"Honestly, I'm not sure. That big shot never shows his face. But judging from his usual pace, something unexpected probably happened." "D*mn, he got taken by a giant dragon. Is this some intense plotline? Do dragons really go for that kind of thing?" "What if Nighthale made some shady deal with the dragon, had it carry him to level up faster, and now that he's strong enough, the dragon's come to collect payment—straight for his *ss." "For some reason, that sounds plausible." "He definitely cheated his way to the top. Now that he's been exposed, Nighthale is getting punished for it." "I'm telling you, I've got a buddy who knows some insider information. Nighthale is done for this time. He won't be out in 30 days, let alone three." "Who's your friend? Even top-tier pros like StormHalo don't know a thing. Is your friend from some secret circle?" "Tsk. You just don't get it. You lack foresight. Don't you know the real experts are among everyday people? Talk about top-tier players. They're so far behind Nighthale to be considered that." "In that case, why aren't you on the leaderboard yourself?" "I never claimed I could. I said my buddy could. What? Do I have to be an expert to talk about things?" Everyone had their own theories. Some tried to analyze things rationally, and some were just there for entertainment. Others took pleasure in his downfall. Quite a few even claimed they knew the truth, but in reality, no one actually knew what had happened. The ones most affected were the players on the leaderboard. Even if they didn't want to admit it, Nighthale's suspected fall felt like a massive weight had finally been lifted off their shoulders. At least, they could breathe a little easier. They might even get a glimpse of what it felt like to stand at the top of the world.… At the same time, inside a mysterious space, Aiden had completely emptied his mind, as still as a meditating monk. He had faced life and death before. After the initial boredom, followed by doubt about his own existence, he forced himself to adapt and calm down. By now, he could completely ignore this ghost-like environment. He was tired of forcing things. Ding! 'Congratulations, you have received the Holy Dragon's blessings, becoming even stronger.' Ding! 'Congratulations, your tamed beast has received the Holy Dragon's blessings, becoming even stronger.' Suddenly, he received several notifications. "Finally!" Aiden snapped his eyes open, a sharp glint flashing in them. The next instant, the surroundings changed rapidly. When his vision cleared again, he found himself standing in a desolate wilderness. Just great. He had been tossed into some random backcountry. He scanned the area. It was quiet, and the two fifth-tier dragons were already gone. "A Level 40 zone?" Going by memory, Aiden quickly figured out his location. To be honest, it was a bit far from Leafport. After confirming there was no immediate danger around him, he opened his status panel excitedly. He had received the Holy Dragon's blessing, after all! 'Player: Nighthale' 'Class: Wealthlord (Unique), Divine Beastmaster (Unique)' 'Level: 30 (0.00%)' 'Current Status: Health 2,500, Mana 22,900, Hunger 100' 'Core Attributes: Strength 556, Physique 250, Energy 2,299, Agility 165' 'Advanced Attributes: Crit Rate 25%, Crit Damage 205%, Damage Reduction 3%, All-Element Resistance 5%, Dark Resistance 10%' 'Rare Attributes: Luck 65, Charisma 68' Nothing seemed to have changed. "Could it be that the boost was applied to the class instead?" Since there was no change at all in his base attributes compared to before, Aiden thought for a moment, then opened his class panel. 'Class: Wealthlord' 'Innate Talent: Fortune Flux (Level 1)' 'Innate Talent: Vaultbound (Level 1)' 'Innate Talent: Divine Prosperity (Level 1)' 'Innate Talent: Absolute Aura (Level 1)' 'Innate Talent: Power of Wealth (Level 1)' 'Innate Skill (Active): Rich Man's Defense (Level 1). As the Wealthlord, money is your biggest asset. After activating this skill, you gain a shield equal to 1% of the amount of gold you are carrying. This skill has no cooldown and no time limit. The shield can block physical damage, special damage, and attribute damage. It is immune to shield destruction, execution-type attacks, instant death, and other special mechanics.' 'Note: After receiving damage, the gold in your inventory will be reduced proportionally.' Still, nothing seemed to have changed. Hold on. There's something new here! Aiden glanced at Rich Man's Defense, then looked at his balance of 1.81 billion marks.