Perception. Unshackled.
The world, both virtual and real, felt sharper, brimming with previously unseen details. My mind processed information with startling clarity. The watcher's presence, while still unnerving, felt less like an overwhelming dread and more like a known variable – a dangerous one, but something I could potentially analyze, even anticipate, with this enhanced insight.
Synapse Dynamics was ticking upwards. Family finances stabilized, for now. Xie Yao… a future goal, requiring careful steps.
Priority now: Consolidate power within Epoch. The Whisperwind Bow quest was long-term. Shadow Stalkers and Elder Treants were far beyond my current reach. I needed levels, better gear accessible now, and crucially… allies.
Fierce Arrow could break records solo, but Lin Feng, the reborn strategist, knew empires weren't built alone. I needed a guild. Not just any guild – my guild. A force loyal to me, capable of challenging Shadow Temple when the time came.
Its name echoed from my past life, a symbol of hope against the darkness Wang Kai represented: Dawn Guild.
Logging back into Epoch, the world snapped into focus with my enhanced Perception. Oakhaven bustled, but now I saw the subtle tells: the player trying to scam newbies near the fountain, the slight tremor in the guard captain's hand indicating fatigue, the almost invisible shimmer hinting at a Rogue practicing stealth nearby. Details. Power.
First, allies. My past life wasn't all failure and regret. There were comrades. Brothers and sisters in arms who stood by me until the bitter end, betrayed not by me, but with me by Wang Kai's machinations.
Top of the list: Stone Shield. Real name: Ben Carter. The best tank I ever knew. Calm under pressure, impeccable positioning, unwavering loyalty. In my past life, he joined a mid-tier guild after Shadow Temple destroyed ours, never reaching his full potential.
I knew Ben in reality, vaguely. We attended the same high school years ago, lost touch afterward. Finding him in-game, though… my Perception scanned the crowds near the Warrior trainer. No familiar avatars.
I accessed the game's player search function. 'Stone Shield'.
[Player 'Stone Shield' found. Level 7 Warrior. Location: Granite Hills (Questing).]
Level 7. Perfect. Still early enough to mold, to integrate. The Granite Hills were a Level 6-9 zone just east of Oakhaven.
I sent a simple message:
/tell Stone Shield Long time no see, Stone. Need a reliable shield for something tough. Interested? - Fierce Arrow
Using my now-infamous name was deliberate. Leverage the hype. Intrigue him.
His reply came back almost instantly.
/tell Fierce Arrow Fierce Arrow?! THE Fierce Arrow? Holy crap. Yeah, man! What's up? Where are you?
Excitement tinged with awe. Good.
/tell Stone Shield Meet me at the entrance to the Abandoned Mine instance, Granite Hills. 10 minutes.
The Abandoned Mine. A Level 12 dungeon, tougher than the Crypts, filled with Kobolds, Golems, and a nasty final boss. A good testing ground.
Moving through the Granite Hills, my enhanced Perception made spotting ore nodes and hidden pathways effortless. My Agility made travel swift. I arrived at the crumbling mine entrance well before the ten-minute mark.
A few minutes later, a sturdy-looking Warrior avatar jogged up, clad in basic chainmail, wielding a simple tower shield and one-handed axe. Stone Shield. He looked… solid. Dependable. Even in pixels.
"Fierce Arrow?" he asked, slightly breathless, eyes wide behind his helmet's visor. "It's really you? Man, everyone's talking about you. Soloing Grok, that stunt in the spider woods… crazy stuff."
I gave a slight nod. "Stone Shield. Good to see you're still favoring the shield."
He grinned, slapping the metal surface. "Always. Someone's gotta hold the line."
"Exactly," I said. "Which is why I need you. We're going into the Abandoned Mine. Just the two of us."
Stone Shield blinked. "The Mine? Dude, that's Level 12+. We're Level 7 and 8! And just… us?"
"Correct," I confirmed flatly. "Think you can hold aggro?"
He looked at the dark mine entrance, then back at me, my name still glowing faintly from recent (though now faded) PK status, my gear visibly superior to his. He took a deep breath.
"If you're pulling the damage people say you are… yeah," he said, determination hardening his voice. "Yeah, I can hold it. Lead the way."
Loyalty. Trust, even based on rumor and a brief message. That was the Ben Carter I remembered.
Inside the mine, dust choked the air, lit by flickering emergency lamps left by doomed miners. Pickaxes lay abandoned. The screech of Kobolds echoed deeper within.
"Okay, Stone," I instructed, my Perception mapping the immediate area, detecting loose rocks, potential ambush points. "Standard pulls. Keep them facing you. I'll handle the damage."
He nodded, raising his shield. "Got it."
The first pack of Kobold Tunnel-Rats charged, yipping and brandishing crude knives.
Stone Shield met them head-on. [Taunt]. [Shield Bash]. He expertly gathered their aggro, positioning himself so they were clumped together, backs towards me. Perfect execution.
Mark of Vulnerability on the biggest Kobold.
Thwip! Critical Hit.
[Critical Combo Triggered!]
The arrow storm descended. Thanks to Stone's perfect grouping, the arrows ripped through the entire pack simultaneously. Their flimsy leather offered no protection. They dissolved into XP and meager loot before Stone Shield even took significant damage.
He stared at the empty space, then back at me, shield still raised. "Whoa."
"Keep moving," I ordered, already advancing down the tunnel.
We fell into a rhythm. Stone Shield pulled with practiced efficiency, holding aggro flawlessly. I unleashed overwhelming firepower, annihilating everything in seconds. My enhanced Perception helped anticipate patrols, spot Kobold Geomancers trying to cast from the back lines, allowing me to prioritize targets instantly.
We cleared rooms that would have stalled a five-man party of appropriate level, barely pausing.
Experience flowed freely. Stone Shield hit Level 8, then 9. I reached Level 9 myself.
"This is insane," Stone muttered after we vaporized a hulking Stone Golem elite that should have been a major roadblock. "How are you doing this?"
"Good gear, good skills," I deflected. "And a reliable tank holding the line."
He grinned, puffing up slightly at the praise.
We reached the final chamber: Foreman Grok'tag's lair. A massive, two-headed Ogre Magi – Level 14 Boss. He wielded a huge wrench dripping with oil and crackled with unstable arcane energy.
"Okay, big guy," Stone Shield said, planting his feet firmly. "This is the real test."
"Standard tank-and-spank won't work," I warned, my Perception analyzing the boss's animations, the arcane energy coalescing around him. "He alternates high physical damage with heavy AoE magic bursts. Watch for the cast animation – purple glow means run."
"Got it. Purple glow, run. Hit him hard, Fierce." He charged, shield raised.
The fight began. Stone expertly dodged the initial wrench slam, holding Grok'tag's attention. I marked one head, unleashing the Critical Combo fury.
Damage numbers flew. Grok'tag roared, one head chanting while the other swung the wrench.
"Purple glow!" I shouted.
Stone immediately disengaged, sprinting away as a wave of arcane energy detonated where he'd stood. He circled back, re-engaging as the glow faded. Perfect timing.
My arrows poured relentlessly into the Ogre Magi. My high Agility allowed me to easily sidestep targeted bolts of arcane energy he threw my way. Shadow Step let me instantly reposition when he tried a localized AoE stomp.
The fight was intense but controlled. Stone Shield's tanking was flawless, mitigating huge chunks of damage. My damage output was astronomical, burning through the boss's massive health pool far faster than intended.
Finally, with a bellow that shook the mine, Grok'tag collapsed.
[You have reached Level 10!]
[Stone Shield has reached Level 10!]
Two levels each from one boss kill. We had cleared a Level 12 dungeon as a duo at Level 8-9.
Loot glittered. A rare two-handed axe (useless for us), crafting materials, a significant chunk of gold… and a blue shield.
[Foreman's Reinforced Barrier (Rare)]
[Type: Shield]
[Level Requirement: 10]
[Stats: +High Block Value, +10 Stamina, +5 Strength, Chance on Block to restore small amount of Health]
"Dude!" Stone Shield breathed, eyes fixed on the shield. It was a massive upgrade for him.
"It's yours," I said immediately. "You earned it."
He stared at me, then at the shield, then back at me. "Seriously? Fierce… man, I… thanks!" He equipped it instantly, his avatar looking significantly more imposing.
"Don't thank me yet," I said, turning serious. "Ben, this is just the beginning. I'm building something. A guild. Dawn Guild. A force that will shake this game to its core. I need players I can trust. Players like you. Are you in?"
He didn't hesitate. "After that run? Seeing what you can do? Knowing you trust me enough to hand over loot like this?" He met my gaze, his voice firm. "Hell yes, Fierce. Sign me up. Stone Shield reports for duty, Dawn Guild."
The first pillar was set.
As we exited the mine, blinking in the relative brightness of the Granite Hills, a notification chimed. A regional announcement.
[Regional Announcement: Shadow Temple forces have engaged [Crimson Blades] guild near the Contested Quarry. Fierce fighting reported.]
Shadow Temple. Already flexing their muscles, attacking smaller guilds, likely vying for control of the quarry's rich ore veins. Wang Kai wasn't wasting any time establishing dominance.
A cold smile touched my lips. Let them fight. Let them bleed resources.
Their eyes were fixed on petty squabbles over rocks.
Mine were fixed on the throne. And they wouldn't see me coming until it was far too late.
But the announcement was a reminder. Conflicts were escalating. Dawn Guild needed more than just a tank and an overpowered archer. It needed healers, controllers, more DPS.
My mind turned to the next name on my recruitment list: Silver Heal. The best Priestess I knew, sharp-witted, resourceful… and notoriously hard to pin down. Finding her would be the next challenge.