CHAPTER 110: GAINING POINTS

A set of glowing red bars floated above the heads of the three beasts.

[Greater Boss Monster: Horned Boar]

[Level: 25]

[H/P: 3000]

The players froze.

No one moved. Their weapons, though already raised, quivered slightly in their grips. Their gazes weren’t even on the massive bodies of the beasts anymore, but on the blood-red text hovering above them.

"G–Greater Boss monster..." someone whispered, their voice trembling.

The words cut through the tense silence like a knife, and dread weighed down heavier on the group.

Greater Boss Monsters were infamous. Their strength was overwhelming, even for seasoned parties who knew what they were doing.

To stand against one alone was practically suicide. And here, three of them stood together.

Most of the players weren’t even sure they could take on a lesser boss monster, let alone something of this level.

Their throats went dry, pulses quickening, the weight of reality sinking in.

’This is too much... this is just... overkill,’ some of them thought.

They had only just entered the dungeon, why did they have to face a greater boss monster already?

Their fear deepened. Feet began shifting backward on their own, scraping lightly against the ground.

Step by step, the players retreated, shivering in the presence of the monstrous beasts.

Then, one of the Horned Boars roared again. Its horn gleamed faintly under the dim moss light as it lowered its head, muscles bunching.

With terrifying speed, it lunged—charging straight at one of the nearby NPCs.

The ground split with the force of its hooves as it thundered forward, hunger and bloodlust clear in its eyes.

The NPC—a thin man in shabby clothing—stared wide-eyed as the horned beast barreled toward him. His legs buckled under sheer terror, and his throat tore with a desperate cry.

"Ahhh! No—please!"

He dropped to his knees, hands flying up to cover his face, unable to bear the sight of death rushing toward him. His body trembled violently. He waited... bracing for the sharp horn to pierce through his chest, for the crushing weight to end him in an instant.

But even after seconds dragged by, nothing came.

No pain. No tearing of flesh.

Instead, there was a heavy, bone-rattling thud that struck the ground before him, close enough to make his teeth chatter. The man’s entire body shivered at the sound, his breath caught in his throat.

Terrified, he hesitated, then slowly pried his hands away from his eyes.

And froze.

Standing where death should have been, there was instead a man clad in light armor. Shadows clung faintly to his frame, his posture relaxed yet sharp, and in each of his hands gleamed a dagger.

The NPC’s gaze drifted downward, as if drawn by some invisible pull.

When he saw what lay at the man’s feet, his breath hitched, and a gasp tore from his lips.

The horned boar—the very beast that had been about to gore him—was sprawled lifeless across the stone floor. Its throat had been slit in one clean, merciless stroke, dark blood pooling beneath its heavy body.

The NPC shivered in horror, his legs giving way. He stumbled backward, falling to the ground. His hands scraped against the rough stone, but he barely noticed. Tears welled in his eyes, spilling down his cheeks in uneven streams as the crushing weight of what had just happened sank in.

He had been a breath away from death.

And it wasn’t mercy that had saved him. It was a predator far more terrifying than the monster itself.

Riley stood over the corpse, his lips curving into a smirk. His eyes glinted as he stared past the fallen beast, at the two more that still remained.

Before his vision, a row of notifications appeared.

[Level 25 Greater Boss: Horned Boar Killed!]

[+350 EXP]

[Level 25 Greater Boss Killed +500 Points]

[Bonus Point Gained: +100 Points]

Riley’s gaze swept across the text once, cold and efficient. Then he gave a slight nod, as if the outcome had been exactly as he expected.

The smirk on his face deepened.

The hunt was only beginning.

The faint glow of the notifications lingered before Riley’s eyes. His smirk didn’t fade as he scanned them once more, pausing on the last line.

The bonus points he had received... they hadn’t come just from killing the beast.

No—those had come from saving the shabby NPC who was still sobbing on the ground behind him.

It was one of the lesser-known mechanics in Apocalypse.

Apart from hunting beasts and monsters, players could also earn points by saving NPCs. A reward for playing the role of a so-called hero.

But it was only a minor part of the mission.

Riley had no intention of wasting his time running around to rescue every terrified villager. That was for fools who wanted to play knight in shining armor.

Killing monsters was still the best option—the fastest and most efficient way to gain strength. Everything else was just distraction.

Behind him, the players who had been watching stood frozen in shock.

"Wh... who is he?" one whispered, their voice trembling.

"He killed that thing... just like that. So fast..." another muttered, disbelief plain in their tone.

Their eyes darted between Riley and the fallen beast, muttering in hushed voices, unable to process what they had seen.

How was he so strong?

What unsettled them even more was the fact that Riley seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

He had been standing amongst them all this time, and yet none of them had noticed him—until now, when he struck like lightning and felled a greater boss in one strike.

Their shock deepened, their confusion mounting with every second they looked at him.

In front of Riley, the two remaining horned boars threw their heads back and let out enraged roars that shook the air.

Their voices reverberated across the clearing, echoing off the stone walls. They stomped their massive feet against the ground, and the earth trembled under their weight, cracks splintering across the dirt.

Then, in unison, they charged.

Their massive horns glistened, aimed squarely at Riley’s chest. Their intent was clear—impale him, crush him, and tear apart the one who had dared kill their kin.

Behind, the players gasped.

"Can he stand against both of them?"

"They’re both greater bosses—he can’t take that kind of power alone!"

Their voices were tinged with both awe and fear as they watched the scene unfold.

But Riley...

He only smirked. His body leaned forward, every muscle coiling with anticipation.

Instead of waiting for the beasts to reach him, he kicked off the ground and charged straight at them, daggers gleaming in his hands.

Riley lowered his body in one fluid motion, slipping beneath the first boar’s massive horn. His dagger flashed upward in a ruthless arc, slicing clean across the beast’s thick neck.

—2384.4! [Critical Hit!]

—615.6!

Red notifications blazed above the horned boar’s head as its momentum faltered.

A guttural grunt escaped its throat, and hot blood spurted violently from the wound, spraying across the dirt.

Riley didn’t even pause to watch it fall. He was already moving, his figure a blur as he closed in on the second beast.

His blade carved mercilessly across its neck as well.

—2365.4!

—615.6!

Another spray of blood erupted, painting the air crimson. The second horned boar gave a choking roar before its knees buckled.

The sheer speed of Riley’s assault made it seem as though both monsters collapsed at the same time.

Their massive bodies toppled forward, hitting the earth with a thunderous thud, shaking the ground.

Dust plumed around their fallen forms, and as it settled, Riley’s silhouette reappeared calmly behind them, daggers dripping with fresh blood.

[Level 25 Greater Boss: Horned Boar Killed!]

[+350 EXP]

[Level 25 Greater Boss Killed +500 Points]

[Level 24 Greater Boss: Horned Boar Killed!]

[+350 EXP]

[Level 24 Greater Boss Killed +500 Points]

Bright notifications filled Riley’s vision, and the corner of his lips curled upward slightly.

With these three beasts, he had just gained over a thousand points.

One thousand one hundred and fifty, to be exact.

He was certain he would be at the very top of the rankings with that.

In his past life, the one who had dominated this very event was Terry.

It was the same during almost every event hosted within the game, which was a major reason the hero’s name was so legendary.

But this time... things were different.

With a snap of his fingers, the corpses of the horned boars shimmered and vanished into his storage ring, leaving only smears of blood on the ground as proof they had ever existed.

The mouths of the players and NPCs standing behind him hung open in utter disbelief.

Their wide eyes followed Riley as though he were some sort of apparition—an impossible force that had descended from nowhere and crushed monsters that should have taken entire groups to kill.

A few players broke free from their stupor and rushed toward Riley, their eyes gleaming with eagerness.

They looked at him as though he were a rare treasure, the key to survival and victory in this event.

"Hey—wait! That was insane!" one shouted, his voice cracking with excitement.

"Join up with us!" another blurted out, desperation coating his words. "With your strength, we could clear this event easily!"

They crowded around him, voices overlapping, each one eager to pull him into their group.

The offers came quickly, almost tripping over one another—promises of loot sharing, support, protection, anything that might entice him.

A woman among them even went as far as stepping closer, her eyes sparkling as she slipped her hand into his, trying to warm up to him with a soft, practiced smile.