MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player

It hadn’t gone exactly as planned. Elder Eagle hadn’t died in a single devastating burst.

Even so, the chain explosions from the Blazing Explosive Arrows had done more than enough. One blast after another hammered into the boss until the final arrow detonated with a deafening boom, sending the heavily wounded Elder Eagle flying backward before he crashed hard onto the ground.

"Go!"

Marcus gave a sharp command, urging his mount into a charge as he switched to the Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe.

"Time to send you off."

Elder Eagle had only just staggered back to his feet when Marcus unleashed Desperate Strike. The massive hoe tore through the air before smashing down with overwhelming force.

CRACK!

-32000

A critical hit.

The blade cleaved straight through Elder Eagle’s body, ending the fight instantly.

The Level 70 Gold Boss was dead.

Ding!

[Player Stonehaven has slain Level 70 Gold-tier Elder Eagle Morta. Reward: +300 Reputation, +30,000 gold coins.]

Ding!

[Congratulations, player Stonehaven, you have reached Level 52. HP +10, MP +10. You have gained 5 attribute points.]

Another level.

System notifications rang out one after another for Marcus, his companions, and his pets as experience poured in. Everyone had gained levels from the boss kill. It was a shame Lily and his sister Amber hadn’t officially joined the Mercenary System yet. If they had, they’d easily have ranked among the top seven players on the leaderboards.

His mount had also reached Level 49 with 36% experience, putting it well within reach of Level 50 and its second evolution.

Marcus couldn’t help looking forward to seeing what it would become.

Several of his core skills had improved as well. One-Handed Mastery, Shield Mastery, Taunt, Shield Guard, and Swift Blade had all leveled up, giving his overall combat strength another noticeable boost.

"Nice..."

His stats had climbed yet again.

As the pleasant stream of notifications finally died down, Marcus walked over to Elder Eagle’s corpse, retrieved his Blazing Explosive Arrows and Ice-Fire Twin Dragon Hoe, then crouched to examine the boss’s loot.

The first item immediately caught his attention.

It was a pitch-black mask with savage fangs jutting from its mouth. Wisps of dark energy coiled around it, radiating an eerie, deathly aura that made it seem as though it had crawled straight out of the underworld.

"The Mask of Fear!"

Marcus couldn’t hide his excitement as he quickly picked it up. His gamble had paid off. This was one of the items he’d been hoping would drop.

"Bro, you actually got the mask?!"

Amber’s excited voice sounded from behind him as she and the others hurried over, every one of them smiling brightly, just as pleased by the victory as he was.

"Yeah!"

Marcus grinned from ear to ear. Getting the mask already put him in an excellent mood, but seeing the girls happily gathering around him somehow made the moment even more satisfying. Without hesitation, he handed the mask over so everyone could inspect it together.

—

Mask of Fear: Gray Artifact. Effects unknown. Cannot be used.

—

He was itching to return to Dragon’s Peak Citadel and have the old Appraiser identify it.

Unfortunately, Twin Wing Island remained sealed beneath the Storm Seal. Every teleportation array had been disabled, and Marcus wasn’t even sure whether a Town Portal Scroll would function inside the barrier.

For now, all he could do was wait. It was incredibly frustrating.

The next drop was a skill book. It was Elder Eagle’s signature technique.

—

Eagle’s Peck: Advanced Skill. Class Requirement: Level 50 Assassin. Launches three rapid attacks, each dealing double damage. 10% chance to stun the target. 10% increased critical hit chance. Cooldown: 3 seconds.

—

Marcus only gave it a brief glance before tossing it into his inventory.

It wasn’t a skill he could use, but it would still sell for a respectable price later.

As he was putting the book away, Willow Moran noticed something lying just behind Elder Eagle’s body.

"Marcus..." She gently tugged on his sleeve before pointing ahead. "Wings."

Everyone turned at once.

Amber’s eyes widened. "Bro! Wings actually dropped!"

According to the game’s records, wings were among the rarest treasures in existence. A player might get lucky enough to obtain two Divine-grade items before ever seeing a single pair of wings. Even Gold-grade wings were extraordinarily rare.

More importantly, wings granted true flight. Not temporary gliding or limited aerial movement, but complete freedom to fight in the skies.

Marcus quickly picked up the jet-black wings.

Although folded together, they were roughly the size of a house cat. The feathers gleamed with a faint metallic sheen, and despite their compact appearance, they radiated an astonishing presence.

He examined them together with the girls.

—

Black Eagle Great Wings: Black Mythic Artifact. Effects unknown. Cannot be used.

—

"Incredible..."

Marcus stared at the mysterious wings, unable to hide his amazement.

They weren’t merely wings, they were Mythic-grade wings.

Just imagining the abilities they might possess after identification was enough to make his heart race. He found himself studying every dark feather, his curiosity growing by the second.

Unfortunately, without an Appraiser, all of that would have to wait.

The thought only made him feel even more impatient. The remaining loot wasn’t worth mentioning, Marcus swept everything into his inventory without a second look.

Just as he was about to use Gathering on Elder Eagle’s corpse, Jade’s Twin-Winged Water Demon Cat, affectionately nicknamed "Kitty," suddenly fluttered down and landed directly in front of the body.

The water-shaped symbol on its forehead began to glow.

A surge of deep-blue light spread outward, enveloping Elder Eagle’s corpse as Kitty fixed its sapphire eyes on the fallen boss without blinking.

"Kitty wants to eat the soul..."

Jade giggled as she crouched beside it.

"Go, Kitty! You can do it!"

Both Kitty and the Soul Vase in Marcus’s inventory possessed the ability to devour souls from fallen enemies.

Ordinarily, Marcus relied on the Soul Vase, but Kitty’s success rate was even higher. While the vase’s chances weren’t bad, Kitty boasted an impressive fifty percent success rate. Even though Jade’s Luck stat was nowhere near Marcus’s, the little cat somehow managed to outperform the artifact more often than not.

It was obvious that Kitty had set its sights on Elder Eagle’s soul.

This time, however, something was different.

Normally, Kitty would release a simple burst of blue energy, and the result, whether success or failure, would be decided almost instantly.

Now, the dark-blue light poured out continuously, growing thicker with every passing second as it wrapped around Elder Eagle’s corpse like countless strands of flowing water. The two forces seemed locked in an invisible struggle, yet nothing happened.

There was no success, and there was no failure. The strange stalemate had never happened before.

Marcus’s expression immediately turned serious.

"Everyone, stay alert."

He quietly motioned for the girls to step back while keeping his eyes fixed on Kitty and Elder Eagle’s corpse. A faint sense of danger prickled at the back of his mind.

Something wasn’t right. Whatever was happening, it definitely wasn’t normal.