It wasn’t just Misty Snow.
Interest in Liam from other top-tier clubs had plummeted as well. After all, the early game of Twilight of the Gods was critical. Liam had been stuck at Level 10 for so long that they couldn't help but wonder if his value had already peaked.
Only Bulwark Pagoda remained steadfast.
He continued to follow Liam’s progress closely, even sending several messages of concern during the interval. Unfortunately, none of them received a reply.
Online, the narrative was shifting.
A prominent blogger had posted a thread claiming that Liam had finally faded into obscurity.
"I'm sure you all remember the Frost Monarch. Between the back-to-back Server-Wide Broadcasts and the nine-figure contract offers from major clubs, his popularity was through the roof."
"But a full day has passed. While other players are making massive strides, the Frost Monarch remains stagnant at Level 10. My theory? He was nothing more than a flash in the pan. Once players enter Capital City and face bosses equipped with Unstoppable and Berserk, his infinite Suspension technique becomes completely useless."
"As for those claiming he’s been busy with real-life matters, that's pure nonsense. Who would ignore a hundred-million-dollar salary to go mess around offline?"
...
Once this analysis hit the forums, a wave of agreement followed.
To professional players, the blogger’s logic was full of holes. However, the average player lacked a deep understanding of game mechanics, making the post seem perfectly reasonable. Most pros weren't willing to step into the line of fire for someone they didn't even know.
But Bulwark Pagoda was the exception.
He couldn't stand idly by after reading the post. He immediately fired back with a new thread.
"First off, to the blogger calling himself The Game Maven: try using your brain before opening your mouth."
"Even if his Suspension technique couldn't handle bosses, do you honestly think he can't clear ordinary mobs?"
"Furthermore, did you even watch The Riverside Don’s stream recording? Look at the damage numbers the Frost Monarch was putting out. You really think a guy like that would get stuck at Level 10 because he can't level up?"
Bulwark Pagoda's intervention caused an immediate stir.
He was, after all, The Young Scion of the Pagoda Guild. He had already made a name for himself in Capital City thanks to his Elite Treant Set.
His post had only been live for fifteen minutes when The Game Maven issued a rebuttal.
"I didn't expect a professional player to be such a Frost Monarch fanboy. I’m not denying that his Suspension technique is impressive, but so what?"
"His damage values in the Novice Village were absurd. It is statistically impossible to reach those numbers solely through Free Attributes or gear at that stage."
"Therefore, my deduction is that he likely possessed a rare, damage-boosting consumable or temporary item. These aren't unheard of in the early game."
"But special items have time limits. I suspect the Frost Monarch’s time ran out, his damage returned to normal, and now he’s just another face in the crowd."
...
The debate between The Game Maven and Bulwark Pagoda intensified, fueled by their respective fanbases. The back-and-forth caused a massive sensation online, even breaking into the top ten trending topics.
Meanwhile, the man at the center of the storm was oblivious.
Liam was occupied with the repetitive, rhythmic grind of The Twisted Thicket.
Clear one, clear two, clear three...
He felt a brief flash of gratitude for one of the Novice Village’s greatest perks: Infinite Inventory. Without it, his bags would have overflowed hours ago.
Liam hadn't even kept track of how many times he had cleared the Hell Difficulty of the dungeon. He simply kept moving, kept killing.
Finally...
"Ding! Your Hand of Heavenly Punishment has been promoted to 3 Star-Rank."
Hand of Heavenly Punishment (Transcendent Grade): 3 Star-Rank
Effect 1: Every Basic Attack deals True Damage equal to 3% of your Max HP.
Effect 2: Every Basic Attack permanently increases your Max HP by 3.
Mastery: 0/100,000,000
A satisfied smile spread across Liam's face.
The skill had finally leveled up. Simultaneously, his total HP had shattered the 220,000 mark!
Based on the skill’s new scaling, a single Basic Attack now dealt 6,600 points of True Damage. Every swing of his weapon was also making him permanently tankier.
Even with the upgrade complete, Liam didn't stop.
He finished the current run, collecting yet another massive pile of rewards. He checked his inventory; he had amassed over 1,100 pieces of equipment. Miller the Smith's requirements were finally met.
Liam made his way back to the Novice Village and found the blacksmith.
"Miller, I've brought what you asked for."
Miller looked up, a hint of surprise crossing his weathered face. He clearly hadn't expected Liam to return so soon.
Liam produced the pile of equipment and the Frost-Flame Ore.
At the sight of the materials, Miller reached into his apron and pulled out the Bloodstained Necklace.
The trade was made.
Liam’s grin widened. With this Bloodstained Necklace paired with the crowd-control immunity from his Purifying Jade Amulet, his survivability had just skyrocketed.
CC immunity, Life-Steal, and his current stat block—he felt that even if he had to trade blows with the Elder Mayor now, he would have a fighting chance.
"Frost Monarch, you have what you came for," Miller said, his eyes narrowing. "Isn't it time you left?"
Liam arched an eyebrow. "To be honest, I’ve offended quite a few guilds in Capital City. If I head there now, I’ll probably be hunted the moment I step outside the gates."
Miller’s face darkened at the response.
Beside him, Old Grog snapped, "Don't push your luck. The affairs of this Novice Village aren't something you should be meddling in."
Liam chuckled. "I'm a man driven by profit. If the price is right, I’ll even take down the Elder Mayor for you."
Miller stared at him, weighing his options. He acknowledged Liam’s strength, but the boy’s recent unpredictability made him difficult to trust. Moreover, Miller had a nagging feeling that Liam was the ultimate wild card in his plans.
He wanted Liam out of the village to ensure everything went smoothly. But if Liam truly committed to helping him, the potential gains would be enormous.
"Fine," Miller said with a curt nod. "If you truly want to help, then go and destroy the Altar of Rebirth right now."
Liam’s expression shifted.
Destroying the altar now would cut off his own escape route. Without an active Altar of Rebirth in the Novice Village, a single death would force him to respawn in Capital City.
The risk was too high. Even though his Verdant Rebirth was now 3 Star-Rank, Invincible Aegis was still on cooldown. This wasn't a gamble he was willing to take yet.
"The altar stays for now, Miller. Destroying it would be cutting off my own retreat. How about this: once the Elder Mayor is dead, I'll tear the thing down myself. Deal?"
Miller let out a cold, mocking laugh. His suspicion of Liam deepened.
"You’re making it very hard to trust you."
"Tell you what... go to The Desolate Precipice and engage the Elder Mayor. With the Altar of Rebirth still standing, you can just respawn if you die."
"As for making up the lost levels, I'm sure that's child's play for someone like you."
Liam narrowed his eyes.
Miller was forcing him to pick a side.
"Ding! Miller the Smith has issued a quest."
"Quest Requirement: Head to The Desolate Precipice and engage the Elder Mayor in combat."
"Quest Penalty: Unknown."
"Quest Reward: Unknown."
If he accepted the quest to attack the Elder Mayor, it meant a complete and total break in their relationship.
From Miller the Smith's perspective, Liam would have no choice but to throw in his lot with him.
Miller wore a mocking smirk. In his eyes, there was no way Liam would actually accept such a task.
But Liam’s next words left him slack-jawed.
"Fine. I accept."
Miller blinked, momentarily stunned. "Oh? Well then, I certainly hope you succeed in killing that old man. If you manage to take down the Elder Mayor on your own, I’ll reward you with an Archer's Growth Weapon."
Liam’s eyes lit up.
Growth Weapons were the most broken items in the game. Unlike standard gear, they had no upper limit. They were the only items capable of evolving beyond Divine Artifacts to become legendary Transcendent Artifacts.
"Deal. I’m going now."
Liam was also curious to see just what the Novice Village’s Elder Mayor was made of. It was common knowledge among players that the Mayor was the ultimate boss of the starting zone; this was the perfect chance to find out if the rumors were true.
The Desolate Precipice.
By the time Liam arrived, a small pavilion had been erected. The Elder Mayor sat inside, calmly sipping tea.
Seeing Liam approach, the old man produced a second cup and poured a fresh serving.
"Come, have a drink."
Whiz!!
An arrow was the only response.
The shaft struck the teacup in the Mayor's hand with pinpoint accuracy, shattering it.
The Elder Mayor sighed. "You've disappointed me. I never imagined you would end up siding with Miller."
Liam’s expression remained cold.
"Enough talk. Let's get on with it."
As soon as the words left his lips, Liam made the first move.
An arrow tore through the air, screaming toward the space between the Mayor’s eyebrows.
The Elder Mayor merely smiled. He didn’t even move.
The arrow suddenly halted in mid-air right in front of him, instantly encased in ice before shattering into a cloud of frost.
Liam’s face paled, but he didn't stop his assault.
Spiral-Draw Archery!
The high-speed, rotating arrow finally managed to bypass the Mayor’s freezing aura.
Yet, despite its immense piercing power, the Mayor casually batted the arrow aside with his fingers. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent the arrow hurtling back toward Liam at a terrifying speed.
In the blink of an eye, the projectile was in his face.
Liam executed a Tactical Scramble, narrowly dodging the return fire.
The old man's techniques were terrifying. A cold light flashed in Liam's eyes.
"A Brawler?"
The Mayor’s current combat style matched a very specific, specialized class.
"Figured it out, have you?" The Mayor grinned.
In the next heartbeat, he vanished from his spot.
Liam reflexively dove to the side, but the Mayor was too fast. The dodge failed. The old man grabbed Liam’s arm and slammed him into the ground with a brutal over-the-shoulder throw.
CRACK!
Liam hit the earth so hard the ground spider-webbed beneath him.
-5,128!!
A massive damage number popped up.
Liam’s skin crawled. He tried to scramble away, but the Mayor had already seized his legs, hoisting him upside down.
BAM!
The moment Liam was inverted, the Mayor drove a knee violently into his spine.
Crack-crack!
-10,256!!
Liam felt like his entire skeleton was about to disintegrate. If this hadn't been a game where everything was translated into data, he would have been paralyzed from the waist down.
But the Elder Mayor wasn't finished. He was about to demonstrate exactly what it meant to be ruthless.
The Mayor formed his hand into a blade and chopped downward, aiming straight for Liam’s crotch while he hung suspended.
Liam instinctively clamped his legs shut, using the force of the hand-chop to flip himself upward. He vaulted over the Mayor's head and landed firmly on his shoulders.
Drawing on a lifetime of combat experience, Liam gripped his bow in a reverse hold. He looped the bowstring around the Mayor’s throat and leaned back with all his might, yanking the cord taut.
The Mayor’s face turned a deep crimson as he gasped for air.
His reaction speed was still uncanny, however. He reached back with a Monty's Nutcracker, his hand clawing toward Liam’s groin.
Liam’s expression soured. This bastard was a goddamned animal. He seriously wondered if someone had used these same dirty tactics on the Mayor in the past, given how eager he was to use them now.
Tactics aside, it worked. Liam was forced to leap away to avoid the low blow.
The Mayor surged to his feet and charged.
Spiral-Draw Archery!
Liam fired a point-blank shot at the limit of his capabilities.
-6,612!
Holy shit! Liam thought.
The damage was almost entirely True Damage. It was absurd. His point-blank Spiral-String Shot hadn't even managed to break the man's natural defense.
The Elder Mayor looked slightly surprised, apparently not expecting Liam to be able to hurt him that much.
Even so, he didn't slow down. He tanked the arrow and drove an uppercase into Liam’s jaw, launching him into the air.
Then he leaped up to follow through with a Combo Strike.
Wait...
This Combo Strike looked almost identical to the one used by Old Grog.
Was Old Grog one of the Mayor's subordinates? It was highly likely. The Mayor had already planted a mole next to Miller; it made sense he’d have others elsewhere.
But Liam didn't have the luxury of overthinking. Before he could even hit the ground, the Mayor grabbed his head and slammed it into his rising knee.
Is this really how a Brawler fights?
The Mayor's combat techniques defied everything Liam knew. He was being handled like a ragdoll, caught in an infinite loop of crowd control and aerial juggles.
THUD!
Slammed into the dirt once more, Liam’s health bar plummeted. His 220,000 HP was now sitting at less than a third.
The Mayor didn't give him a second to breathe. He raised a hand.
Liam was frozen solid.
Then, the Mayor delivered a devastating blow to the ice-covered archer.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed as a gargantuan damage number rose above Liam’s head.
-59,280!!
With nearly 60,000 damage in a single hit, Liam was instantly vaporized.
He didn't even get the chance to use Verdant Rebirth. Because his health was still above 10% when the final blow landed, the overkill damage was so high it bypassed the trigger threshold entirely.
Novice Village.
Liam materialized at the Altar of Rebirth.
His level had dropped from 10 back down to 9.
The few players still keeping an eye on him were stunned.
Bulwark Pagoda, in particular, was reeling. He had been arguing fiercely with The Game Maven on the forums, staking his reputation on Liam’s eventual comeback.
But instead of news of Liam’s rise, the update showed him losing a level.
If anyone was thrilled by this development, it was The Game Maven.
His previous spat with Pagoda had ended in a stalemate, with both sides making valid points. But now, the tide had turned.
Liam had lost a level. That was a narrative he could work with.
Within ten minutes, Maven had posted a new thread.
"Hey @Bulwark Pagoda, got anything to say now? Your precious 'Frost Monarch' just lost a level. He hasn't leveled up in forever, and now he's actually going backward. This just proves what I said all along.
Liam just got lucky and found some special items in the Novice Village. Even his 'Infinite Suspension' wasn't skill—it was just some item-based gimmick. This level drop is proof: the 'Frost Monarch' is just another average player. In fact, he’s worse than the rest of us!"