NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: Threat
"Time to check out the shadow monarch class," Arthur muttered, as he pressed on it.
[Class:] Shadow Monarch (SSS)
# Talent Effect 1: (Locked)
# Talent Effect 2: (Locked)
...
Note: You do not meet the requirement of: *Level 5*
"Alright, now it seems like I need to level up without a doubt," Arthur said as he decided to leave the Hidden realm.
As he approached the portal that appeared after Neko killed Sunless, his eyes spotted something shining on the throne.
"Hm? What's that thing shining,"
Approaching the throne, he spotted a pure black ring with a small gem on it.
"A ring?" He muttered as he picked it up.
As soon as his hands touched the ring, the ring seemed to melt and then formed on his ring finger.
[Ring of Darkness (Legendary) has chosen you as its host.]
[Ring of Darkness has been permanently bound to you. It will not drop as loot no matter the cause.]
[Ring of Darkness]
Description:
> Increases all attributes by 20%
> Dark-based skills deal 50% more damage
"What the hell is this overpowered artefact,"
Taking a glance at Neko, his smile widened.
"The 'Lucky(SSS)' talent is actually insane, I've been getting the most overpowered things back to back like it's garbage."
'If I was able to bring back things from the real world, I would've rewarded that lazy cat with some delicious cat food. But alas, that's impossible,' He thought, as he shook his head.
After finding out that he almost missed a legendary grade item, he decided to check every inch of the boss's room before he left.
He groaned, dragging his hand down his face as if it could erase the memory of wasting thirty minutes. "Seriously? Thirty minutes... for absolutely nothing."
As he stepped into the portal, he was teleported back into the cave.
[Global Announcement: Player **** has successfully cleared the first secret realm!]
[Global Announcement: Player **** has...]
[Global Announcement: ...]
The announcement echoed three times before it finally stopped, and players around both worlds heard the announcement.
...
"General Adam? Why are you frowning?" Asked a reporter, as she watched the general's face twist randomly.
"..."
Adam did not respond for a few seconds, as if completely immersed in a different world.
"There was a global announcement to all players."
Adam finally exhaled, his shoulders drooping under an invisible weight.
His gaze lingered somewhere beyond the reporter, unfocused and distant, as if he were seeing something only he could understand.
"General Adam?" The reporter pressed, her voice tinged with curiosity and unease. "The so-called global announcement—does it mean something significant?"
Adam blinked, returning to the present with a sharp inhale.
His expression hardened, his lips thinning into a line.
"It changes everything," he muttered, more to himself than to her.
Adam's fingers tapped a restless rhythm against his thigh as the echoes of the announcement replayed in his mind.
He turned to his aide, his voice a low rumble barely audible over the murmurs in the room.
"A monster or a hero," he said, his tone grim. "We can't afford to wait until the last second to find out which."
The reporter, still hovering nearby, caught the edge of his words, her brows knitting in confusion. "General, are you suggesting—"
Adam cut her off with a raised hand, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
"This is the end of the interview. Have a nice day," He said, as he gestured for the soldiers to escort the journalists away.
After the journalists left, Adam called a meeting of the highest order.
"A player has just cleared a secret realm, and the armageddon has just started. This person is talented... too talented, he can't be left to do as he pleases. He is a force of his own, especially since the information we received about the world merging."
"His powers will break the scale, we need to do something about him immediately." a person in the meeting said, agreeing with Adam.
"The world doesn't have the luxury of patience anymore," Adam said, his voice cold and resolute. "Prepare the task force. I want every resource we have to track this player. If they obey and listen, then they are a hero. If they don't..." He paused, his eyes narrowing, and his voice growing colder.
"...then they're a monster," he continued, each syllable deliberate, like a blade drawn slow. "And monsters should be dealt with before they grow too strong."
The air in the command centre turned grim, the generals exchanged uneasy glances. Adam didn't need to elaborate on what he meant. Everyone knew what "dealt with" meant in his hands.
...
Arthur leaned against the wall of the cave, his grin refusing to fade as he looked at the coins he had.
[Coins:] Gold: 1 Silver: 21 Bronze: 3
He rubbed his fingers together absentmindedly as if he could already feel the coins he'd earned, even though they existed only as numbers in a virtual interface.
"Rich," he thought, the word echoing in his head like a triumphant anthem. "I'm actually rich now. Not just scraping by, not just surviving. I've got enough to do something real."
The thought of Charlotte came to him immediately, her fragile smile and tired eyes etched into his memory.
For so long, everything he'd done was to make sure they could survive.
"I can finally get us out of that hellhole," he muttered to himself, a flicker of determination crossing his face. "A proper place. Somewhere clean, warm... safe. No more trash cans as heaters."
The vision of a small apartment began to form in his mind.
Nothing extravagant, just a cosy place where they could rest.
"And her treatment," Arthur whispered, his voice softer now. The money he'd earned should be enough for her treatment.
"This is $12,103, not including the items that I will be selling later,"
"Finally," he muttered, his grin growing wider. "Finally, I can do something." He pushed himself off the wall, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders.
Arthur took a deep breath, his excitement bubbling over.
"Alright," he said with a wide grin, his voice echoing slightly in the cave. "Time to get even richer by selling those items. Let's go, Neko!"
He waited for a moment, expecting to see the lazy cat trailing behind him.
But when no soft paw steps followed, he frowned.
"Neko?" he called, glancing over his shoulder. The cave was empty except for himself.
"Where the hell did that cat go?" he muttered, scanning the corners of the cave.
Shaking his head, he stepped outside the cave to look for her. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he spotted her a few feet away, lying sprawled across a smooth rock at the cave's edge.
Her white fur practically glowed in the sunlight as she stretched lazily, completely unconcerned with anything else around her.
Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course. Why am I even surprised?" he muttered under his breath.
Walking over to her, he folded his arms and stared down at the cat. "You're sunbathing? After all, that just happened, and you're out here like nothing in the world matters?"
Neko opened one golden eye, glancing at him briefly before closing it again, clearly uninterested in his complaints.
While he imagined building a peaceful life, others were labelling him a potential threat—a monster to be monitored or eliminated...