Chapter 258: Petals in the Wind

Marcus felt a quiet surge of confidence as he considered the potential of his Human Rock technique. The Spring of Purity hadn’t fully healed Camillo, but it had still managed to raise her intimacy by five points, which was a small yet meaningful victory. Progress like that mattered. If only he could use the spring water again and again, he was certain he could push her intimacy past ninety in no time.

Unfortunately, reality was less accommodating. For now, all he could do was admire the Vixen Queen from a careful, respectful distance, which turned out to be its own unique kind of torment. Knowing she was within reach, yet untouchable, only made her beauty all the more distracting.

Shaking off the thought, he shifted his focus to his other major gain, the Peach Blossom Soul. Even with only its first tier unlocked, the artifact had already granted him a significant boost: five points of Luck, twenty points to all his core attributes, and two entirely new skills. Curious, he opened his skill menu and examined them more closely.

—

Peach Blossom Dance (High-tier, Level 1): An active support skill that consumes 300 Mana. Requires the Jade Seduction Scripture or the Peach Blossom Soul. When activated, summons a swirling storm of petals that envelops yourself and allies within a ten-meter radius, increasing their Evasion by 20%, Movement Speed by 1, and Resistance to status effects by 10% for ten minutes.

Peach Blossom Slash (Mid-tier, Level 1): An active attack skill that consumes 100 Mana. Requires the Jade Seduction Scripture or the Peach Blossom Soul. Launches a razor-sharp petal at a target within ten meters, dealing 130% of normal attack damage, with a small five percent chance to inflict Confusion.

—

The first skill was undeniably useful, especially in group situations where survivability and mobility could make all the difference. The second, however, left him slightly underwhelmed. At such a short range, he already had better options. If he wanted raw damage, Desperate Strike was still his go-to.

He couldn’t help comparing it to the Vixen Queen’s Peach Blossom Falling Slash. That technique had been on an entirely different level, sweeping across a wide area with overwhelming force. Compared to that, his current version felt more like a fragment than a true expression of the ability. Still, it was only the beginning. If the artifact could evolve, then so could the skill.

Even so, the trip to the Vixen clan had already paid off far beyond expectations. He had gained a powerful companion in Camillo, secured two Divine Artifacts, and somehow ended up with Alana, a legendary figure, as his retainer. By any standard, it was an absurd haul.

Before he could dwell on it further, a sudden barrage of private messages flooded his interface.

“Stone, did you just trigger the Divine Artifact Leaderboard?”

“Yo, the leaderboard just went live. Tell me that was you.”

“Come on, don’t play dumb. We know it’s you.”

“I need to see the stats, Stone. Screenshot, now.”

Marcus let out a quiet chuckle. It was his friends, and their reactions were completely expected. Considering he already held the top spots on the Level, Reputation, Pet, and Mount leaderboards, it didn’t take much for them to connect the dots. At this point, they were almost certain anything major in the game traced back to him.

“Meet me at my place in Dragon’s Peak Citadel,” he replied, sending them the address. “We’ll talk there.”

They arrived not long after.

“Man, the system really hooked you up with this place,” Gloomy Arrow said as he stepped into the foyer, his gaze sweeping across the lavish interior.

“A mansion, here of all places?” Drunkard added, shaking his head as if trying to process it. Marcus had told them about the reward before, but hearing about it and actually seeing it were two entirely different things.

“Only the best for the number one player,” Marcus said lightly, puffing out his chest with exaggerated pride.

“Yeah, yeah, save it,” Invincible Strong cut in, waving him off as he stepped forward. “Just show us the artifacts already, I want to see what—”

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes shifting past Marcus and widening slightly.

“…Wait. Who’s that?”

Alana stood quietly at Marcus’s side, her presence calm yet impossible to ignore.

Marcus didn’t answer right away. Instead, he gave them a knowing grin and gestured for everyone to sit. Once they had settled in, he began recounting everything, starting from his hunt for the Wraith-Bird. As the story unfolded, the room grew increasingly quiet.

At several points, Gloomy Arrow and Drunkard exchanged looks, while Invincible Strong simply stared, as if trying to decide whether to believe any of it. The entire tale sounded too outrageous to be real.

But Alana was right there, standing beside Marcus with unmistakable devotion in her eyes, and when Marcus casually produced the Divine Artifacts as proof, any lingering doubt quickly faded.

He was careful, however, to skip over certain… more personal details involving the Vixen Queen.

“You’re actually insane, dude,” Drunkard said at last, exhaling sharply. His tone carried a mix of admiration and frustration. “I’ve been grinding nonstop just to scrape together thirty percent experience, and you go off and pull something like this. How is anyone supposed to catch up?”

Invincible Strong let out a long breath. “At this point, catching up isn’t even the goal. I just want to know if the three of us could last a hundred rounds against you if we teamed up.”

“Three?” Gloomy Arrow shook his head. “That’s being optimistic. We’d probably need DragonBlade and Cleaver too, and even then we’d have to be in perfect condition.”

Marcus laughed, clearly entertained. “I’ll be waiting.”

He wasn’t underestimating them, not even a little. In Dominion, raw stats weren’t everything. Skill, timing, and coordination could tip the scales in unexpected ways. A well-timed assassination skill like Cold River Strike, which traded health for a massive burst of damage, could end a fight before it even properly began.

“Oh, right,” Marcus said, as if remembering something. He reached into his inventory and pulled out a dark feather. “Fate, here’s the Black-Wraith Feather you needed.”

Fate’s Trial accepted it with a small nod, his expression unchanged. He didn’t bother with words, but Marcus understood. That was just how he was. Their friendship didn’t need verbal acknowledgment.

If anything, it worked both ways. If Marcus hadn’t been someone he trusted, Fate wouldn’t have accepted the item at all, even if it had been something as valuable as a Divine Artifact.

“We’re going to help Fate trigger his quest, then get back to grinding,” Drunkard said, stretching slightly as he stood.

“You want me to come along?” Marcus offered. “The Vixens should stop hunting me in about an hour. After that, I’m free.”

Invincible Strong shook his head. “Nah. The level gap’s too big. We’d just slow you down.”

“Yeah,” Gloomy Arrow added, glancing back as they headed for the door. “Your job is to stay at number one. That’s not just your rank anymore, it’s the squad’s pride.”

“And if you lose it,” Drunkard called out with a grin, “we’re never letting you hear the end of it.”

With that, they left the mansion, their voices fading as the door closed behind them.

Marcus stood there for a moment in the quiet that followed, then exhaled slowly. Alone once again, he began to consider his next move.

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