The eggs sizzled on the portable cooking stove. Zach, clad in nothing but a white pair of boxer shorts, rubbed the crust out of his eyes and yawned out the last bit of sleepiness as the early-morning sun filled the sky. In the distance, he could see that today was going to be an extremely cloudy, stormy, and rainy day. But he was so high up that it wouldn't affect him here, as the island fortunately happened to be above the clouds at the moment. That wouldn't always be the case, of course. But for now, the weather would be clear.

As he waited for his breakfast to cook, Zach took a deep breath, becoming inspired by a new morning and a fresh start. He hadn't known what his mood would be when he woke this morning, and he was worried he'd get up and discover that he was traumatized or mentally scarred. Shockingly, he felt just fine. A bit irritated? Maybe. But for someone whose entire body had been burned alive, he was feeling way better than he would've expected.

Maybe a bit too good.

Slowly, Zach released the breath he'd been holding, and afterwards, he balled his hands into fists, and he vowed to himself that he'd do better today than he'd done yesterday. Twice now, that elite mob had mortally wounded him, and he was determined to make last night's near-death experience his last one. Not to mention he'd run out of healing stones if he kept getting burned or torn apart every time he took another shot at the elite.

"I'm using them up way too fast," he said to himself.

Though it hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours since he'd arrived, he'd already used 3 reds, 3 yellows, and a purple, leaving him with 5 reds, 2 yellows, and 3 purples in the event of another emergency. Part of him wondered if he should maybe hit up Angelica's and get some more.

No, no going back, he told himself. I'm not going anywhere but forward!

One thing was beyond question: Zach clearly had his work cut out for him. Progressing through this tower might take longer than he thought. He was, after all, a person trying to make his way through a high-level raiding area all on his own. But if that was too hard for him to do, then what chance did he stand of rescuing his friends in the remote chance they were still alive? And if…if they weren't alive anymore, then that would be even more reason for him to endure through this self-imposed trial.

But how the hell am I supposed to get through this now?

Technically speaking, he could simply go around the elite mob since its aggro range was so short, but what good would that do? He'd presumably only encounter even more powerful things as he went along. No, if he couldn't beat the one and only mob near the entrance, he had no business progressing any farther. He had to defeat this enemy.

But how?

Zach tapped on his right shoulder blade three times, bringing up his stats. Now that his equipment was all gone, he would no longer have access to Helm Sight, requiring him to do things the old-fashioned way.

Zachys Calador: Level 26

(388277/500000xp)

54 strength

53 dexterity

54 constitution

82 intelligence

47 speed

15 luck

With his Sword of Light Amidst Darkness destroyed, his strength had plummeted down from 79 to 54, making him even less capable today than he'd been yesterday, and this was a serious problem he couldn't ignore. But an even bigger problem was the lack of a weapon itself, as there was no way he could kill that elite mob with his fists alone. He needed a sword.

Don't I have one, though?

Actually, yeah, he did. He'd almost forgotten all about it, too. Way back during last summer, after a very tricky boss called "Mare of the Primordial Void" had spawned, Zach ended up winning a sword of the highest-known rarity: Artifact. This weapon, which Jimmy swore was great, hadn't seemed so impressive to the rest of the adventurers, Zach included. Thus, he'd planned on selling it someday, but he'd never gotten around to it. Thank the Gods for that, too.

After a quick breakfast, a bath in the pond, and a brisk shave, Zach stood upright under the morning sun, and he lifted his hand above his head, calling upon Bank and Storage. His item box, visible only to his eyes, appeared before him, and from within, he mentally selected the blade, which subsequently vanished from the box and reappeared in his clutched hand, still inside its scabbard.

I forgot how awesome this sword looks.

The scabbard was black with little white, glowing dots that looked like stars, along with golden trails that ran from the top to the bottom. Unsheathing the weapon, Zach inspected the blade for the first time since acquiring it.

"I can't believe I never showed this thing off to the Royal Roses," he remarked as he waved it around in the air.

The hilt was silver in color, and the blade itself was an even darker silver—almost grey—but what made it stand out was that from the sharp, pointed end down to around halfway along the length of the blade, there were several words inscribed in Elvish writing, and these words would slowly light up a vibrant purple before becoming dull and unlit—only to light up yet again like a pulse.

Zachys Calador: Level 26

(388277/500000xp)

89 strength

88 dexterity

89 constitution

82 intelligence

47 speed

15 luck

With his new sword in hand, Zach realized his stats were even higher than they'd been with his previous one, though that didn't exactly make it an "upgrade," either. What truly made his previous sword special—sentimental value aside—was its fairly high chance to proc a stamina-regeneration effect, which enabled him to remain in Unleashed Phase for much longer than its fifteen-minute duration typically allowed. Losing such an important ability really, really sucked and was an incalculable loss. And his new sword, though cooler looking and superficially more powerful, did not have much going for it in terms of special abilities. In fact, it only had one.

(ARTIFACT): The Primordial Void Blade: discovered by Raiding Group/James Green

Level-85 Sword / Melee

+1,000 physical attack damage

+35 str

+35 dex

+35 con

(passive) Equalize 40

"Shit, what does Equalize 40 do again?" Zach asked himself, frowning. "I completely forgot."

Back when this sword had dropped from the Mare of the Primordial Void, Zach had been able to call upon the "glossary" in an attempt to answer that question, as his Unleashed Phase gave him access to a Helm Sight at a level even greater than "full," and the glossary was one of the things that came with it. Yet, with all the shit going on in his life at the time, he'd completely, totally forgotten what it said, and he certainly wasn't about to waste Unleashed Phase just to use the glossary again, especially since he had no way anymore of extending the duration beyond its 15 minutes.

Damn, what the hell did it say? Think, Zach. Think!

He struggled to remember as he thought back to the events of that day. Certainly, he could recall the moment he'd won the blade itself. But it was the part a bit before then that was fuzzy in his mind.

I remember bringing up the glossary, he thought. And I remember reading it over and thinking it was really confusing. So did everyone. But Jimmy understood it. He said the ability was amazing…and something about damage calculations, I think.

Zach snapped his fingers. "Right!" he blurted out, speaking aloud. It came back to him in a flood. Not all of it, but the part that mattered.

Jimmy had said that Equalize X basically lowered a mob or boss's "effective" level down to your own level, but only up to X amount. So, if something was 40 levels higher than Zach, Equalize 40 would make it as though he were striking something the same level he was. But if something was only 5 levels higher, it would only make a difference of 5, as it couldn't "equalize" it lower than the level of the thing attacking.

The Legion Portal Guardian is level 60, he thought. That's 34 levels higher than me. So, wait… He inhaled with surprise. Does that mean it'll feel like I'm fighting a level-26 elite instead of a level 60?

As Zach thought on it, he realized that the answer to that question was probably "not exactly." This was because the mob would still hit like a level-60 elite, it would still move like a level-60 elite, and it would still have the HP of a level-60 elite. But Zach, with a strength of 89, would be able to strike the elite as though that 89 strength was being used to hit something that was level-26.

Oh, shit, he thought, fully gasping now, even covering his mouth in shock. That's like a huge difference. So that's why this is an Artifact-quality weapon. I get it now.

Eager to test this out for himself, he strapped the scabbard onto his naked back with the sword sheathed inside, and immediately after, he scooped up his rejuvenation stones and put them…where was he supposed to put them, actually? He had no pockets, and he definitely wasn't about to shove them up his ass. He decided to hold one of each in his right hand and leave the rest behind. With that, he took off.

Barefoot and in his underwear, Zach maneuvered around the reeking corpse of the fallen boss, then began jogging his way up the twenty stone steps that led to the tower's entrance. He paused at the top, however, as a concern popped up in his mind.

But won't this sword just end up breaking like my last one? he wondered.

It was definitely a valid concern. With how hard the elite mob was able to hit, wasn't there a very real risk that guarding against an attack would lead to his sword snapping in two just as his previous one had?

Maybe not, he thought. Zephyr once told me that, the higher quality the weapon, the more durable and harder it is to break. My last sword was Epic Rare, and after that comes Legendary, but then after Legendary is Artifact. So this is like two entire grades higher. Is that enough, though?

Zach shrugged. He just didn't know. And to be honest? He was already in way too deep to worry about it. If it broke, it broke. So be it. And in that case, he supposed he actually would be forced to jump off the island, go to Archian Prime, and farm a new set of gear and a new weapon as an absolute last resort if it came down to it. But until or unless that happened, there was no point in dwelling on it.

Still…it wouldn't hurt to be a little stronger just to be safe. Maybe now's the time to finally use that item I've been saving all this time.

Zach pursed his lips. He had something in his possession: something he'd had for a very long time. It was something he'd intended to save until he was a much higher level than now. But given how extreme the difference in power was between himself and the elite Orc he'd be facing, he wondered if maybe he should use it early.

If I die, I'll never get to use it at all, he reminded himself. So there's that.

What should he do?

Zach agonized over the decision. It was to such an extent that he turned around, sat on the top step, and really mulled over it for close to fifteen minutes. In the end, he decided he might as well go through with it. He didn't have the privilege of worrying about what would happen more than 50 levels into the future; no, he needed to be stronger now.

And so, despite his eagerness to get started, he sat quietly on the top step for another forty-five minutes while he waited for Bank and Storage to come off cooldown. And when it did, Zach, still in a seated position, raised his left hand above his head and called upon the ability once more. And this time, he grabbed something from the very bottom of his box: something he hadn't looked at or thought about in a very, very long time.

It was an item in the shape of a card, only it was made of metal and had a prismatic shine. It also had a +2 engraved into it, one that was etched in such a way that the contours of the number "2" could be felt and traced with his finger. It was an extremely valuable item that had dropped from the dragon, with one dropping for every participant in the raid.

We all got one of these, Zach recalled. Yeah, 535 of them dropped, and everyone was given one of them, myself included. Kal's mom gave hers to Kal since she was too high-level to use it, and Vim and the other political guild people used theirs basically the moment they got them.

The card was a consumable item that, when used, would instantly grant 2 level-ups to whoever activated it, but it would only work up to level 80. Thus, Zach had planned on saving it for some date far in the future, preferably when he was 78. Until then, he'd decided to keep it in storage.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

And part of him still strongly thought he should.

But I need power right now, and I don't think I can wait.

With a sigh, Zach dismissed Bank and Storage then stared at the shining, card-shaped item in his hand, stroking the surface of it with his opposite finger as he became hesitant and uncertain. Was it really wise to use this now? Assuming he made it through this ordeal, actually succeeded in solo'ing his way through this tower, and went on to reach level 78 someday, he was going to be pissed at himself. At that point, he'd think back to how "little XP" he actually needed to earn way back when and wish that he'd saved it.

The amount of XP you need gets crazy at higher levels.

Kalana once told him that getting from 60 to 61 required 20,950,000 experience points. That was almost twenty-one million XP for just one measly level. He could only imagine how insane it became once someone got into the 80s or higher. And yet, despite this, Fylwen had managed to get over level 100, so it was obviously doable with enough persistence and time spent grinding.

And Olivir must've made it to over a hundred, too, since Grundor's 105 now.

Zach sighed. This was a really tough decision, but ultimately, what it all came down to was the fact that, even if he hadn't softened over these past 8 months and was still fighting at his absolute best, he'd still likely be unable to deal with a mob like this all on his own, as the level-52 elite in Nolak had been way too much for him as well. That being the case, he doubted he would be able to triumph over that Orc with his current stats. He just wasn't strong enough.

"Yeah, fuck it," he said. "I'm using it. I've got to."

Standing upright, Zach mentally committed to using this item, and, just like that, he activated it. Now, all on its own, the card flew up into the air, began rotating around and around like a spinning top, and then, upon reaching the pinnacle of its rotational speed, it abruptly burst into a shower of blue-purple sparks, with each spark raining down over Zach. Following this, a massive number popped up into the air right before him.

+1250000xp

Level Up!

+1 str (55)

+2 con (56)

+2 spd (49)

Level Up!

+1 str (56)

+1 dex (54)

+2 con (58)

It was all Zach could do to avoid becoming overwhelmed with despair as he received two absolutely trash, worthless level-ups in a row, each one coming in back-to-back. "Why?" he asked the universe with a groan. "Why do you do this to me? I haven't had a good level-up in forever. Gods-dammit!"

He tapped his shoulder and brought up his stats.

Zachys Calador: Level 28

(388277/1000000xp)

91 strength

89 dexterity

93 constitution

82 intelligence

49 speed

15 luck

Zach dismissed his stats and then spun around so that he once more faced in the direction of the tower. He decided he wasn't even going to think about what just happened. Besides, it wasn't like it couldn't be even worse. After all, he'd once gotten a level-up that was "blank." Meaning, there was literally nothing beneath the words "Level Up!" That was, to date, the worst he'd ever had.

Still, those two were shit!

By this point, Zach knew that there would be better ones down the line. He no longer suffered with the question of whether or not there was power lurking deep within him. He knew for a fact now that there was, and thus, that was not why he had to suppress his disappointment; rather, it was simply a combination of having burned his item for no reason and also the fact of how little this would help with the fight ahead.

Even still, he would continue. It was why he came, after all.

Heading inside, he walked barefoot over the stone flooring, realizing it felt cold to the touch, and he returned to the partition, beyond which lurked the elite that he was having so much trouble with. A moment before sliding between the gap in the central atrium, he halted in place as he realized that he not only couldn't see the Orc mob's HP anymore, but he couldn't even see the thing's damn name.

Oh, wow, I forgot that this is how it is without any Helm Sight.

Even having a basic level of Helm Sight would be enough to see something's name and HP—if you'd killed it once before. But having nothing at all? That meant the only thing Zach could see above the tall Orc's head was its level.

Level 60.

No asterisk, no name, no HP: just its level.

But that changed immediately as Zach, for the first time in eight months, activated Unleashed Phase.

All at once, his body began to take on a dull glow as an impossibly black smoke began exiting from his palms and his bare feet. Immediately, he felt a surge of strength as every single one of his stats increased by 20 points except for his armor, which increased by 35 despite the fact that he was naked aside from his white boxer shorts. He felt a surge of positivity as his sense of the world, his level of coordination, his strength, and his outlook all increased at once.

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

tr

td width="312"

pName/p

/td

td width="312"

pZachys Calador/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pLevel/p

/td

td width="312"

p28/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pEXP/p

/td

td width="312"

p388,277/1,000,000/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pArmor Bonus/p

/td

td width="312"

p35/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pStrength/p

/td

td width="312"

p111/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pDexterity/p

/td

td width="312"

p109/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pConstitution/p

/td

td width="312"

p113/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pIntelligence/p

/td

td width="312"

p102/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pSpeed/p

/td

td width="312"

p69/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pLuck/p

/td

td width="312"

p35/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

tr

td width="312"

pUnleashed Phase Duration/p

/td

td width="312"

p14:59 Remaining/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pWave Slash/p

/td

td width="312"

p1:15/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pBoundless/p

/td

td width="312"

p0:10/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pPhase Cannon (No Target)/p

/td

td width="312"

p1:30/2:00 (if used with Boundless)/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pPhase Cannon (Targeted)/p

/td

td width="312"

p2:30/3:00 (if used with Boundless)/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pPhase Blink/p

/td

td width="312"

p0:20/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pPhase Shield (READY) (25 seconds)/p

/td

td width="312"

p0:45/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pPhase Return (REQ: Phase Lvl =3)/p

/td

td width="312"

p2:25 / 3:10 (if used with Boundless)/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pPhase Rescue/p

/td

td width="312"

p0:35 / 2:15 (if used with Boundless)/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pPhase Slash/p

/td

td width="312"

p1:10 / 6:10 (if used with ??)/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pHalting Strike/p

/td

td width="312"

p0:20/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pCard Capture/p

/td

td width="312"

p0:00/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pCard Summon/p

/td

td width="312"

p0:00/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pCard Dismiss/p

/td

td width="312"

p0:00-X:XX/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pGacha Get'cha/p

/td

td width="312"

p0:00/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

Gently placing his rejuvenation stones down on the stone floor in a neat little line near the partition, Zach drew his blade, held it tightly in both hands, and began to approach his enemy. It was time for round three.

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

tr

td width="312"

pHP/p

/td

td width="312"

p3,110,000/3,110,000/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pName/p

/td

td width="312"

pLegion Portal Guardian**/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pLevel/p

/td

td width="312"

p60/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

As he neared the elite Orc, with its dual, blood-dripping axes, Zach was tempted to pull the mob with a Phase Slash or a Phase Cannon. Yet he decided to hold off, as without his Sword of Light Amidst Darkness to replenish his time or even a buff like Jimmy's Breath of Invigoration, he really would be limited to fifteen minutes minus the cost of any abilities used: just like the old days. He could no longer rely on cheap tricks to keep it running, and he certainly wasn't in a good enough state to risk a Phase Reset without anyone around to heal him.

For these reasons, he did what he'd done in the last two encounters with the elite Orc: he moved into aggro range. And the stationary Orc, becoming animated, barked out the same words it did yesterday before coming right at him.

"Krest zencht harganar!"

Springing towards him, the Orc rushed through the air in Zach's direction just as it had during their previous bouts. And though its speed was far greater than Zach's own, the additional +20 from Unleashed Phase and even the extra +2 from his level-up really did make a difference. Not a huge one, mind you. But something a little more than just a "subtle" change.

Zach, though pressed, actually felt like he stood at least some chance of reacting in a way that wasn't based solely on his memory of the attack. And thus, as he dashed to the side and put himself out of the Orc's path, he was able to simultaneously swing his new, Artifact-quality sword from right to left, cutting at first the air and then the Orc as it flew past where he was standing. And though Zach only managed to strike its unarmored hip, he felt optimism and energy rushing into him as he saw that he left a shallow, but noticeably bloody streak in the mob's flesh.

And he actually hurt it this time, too.

10,486

The Orc planted its feet, came to a halt, and then whirled around to face Zach. Without so much as a second's delay, it shouted out more guttural-sounding, ancient words, and it whipped its left, then right arm through the air in two staggered chopping motions, delivering a one-two combination that Zach was easily able to back away from. The same was true of its follow-up attack, in which it repeated itself. Zach backed up and out of the way of these as well, but he frowned as he realized he was duplicating his failures from yesterday. Once more, he was being pushed towards the wall behind him—on the opposite side of the partition from where he'd come.

Thus, as the Orc delivered a horizontal swipe from its right-hand axe, Zach decided to take a dangerous risk. He bent his knees, raised his new sword, and with as much strength as he could, he struck out, intentionally clashing with the Orc, their two weapons meeting for the first time this morning.

Immediately, the pain from shock traveled into both of Zach's wrists—the agony of the sheer, absurd strength this elite mob was able to project. Yet it was different now. With the effect of Unleashed Phase raising all of his stats, Zach was not flung backward, nor did he find it unbearable. Painful? Yes. Very painful? Also, yes. But it was just within the range of what he could absolutely tolerate if he had to, provided he did not begin blocking or parrying attacks back-to-back.

And that was a very good sign.

Giving his wrists a chance to recover, Zach dashed away from a few more wild swings from the Orc's dual axes, and then he took another huge risk. He moved in close in an attempt to recover some of his lost ground, and with a grunt, he swung his blade, hard, aiming for the Orc's neck. But the Orcish elite surprised him. It proved itself capable of guarding as well as attacking. With an almost robotic level of ease, it raised its left axe in time to protect its throat, and now, their weapons clashed a second time, though in this case, it was unexpected.

Zach hissed in pain as more shock entered his wrists. Then he leaned over backwards as the Orc immediately took a counter swing at his own throat. Zach retaliated with two strikes sent at the Orc, both of which were guarded against, each bringing more pain as a result. But Zach was persistent. He ignored the ache in his wrists and made a third, fourth, and fifth attack, and though the Orc guarded against the former, the latter two slipped through. Zach watched, amazed, as his blade ripped twice across the elite mob's chest, causing two small sprays of blood but a big rise of enthusiasm.

16,566

18,000

Don't be too pleased with yourself, he thought. The old you would've landed all five.

And so, with his focus put solely upon his foe, Zach settled into a rhythm: one of evasions, strikes, and the occasional clash of weapon on weapon. His goal, however, was not to kill the elite: not right now, anyway. But rather, to reorient himself with combat. To scrape off the rust, so to speak. He knew he hadn't "forgotten" everything he'd learned. He was simply out of practice. And that much became clear as, with each passing moment, he began to move better, strike better, dodge better, and even guard better.

I knew it! I've still got it!

Zach swung from left to right, and the Orc guarded. Then he tried the same attack but from the opposite direction, and again, his blade clashed with the right, opposite axe. Zach ignored the pain flaring up in his wrists and readied another strike, but first, he ducked down beneath a return attack aimed at his head.

Shooting up to his feet, Zach growled, delivering two more attacks of his own, and he actually connected with both, causing dual sprays of blood as he slashed the Orc's throat and chest for 11,919 and 12,004 damage respectively. The Orc, seemingly unbothered, delivered a few of its own strikes back Zach's way. Rather than dodge or guard, Zach activated Phase Blink, causing him to move instantly behind the Orc, where he then ripped his sword across the Orc's back three times in succession before the Orc managed to turn himself around.

"Krest zencht harganar!"

And then came the explosively loud sonic boom, which caused the glass on the clock face above to shatter. In fact, the entire thing became dislodged from the wall, and it fell straight down over twenty stories before slamming onto the stone floor with another loud clack somewhere behind them. But Zach ignored it; he was too busy jumping backward and out of the way of a forward-lunging strike.

The Orc lunged at him a second time, so Zach dropped all the way down to his knees, spun around full circle, and swept the mob's legs, causing an agonizing, throbbing pain to enter in his right foot, but at least he succeeded in knocking the Orc onto its back.

Taking advantage of the situation, Zach scrambled forward and plunged his sword straight down and into the mob's heart, dealing 29,441 damage and causing a disgusting, tearing sound to fill the air. A half-second later, he ripped his blood-dripping blade free, then stabbed it down a second time, dealing another 26,207. But before he could strike a third time, the Orc was already rushing up into a standing position, and Zach fell back into a more defensive stance, ready for whatever the mob decided to do next.

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

tr

td width="312"

pHP/p

/td

td width="312"

p2,985,377/3,110,000/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pName/p

/td

td width="312"

pLegion Portal Guardian**/p

/td

/tr

tr

td width="312"

pLevel/p

/td

td width="312"

p60/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

As Zach continued his dance with the elite, axe-wielding Orc, who he could now actually hurt thanks to the special ability on his sword, the quiet, serene state of the tower became upturned by a constant series of grunts, Orcish shouts, and the occasional clash of steel on steel. But strike by strike, and blow by blow, the dust was wiped off, and the rust was scraped clean. Zach could feel himself quickly returning to form. He'd forgotten nothing. He'd just needed a little practice. This was good.

Eventually, as Zach began to sweat more and more profusely, he realized it was time to stop for the day. Especially since he'd seen enough to be sure: he could absolutely win against this thing. Now that he saw what the Orcish elite was actually capable of, he felt confident he could defeat the mob. Perhaps without even using Unleashed Phase.

For now, he needed a break. He needed to rest and game out a plan, one of which was already starting to form in his mind. But first…

Zach activated Halting Strike, and though his strike was guarded against, the red tendrils of electricity traveled through the Orc's left axe and into its body, causing the mob to seize up and freeze, having been stunned. Then, hurrying to make use of the brief stun duration, Zach jumped into the air, kicked out with both of his feet, and slammed them into the Orc's chest, using the Orc's body as a springboard to launch himself backwards and all the way across the room near the partition where his rejuvenation stones were waiting in the event that he needed them.

The moment Zach landed, he lifted his sword, swung it down, and shouted, "Phase Slash! Phase Slash! Phase Slash!"

Three times, Zach struck the air, and three times, an incredibly fast-moving ripple blasted across the distance between the two of them. The first collided with the Orc's chest, causing it to slightly cave in while blood poured from a freshly opened wound. And to Zach's satisfaction, he saw that he'd managed to deal 82,442 with the attack. But the second Phase Slash, which ripped off a piece of the elite mob's jaw, hit the thing even harder, landing for 101,207. It also knocked the Orc onto its back, causing the third one to narrowly miss; instead, it collapsed the wall on the opposite side of the tower, letting in fresh daylight and a morning breeze.

table class="chapter-table"

tbody

tr

td width="312"

pUnleashed Phase Duration/p

/td

td width="312"

p5:21 Remaining/p

/td

/tr

/tbody

/table

"I think that's enough for today," Zach said with a deep inhale and exhale, feeling exhausted. His stamina was the one thing that wouldn't come right back to him. Calmly, he sheathed his sword as the Orcish Elite hurried up to its feet and began charging at him. Zach merely turned his back to the mob, collected his stones, and squeezed casually through the partition. Then he activated Phase Blink three times in a row, the third one taking him outside of the tower itself and leaving him on the eighteenth step up to the entrance.

"This isn't that difficult of a mob," he said confidently as three loud booms filled the world while Zach began climbing down the steps. "It really isn't."

I've learned all its attack patterns, and I know exactly how I can beat it in fifteen minutes.

Zach grinned. Then he turned his thoughts towards thinking about what he wanted to eat for dinner after he inevitably woke up from his E-debt coma a few hours from now.

He smiled. Tomorrow, he was taking that thing down. He was now positive that he could do it. It had taken him three tries and some serious injuries, but he now had enough information on this elite mob to know exactly what it was capable of. And while it had plenty of speed and strength, it was, after all, just a brainless mob with learnable patterns of attack. And Zach was now sure he'd learned all of them. Except for perhaps ranged magical attacks, but that wasn't going to be a factor as long as he kept close.

Come tomorrow morning, he would finally clear this hurdle. And on this, he was willing to bet his life.