I Transmigrated Into a Game World as a Former Top Player

Xander didn’t answer immediately. He simply approached the Blight Envoy’s corpse and carefully searched it.

Gordian frowned, clearly displeased by the action.

But since Xander had delivered the killing blow, claiming the spoils was only fair.

Xander didn’t find much—just a small pouch with a few wizard gold coins and three powered magic staves.

These were the lowest tier powered staves, yet still valuable. Two had already been used, but they could be recharged.

All three contained 1st Circle spells. After examining the runes, Xander found the usable one held [Freezing Rain].

A rather average Area of Effect spell, but useful for scattering large groups of gnolls.

Xander didn’t dare take the rest of the items.

The Blight Envoy was a follower of the Blight Sovereign. Taking something cursed could attract unwanted divine attention.

Xander stood up after sorting the loot.

"The words of a Shadow Spider hitman—do you believe them?"

Gordian gave Xander a deep look.

Even amid his fierce battle with the assassin, he had noticed Xander’s astonishing skill.

This was no ordinary fighter. Among the famous dagger users causing trouble in Tanchapel lately... there was only one name that fit: the Masked Twin Blades.

But he merely shook his head and stepped aside.

Xander calmly departed.

The Silver Light Knight had come to apprehend or eliminate the Blight Envoy. Having achieved his goal, he saw no need to create additional problems.

Even if this man truly was the Masked Twin Blades... he had helped save his life. Without Xander’s intervention, no matter how strong Gordian was, he would have met a grim end against the combined assault of the assassin and Envoy. Thus, Gordian simply turned a blind eye and let him go.

---

Even with the Blight Envoy eliminated, Tanchapel’s Shadowblight Essence incident wasn’t fully resolved.

The Envoy had already spread eggs among several unfortunate victims. The plague would continue spreading, though on a smaller scale than in the original timeline. This would undoubtedly alter the course of events Xander remembered. He could only wait to see the final outcome.

The 3000 General Experience greatly helped alleviate his current needs.

Advanced classes required massive amounts of experience. Even reaching Ranger Level 6 demanded 4800 total. Xander had already mapped out his advancement path.

Rangers had numerous advanced classes covering all kinds of specializations. There were at least fifteen options. It was the most complex class tree, largely because Rangers were true jack-of-all-trades.

They could fight at range, excel in melee, tame beasts, and connect with nature. Hence the variety of paths.

But only one led to the ultimate advancement—Ruler of the Night!

[Night Walker]

A seemingly ordinary 2nd Rank class, it lacked the ferocity of [Dark Murderer] or the cold precision of [Elite Marksman]. This advanced class was often overlooked. Its skills appeared relatively mediocre. At least that was the case in the game. Very few Ranger players chose Night Walker early on.

Not only were the class abilities average, but the advancement process was also troublesome. Few were willing to pursue something so arduous with seemingly little reward.

Until later, when a key property of Night Walker was discovered. That group of enigmatic Rangers gained unprecedented combat power during nighttime.

It all stemmed from the hidden [Night Kill] specialty within the Night Walker class.

[Night Kill]:

Level 1: Attack +2 during nighttime.

Special Effect: Upon killing at night, you will receive the target’s soul fragment.

...

Continuously gathering soul fragments would increase the [Night Kill] level.

Level 1 Night Kill only provided +2 Attack.

But it became terrifying at higher levels. Bonuses to Attack, Attack Speed, and even Piercing would appear!

At night, a Night Walker with Level 3 Night Kill could contend with three experts of the same rank.

As a result, the Night Walker class also became known as the [Night Demon]!

At nightfall, they would ready their blades. They were the demons lurking in the darkness.

Even if this specialty couldn’t completely offset the class’s mediocrity in other areas, it created many powerhouses.

It could even be said this was a highly imbalanced class. Weak during the day, overwhelmingly powerful at night.

This imbalance affected its overall stability.

However!

Xander was an exception!

He wasn’t lacking in killing techniques. He was proficient in Phantom Assassin moves and could crystallize them through battle experience. He had every means to compensate for Night Walker’s shortcomings.

Moreover, the collapse of the Universe Magic Pool would summon an ancient heavenly beast to the continent.

Though the gods eventually slew the beast, its corpse would cover a significant portion of the sky, casting a massive shadow.

From that point onward, nights on the continent would last longer than days—approximately 14 hours of night versus 10 hours of day.

This was another key reason Xander firmly chose the Ruler of the Night advancement path.

Night Walker was perfectly suited for the continent’s future environment!

But to advance into Night Walker, Xander still needed a teacher.

This secret class wasn’t as simple as basic Ranger advancement, which only required a recommendation letter.

Night Walkers maintained a small, exclusive organization. Joining required passing a strict examination.

Xander knew the location of one organization member. He happened to be in the Triad Towers region!

But that individual... was rather eccentric.

---

Regardless, after clashing with the Shadow Spider Assassin, Xander realized he was still lacking!

Even though he leveled quickly, it wasn’t enough. If he couldn’t protect himself, how could he safeguard his territory and loved ones?

The advancement path was set. Now he needed to focus on increasing his personal strength. There were many options.

For example, it was time to acquire a pair of first-rate curved blades. He knew a place where he might obtain suitable weapons.

He could also improve his dagger mastery along the way.

Remaining at [Beginner] level as a former Ruler of the Night... this was unacceptable!

However, he still had one matter to handle before leaving Tanchapel.

---

A shadow moved swiftly toward the city gates.

A 2nd Rank Phantom Assassin!

Xander, hidden near the wall, spotted him and quickly emerged.

"My Lord!"

Kael Amber noticed Xander and immediately offered an elven salute.

As an elf created by the old elven god, Amber could not increase his strength further. But Xander’s subordinate was still a formidable 2nd Rank assassin—a significant force.

To eliminate those two barbarians earlier, both Amber and Sera had used Desperate Strike. It had taken time, but they were gradually recovering.

Their strength had not yet returned to peak condition, clearly showing the skill’s ruthlessness.

It affected not only enemies but themselves as well.

Amber’s presence in Tanchapel had been planned by Xander in advance.

He had allowed the Lynx team to leave safely only to follow their trail and catch the one pulling strings behind them.

In fact, when they departed, Amber had secretly tailed them back to Tanchapel.

"Have you found anything?" Xander asked.

The Lynx team was merely adventurers. Xander cared little about them.

What interested him was the one directing them.

"I have," Amber replied bluntly. "I already identified the one who hired Verne to cause trouble."

"His name is Toshiroya, the son of a northern city lord who arrived recently."

"He is quite wealthy and reportedly connected to the current city lord’s proxy."

"I eavesdropped on his conversation with Verne. He wants something inside Redoak Vale. But according to what he said, something unexpected happened... and his plans against Redoak Vale have been temporarily postponed."

Xander’s eyes narrowed.

The web of conspiracy was growing more intricate.

But he had no time to unravel it fully right now.

Vaelor’s situation at Blackthorn Academy took priority.

The night deepened as Xander prepared to leave Tanchapel behind—for now.

[System Notification: New Quest Branch Unlocked – Northern Intrigue]

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