Silhouettes were moving out of the darkness, somewhere ahead.I realized that these were not the players.
Too smooth.Too... blurry.Shadows in a game where there shouldn't be shadows.
They were passing by. One of them stopped. He turned around.I wasn't breathing.
[You survived the encounter with the Fracture Watchers
Received: "Echo Fragment"
Recorded: You saw something that wasn't there. And now you won't forget.]
When dawn broke, the HUD returned.
A small cross appeared on the minimap.
Invisible on all guides. Invisible to other players.
The record has been added to the Character's Memory.
[ Location: Fractures
Event: Watching the Beholders
A new skill branch is available: Distorting Presence (not recommended) ]
When the sun rose over the Fractures, I went to the other side of the trail, to the gap between the hills. The lowlands of the Ayret suburb began here, where players of level 3-5 usually come.
I was level one.
Without weapons. Without armor. With one bonus — the memory of Shadows and the passive "Path deviation".
And it needed to be changed urgently.
[There is a marauder's camp on the horizon. Small, unofficial.Mobs are semi—intelligent NPCs, 2-3 levels.Behavior: aggressive, in packs.]
[Mopping Bonus: Low, but the chance of dropping a basic weapon.]
[Task: get the first gear]
I lay down in the tall grass.Three looters. One with an axe, two with slings.
Hitpoints of 80-120. I have 60.But I wasn't a warrior player. I was a furry scout that I created by accident. And it gave me something else.
Skill (beginner): "Keen Sense"
• Allows you to spot live targets 10 meters through obstacles.
Recovery time: 20 seconds
Consumption: 2 stamina
Everything around us seems to fade into gray noise, except for the figures in the grass, pulsing red.I came closer.
[Notification:
Combat mode is activated.
Music: hidden.
Passive effect: Adaptive Perception is activated.]
I grabbed a boulder that was lying on the ground and threw it at the person standing with my back, hitting him, but the effect was there.They looked around. They screamed. They ran.
It's started.
The first fight was messy, uncoordinated, and terribly intense. I didn't know the combinations, my claws (natural, like an animal's) dealt minimal damage. I was tumbling, getting hit, falling.
But one moment changed everything.
• Skill gained: "Beast Dash"
Your form allows you to make a short jump at the enemy Damage: low, but increases the chance of a critical hit in the next attack.
Recovery time: 15 seconds
I jumped. Claws into the marauder's face.
+18 damage (critical hit!)
He fell.The slingers wavered. One ran away. The other one didn't make it.
[Victory!
🔹 Gained XP: 60
🔹 New level: 2
Loot: Rusty Sling (ranged weapon)
Rough Leather Cape (+2 armor)
2 Silver Tokens
And most importantly, The combat skills of the class have been unlocked: Hybrid (Exploration/Dodger) ]
Choose one:
— [Shadow Strike] is a surprise attack with a bonus
— [Dash to prey] — short sprint with repulsion
— [Sniff danger] — passive: warning of ambushes
I chose "Shadow Punch". Why? Because I wasn't going to play "tank" or "magician". My goal is to be the one who is not seen before it is too late.
I dusted off my paws. Get up.
A system dialog appeared from behind.
You shouldn't be here at this level. The game does not guarantee balance.
Continue?
I chuckled.
— Of course, to continue.
The city of Ayret greeted me loudly.There are too many novice players, traders, pvp players standing at the gates like eternally hungry wolves.
And, of course, the NPCs are salesmen, trainers, and guild masters, whom most didn't even listen to. They pressed the skips and ran to the farm areas.
And I walked slowly.My claws were dirty. Armor is a piece of skin covering the shoulder. The sling is rusty, but already native.
I was [level 2], but I had already killed. And now I had to train a skill.
[Skill: Shadow Strike (Level 1)
Type: Active
Description: Deals +25% damage if applied outside the target's field of view
Cost: 3 energy
Rollback: 20 seconds
Accuracy: reduced
Status: Unexplored
Upgrade condition to level 2:
Successfully apply
at least 1 successful critical finishing blow 10 times to real opponents
Get trained by the Shadowmaster (NPC in Ayret) ]
I opened the map—the "Martial Arts Intelligence" trainer, an old man named Rel-Tan. An NPC is rare, in an alley, with the phrase,
"You're not learning. You're just repeating yourself."
I found him.
—What do you want, Furry? — He muttered, without looking up.
— Learn how to hit so that they don't get up.
— Ha! Well, try it. Here's a clay bone for you. Hit it until it cracks. Without abilities. Just the skill.
— This is…
— Lesson 1: Your abilities are weaker than your head.
[Side task started: "Bone Test"
Objective: Use Shadow Strike 10 times on a stationary target, changing position before each strike.
Restrictions: You cannot use other skills.
Reward: unlocking the "Silent position change" technique (passive)
Current progress: 0/10]
I worked.The game didn't just measure the number of button clicks.Every time I changed the angle of approach, the system recorded the angle of attack, range of movement, and stealth.
It wasn't until the seventh stroke that I felt like I was heading in the right direction.
[The hidden parameter "smoothness of movement" has been increased to D]
Skill Progress: 7/10
When the last crack appeared on the bone, Reltan stood up and clapped his hands.
—You got it. Not force. Moment.
[Received: Passive skill Silent Position Change (Level 1)
Reduces noise during movement by 15%.Increases stealth while using active skills for 1 second. Improvement: requires training in real-world situations
Shadow Strike skill raised to 2 levels!
Damage Bonus: +35%
Rollback: -2 sec
Crit. Chance: +10% if the target is on alert
The potential for synergy with the "Jerk of the Beast" has been discovered. ]
The skill system in Eidolon Online did not just require XP leveling, it forced you to understand the mechanics.
The game is not about "grind", but about awareness and adaptation.
I came out of the alley.Now my task is to test new skills in battle.
Task: Find a quest to clear the smuggling lair in the lower port
— Recommended level: 3-4
— Rewards: silver, chance for a unique dagger
— Feature: combat in a room with poor lighting (perfect!)
And yes — it wasn't the main chain. It was a side event for the thieves' guilds, where I hadn't been invited yet. But I was already moving towards a place where the game wasn't expecting me.
—You're definitely not one of those people who calls the crowd to every fight. — Reltan said, tossing a bundle of maps into my paws.
— I'm not a team player. For now.
—Not a commanding one... — He chuckled.
—Then here you go. This is for a single person. Unofficially. Even for me.
[Quest received: "The Fate of the Pied Piper" (unique side)
Level: 3-5
The goal: to find the entrance to the old sewer node under the northern warehouses
Conditions: do not use group/clan support
Reward: unknown
Note: high activity of abnormal mobs
Attention: contact with the Ent fragment is possible ]
On the way to the northern warehouses, I tested my upgraded skills.Now the "Shadow Punch" wasn't just hitting—it was breaking the rhythm of the fight.
If before I was a fluffy whipping bag, now I'm an invisible one that bites from behind and disappears.
[Activated "Silent position change"
Strike — +32 damage (in the back)
Dash — run between boxes
Sling to the head — +14 damage
Repeat ]
The enemy didn't even have time to give the command to others. It became a tactical hunt.
In the warehouse, I found a closed hatch with dark markings, a sign used by ancient smuggling guilds.
The quest item, a broken rat figurine, responded in a low whisper.
[ You managed to open a hidden access to an abandoned node: L-8 "Labyrinth of the First" ]