hotmtlnovel Chapter 130 - 130: Marked for Death
Chapter 130 - 130: Marked for Death
Ding!
[Global Announcement: Player 'NotADruid' from the Northern Frontier Region (Dragonspire) has obtained Ability Scroll: Teleportation (Divine) at coordinates 54945.126574.36164.
Holding Time: 0 hours, 10 minutes.
If the scroll remains in possession for 12 hours, it will become usable.
Until then, the holder's coordinates will be broadcast every 10 minutes.
Players, seize your chance to claim it!
If the scroll changes hands, the timer resets.
For the next 12 hours, Ethereal's servers will remain online without shutdown.]
The world barely had time to process the Level 6 guild announcement and the Town Conquest wars, and now, this.
A Divine Ability Scroll had appeared, throwing the entire player base into chaos. For a brief moment, no one knew how to react.
But Ethan had zero time to care about any of that. Because right behind him, a massive head emerged from the canyon's fractured earth. Then, a hulking torso followed, its enormous frame clawing its way free.
When the creature fully revealed itself, Ethan saw its name floating above its head:
[Ancient Riftwalker]
Ethan immediately activated Basic Appraisal.
[Ancient Riftwalker]
Rank: Elite
Level: 69
HP: ???
Attack: ???
Defense: ???
That was all he could see, but it was enough.
A Level 69 Elite? For Ethan, this thing was a world boss. Even if he shifted into Stag Form or Bear Form, he'd be one-shot instantly. There was no fighting this. The only option? Run. But the entrance was blocked.
Where the hell was he supposed to go?
"Roar! Foolish human, I've finally found you!"
Ethan froze.
'It… can talk?'
And what did it mean by finally found me? His eyes narrowed as he examined the Riftwalker more closely. Then, he spotted it.
Perched atop the creature's head was a shadowy figure, cloaked in deep violet and black mist. Something about it felt… eerily familiar.
"Caw, caw, caw…"
Before Ethan could react, the shadow burst into mist and seeped into the Riftwalker's body—through its nostrils, mouth, and ears. The twenty-meter-tall Riftwalker let out an earth-shaking howl.
Then, its body began to mutate.
Wings.
From its back, a pair of massive, pitch-black wings unfurled, like those of a raven.
Ethan's stomach dropped. Without thinking, he activated Appraisal again.
[Evolved Ancient Riftwalker (Crowling God Anzu)]
Rank: Commander
Level: 99
Other stats: ???
Commander Rank.
Level 99.
This thing wasn't just overpowered, it was a death sentence.
"Crowling God?" Ethan's mind raced.
That shadowy figure must've been the real cause of the Riftwalker's evolution. But why? It was already impossible to fight in its previous state, what was the point of making it even stronger?
The newly evolved Riftwalker didn't attack right away. Instead, it grinned mockingly and spoke in a deep, guttural voice.
"Foolish human. I told you—I remember your scent. Caw, caw, caw…"
Ethan stiffened.
Wait… That voice. That phrase. Suddenly, it all clicked.
Back when he was Level 5, he had done the Owl Form transformation quest. One of the quest bosses had been a Crowling creature, and after slaying it, he had looted an insanely powerful Warlock staff.
At the time, the system had given him a special warning, because he had killed a clone of a Pseudo-Divine entity, it would remember him.
And—
It would periodically descend into the world… to hunt him down. So much time had passed without incident that Ethan had completely forgotten about the system warning. But now, staring at the monstrous figure before him, he remembered.
That Pseudo-Divine entity? Its name was Crowling God Anzu. And the Ancient Riftwalker was merely a vessel for its descent.
Ethan frowned. The creature wasn't rushing to kill him, it was playing with him. A twisted game of cat and mouse.
Taking the opportunity, he scanned his surroundings, desperately
To the south: A Level 50-55 zone, with a barrier leading toward the Central Dominion.
Most crucially, Duskridge housed the largest teleportation array outside of the main cities, capable of transporting thousands of players at once. Owning this town meant absolute control over future guild wars and even regional war campaigns.
With that in mind, Ethan picked up his pace, heading toward Duskridge. But just as he started moving—
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion erupted behind him. His heart skipped a beat. Spinning around, his eyes widened.
Above the valley, a massive cloud of dark fire churned violently, blocking out the sky. A monstrous figure loomed within, its silhouette crackling with raw destruction, like a harbinger of death, risen straight from the abyss.