The system notification pulsed softly before their eyes:
> [CONGRATULATIONS – SOVEREIGN'S TRIAL CLEARED] [FIRST CLEAR – WORLD ANNOUNCENT] [ACHIEVENTS UNLOCKED]
The words hovered in golden light above the broken corpse of the golem. The molten rivers dimd, cooling into black rock as silence wrapped the arena like a warm blanket.
Jack exhaled, rolling his shoulders with a crack. Sparks of black lightning flickered across his skin, slowly fading as his buff tirs ticked down.
"That was clean," he muttered with a lazy grin.
Arianna groaned softly, sitting cross-legged on the cracked stone floor. Her staff lay across her lap, its runes still glowing faintly from overuse. "Clean? I'm pretty sure I died inside… like three tis."
Elanor stood in the fading heat haze, fists unclenched now. He tilted his head back, closing his golden eyes as if soaking in so unseen warmth. Jason sheathed his dagger with a quiet click, brushing nonexistent dust from his sleek black robes. Erren pressed her fingers to her temples, mumbling silent prayers of gratitude to the system gods for keeping her alive.
Kieran remained silent.
His violet eyes traced the fractured furnace core, watching as tiny embers drifted upward like dying fireflies. The battle's rhythm still thrumd in his veins, each beat echoing with the mory of his final thrust.
For a mont, he allowed himself to breathe. To simply exist in that silence.
Then the world erupted.
—
Global Chat – Eclipse Online
> [SYSTEM ANNOUNCENT: Party [JACK – ARIANNA – ELANOR – JASON – ERREN – KIERAN] has cleared the Sovereign's Trial (First Clear). Rewards granted. Titles unlocked. Uploading achievent to global rankings.]
The announcent exploded across the world chat, filling the feed with flashing banners. Thousands of players paused mid-grind, mid-PvP, mid-trade to gape at the notification.
[WORLD CHAT]
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [WhiteLotus]: Holy shit… FIRST CLEAR?? Who the hell are these guys??
[Yuuto]: Wait… JACK? That's the lightning guy. Arianna's there too. Elanor?! What the actual fuck.
[VoidSlayer]: Bro… they had Kieran in the party?? That dude's already world rank six!
[Saeko]: I fought Elanor in the arena once… He broke my shield in one punch. Just one.
[Kazaki]: Arianna's heals are literally broken. She doesn't even run out of mana.
[Zero]: Kieran's the crazy one. He was already strong before but teaming with them? He'll be unstoppable now. ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
The chats continued to flood with praises, curses, jealousy, and excitent. News outlets that specialized in gaming updates imdiately pushed live headlines:
[BREAKING – SOVEREIGN'S TRIAL CLEARED] [THE LEGENDARY PARTY OF SIX – WHO ARE THEY REALLY?] [ECLIPSE ONLINE ENTERS NEW ERA AFTER FIRST CLEAR]
—
Return to Crossroad Plains
Light swallowed them as the system teleported the party out of the Trial's inner sanctum. In a heartbeat, the suffocating heat and molten gloom were replaced by the golden fields of the Crossroad Plains.
A gentle breeze ruffled the tall grass, carrying the scent of fresh earth and blooming flowers. The horizon glowed orange under the setting sun, long shadows stretching across the plains.
They appeared on a high ridge overlooking the main settlent. The distant town bustled with players and NPCs alike, unaware of the monsters who stood above them.
Jack raised his arms high and stretched, back cracking audibly. "God… I could sleep for a week."
Arianna bounced on her toes, energy returning to her voice. "No way! We need to check the loot! The titles! Oh my god, imagine the passive buffs if it's a Sovereign Title—"
"Calm down," Jason said quietly, though his lips twitched at her excitent. He opened his interface, scrolling through their rewards.
Elanor tilted his head, golden eyes scanning his new notifications. His expression remained impassive, but a faint spark of satisfaction flickered across his gaze.
Erren sat down in the grass, exhaling deeply as she flicked through her buff tirs and cooldown resets. "Ugh… That was insane. Worth it though."
Kieran stood a little apart from the group, staring down at the town below.
His interface flickered softly with the new title notification:
> [Sovereign Slayer] [Passive Buff – 20% Damage to Bosses. 20% Resistance to AoE Damage. 10% Experience Gain.]
He closed the window.
The others were still chattering, voices overlapping with excitent and fatigue.
"That last phase was ridiculous."
"Did you see Jack's final move? It wiped half its HP."
"Your heal saved , Arianna."
"I thought we were dead when it went berserk."
Their words blended into a quiet hum behind him.
Kieran's eyes narrowed as he watched the players in the town running about their daily routines. Crafting, farming mobs, trading gear, spamming emotes in the streets.
They didn't know.
They didn't know what was coming.
In his first life, clearing the Sovereign's Trial had been the milestone that marked the true beginning. The turning point when Eclipse Online shifted from being a ga… to becoming reality.
But this ti… things were different.
He glanced back at his party.
Jack, leaning on his sword with lazy confidence, lightning still sparking faintly around his wrists.
Arianna, spinning her staff with childlike joy, her silver ponytail gleaming in the sunset.
Elanor, silent and strong, golden eyes half-lidded with calm disinterest.
Jason, cleaning his dagger with quiet precision, every movent efficient and deliberate.
Erren, leaning back in the grass, eyes closed as she absorbed the last warmth of daylight.
Variables.
Monsters.
Allies.
He didn't know what they were to him yet. But for the first ti since he regressed… he didn't feel alone.
—
Party Chat
> [Jack]: Alright geniuses, what's the plan? [Arianna]: Loooooot check first! I wanna see if we got any drops for my build. [Elanor]: [Thumbs up emoji] [Erren]: Food. Real food. Then loot. [Jason]: Agreed. [Jack]: Kieran? [Kieran]: …Whatever you want.
Jack smirked at the quiet reply. He closed the chat window and called out aloud, "Alright, let's go redeem our rewards at the settlent. Drinks are on Arianna."
"HEY!" she protested instantly, stomping her foot. "Why ?!"
"Because you're rich," Jack replied simply, already walking down the ridge.
She puffed out her cheeks. "That's not fair…!"
Jason followed silently, sliding his dagger back into its sheath. Elanor strode after them, hands in his pockets, golden eyes half-lidded. Erren groaned but pushed herself to her feet, trailing behind with weary determination.
Kieran lingered for a mont longer, staring at the glowing towers of the Sovereign's Trial that rose behind them like ancient sentinels.
He exhaled and wait for what the future has in store for them.
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