With character levels growing higher, competition would only intensify in the gaming community. As a result, any party would be alarmed when another approached their direction while inside a leveling field. Even though Kieran and company showed zero signs of hostility, the opposing side was disturbed.
So much so that their main tank looked to their leader for advice. "Leader Luna, what do you expect we do? It seems those guys are coming this way. Do you suppose they're going to cause trouble for us?"
"Trouble? I don't know, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful. Focus on the task at hand but also remain vigilant," the female leader Luna answered. While she wasn't too sure of the opposing side's intentions, she couldn't risk their progress being interrupted, especially after everyone had just finished their class promotion.
Her soft lilac hair tied into a simple bun held in place with what seemed to be an in-game ornament swayed as she made rapid movements while her light blue eyes looked back and forth. Luna's class was known as a Tempest Rogue, which Kieran judged based on her attack style and the skills used to set the battle tempo.
A Tempest Rogue was a specialized route of the Thief's promotion path—the Rogue. Unlike the Assassin that specialized in surprise attacks dealing extreme amounts of damage with a penchant to inflict Critical Hits, any variation of the Rogue class specialized in frontal assaults. Their attack speeds were comparable, but Rogue focused more on imposing multi-hits and stun-locking their opponent with an endless stream of attacks.
In terms of attack speed, after watching this girl maneuver the battlefield, Kieran felt she might even surpass him and Altair in terms of raw Agility. 'That isn't Agility gained through sacrificing Strength; her class is inherently quick. I wonder if she has passives that increase her attack and movement speed.'
Similar to how his class had special skills that could increase his Attack Power tremendously, other classes possessed these skills, albeit at a much lower level. However, to compare Kieran's class to one that could be obtained by the general public was an insult.
Because Scar told Kieran that no other successors had shown up, it was safe to say that he was the only player thus far to succeed in acquiring the legacy of a Mythical Hero.
Eventually, Kieran arrived not too far from the party, watching them with a lackadaisical posture. "What brings you here? There are plenty of other leveling fields to choose from. Why venture to this remote one specifically?"
The only reason Kieran showed up in this place was due to the Adventurer Guild's request. However, he doubted that someone else was in a request like that because he was the first to acquire the unique proposal. Until him, the Vice-Leaders in Aeredale City didn't make a single move.
In regards to receiving it from elsewhere, that was almost impossible since the only organization willing to work with Trainee level characters was the Adventurer Guild. Only once a player built their prestige would other organizations become more lenient.
Meanwhile, Kieran was sure these players weren't from other Kingdoms. After all, only players from the Aeredale Kingdom would think to approach this leveling zone because of this area's position.
It was simply too far for players from other kingdoms to consider coming here. Furthermore, it wasn't like it was a known place. Knowledge of locations was minimal since the community didn't share vital information, and the world wasn't even 1% explored yet.
"Are you implying that we can't be here? Are you trying to be like one of those tyrant guilds in other games where they try to cordon off an area while claiming to own it? But… how can you own a leveling zone accessible to all?" Luna retorted while also focusing on battle.
Based on her tone, it was clear she wasn't too keen on the larger guild. However, this tone gave Kieran all the information he needed to know. Gradeless Teams tended to despise large guilds for two reasons: they wouldn't recognize the authenticity of a Gradeless Team, and two, large guilds usually threw their weight around to manipulate those lesser powers into doing their bidding.
Because of these two behaviors, Kieran was sure this party before him was some type of fledgling Gradeless Team.
"Monopolize a leveling field? What need do I have for that? These things will soon become obsolete once we outgrow their usefulness. At that time, we'll have to search for another location. So… why waste our time trying to dominate this lesser zone? I'm just curious. The game has only just begun, yet you all are here instead of, let's say, seeking quest," Kieran answered back.
He also dropped his blade to the ground while tightly grasping its hilt. The people beside Luna flinched while whispering softly. "Wait… some of those people look familiar. Isn't that the Thief and the Healers from Aatrox's stream? Then, would that person be Aatrox?"
'Aatrox?' Luna thought before closely analyzing Kieran. As she did so, her frown deepened because she couldn't pinpoint any similarities from the stream aside from Kieran's height. The Elixir of Destructive Renewal was simply too potent in doing its job.
Kieran was essentially unrecognizable despite his budding fame. The only way to verify his identity would be to have him stream, but who could force him to do so? He hadn't even completed his partnership with the Gamer Republic, so his obligation to stream wasn't active yet.
"Is it true? Are you Aatrox?" Luna questioned cautiously and skeptically. She moved away from the battle because, for some reason, Kieran's current aura made it hard for her team to focus on defeating the ogre before them. It wasn't like they were the most talented out there, so they couldn't afford to have their attention split.
Everyone began making mistakes, but Kieran only softly chuckled before executing a powerful jump forward. A burst of wild air surrounded his body as he accelerated midair, which was impossible. However, right before his jump, Kieran had activated Fury Rush.
With its slight delay, the skill had only activated once Kieran's foot left the ground, giving the impression of midair acceleration.
Bang!
Kieran executed a regular slash, but it was powerful enough to knock back the ogre until it stumbled and slammed into a tree behind it. After colliding against the tree, it laid there stunned as per the skill effects of Fury Rush.
Afterward, Kieran turned toward Luna with a direct gaze. "You're strong, and we need an additional person for dungeon runs in the future. Are you interested?"
In addition to Luna's eyebrows furrowing, her party member's jaws dropped. Was their leader being openly poached?! It wasn't that the idea frightened them since this could cause them to lose their direction; their leader disliked being viewed as an item.
As a result, Luna's gaze grew cold while looking at Kieran. "You think I'd abandon my followers because of your offer? I am not a cheap woman. I created this team, and I will stand by them and see that we become something in the future, something larger than us."
Kieran's eyebrow rose with slight surprise, but he then shook his head. "I think that you've gotten it wrong. I'm not asking you to leave your team. I'm simply saying that you're strong, and without another member, we won't be able to enter the dungeon. If you really want your team to amount to something, it'd be wise to accept my offer."
"Why do you suppose I do that?" Luna asked with narrowed eyes. She tried to get a read on Kieran's behavior, but she couldn't pinpoint his angle. If that was the case, could his offer be genuine?
"How can you lead if you've yet to become superior. If you accept to come with me at the time of the dungeon, you'll get to experience a dungeon on Insane Mode," Kieran said proudly.
Instantly, murmurs filled both Kieran and Luna's party. Insane? What the hell was that? They had never heard of such a difficulty. As far as they knew, dungeons were limited to three difficulties: Normal, Difficult, and Very Difficult.
"Uh… Aatrox, what are you on about? Insane Mode? Since when was that a thing?" Altair whispered in his ear.
However, Luna's eyes widened for a moment. Although Altair whispered into Kieran's ears, her sensitive hearing picked up on what he said. This individual was indeed Aatrox, but that left Luna even more skeptical. 'Even his team member isn't aware of his claim? If that's the case, then they can't be very true, right?'
Meanwhile, Kieran glanced in Altair's direction, "Since we have promoted and left the Beginner Village. We aren't restricted by the Beginner Handicap Zone anymore, and the same goes for dungeon and monsters. And, because of this fact, we now have access to a new difficulty known as Insane."
Compared to Insane, Very Difficult would feel like a cakewalk. For one, inside an Insane Dungeon, Normal Monsters could spawn and at least one Named Champion monster would be summoned. As for the boss, there was a chance of a Unique Rank Boss appearing. Even a boss like Zelliolx would fail to compare to that rank.
Only with the strongest of players could one think to challenge an Insane Dungeon. At the very least, it was recommended to have at least three healers to deal with the constant possibility of party wiping at every turn.
'As long as I hit Lv.25 beforehand, it should be possible to change an Insane Dungeon,' Kieran thought silently. Even he wasn't too sure of the success rate of entering one now. Although it was accessible from Lv.20 and beyond, it wasn't a mode meant to be challenged lightheartedly.
"Wait a minute, how the hell do you know this," Altair exclaimed with a critical glare. This information wasn't even present on the official forum, so where did his supply of information come from?
Kieran could practically touch the palpable skepticism dripping from Altair, so he lightly waved his hand. "What did you think I had to do to obtain my class? After reaching Lv.20, I came across a Special Dungeon where this new difficulty was present. Once I read through the warning, I obtained all of the information I could need for our current level or at least I would hope so."
Kieran fabricated a lie so easily and maintained a stoic expression throughout that it made it impossible to judge whether what he said was the truth or not.
