A Fated Encounter, A Rival's Origins

The changes to Kieran's skills weren't so drastic that they resulted in an insane damage increase or an excessive cooldown reduction.

However, Kieran felt they were worth the SP expenditure.

Out of all the changes, though, Kieran was most pleased with the improvements to Savage Break.

It was a skill that surpassed 250% of the user's Attack Power!

This was a game-breaking number considering that most players possessed skills that dealt 120 to 150% of their Attack Power.

The advantage of a Unique Starter Package was genuinely insane.

'I'm eager to learn how these skills fare when used together. The synergy between these is pretty high, so I'll likely be satisfied with the outcome,' Kieran thought.

Although he wished to test out said skills right this second, he couldn't. His depleted Stamina wouldn't allow him to do so.

As a result, Kieran sat against a tree. However, to avoid boredom, Kieran opened Zenith Online's official forums to see if any meaningful posts appeared.

After scrolling through the forum for a few minutes, he saw a post that widened his eyes. 'Interesting. I'm almost certain that this post shouldn't exist.'

Kieran's attention fell on a post that gave insight into the effects of attributes on the likelihood of obtaining a particular class. It was too early for such information to be revealed.

A bit less than seven hours had passed inside Zenith Online, which meant just over 3 hours had passed on Earth.

Kieran grew curious about the creator of this post and brought up their profile. 'Nightingale? No connections to any known guilds... and I don't see any definitive signs of being linked to a shadowy syndicate.'

Though the post didn't go into extreme detail, indicating this Nightingale lacked some vital information, they displayed a frightening ability to gather information.

'If this individual is an information miner, they're amongst the best I've seen. But the fact I don't know them must mean they were targeted in the past. Could they have been silenced... or worse killed?'

An information miner was a player who only studied patterns of information to arrive at a well-thought conclusion. Those conclusions generally sold for an immense amount of money.

Regrettably, the ludicrous nature of the business also posed a great threat. The disappearance of famous information miners that jeopardized the earnings of high-level guilds was not uncommon.

'I guess my former disadvantage has made some of my knowledge obsolete,' Kieran thought.

Although he didn't start during the launch in the past, he backtracked mounds of information before diving into Zenith Online, so he was familiar with most old issues.

After scrubbing through the forum for more than 15 minutes, Kieran found Nightingale's post to be the only strange post he had no recollection of. 

'That's a relief. Too many anomalies could affect me more than I'd like."

By the time he finished perusing the official forums, Kieran's Stamina had refilled, so his body was replete with energy and ready to advance.

Due to the drop in the Dire Wolves' EXP and the fact players would soon flood this area after moving from the Lv.2-4 area, Kieran decided to move deeper inside the Fanged Forest.

Thus, he traveled through the Fanged Forest with his greatsword resting over his shoulder.

Less than 5 minutes after deciding to change locations, Kieran slowed down and looked in a certain direction.

He picked up subtle signs of battle in the distance. 

The metallic clangs of metal grinding against another hard surface echoed faintly throughout the surroundings. 'Someone managed to escape my senses although I've been alert this entire time? That's impossible….'

It didn't take long for Kieran to arrive at another assumption.

'What if they didn't slip my senses but arrived here far before I did? If they didn't take time to adjust to their current attribute, it's possible. But that's reckless behavior....'

The thought piqued Kieran's interest, so he was compelled to investigate the situation.

When he arrived, Kieran stumbled across a sight he didn't expect to see this early on.

Surrounded by twelve wolves with burgundy fur coats, a tall individual with a slender frame yet faintly muscular arms held two daggers in their grasp.

This individual continued to dodge these wolves' simultaneous advance, avoiding damage by a hair's breadth.

Although this individual hid their class and identity, their attire and the fact they wielded two daggers indicated they chose the Thief Class.

Meanwhile, as Kieran watched the Thief kite the twelve wolves with his superior AGI, a strange urge welled up inside him, making his fingertips tingle.

A few seconds later, a battle thirst leaked from Kieran's body.

'A face half covered by an ash-gray scarf that blends in with their dark gray hair and two piercing silver eyes that peer through the gaps—Altair, I've found you.' 

If there was one player Kieran could identify with movements alone, it was Altair. Over the course of his gaming career, they had crossed paths several times.

But their relationship was too complicated to describe as a friendship.

It was more fitting to describe it as an intense rivalry where they used every clash to refine their skills further.

Because their clashes usually ended in heated battles, Kieran barely knew anything about the fellow aside from the fact he remained a hard-to-reach solo player. 

Originally, Kieran had only met Altair once he became known as one of Zenith Online's Rising Suns and unlike Kieran, Altair had played the game since the beginning. 

As Kieran watched Altair battle against the wolves, competitiveness blazed in his eyes.

From a bystander's point of view, Altair's movements might seem like they wasted a lot of energy by moving frequently, but that wasn't the case.

Thieves were the undisputed fastest Basic Class in the game. 

If equipped with daggers or other small-bladed weapons, they were truly a force to be reckoned with while in constant action. 

It didn't take long for the floor to be littered with loot as Altair killed the last wolf and sheathed his daggers behind his back.

While confidently picking up his loot, Altair gazed directly at Kieran, who approached leisurely. 

"Yo," Kieran casually greeted.

Rather than respond outright, Altair squinted and instinctively put his hand on his dagger. "What business do you have with me? You didn't try to kill-steal me despite having revealed your presence, so what's your agenda?"

Kieran felt amused by this comment. "Kill-steal? Hah! I have no reason to use petty methods like that. If I want EXP, I'll go out and obtain it." 

Kill-stealing had become a prevalent tactic employed by deplorable players who chased the fleeting glory of being ahead of the pack.

However, players who obtained an advantage through underhanded means would always end up overshadowed by elite players in the end.

Altair fell silent after listening to Kieran's confident answer. His eyes narrowed as he noticed Kieran's armor and weapon.

They were not something an ordinary player could obtain.

"Nifty movements you've got there. You're pretty fast. What's your name?" Kieran asked as if he wasn't already aware.

"Altair, and you?" 

"Aatrox," Kieran answered.

"That armor and weapon—you obtained the Unique Player Package for a Warrior, didn't you?" Altair asked while subtly crossing his arms.

"Perhaps," Kieran dully responded. "I suppose you obtained the one for a Thief.

"Perhaps," Altair answered in an identical tone.

Both their eyes narrowed as the urge to battle brewed within them. Altair could tell from Kieran's gaze that they were kindred spirits who thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of battle.

"You seem unusually confident. What's up with the smug smile?" Altair sneered.

"It's my expression, no? I can wield it as I please," Kieran snickered in return.

Altair's hand gradually slipped towards his daggers while Kieran's grasp around his greatsword tightened.

The forest grew silent, but that changed in the next moment.

Whoosh!

Kieran and Altair were seemingly of one mind because they performed identical dashing patterns.

Clang!

Peng! Peng! Peng!

The two engaged in numerous exchanges, causing a smile to creep into Altair's gaze. "You're not bad for a bulky Warrior."

"Unfortunately for you, I can't say the same. All you have is speed, but your attacks are as light as a feather! Hahaha!"

Altair's gaze narrowed as he suddenly accelerated.

Kieran leaned back and shifted his weight as Altair's dagger narrowly swept past his nose and a few strands of hair.

However, Kieran used this momentum to turn his backflip into an upward kick.

Thud!

Just before the kick landed, Altair placed his hand beside his ribcage and caught it.

The two grew absorbed in combat, ignoring the two notifications that surfaced before them.

"You've become even faster, but that won't work on me. It doesn't matter if your character is faster than mine!" Kieran laughed uproariously, continuing to gauge the upper limits of Altair's skill and alter his actions accordingly.

Sparring against Altair excited Kieran far more than any fight against Dire Wolves could accomplish.

The skill, accuracy, timing, and precision level in each of their exchanges sated Kieran's thirst for a more thrilling battle.

"You're fast…." Altair commented and scanned over Kieran with a smug smile. "For a Warrior."

However, the thoughts in Altair's mind were entirely different.

'This guy is abnormal! My attacks reach his body faster, but it's like they're drawn to his counterattack at the last possible second! How is that possible? I can't win like this....'

Only after Altair exhausted the remainder of his Stamina did they stop. The surprising part, however, was that neither one of their Health Bars was depleted.

"That was… fun," Altair said. 

"Indeed it was," Kieran agreed.

Altair considered something for a moment before voicing it. "Are you interested in leveling together? I don't know how you did it... but I felt like I couldn't win against you."

"Unfortunately, I'll have to decline. I'm on a schedule, and my quest is restrictive. Maybe another time," Kieran said. "Also, that's naturally because you can't."

He then took a few steps past Altair but was stopped.

"Is that a challenge? How about you add me as a friend then?"

Kieran naturally agreed because Altair was one of the few people on his Friends List.

〈System: Lv.5 Thief, Altair has sent you a friend request. Do you wish to accept? [ Y | N ]〉

'Lv.5? What a leveling fanatic,' Kieran inwardly thought. He accepted the request, which led to Altair's surprise.

"Lv.3? You could have been higher if you didn't waste time watching me fight."

"That might be true," Kieran nodded. "But, I'll inevitably level up. How often do I get to have such a fun match?"

"You're weird," Altair blinked but didn't say anything else. He didn't understand why, but he liked Kieran's confidence. It was backed by undoubted skill.

The two parted ways shortly after, with Kieran heading deeper into the Fanged Forest.

Less than 10 minutes later, he came across a new type of wolf.

「Lv.7 Feral Wolf (Normal)

Beast Type

Health: 500/500 (100%) 」