Chapter 4 The Sensation of Death

The furious voice of Mayor Cross echoed throughout the Town Hall. Cross moved at an incredible speed, appearing in front of Eric in an instant, his fist aimed at him.

At this moment, all the players cast mocking glances at Eric, eager to witness the power of Mayor Cross. A level fifteen elite, Cross could easily slap the current players to death. Eric had dared to provoke the mayor, and no one in Willowbrook Town could save him. He was either going to be locked up until death or banished from the town.

Surprisingly, Eric remained calm, leaving the other players puzzled. Had he already prepared himself for death?

Just as Cross was about to strike Eric, Eric, who had been motionless, suddenly moved. Like a hunter waiting for its prey, he swiftly drew a novice sword and blocked the attack, showing remarkable agility.

Cross's fist hit the novice sword, sending Eric flying. Just as he was about to fall, Eric, agile like a cat, flipped and landed steadily on the ground, although he lost 84 points of health instantly. The novice sword trembled, its durability decreasing by 1 point. If the durability reached 0, the weapon would become unusable.

All the players gasped in shock.

Everyone initially assumed Eric to be a novice player seeking trouble deliberately. However, Eric's performance revealed his exceptional skills, showcasing his prowess despite Cross being a mage-class character with minimal physical output. As an elite at level fifteen, any of Cross's attacks could easily eliminate the current players. Remarkably, Eric did not perish; instead, he skillfully countered with his weapon, minimizing the inflicted damage.

"Despite being a mage, Cross's strength and speed are astonishing," Eric murmured as he examined the Novice Sword, emitting a mournful sound. Gratefully, his prior focus on agility had boosted his attack speed to four, narrowly saving him from an untimely demise and sparing him the burden of restarting the mission.

"Foul creature, meet your end!"

Failing his initial strike, Cross's anger escalated. Suddenly, his garments shattered, revealing sleek black fur coating his body. He transformed into a ferocious werewolf with razor-sharp fangs.

Witnessing this transformation, all players stood stunned, unexpectedly finding the town mayor had morphed into a malevolent werewolf.

Swiftly, Cross appeared behind Eric and raised his gleaming claws, aiming directly for Eric's heart.

With a mere 16 health points remaining, Eric flashed a cold smirk.

Cross's claws abruptly halted inches away from securing Eric, impeded by a charging blow from a level 25 guard, stunning him for a second.

Seizing this opportunity, Eric swiftly retreated.

Upon Cross's recovery, he resumed his pursuit of Eric, only to be intercepted by another guard.

Both level 25 guards, though not elite, inflicted significant damage. Just one charge and a standard attack from each guard depleted over 600 health points from Cross, swiftly reducing his health to just over 1700.

"Impressive guards indeed; their attacks are truly formidable," Eric jestingly remarked while observing Cross's distressed state.

The guards were the protectors of the town, dedicated to safeguarding its civilian population from evil threats. With Cross transformed into a werewolf, indicating his non-human nature aligned with malevolent forces, the guards treated him as a hostile entity, determined to eliminate this threat as they would any other wild creature.

Sherlock's seemingly demanding quest merely required Cross to engage and withstand the initial strike, thereby revealing his true nature. Once this condition was met, the guards would take care of the rest, viewing Cross as an enemy to be vanquished.

The unique mission from the previous world that caused a stir in Silvervale City was primarily due to Cross's identity as a spy for the forces of darkness. This revelation shifted many players' perspectives on Divine Realms: Legends, prompting questions about the reliability of NPCs—could they perhaps be deceptive agents of malevolent powers in disguise?

Simultaneously, players were astonished by the cunning strategy employed to lure Cross into attacking. However, the player who orchestrated this feat deliberated at length, finally completing the task and subsequently seeking to showcase their accomplishment by sharing a detailed guide, which now benefitted Eric.

Despite facing the relentless assaults of the two guards, Cross's unwavering focus remained on Eric. As he pursued Eric relentlessly, the guards intervened, employing tactics like "Tendon Severance" and "Thunderstrike Assault" to impede Cross's movements. Fortuitously, Eric's agility rating of 5 enabled him to narrowly evade each dire situation.

Eric gradually whittled down Cross's health by over 2000 points, bringing Cross to the brink of defeat.

Observing Cross's impending demise, numerous players grew eager to deliver the final blow, hoping for valuable loot despite their confusion over the guards' actions targeting Cross instead of Eric. With the prospect of a level fifteen elite town mayor's potential loot drop upon death, players awaited eagerly.

From a safe distance, Eric looked on with disdain.

While Cross had become associated with malevolent forces, a scripted quest dictated this. To other players, the town mayor remained in a friendly state, untouchable by attacks. As Cross's health dwindled to under 100 points, all players surged forward towards the mayor in an attempt to land the decisive blow and claim the spoils.

Witnessing Cross teetering on the edge of defeat, Eric, too, rushed to seize his opportunity. However, despite the players' efforts, Cross succumbed to the guards' swords, denying any player the chance to land the final blow. Eric, capable of attacking but adverse to unnecessary risks, swiftly seized the town mayor's Insignia and vanished into the crowd after Cross's demise.

In Silvervale City, even if an NPC is slain, no experience points are gained, nor loot dropped unless tied to a specific quest. Without a quest prompt, Eric would have been unable to obtain the mayor's Insignia.

"Why can't I attack the mayor?"

"I demand justice! Why was there no loot upon the mayor's demise?"

Several novice players incessantly lamented, fueled by resentment at witnessing a level fifteen elite meet his end without reaping any rewards.

"Ignorant fools! Do you not understand the concept of friendly NPC relations? If an NPC is friendly, players are restricted from attacking. Such fundamental knowledge eludes you; why bother playing Divine Realms: Legends at all?"

Some clever players mocked them before seeking out Eric's whereabouts. Someone who could defeat Cross must be skilled; they needed to make friends with him. However, despite their efforts, they couldn't find Eric, not even knowing his name, leaving them disappointed.

The news of Cross's death spread throughout Willowbrook Town, causing a sensation among all players.

While many players were struggling to level up by killing monsters, Cross was defeated so easily. This was truly remarkable.

Within thirty minutes of Divine Realms: Legends opening, a message appeared on the official forum.

"Mysterious swordsman slays level fifteen elite mayor of Willowbrook Town. Cross was actually a werewolf in disguise. What kind of game is Divine Realms: Legends?"

This message instantly stirred up all the players of Divine Realms: Legends, with the post receiving millions of clicks in no time. Everyone was curious about the mysterious swordsman, but unfortunately, no one knew his name or how to contact him.

Meanwhile, Eric had already arrived in a dark alley.

"Sherlock, here's the mayor's insignia you requested," Eric handed the silver mayor's insignia to the beggar Sherlock.

For those players who had already accepted the mayor's mission or were planning to, the completion of the task was tragic. With Cross no longer respawning, there was nowhere to turn in the mission. Willowbrook Town would no longer have a mayor. However, Eric didn't care.

"Thank you so much; I am truly grateful. With this, I have avenged my friend. I hope these items will be of help to you," Sherlock said, handing Eric an exquisite little box before leaving the dark alley with the mayor's insignia.

System: [Unique mission "Sherlock's Request" completed, rewarding 2000 experience points, 20 free mastery points, and a luxurious accessory box.]

With a whoosh, Eric leveled up to level 1, only 1000 experience points away from level 2. It would usually take regular players six to seven hours to accumulate the 1000 experience points needed to reach level 1. Given that each level 0 monster only yielded three experience points, and with the need to find monsters and heal, along with the initial player congestion, it was normal for it to take over ten hours to reach level 1.

"Why are the rewards for the unique mission so generous? Could it be because I completed the mission at level 0?" Eric wondered, but he was highly satisfied with the rewards.

In the previous life, the rewards weren't as generous, with the other person only receiving 10 free mastery points and an exquisite accessory box. In contrast, Eric received 20 points and a luxurious accessory box.

In Divine Realms: Legends, free mastery points were precious, as only a few tasks rewarded 3 to 5 points. However, a unique mission like this one instantly awarded 20 points.

"I hope you won't disappoint me. Although you're not an exquisite accessory box, you are a luxurious one. You should have something good inside," Eric said nervously as he carefully opened the accessory box.

While experience points and free mastery points were valuable, Eric's true desire lay in the contents of the box. It was a crucial item for his leveling up and money-making plans, coveted by many top players in his previous life. If anything went wrong, he would be devastated.