Chapter 553: The Panther’s Silent Oath
As always, Ethan slipped into Panther Form and activated Stealth. His vision sharpened, the scents around him deepened, and his body lowered instinctively into a crouch as he scanned the shadows.
He was still on the top floor of the Blood Castle. The silence was unnatural, almost oppressive. Just as it had in his previous life, the entire place had emptied out the moment the Immortality ability had been claimed.
Back then, it wasn’t him who had taken it. It was a guild leader of the Carnage Faction. That man had needed the combined strength of his entire guild to carve a path through the hordes of monsters that filled this castle.
Ethan doubted the method that leader had used to reach the sixth floor was anything like his own. If it had been, there was no way Ethan would have received the Rebirth quest. Morzan had once explained to him that the true key to unlocking Ethereal lay in that brutal quest: gathering 1000 piece of Titanite crystals, Only by completing it could someone qualify for rebirth.
Those who endured it were chosen—people of impossible perseverance. And once reborn, Ethereal system itself began to truly operate.
Now, the Blood Castle was eerily quiet. With the monsters gone, it wouldn’t be long before others arrived to explore, only to leave disappointed when they found nothing. Ethan stretched his limbs, reacquainting himself with the predatory grace of Panther Form, and crouched low against the cold stone floor.
With a thought, he summoned the Ethereal interface and opened his character panel.
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Character Name: NotADruid/NotARogue (Second Avatar)
Class: Druid
Race: Human
Level: 62
Faction: Survivor
Bloodline: King of Elves (Divine)
Strength: 675 (Growth Index: 22) – Increases physical attack power.
Intellect: 675 (Growth Index: 22) – Increases magical attack power and maximum mana.
Agility: 675 (Growth Index: 22) – Increases attack speed, movement speed, and energy recovery speed.
Stamina: 655 (Growth Index: 22) – Increases defense.
Vitality: 655 (Growth Index: 22) – Increases maximum health.
Special Attributes (Enhanced): Omni +5, Mastery +17, Critical Strike +16, Haste +10, Life Steal +3%
Attack Power: 4713–6833 [(Base Attack: 1485) + (Equipment Attack: 2800–4727) + 10%]
Defense: 2341–2517 [(Base Defense: 1441) + (Equipment Defense: 688–848) + 10%]
Health: 14,410
Free Attribute Points: 0
General Skill: Advanced Analysis [2954/3000] – Allows viewing monster attributes up to fifteen levels higher than the user.
Description: The peace-loving Elven race has left an indelible mark on every recorded Holy War. Though they cherish tranquility, their valor in battle is unparalleled.
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Ethan skimmed the data. His stats were mostly unchanged, but the nearly full bar on Advanced Analysis caught his eye. Once maxed, he’d need to accept a promotion quest in the capital to upgrade it further. But there was another way.
He remembered a particular quest—a rare one—that could evolve the skill into the Eye of God. That quest was unique. Whoever triggered it first claimed it forever.
The Eye of God transformed analysis into a true ocular ability, far superior to a static data scan. It could continuously highlight an enemy’s weak points and, most importantly, pierce through Stealth.
Ethan’s lips curled faintly. That kind of skill could decide entire wars. He would have to claim it before anyone else. Most players would upgrade their Analysis the moment it capped, never realizing they had locked themselves out of that hidden path. Only a tiny fraction would reach exactly three thousand points and hold it there.
Closing the panel, he switched to his bloodline attributes. His eyes lit up as the details unfolded.
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[Bloodline: King of Elves (Divine) Unique] Lv6
Special Attributes (Inactive):
1. Can use some Druid Form skills at 50% of original effect.
2. Spirit and mana recovery speed increased by 100%.
3. Access to the Battle Embodiment system.
4. Spirit and mana storage increased by 1200%.
5. Possesses a Life Space.
Passive: All attribute growth +10 stars.
Bloodline Abilities (stack with player abilities):
Focus (Divine): Skill effect increased by 50%.
Apocalypse (Divine): Gain +10 attribute points per level-up.
Growth (Divine): Experience gained from monsters and quests +100%.
Teleportation (Divine): Record up to twenty coordinates and teleport freely between them within 100 kilometers, available five minutes after combat.
Fatal Strike (Divine): Critical hits have a chance to deal five times normal damage.
Immortality (Divine): Upon death, revive instantly with full health and a three-minute invincibility shield. Cooldown: 12 hours.
---
Last time he’d checked, his bloodline had only been level three, with two active perks. Now it was level six, boasting five new ones. And each attribute felt designed for real-world combat. Even the first ability—letting him use Druid powers outside the game—had improved from thirty percent effectiveness to fifty.
It meant that, given time, his strength in the real world could rival his digital one.
And there at the bottom sat Immortality—the Divine ability that had cost him eight bitter years to obtain. A power that instantly resurrected him, restoring everything and granting three minutes of invulnerability, on a mere twelve-hour cooldown.
He was certain many players had already stumbled across lesser versions of it, scattered in well-known locations. Guilds would be farming them by now. But those imitations had absurdly long cooldowns and gutted effects. Only Divine-tier abilities like his truly redefined combat.
Still, the real wave wouldn’t come until the Fortress Wars began. That was when abilities would become widespread and players would understand just how massive the gap was between the empowered and the ordinary.
Until then, many names still meant nothing. But after this expansion, the first Divine-tier players would step into the spotlight.
And Ethan intended to be at the forefront.
The catch-up system would raise the leveling floor to sixty, allowing newer players to close the gap more quickly. In his last life, because he had abused a leveling bug, the top players had been stuck around forty-five to fifty when the system reset. By the time the Fortress Wars began, they had all reached sixty.
This time, Ethan was far ahead of the curve. He could already picture it: leading Renegade Alliance to seize the three main cities of the Northern Frontier Region. The thought sent a thrill of anticipation through him. After everything, he would finally erase the regrets of his past life.
And if that wasn’t enough, he had plundered a mountain of gold from the Sea of Death. Even if strategy failed, sheer wealth would buy influence and power.
Gold made him think of Leo. He opened his friends list. Skyblade—Leo’s handle—was still grayed out. Offline.
"Figures," Ethan muttered. It didn’t matter. He had come to the Carnage Faction’s territory to stir up chaos anyway. The Immortality ability had consumed eight years of his life; in clawing it back, he had almost forgotten what his original goal had been.
Shutting down his panels, Ethan slipped back into full stealth and padded out of the Blood Castle. At the threshold, he glanced once over his shoulder. He doubted he would ever return here.
Turning his gaze toward the distant village, he set his course. Honor points were waiting to be earned.
A grin spread across his muzzle, revealing sharp fangs that glinted with a bloodthirsty gleam.