343 Essence Stalker

The Reelio Quarry was a level 20-40 Field Zone with many stone type monsters and some Kobolds as well. On this particular day, there was an intense tremor originating from that Field Zone. The groups of monsters inhibiting this region shook and shivered, as if a giant was angrily stomping about. 

This was not too far off the mark, as the giant responsible for this situation was a sizable True Dragon which had a purplish-black color for its scales and a dark blue color for its sharp eyes. 

This Dragon was currently facing off against a group of Stone Golems that were at Rank 1. Their levels were slightly higher than the Dragon, but its prowess could not be stopped by mere stonemen. 

After all, no matter the Dragon, they would always be at Major Rank when at Rank 1. Compared to this mishmash of Privates, Specialists, and Sergeants, they were like ants before the anteater. 

The Dragon roared and raised its claws, smashing them down upon the enemies arrayed before it as they tried to fight back in futility. However, all of them were crushed into nothingness, not even a chip of their bodies remaining. 

The ground trembled from this Dragon's might. Just one attack wiped out a large group of enemies, causing the rest to back away in fear. 

The Dragon seemed to be in a rush, so it drew in torrents of Worldly Energy towards its mouth, charging up a giant purplish-black orb that seemed to cause the world to become dark. 

Once this orb was fully charged it was shot out. It seemed to have absorbed the essence of space as it disappeared from the mouth of the Dragon and appeared right on top of the unfortunate monsters, who were scrambling to escape. 

However, it was all for naught. The orb connected with the quarry, exploding to encompass the whole sphere. All living beings in the quarry simply disappeared like they had been teleported away, while the quarry itself remained completely undamaged. 

The purplish-black Dragon flapped its wings and took to the air, calmly assessing its work before leaving the Field Zone. It then landed near a creek and settled down. 

It was at this time that one might notice that there was a silhouette on its back. From the shape and size of the outline, it was definitely a humanoid species, possibly a human in truth. 

This outline jumped down from the back of the Dragon and went up to its snout with a smile on his face. Interestingly enough, this fellow was cloaked from head to toe and one could not see his features properly. 

However, if any member of Umbra were to see this cloaked person, they would be startled upon realizing who it was. It was the ever secretive and elusive core member of Umbra who hardly stayed around the guild except during important events… Fitter Cleric! 

The Dragon called Brother Essence scratched his neck and spoke in a clear, manly tone: "I certainly hope so. Besides, I have my current achievements thanks to your advice and assistance, Brother Fitter." 

Fitter Cleric smirked and shook his head. "I only pointed the finger, you put in the rest of the effort. In truth, I would have had no idea about your circumstances if it wasn't for the teachings of our Lady Boss." 

The Dragon's face became solemn. "You mean that world's scariest woman?" 

Fitter Cleric shuddered. "Yes. Her reputation is truly understated. Once you fall under her hands, you will understand what true hell is like." 

The Dragon gulped and shook his head. "Well, the timer of my transformation has come to an end. It's been more than 1 minute anyway, so this shouldn't be a problem." 

When he said this, his form shrank rapidly and reverted into the body of a young man. He was quite tall, standing at around 6"2. 

He was quite stocky for his height, but well-built overall. One could see the powerful muscles that rippled beneath his compact medium armor that was of a dark red color. 

In his hand was a long halberd that was of the same coloration as his armor, likely part of a unique set. This made him seem like a noble hero, or someone who was the protagonist of a blood-boiling revenge story. 

His face was angular and handsome - startlingly in a similar way to Draco - but the sharpness of his face was offset by his soft amber eyes, along with his black hair dyed with shades of red. 

He was definitely a looker for any girl, and he ticked many boxes with his height, musculature, manly voice, and handsome visage. Even the gigolo of the Goddess of Luck, Fitter Cleric, was jealous of his close friend's valiant look. 

However, when Fitter Cleric recalled the various calamities this fellow's handsomeness had brought upon him, his envy vanished like it was being chased by a honey badger. Sometimes, being too outstanding in terms of looks was a recipe for disaster, even if one wasn't a girl. 

Putting this out of mind, Fitter Cleric beckoned to his buddy. "Come, come. Now that we've killed enough to Rank up, you will definitely be accepted into the guild." 

The duo then left the Field Zone and climbed upon some tiger mounts that looked like they were born from a sea of lighting, as arcs of the very energy zipped around their fur. 

These tigers roared and carried their masters away at the fastest speed, moving through the various zones like The Flash patrolling Central City. Just like Luxia, the tigers prevented their riders from having to bear the horrendous g-force, so it was like they were encased in a protective bubble. 

How did Fitter and Essence acquire this? Hehe, did that need to be explained? With the strange yet overpowered Essence doing the killing and the Son of Heaven Fitter doing the looting, how could their gains be simple? 

If a monster had a 0.0001% chance to drop a certain type of rare loot, it would suddenly appear when Fitter stretched his hateful hand to pick it up. One would even think that the Goddess of Luck was terrified of displeasing her hubby, so everything he did was covered with her aura. 

These mounts were a good example. Even though the elite playerbase was almost at the level of Ranking up, very few had mounts. And those who did mostly had common and useless mounts that only saved stamina, not time and effort. 

The members of Umbra also had their mounts, but they hardly brought them out because there was no need. Of course, when it was necessary, the guild would show them. 

Fitter and Essence soon arrived in Cario City. With their mounts out, many players and NPCs ogled them. Many recognized Fitter from the Dragon Slaying Event and the First Guild War, as the almighty Luckmancer was one of the survivors for both. 

After that though, he seemed to have disappeared into thin air unlike the other members of Umbra who were extremely domineering and high-profile. Seeing him here and now on such an awe-inspiring mount made many nod. 

This was definitely the style of Umbra. Even their resident hermit would display endless grandeur when coming out of his seclusion. 

However, many were curious about the handsome bloke with him. His height and features made many girls swoon. Many had already started 'secret' fanclubs for Kiran, Cobra, Uno, and Rambunctious Buttlover and other notable members of Umbra. 

Of course, Draco's fanclub was by far the biggest among them, and the girls there were less coherent about their adoration. With the other dudes, it was more of a strong crush or fangirling, but Draco's fangirls… well, how to say this…? 

They were like a bunch of voracious beasts that couldn't wait for him to show the slightest sign of weakness, ready to pounce on him. Most of them had been impacted by his Dark Angel aura, and they couldn't get the lingering desire out of their system. 

They were in a similar situation to Rina, but nowhere near as debilitating as her ailment. As such, everyone took long steps around this group because they might tear anyone who dared to defile Draco's image to pieces. 

Of course, the ladies of Umbra naturally had fanclubs of their own, and the quantity of them was much higher while the quality was also vastly superior. Almost every female core member of Umbra had a huge following on social media outside, whether they paid attention to that or not. 

Some fellows even created official accounts for Zaine, Hikari, and Roma, and their followers had already crossed 2 billion! They were revered by men and women worldwide, and many photos snapped of them by players adorned their 'official' pages. 

Of course… this meant that Draco's following was quite poor outside. Well, saying that would be quite nice, as the truth was that he was being flamed every day by countless men worldwide. 

Especially after it was found that the fellow defiled these sacred beauties and made them birth his evil spawn! Now, almost every man had a photo of Draco in Boundless with an 'X' marked across it. Many a high school or college student had made a pretty penny by selling realistic-looking Draco voodoo puppets. 

Yet the profits made from his hatred didn't stop there. Gun ranges had raked in great profits once somebody had the bright idea of using his image on their targets and the same held true for archery ranges. The amount of men who would queue to beat him to death was enough to form a new continent! 

But this had little to do with the current situation. Currently, Fitter Cleric had taken Essence Stalker into the Rank 7 Guild Hall to become a core member of Umbra. 

As one of the most important core members himself, he had certain privileges, including the right the refer useful recruits whenever he found him. 

However, Fitter was just worried about some issues surrounding Essence Stalker's abilities and past. He already had a solid idea thanks to what Draco and Riveting Night freely shared with the members of Umbra, so he had to check-in with them first. 

Unfortunately, he was told that all the core members had gone out to conquer a dungeon. He had seen the system announcement stating that all of them had Ranked up together and acquired a great accolade. 

As such, he could only sigh and move to check up on the rest of the guild during his period of absence. After learning the various ups and downs, as well as the fact that Draco had long departed for a supreme Unique Quest, Fitter Cleric could only scratch his head. 

"Well, Brother Essence, it seems like we'll have to wait." Fitter Cleric said dryly. 

"No problem. Let's use this time to check out the fabled Vita City-State. I heard that it is a paradise on this earth." Essence Stalker suggested with a lax smile. 

Fitter Cleric thought about it and agreed. Since they had to wait, he might as well take his buddy on a tour of the area first since he was new to the game. Besides, he himself hadn't seen the City-State since after the First Guild War. 

Around that time, it was quite barren and had been recently upgraded, so it was a good chance to check up on his estate. With that in mind, he took the portal from Cario City to Vita City-State. 

Once they emerged, Fitter Cleric and Essence Stalker were astounded. The City-State had progressed so rapidly that it wasn't even a joke, the Portal Center alone was three times the size of any other Fitter had ever seen. 

The City-State had many open lots, but many too had been claimed and were being developed upon. Of course, that was referring to the outer city, as the inner city was reserved for members of Umbra and citizens, while the core area was for the core members and certain special people. 

When Fitter and Essence Stalker bathed in the thick Worldly Energy, as well as the significant Aetheric Energy, it felt like all their pains were being sapped away. 

Before the enterprising duo could even step further, there was a commotion from the Aether Hall as Worldly and Aetheric Energy moved about chaotically. 

A peerlessly beautiful woman in a white goddess attire rushed over to where the two of them stood with excitement in her eyes, her form trailed by two dark-skinned beauties who could make man and woman alike feel intense arousal.