Madman froze, his mind going blank. After hundreds of failed attempts, he had finally succeeded!
"You have obtained an Epic Rank Soul Seal!"
Madman's brain stalled. A Soul Seal?
"Holy crap, this is huge! I pulled out a treasure!" he shouted, holding up what looked like a grotesque, severed finger.
"This is ridiculous…" Orson was just as stunned. A boss could actually drop a Soul Seal?
And not just any Soul Seal—an Epic Rank Human Soul Seal, comparable to the one Female Dorm God used?
Madman eagerly shared the stats in the guild chat.
[Ancient Finger of the God of Thieves]
Passive Skill 1: Gain +50 poison damage per second for each boss you help defeat. (Beginner mastery: 0/3000)
Gods' Commentary: "Poisoning? Rebellion will not be tolerated!"
Passive Skill 2: When failing to pick locks, steal, or apply poison, your next attempt has double the success rate. (Beginner mastery: 0/1000)
Gods' Commentary: "I despise human thieves!"
Both Orson and Madman stood motionless, processing the absurdity of the item.
The gods seemed to harbor a deep grudge against thieves, and this Soul Seal reeked of petty spite. Still, it had undeniable synergy with Madman's rogue class.
"I won't lie—this thing is shady, vile, and downright sleazy. It's perfect for you!" Orson declared with mock seriousness.
Madman groaned. "I hate that you're right."
"Master Thief with a God of Thieves Soul Seal? This is like giving a battleship a railgun!" Orson mused, shaking his head in amazement.
The poison effect was particularly frightening. If Madman could kill thousands of bosses, his poison damage alone would become game-breaking. But finding so many bosses to farm would be no easy task.
"So… I can keep it?" Madman asked sheepishly, scratching his head.
"What do you think?" Orson replied with a smirk.
Relieved, Madman grinned and immediately equipped the Soul Seal. "You're a real brother, Orson!"
Madman knew how rare such an item was. In any other guild, it would spark heated arguments over ownership or even cause friendships to collapse. Orson's generosity spoke volumes about his character.
"Why are you still standing there? Keep going!" Orson urged.
"Yes, sir! Today, I'm not stopping until I steal her whole wardrobe!" Madman replied enthusiastically.
As the hours ticked by, the duo remained hard at work while the rest of the guild logged off to rest.
"Ding… Steal failed."
"Ding… Steal failed."
Even with the Soul Seal doubling his chances, the success rate remained abysmal.
By the tenth hour, both Orson and Madman were exhausted—not physically, but mentally drained.
"You won't succeed! Petty thieves!"
"My name is eternal under the Empire's skies… I am the first archer of the Empire!"
Skyfeather occasionally interrupted their efforts with haughty insults. Her armor was now in tatters, revealing glimpses of her pristine white skin, but the two had no interest in her appearance. All they wanted was to squeeze out every bit of loot she had left.
"You two are still fooling around up there?" Bradley chimed in, returning from a quest with some guild members.
"Shut up!!" Madman snapped, visibly irritated. Hours of pickpocketing had yielded some gold, but the coveted Magic Eye Refract remained elusive.
"One more hour," Madman muttered through gritted teeth. "I'll comb through her pockets if I have to!"
"Let's wrap it up soon," Orson said, growing impatient. The ongoing effort felt like a waste of time, and the upcoming auction had guild leaders flooding his inbox with inquiries.
"Five more minutes. If nothing drops, I'll kill her," Orson decided, his tone icy.
Madman, exasperated, shouted, "Fine! One last chance for her to confess!"
"Last try! If she doesn't give me that mirror, I'll yank it out myself!" Madman was losing it, fully consumed by desperation. He reached in one final time.
"Ding… Steal successful!"
A pair of mirrored earrings appeared in Madman's hand.
"Holy crap! Finally!" he screamed, ecstatic as he waved the earrings around like a trophy.
Orson, equally astonished, praised him. "You actually pulled it off. Impressive!"
"Level 25 Anti-Magic accessories. Worth a billion gold, at least!" Madman boasted, though he didn't even bother checking the stats. Instead, he sent the earrings straight to Orson's inbox.
"You will suffer for this! Prepare to face the wrath of the Emperor!" Skyfeather roared, her soul flames flickering violently as tears streamed down her translucent face.
Madman hesitated for a moment, feeling a pang of guilt. Then, as if to comfort her, he patted her on the shoulder. "Aw, don't cry. Got anything else to share, big sister?"
Ignoring the exchange, Orson opened his mailbox to inspect the loot.
[The Emperor's Token of Affection]
Magic Eye Lock-On: Enables sight beyond normal range by projecting targets into a mirror. Grants attack lock-on for 2 minutes. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Effect 2: Mirror Traverse: Uses two Magic Eyes to create a spatial network, reducing projectile travel distance by fivefold. Lasts 2 minutes. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Effect 3: Dragon Slayer: Increases damage against dragon-blooded units by 100%. (Passive)
"It doesn't boost base stats, but the effects are ridiculously powerful," Orson muttered, awed by the earrings' capabilities.
He had assumed Magic Eye Refract was a single skill. It turned out to be two separate abilities, which Skyfeather had used in tandem to devastating effect.
Now grinning ear to ear, Orson equipped the earrings. As a man who prided himself on his long range, his only gripe had been his poor accuracy. These earrings solved that problem entirely.
The Dragon Slayer passive, which doubled his damage against dragon-blooded enemies, was the cherry on top—a glimmer of hope for taking down the dragons that plagued his future plans.
"You will be cursed by the entire Light Dragon Empire! Countless spirits of fallen knights will hunt you for eternity!" Skyfeather cried in anger.
"Thanks for the gift," Orson replied, rolling his eyes at her melodramatic threats.
This boss had nearly killed his precious Lizard King, and he wasn't about to feel sorry for her.
"Guess that's all she had to offer." Madman slumped to the ground, completely spent, and entered what he jokingly called "Sage Mode."
Orson, eager to test the earrings, summoned two Magic Eyes and fired a Flame Dragon. The spell disappeared into one eye and reappeared near the white tower, its speed vastly improved.
Skyfeather's remaining HP was obliterated.
Defeating a Domain Master boss usually meant a treasure trove of loot, but Skyfeather's remains exploded with only a few pitiful coins.
"How many times did you pickpocket her? Did you have to fleece her this hard?" Orson asked, exasperated.
Madman grinned sheepishly. "Not much, not much… just a few dozen gold coins. And, uh, some knickknacks."
The so-called "knickknacks" were clearly valuable, judging by how tightly Madman guarded them.
"You have obtained control of the Watchtower."
"Celestial Fortress progress: 1/6."
"Godslayer Guild has upgraded from E-rank to D-rank. Member capacity increased."
"Spend 5,000 gold and 50,000 prestige to repair the Watchtower? This will unlock a special skill."
"Choose to repair?" the system prompted.