Fallen Realm Online: Rise of The Fallen Monarch

******

Xylen’s eyes began to gleam with excitement as he envisioned a future where his stats would keep on skyrocketing with every level up.

"Wouldn’t this literally make me invincible?" he muttered, his breath quickening. "I’d be able to easily dominate enemies of the same level and even jumping levels to beat stronger players wouldn’t be impossible," he thought, the glow in his eyes intensifying. But eventually, he forced himself to snap out of it, noticing something he’d momentarily overlooked.

"Unassigned Stats?" he muttered, confusion lacing his voice.

He hadn’t seen or heard of anything like this before in his previous life.

’Could this be a new development?’ he wondered in perplexity. ’Or another benefit of my class?’

He mulled over it for a moment before finally, he shook his head. ’There’s no point stressing over it when I have no way to confirm the truth for the time being.’

With this, Xylen dismissed the stat interface. There was still more to do there but now wasn’t the time.

Without hesitation, he turned his gaze to the glowing items hovering above the two monsters’ carcasses.

"My loots," he whispered, his eyes gleaming like twin stars. And just without hesitation, he bent.

In the next second...

[ Are you sure you want to claim Phantom Step? ]

[Yes] [No]

’Yes, of course!’ Xylen responded mentally, without a hint of hesitation.

In the next second, one of the two glowing items hovering above the Springfox’s corpse shot toward him.

In the next second...

[ Congratulations! You have received a Grade C skill — Phantom Step. Would you like to check its stats? ]

’Yes,’ Xylen responded almost immediately, his heart pounding with excitement.

|| L O O T – S T A T ||

Skill name: Phantom Step

Skill Grade: Grade C

Required Stat: Dexterity – 50

Description: An old parchment that has been infused with shadowy energy, containing the essence of Sprigfox’s Phantom Step technique. When used, it teaches the user a weaker version of the skill.

***Note: The skill is upgradable.

Skill Learned: Phantom Step (Lesser)

Effect:

— Grants a 10% evasion boost for 3 seconds after dodging an attack.

— Cooldown: 20 seconds

|| E N D ||

......

"This..."

Xylen’s breath turned shallow, his eyes burning even brighter than before.

’This skill is perfect for me,’ he thought, tucking the parchment beneath his arm without hesitation.

Next, he summoned the second item from the Springfox — a small pouch filled with copper coins.

Although it wasn’t much, for Xylen, whose primary goal in the game was making money, it was enough to widen his grin.

Finally, he turned to the scroll on the Mossling’s corpse and checked its stats.

......

|| L O O T – S T A T ||

Skill name: Rootwood Core

Skill Grade: Grade A

Required Class: Level 10 Abyssal Geomancy

Description: A pulsating core of the wood that’s still oozing with dark energy. It carries the lingering essence of the Mossling’s Root Rot, granting the wearer a portion of its parasitic abilities*

***Note: The skill is upgradable.

Effect:

· 10% chance to steal 5% of damage as HP when dealing damage.

· Passive Ability – Lifespan: Increases natural HP regen.

· Bonus Effect: Boost earth-type skills by 2%

Usage:

· Can be equipped as an accessory (Necklace or ring)

· Can be used in crafting high-tier Earth-element weapons or armor.

· Can be sold to merchants for a high price.

|| E N D ||

***************************

"Wow!" Xylen exclaimed again.

By this point, his eyes were already blazing like twin torches.

’Although this skill does not be useful to me, it’ll fetch a fortune if I manage to sell it!’

His breathing quickened, and he briefly resembled a goblin who had just stumbled upon a pile of gold.

He celebrated his victory for a moment long before sighing, calming his excitement.

’Although the drawbacks of risk could be severe and even life-threatening... able to stip you off everything you’ve ever had, the rewards are almost always worth it if successful,’ he thought. But then suddenly, as if struck by lightning, his brows shot up.

He’d completely forgotten something — or rather, someone.

"Where’s that demoness?" he muttered, glancing around in sudden alarm.

In the next second, he froze, completely caught off guard by the sight of Lilith still gaping at him like a beggar who had just stumbled upon a chest of gold.

....

Since Lilith had risen from the ground after being knocked back by Xylen earlier, she hadn’t been able to return to her senses.

The scene she’d witnessed was nothing short of unbelievable... so shocking that despite all the horrors she’d endured in her life... her village razed, her people slaughtered —this, however, somehow, stunned her more than anything.

Her master had fought a Level 6 monster toe-to-toe.

Calling it shock would be an understatement.

To her, Xylen had been in a coma since he was two years old.

He had never trained a day in his life and by default, a normal ten-year-old demon should have been many times stronger than him, even with just basic training.

This was exactly why she had been so against him entering the forest, scared he’d lose his life to even the weakest monster. But contrary to her thought, he had defied everything she thought she knew again and again until finally, he easily played a Level 6 monster, toying with it as though it were a weakling before ultimately killing it.

Even though the monster had already been injured severely until it completely lost its grace and strength, it would have still been a nightmare for any village. And yet, her lord had single-handedly tanked and defeated it.

For what felt like an eternity even after Xylen noticed her gawking at him, Lilith remained trapped in her thoughts — until suddenly:

Bang!

An unexpected suffocating, terrifying pressure exploded within the forest, sending Xylen flying off his feet, despite his high stats and strength, together with Lilith.

Lilith was instantly forced to snap out of her daze, while Xylen, who had been planning to wake her, was too stunned to react.

"What... what was that?" he muttered, his heart hammering against his ribs.

Just then:

Boom...

A deep, rolling THRRUUUM echoed through the forest, followed by the ground-shaking crash of countless feet.

It felt like an earthquake, badly shaking the earth and everything on it.

And then:

Thrum... Boom... BoomThrumBoomThrum—

The sound grew louder, and closer until it became deafening.

"That... that..." Lilith’s face went pale. "That sounds like a beast tide."

Xylen swallowed hard.

Of course, he’d already realized that. But...

"What could have caused that?" Lilith asked anxiously, her voice quivering. "Is this why the forest was empty before?"

Xylen’s brows furrowed, and then suddenly a light of understanding flashed in his eyes.

"Could this have something to do with why the two monsters suddenly went berserk against each other when the Springfox was initially going to kill us?" he wondered.

But now wasn’t the time for questions.

This was a chance to level up like crazy — a chance to reach a level he had never thought he’d reach on a go, but...

Wouldn’t staying mean suicide? They’d be trampled to death before they could kill even one beast.

He would be nothing more than a fool courting his own death because both he and Lilith would definitely be trampled long before they could even take down one.

This is a beast tide after all, and not just a tide of only weak beasts.

Moreover, the presence that radiated that initial pressure...

"Back to the village!"

Xylen roared and without hesitation, he grabbed Lilith by her arm, both of them bolting through the forest, running for his life.

What level up?

He doesn’t have the luxury of risking his life right now. He had worked too hard to reach his current level, and simply losing it all would mean one thing... he’d stand no chance of completing the quest.