20 Million Bounty for Lucas's Head

I had always assumed that advancing a talent would require some intricate prerequisites, especially given that in my past life, I only knew that talents could be advanced, but never learned the specific paths to do so.

Little did I anticipate that this talent advancement would materialize so swiftly.

Finally, I can elevate my talent to S-rank.

This should save me some embarrassment in front of the guild members.

Otherwise, with the entire guild consisting of S-ranks and me being the sole A-rank, it would truly engender a sense of inferiority.

Winter was equally astonished by the rewards associated with the challenge quest. Her astute mind also grasped the origins of White Deer's and Dauntless's formidable prowess.

Challenge quests.

Could it be that the Ashen Forest incident was a challenge that White Deer and Dauntless completed?

Furthermore, Winter had also gleaned some insights into Lucas's talent ability.

"It seems I made the right choice."

This thought flickered through Winter's consciousness.

Her initial impression upon joining the Godslayer Guild was that she hadn't made a poor decision.

Having collected the challenge quest, Lucas issued an order: "Let's proceed to Blackwater Creek and clear the instance."

Hearing Lucas's directive, Dauntless appeared taken aback: "Then, what about the commission from Star Gate? Are we not going to eliminate Umbral Void?"

"Heh, there's no need for us to seek him out; he'll deliver himself right to our doorstep."

Having interacted with the Umbral Syndicate for so long, Lucas had a firm grasp of their modus operandi.

His history with them spanned far more than a mere three years.

Across multiple past lives, Lucas had crossed paths with them on numerous occasions.

Whether as allies or adversaries…

He had experienced both.

Lucas considered himself more knowledgeable about the Umbral Syndicate than even their own chairman.

Resorting to underhanded tactics when overt methods failed was their consistent approach.

This was the reason Lucas had hastily departed with his sister, even at the expense of halting their progress.

Lucas had already endured the experience of having his internet connection severed in his second life.

After making his decision, Lucas turned his attention to Winter: "What are your intentions?"

"Am I not to join you in the instance?" Winter inquired, a subtle furrow creasing her brow. She was puzzled by Lucas's sudden question.

"Oh… I was merely suggesting that you cherish your freedom, and I was concerned that you might not be inclined to accompany us."

While Lucas's statement seemed innocuous enough, Winter couldn't help but feel a twinge of irritation emanating from his words.

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\[Real World – Lucas's Villa]

"Is this the place?" A black vehicle came to a halt adjacent to a villa.

It was a detached villa by the sea.

Undeniably valuable.

Only two individuals had been dispatched to execute the task.

Such clandestine operations were best kept confidential.

The dissemination of such information would only serve to expose the Umbral Syndicate's unscrupulous nature.

While the Umbral Syndicate possessed a penchant for underhanded schemes, they still maintained the facade of a prominent guild, reliant on their reputation. Said reputation could not be entirely tarnished.

Emerging from the vehicle, both individuals were garbed in electrician attire.

Their strategy entailed severing the internet connection around the opportune moment before making a swift exit.

Should they be apprehended, they would claim to be conducting routine electrical inspections.

"That's right; I once drove him home after a night of drinking, and he even invited me inside."

As he spoke, the shorter of the two "electricians," Aze, attempted to peer through the window.

However, his actions were swiftly curtailed by his companion.

"Aze, the lights are still on; he's likely still at home. Don't spook him."

Aze patted his head: "That's right; you're correct."

"Locate their electrical panel and internet lines."

"It'll make things easier later."

They could not act with impetuosity.

Severing Lucas's internet connection prematurely would only prompt him to relocate to a different location to continue playing.

If Lucas were to frequent a gaming lounge, they couldn't simply sever the internet connection for the entire establishment.

Little did they know, Lucas had already anticipated their actions.

Even the lights in the villa had been deliberately left on.

However, the Umbral Syndicate only dared to surreptitiously sever the internet connection, refraining from any more drastic measures.

They would not engage in acts of murder or arson.

At least, Lucas had never witnessed them doing so in his past lives.

The Umbral Syndicate was an organization with a modicum of ethics, albeit limited.

Even if they were inclined to take more drastic action, they would be hard-pressed to pinpoint Lucas's current location.

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\[Epochal World – Blackwater Creek]

Having departed from Maplewood City, Lucas and Bella rode upon \[Windstriders], while Dauntless controlled a \[Rampaging Rhino], and Winter mounted a \[Swift Raptor] for transportation.

These mounts were all acquired from instance loot.

However, shortly after venturing beyond the city walls, as they neared the first instance of Blackwater Creek, \[Blackwater Cave], a multitude of red-named players emerged from all directions.

"We're surrounded."

Lucas immediately discerned their intent.

Clearly, these individuals were targeting him.

As the adage goes, "A handsome bounty will always find brave men".

Given that the Star Gate Guild had placed a bounty on Umbral Void's head, tasking him with eliminating Umbral Void, Lucas doubted the Umbral Syndicate would adhere to the rules of engagement.

His own head, along with Star Radiance's, had likely been marked with bounties by the Umbral Syndicate.

The strife between guilds was an affair relished by the player base.

Such machinations would not tarnish a guild's reputation.

In Epochal World, the practice of issuing bounties was commonplace, especially in the later stages of the game.

As the experience lost upon death became more substantial, guilds would often offer exorbitant sums to eliminate key members of rival organizations, thereby hindering their progress.

After grinding in an instance for an entire day, one might accumulate 20% experience, only to have the progress erased by a single death in the wilderness.

Furthermore, if a rare item or piece of equipment was dropped upon death, there would be no recourse for recourse.

Large-scale open-world PvP battles between guilds, characterized by murder and theft, were rampant.

Adhering to moral and legal codes in Epochal World was as absurd as observing traffic signals in GTA5.

Lucas and his companions reined in their mounts, coming to a halt.

"Winter, there are 37 of them; they may have some tricks up their sleeves. Can you handle it?"

Winter retorted in a frigid tone, "Yes, but do not call me Winter."

From all sides, the players gradually converged upon their location.

Their voices were audible as they approached.

"Azure, while I may be a fan of yours, your head is worth 20 million."

"Forgive me, idol! This money is of utmost importance to me; I have dependents to support…"

"Whether you're an idol or not, eliminating him will earn us a fortune, and may even grant us an opportunity to join the Annihilation Guild!"

The players swarmed from all directions, encircling Lucas.

However, they were clearly devoid of any self-awareness, exhibiting only recklessness and no strategy.

Hearing the players' cries, Lucas couldn't help but quip in his mind: "My head is worth 20 million… is this Water 7?"

"With a bounty on my head, will it continue to rise after this battle?

"Once my bounty reaches 3 billion, will I be crowned one of the Four Emperors of Epochal World?"

Although this had transpired several times in his past life, Lucas couldn't help but interject with his thoughts now that he'd returned to this life.

As this thought took root, Lucas cupped his hands to his mouth and called out to Winter: "Hey, Robin, when will you make your move?"

*Poof*

In an instant, Winter's figure materialized behind the player at the vanguard.

"Throat Slash!"

"Backstab!"

She dispatched him with surgical precision.

Simultaneously, two identical clones materialized on either side of Winter.

"I've already begun. Also, my name is not Robin."

Lucas remarked languidly, "Having unleashed the Flower-Flower Fruit, are you going to deny that you're not Robin?"

Winter refrained from retorting; the sheer absurdity of the statement was too much.

*Poof!*

"Shadowstrike, Throat Slash, Backstab"

Winter executed a seamless series of combos, chaining from clone to clone.

The existence of the phantoms granted Winter a significant boost to her speed.

This bonus applied to all forms of speed, encompassing not only movement but also actions, skill casting, and attack speed.

This made Winter's movements a blur to the eye.

The clones relentlessly unleashed their abilities, creating a decidedly one-sided scenario.

Most of the players were eliminated before they could even comprehend what had transpired.

While Winter's stats may have been inferior to those of White Deer and Dauntless, she still possessed a measure of the Godslayer Guild's influence, making her far from an ordinary small fry.

While she might not be capable of eliminating bosses, she could certainly dispatch ordinary players with ease.

"Damn it! What's with these clones?"

"No way, Winter actually joined the Godslayer Guild!"

"That wasn't in the intelligence report! First, locate the origi— Argh!"

*Thwack*

Throat Slash!

A victim of Throat Slash would be rendered mute, unable to speak or cast spells.

They would also suffer continuous bleeding damage.

Followed swiftly by Backstab, another player fell.

"Forget about locating the original! Target the clones! Each of these clones deals damage! What kind of monster skill is this!?"

One player attempted to attack an oncoming clone.

Just as the revolver in his hand aligned with the clone and his finger depressed the trigger, the clone dissipated into a wisp of shadow.

\[Shadowstrike: The body transforms into a shadow, shifting 3 meters in a specified direction. Cooldown: 5 seconds]

The basic displacement skill for assassins.

There was no way they could touch her clones.

As a premier assassin, Winter excelled at evading attacks through deft footwork.

To attack a clone was to invite death.

*Thwack!*

*Thwack Thwack Thwack Thwack!*

A flurry of crimson blossoms unfurled.

The battle lacked any semblance of suspense, devolving into a unilateral massacre.

These players were truly little more than cannon fodder.

Their techniques were utterly unremarkable, and their talents offered little in the way of a credible threat.

Slaughtering them brought a measure of satisfaction to Winter.

The accumulated frustration from her interactions with Lucas, the subtle undercurrent of pressure from White Deer and Dauntless, all found release in this moment.

After a fleeting eight seconds, the ground was littered with corpses; all 37 players had succumbed.

Their dropped equipment was scattered across the battlefield.

Winter stood tall, surveying the landscape as if admiring her masterpiece.

Lucas, dismounting from his Windstrider, patted Winter's shoulder: "Hmm, satisfactory."

The single word reignited a flicker of ire within Winter's consciousness.

All of that for a mere "satisfactory?"

However, Winter swiftly extinguished the flame.

Eliminating 37 low-level opponents was a feat that any member of the Godslayer Guild should be capable of accomplishing.

After all, the members of this guild were all monstrously powerful.

Lucas remained oblivious to Winter's internal struggles, continuing, "That level of assault was likely just a probing maneuver."

"After we clear the instance, we'll likely be ambushed."

Winter frowned.

Previously, she had always been the one laying in wait for others; now, the roles had been reversed. Joining the guild was proving problematic.

"So, are we proceeding with the instance or not? Our guild has always upheld the principles of fairness and freedom."

"If you wish to opt out, you are at liberty to do so."

Winter responded, "We proceed."

Nonsense, how was she supposed to level up if she didn't participate in the instance?

"Very well; by the time we finish, their main force should have arrived."

"That one named Umbral Void is also an S-rank assassin talent. He's an assassin, and you're an assassin. Winter, don't embarrass the Godslayer Guild."

"It would be a disgrace if you were defeated."

Hearing Lucas's earnest admonitions, Winter felt both helplessness and admiration.

As expected… the leader's words are still incredibly infuriating.