"You've discovered Dark Dragon Empire—Lerzb Port!"
A ghostly blue Demon Moon hung high in the sky, casting eerie blue mist across the endless sea below.
Orson stood atop Crimson Lizard King, looking down. A vast forest obscured his view, and he couldn't find any sign of native life. But the light pulses flashing on his mini-map indicated that this was indeed the place where Gaedashiram once lived.
A dark, massive shape fell to the ground. Orson dismissed Crimson Lizard King and decided to proceed on foot to explore.
The shadows of the trees flickered in the mist. Orson raised his finger, manipulating the fire element to light his path. The illumination barely reached ten meters in front of him.
"This should be the place," Orson muttered to himself as he crouched down and picked up a broken piece of clay tile. The area had long been in ruins, but the remnants indicated that a small village once stood here.
"Anyone here? Players, or NPCs?"
Orson suddenly froze. He turned his head and noticed flickering firelight deep within the forest, accompanied by the faint sounds of voices.
"Just one more step, we're so close to success. Let's keep going, together we will create glory!"
"Stop talking! I sold everything I had—1000 gold coins—to buy this incomplete ancient map. I really want to bury you right now!"
"Shut up! If those bastards from Dragon's Kiss Guild or the orcs find us, we'll have to run the whole map again."
…
"Players?" Orson blinked in surprise.
This area lay between the Light Dragon Empire and the Dark Dragon Empire.
Once, a vast Orc Empire had thrived here, only to be wiped out by the God-Emperor and The Divine Legion. But the orc menace still lingered. Orson had already been attacked by orcs several times on his way here.
When the orcs saw the ancient demonic shadow, these intelligent beasts immediately fled.
Seeing players here, Orson couldn't help but admire their bravery—daring to venture so far from the Light Dragon Empire. From the brief conversation, it seemed they had even clashed with Dragon's Kiss Guild, which piqued Orson's interest.
Raven: "Sigh, we've strayed too far off the main quest. Captain, I suggest we head back and grind the dungeon. That's the right thing to do."
Divine Slash: "Shut up! We're not monsters like you. Sure, grinding monsters is important, but treasure hunting is just as crucial!"
The six-member team, led by the shoulder-slashing Divine Slash, was steadily approaching. Orson squinted and froze. "This archer's level is so high!"
A 38-level archer caught Orson's attention. Despite the high level, the equipment was very basic—just a set of blue gear. The archer's level was at least six higher than the others, which was surprising. Many guild experts at this stage didn't have such a high level.
Only one person in Orson's memory could have reached such a high level with such trash equipment.
A Super Grinder! — Basic Attack Archer Raven!
Raven had once led a team through a 50-level elite dungeon, and his record was an exhausting ten days and nights of non-stop grinding. He'd gone through over a dozen sets of teammates, but Raven kept grinding without rest.
Bradley had even suspected that Raven had two sets of livers inside him! How else could he stay so focused for so long?
Even more remarkable, Raven hardly ever used skills—just basic attacks. Rumor had it that the blue potions he saved were enough to buy a mansion!
Orson and Raven had a good relationship, often discussing dungeon strategies together. Sadly, things had changed after the hardcore apocalypse event began. Raven was poached by a new guild, becoming an irreplaceable core member, while Orson became more of an archaeologist…
Luna Frost: "Don't speak, there's movement in the forest!"
Without warning, Luna Frost raised her knight's shield, and with a loud clang, the impact nearly knocked her off her feet. A stone the size of a human head exploded against her shield.
"Wild Gale!"
Captain Divine Slash swung his sword fiercely, smashing through the incoming rocks one after another.
Divine Slash: "Damn it! What's with all these orcs?!"
The trees were violently shattered as over ten orc warriors, each around 2.5 meters tall and clad in black-blue armor, charged out with battle cries.
[Blood Axe Orc Warrior: Level 40]
Elite Creature
HP: 800,000
Attack: 2500
Skills: Wild Gale Battle Cry, Multi-Crit, Blood Frenzy
[Blood Axe Orc Thrower: Level 40]
Elite Creature
…
"These orcs are way stronger than half-orcs," Orson thought, raising an eyebrow. The orcs, though similar to demons, were humanoid creatures with a surprising level of discipline. They coordinated well, making them much harder to deal with than typical elite demons.
The front line was made up of tanky orc warriors, while the backline consisted of throwers, making it a slaughter for any player team not up to snuff.
Bang!
"Damn it!"
Luna Frost, at the front, was slashed repeatedly by the orc warriors, knocked to the ground with no chance to apply taunt or damage reduction.
In a critical moment, Raven raised his hand, firing two basic attacks in quick succession. The orc warrior screamed in agony as the arrows pierced its eyes.
Precise Shot!
Critical Strike -5000!
Weak Spot Hit -20,000!
Blinding!
The two arrows lodged in the orc warrior's eye sockets, giving Divine Slash the chance to strike.
With a flash of fighting aura, Divine Slash used Sword and Shield Strike to push the orc warrior back and quickly drew aggro from two more.
Raven's precise basic attacks drew exclamations from the team: "WTF!"
"Always so stingy…" Orson sighed, three black lines appearing on his forehead. He wasn't at all surprised by Raven's accuracy. Even when his teammates were in danger, Raven refused to use the enchanted arrows that needed silver to buy.
It was no wonder his stinginess was legendary.
"Sweep of the Battlefield!"
Luna Frost quickly regained her footing, her armor glowing white as she drew the aggro of the surrounding orcs. At the same time, the team's rogue infiltrated the backline, using poison darts to draw the throwers' attention.
The rogue dodged the massive rocks thrown by the orcs, disappearing into the shadows and using his stealth skill to keep attacking the throwers from behind, disrupting their long-range casting.
On the other side, Raven kept landing precise shots, each arrow striking the orc warriors' heads, stabilizing the situation with his perfect coordination with his teammates.
Suddenly, a group of twenty players emerged from the forest.
These players were different. The overhead light markers above their heads were a sinister black. Their gear was top-tier, and the leader, a 35-level player holding a battle axe, wore a 30-level hero set and had impressive battle stats.
Dragon's Kiss Guild Cloudwave: "Are you still hanging around, you damn explorers?"
Luna Frost: "Damn it, it's Dragon's Kiss Guild!" she gasped.
Raven narrowed his eyes. He gathered his focus and fired five arrows in quick succession.
Cloudwave sneered, raising his battle axe, and behind him, more orc warriors charged forward, taking Raven's attacks head-on.
More orc warriors broke through the trees and surrounded Raven and his team from the rear.
"What the hell? They can command these orcs?"
The team was in shock, with Divine Slash's face turning pale. "What the hell did we do to deserve this?!"
"If you want to scavenge, go back to the Light Dragon Empire's capital. You dare come here and make trouble? You'll die!" a Dragon's Kiss Guild knight sneered.
"It's fine, let them kill us. We've got enough junk on us."
Raven, realizing that the battle was hopeless and the power gap was too wide, put down his weapon.
Their gold and valuable items were safely stored in the capital's warehouse, leaving only junk in their packs. Losing this wouldn't be a big deal. The real issue was the ten-hour trek from the capital to here. For those who farm for gold, time was money, and even this small loss hurt.
Cloudwave from Dragon's Kiss Guild smirked, his tone cold. "Kill them all."
A wave of orc warriors and guild players charged forward, and just as Raven and his team were about to be wiped out, a faint blue mist enveloped the area.
Crackling sounds...
The trees were instantly covered with a layer of ice crystals, and the grass, flowers, and shrubs seemed to be cloaked in silver. The entire area radiated an eerie beauty.
"Kind-hearted adventurers, greetings."
A calm and friendly voice came from behind the trees.
The group was startled as a man in a white robe stepped out, walking on the ice with an otherworldly aura. He spoke gently, "I am a lost Empire Mage. The forest here is extremely dangerous. Would you mind traveling with me for safety?"