Chapter 67 - 60: THE FORUM UPROAR, THE GARGOYLE’S MASK, AND THE STORM JUDGMENT ARROW

The medical system warning blinking red in the corner of my vision became the absolute marker that my play session for the day had ended. After ensuring that Yuuki and her friends had safely returned to StoneBrook City using Return Scrolls, I followed their path, then immediately pressed the log-out button from inside my room at the virtual inn.

The grassland world filled with the remnants of battle dust instantly faded, replaced by a calming darkness. The glass lid of my Game Capsule hissed softly before rising open.

The cool lavender-scented air of my room greeted my lungs. I opened my eyes, blinking to adjust to the room’s light. Before I could even move my body to rise into the wheelchair, my room door was already slammed open with a loud sound.

"Big Brother Rian!"

Alya burst in like a typhoon. Her cat-patterned pajama robe fluttered. She had not even changed her clothes after exiting the capsule in her own room. Her face was flushed from residual adrenaline, and her eyes sparkled full of excitement. She jumped onto the edge of the medical bed where my capsule was, making the mattress shake slightly.

"Slow down, Al. This capsule is expensive, you know," I scolded softly, even though a wide smile could not be hidden from my lips.

"Who cares about the capsule! Big Brother has to explain what happened earlier!" Alya rattled off without pause. Her hands moved around, imitating parrying motions in the air. "Sring! Trang! Whoosh! Big Brother parried dozens of those red spines with just a small knife! Even Yuna, who is full VIT, would definitely die if hit by that Alpha Boss’s AoE attack! Did Big Brother use a cheat? Or is Big Brother actually secretly endorsed by the game developers to be a secret tester?!"

I burst out laughing at her absurd conspiracy theories. The laughter made my chest feel a little tight, but my body felt far more energetic than in previous days. I pressed the button on the side of the capsule, allowing the gel padding to push my back until I was in an upright sitting position.

"There are no cheats in Second World Online, Alya. Their main AI system is far too advanced to be hacked," I answered while ruffling her real hair which unfortunately did not have fox ears like in the game. "That was purely a combination of extreme Dexterity status and the reflex of reading attack patterns. Remember, my class is fully focused on INT and DEX. When those numbers are high enough, the avatar’s movement senses become extraordinarily sensitive, making enemy projectiles seem to move slower in my eyes."

"Wah, no wonder earlier Big Brother looked like an anime character who can slow down time!" Alya exclaimed in admiration, her eyes perfectly round. "The effect of Dexterity is crazy when focused that much! My friends in the group chat are currently going crazy talking about ’Teacher Syl’. Lumina even asked if Big Brother wants to be added as a VIP friend!"

Just as I was about to answer, Mira’s figure appeared in the doorway. She stood with her arms crossed, looking at the two of us with one eyebrow raised, radiating a real-world Boss aura far more terrifying than any giant wolf.

"Alya, let your big brother breathe first. He just came out of the capsule and needs rest, not to be interviewed like a celebrity," Mira scolded in a firm yet caring tone. She walked in carrying a tray with a glass of warm water and several of my evening supplements. "And you, Rian. Don’t spoil your little sister too much if it makes you exhausted."

"I’m not exhausted at all, Mira. Truly," I said honestly, accepting the glass from her hand. The warm water moistened my throat comfortably. "Playing with Alya actually gave me extra energy."

Alya stuck her tongue out at Mira. "See, listen to Big Brother Rian! That’s why Mira also has to join playing SWO! Later me, Big Brother Arthur, and Big Brother Rian will become Mira’s personal bodyguards!"

Mira only shook her head in resignation, though a thin smile decorated her lips. "Thank you for the offer, Miss. But taking care of your big brother in the real world already consumes all the energy I have." Even though she was actually very interested because she could accompany her young master.

That night was spent with light conversation and warm laughter in my family room. My body felt gradually improving. My lengthening hair and muscles that were beginning to feel denser were physical evidence of the cellular regeneration process that Doctor Karin had once explained.

Toward midnight, after Alya returned to her room and Mira forced me to prepare for sleep, I lay on the bed with a tablet in my hand. Sleepiness had not fully struck yet. As a gamer, my instinct pushed me to open the official community forum of Second World Online.

The moment the forum screen loaded, my eyes immediately widened.

Three of the five top Trending Topics on the Indonesian server forum were completely beyond my expectations.

[HOT] LIONHEART GUILD TRAGEDY: THREE ALCHEMISTS DIE RIDICULOUSLY WHILE DISMANTLING MYSTERIOUS MUD BOMBS!

[MEGATHREAD] THE APPEARANCE OF THE STORM BREAKER: LEVEL 29 ELITE BOSS (GRIFFIN) KILLED SOLO!

[DISCUSSION] WHO IS ’SYL’? EX-PRO PLAYER, BETA TESTER, OR CHEATER?

I swallowed, opening the Megathread about the Griffin boss kill. The thread had already surpassed thousands of replies in just a few hours.

A post from a player named SwordKing (whom I suspected was the fighter who had bought out my bombs) revealed staggering information.

"I can swear, the player named Syl is no ordinary player. Yesterday he sold Area of Effect explosives whose destructive power was unreasonable. Today, the system announced that he obtained the First Kill for the Elite Boss that trapped our Guild at Windhowl Peaks for two days! Imagine, he killed it ALONE! Does anyone know the origin of this silver-haired Elf?"

Below it, dozens of players speculated. Some accused me of using a terrain-exploitation bug, while others praised the discovery of a new tactic. There were even several players from the Assassin race offering gold coin rewards to anyone who could provide the coordinates of my whereabouts for forced recruitment or hunting (Bounty).

"Damn," I muttered softly in the dim room. "That damn system broadcast my name during the First Kill. And my silver hair and pale skin (Albinism) are physical traits that are far too conspicuous in a crowd. If I log in tomorrow without preparation, StoneBrook will become a hunting ground for me."

I immediately turned off the tablet, closed my eyes, and began formulating a plan. I had no interest in Guild politics or becoming a server celebrity. I needed privacy to continue strengthening myself and exploring this game in peace. I needed a disguise.

The next morning, after breakfast, I logged back into the game.

Teleportation light carried me back to the back room of my shop, "Waterwheel," in Silvergrass Village. As I had expected, when I peeked from behind the front window curtain, the small village square that was usually quiet was now filled with about twenty high-level players. They gathered in front of my locked shop door, knocking on the glass windows and arguing with one another.

"This is the place! I’m sure of it! The Waterwheel shop is the place of that bomb maker!" shouted a Warrior in armor.

"The door is locked by the system. That means he’s either offline or inside," replied another player.

I retreated carefully from the window. Using the front door was suicide. If they saw my form, my identity would immediately spread to the forums.

I walked closer to my Woodworking and Alchemy work table. I opened my inventory and took out several materials from my hunt on the cliffs of Windhowl Peaks. Two [Gargoyle’s Core] and several [Wind-sculpted Stone].

I opened the crafting panel. My goal was to create an accessory that could hide my identity. The Second World Online system had a Disguise mechanism if a player wore a mask or hooded cloak of a certain quality.

I placed one of the Gargoyle cores on the small anvil left over from my Level 1 Blacksmith profession. That core was as hard as diamond, yet by using a wooden chisel channeled with wind element from my magic, I began carving it from the inside out.

This process was extremely slow and required high-level precision (DEX). I split the stone core into layers as thin as ceramic, shaping it into a half-face mask (covering the area from the eyes to the nose). I carved the pattern to resemble bat wings or sharp gargoyle wings, giving an intimidating impression.

After the physical form was complete, I switched to the alchemy table. I crushed the Wind-sculpted Stone into powder, mixed it with pine tree resin, and applied it to the inside of the mask. This was not merely for comfort, but basic alchemy magic to manipulate light.

Two hours passed in full concentration.

Ding!

[System: You have successfully created a unique Rare-tier item! Crafting Proficiency increased.]

[Gargoyle’s Visage – Rarity: Rare]

A half-face mask carved from the core of a stone creature. Contains wind illusion magic that distorts the vision of others.

Special Effect 1 (Hidden Identity): Hides the user’s Name, Guild, and Level from mid-tier and below Identify skills.

Special Effect 2 (Chameleon’s Wind): When worn, the user’s hair color will appear jet black to other players, disguising conspicuous physical traits.

Requirements: Intelligence 25, Dexterity 25.

Crafted by: Syl.

A crooked smile spread across my face. This was truly perfect. The Chameleon’s Wind effect automatically solved my biggest problem: the conspicuous silver hair caused by the Albinism Trait.

I immediately put on the dark gray stone mask. A cold sensation touched the skin of my face. I took a small silver mirror from the drawer of my work table. The figure reflected there was no longer the pale, silver-haired, fragile Elf. My hair was now a dense jet black, with the upper half of my face covered by a stone mask that radiated a mysterious aura. Combined with the gray hooded cloak I always wore, I now looked like a bounty-hunting Assassin from a dark faction.

Not a single one of the players outside would be able to recognize me.

However, before I went out and tested my new disguise, there was one more major project waiting to be completed. The project that had been the main reason I risked my life against the Silverwing Zephyr Griffin.

I took out the most valuable item in my inventory: [Zephyr’s Silver Core] (Epic) and [Griffin’s Razor Feather] (Rare). Added with the [Silverwing Beak] (Rare).

I was going to create ammunition for the Titan’s Ironbark Longbow. Ammunition that would not be used for ordinary monsters, but rather a trump-card weapon for bosses or large-scale threats.

I placed the silver core into the alchemy melting vessel. Unlike the Gargoyle core which was solid stone, this storm boss core more closely resembled a pure energy ball that continuously crackled with static electricity.

Using my water elemental magic, [Water Ball], I created a water bubble around the vessel to dampen its extreme temperature. Then, with extreme care, I used a crushing tool to shatter the Silverwing Beak into sharp fragments. This beak possessed extraordinary natural sharpness and high electrical conductivity.

I took twelve of the highest-quality Blood Oak wooden shafts that I had already planed perfectly straight. I attached the Griffin beak fragments as the arrowheads, binding them tightly with Bog Troll sinew. On the tail ends, I attached the Griffin’s Razor Feather with precision. These feathers were as hard as steel, ensuring the arrows would not be deflected by any wind no matter how strong.

The final step was the most dangerous. Elemental integration.

I channeled mana into my hands, then slowly dripped the high-voltage silver liquid from the Zephyr’s Silver Core precisely onto the arrowheads. Blue electricity immediately crackled wildly across my work table. The air inside the shop’s back room instantly smelled of extremely sharp ozone, exactly like the air of the Windhowl Peaks highlands during a storm.

It required god-tier focus and an INT status above 40 points to stabilize this colliding flow of mana. I used my wind element to seal the lightning energy inside the beak blades, creating perfect resonance.

When the sealing process was complete for all twelve arrows, a dazzling purple light explosion burst inside the room, forcing my eyes to narrow behind my stone mask.

Ding!

[System: Warning! You have created Epic Ammunition! Alchemy and Woodworking Profession Levels have increased significantly!]

I swallowed, hurriedly checking the statistics of the twelve arrows that now floated silently above my table, radiating a dim yet deadly blue lightning aura.

[Zephyr’s Judgment Arrow x12 – Rarity: Epic]

Masterpiece ammunition forged from the pure essence of the Storm Ruler. Can only be fired by a bow with extremely high tension (Heavy Draw).

Base Damage: 450 Physical Damage / 600 Lightning Damage.

Special Effect 1 (Storm Piercer): Ignores 50% of the enemy’s Defense. The arrow’s trajectory cannot be deflected by wind or aerial defense magic.

Special Effect 2 (Judgement Chain): Upon hitting the target, it releases a chain lightning explosion (Chain Lightning) that strikes up to 5 other targets within a 15-meter radius, each receiving 300 Lightning Damage.

Crafted by: [Syl].

I slumped weakly into my work chair. The static damage numbers were truly insane. 450 Physical plus 600 Lightning. And that did not even account for the damage multipliers from my Power Shot, Vital Shot, and Piercing Gale Arrow combo! If I fired this using the Titan’s Ironbark Longbow, the total damage had the potential to break into the tens of thousands in a single shot!

This was no longer an arrow. This was a mini nuclear projectile.

I stored the twelve Zephyr’s Judgment Arrows into a special quiver on my back with the carefulness of handling thin glass. I would not use them for ordinary level grinding. This was an absolute trump card.

With the Gargoyle’s Visage disguise covering my face, and the god-tier weapons safely stored on my back and thigh, I felt truly ready to face whatever Second World Online had to offer.

I opened the back door of my shop that led directly to a small alley near the river flow, away from the crowd of players in front. It was time to seek a new battlefield, a place where a nameless hunter could test the judgment of the storm without holding back.