Mejir gritted his teeth.
Even though he felt like his body was close to its limit, he still didn't stop to rest.
Despite being born into a noble family, that didn't mean his journey to power was going to be easy.
In fact, being part of a great noble house meant one thing—ruthless competition.
To stand out among the many scions of the family, Mejir had to fight tooth and nail, constantly proving his worth.
Fortunately, he had recently earned the recognition of the family elders.
And if he kept this up—if he just pushed a little harder—it was only a matter of time before he would stomp Daniel beneath his feet.
That thought brought a surge of pride through his veins, and Mejir allowed himself a fleeting fantasy of future glory...
Until suddenly—
A system notification appeared in the sky, etched in radiant golden letters.
[Congratulations to Human: Daniel for achieving the World First Kill! Target Boss: Stoneback Colossus]
[Congratulations to Human: Daniel for setting a new World First Kill record! Time: 2 hours, 1 minute, 3 seconds]
...
What?!
Mejir's mind went completely blank.
—
Whitewild Expanse, Primordial Land.
As the towering [Stoneback Colossus] finally crashed to the ground, Daniel exhaled deeply.
"Phew…"
"It's just a World Rank boss… Who would've thought it would be this much of a roller coaster?"
"Still, despite the twists and turns, I managed to finish the job safely."
"Although I have to admit, that 400,000 HP nearly wasn't enough!"
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Daniel sat down heavily on a nearby boulder, finally allowing himself a moment of rest.
He glanced over at the massive corpse of the [Stoneback Colossus] lying beside him, and then instinctively looked up toward the sky.
The crimson Blood Moon still hung high above, appearing calm and unassuming—like any ordinary moon.
But Daniel knew better.
He understood very clearly that the so-called "moon" above him was no celestial body, but rather an unspeakably terrifying being—something beyond human comprehension.
Today's battle was like dancing on a tightrope strung between life and death.
And yet, as the saying goes: the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
With the death of the [Stoneback Colossus], Daniel received an instant bonus of 100,000 HP, granted by the mysterious blessing of [Ode to Life].
But even that was just an appetizer.
What truly drew his gaze now was the gigantic treasure chest that had appeared before him—as large as a mountain.
"Holy crap…"
A chest the size of a mountain—who had ever seen such a thing?
Normally, a World Rank boss of this level would be defeated by a massive strike force, with hundreds of elite adventurers dividing the spoils.
Even with hundreds of participants, the value of the loot inside would still ensure a substantial reward for every single one of them.
But this time?
Daniel had soloed the boss.
What did that mean?
It meant that he alone would receive all the rewards—the loot that was originally meant for an entire raid party.
And that wasn't all.
A World First Kill significantly boosted loot probabilities, meaning the items inside this chest would be worth a fortune—maybe even enough to shake an entire nation.
Normally people joked about gambling: "Bet big and ride the wind—maybe your bicycle becomes a motorcycle."
But Daniel?
This wasn't just a bicycle turning into a motorcycle.
It was a bicycle turning into a Lamborghini. A Rolls Royce. A goddamn Type 99A main battle tank!
"Damn… I struck gold. Totally worth almost dying for."
He grinned to himself, still panting slightly.
It was only now that he noticed the notification floating in the sky.
Daniel raised an eyebrow, then gave a faint smile of understanding.
It was clear—his name and record had been engraved by supreme power, announced for the entire world to see.
Not just to humanity, either.
Even the other races—the Myriad Races—and perhaps even the legendary Highborn Races dwelling beyond the world, would see this announcement!
And right at that moment, the entire Human Realm exploded into a frenzy.
All the major news outlets and media agencies were scrambling, their reporters rushing toward the Royal Academy of the Tin-Silver Empire like a tidal wave.
"We need an interview—get me a live interview with Lord Daniel!"
"Wait, isn't Lord Daniel still in the Primordial Land? We can't reach him!"
"You idiot, if we can't reach Daniel, we can still interview Principal Owen!"
"And don't forget all the professors and mentors who raised him! Don't tell me our readers aren't dying to know about Daniel's journey!"
"From a fallen prince, cast out by his own family… to someone born with an F-rank trash talent… and now he's broken fate and set a world record. Are you kidding me? That's the stuff of legends!"
"No kidding—I almost shouted, 'Don't look down on the poor youth!' right then and there!"
"Hold on, aren't you guys missing something? Usually, World Rank bosses are taken down by named strike teams. So why, in this announcement, is it just Daniel's name?"
"That's obvious. He must've named his party 'Daniel' or something."
"But where would he even get the power to assemble a team capable of defeating a World Rank boss in record time?"
"You make a good point. Not even the royal family of the Tin-Silver Empire could manage that…"
"Wait—do you think… do you think Daniel actually soloed the World Rank boss?"
"Get real! That's insane! Not even a demigod-level powerhouse could do that!"
But then... the crowd of reporters gradually fell silent.
They recalled something.
Daniel hadn't completed his Star Upgrade Quest yet—that much was known. If he had, it would have been major news.
And if he hadn't completed the quest, how did he even encounter a World Rank boss?
There was only one possibility—he must have entered the Primordial Land of the Whitewild Expanse.
And that place was only accessible to newly awakened adventurers of the current year.
Which meant…
There was no one else who could've been there.
No other Tier-3 adventurers were known to exist among the fresh batch of recruits.
That could only mean one thing:
Daniel really had soloed a World Rank boss.
Realization dawned—and with it, shock.
The reporters all turned to stare up at the sky and its glowing announcement, collectively sucking in a breath of disbelief.
"Lord Daniel… is truly… terrifying beyond reason!"
"How did he do it…?"
—
Dark Mountains, Aerial Tigerfolk Territory.
Hundreds of young Aerial Tigerfolk warriors were currently surrounding a World Rank boss—[Grand Gold Rat]—locked in intense combat.
Their luck had been good this year. The boss that spawned was one naturally countered by their racial traits.
If nothing went wrong, they were confident they could secure at least a regional first kill.
After all, each racial territory generated new portals once a year.
Behind these portals were underground labyrinths, with strict access conditions.
For instance, the Aerial Tigerfolk Labyrinth was completely inaccessible to humans.
Similarly, the Human Labyrinth was likely off-limits to most other races.
Back in their Primordial Land, these tigerfolk youths continued their fierce assault on [Grand Gold Rat].
But then, someone noticed the writing in the sky.
"Human race?"
"What the hell is going on?"