Ryan skimmed past the common achievements without a second glance. They offered nothing of real value. Instead, his attention locked onto the Glorious Achievements, eyes gleaming as he carefully examined each substantial bonus.
The reward from [Champion Among Mortals] almost knocked the wind out of him. A 1% increase in critical hit rate—it hit him like a brick.
One percent. That didn't sound like much at first glance, but with the current level cap set at 40, it was the equivalent of about seven attribute points at max level. Back in Ryan's time—when he'd reached level 90—that same 1% had cost him hundreds of attribute points.
It was practically on par with gaining an Auxiliary Talent Point.
And the rewards didn't stop there.
A flat 50 bonus to health was no small gift, either. For his low-level Paladin, it was nearly a quarter of his total HP—about the same as a five-point boost to Stamina.
Ryan tried to steady his racing thoughts, but his eyes caught the final reward, and the excitement surged all over again.
One Auxiliary Talent Point.
Just one of these was a game-changer. Most players wouldn't see one for months—if ever. Yet here he was, standing at the very start of the server launch, already holding one in his hands. A miracle, plain and simple.
Now with two Auxiliary Talent Points tucked away in the Featherlight talent tree, Ryan felt like he was carrying a secret no one else had even dreamed of. The talent system hadn't unlocked yet, so he couldn't view them, but just knowing they were there gave him a deep sense of satisfaction.
The rest of the rewards—gold and reputation—were decent, but nothing compared to the treasure trove he'd just pulled from the Glorious Achievement.
Compared to the bonus from the first dungeon clear, this reward for slaying a boss was on another level entirely.
He knew there weren't many Glorious Achievements available this early in the game. The only ones left in this phase were things like being the first player to hit the level cap, max out a profession, or—an absurd goal—max out all professions.
Ryan mentally noted them down. They wouldn't be easy, but every one of them was tied to potential talent points. And those, more than anything else, were what he was after.
---
To earn more Auxiliary Talent Points, Ryan knew what he had to do—assemble a powerful team and claim the first kills on the game's final guardian bosses. That was the clearest path forward.
There might be other methods, perhaps hidden or obscure, but he hadn't uncovered them yet.
For attribute points, though, he already had a few ideas.
Some high-difficulty dungeons featured rare achievements—ones that didn't fall under the "Glorious" category, but were still brutally tough. Completing them could reward small but valuable chunks of attribute points. Not game-breaking, but over time, they would add up.
With that in mind, Ryan finally dismissed the flurry of system notifications clogging his screen and turned toward the boss's corpse.
Time to loot.
As expected, the drop was underwhelming: a guaranteed green-quality ring and some trash gear barely worth a few coins. He pocketed it all without a second thought.
---
Guldrian's Ring of Might
Binds on Pickup
Quality: Uncommon (Green)
Level: 5
Attribute: Strength +1
---
"One point of Strength," Ryan muttered, unimpressed. It wasn't useless, but it wasn't what he'd hoped for either. A Stamina ring would've been perfect—especially with his Paladin build. He wasn't hurting for damage, not with the heavy two-hander strapped to his back. Durability, though, was always welcome.
Still, a drop was a drop.
More exciting than the loot was the experience: a fat 3000 points from the boss alone. Based on his calculations, he'd only need to kill it seven times to reach level 5.
Now that was something worth thinking about.
Ryan currently had just over 6,000 experience points—only around 14,000 more to hit the next level. After a quick mental calculation, he decided to stay and grind for a while longer. If everything went according to plan, he'd completely skip Goldmine Town and head straight to Stormhold Fortress afterward. He needed to check whether his old public bank account was still intact.
As far as he was concerned, Goldmine Town had nothing of real value. The only thing remotely useful was the class advancement quest, but that didn't require any preconditions. Once he hit level 10, he could walk up to the class trainer and pick his final specialization. Simple.
Ryan tapped his fingers against the hilt of his sword, doing the math in his head. If he wanted to reach level 10 here, that would mean killing this boss at least seventy times—maybe even eighty. He couldn't recall the exact XP curve past level 5, but it only got steeper from here.
Still, if his goal was to make his first pile of gold here, seventy kills wouldn't cut it. Not even close.
His mind wandered for a moment—back to another time, another version of himself. That version had chased something else entirely. But he shook the thought off quickly. None of that mattered now. The real money-making would come later.
The boss's body had already despawned. The stone chamber lay quiet, empty.
Ryan let out a long, steady breath and made his way toward the portal. Light shimmered across his armor as he stepped forward—and disappeared into the vortex.
In the next instant, he was standing outside the dungeon's entrance.
Just as he reached to reset the dungeon instance, a ripple of noise made him pause. A crowd had gathered.
Players were milling around, their eyes fixed on him with open curiosity. Some whispered, some stared openly. But the dungeon entrance, like the inside of the instance and safe zones, had pass-through permissions—no one could physically block him from re-entering.
As he moved, the crowd instinctively parted, forming a narrow path. Two players stepped forward.
A female Priestess in white robes gave a cheerful wave. "It really is you, Featherlight!"
Ryan recognized her voice immediately—Sky Dragon Iris.
So the people gathered here were from the Sky Dragon Family, then.
He didn't stop walking, didn't even change expression.
"What are you all doing loitering around the dungeon entrance?" he asked calmly. His eyes, however, were fixed on the male Paladin standing next to Iris.
The man stepped forward, his tone direct and firm. "Featherlight, I want to buy the process of your solo clear of Blood Hollow."
It was Sky Dragon Ascendant. His sharp gaze and steady posture spoke of someone used to authority, someone who expected people to listen when he spoke.
But Ryan had met people like this too many times before. In the future, high-ranking guild leaders, power players, and corporate sponsors—they all carried the same air. Compared to them, Sky Dragon Ascendant was a small figure.
"Sorry," Ryan said coolly. "I didn't record a video of the run. And even if I had, I wouldn't sell it. I plan to use this strategy to build my first fortune. I can give you a discount later, though."
The rejection wiped the confident expression off Ascendant's face. His brows tightened.
"Two thousand," he said.
"Sorry. Not selling."
"Four thousand!"
"Still not selling."
"Twenty thousand!"
That finally made Ryan pause.
It was an absurd amount for this stage of the game. Anyone else would have jumped at the offer.
But Ryan? He smiled faintly.
"Still not selling. And don't bother asking again—you'll understand why later."
With that, he turned away, ignoring the rising fury etched into Sky Dragon Ascendant's trembling form. Without hesitation, Ryan stepped through the portal, re-entering the dungeon.
Behind him, there was silence for a beat.
Then Sky Dragon Iris exhaled softly. A faint flush colored her cheeks.
"He's got character," she murmured, her eyes lingering on his retreating back. "I like him."