Lord Of The Lost

In sequential games, many hints tend to be frustratingly vague, leaving players to interpret their true meaning. Take, for instance, the knight's lance, it's said to be able to "defeat magic to a certain extent." But what exactly does that mean? Where does this 'extent' end, and when will the lance fall short? Such ambiguity can make strategic planning a challenge.

Then there's the mysterious four-leaf clover bookmark, which William had acquired earlier in his journey. Its description promises that "it will make reality develop in the direction you expect." However, the range of this power remains unclear. What are the limits of its influence?

If Calcifer hadn't stepped in and explained how to use it, William would likely still be fumbling, trying to figure out its purpose.

The Forum Master, however, is different. He possesses a special ability, a talent for identifying objects that goes far beyond the vague descriptions in the game. His skill, known as [Identifying All Things], is much more powerful than he initially let on.

With this talent, he can glean more detailed information than other players, unlocking the true potential of items that would otherwise remain shrouded in mystery.

When it came to the [Lightning Amulet], the Forum Master demonstrated his keen insight. He could identify every intricate detail of the amulet, knowing instinctively that there must be a way to recharge it quickly.

He deduced that players who had chosen the "magician" path; those who specialized in magic, particularly in lightning-based spells, would surely have the capability to recharge the amulet. If he could master "Lightning Magic," he figured he could use it to power the amulet himself.

With this in mind, the Forum Master decided to experiment. He took the amulet out in the real world and attempted to charge it with a direct electric shock. But, much to his frustration, the attempt failed. The amulet didn't respond to ordinary electricity; it required a special kind of lightning energy, imbued with a mysterious, magical quality.

Even though the amulet's potential power was immense, it came with risks. It was an ancient artifact, visibly worn from years of use. The Forum Master worried that if he tried to harness natural lightning during a thunderstorm, he might break the amulet entirely.

And losing such a rare and valuable item would be devastating; especially since equipment of this quality was hard to come by at this stage of the game. For now, he decided to let the amulet recharge naturally, holding it back as his trump card for a critical moment. Revealing it prematurely would be a gamble too great to take.

But William, too, had powerful equipment. The moment the Forum Master encountered him, he discreetly used his identification ability on William's knight's spear. It didn't take long for him to realize that the spear had a unique power, it could defeat the dark fireball spell that threatened them both.

With this knowledge, the Forum Master dropped subtle hints during a previous chaotic battle, guiding William to act in just the right way. Without his timely intervention, that black magic could have wiped them both out.

Later, as they sat together reflecting on the battle, both William and the Forum Master couldn't help but feel a wave of fear. One wrong move, one miscalculation, and they would have been killed in the dark, ominous woods. But as dangerous as it was, they knew that fortune favored the bold. Risk was the path to glory.

The danger had paid off for both of them. The Forum Master had advanced to Level 8, while William had reached Level 9. But as the Forum Master eagerly checked his progress toward the next level, his excitement quickly turned to disbelief. "Why does it take 600 experience points to level up?" he exclaimed. He knew that experience requirements increased after Level 5, but this was an absurd leap.

It suddenly became clear why Wallace, another player: had been stuck at Level 8, when the Forum Master last asked him. At first, he thought Wallace had simply been distracted, perhaps trying to decipher the world's mysteries like he had been. But now, it seemed that this wall of 600 experience points had trapped them all.

William chuckled quietly to himself. He realized that other players must be facing the same hurdle. The absurd experience requirement was a common obstacle, one they would all have to overcome eventually. And in that moment, a strange, knowing smile crept across his face.

William tilted his head slightly, his expression half-curious, half-amused. "Do you know how much experience is needed to level up from 9 to 10?"

The Forum Master frowned, sensing the gravity of the question. He had already realized that there weren't many level 8 players yet, let alone those who had made it to level 9. Whether or not any of these players were particularly talented remained to be seen. But one thing was certain, Wallace was likely among the first, if not the very first, to reach level 9.

"How many?" the Forum Master asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

William's eyes narrowed as he dropped the bombshell. "Fifteen hundred points."

The Forum Master's eyes widened. 'Fifteen hundred'? The experience required to climb from level 8 to 9 had already been a massive leap, more than all the previous levels combined. But this, this was something else entirely. The jump from level 9 to 10 wasn't just significant, it was outrageous, even by the game's standards.

An astronomical number that made him feel as though the developers were mocking their progress.

William chuckled grimly. "A level 9 player has no idea how many monsters of the same level they'd need to kill to earn enough for 1500 experience points. It's almost laughable."

The Forum Master was visibly shaken, trying to calculate the sheer grind in his head. "You should share this on the forum after you log off," he said urgently. "Players need to know. Maybe someone can figure out what's going on."

William nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. There has to be some explanation behind this sudden spike."

As their conversation paused, William glanced back at his stat panel, his eyes drifting to his thief-related skills. His thief's extraordinary characteristics had now accumulated to over two hundred points, a testament to the brutal battle they'd just survived in the grove. The difficulty they had faced wasn't just because of the thieves' determination.

It was clear now; they weren't dealing with low-level thugs.

The real issue was that the thieves they had encountered were high-level, some of them pushing level 7 and even level 8, something William hadn't expected. He quickly realized that a level 5 or 6 thief, no matter how emboldened, wouldn't have posed nearly the same threat. No, this had been different.

He had also gained something unexpected from the fight. His talent, [Killing to Prove the Way], had kicked in, drawing strength from the thieves and forming a new skill 'Kill'.

'Talent Tips: Your talent draws strength from the thief, forming the skill - Kill!'

'Damage: Your attacks can cause more destructive effects more efficiently!'

It was an incredibly powerful skill. According to what the Forum Master had explained earlier, there were three main amplification traits in the "Thief" path 'Take Advantage of the Fire', 'Escape at the First Sign of Trouble', and 'Murder'. The first two focused on increasing a thief's strength and agility, but 'Murder' was the real game-changer.

It gave thieves an extraordinary level of destructive power, amplifying their ability to wreak havoc.

William saw its true potential not in large-scale destruction but in its ability to break enemy weapons. If they engaged in close combat, especially against an enemy with equally strong equipment, repeated strikes would rapidly reduce the durability of the enemy's weapons. It was, in essence, an alternative to traditional "armor-breaking" skills, and it even worked against heavily armored units.

This would give him a decisive advantage in future battles.

As William reflected on this new development, he took a moment to rest, feeling his body slowly recovering from the exhaustion of the battle. His stamina was returning, but the Forum Master and his magic warhorse weren't faring as well. The Forum Master had fallen into a poisonous quagmire earlier, leaving large parts of his body swollen and covered with ugly pustules that looked like severe burns.

It was clear the poison had taken its toll on him.

Seeing that they needed a way out, the Forum Master pulled a copper whistle from his pouch and blew into it, the shrill sound echoing across the landscape. Almost immediately, a white-faced owl swooped down from the sky, landing gracefully on a nearby hill.

"You can go back to the border town now," the Forum Master said, his voice steady despite the strain in his body.

He didn't say how many thieves they had killed in total, but William could tell from the look on his face; it had been more than two hundred. Even after such a grueling fight, the Forum Master remained composed, planning their next move. But they both knew, this was just the beginning. The journey ahead was going to get even tougher.

The Forum Master's voice was grave as he spoke, "There's a dark shadow looming behind these thieves, the work of a black magician."

The White-Faced Owl, perched with an air of quiet authority, gave a slight nod. "They're no longer just common bandits. Even if you had failed the mission, the mayor wouldn't have blamed you. But you've done well, exceptionally well, in fact."

William, pressing his hand to the wound on his abdomen, winced slightly before looking up. There was a hard edge in his voice as he asked, "Where are the thieves now?"

The White-Faced Owl didn't hesitate. "They're retreating, heading into the wilderness."

The Forum Master's brow furrowed in surprise. "Wallace, what are you planning to do?"

William's eyes turned cold, narrowing with a steely resolve. "Teach them a lesson they'll never forget."

The sting of the ambush still burned in his chest, he'd been blindsided, humiliated, and shot by an arrow before he even had a chance to fight back. Running away without striking back had gnawed at him, a fury simmering beneath his calm exterior. He might have maintained a composed conversation with the Forum Master, but inwardly, his anger was boiling over.

The injustice of it all made his blood boil.

"I won't let this go," he muttered through gritted teeth.

William glanced at the Forum Master. "Is this against the rules?"

The Forum Master sighed, knowing the answer but hesitant to give it. "Technically, yes. Once the mission is completed, we're supposed to return the horses. But if you're determined..." He paused, reading the intensity in William's gaze, then nodded slightly. "It's not impossible."

They had nearly fallen prey to a dark magic trap in the grove earlier, and the town wouldn't have held them accountable if they had both died there. But William wasn't content to walk away quietly, not with the rage coursing through him.

Turning to his bloodied warhorse, William stroked its neck, his voice soft but firm. "Will you ride with me one last time?"

The horse, its coat slick with blood from battle, raised its head high and let out a defiant, thunderous neigh; a clear and resounding 'yes.'

---

Out on the grassland, the retreating thieves were scattered, thinking they had made their escape. But then, a sound began to echo across the open plain; a deep, powerful rumble that seemed to shake the very earth beneath them. The rhythmic pounding of hooves, heavy and relentless, began to fill the air, growing louder with every passing second.

At first, the thieves thought it was a mirage or a distant storm, but then their eyes widened in fear as they looked ahead. The rumble was no illusion.

Charging straight toward them was a lone rider, a cavalryman drenched in blood, his heavy armor discarded to reveal his lean, muscular frame. William, spear held tightly in hand, rode as if he and the warhorse were a single, unstoppable force. His spear was held low and steady, the silver-white blade glinting with a deadly glow that seemed to pierce the very soul of anyone who dared look upon it.

The spear, now charged with a faint, shimmering energy, seemed to radiate power, extending an invisible barrier around both man and horse. The energy formed the shape of a giant, transparent umbrella, with the spear tip serving as its deadly point. This wasn't just a charge, it was a force of nature, a comet streaking through the night sky, unstoppable and destructive.

The thieves, scattered and panicking, saw the rider approaching but were frozen in place. The rumble of hooves shook the ground beneath their feet as if the entire grassland trembled under the weight of his fury.

Looking down from the sky, it was as though William and his warhorse were a scythe, cutting a path of destruction straight through the landscape, leaving nothing but churned soil and crushed grass in their wake.

He barreled toward them like a hurricane, the spear aimed straight ahead. The closer he got, the more terrifying the sight became. The silver blade glinted ominously, reflecting the fear in the thieves' eyes. The speed, the force, the sheer will behind the charge, it was like a rainbow piercing through the sun, unstoppable and inevitable.

The thieves barely had time to react. Their shouts of warning were drowned out by the deafening thunder of hooves, and before they could scatter, William was upon them.

He crashed into their ranks like a bolt of lightning. The spear, crackling with energy, ripped through the thieves' formation, splitting it in two with terrifying precision. Men were thrown to the side, weapons shattered, and shields splintered like brittle wood under the might of the charge.

Under the horrified gaze of countless thieves, William tore through their group like a storm. In an instant, the once confident band of thieves was reduced to chaos, their ranks broken, their spirits shattered. The sound of the charge reverberated across the plains, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.

And at the center of it all was William, his spear held high, his warhorse standing tall amidst the wreckage of the thief horde. It was a lesson they would not soon forget; a lesson paid in blood.