"What the hell?"

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[ ???'s Interface ]

 

System Notification

Intrusion Report:

One entity has invaded your dungeon domain. G.P safety compromised.

 

Suggestion:

Secure G.P, put an end to the invasion.

Intercept and Slay the invaders

 

Estimated Reward:

- 27084 G.P

- Authorities: Authority Gathering

/ Ethereal Echo

_____________________________

 

Before me stood a notification announcing the invasion of my domain, a sight I had grown quite used to. However, there were a few issues. First, I was already mid-invasion, and while I was on the verge of ending it, I was still nonetheless in the midst of an ongoing invasion. Second, it was the same notification I was greeted with earlier, G.P and Authorities included. And third, the said notification was followed by an interface that left me even more perplexed.

 

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Name: Tusko Vagar

Level: 33

Race: HighBreed

Class: Paladin

Title: Holy Champion (Champion / Undead Slaughterer

Experience: 28947 / 185000

 

[Status]

- H.P: 820 / 820

- M.P: 850 / 950

- S.P: 2000 / 2000

- Fatigue: 17%

- Defense: 500

- Offense: 1100

 

[Skills]

- Acrobatics: Level 12

- Blade Mastery: Level 13

- Counter-Attack: Level 11

- Dueling Stance: Level 10

- Evasion: Level 12

- Shadowstep: Level 10

- Parry: Level 11

- Quickdraw: Level 11

- Swordplay: Level 13

- Holy Enhancement: Level 10

- Divine Shield: Level 8

- Tactical Awareness: Level 10

 

[Abilities]

- Blade Dance: Unlocked

- Divine Aura: Unlocked

- Precision Strikes: Unlocked

- Swift Reflexes: Unlocked

- Regeneration: Unlocked

- Holy Smite: Unlocked

- Sacred Oath: Unlocked

 

『Expand』

 

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"What the hell?" Before me was the status of what seemed to be a new invader. However, instead of appearing toward the corner of my domain that I determined to be the entrance, the owner of the status was there, at the spot where just a moment before stood the nearly defeated lone invader.

 

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[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]

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[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]

_____________________________

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[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 26, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]

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Dumbfounded, I found myself zooming away from the interface, attempting to comprehend how and where the lone invader, a Swashbuckler, on the brink of defeat just moments ago, was now replaced by a new adversary, a Paladin. Though I was initially very confused by this sudden transformation, clarity soon washed over me.

It dawned on me. It didn't in a way that was a mere realization unfolding slowly or abruptly but rather a revelation, akin to a divine insight granted by the power of otherworldly synergy.

I wasn't invaded by another individual, and that invader didn’t somehow teleport himself to replace the Swashbuckler, but instead, on the brink of total defeat, a shift occurred, turning the Swashbuckler invader from before into a Paladin. And that shift was the result of an authority. One that I was now abundantly sure was in the man's possession even though it didn't show up anywhere in his stats—that authority being Ethereal Echo.

_____________________________

 

[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]

_____________________________

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[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]

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[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 26, slain by HighBreed, Swashbuckler, Level 33]

_____________________________

 

"An authority that can do something like that, isn't this too unfair?" I pondered, comparing it to my own authority, which so far only brought strange rune and symbol visions, akin to a language installed and that yet I was still slowly deciphering. His authority seemed vastly different. Although I hadn't yet figured out its potential applications for me, the intense desire to make it mine was growing stronger.

Through the screen, a series of notifications appeared and disappeared.

 

_____________________________

 

[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]

_____________________________

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[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 25, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]

_____________________________

_____________________________

 

[Shadow Specter (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 26, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]

_____________________________

 

The invader, now transformed from a Swashbuckler into a Paladin, began cutting through my spawns with efficiency, unlike his Swashbuckler counterpart who had teetered on the edge of defeat just moments ago. The Paladin swiftly slaughtered my Shadow Specters, and thanks to the authority Otherworldly Synergy, I understood that his titles—Holy Champion and Divine Guardian—granted him anti-undead capabilities.

Realizing that the Paladin was about to escape the "corridor of death," I decided to preemptively send my final line of defense to assist the remaining Shadow Specters.

 

_____________________________

 

[ ???'s Interface ]

 

Spawn: Death Paladin Level 30

Health: 100%

Status: En guarde, Enhanced

_____________________________

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[ ???'s Interface ]

 

Spawn: Death Paladin Level 30

Health: 100%

Status: En guarde, Enhanced

_____________________________

_____________________________

 

[ ???'s Interface ]

 

Spawn: Death Paladin Level 30

Health: 100%

Status: En guarde, Enhanced

_____________________________

 

At this point, I didn't bother with a cool one-liner as I unleashed my spawn upon him—I just sent them, observing how things would evolve or devolve.

 

_____________________________

 

[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 30, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]

_____________________________

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Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 33
Race: HighBreed
Class: Paladin
Health: 63%

Status: In Combat

『Expand』

_____________________________

_____________________________

 

[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 30, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]

_____________________________

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[Death Paladin (Guarding Spawn, Enhanced), Level 30, slain by HighBreed, Paladin, Level 33]

_____________________________

 

The countless notifications indicating the death of my spawns popped up one after the other, and I couldn't help but wonder what it looked like—the battlefield, the struggle. Not that I was complaining about not seeing it, but this struggle, this battle, what’s happening right now, was bound to be quite the sight to behold. That being said, if there was one thing I wanted most right now, it would be to witness the demise of this invader, for he was the first to survive this deep into my domain—a domain that I designed not to allow any invader to make it this far.

_____________________________

 

Name: Tusko Vagar
Level: 33
Race: HighBreed
Class: Paladin
Health: 32%

Status: In Combat

『Expand』

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As the invader relentlessly hacked through my spawns, I started fearing that he might turn around and run away. While I could have my spawns seep through the walls to block his path, they would be no match for this relentless beast. Fortunately, even as the invader's health plummeted, he showed no sign of considering a retreat. He remained engaged, continuously battling against my spawns. The longer I witnessed this spectacle, the more my initial sense of “good fortune” started to wane. Though his health was dropping rapidly, I had a nagging feeling that things were about to take an unexpected turn.

Sure enough, as the invader's health reached a critical 20%, it happened again.

 

_____________________________

 

[ ???'s Interface ]

 

System Notification

Intrusion Report:

One entity has invaded your dungeon domain. G.P safety compromised.

 

Suggestion:

Secure G.P, put an end to the invasion.

Intercept and Slay the invaders

 

Estimated Reward:

- 27085 G.P

- Authorities: Authority Gathering

/ Ethereal Echo

_____________________________

 

Tsk. Again.