Barely a minute after the Abyss Pursuer hit the snow, the sky itself rang out. Ding! 'Global Broadcast: Player "Nighthale," Grendola region, has conquered the Level 30 Abyss Trial. First global victor recorded. Reward issued: Legendary item—Dominion Sigil Shard. Grendola warzone points increased by one. Announcement complete.' Ding! 'Global Broadcast...' The message blasted across every region like a meteor shower. Players worldwide went feral. 'Holy—knew it! Legendary Nighthale going MIA for days wasn't him slacking. That was him loading a nuke. All you doubters better apologize in 4K.' 'Bro got hauled off by a dragon and still logged back in as nothing happened. Grendola just stacked another advantage!''No. I refuse. This has to be a glitch.' Millions of eyes snapped to the Leaderboard. Forums detonated. The king who vanished for days didn't reappear quietly—he stomped back into the world with a system-wide victory roar. ... Beyond Leafport's walls, a youth armored in full silver equipment smirked at the echoing messages, the snowfall around him trembling with each broadcast. "Ha... interesting. "I kept telling you—someone like him doesn't exit the stage early. "Look at that. Right on cue. Abyss Trial at Level 30. His limit isn't even visible yet." His amused gaze drifted to the elite players gathered around him. "Let's head back. I'm visiting this guy. Once I bring him on board, this whole game flips." "Understood," The assassin beside him bowed his head, tension flickering across his eyes.If anyone else saw the assassin's username, the world would stop. Swiftwind wasn't just some Rogue; he was Grendola's sharpest blade—one of the top thirty players on the planet. Yet he even presented himself as a junior to this young man. Whoever this newcomer was... he was a walking alarm bell. ... Level 30 Abyss Trial grounds. Everything finally stilled—the wind, the noise, the violence. All that lingered was a cold, white silence and a few drifting flakes. Aiden lifted his hand. The glowing imprint on the ground faded away. In his hand rested Fragment 3 of the Abyss Stone, a mysterious unranked shard that resisted all attempts at appraisal. "Right on pattern," he muttered. Just like the first two trials, the Monarch-level boss dropped only one thing—a fragment of Abyss Stone. "Three down." He breathed lightly and left the frozen world with Gray trotting ahead of him. ... Trial Temple. "He's out!" "No way—already? That wasn't even an hour. Clearing Abyss Trial in that time... this guy's unreal." "He's scarier in person than the rumors." Aiden stepped into the hall, earning hushed voices and reverent stares from the gatekeepers. He stopped in front of the lead attendant. "Advancement reward." "Immediately, honored warrior." The attendant hurried to a sandalwood case, lifted a warm gemstone with both hands, and presented it like a fragile treasure. Ding! The system projected a description across his view.'Dominion Sigil Shard—Legendary equipment. A rare shard infused with the Dominion's radiant power—strong enough to evolve the Medal of Dominion again. Supposedly reserved for great heroes.' Perfect. Another exclusive piece to boost the Medal of Dominion. Keep them coming. Aiden tapped the shard lightly. "Great. Time to juice it up again," he quipped while walking out. "Safe travels, sir!" Bows followed him all the way out. ... Once he exited the Trial Temple, Aiden moved straight toward Leafport. Dahl's blacksmith guild, once quiet enough to hear dust settle, now overflowed with noise. Only elite players could enter the central hub at this early stage, but Grendola was huge. Even a one-in-ten-thousand filter still dumped more than a hundred thousand players inside. Two days were enough for Leafport to feel packed.Every shop buzzed with customers. Even Dahl's bargain blacksmith guild, usually ignored, now had a line so long it wrapped toward the next district. Big stores imposed huge markups, while Dahl charged almost nothing. In this case, high volume proved more valuable than prestige. Aiden didn't spare the line a glance. He stepped past everyone and walked straight to the anvil. Dozens of heads snapped toward him. Scowls everywhere. Cutting the whole line? Really? Yet not a single person opened their mouth. Several days in Doomsday had taught everyone a brutal truth: cut the line without the muscle for it, and the NPCs would drag you out before you could blink.