Chapter 5: SlicerDM Meets Zaphro
Zaphro's POV
Classes had been suspended for three straight days due to a severe weather disturbance, and it was too dangerous to go outside. That meant one thing: the servers of Eternal Online: Philippines were packed today.
As usual, I was grinding solo on some maps. Right now, I was near a village known as Engkantadong Lawa, a place I stumbled upon while hunting for high-level mobs. Many of the areas in EOPH were named in Filipino, part of the game's local customization. Even the NPCs had a language setting that let you switch their dialogue to Tagalog, if you wanted. Some mobs even had Tagalog names.
It had been a week since Aryus and I faced that field boss. I was only level 43 at the time, but we crossed paths again recently along with the rest of our friends. We decided to form a party and go questing together to farm rare items and game gold.
My current subclass was Demonaire, a damage-heavy role.
(Description: A type of Angel that possesses an unknown force and magic. Said to wield both good and evil powers. These angels are commonly called "The Fallen Ones." Feared by all due to their destructive potential.)
That class choice turned out to be a solid one. I could feel the power gap between me and the others when it came to attack, defense, and agility. Thankfully, I was no stranger to online games, so optimizing my character's stats came naturally. I've been putting most of my points into Intelligence and Dexterity. I'm now at level 59—just a bit more XP and I'll hit 60. My goal: to unlock the next subclass—Judicator.
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Zaphro – Lvl 59 (Unknown)
Subclass: Demonaire
Stats:
HP: 8700/8700
MP: 2580
SP: 1160
DEF: 580 + 950
Attack Damage: 50 + 7900 (Normal)
STR: 30 + 40
DEX: 25 + 300
INT: 25 + 200
VIT: 30 + 40
Evasion: 3085 + 15%
Movement Speed: 100 + 900 + 65%
Resistance:
Fire / Ice / Wind / Poison / Electric / Earth / Water: 100 + 1000
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I had also scored some new gear from recent hunts. One item in particular stood out—an epic ring called the Ring of Faith. I got it from a Sandman drop; it just showed up in my inventory after we killed the boss. One of its passive effects significantly boosted the drop rate for rare to epic items from level 40+ mobs.
Thanks to that ring, I managed to acquire another one: Ring of the Fallen (Rare). It's an Angel-class-exclusive item that adds a solid chunk to my stats.
Still, I haven't come across another player from the Angel class. Were they all just hiding? Or were they just as powerful as I'd become? I couldn't help but wonder. Sometimes I even questioned whether my subclass was bugged—it was just too powerful. But whatever the case, it made the game even more exciting.
"If only Dan were here... he'd be loving this," I muttered to myself.
I lay down on the grass under a massive tree facing the enchanted lake, letting the scenery lull me into a light rest.
---
Half an hour later, a notification blinked across my Virtual Screen (VS):
Friend request from: SlicerDM
I tapped it immediately and checked his stats—Level 56, Blade Master, Human class. Then a private message popped up:
»» Dan here, Zeke. Accept it so I can buddy TP to your location. ««
I hit accept right away and messaged him back:
»» I'll wait for you, bro. Damn, you're high-level already! ««
I equipped a black cloak right after—the kind that hides your equipped gear and stat visibility from other players. No one could see anything while I had it on.
A minute passed before a beam of light streaked down nearby—someone teleporting into the area. Out of that light came Slicer. He was wearing a mask but removed it the moment he saw me.
"Bro, is that really you?" he asked, grinning.
"Of course! You look badass, man. You must be strong as hell now," I said, pulling down my hood to reveal my face.
"Nah, you're the one hiding your stats. That's a real power move right there," he replied.
"When did you even start playing?" I asked.
"Just last week—been playing for about three days now," he answered casually.
"Damn, and you're already level 56?! Do you even sleep?" I laughed.
"I got lucky. A high-level Mystic helped me grind. Guy's a beast—never seen him take a single point of damage, even with high-level mobs swarming him," Slicer said with admiration. "I'll introduce you someday."
"You've got plenty of people in your class, huh? Makes it easier to level up. This game's incredible—it's almost like real life," I said. "What are you planning to do next?"
"Level up, of course. Wanna party up and grind together?" he offered.
"Hell yeah. Let's go to a map I haven't explored yet," I replied.
"Alright, how about—"
Slicer didn't get to finish his sentence. We both felt it.
At the same moment, our eyes locked on the surface of the lake.
"It's coming," I muttered, sensing the danger through my mastered passive skill. Slicer looked just as alert.
"Fall back! Whatever it is, it's huge," he warned.
I moved instantly, my speed blurring through space—six meters in just a second.
"Hey, bro! Over here!" I called out to him.
Narration:
Slicer was fast, but Zaphro moved like he was gliding over the ground—his feet barely touching the grass as he ran. Together, they stared at the lake as something massive began to emerge from its depths.
Their Virtual Screens lit up.
Territorial Boss has arrived.
Mermedion – Level 100 (Boss – Epic)
HP: 65,000 / 65,000
DEF: 5800
AOE Skill: Hydro Pump (One-hit kill)
Basic Skills:
Arrow Shoot
Summon Fission Beings
Crystal Barrier
Passive Skills:
Regenerate
Frost Aura