Chapter9-Global First Dungeon Clear, Nations Astonished

In less than a minute, almost all the novice concealer acolytes were eradicated. 

Accompanied by a surge of golden light, Jason swiftly advanced to level 11, with his experience bar rapidly approaching level 12. 

At that moment, from the depths of the disrupted camp, a roaring voice thundered.

"Who dares to invade our camp?" From afar, a robust man clad in gleaming armor, wielding a massive hammer, charged forth. The dungeon boss had arrived.

[Church Leader: Jasteel]

[Category: BOSS (Unconquered)]

[Level: 40]

[HP: 2,500,000/2,500,000]

[Attack Power: 750]

[Defense: 500]

[Magic Resistance: 200]

Skills:

[Concealer's Blessing]: Increases attributes by 5% for every 100,000 HP lost.

[Charge]: Unleashes full energy, rapidly charging at the enemy to inflict substantial damage.

[Courage Blessing]: Increases the attributes of nearby soldiers by 50%.

The descendant of a key member of the Guild of Concealers, inexplicably found within the Guild itself, is now in focus...

"The boss, according to the original dungeon-clearing rules, appears after the novice concealer acolyte suffers thirty percent casualties,"

"Perhaps I've been clearing the mobs too swiftly; the regular minions are already vanquished."

Jason analyzed internally, a hint of pride in his thoughts.

Moreover, his first dungeon raid in his past life, where he struggled against the monsters, was now a stark contrast to his current prowess, crushing the high-difficulty iron-level dungeon in less than five hours after the server opened!

All these achievements were the fruits of his persistence and hard work!

"Bone dragons, advance as one!"

"Surround him, then attack up close, while the ranged ones use Dragon Breath. Banshee, heed my command and use Agonizing Wail."

The Church Leader before him was enveloped in an eerie black aura, a clear manifestation of magical power, indicating that the Banshee could not ignore this threat.

Although they possessed immunity to physical damage, their HP was relatively low.

Such hidden units were precious to Jason; he couldn't afford to lose them, so he opted to use the Subspecies Bone Dragons as shields at the forefront.

Following his command,

the armored boss was completely encircled.

Subsequently, the boss was trapped by the bone dragons, with no chance of escape.

What followed was a brutal onslaught from the Guild of Concealers' leader, tormented by dragon breath, battered by the bone dragons' blows and charges, and harassed by the Banshee's hit-and-run tactics.

[Agonizing Wail]!

Terror!

The group of 4-tier units, having executed their control skills, retreated under Jason's command. 

Whenever the resilience to fear on the boss's head dissipated, it would be once again subdued by the Banshee's piercing cry.

As for Jason himself, merely commanding was not enough; he was also brandishing his sword, relentlessly forcing the Guild of Concealers' leader into a retreat.

Despite the humanoid boss's intense irritation, wanting to attack Jason directly, the latter, with over two decades of advanced gaming experience, overwhelmingly dominated the combat. 

He effortlessly dodged the opponent's massive hammer with casual flicks and twists.

Even when the boss unleashed the [Charge] skill, bringing terrifying speed, Jason easily anticipated it, ensuring he wasn't struck once.

Ultimately, Jason didn't hesitate to cast [divine spell: Healing], instantaneously releasing a burst of pure white radiance from within himself.

The Subspecies Bone Dragons, whose HP had been significantly depleted, saw their health surge back up in an instant. 

Facing a boss without unleashing this Healing spell, Jason would have inevitably lost several 5-tier soldiers.

And now, with the divine spell cast…

The result was a flawless victory!

The final blow was delivered by Jason.

[Assassination]!

In a blink, he teleported behind the opponent, driving the ring-shaped sword into his chest.

"No, I cannot accept this!"

The leader of the Guild of Concealers cried out in agony before ultimately collapsing to the ground.

...

Meanwhile, in the Celestria district of San Jekanonia City, at the outskirts of the city's sewer system, a group of players dressed in uniform, their expressions resolute and movements precise, stood silently waiting.

Subsequently, from the city's distant respawn point, several players ran towards them, approaching a player accompanied by several 3-tier units and stood at attention, saluting.

"Report!"

"Speak," commanded the player with the 3-tier units, his demeanor solemn.

"Yes, Captain Ivan! Based on our preliminary reconnaissance of the iron-level dungeon, the Sludge Sewers, it has been confirmed as the least challenging among the iron-level dungeons discovered in the Celestria district so far."

"There are only 1000 1-tier units and 300 2-tier units. We anticipate that more than fifty of our brothers in the leveling team will accumulate over two hundred 1-tier soldiers within six days, completing preparations for the dungeon assault!"

"Well done, your sacrifice will be remembered by the nation," Captain Ivan nodded in approval.

At this moment, just after the server launch, it was a crucial time for players to develop. 

Yet, the Celestria military had already dispatched nearly a thousand players to venture into various dungeons to face death and gather intelligence, but all these sacrifices were deemed worthwhile.

According to official Celestria intelligence, the first team to clear a dungeon could likely earn the opportunity to summon the first hero, meaning a one-time chance to achieve two "first kills" in the game. 

And it wasn't just Celestria. Valoria, Everdawn, Aerion, Valoria, and Elysium all had similar plans. 

At this moment, even if it meant sacrificing some of the personnel's development speed, it was crucial to find a way to secure the first dungeon clear.

"Fortunately, the plan is proceeding smoothly," Captain Ivan stated, his gaze steadfast.

However, just then.

[Iron-level dungeon first clear achieved!]

[Iron-level dungeon first clear achieved!]

…

[Valoria Server player [Smith], the first to clear the iron-level dungeon [Guild of Concealers], will receive the following rewards…]

[Valoria Server…]

…

The system's notification flashed before the players' eyes, echoing in their ears.

"How is this possible?"

"The dungeon has been cleared in less than a day since the server opened?"

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"Wait, Smith??"

…

The military-affiliated players present collectively turned pale, considering the substantial effort, the initial investment, and the cost. 

The plan to conquer the dungeon had just started and was already over.

The bewilderment wasn't confined to the Celestria military.

Simultaneously, players worldwide, along with governments strategizing dungeon clears, were struck with immense shock!

"So fast, could this Smith be Valoria government's ace up their sleeve?"

"Typical of Valoria... Their profound depth and terrifying grasp over game intelligence…"

"Valoria taking the lead again, huh?"

"No choice, looks like we'll have to aim for the first clear of the bronze-tier dungeon now."

…

The reaction of the nations was unanimous, once could be a coincidence, but twice?

And while claiming the first boss kill might be achievable by a powerful Valorian family, a dungeon first clear isn't something you can achieve just by sheer numbers!

It must be the work of the Valoria government!

In Valoria, many players became exhilarated upon hearing the world announcement!

The global announcement was crystal clear.

Smith! It's him again! He's one of us, a Valorian!

…

In an unnamed island in the Pacific, a seemingly barren area housed an extensive underground space, astonishing to any who would enter, for it contained nearly ten thousand gaming pods.

At this moment, in a conference room within this underground space, a group of middle-aged and elderly men in military uniforms gathered, with several holographic figures floating on the large screen in front of them.

At this moment, if any journalist were to burst into this room, their heart might stop from sheer excitement.

Valoria's President, Byer.

The Secretary of the Navy, Snoden.

The Secretary of Defense, Lavelle.

The Naval Commander…

…

Any one of them was a figure whose mere presence could stir significant turmoil in Valoria or even globally.

And now, they were all communicating with solemn expressions.

"The final vote on the Department of Defense's proposal is seventeen in favor, six against, three abstentions."

"Therefore, over the next year, we will allocate an additional 300 billion to the military budget for Divine Age."

"Let's proceed to the next item on the agenda."

Drip…

Following the President's statement, an image, or rather the appearance of a player from Divine Age, materialized.

Yet, this person seemed utterly nondescript, almost eerily so.

A Caucasian young man with no discernible regional or territorial features.

Strikingly, it was the appearance of Jason's game character!

"The next item on the agenda is, regarding the player [Smith]... how we shall proceed."