Chapter 5: The Spectral Knight – A Battle Against the Impossible

The Guardian of the Fang towered over Liam, its translucent armor glowing with an eerie violet light. Shadows curled around its massive sword as it raised the weapon high, the sheer pressure of its presence enough to suffocate an unprepared player.

[Guardian of the Fang – Level 10]

[HP: 5,000]

Liam tightened his grip on his Shadow Dagger. At level three, he had no business fighting a level ten boss.

But that didn't matter.

In his past life, it had taken a full five-man party to bring this thing down. This time, he was doing it alone.

The Guardian's eyes flared, and it swung its massive blade.

Liam rolled to the side, barely avoiding the downward strike as the sword smashed into the stone floor, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the ground.

Too slow.

The moment the attack missed, Liam dashed forward, twisting his body mid-air before bringing his dagger down toward the knight's exposed back.

[Critical Hit!]

[-125 HP]

The knight staggered but didn't falter. Instead, it retaliated with blinding speed, twisting its sword in an upward arc.

Liam jerked back just in time, but the shockwave from the attack sent him skidding across the floor.

He barely had time to register the hit before the knight disappeared into the shadows.

Liam's instincts screamed at him.

"Behind me."

Without hesitation, he dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the knight's blade as it slashed through the air where his head had been just moments before.

The Guardian of the Fang wasn't just some slow, lumbering boss, it was a Shadow-Type Entity, meaning it could teleport between dark spaces.

In his past life, players had tried to brute-force this fight, tanking its attacks. That had been a mistake.

The only way to win was to use the shadows against it.

Liam took a deep breath, calming his heartbeat. If the knight wanted to play in the dark, then he'd make sure it lost its advantage.

He dashed toward the nearest torch-lit pillar, positioning himself so that his shadow merged with the others.

The knight teleported again, but this time, instead of attacking, Liam moved with it, predicting its pattern.

Just as the knight reappeared, Liam was already mid-strike, dagger aimed at the gap in its armor.

[Backstab Activated – Bonus Damage Applied!]

[-450 HP]

The knight let out a distorted growl as Liam's dagger sank deep into its spectral form.

[Midnight Fang Resonance: Shadow Affinity +10%]

Liam's eyes widened slightly. That was new.

In his past life, no one had mentioned anything about the dagger enhancing shadow-related attacks.

If that was the case…

A slow, dangerous smile crept across Liam's face.

"Let's end this."

Breaking the Boss

The Guardian of the Fang roared, summoning a ring of floating dark blades that hovered around it before launching toward Liam at full speed.

Instead of dodging, Liam sprinted forward, weaving through the deadly projectiles at the last possible second.

At the very moment the knight raised its sword to block, Liam vanished into the darkness.

The knight hesitated.

That was its fatal mistake.

Liam reappeared right beneath it, dagger aimed directly for its core.

[Phantom Strike Activated – Bonus Critical Applied!]

[-900 HP]

The knight staggered, its entire body flickering as its health dropped below 20%.

This was it.

[Final Phase Initiated: Spectral Overload]

The knight let out a piercing screech, its body unraveling into pure shadow energy before condensing into one final attack.

Liam had seen this move before. In his past life, this had been the attack that wiped out most players attempting the fight.

But he wasn't going to let that happen.

He gritted his teeth and lunged straight into the attack, pushing past the incoming darkness with everything he had.

The moment his dagger connected with the knight's core, the entire chamber exploded in violet light.

Silence.

Then, a system notification rang out.

[You have defeated the Guardian of the Fang!]

[You have gained 2,500 XP!]

[Level Up! Level Up!! You are now Level 5.]

[You have obtained: Midnight Fang (Mythical).]

Liam exhaled sharply, his heart pounding.

He had done it.

The first Mythical-tier weapon in the game… was his.

The Power of Midnight Fang

Liam stepped forward and pulled the dagger from the altar. Immediately, a dark pulse of energy wrapped around his hand, sending a chilling yet powerful sensation through his body.

He opened his inventory and inspected his new weapon.

[Midnight Fang – Mythical]

[Attack Power: 90]

[Effect: +15% Critical Chance, +20% Shadow Damage]

[Special Ability: Shadow Rend (Unleash a slash of pure darkness, dealing AoE damage to enemies in a five-meter radius.)]

Liam's fingers tightened around the handle.

This weapon… it was beyond broken.

For most players, acquiring a Mythical-tier weapon didn't happen until level fifty, yet here he was, holding one at level five.

This changed everything.

Leaving the Dungeon – A New Threat

Liam made his way out of the Forsaken Ruins, his movements sharper, more confident.

But the moment he stepped out into the open wilds, his instincts flared.

Something was wrong.

He ducked behind a tree, narrowing his eyes as he scanned his surroundings.

Then, he saw them.

A group of five players, all wearing the emblem of Vanguard, one of the strongest up-and-coming guilds in Eternal Dominion.

And at the center of them… was Ethan Cross, their top-ranking player.

Liam felt his lips curl into a sneer.

In his past life, Ethan had been one of Jason's strongest allies, eventually becoming one of the most feared PvP players in the game.

Liam had planned to deal with him later.

But fate had brought him here early.

Ethan was speaking to his group, completely unaware of Liam's presence.

"The ruins just activated," Ethan said. "That means some lucky bastard just got a big reward. If we find him, we take it."

Liam's grip tightened on Midnight Fang.

So that was it. They were hunting for the dungeon's first clear.

A part of him considered simply walking away. He had already secured what he needed—there was no reason to waste time here.

But then again…

Ethan Cross had been a problem in his past life. A major problem.

If Liam could remove him early, it would make things easier down the line.

A slow, dark smile spread across Liam's face.

"I was going to wait before starting PvP…"

He twirled Midnight Fang, the dagger pulsing with power.

"But I guess I can make an exception."

He stepped out from the shadows.

Ethan's group turned, spotting him immediately.

"Who the hell is this guy?" one of them muttered.

Ethan's gaze locked onto Liam's weapon. His expression twisted with pure greed.

"A Mythical-tier weapon?" His voice was filled with disbelief. "At level five? What kind of broken luck do you have?"

Liam simply tilted his head.

"This isn't luck," he said casually.

Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Hand it over, and maybe we won't kill you."

Liam chuckled, spinning Midnight Fang between his fingers.

"You're welcome to try."

A tense silence fell over the group.

Then... Ethan gave the order.

"Kill him."

Liam's smirk widened.

Finally.

It was time to remind these people exactly who they were dealing with.