This was the biggest ordeal since arriving in this world.
They had discovered an Apex Boss, one that had remained hidden until now.
Among those gathered were the most capable leaders, each representing their faction:
- Verdant Pact – Eldrin Mossvale
- A wise herbalist and alchemist with deep ties to nature, rumored to commune with the Expanse itself.
- Stormbreakers – Gale Veyron
- A relentless speedster, known for moving like a living stormfront, leading the guild with unmatched agility and tactical brilliance.
- The Forgebound – Varek Ironholt
- A master smith, known for forging legendary weapons, with arms and armor that have stood the test of time.
- The Shadow Veil – Nyx Everhollow
- A ghost in the dark, unseen and unheard, a master of assassinations and subterfuge. No one truly knows their face.
- Aether Wardens – Selene Ardentis
- A scholar and mystic, obsessed with uncovering the deepest secrets of aether and the fundamental forces of the world.
- The Bloodied Tusk – Darius Hallowbrand
- A battle-worn mercenary with a brutal reputation, known for his pragmatic approach and ironclad contracts.
- Dragon’s Maw – Orrin Dragbane
- A warrior whose raw strength and unyielding spirit have earned him the respect of even the fiercest combatants.
- Zephyr Striders – Tahlis Windsong
- A nomadic tracker who thrives in the untamed wilderness, leading the Striders with intuition and precision.
- The Covenant of Embers – Ignis Vaelthorn
- A fire-wielding zealot who believes in the purifying power of flame, pushing the boundaries of elemental Force mastery.
- The Lone Fang – Kaito Ren
- A former warrior who refuses to join any guild but is known for soloing high-level beasts.
- The Eclipse Sisters – Mira & Lillian
- A duo of twin Force users with unknown abilities.
- Ghostwalkers – Tarek Vol
- Leader of a small but elite assassination party.
- The Silver Hunt – Valeria Eris
- A group of archers and trackers who refuse to take orders from guilds.
- The Risen Ashes – Darius Kain
- A ragtag group of survivalists focusing on scavenging and knowledge.
- The Dawnborn – Asha Quinn
- Known for her insight into Aether manipulation—some call her an oracle.
- The Black Talon – Orin Graves
- A ruthless group of ex-soldiers from Earth, willing to do anything for power.
It was one of Black Talon’s scouts who first spotted it—a colossal boar, standing nearly twice the size of a warhorse.
A living fortress of hardened earth.
Its hide was layered with jagged, stone-like plating, fused to its flesh after prolonged exposure to Earthen Might. Blades would be useless. Impact attacks would barely make it flinch. It was built for destruction—unstoppable, relentless, and impossible to take head-on.
But its tusks… those were the real danger.
Massive, serrated, and reinforced with mineral deposits, they looked capable of tearing through rock as if it were nothing more than loose soil.
Realizing the magnitude of her discovery, the scout wasted no time. She reported everything to Orin Graves.
And Graves, recognizing an opportunity—or a disaster—immediately brought the news to the rest of the leaders.
Their response was swift.
Scouting parties were dispatched.
No one doubted what they had found.
The name carried weight—a name spoken in whispers by survivors who had fled its territory, a name tied to ruined landscapes and shattered bones.
It was the Ironsworn Ravager.
The Apex Boss of Earth.
Apex Boss – Ironsworn Ravager
Species: Titanfang Boar (Apex Variant)
Force Alignment: Earthen Might (Minor Force – Earth Affinity)
Level: 8
Among the leaders present, the leader of the Iron Fangs Guild put forth a proposal—recruit Jin Saito to serve as the vanguard for this operation.
Without his involvement, taking down the Ironsworn Ravager without heavy casualties seemed near impossible.
This was an Apex Boss, not something they could afford to take lightly. And in a world they had no choice in joining, none of them were in a position to recklessly risk lives.
But not everyone agreed.
Darius Hallowbrand, the battle-worn leader of The Bloodied Tusk, scoffed at the suggestion.
"He’s his own free person. We can’t always rely on a single person to push us forward—whether it’s dungeons, quests, or Apex Bosses. If we don’t learn to handle these things on our own, we’re just setting ourselves up for failure."
His words carried weight. Jin Saito had already proven himself in past battles, but leaning on one person too often was a dangerous precedent.
Some nodded in agreement. Others remained silent, weighing the risks.
Because whether they liked it or not, without him, this fight could turn into a bloodbath.
A voice cut through the rising tension.
"A group of my members just returned from a Fellhorn dungeon," came the deep, commanding tone of Orrin Dragbane, leader of Dragon’s Maw.
The room quieted slightly as he continued.
"Inside, they encountered someone—someone whose name they refuse to disclose. Not out of secrecy, but out of what I can only describe as… fear. Almost as if they’re petrified to even speak it aloud."
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His words carried weight, and for a brief moment, uncertainty flickered across the gathered leaders’ faces.
Nobody knew where this was going, but they continued to listen.
"For whatever reason, this unnamed individual chose to instruct them—taught them how to use Aether more efficiently, how to rely less on the system to dictate their Force Alignment. Instead of being shackled to predefined limits, they learned to harness their abilities on a deeper level, beyond what the system normally allows."
There was a shift in the room now. Silent curiosity. A few exchanged glances.
"Because of this advice, they’ve become stronger, faster, and far more capable than they were before. What was once an average group of fighters has now become an invaluable force."
Orrin leaned forward, his arms crossed as he eyed the room.
"Due to the nature of this encounter, I’m more than willing to have them impart the same knowledge they received. If a mere conversation could elevate my warriors so drastically, then it stands to reason that it could do the same for the rest of us. And we’re going to need every advantage we can get if we want to take down this Apex Boss."
Murmurs spread through the room. Some intrigued, others skeptical.
But one thing was clear—whoever this unnamed individual was, their influence was undeniable.
That same unnamed individual, having just woken up in a tree with his new rewards beeping relentlessly in his face, let out a groggy sigh. Blinking away the last traces of sleep, he finally descended from his perch, landing effortlessly on the forest floor.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Kei decided to visit the settlement.
To be around others…
Though, of course, he remained unseen.
With Phantom Breeze activated, he moved like a ghost, like a thief, weaving through the settlement unnoticed.
The first signs of his presence manifested in the marketplace.
Murmurs turned into complaints.
Vendors frowned as they discovered missing items—fresh produce gone, bundles of herbs misplaced, entire crates of dried meat mysteriously vanishing.
In the settlement’s communal kitchen, a chef gawked at the empty shelves.
"Where the hell did all the seasonings go?!"
Meanwhile, Kei had already moved on.
He stood inside a blacksmith’s forge, his eyes scanning the neatly arranged tools.
"Finally. Tools for crafting. I can make some decent equipment for myself now… one in particular I’ve been meaning to get my hands on."
As he inspected the various materials, the forge’s owner walked in.
"Where’s my hammer?"
Another blacksmith called out from the other side of the shop.
"Who took my axe?"
A third voice joined in, more frustrated than the rest.
"Where the hell are my crafting tools?!"
Kei, expression neutral beneath his hood, silently slipped away.
As he wandered the settlement, he listened to the conversations around him, absorbing the atmosphere, gauging the state of things.
Then, he overheard something interesting.
A meeting of the guild leaders.
"Apex Boss?" Kei mused, tilting his head slightly. "There’s another one out there besides Zeph? Eh, they should be fine."
His interest waned almost immediately.
He continued his stroll, stopping at a small stall where the vendor was dead asleep, oblivious to the world. Kei took his time examining the wares, plucking only the items that interested him.
At another stall, Jenny lay slumped over her counter, arms folded as she dozed without a care.
She didn’t notice.
She didn’t react.
She didn’t even stir.
Yet, somehow, she was missing a few items.
Not long after, Kaito Ren walked up to her stall, fresh from the meeting.
"Hey, Jenny, I’m here to buy those items you were holding for me. Where are they?"
Jenny yawned, stretching lazily. "Just put the money down and take ‘em."
Kaito frowned. "But… they’re not there?"
Jenny blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Huh?"
She looked at the now empty space where the goods had once been.
Silence.
Then—
"OI! WHO THE HELL STOLE FROM ME?!"
Unbothered by the growing chaos he had left in his wake, Kei finally undid Phantom Breeze, allowing his presence to return. He tugged his Tattered Cloth Hood [Uncommon] a little lower over his face, ensuring his identity remained concealed.
With his hands now filled with new supplies, he continued exploring the settlement—calm, unhurried, and completely indifferent to the confusion trailing behind him.
Jin Saito, sprawled across his bed, had been enjoying a peaceful sleep until the shouting outside shattered his rest.
With a groggy sigh, he sat up, running a hand through his hair as he listened to the chaos unfolding outside his hut.
The entire settlement was in uproar.
Vendors were complaining about missing goods, blacksmiths were arguing over stolen tools, and the kitchen staff was baffled by the sudden disappearance of seasonings and ingredients.
Jenny’s voice, loud and furious, carried across the settlement as she raged about her missing stock.
Jin blinked, still groggy. What the hell was going on?
Meanwhile, Talia, Reese, Kai, and Owen sat nearby, quietly taking in the scene.
They had heard everything.
And they knew exactly who the culprit was.
There was only one person who could move through the settlement completely unseen, take whatever he wanted, and vanish without a trace.
Kei.
But with him still around, they weren’t about to say anything.
They weren’t exactly eager to get impaled by bone projectiles for snitching.
So instead, they kept their expressions neutral, pretending to be just as confused as everyone else.
Jin, however, wasn’t fooled.
He noticed the slight tension in their bodies. The way they glanced at each other but said nothing.
Something was off.
Then, his status screen flickered.
And something strange happened.
The moment he activated his Force Alignment, his status screen reacted.
His stat points were shifting.
His physical stats—strength, agility, dexterity, constitution—all dropped back down to their base values.
At the same time, his Will stat surged.
It was something he had done manually.
Focusing inward, he pushed his expanded Will outward, stretching his senses across the settlement, searching for anything unusual.
Elsewhere, Kei had come across a contest stall.
After reading the rules, he picked up a set of pebbles provided for the challenge.
A simple target-hitting contest.
For most, hitting the targets required patience and precision.
For Kei?
It was barely an afterthought.
With a flick of his wrist, the pebbles shot forward like sniper rounds, each one striking dead center on its respective target with unerring accuracy.
The event host stood frozen in disbelief.
A perfect score.
With no reason to refuse, they reluctantly handed Kei his reward.
Kei inspected the weapon as he walked away, completely satisfied.
His prize?
A long, thin sword with no hilt.
The entire weapon, from guard to blade, was a single continuous piece—sleek, polished, and oddly flat-tipped instead of pointed.
A strange design.
But for Kei, it was exactly what he wanted.
Feeling like he had seen enough of the people in the settlement, Kei decided it was time to leave.
He had no reason to stay.
With that, he turned and began making his way back to his clearing.
Until—
A voice cut through the noise.
At least, to him and one other person.
"Jin, can you come in here, please? We’d like your help with something."
The moment the words reached him, Jin’s focus wavered.
His search abruptly ended, his extended senses cutting off just as they passed over Kei.
Without hesitation, he turned and made his way toward Reinhardt.
The favor they asked for?
He readily agreed.
Jin Saito was going to be the vanguard for the Apex Boss hunt.
Meanwhile, back in the marketplace, Jenny was still complaining about her missing items.
As she grumbled, Kaito Ren leaned against her stall, arms crossed.
"So, what do you think? You’re really strong—think you can help us?" he asked casually. "And as a bonus, they’ll share some knowledge on using Aether more efficiently. You’ll also learn how to improve your Force Alignment without relying so much on the system."
Jenny barely registered Kaito’s words.
Her mind was elsewhere.
She wasn’t sure if she should accept or not.
Finally, after a long pause, she let out a tired groan.
"It’d eat into my time to sleep… nap… and rest…" she whined.
Kaito sighed. This was going to take some convincing.