Vitality – NeuraStream Broadcast: "Legends of the Gridline"
> [Live Segment – Studio Feed Begins]
"We've seen the Phantom Breaker, the Hollow collapse, and the emergence of Veil tactics—but who's still holding the top ranks when the world breaks?"
"Let's take a look at the players reshaping high-tier PvE and PvP from the shadows."
The feed shifted.
> "#6 – Leafsinger."
A support-based tactician from the Eastern Wastes, known for single-handedly holding back a raid wipe with vines and flame wards.
> "#5 – Kaelith."
A duelist-mage hybrid who hasn't lost a sanctioned PvP match in over two months.
> "#4 – Lucius."
Class: Berserker
Guild Affiliation: None
Title: "The Quiet War"
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Vitality – Red Wound Arena, Remote Broadcast Feed
The screen shifted to a live feed inside a forgotten raid zone—Red Wound, an endgame instance buried beneath volcanic ruins.
Lucius stood alone.
No chat. No buffs. No backup.
He wore minimal armor—what little he had was crimson-threaded plate, cracked at the edges like ancient stone. A two-handed cleaver rested on his back, serrated and blackened at the edge.
Then the horde surged.
Thirty elite-tier raid mobs poured from the gate—Molten Reavers, Stormbind Fiends, and two Bonefire Captains.
Lucius didn't blink.
He moved like a landslide.
His first swing tore through two Reavers in a single arc. The cleaver exploded with reactive force—built-in shock modules detonating upon impact. He didn't dodge. He endured, armor breaking apart as he kept pressing forward.
Each hit staggered the monsters. Each kill fed his Fury Meter until the screen itself shimmered red.
> [Fury Surge Activated – Berserker Trait: World Splitter]
The ground ruptured. Fire burst in waves from his cleaver as he vaulted into the Captains, parrying not with finesse—but with sheer overwhelming presence.
The battle was over in forty-eight seconds.
---
NeuraStream Studio Feed
Commentator:
> "Lucius is ranked #4 and has no guild, no stream, and no sponsorships. He refuses interviews. Nobody's seen his face."
"But you put him into any top-five dungeon and the zone becomes his."
Other streamer:
> "He's not flashy. Not calculated. Just… inevitability."
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New Cascadia – Sector 12, Apartment 18B
Cassian sat with one knee pulled to his chest, watching the feed through a muted overlay as Mira rested nearby.
Lucius stood on screen, surrounded by scorched earth and corpses, breathing slowly through the static smoke.
There was something about him—an absence of hesitation. A precision not born of calculation but of total conviction.
Cassian didn't recognize him.
But he felt it.
This wasn't just a high-level player.
It was someone who moved like a final boss left behind by time.
> "Who are you?" he whispered.
The feed ended.
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Vitality – Unknown Zone, Elsewhere
Lucius walked alone through a sealed temple, the cleaver now sheathed and his silhouette small against towering ruins. No music. No audience.
He passed a broken automaton slumped against the wall—its chestplate tagged with an old dev sigil. He paused briefly.
Bent down.
Closed the automaton's broken optics with one gloved hand.
Then kept walking.
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End of Chapter Sixteen