God Wrench

Dawei lay on his bed, the game interface still imprinted in his mind like an afterimage. The dazzling dark-gold system prompts were still echoing in his ears—"Godslayer." A title not even the top nine players had earned.

In the world of Mercenary World, it was like becoming a myth before the main plot had even officially begun.

Still, the taste in his mouth wasn't entirely sweet.

He had achieved what most players wouldn't dare to dream: defeating a god-level boss solo, triggering absolute luck, and earning rewards that would send an auction house into meltdown. But the moment he thought about the haul—those shredded divine-grade books, the mangled space pocket, and the completely destroyed Master Key—he felt like weeping.

"Cheng also destroys the pool, and defeat also destroys the pool. Let the brother cry for three minutes…"

Dawei groaned aloud and rolled over, staring at the ceiling.

He was now officially a Weapon Master—a subclass from the god-tier Mechanical Engineering path. It was a shame only two usable pages of the Mechanical Engineering Guide had survived, but it was enough to unlock his new identity. With it came [Weapon Mastery]—a passive that let him wield and control all types of weapons with ease. But that wasn't what made his eyes glow.

It was the +2 rank boost from the god-tier wrench: Jugutra's Wrench.

He checked his subclass again:

Weapon Master (Intermediate)Can craft basic mechanical and hybrid weapons.Gain +12% proficiency and handling across all weapon types.Has a chance to comprehend unique weapon blueprints during combat.Current Bonus: +2 (from Jugutra's Wrench).

And his new passive:

Perfect DefenseFor every point of damage dealt to a hostile unit, increase defense temporarily by 0.8% (stackable).Duration: 15 seconds.Max stacks: 50

He didn't even have to think about it—his next destination would be the Arena. With high attack speed, movement speed, and now defense scaling from aggression, Dawei had become a walking blender.

But…

This wasn't over.

[Quest Ongoing: Eradicate Evil!]– Kill Vampire Count Sindro– Stop the Curse of Dhakazan– Protect the Hermit Camp's last line of defense

Zhugutra was just the warm-up.

The real boss still lay ahead: Count Sindro, the vampire overlord who had given Jugutra his immortality, whose blood had infected Montico, and who now, very likely, had noticed something had gone wrong in his castle.

"I'm the first to kill a god-tier NPC. The Count will definitely be watching now…" Dawei muttered to himself.

Suddenly, he sat up.

Wait. Wasn't this just the second phase?

The moment he'd earned the "Godslayer" title, the quest log updated. He checked it again.

[New Subquest Unlocked: The Eyes of the Count]Description: Count Sindro has felt the ripple of Jugutra's death. He knows a new anomaly has appeared… and he is watching.Effect: Player is now marked by the Count. Increased difficulty in vampire-controlled zones. Special events may trigger randomly.

Dawei's scalp tingled. This was the game's version of a soft "you've poked the hornet's nest" warning. It meant two things:

There would be no more safe zones in vampire-controlled areas.

He had just become the main target of a god-tier vampire overlord.

Still, he grinned like an idiot.

"Marked by a god, huh? Brother's gonna put that in his bio."

There were other thoughts whirling in his head now, more strategic ones. The destruction pool wasn't just a gimmick. It was the key to Dawei's success—and maybe, if he could replicate its effects or find a portable version, he could weaponize it.

Maybe Dioser, the great sage, would know.

Also…

The Time Badge.

He still had no idea what it did.

70% damaged or not, the system marked it as SS-tier jewelry—and anything with the word Time in its name in a game like this was definitely not just flavor.

Dawei opened the item description again:

[Time Badge]Grade: SS (Damaged: 70%)Description: Fragment of a lost temporal core from a pre-Fall era. Contains traces of frozen time essence. Effects unknown. Repair recommended.

He needed a way to repair it. But who could repair an artifact-grade item from before the Fall?

Only a top-tier crafter... or an ancient NPC.

His thoughts drifted back to the Hermit Camp. The sage Dioser had helped him already. If anyone could help him figure out the Time Badge or how to replicate a destruction pool, it would be him.

And he needed to hurry—because once the Count moved, the whole dark forest might erupt into war.

But there was one more notification he hadn't looked at yet.

[System Notification: Congratulations! You have unlocked the "Epic Narrative Line: Eclipse of Blood"]Description: By defeating a god-tier subordinate of the Count and claiming the title of Godslayer, you have altered the fate of the world. The balance has shifted. New storylines, bosses, hidden zones, and global events will begin triggering around your presence.

Dawei's pupils shrank.

"Brother… broke the main storyline?!"

He didn't know whether to feel proud or scared.

Probably both.

Next Objective:

Return to the Hermit Camp

Report Jugutra's death to Sage Dioser

Ask about Time Badge and potential repair methods

Prepare for retaliatory waves from the Vampire Faction

Don't die. Probably important.