Chapter 18: Special Title

Kai looked at the absurd messages that popped up in front of him and then belatedly came to his senses.

"This game is strangely realistic at the oddest of times!"

“Krnng...”

The Wyrm Lizard groaned and shook its head weakly as it suffered.

The situation is funny, but this is an opportunity.

Without hesitation, Kai pointed his finger at the creature. "Holy Explosion!"

Boom!

“Krrrgh!”

The blast hit the Wyrm Lizard on the head, causing it to thrash in pain. As its massive body writhed, the altar crumbled and the mountain shook.

The damage is better than I expected.

A single attack had reduced the creature's HP by about 10%.

I thought it would take hours to fight because of its size....

That wasn't the case.

So even if it's massive, it's just a string of code after all, huh?

Even if there was a slime the size of a building, if it was level 1, then it could be hunted by a level 10 beginner.

Right. This is what a game world is like.

Level, items, skill proficiency, and a bit of control. In this irrational world, these factors could easily overturn something like physical stature.

Thinking that way, there's no need to be scared.

Of course, a larger size meant a wider attack range, which was threatening, but the initial sense of oppression and visual fear had significantly diminished.

"Its stats must be similar to mine."

Moreover, the Wyrm Lizard was a worm without hands or feet. In addition to that, it was now a patient of food poisoning.

There’s not much to it after all.

Regaining confidence, Kai gripped his mace and charged at the creature.

Crunch!

He then began to climb the Wyrm Lizard's scales as if rock-climbing.

The scales make it easier to climb.

It was almost as if it had been designed for this purpose. And in fact, it was. Though it was a lucky coincidence, Kai was currently conquering the Wyrm Lizard in a highly efficient manner.

“Krrrrgh!”

The Wyrm Lizard thrashed violently as Kai climbed up its body. Each shake felt like riding a roller coaster, but Kai fiercely held onto the scales. Eventually, Kai reached the head of the Wyrm Lizard. As he panted, he saw a pair of antennae on top of the creature's head.

Those look like its weak points.

Unlike the body covered in hard scales, the long antennae seemed vulnerable to attacks. Kai didn't hesitate to strike at the antennae.

[You’ve attacked the weak point. You’ve inflicted 1,150 damage.]

[You’ve attacked the weak point. You’ve inflicted 1,217 damage]

[Triple damage applied! You’ve inflicted 3,519 damage.]

The Wyrm Lizard's HP began to plummet rapidly! Kai swung his mace around like a fish in water.

“Krnnng!”

The Wyrm Lizard tried desperately to shake Kai off, but Kai refused to fall.

The moment I let go, it's over.

There was no guarantee he could climb back up.

So, since I'm up here, I'll finish it.

Terrified by Kai's stubbornness, the Wyrm Lizard chose to flee. One of the cowardly characteristics of

MID Online's

monsters was to run away when the fight turned against them.

“Kragh...!”

The Wyrm Lizard retreated back into the hole it had come from.

If I fall, it's over!

Desperately searching for something to grasp, Kai grabbed the creature's antennae.

“Krnnng!?” Startled by having its vital point grabbed, the Wyrm Lizard began to go down faster. “Krrgh!”

The descent was rough, colliding with protruding rocks and stones, causing Kai to lose health.

Ding!

[You tripped over a rock. You’ve received 50 damage.]

[You smashed into a rock. You’ve received 120 collision damage.]

[You were stabbed by a stone. You’ve received 170 damage.]

[You have developed tetanus. You will receive 100 damage per second.]

“....”

Just before Kai became the first player to die from tetanus, the long hole ended.

Thud!

Dust filled the air when the Wyrm Lizard landed.

Coughing, Kai immediately checked his HP. Even using the Wyrm Lizard as a cushion, his remaining HP was just 2%.

"Sunlight’s Warmth! Sunlight's Warmth!"

After hastily healing, Kai remained wary of the Wyrm Lizard. "Is it dead?"

Kai poked the creature's scales with his mace, but there was no movement.

“Phew.”

Finally, he let out a sigh of relief and looked at his XP bar.

...Wait, it's the same.

A chill ran down his spine as he realized something was wrong. If the Wyrm Lizard had died, he should have received XP points.

It's not dead...!

Kai quickly turned around and cast Holy Explosion simultaneously.

“Krooaar!”

Just as Kai turned, he was faced with the giant open mouth and densely packed teeth of the Wyrm Lizard. He finished the casting just before it swallowed him whole.

"Holy Explosion!"

A beam of light pierced through the creature's insides.

Vrrrrr!

The Wyrm Lizard's head tilted to one side as it trembled, then it collapsed raising a cloud of dust.

Catching his breath, Kai remained on guard. This time, however, a notification appeared, confirming the Wyrm Lizard was indeed dead.

Ding!

[Level increased.]

[+5 stat points]

[You single-handedly defeated the ruler of Frica Mountains, Wyrm Lizard. +150 Fame]

[Special title acquired: “Wyrm Lizard Slayer.”]

“Phew....” Sighing with relief, Kai finally sat down on the ground.

Despite the great sacrifice of Tom, he had managed to defeat a level 65 Wyrm Lizard alone. The fact filled Kai with a sense of pride.

"Anyway, Wyrm Lizard Slayer, huh? That's a title I've never heard of before..."

His eyes widened as he immediately checked the title summary.

[Wyrm Lizard Slayer]

Rank: Special

Description: Title bestowed upon a player under Lv.55 who defeats the Wyrm Lizard on their own.

Effect: +10 Stamina (This effect persists even when the title is not equipped.)

"A special title?!" Kai exclaimed in disbelief.

He read and reread the description of the title.

Special titles are supposed to be the exclusive titles of rankers. But I've got one now?

It was known that

MID Online

had over 500 million registered users. They leveled up, equipped similar items, and learned almost identical skills.

At this point, the developers at Pegasus pondered,

If everyone becomes the same, what fun is there in the game?

They wanted

MID Online

to always dominate the top spot and therefore introduced a unique system, the special title system.

Just like the name, they were special titles given to those who achieved particular feats. While there were countless special titles, obtaining duplicates was impossible. In other words, the Wyrm Lizard Slayer title was now exclusively Kai's in the entire world.

Kai's eyes sparkled. As he said, special titles were said to be a system meant only for rankers. Only those who had satisfied both conditions of being the first and the best could obtain such a premier title.

I thought all the worthwhile achievements had been scooped up by rankers....

But upon reflection, that assumption was flawed from the start. Rankers always checked and competed against each other. A day, even a few hours without hunting, could make them slip down the rankings. Rankers were people who had to live their entire lives in fierce competition.

People like them would never take a gamble.

Would they really believe that defeating a Wyrm Lizard alone would grant them a special title?

No, they wouldn't.

They didn’t move without certainty because a single death could cause them tremendous loss. For rankers, time was money and more precious than gold.

"Now that I think about it, there's still a chance for me too."

There were special titles overlooked by rankers and those beyond the reach of newcomers. He had to monopolize them. That was his only breakthrough to chase the rankers closely.

"Wyrm Lizard Slayer, huh..."

Rankers were desperate for special titles for one reason. Ordinary titles could only be equipped one at a time. Of course, the effects of unequipped titles weren’t applied, a basic fact! However, special titles were different. They could apply their effects to the character even without being equipped.

"Disappointing it's just Stamina, but a 10 point boost is still worth it."

Kai then checked his stat window.

[Kai]

Class: Solaris Cleric

Level: 55

Title: Envoy of God

HP: 14,300

Holy Power: 21,500

Stats

Strength: 65 Stamina: 143

Intelligence: 60 Agility: 60

Holiness: 215 Benevolence: 33

Remaining points: 45

Casting Time -30%

Skill Cooldown -9%

Damage Received -3%

The special title had boosted his Stamina stat by 10 points, which was a noticeable increase.

Who would think this is the stat window of a Cleric?

He could probably punch out an average level 30 Warrior!

"But it doesn't end here."

There was still loot left by the Wyrm Lizard.

Kai approached the Wyrm Lizard and lightly touched the collapsed polygon mass.

[+50 Wyrm Lizard Scales]

[+45 Wyrm Lizard Leather]

[+75 Wyrm Lizard Teeth.]

[+87 Coagulated Wyrm Lizard Blood]

"Monsters are money. That's no lie."

These materials could be used to craft new equipment and potions, and those items would turn into money, fattening his wallet!

Satisfied, Kai smiled as he collected the loot and turned around. "Alright, then...."

Shwoom!

A basic Cleric skill, Sacred Flare, rose from his palm, illuminating the dark interior.

The Wyrm Lizard's nest was a cave formed like a large semi-circular dome. There was one path leading out.

I wonder if it's the same place.

If it was indeed the same place where he underwent Helik’s Trial, he had something to do.