******
"...That... that doesn’t sound like our team name," the handsome tall man, Ragnarr, who had landed the killing blow stammered.
The moment his companion heard him, they swiftly regained their composure and nodded in agreement.
"Then..." one of them drawled, exchanging glances with his teammates.
"has another player gotten the first boss kill before us?" he choked out, finally voicing the dreaded reality the others had been avoiding.
In the next moment, several members of the team collapsed weakly to their backs, their expressions turning hollow and lifeless.
"We... we put in so much effort for this opportunity, only to lose by a mere second. How?!"
One of them sobbed, his eyes reddening with pain and unwillingness.
"He... he even soloed a boss alone? What kind of monster is this person?"
"Argh! I refuse to accept this ending!"
One after the other, the players began to lament, recalling how many times they had been wounded and slain since discovering this boss.
Many of their fellow players, who had logged in alongside them, had leveled up and left them in the dust. But they hadn’t worried at all, believing that the reward for the first boss kill would make up for it. They had fought relentlessly against this boss, only for them to end up being...
They sobbed bitterly, remembering their shared fantasies—imagining the thrill of being announced as the first to defeat a boss, the smug satisfaction they would feel, and the offers they would receive from major organizations.
This had fueled their morale, causing them not to give up.
"Boohoo!" A beast-like lady sobbed bitterly, brimming with regret, until finally...
"At least we still landed the final blow on the boss. The rewards we get from it should be enough to make up for our losses," the team leader, Ragnarr, murmured, trying his best to sound optimistic and hide his disappointment.
After much reluctance and unwillingness, the teammates begrudgingly agreed and stood up, finally having the time to check the reward from the kill.
Although the rewards were great and the best they had received since hunting monsters, they couldn’t muster the excitement they should have felt.
"Boss..." A gentle, concerned voice suddenly echoed beside the handsome Ragnarr.
It belonged to the priestess who had cast the healing spell that helped him land the final blow on the boss a moment ago.
Walking toward him, the priestess gazed at him with worry.
"Have you indeed..."
"I want you to use everything you can to track down this Xylenia," he muttered coldly, his eyes gleaming with pure malice and hatred.
"I have sacrificed everything for this chance—a chance to stand out among my siblings and make my father finally notice me—only to have it stolen by someone else. No, I can’t accept it!" He growled quietly.
....
At another place.
"Xylenia?"
A calm, composed, and thoughtful voice suddenly rang out.
It belonged to a young man who was single-handedly fighting over ten level-four monsters. He paused for a moment, his gaze sharpening as he recalled the announcement that had just gone off in his mind.
"I have never come across such a name before since my years of playing games. Is this a newly emerged powerhouse, or was he just absurdly lucky?"
He was perplexed, but that was merely for a few seconds.
Eventually, he shook his head and resumed fighting.
...
Every single player online on the Ashborne server at the moment of the announcement was utterly shocked at this moment.
Some were furious, some bewildered, some indifferent, while others seethed with envy and jealousness.
Within both the game and the real world, a commotion erupted as everyone began to speculate about the identity of Xylenia, who had soloed a boss and achieved the first boss kill in the entire server.
The powerful factions and individuals began to launch investigations, some attempting to recruit him, others seeking retribution, and some merely conducting background checks to determine if he was worth taking seriously.
*****
Meanwhile, inside a lively restaurant filled with players of various races in the beginner village within the Ashborne server, a commotion had broken out, all sparked by the recent Server Announcement.
At a round table, five players of different races were seated, facing one another.
One was a muscular man clad in bronze armor, bearing the air of a formidable general.
Two elven women sat on either side of him, both of whom were dressed elegantly and adorned with various accessories.
A human mage was also present, draped in a long hat and a dark blue robe, making himself appear mysterious.
Lastly, there was a Lycan, a member of the beast-like race.
They sat in silent astonishment, all of them lost in thought.
However, from their individual perspectives, they were all staring at a virtual screen that was constantly refreshed with new messages every millisecond.
Finally...
"No one has uncovered this player named Xylenia yet," the Lycan player remarked, shifting his gaze toward the other four, who promptly dismissed their own chat screens as well.
"The same here. The theories I managed to gather so far only suggest that this Xylenia is either a newly emerged dark horse or an expert player who deliberately chose an unfamiliar name," one of the elven women mused.
Hearing her, the human warrior player scowled.
"I had hoped we could find this player and persuade them to join us so we could uncover their secret to soloing a boss," he finally admitted, shaking his head in disappointment.
Ultimately, he cast aside his frustration and was about to change the topic when suddenly...
"Brothers and sister," the second elven woman interjected, her brows furrowing as she scrutinized the four around her.
"Don’t you..." she hesitated briefly before continuing. "Don’t you find this name Xylenia somewhat familiar?" she asked solemnly.
Her four siblings instantly exchanged puzzled glances before shaking their heads.
But then, unexpectedly, one of them—the mage—paused, his gaze locking back onto the elf that had just spoken.
"Don’t tell me you’re thinking what I’m thinking?" He asked dazedly, causing the others to turn back to him, their confusion deepening.
"If you have a theory about who this Xylenia might be, why not share it amongst us instead of acting all mysterious? There’s no harm in checking if we’re on the right track," the eldest of them, the warrior, scolded, his face hardening with unhappiness.
The others also nodded their heads in agreement, frowning at the mage and elf.
Seeing this, the mage suddenly chuckled, as if finding the idea ridiculous.
"It’s because there’s no way it could be the person my dear sister is considering!"
"Huh?"
Their siblings’ brows lifted, and they turned back to the elf.
"Who was on your mind?" the eldest demanded, his expression growing severe.
Hearing him, the elf smiled awkwardly, appearing a bit embarrassed.
"Obviously, I don’t actually believe it’s him. But sister and brothers. Don’t you all think this name, Xylenia, sounds an awful lot like that... pathetic, cursed cripple’s name?" she asked seriously.
For a moment, the three siblings—aside from the mage—froze, staring at the elf in a daze before finally, a look of realization dawned on their faces.
In the next second...
"Wait!" The Lycan player’s expression twisted in amusement.
"You... you seriously think the Xylenia who single-handedly took down a boss is that... crippled, cursed bastard?" he asked, looking utterly flabbergasted.
"I..." The elf flushed with embarrassment, and seeing her reaction, the siblings realized their sister wasn’t joking.
In the following moment—
"Hahaha! What an absurd joke!" the second elf burst into laughter.
"My dear sister, how in the world did you even come up with such absurd nonsense? That wretched creature is probably still roaming around homeless—if his servant hasn’t already thrown him into a ditch or he hasn’t been sacrificed for some ritual. Do you really think he has the time to play games?"
"Even if he does have the time to play, does he have the funds to purchase a game pod? That wretched being despised by fate itself? Hahaha! What a joke!"
"Let’s even assume for a second that he does have the time and money. Have you all forgotten we’re talking about a cursed cripple who has never been able to use any of his limbs since birth? How would he even crush an ant, let alone solo, and slay a boss?"
The siblings ridiculed and jested Xylen loudly, their mockery leaving the elf utterly embarrassed, hoping to find a hole and crawl into it.
"You can’t blame me for noticing that Xylenia shares a name with him, can you?" she grumbled unhappily.
Her siblings only laughed harder, jeering at her for even entertaining the notion.
"For starters, although the name Xylen is rare, there are still a few people at my school who bear it. Plus, Xylenia sounds more like a feminine version of Xylen. So, dear sister, tell me—what exactly were you thinking to consider it in the first place?"
Their relentless teasing left the elf wishing she could vanish into thin air, utterly mortified to the core.
Just when she thought she could no longer endure the shame again, however...
"That reminds me. Do you think that cripple is still alive?" the eldest suddenly asked, bringing a hush over the group.
As soon as they heard the question, their eyes gleamed with interest.
"That would be the best news I’ve heard in years. If he’s dead, I’d never have to worry about the world discovering that I have a crippled half-brother again."
"Same here. I even think we should have poisoned him to death instead of merely chasing him away."
They spoke with unrestrained malice, their loathing for their half-sibling spilling over.
Not a trace of guilt surfaced over their decision to abandon him in the dead of night—no sympathy for his suffering.
They all fantasized about his gruesome demise, wishing he’d be crushed beneath the wheels of a runaway truck.
The hatred was simply too extraordinary.