At the stroke of the hour, the leaderboard refreshed—and all eyes were on it.
The Druid God had reclaid the top spot, drawing attention across the server. It was clear that today’s level rankings were going to be a major focus.
Not long after clearing the battlefield, Ethan’s private ssages started pouring in.
Skyblade: Boss, where are you grinding? Bring with you!
Slashblade: Ethan, check the official website.
SeraphWarrior: Boss, you’re just too much.
Tears of the Fallen: Boss, intel says Overlord’s calling a guild leaders’ eting. Looks like they’re targeting us.
Moonbeam: Ethie... did you take your ds?
Ethan let out a laugh, scrolling through the ssages. Lyla’s stood out the most—did I take my ds? What the hell did she an by that?
---
Celia had sent a more urgent ssage.
’Zachary, that bastard, is making a move?’
Curious, Ethan opened the official forums like Slashblade suggested. A large, blazing red icon marked the most viewed thread. The title sent a chill down his spine:
[Final Words] Accusing ’NotADruid’ of Sleeping with My Girlfriend In-Ga—I’ve Slaughtered Her Entire Family!
Poster: FleetingYouth
Ethan’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes sharpened as he opened the post.
The content was brutal.
There were photos—graphic, disturbing. Two elderly people, a woman, and a child. All dead. All murdered. Multiple stab wounds. No effort to blur or censor.
Beneath the images was a video. A recorded confession from FleetingYouth himself.
---
In the video, he calmly unraveled his story.
As a child, he was born with a defect. His parents abandoned him at birth. He grew up in an orphanage, unwanted and unloved. He watched other children get adopted, one by one, while he remained behind. The bitterness festered.
As an adult, he tracked down his biological parents and faked a gas inspection. He caused an explosion that killed them—along with his younger brother and sister. Authorities ruled it an accident.
Years passed. He t his girlfriend and married into her family, becoming a live-in son-in-law. But behind closed doors, he endured humiliation and abuse daily.
Then ca the breaking point.
He discovered she was having an affair in-ga—with NotADruid, the world’s top-ranked player. The Druid God. Ethan.
The video cut to a sobbing woman tied to a chair. Terrified, she admitted to the affair herself, naming NotADruid.
Back to FleetingYouth.
"I’ve slaughtered her entire family—including her. By the ti you see this video, I’ll be dead too.
I want to accuse NotADruid! And warn all Renegade Alliance mbers—especially the won—stay away from him.
I was once part of Renegade Alliance. I’m ashad to have been part of it.
His real na is Ethan. He lives in Harmony City, XX region, XX villa."
Then, he held up a triangular dagger. Without hesitation, he plunged it into his chest.
Blood burst forth.
His eyes widened, full of panic and disbelief. He pulled out the blade, blood spraying everywhere. Glancing once more at the weapon in his hand, he reached toward the cara—trying to grab sothing. Then he swayed and fell.
He died with eyes wide open, as if sothing completely unexpected had just happened.
---
Ethan blinked, stunned by what he had just seen. How had such graphic content even been allowed online?
He refreshed the page. The images and video were now pixelated, censored by the system. But oddly, the post itself remained up.
And what a ridiculous accusation.
Ethan’s lips curled in disdain. That scrawny, rat-faced FleetingYouth—a live-in son-in-law? He didn’t even look employable. What woman would marry him?
There had to be more to the story. Maybe the kid wasn’t even his. Maybe the woman was just using him. Ethan’s mind wandered.
Even when being slandered so severely, his thoughts still zeroed in on how pathetic FleetingYouth must’ve been. Most people in his place would’ve been scrambling to clear their na.
But Ethan remained calm.
Beast. That’s what FleetingYouth was.
He killed his own parents, his siblings, then his in-laws and wife. Yet his dying expression wasn’t hatred or satisfaction—it was shock. Like the knife had betrayed him. Like he didn’t expect it to hurt that way. Like he was expecting sothing else to happen.
What was he trying to grab? What was behind that cara?
---
Ethan opened the world chat.
The entire Ethereal world was talking about it. His teoric level climb was completely buried by this new scandal.
In the guild chat, chaos erupted.
A few voices even had the nerve to demand an explanation—accusing Ethan directly.
His gaze turned ice-cold. Just then, Celia ssaged him again.
Tears of the Fallen: Boss, you saw the post, right?
Tears of the Fallen: What now?
She didn’t doubt him. Not for a second.
Before the system censored the images, she had already seen the woman in question. Plain-looking. Nowhere near as attractive as Lyla.
With soone like Lyla around, why would Ethan ever stoop so low? Those who truly knew him would never believe this crap.
But others?
They weren’t so discerning. The extremity of FleetingYouth’s actions gave the illusion of truth. Why would soone go that far if it wasn’t real?
That night, the forums stayed hot.
In Renegade Alliance, discussions exploded.
Ethan gave Celia a simple order: record the nas of everyone stirring the pot.
Then, like nothing had happened, he returned to the second level of the General’s Tomb. He rounded up over a hundred Corpse Guards and leapt onto a stone pillar.
"Kid," a voice called. "You’re really not going to deal with this?"
It was Morzan— in his summoned avatar—watching him resu grinding.
"The truth speaks for itself," Ethan said, casting spells as he spoke. "FleetingYouth’s the one who killed. Not . What does that have to do with ?"
"But he’s slandering you..." Morzan muttered, pouting.
"Heh." Ethan gave a half-hearted laugh and ignored him.
Morzan narrowed his eyes. ’He’s not as calm as he looks,’ he thought.
But he was wrong.
Ethan felt no anger. No distress. Why waste emotions on a lunatic? Instead, he was thinking about sothing else—who was behind all this?
Why did this scandal erupt the mont he reclaid the top spot on the leaderboard?
There had to be soone else involved. Soone pulling strings behind the scenes.
That dying look in FleetingYouth’s eyes—he wasn’t looking at the cara. He was looking past it. Like there was soone else there. Soone he hadn’t expected. Soone who betrayed him.
Was the knife swapped? Was he forced into it? Or did he make a deal with soone?
That person knew Ethan’s na. His address. If Ethan hadn’t moved into the Whitmore family’s hidden territory, the dia would’ve sward his old place by morning.
He couldn’t return to the real world now. Who hated him that much?
Only one na ca to mind—Zachary. If not him... then who?
The hatred Ethan had carried through two lives was beginning to stir.
---
Across the city, Zachary was browsing the sa post, a sly smile tugging at his lips. Fingers pinching his chin, he watched the storm unfold.
"Ethan... just who did you piss off?"
It didn’t matter.
This incident was a gift. It suppressed Ethan’s montum beautifully. Maybe even crippled him.
Now was the ti to act.
He began activating his agents planted within Renegade Alliance. They would amplify the rumors.
Font dissent.
And once Ethan’s guild was shaken to its core—he’d mobilize all allied guilds to strike. If everything went to plan, Renegade Alliance would collapse.
And Ethan, even as the world’s top-ranked player, would be left standing alone.
Zachary’s eyes glead.
He opened his chat window and began issuing orders one by one. Once done, he leaned back, a pleased smirk on his face.
User Comments
0 comments from readers