Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player
chapter-9

Despite the lack of difficulty reaching it, Lv.5 was a recognized milestone. That's because a player would gain access to their class's respective Skill Tree. Using the Skill Tree allowed players to acquire skills befitting their class. Of course, these skills cost SP to purchase and after purchasing the skill, it would be Lv.1. Just like the skills in Kieran's possession, they still required leveling to muster greater power.

However, because this was the Skill Tree of a basic class, the options present in the Skill Tree were lackluster, barely scratching the surface of Kieran's interest. 'As I expected, it's not worth it unless I claim an Intermediate Class.'

In Zenith Online, the class following a fundamental promotion was either referred to as a Tier 1 Class or an Intermediate Class. Depending on the area in the game, certain characters held a preference toward one or the other. Nevertheless, it was practical for the Skill Tree to exist because there would be times in the future when it was impossible to meet with a Class Mentor.

Skill Books existed, but they usually rewarded general skills or skills with unique activation acquirements. Moreover, some Skill Books were tailored to specific class skills that weren't in their Skill Tree. This was one of the ways to separate an average player from an exceptional one. The breadth of one's arsenal was an excellent determining factor alongside other important factors.

As a result, Kieran closed the Skill Tree without accepting any new skills. Compared to how much he received per level, the SP cost wasn't worth it.

In the meantime, Kieran walked forward unhurriedly while tracking the noises coming from the other side. His heightened perception allowed Kieran to pinpoint the distance between the opposing party and himself. After judging how far they were, he silently hid next to a tree, observing the party.

'Oh? What a rudimentary party composition. It seems their fundamentals in terms of RPG knowledge are solid, but I guess their imagination isn't the best either,' Kieran inwardly noted.

The incoming individuals were a party of four, including a Knight, Thief, Mage & Priest. Each member's class highlighted their role without Kieran having to observe their gameplay. What's more, the Knight prioritized a shield over a decent weapon. As a result, they usually wielded a short sword with comparably weaker attack power and shorter reach.

Hence, the Knight was the main tank and sub-DPSer, meaning he endured all damage up close while creating space for his party members to attack properly. The Mage and Thief would typically handle monsters by mixing their playstyles to kite their foe. Lastly, at this level, a Priest would maintain the party with simple healing chants.

The party of four soon arrived at the area Kieran once battled the Feral Wolves and came to a complete halt. The Thief analyzed the area, scrutinizing it for signs of battle. Eventually, he noticed some deep indents in the floor, followed by patches of grass missing.

"Someone recently fought here. Judging by the uniform indents, I would say only one person has been through here lately," the Thief said.

"Hmm, so it is true then. Good work, Cyr. Keep your eyes peeled for any unusual movements in our surroundings," the Knight said, ostensibly appearing as the group leader. His expression seemed composed as he suddenly lifted his shield and slammed it against the ground.

A tremor filtered out through the surrounding, making some of the trees rustle. Leaves fell to the ground as a result, but when his action failed to yield any results, the Knight frowned.

"Is there something wrong, Bastion?" Cyr asked from the side, detecting something unusual with the Knight known as Bastion.

"I thought that would've flushed out anyone nearby. After all, I used all of my stored Strength in that Shield Tremor," Bastion said.

However, Kieran's eyebrows rose narrowly when he noticed the reason for Bastion's seemingly harmless action. Furthermore, Kieran was even more shocked that the Shield Tremor produced such an effect. 'No way. Did this guy only funnel his attribute points in Strength, Endurance, and Vitality? If that's the case…'

A thoughtful expression appeared across his face as he looked at the party. Based on their stat allocation, this wasn't a random party. They should have gone through countless battles together, which would explain why Bastion felt confident enough not to exclusively raise his Agility.

Suddenly, Kieran openly appeared, walking into the center of the forest. His unannounced appearance took the party by surprise. They even raised their weapons instinctively. However, Kieran raised both hands and shook his head subtly.

"I don't advise you to make that mistake. I'm not a hostile party."

However, who would believe a claim coming from some unknown party? Thus, the party of four prepared for battle.

Kieran sighed heavily when he witnessed this scene. "Seriously, I'm being honest here. It's not worth the loss of experience."

"What makes you think that you'll be the one to defeat us?" Bastion countered. His focused expression displayed hints of incredulity when he realized the meaning behind Kieran's word. Did he expect to emerge victorious in a four vs. one?

"Oh…" Kieran murmured. "I'll undoubtedly be the one to win. This remains true even if you happen to be very skilled."

"Why is that?" Cyr interjected with a darkening expression. His eyes narrowed and locked on Kieran while tightening his grasp on the two slender daggers in his hands.

"Because you're fragile," Kieran said, aiming the answer at Cyr. "Besides, I'll just run away if I feel I'm losing." The last part, Kieran said to himself. With his knowledge of the Terrain, only one person in the battle could possibly catch him. Even if that were true, Kieran remained confident in his ability to one vs. one. Nevertheless, he continued to offer his opinion regarding the matter.

"You're about as slow as a turtle," Kieran added, pointing at Bastion.

"She's nervous and shaking despite there being one of me." This time, Kieran pointed towards the priest, whose eyes darted back and forth between Kieran and her party. She could already tell that Kieran's gear was better than Bastion's. What's more, he didn't appear to be a defensive-type warrior.

"Finally, that mage is glass cannon. I can breathe on her, and she'll inevitably crumble. But, hey, no hard feelings," Kieran said with a faint chuckle.

"What the fuck?!" Bastion yelled with widened eyes. He felt that Kieran was taking them as a joke with how he taunted them. However, as he cooled down and reevaluated the situation, Bastion realized that Kieran accurately pinpointed the weakness in their individual style despite revealing nothing about themselves.

Bastion felt either his eyesight was too good, or he possessed some cheat that allowed him to peer into the information of others.

Nevertheless, Kieran slowly withdrew his greatsword and rested the tip upon the ground while staring at Bastion and his party. An air of intimidation surfaced from his body that made Bastion reconsider engaging in this fight.

Ultimately, Bastion shook his head and lowered his weapon. "Not worth it."

"That's what I said," Kieran commented with a slight nod. Again, Bastion and the others were stunned by Kieran's disregard towards being confronted by four people.

"Sera, Alice, come. We need to rush to Lv.5 as soon as possible. This is just wasting our time," Bastion ordered.

"Y-yes! Coming!" Sera, the party's priest, exclaimed.

Conversely, Alice stared at Kieran for a moment longer before finally nodding. "Fine." It was unknown what she was thinking, but Kieran felt an odd undulation for a moment.

'Is that girl controlling Mana outside of skills already? Nah… that's impossible; it'd require too much control for all of that.' However, Kieran's opinion would instantly change if he watched them battle against the appropriate monsters.

Meanwhile, Cyr approached Bastion and whispered in a voice that only he could hear. "Why didn't we just battle him and call it a day?"

"Because... anyone who can stay that calm is bound to have some ability. Besides, did you not see that sword and armor? They seem to be above both beginner and common-grade equipment. I can only imagine what his stats are like, not to mention his level," Bastion answered with a deep look in his eyes.

His years of experience in MMORPGs cultivated an abundance of knowledge regarding types of players. That individual before them could've made the first move and possibly emerged victorious if he could take on many monsters alone. Even though a player possessed different mechanics from these monsters early in the game, Bastion didn't doubt Kieran's attributes.

"We should have at least gotten his name," Cyr responded.

"No need. I'm sure we'll meet again. Don't you remember? The dungeons still need to be tackled," Bastion said with a shrug. Afterward, the team walked into an area where many Feral Wolves spawned.

…

While that party dealt with the Feral Wolves, Kieran spent almost 3 hours returning to Gena Village, specifically the Warrior Hall. Unlike his first visit, Scar showed some emotion when Kieran reappeared.

"Aatrox, was it? I suppose the little warrior has some heart after all. I see that you've completed the task based on the growing aura within you," Scar said.

Afterward, a stream of notifications appeared in Kieran's irises.

〈System: Congratulations, you have cleared the quest «A Warrior's Task»!〉

〈System: Favorability with Scar has risen by 30 points! [Status: Tolerable]〉

〈System: You have received 500 Experience.〉

〈System: You have leveled up! [Lv.5 → Lv.6]〉

〈System: You have received 5 Unassigned Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points.〉

'Tolerable? I suppose that was quick,' Kieran inwardly mused.

The higher the favorability with an NPC in Zenith Online, the higher the chances of receiving increased rewards as well as some of the quests with low activation rates. However, Tolerable was only the first level, which was far from enough to trigger any hidden questlines present in Gena Village.

Though it wasn't enough for hidden quests, it was sufficient to receive more basic quests.

"I feel I made that far too easy for you. With that being said, let's up the ante. Surely, you can tolerate it, right?"

Ding!

The alert for a new questline appeared before Kieran's iris, making his eyes shimmer.