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2.21% Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player / Chapter 14: First Dungeon - Forest of Beasts

Chapter 14: First Dungeon - Forest of Beasts

The setting inside the Forest of Beasts grew excessively dim after entering the greatest difficulty.

In addition to the monsters becoming stronger and the dungeon facing considerable expansion, the environment was also altered to benefit the monsters inside.

Beast-type monsters were famed for their keen senses, chiefly hearing, sight, and smell, which removed the need for large amounts of light. On the other hand, players would be at a huge disadvantage in such an environment.

After stabilizing inside the dungeon, Aspaira paled while looking at Kieran with a furious expression. "Are you crazy?! I told you Difficult was hard to clear, and you've decided to enter the hardest setting?"

The increased Recommended Level should have deterred Kieran in Aspaira's eyes, but it didn't. What player even came close to Lv.9, let alone Lv.12?

Part of Aspaira wanted to abandon the run before they began.

Although she was aware of the penalty for doing so, she felt it was more practical to suffer losses now and avoid false hope. The punishment of failing a dungeon run grew more severe with each increase in difficulty.

While the exact terms of the penalty hadn't been stated, it wouldn't surprise Aspaira if the failure penalty set back their leveling progress immensely.

Sithik chimed in and supported Aspaira's argument. "We didn't even test how well we work together. How can we succeed if we're unaware of how well we work together?"

Despite Aspaira and Sithik's reasonable yet vehement protests, Kieran's expression remained dull. "I understand that it may feel like an impossible task for you all, but I entered this place because I'm confident in clearing it. If I told you beforehand, you would have run away."

"Ah-..." Aspaira blinked wordlessly because Kieran's reasoning wasn't wrong.

Aside from Altair and Kieran, most players would rather wait until enough information was compiled on the dungeon before attempting it.

Thus, Aspaira found it hard to fathom that he only entered this place because he desired vigorous opponents.

"How can you say you're confident in clearing the hardest setting when you haven't entered the other difficulties?" Cygnus asked with a frown.

Because Altair and Kieran's dungeon progress was on display, they knew Kieran hadn't made prior attempts to clear the Forest of Beasts. However, they were willing to overlook this thanks to the fact Altair and Kieran's equipment looked decent.

Of course, their assumptions of Kieran were incorrect.

During his first experience with Zenith Online, he diligently tackled the dungeon's every difficulty, so when it came to familiarity with the dungeon, no one could claim to be more accustomed.

Nevertheless, he couldn't just reveal all the gimmicks that existed to clear the dungeon while under-leveled.

First, he needed to go through the motions for appearance's sake, like presenting the option to map out the dungeon layout as many parties had done in the two preceding difficulties. 

"Why you ask?" Kieran glanced toward Cygnus, noticing her fiery spirit blazing within her mannerisms. "Because Altair and I have been at this level for a few hours now. If not for me asking him to find capable people, I wouldn't be surprised if he reached Lv.10 by now."

The rest of the team gave skeptical glares, but Kieran and Altair both seemed unaffected. Whether or not they wanted to accept it, Kieran told the truth.

If not for him visiting Grandma Agatha, his current level would be significantly higher.

However, Kieran didn't regret his decision.

The effects of the Enriched Mystic Tea pierced deeper than just improving his Perception; his spirit felt exuberant. 

'It must have something to do with what that fairy mentioned.'

Apparently, Kieran's soul was confined by some unknown limit that even he couldn't feel, which was understandable given his circumstances.

Who could claim to be experienced in the principles of rebirth? What if his rebirth caused or awakened some inexplicable change within him?

"Ignoring this dungeon's difficulty, I must ask—what are your intentions in playing this game?" Kieran asked. He knew well the effects of playing Zenith Online. It could pierce reality and create a new environment of competition on Earth.

If these players merely entered Zenith Online for lighthearted pleasure, they would soon fall into the depths of normalcy. 

Kieran didn't just play this game to become strong again; he also played the game because a desire to conquer erupted from within.

"Honestly, I picked this game up because it was super hyped up in the global advertisements. I had to see all the fuss," Sithik answered. His tone denoted a lack of desire. It was only a game to him.

Aspaira somewhat agreed. "Games are a good stress reliever for when the pressure of everyday problems become too great."

"Well, that's reasonable since it is how most people view the old VR titles. But my reasoning differs from yours. I won't impose my views on you all. Now that we're inside the dungeon, if you wish to abandon it alone, I won't blame you. However, I must warn you that should you ever see my name in the announcements, you will understand at that time that your opportunity has come and gone," Kieran stated clearly and solemnly.

Besides Altair, everyone else knitted their brows.

The confidence and decisiveness in Kieran's tone alarmed them. Why did he make it seem as if there was no greater party to be a part of?

The thoughts of abandoning the run gradually dissipated from their minds. 

"Are you truly confident that we'll clear the dungeon?" Aspaira cautiously inquired.

"I am," Kieran nodded. "As long as you all perform your roles well, Altair and I will defeat the enemies as quickly as possible."

Cygnus, Sithik, and Aspaira begrudgingly agreed with a sigh.

"Then it is settled. Since we have dealt with the issue of confidence, we need to map the dungeon as quickly as possible. Or…." Kieran turned and looked into the dark forest's depths, where menacing eyes lingered within.

He then continued, "We can simply map the areas that you all feel are unknown, especially you, Aspaira, since you have experience with the Difficult setting."

Despite the expansion of the dungeon layout, the structure didn't undergo a substantial change. There were some additions, but they were negligible and only existed to lengthen the run if players chose to tackle the dungeon in an orthodox manner.

"I think it will be safer to go with the former option. But, if you are really interested in the second option… I recall some of the dungeon's layout from my last run, primarily the beginning."

Before answering, Kieran turned to Altair. "Are you open to rushing this expanded dungeon, or would you like to take the safe route?"

Altair chuckled, finding Kieran's question amusing. "What do you think? Our progress has stagnated due to whatever you were doing, so we need to play catch up."

Altair unsheathed his daggers and snatched them out of the air with eyes as sharp as a hawk. "There's no such thing as a safe route. We kill everything before us."

"I couldn't agree more," Kieran remarked. He removed the greatsword from his back and used 10 UAPs simultaneously.

〈System: Strength has risen from 26 to 31.〉

〈System: Agility has risen from 30 to 35.〉

"Follow us. Since there is no designated tank, and I have the highest Health and Defense in the party, I'll take the lead," Kieran said.

A few seconds later, a notification appeared before Kieran's eyes.

〈System: This is a reminder that the user's stream will begin within 60 seconds.〉

'60 seconds? Will it be long enough?' Kieran wondered.

Kieran pushed his concerns to the back of his mind and walked into the dense murkiness of the dim forest. The lingering eyes grew hostile as Kieran and the rest ran deeper into the darkness.

Thirty seconds later, the party arrived before a series of fallen trees that etched out a path forward. It was the quickest way to the dungeon's depths, but it was also where all the monsters were located.

Kieran sensed enemies nearby and heard the faint rustle of leaves being stepped on and the crunch of a twig being snapped.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Kieran pushed off his back foot, narrowly avoiding three shadowy blurs. After landing, he gained a clear view of his enemies. 

Three giant wolves cloaked in shadowy fur blended in with the environment. If not for their glowering amethyst eyes, detecting their presence would be problematic.

'Elites… my first formidable foes,' Kieran inwardly thought.

「Lv.11 Shadow Wolf (Elite)

Beast Type, Dark Type

Health: 1,650/1,650 (100%) 」

Elite Monsters were a common occurrence within this difficulty standard, which is why the Recommended Level increased greatly.

Despite their Health, Kieran fearlessly stepped forth while the cerulean hue of Warrior's Aura blazed around his dull silver armor.

Under the watchful gaze of the Shadow Wolves, Kieran dashed toward a putrescent tree.

"Altair, maintain the Shadow Wolf on the far right," Kieran commanded.

"On it," Altair answered. 

Aowoo!

Two Shadow Wolves pounced toward Kieran, who remained focused. One misstep and these monsters would tear his Health Bar to shreds. 

Just before the beasts could catch up, Kieran cut to the left.

Bang! Bang!

The two wolves crashed into the tree while Kieran withdrew his forward advance and spun violently.

"Savage Break!"

Bang!

Crrrrrck…

BOOM!

The large tree fell over, trapping the two Shadow Wolves underneath with pained whimpers. 

At that moment, Kieran received another notification.

〈System: This is a notice to alert you that your stream has begun.〉


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
ApexPen ApexPen

Make sure to point out any spelling errors, grammar errors, or numbers/information that wasn't properly updated so I can immediately rectify those issues.

Thank you, guys!

Until May 15th:

Release Rate: 9 ch/week

50 Power Stones = +1 Ch

100 Power Stones = +2 Ch

250 Power Stones = +3 Ch

500 Powers Stones = +5 Ch

Chapter 15: Tree Gimmick, Live Streaming

The message appeared right on time, just as Kieran had planned it.

The three-minute delay of his stream activation wasn't an arbitrary action with no meaning. After approximating how long convincing his teammates and reaching the first dungeon milestone would take, Kieran decided the delay.

The milestone, or rather hurdle, was the three Shadow Wolves before them.

Only two wolves could be handled with the tree gimmick, while the third would always escape in the nick of time, which is why Kieran had Altair entertain the last beast. 

As they had stepped inside the Forest of Beasts' greatest difficulty, hoping to handle the monsters through normal means at their current level was somewhat foolish.

The Agility required for that feat was higher than what Kieran currently possessed. That's why the Shadow Wolves gained on him quickly.

Nevertheless, Kieran didn't concern himself with the what-ifs. He merely acted upon what needed to be done.

Because the immense tree crushed the Shadow Wolves, their Health each decreased by 1,000 points. Damage inflicted by the environment typically appeared as fixed damage, which ignored the affected party's DEF.

Without this feature, Kieran wouldn't have targeted the putrescent tree. Trying to knock down the tree would be pointless if it couldn't entrap the two Shadow Wolves by doing so.

'Great, the Forest of Beasts is somewhat tricky because some parts require sufficient AGI and others require a designated tank. But, as long as you know what you're doing, it possible to clear it with our current composition,' Kieran thought to himself.

He looked down at the Shadow Wolves howling weakly, unable to move due to the gigantic tree pinning them in place. 

After gazing at the pinned wolves, Kieran glanced in the right corner of his peripheral vision. A minimized version of a simple user interface floating in his sights. 

It consisted of an eye, which symbolized the viewers currently watching the stream, a typical textbox icon representing the chat feature, and an obscure icon resembling a coin below it to indicate the number of donations made.

Every icon currently read zero as the stream had just started. Since Kieran was unknown, the beginning of his stream garnered little to no attention. Most players weren't aware that an active streaming platform already existed.

After all, their time was spent leveling up and becoming accustomed to fighting inside Zenith Online.

Streaming, although highly profitable, was the least of their worries.

How could they manage a successful stream if their content wasn't entertaining? No one wished to watch a slow-paced battle where one made several clumsy mistakes.

GamerHub existed for elite players with charismatic personalities to showcase their skills. 

Nevertheless, Kieran's current situation was temporary because a notification spread throughout Zenith Online and flashed on the official forum to alert players of an unprecedented change.

〈System: Attention all players, the Gamer Republic Connect, specifically the GamerHub.tv platform, has gone live! If interested, please check the «Zenith Online» category for active streamers!〉

Following the announcement, the Gamer Republic Connect tab flashed with a faint blue light. The flashing persisted until players, whether reluctantly or curiously, clicked on the tab to explore it in greater detail. 

The feature was considered annoying, but it was efficient in terms of generating exposure.

'The streaming service was generally used to broadcast walkthroughs, events, or even PvP matches, but none of that is possible right now. At least… now for other players. As I need to create a name for myself to generate to receive special rewards, hiding my actions is essentially impossible. But, I can limit what I reveal.'

GamerHub.tv would undoubtedly become a lucrative platform in the future, so Kieran could only take advantage of the famous gamers' unfamiliarity with the game and claim initial advantages.

All he had was slightly less than $5,000 to his name. So Kieran needed money, and he needed it quickly, considering correcting his condition wouldn't be cheap.

Once the stream began accruing viewers, Kieran added a clickbait title that would attract greater attention later on: [Steamrolling a Beginner Dungeon: Forest of Beasts Very Difficult!]

After witnessing the Shadow Wolves' Health instantly deplete by 1,000 points, Sithik and Cygnus furrowed their brows.

Sithik even rubbed his eyes to ensure they weren't tainted or playing tricks on him.

"This is…" Sithik muttered incredulously, unsure of what to say. Were their doubts unwarranted? Could this party member truly be someone of godly skill?

Kieran ignored the reactions of his teammates and prepared to eliminate the pinned Shadow Wolves quickly.

〈System: You are using 6 SP to increase «Charge» from Lv.2 to Lv.5. Do you wish to continue? [ Y | N ]〉

Kieran agreed, producing significant changes within the customary Warrior skill.

Every five levels served as a small watershed where substantial empowerment occurred. And with the skill leveling up from Lv.1 to Lv.2 being effortless, Kieran only needed to use his remaining SP to push it to that small watershed.

「Charge (Lv.5)

Skill Rank: E

Mastery (00.00%)

Skill Description: After the user channels their force to empower their leg, they can charge forward with a large burst of momentum. An enemy hit during this dash suffers damage equal to 205% of the user's Attack Power. After being hit, the enemy is left «Stunned» for 2.5 seconds. The user's next attack deals 20% increased damage.

Consumption: 3 Mana

Prerequisites: Warrior Class

Cooldown: 30 seconds 」

The cooldown of Charge was higher than Force Slash and between Savage Break. But that was expected of skills with a utility effect. It was general knowledge that skills with utility effects possessed longer cooldown than pure damaging skills.

'The current stun period is perfect. Not too short but not long either such that it removes all difficulty from a fight,' Kieran thought. 

2.5 seconds might seem like a lackluster period, but when utilized correctly, it could be the perfect window to overcome one's enemies.

After leveling up Charge, Kieran rushed toward the downed Shadow Wolves while horizontally brandishing his greatsword. Once he was close, Kieran angled himself to avoid hitting the tree.

Bang!

A loud noise resounded as Kieran rammed into the nearest Shadow Wolf.

-100

Considering his Attack Power and the damage value of Charge, it was safe to say the Shadow Wolves' Defense was decent despite it not being its forte. The wolf's stats were pretty high as an Elite Monster, especially since it was five levels higher than Kieran's.

Altair similarly frowned when he noticed his regular attacks dealt anywhere from 5 to 11 damage per strike. 

"Elite Monsters are pretty sturdy," Altair remarked.

"Yeah, if you're not careful, they're enough to thrash us. But, I don't need to say much about your skill; I've seen it firsthand," Kieran replied.

Altair's brows furrowed the longer he dealt with his  Shadow Wolf. "Bro, are you sure this is clearable if the first set of monsters is this difficult?"

Rather than respond, Kieran smiled cryptically. 'You'll see why it is clearable soon enough.'

A second later, Kieran turned toward Aspaira with a swift demand. "Don't just stand and stare; help him. We need to conserve our Mana and Stamina. Otherwise, the run will be drawn out."

"O-Okay!" Aspaira stammered after recovering her wits. 

She then pointed her staff at the Shadow Wolf and performed a brief chant. The chant influenced her Mana, driving it to coagulate until it became a small water ball. 

Afterward, Aspaira fired it toward the Shadow Wolf.

This skill was known as Aqua Bullet, an essential E Rank skill with a relatively short cooldown and high fire rate. 

However, everyone's jaw dropped when Aspaira accomplished the unexpected. Her Aqua Bullet completely missed the Shadow Wolf!

"Oh, what the hell," Kieran groaned after watching this scene. He couldn't understand how she missed that shot if she had experience with the former difficulty.

Meanwhile, Altair kept the wolf locked in a small area by keeping it hit-stunned with a flurry of dagger strikes. Hit-stunned differed from the effects of Charge because it could be broken once the opponent found an opening.

Hit-stunning was more or less considered a temporary immobilization tactic.

"Ah—! So sorry," Aspaira muttered before conjuring another Aqua Bullet roughly five seconds later. Unfortunately, the outcome of this strike was even worse than the initial shot.

Altair had to abandon the Shadow Wolf and dodge!

Because there was no friendly fire system in Zenith Online, players could inadvertently damage their teammates. So, Mages were somewhat spurned at this stage in the game.

'Crap… I forgot about this,' Kieran inwardly groaned. 

A Mage's spells had to be aimed well, or they'd become useless!

"Damn! I don't need a bath, lady. I need you to dish out damage!" Altair exclaimed with a hint of frustration in his voice. 

The Shadow Wolves couldn't regenerate, but they did possess a ton of Health. So even though triumph was inevitable, it would be delayed if the party's DPS wasn't up to par. 

'I can't waste too much time here,' Kieran thought.

He decided to unleash a strike powerful enough to enhance the damage of his next strike.

"Savage Break!"

Boom!

-636! «Critical Hit!»


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
ApexPen ApexPen

Make sure to point out any spelling errors, grammar errors, or numbers/information that wasn't properly updated so I can immediately rectify those issues.

Thank you, guys!

Until May 15th:

Release Rate: 9 ch/week

50 Power Stones = +1 Ch

100 Power Stones = +2 Ch

250 Power Stones = +3 Ch

500 Powers Stones = +5 Ch

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