x multiplier. That was just enough!
He'd been worried about mana recovery, but it seemed the Mana Source solved that problem in a single stroke.
Grinning at the sight of his updated status panel, Ares headed back to the ruins entrance.
Name: Ares
Class: Warrior
Weapon: Judgment Sword (Growth-Type)
HP: 240
MP: 2100
ATK: 252
DEF: 39
…
A few minutes later, Ares arrived once more at the entrance to the ruins.
By now, most of the crowd had scattered to look for ways to break through the barrier. Only a handful of Apocalyptic Guild members had stayed behind.
Seeing Ares approaching the entrance, a Rogue snickered, "That newbie's real stupid, thinking he can just waltz through the barrier?"
"Yeah," another chimed in. "This barrier's lethal. Even our guild master won't risk messing with it. Let's watch him fry from the backlash."
They were still joking around when Ares stepped right through the barrier into the ruins. It parted like it had been deactivated and didn't impede him whatsoever.
"Wait—what the hell just happened? How did he go straight in?"
"Isn't it obvious? The barrier must've gone down! This is a once-in-a-lifetime shot—I'm going in too!"
The Rogue immediately cloaked up and dashed forward, hoping to slip inside before anyone else.
But the moment he neared the barrier, a bolt of lightning came crashing from above, striking right in front of the ruins.
That Level 325 Rogue was obliterated on the spot—no body left behind, just the smell of scorched flesh lingering in the air.