Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 66

Chapter 66: The Fall of Blade Syndicate

The players from Blade Syndicate reluctantly pulled themselves away from the women and rushed back toward the platform.

During the brief moment Marcus Skeiner was still in mid-air, Ethan followed up with three Shred attacks to his back.

The last Shred was a critical hit.

-989! A red critical damage number floated above Marcus.

By the time Marcus hit the ground, his health had dropped to a quarter, just over 1,000 points.

Clutching a potion in his hand, he was about to chug it down.

Ethan noticed the priests rushing up from below and the potion in Marcus’ hand. He calculated quickly: ‘If he drinks that potion and holds out until the priests reach him, killing him will be nearly impossible. High-defense shield warriors with elite gear are a nightmare to deal with.’

The decision took only a moment. Ethan shifted into bear form.

Slam! The bear form’s crowd-control skill stunned Marcus for three seconds, enough time to end this.

‘There’s no way he has a second crowd-control removal skill,’ Ethan thought.

Bam!

Just as he expected, Marcus was stunned on the spot. His hand, holding the potion, froze just a centimeter from his lips.

‘This is it… It’s over. Time to die,’ Ethan thought grimly. Shifting back into panther form, he used a Five-Star Savage Bite.

Ethan adjusted his angle carefully, aiming for the middle of Marcus’ throat.

Crunch!

-2698! (including 1458 overkill damage).

Completion: Perfect.

With a loud clang, Marcus’ shield fell from his hand, crashing to the ground.

Ethan snatched the shield up, activated stealth, and leapt off the platform.

His passive ability, Panther’s Grace, triggered, allowing him to land without taking any damage.

By the time Blade Syndicate’s players crowded onto the platform, Ethan had already disappeared. All that remained was Marcus’ lifeless body.

Marcus, now in his ghostly form, was furiously screaming in the guild chat.

Meanwhile, Ethan opened the guild chat for Renegade Alliance and sent a single message: “Attack!”

He had already contacted Skyblade and the others while descending from the platform, instructing them to gather their forces and close in.

Now, over 200 Renegade Alliance players had formed a circle around the area. With Marcus dead, the battle was as good as over.

The remaining 400 Blade Syndicate players were left to the guild. Ethan figured they could use this as a chance to vent their pent-up frustrations.

As the Blade Syndicate players reached the platform and stood frozen in shock, a deafening battle cry echoed from the distance.

Over 200 Renegade Alliance players charged in with unrelenting ferocity, like a blade piercing through the enemy formation, tearing their lines apart.

While the numbers, 400 versus 200, might have been close enough for a fair fight, the events leading up to this had already broken the Blade Syndicate’s morale.

First, their 7,000-strong force had been wiped out. Then, their leader Marcus was killed in a one-on-one duel.

With their leader gone and their spirits crushed, the Blade Syndicate players had no will to fight. Despite outnumbering their opponents two-to-one, their only thought was to run.

In a matter of thirty seconds, the battle turned into a one-sided slaughter. The 400 remaining Blade Syndicate players were wiped out.

Ethan climbed back onto the platform, beckoning Skyblade, Slashblade, SeraphWarrior, and Meatball to join him.

“Let’s take a group photo,” Ethan suggested.

“Hell yeah!” Skyblade said enthusiastically.

“Everyone, put on your guild emblems and turn off your character names. Line up for a group shot!” Ethan shouted to the players below.

A few minutes later, Ethan’s post went live.

The first video was a top-down view of the battlefield, showing Ethan’s tactical movements. The caption read: “Time: 05:25 – Blade Syndicate, 7,000+ players annihilated!”

The second clip was from Ethan’s perspective, featuring his duel with Marcus Skeiner. The caption read: “Time: 05:31 – Marcus Skeiner defeated!”

The final video showed 200 Renegade Alliance players massacring 400 Blade Syndicate members. The caption read: “Time: 05:33 – Blade Syndicate, 400+ players obliterated!”

The final image in Ethan’s post was the group photo. The five of them stood at the edge of the platform, their names glowing a sinister black-red, like congealed blood, as they flashed harmless-looking smiles.

Below them, over 200 Renegade Alliance players raised their weapons, roaring in unison. Their mouths clearly formed a single word: “Kill!”

After Ethan updated the official forums, players across the server learned the shocking truth: the toxic water that had flooded the entire basin and wiped out 7,000 Blade Syndicate players? That was all his doing. A single act of mass destruction. Terrifying.

Then there was his duel with Marcus Skeiner. His fluid, precise movements and masterful control had left everyone in awe.

Who would dare claim now that the title of Newbie King was just a fluke or the result of exploiting bugs and cheats?

Such flawless combos and lightning-fast reactions, how many could even come close to matching him? And yet, some were equally stunned that Marcus had managed to survive several rounds against Ethan’s relentless assault.

Adding fuel to the frenzy, the WCC live stream had captured the entire battle between Ethan and Marcus from start to finish, in high-definition panoramic glory.

While most players were still glued to their screens, replaying the videos in shock, Ethan stood silently at the edge of the high ground, staring at the now-still waters below.

Something’s not right… This isn’t how it happened in my previous life.

In his past life, the player who triggered the event with the two divine artifacts had been a Level 180 rogue. Back then, the toxic water had spread far beyond the basin, covering over ten kilometers. It was then that a terrifying dual-element dragon had descended, annihilating countless villages and towns.

That event had forced countless top-tier guilds to mobilize tens of thousands of players. After suffering massive losses, they’d finally managed to bring down the dragon.

But now? This time, it was eerily quiet. The toxic water had stopped rising.

And the water… Ethan squinted. Its color was clear, crystalline. The toxins were gone.

Ethan inspected the scene more closely, trying to figure out what was different.

Could it be…?

His thoughts were interrupted by Skyblade, who stood beside him, enthusiastically recounting his past exploits to the team, talking endlessly without pause.

Suddenly, Ethan lifted his leg and kicked him.

“What you don’t understand is, back then, I—whoa!” Skyblade’s story was cut short as he tumbled off the platform.

Splash!

The abrupt kick sent Skyblade spinning uncontrollably into the water below.

Everyone froze. Wasn’t this water supposed to be toxic? Falling in meant certain death!

Ethan casually called out, “Hey, how’s the water? Still poisonous?”

Skyblade surfaced, coughing and sputtering. The moment his head popped above the surface, he heard Ethan’s question.

“It’s… it’s not toxic!” he blurted out, stunned. Then, shouting furiously, he added, “Who the hell kicked me in?!”

Skyblade hadn’t even seen Ethan’s kick coming. Now, still flailing in the water, he yelled in frustration.

Ethan ignored him, scanning the horizon. The massive boss dragon he’d expected still hadn’t appeared.

Could it have gotten lost? Or maybe it didn’t spawn at all? Ethan wondered, his brow furrowed.

The players around him stared, dumbfounded. Was this really the same guild leader known for his cold precision and deadly efficiency? The silent killer who left no survivors?

“Split into teams and assign a warlock with the Aquatic Breathing skill to each group! Start looting the water for gear!” Ethan shouted, his eyes sparkling with excitement at the thought of all the equipment waiting below.

Hearing this, the Renegade Alliance players snapped out of their stupor. After a second’s hesitation, excitement spread like wildfire. Teams formed quickly, diving into the water.

Some warlocks, lacking the skill, rushed back to the city to purchase Aquatic Breathing spellbooks and learn the skill on the spot.

The guild’s players worked like a well-oiled machine. Red-named players were tasked with diving and retrieving the gear, while those without red names shuttled the recovered equipment back to the city.

Ethan assigned Slashblade and two other trustworthy players as temporary officers. Their job was to oversee the transportation of the looted gear to the guild vault. As for Ethan and the other red-named players, they couldn’t risk entering the city.

At first, Ethan worried that Blade Syndicate might retaliate. But after some time passed, he noticed that their players had completely disappeared, no sign of them anywhere.

Relaxing, he handed the high-tier shield Marcus had dropped to Skyblade. Now, free of immediate threats, Ethan decided it was time to find a good spot to grind mobs and clear his red name status.