Kael hit level 20 in short order.
As his level climbed, the attributes on the Diadem of Unyielding Will and Galeharrow scaled up with it. His HP reached 330,000, his Physical Attack climbed to 53,000, and his Physical Defense broke 16,000.
He also spent 5 Skill Points to activate [Phantom Barrage].
His habit of sweeping every monster in sight drew more and more complaints. Some players even started closing in on him.
"Who is that guy? He's stealing everyone's grinding spots."
"Seriously. Does he have a death wish?"
Then someone confirmed Kael's identity and hastily warned his party.
"Shh. Keep it down. I think that's the real Dawnbreaker."
"So what if he is? He still can't just break the rules..."
Big words—but their voices dropped sharply all the same.
No one dared complain to his face anymore. They'd report it to Elon later instead.
By then, Kael had finally realized he'd been poaching other players' mobs.
If this had been the open wilds, he wouldn't have cared. The monsters were spawned by the system—first come, first served.
But this was the Land of the Behemoth. Everyone leveling here had paid for entry, and every coin of that money went straight into Kael's own pocket. He was taking their money. He couldn't pretend their complaints were none of his business.
Faced with all those resentful looks, Kael apologized on the spot.
"Sorry, everyone. I interrupted your grinding.
"Today's entrance fees are on me. Anyone currently inside the Land of the Behemoth can claim a free ticket from Elon tomorrow."
As apologies went, it didn't get more sincere. That single "sorry" was worth over a million in ticket fees.
The nearby players froze.
This infamous murder machine had actually admitted fault?
The same players who'd been grumbling a moment ago changed their tune instantly.
"Sir Dawnbreaker, what are you talking about? We were just joking around."
"I only came to admire your grinding technique."
"Same here. I came to take screenshots."
"Sir Dawnbreaker, can we get a picture with you?"
As they talked, several players began crowding toward him.
Kael didn't think much of it. It was just a screenshot. He still wasn't used to his new appearance after reincarnating—someone else's camera angle might be a good way to see how he looked.
But it didn't take long for him to notice something wrong.
Among the crowd surging toward him, dozens of players moved with sharp, coordinated steps. Every one of them was above level 35.
And no level-35 player came to the Land of the Behemoth to grind.
Before Kael could react, the world around him shifted. The grass beneath his feet suddenly turned into a lake.
Splash.
Kael plunged straight into the water.
A thick sphere of water sealed around him.
He knew this skill far too well.
[Aqueous Prison].
This was the third time he'd been caught in it.
"Hahaha! Dawnbreaker, we meet again."
Caleb Mordant appeared before him, the Gilded Greatsword resting across his shoulder.
"Thought you'd be safe as long as you stayed on land? Look at you now. Trapped all the same."
"At your level, you can't equip that freak arrow anymore, can you? This time, I'm going to make you drop every last piece of gear you own!"
Kael pulled out a Gills Potion, drank it, and regarded him calmly.
"Did you forget whose territory this is?"
Mordant grinned viciously. "Of course I know. It'll take the women from Crimson Bloom three to five minutes to get here. Killing you will take ten seconds."
He wasted no more words and rang the Sunfire Bell.
More than forty players unleashed ranged attacks on the water prison at once.
Anyone trapped inside the prison couldn't attack out. But everyone outside could attack in.
Mordant stared at the prison in anticipation, already picturing Kael's corpse and a sky full of dropped equipment.
"Dawnbreaker, I finally have you!"
In the blink of an eye, every attack struck home.
But contrary to everything Mordant had imagined, Kael was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did he go? Did he go invisible?"
"Impossible. Even invisible, the AoE would've hit him."
"Search! Find whatever corner he's hiding in!"
Mordant and his men scoured the water prison and found no trace of Kael.
He had simply vanished.
Then a voice sounded from behind the crowd.
"Why do you never learn?"
Caleb spun around just in time to catch Kael's infuriating gaze—
And a sky full of arrows.
-57,458
-110,214
-164,789
...
Under the arrow rain, only a handful of quick-fingered mages got Ice Block off in time. Everyone else became a corpse.
Counting the players outside the range of [Phantom Barrage], barely twenty of the fifty Mordant had brought survived.
Kael showed no mercy. He summoned his clones and opened fire without restraint.
Unfortunately, some bystanders got caught in it too. A few had only drifted in alongside Mordant's group hoping for a screenshot. Others had been watching from the sidelines when Galeharrow's [Splintering Arrow] cut them down.
Kael had done his best to keep his back to the crowd, but [Splintering Arrow] still auto-targeted several innocent players along the edges. One shot, combined with [Pierce], meant three bodies on the ground.
Ten seconds later, not only was Mordant's entire group wiped out, but a wide swath of the crowd in front of Kael had collapsed with them.
The bustling scene fell dead silent.
No one spoke. No one dared accuse him of anything.
After the killing, Kael didn't leave. He simply stood where he was.
A few braver players revived their bystander teammates who'd been caught in the crossfire, then hurried off with their hearts hammering.
A few idiots tried to walk into the middle of the battlefield to revive the innocent screenshot-takers.
They made it only a few steps before Kael shot them dead.
"Come closer, and you die."
He left those words hanging and said nothing more.
Who could say whether they were Mordant's people? At a moment like this, better to kill the wrong person than let the right one slip away.
Bit by bit, most of the crowd dispersed.
Caleb Mordant couldn't fathom how he had failed, so he messaged Kael.
"Why? How did you get out of the water prison?"
"Guess."
Kael had no intention of giving away his secret.
Inwardly, he sneered. Elven God spatial magic wasn't something a mortal skill could contain.
"Dawnbreaker, don't get cocky. One day I'll make you drop every piece of gear on your body!"
Having eaten yet another loss, Caleb was nearly frothing with rage. He hurled one last threat, then released his spirit.
Seeing their leader gone, the others released their spirits as well and went off to wait out their one-hour weakness penalty.
Only after Caleb Mordant left did one of the onlookers timidly ask, "Sir Dawnbreaker, about the items on the ground..."
Kael ignored them and turned away.
Whoosh.
The crowd surged forward like starving wolves, scrambling to loot the equipment Caleb and his men had dropped.
Afterward, someone summed up the whole incident in one line:
"If it's Dawnbreaker's drama you're watching, at least the loot won't disappoint."