NOVPUB
Chapter 80: Ghost
Damon did not hesitate. His body acted on instinct as he activated Blink and tried to get into the dungeon, but before he could move, dark chains appeared out of the shadows on the ground and bound him from all sides.
Damon’s eyes widened further. The first shock was that the person attacking him had somehow managed to hide even from his heightened senses. The second shock was that this person was able to match his speed and agility and used the skills of the game very naturally, as if he was born with it.
Earth Online was a very combat-intensive game, and it involved moving one’s actual body and fighting as if one fought in real life. Normal players and common people would not be able to achieve this level of combat technique in a mere three day time.
No, he was dealing with someone else entirely.
Damon’s mind spun. The rogue-like attack techniques and the shadow skill mastery, these two things immediately reminded him of someone.
Ghost!
The number one rogue player in the game.
In his previous life, this single player was the terror of many top guilds and even super 10. He was a living nightmare whose name was whispered in every war meeting, every strategy forum, and every blacklist across Earth Online.
He didn’t lead a guild. He didn’t need to. Ghost was a one-man faction. He never announced his presence, never posted on forums, never streamed, and yet his presence was felt everywhere.
Guild leaders offered bounties just for sightings. Rumors said he once assassinated a high-ranking NPC, derailing an entire faction questline. Others claimed he’d solo-cleared a 50-man raid boss. His achievements were all unbelievable. He alone held the undefeated record in the PVP hall.
At the same time, there was also another thing the rogue was notoriously famous for. The man liked to visit brothels. The only place anyone ever saw him was in the famous red light district of Janai city, which was renowned for its mixed-race brothels.
At first, these were just disregarded as mere rumors, but eventually, more and more reports popped up, and everyone was very confused by the man’s enigmatic, ruthless combat style and his notoriety for spending several hours in pleasure houses.
However, in the end, when it came to combat, the guy was an absolute monster. There was no doubt about it.
What puzzled Damon the most about this legend was his sudden disappearance from the game after 2 years. He was standing at the peak, completely dominating many leaderboards, raking in several achievements, but all of a sudden, one day, he disappeared from the whole scene.
After that, no one had heard from him or seen him. There was no news about him at all. His name eventually disappeared from the leaderboard, and he was not to be seen anywhere, even in the internet news and discussions. It was as if the guy never existed.
Damon had always wondered what had happened to him, and now someone like that could possibly be standing right in front of him, purposefully attacking him and starting a fight with him.
Even though he was very curious about this man’s abilities and how he was able to match him in combat, he also felt very excited at the moment.
After all, he was facing Ghost! One of the top fighters in the game!
Damon wanted to see just how far he could push himself when his opponent was this madman. The chains tightened around Damon’s limbs like constricting vipers, holding him down and pulling him back, but it lasted only for a moment.
Damon immediately activated Shadowmeld and disappeared into the shadows, the chains no longer able to hold him back. However, this time he did not exactly rush into the dungeon. This was a rare opportunity to come face to face with such an expert. He did not want to miss it.
Ghost’s voice floated through the trees, low and unhurried. "Smart. Most players panic when they’re caught like that. They wouldn’t be able to use the shadow skills so smoothly either."
Damon stepped out of the shadows, blood lance in one hand, fingers crackling faintly with dark energy. "And you’re not like most players."
A short silence. Then Ghost dropped down from a nearby tree, landing with the silence of a falling feather. He stood tall now, though not bulky, lean, dangerous, and coiled like a predator. His face remained half-covered by the signature black mask, but Damon could see the corner of his mouth curl up slightly beneath it.
"No introductions needed, I see."
"Of course, not. Who doesn’t know the one and only Ghost?"
A flicker of surprise flashed past the man’s eyes. "How do you know my name?"
Damon smiled. "I do know your name and I know you have been following me all the way from Niera city. May I know what is the reason for this special attention?"
Even as he spoke, Damon disappeared and appeared right behind Ghost, his lance already digging into the man’s body. But the next second, the Ghost’s body disappeared into a puff of smoke and he reappeared in another spot.
"Do I need another reason? It is fun to play our little game of running and catching." Ghost laughed loudly. The next second, numerous shadow tendrils sprang out of the ground and Ghost was awol.
Damon tightened his grip on the lance. He had a feeling that this was not going to be easy. Before he could finish the thought, all of a sudden shadow tendrils started randomly lashing out at him from every direction like the limbs of a furious beast.
Damon moved instinctively, ducking, flipping, blinking, using Shadowstep to dodge. Still, one tendril caught the edge of his shoulder, and even that glancing hit drained a chunk of his health.
"So, it’s like that now?" Damon muttered, his body twisting midair as another tendril nearly pierced his thigh. From within the dancing forest of shadows, Ghost’s voice echoed again, "Just saying hello to my new best friend."
Damon smiled. "Let me return the greeting then." The next second he unleashed a loud ass Howl of Terror with every ounce of power he had.
