MMORPG: Surviving a Death Game with a Glitched System

Ash huffed as he fell to one knee.

The fight against the last of the horde hadn’t been easy.

Or rather...

It hadn’t even been a fight in the truest sense.

Ash had used the Spire Serpent, baiting it into killing the Seal Scrawlers one by one until only the two of them remained.

Then Ash led the bastard to Idolan.

Sure, Ash was confident in his skills and felt he could best the Spire Serpent given enough time and care, but he’d had no time to spare, so he’d taken the easy route.

Besides, even if it was merely a drop in the ocean, Ash needed Winter to get some of her strength back.

Idolan chided Ash for being a shitty guardian, having let nearly everything slip past him, but Ash left and returned to the landing at the top of the final staircase without even replying.

He cast [Focus] and dashed across the landing, collecting every useful drop while leaving most of the meat behind. He started with the tome.

[You have acquired Rare - [Tome of Might: Rampage]]

[You have acquired Common - [Scrawler’s Tendon]]

[You have acquired Ultra Rare - [Crown of the Defeated]]

[You have acquired Common - [Scrawler’s Leg]]

[You have acquired Uncommon - [Embers of May]]

[You have...]

Most of the drops were useless at the moment, but two stood out among them.

He’d known trinkets existed because of the initial knowledge injection, but [Embers of May] was the first one he’d acquired. It was a small green ring that appeared to have been woven from grass.

With little time remaining and another creature already climbing the obsidian staircase, he didn’t read the full description, but he did take a moment to learn its effect.

As long as Ash had it equipped, his passive healing would be increased at the cost of additional mana.

[You have equipped [Embers of May]]

Then there was the other item...

He had no clue which creature had dropped it, only that it had come from one of the beasts Idolan had slain.

’I must have somehow gotten hit by an ability it possessed or something.’

He didn’t remember colliding with anything that looked like it would drop this particular item...

[You have equipped [Crown of the Defeated]]

Cerulean-blue flames flickered above his head, forming a hollow crown of fire. Three navy-blue crystals appeared along the front of the fiery circlet.

Ash didn’t particularly like the name, but the item suited his aesthetic well. Too well, almost.

When he had collected the three gems from the floor, the last thing he had expected was for them to form a crown.

As for what it did...

Little to nothing beyond looking cool.

It gave him some nice stats, sure. But the item hardly seemed worthy of the ’Ultra Rare’ rank considering stats were all it gave.

However, when Ash tried to inspect it, he found something intriguing where its ability slot should have been...

[Enemies defeated: 0/4016]

’That’s quite an oddly specific number.’

Ash had no clue what filling that gauge would do, but considering the effort required, the reward had to be something good.

’Seeing that it hasn’t counted my previous kills... I probably have to be wearing it for something to count as a defeat.’

Ash immediately got his chance to test that theory as a Seal Scrawler burst from the haze at the edge of his vision and charged straight toward him.

The creature was still many times stronger than Ash, but his raw skill and finesse erased that difference, especially in a one-on-one fight.

With [Sealed Fate] in hand, Ash met its charge by slashing into its leading leg, halting it long enough for him to roll beneath its body. Several of its other legs sliced down as he passed, but each strike stopped harmlessly upon hitting his armor.

Emerging behind the creature, he cast [Focus], sprang to his feet, and brought his blade down on the rear joint where one of its legs met its body.

The supreme blade slid through with little resistance.

’For me to do this despite the level difference...’

The answer, Ash supposed, was obvious...

’I’m a bit overgeared, aren’t I?’

The severed leg tilted and fell to the ground.

Before the creature could adjust to the missing limb, its body listed toward the wounded side, giving Ash another opening.

He struck twice more, severing two additional legs.

With every limb on one side gone, Ash backed away and watched the Seal Scrawler skitter in circles, dragging itself along.

Finally, when [Focus] was ready again, Ash closed the distance, severed the rest of its legs, and stood over the creature.

Its limbless body resembled a grotesquely overgrown worm as it writhed and bled out.

But... before it could, Ash began to prick it as many times as he could with [Sealed Fate].

With wide-eyed wonder, he watched as more and more purple wisps formed around the base of the blade.

’Shit!’

Unfortunately, the Seal Scrawler’s end was obviously near.

Casting [Dragon Fear] in an attempt to lure something to him, Ash raced to the edge of the staircase.

He waited... and waited...

’Ah...’

"Hello."

A Spire Serpent appeared, surging up towards him while furiously flapping its wings.

’[Focus].’

Ash took a stance and waited as the serpent grew closer.

Finally, Ash swung down, sending [Sealed Fate], guided by thirty-three stacks of [Fate’s Hand], into the snake’s head.

’Ah, fuck.’

It hadn’t carried over.

Ash watched as the stacks faded and the power of his blade diminished the moment it touched the tip of the serpent’s head as its mouth snapped open wide, ready to swallow him.

’This is gonna hurt.’

The large snake’s body knocked Ash’s sword back, throwing it from his grasp.

Its two twisted fangs clamping down, about to pierce his shoulders.

The tattoo on his shoulder began to glow through his armor.

"Now, now, Ash. That was quite reckless, don’t you think?"

A moment later, a wolf jumped out of the haze.

Demitra snapped her jaw around the neck of the Spire Serpent and tore it away.

Flipping the massive snake onto its back, Demitra pushed down with a paw while pulling with her maw.

The skin and scales stretched before its head was ultimately severed from its body.

[You have slain a Seal Scrawler]

[+16 EXP]

[You have slain a Spire Serpent]

[+21 EXP]

[Conditions...]

Demitra dropped the severed head and faced Ash.

"Keke. What’s with that look? Did you miss me that much?"

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