Kael didn't have time to help them kill a boss.

  He could, however, spare a couple of clones.

  Just as he was about to activate the skill, he remembered the two Skill Upgrade Scrolls he'd acquired. He quickly pulled them from his inventory.

  His current non-talent skills were:

  [Double Shot]: 1 Skill Point

  Fire two consecutive shots at a target. The second shot deals 80% damage.

  .....

  [Precision Shot]: 3 Skill Points

  Aim for an enemy's weak point. 33% chance to deal 3x critical damage.

  .....

  [Phantom Barrage]: 5 Skill Points

  Fires a volley of arrows in a 15x15 yard area, dealing additional damage equal to Agility*1 and slowing targets by 20% for 3 seconds.

  Cooldown: 8 seconds

  Range: 35 yards

  .....

  [Moving Shot]: 4 Skill Points

  Allows the user to move at 80% of normal speed while shooting.

  .....

  [Mirror Image]: 5 Skill Points

  Creates 2 clones that inherit 50% of the user's HP, Attack, and other stats.

  Clones cannot use active skills but inherit 100% of on-hit attack effects.

  Duration: 180 seconds, Cooldown: 20 seconds.

  Without question, it was more cost-effective to use the scrolls on a high-cost skill. That left Phantom Barrage, Moving Shot, and Mirror Image.

  Upgrading Phantom Barrage would increase its range and damage. Moving Shot would increase his movement speed while firing. And Mirror Image would improve the clones' duration, stats, or even their number. All were incredibly useful.

  After a moment's thought, Kael decided to upgrade Mirror Image.

  System: You have used a Skill Upgrade Scroll on [Mirror Image], consuming 1 Skill Point.

  System: You have used a Skill Upgrade Scroll on [Mirror Image], consuming 1 Skill Point.

  [Mirror Image]: 7 Skill Points

  Creates 3 clones that inherit 70% of the user's HP, Attack, and other stats.

  Duration: 30 minutes, Cooldown: 20 seconds.

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  (Using this skill will automatically dismiss any previously summoned clones)

  Kael activated the newly upgraded skill, and three identical archers appeared at his side.

  The girls stared in astonishment.

  “Wait, how is there another one?!”

  Kael didn’t answer. He handed control of the clones over to Rena.

  “These three will last for thirty minutes. It’s up to you how you use them. I’ve got to go.”

  With that, Kael turned and began walking north along the river, upstream.

  Behind him, the girls erupted in cheers.

  “Yes! Let’s go kill that boss!”

  “Hurry, we’ve only got half an hour!”

  “We could kill ten bosses in half an hour with these!”

  “Only if we can find them.”

  “Glytter, take your bear and go scout for more bosses. The rest of us are more than enough to kill this one.”

  “On it!”

  “Argent, go pull a few mobs and kite them behind the boss. We can’t let Dawnbreaker’s [Pierce] effect go to waste!”

  “Got it.”

  “Jeez, Rena, you’re a real taskmaster.”

  “A she-devil of a taskmaster!”

  “Haha…”

  ***

  Kael followed the riverbank north. After about fifteen minutes, he arrived at the mouth of a cave. He pulled a vial from his pouch—a [Gills Potion] he had purchased with his points—and drank it.

  A new buff appeared:

  [Water Breathing]: You can breathe underwater for 1 hour.

  Unlike the southern caves, this northern passage offered no air pockets. Anyone who entered without preparation would simply drown.

  Kael submerged himself in the frigid water and began swimming upstream, into the darkness. Aided by the soft glow of his Heart of the Ocean, he could see perfectly.

  The water here was deep, and he passed a large underwater cavern teeming with level 17-20 aquatic creatures. He knew that with a bit of exploration, a level 20 underwater dungeon could be unlocked there, but he had no time for side quests. His only goal was to get out.

  The underwater passage was incredibly long. It took him a full forty minutes to swim through the mountain range and emerge on the other side.

  He slowly surfaced, took a deep breath of fresh air, and swam to the bank. He opened his map to confirm his location.

  This area was called the Verdant Pool.

  Kael followed the river upstream for another ten minutes before finding a small, overgrown path. The path was dotted with level 25 to 30 monsters, which he cleared as he went, searching his memory. Finally, tucked away in a forgotten corner of the map, he found his destination:

  The Ruins of Beryl Creek.

  It was a dilapidated, desolate village, utterly devoid of life. At first glance, it seemed completely abandoned.

  Beryl Creek had once been a thriving village much like Starlight, its people prosperous and peaceful.

  But twenty years ago, the Warchief’s Legion had swept through these lands and massacred the inhabitants. Ninety percent of the villagers were slain where they stood. Only a few young farmers working in the distant fields managed to escape.

  And though the Warchief’s invasion of the main human cities ultimately failed, the Lord of Crescent never sent aid to rebuild the village. The two dozen survivors were powerless to restore their home, and were forced to let it fall into ruin.

  Kael walked to the derelict teleport nexus and stood there in silence. He scanned his surroundings and saw that one of the nearby shacks appeared recently maintained. He knew that was where he would find the person he was looking for.

  He checked the time. It was midnight.

  “Sorry for the intrusion,” he whispered to himself.

  He switched the aura on his Heart of the Ocean to Tidal Glow, which cast a soft, ambient light, far less alarming than a torch. He walked up to the dilapidated shack and raised his hand, knocking firmly on the flimsy wooden door.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  The door groaned and rattled in its frame, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

  “Who is it? Anthony, is that you?”

  With a screech of old hinges, the door opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out. He looked up and saw a stranger standing before him. A panicked expression immediately crossed his face.

  “Who… who are you? Who sent you?”

  Kael got straight to the point. “I’m from Starlight Village, downstream. We’re under siege by the Warchief’s Legion, and I’ve come for help.”

  The man’s expression hardened at Kael’s words. “What did you say? The Warchief’s Legion?”

  Kael nodded.

  Terror seized the middle-aged man. “They’ve… they’ve invaded again?”

  Kael shook his head. “Not a full invasion. Just a smaller force of orcs.”

  The man, now fully awake, looked Kael up and down again, his eyes filled with suspicion. “We have nothing here. We can’t help you. You should go.”

  He started to close the door.

  Kael blocked it with one hand and held out a handful of glowing essence with the other.

  “And what if we had this? Do you think you could help us then?”

  The man’s eyes widened at the glowing heap of essence in Kael’s hand.

  “Can you fix a teleport nexus?” Kael asked, leaning on the opportunity.

  He gulped, swallowing hard.