MMORPG: REBIRTH OF THE LEGENDARY GUARDIAN

Chapter 11-20

CHAPTER 11

Main Story Quest

Rogue Clan, those bloody idiots!

Zhang Yang could not help but curse. This was not some PvE fight, it was obviously two NPCs fighting against each other.

"Young warrior, please help me!" The elf girl Calina cried for help when she had noticed Zhang Yang's presence.

"Thou shan't believe this devil, mortal!" Firebender Barr commanded with a low voice. "Leave! I command thee!"

Zhang Yang unsheathed his Beginner Sword and used <Charge> towards his target – Firebender Barr!

The reason was as plain as daylight: Calina's name was green, belonging to the 'Friendly' category that could not be attacked. On the other

hand, Firebender Barr had a red name, a confirmed monster! There were no choices in this matter!

Stunned!

After stunning Barr, Zhang Yang swung his sword and began a series of attack against it.

Firebender Barr recovered from the stun and furiously roared, "Foolish mortal! Thou shall pay for thy actions!" Barr made a fierce turn and gave

up his attack on Calina, instead starting his attack on Zhang Yang.

He must have triggered a quest in the game's storyline. Otherwise Barr would not have simply changed his course from Calina who had dealt more

damage, to him who had only just begun attacking . This obviously did not match the aggro value!

Zhang Yang knew it was the system's settings that had allowed only attacks towards Barr and so, there was no other way around!

While evading and counterattacking, he thought to himself, "Calina, this name seems very familiar. Where have I heard of it?"

This elf NPC must have a back story. It is impossible for an average Level 10 NPC to possess 2,000 HP and manage to deal almost 3,000 damage

against a boss while only losing less than 1,500 HP herself. Her attacks must have been stronger than the boss!

Even as Zhang Yang pondered, his actions showed no signs of slowing down as he continued to deal damage to Firebender Barr.

"Mortal! That's enough! Stand down now and I shall forgive thy insolence!"

Combined attacks from Zhang Yang and Calina had managed to bring down Barr's HP to a mere 10%.

"There is no other way, the plot requires your death and there's nothing I can do about it!" Zhang Yang murmured as he continued dishing out

attacks.

"Damn you, mortal! Curse you! You've released a demon. The blood of the innocent will be in your hands!" Barr cried as it turned into a lump of

ash amidst the white light. Yet, its voice echoed in the air, "Calina, the God of the Fire shall incinerate your soul!"

"Hahaha!" Calina let out a pleased and relieved laughter, "It's been 3,000 years! 3,000 years! I, Calina, am finally free from this damned

seal!"

Clumps of black fog emerged from all corners as Calina absorbed them into her body. The once delicate face of a young girl morphed into a

ferocious one filled with evil aura.

"Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!"

The sound of snapping chains rang around him, yet Zhang Yang did not see anything but the slowly widening grin on Calina's face. Her eyes that

had radiated with white rays gradually darkened and sank into an abyss.

"Hong!"

With a loud and devastating explosion, the entire sacrificial altar came crashing down. As the dust settled, Calina emerged completely

different. A pair of black, bat-like wings stemmed from her back. Each wing had the length of 5 men, flapping to allow her to glide freely in

the air!

"Si!"

The white sorcerer's robe that she had been wearing began to tear itself apart, replacing itself with a half-cupped chest plate, exposing most

of her breasts. Her lower half was an unbelievably short metallic skirt. Hanging on her back was a Dragon's Bone Longbow taller than her!

The bright and lively elf girl had morphed into a devilish and sexy fallen angel in an instant!

These game designers... such fetish!

Witnessing Calina's current appearance, Zhang Yang remembered a name. He then checked the name above her head and noticed that it had changed as

well.

[Demon Lord, Calina the Fallen Wind Ranger] (God Class Boss)

Level: ???

HP: ???

A God Class Boss! The highest-ranked monster in the game!

It was her!

The background setting of 'God's Miracle' was the invasion of demons and spectres with each race uniting to protect their homeland! The

highest-ranked demons were the Demon Lords. There was a total of 9 generals and Calina was ranked 7th on the list!

According to the official introduction page, Calina was originally an elf hero, bearing the name 'Wind Ranger'. In one of her battles, she was

betrayed by an allied force and became filled with wrath, the Wind Ranger was lured into the dark force by the Demon King, thus falling from

grace and turning into a Demon Lord.

After she had turned into a Demon Lord, she had went up against her previous brethren and war comrades, killing them mercilessly. She was

eventually sealed away by the God of Fire.

Zhang Yang could only laugh. Amidst his bemusement, he had actually released a God Class Boss! This damned game company, they actually placed

such a powerful boss in the Beginner Village! Were they not scared that this would escalate into a bloody mess?

With the ability of a God Class Boss, if it had unleashed just one special skill, the entire Beginner Village could have been completely

annihilated!

"Puny mortal, you've helped me escape. Should I just kill you to thank you?" Calina flapped her wings, gliding in the air as she looked at Zhang

Yang like she was looking at an ant.

"Or perhaps I should just let you suffer in regret and misery your whole life, that may be a better reward! Farewell, mortal! Enjoy your last

moments in life for I, Calina, shall completely destroy this world!" Calina seemed to be thinking about something as she flapped her wings

promptly and flew high into the sky, disappearing in an instant.

Hu, for the sake of the storyline, he had actually spent half a day and ended up empty-handed. Zhang Yang let out a sigh of disappointment.

"Ah, you imbecile! What have you done?!" a small, red-bearded dwarf who had sprung up out of nowhere grabbed Zhang Yang by his collar and

bellowed, spraying his spittle everywhere.

[Traveler Aran Pillar] (Normal)

Level: 1

HP: 100

Green name NPC, a Friendly!

Although Zhang Yang would very much like to have this NPC slashed, it could only remain as a passing thought. He pushed the dwarf aside and did

not utter a single word. This was obviously part of the plot progression but he had no interest in arguing with a system-controlled NPC.

Aran furiously pushed Zhang Yang aside and said, "Human! Absolute imbecile of a human! Did you know that you have just released a demon? One

that could have brought extermination to the whole world at that!"

"She was already sealed, how did she manage to escape?"

"Ignorant mortal! Calina, she was once an elf hero, a Wind Ranger! Her bow and arrows could shoot down the stars in the night sky! An existence

that rivaled God! Even the God of Fire could not kill her and could only seal her up! But her power proved to be stronger. Even with her

physical body sealed, she had managed to manifest herself into an indestructible spiritual form to engage in a never-ending battle against the

Fire Elementals who guarded the seal, attempting to destroy the seal to gain her freedom!" Aran sighed.

As expected from a God Class Boss, a mere thought would have already had such prowess!

"You, human! You have to fix this!" said the dwarf. "You must make haste to White Jade Castle and report this matter to Grand Magus Anthony

Faylon to allow them to prepare for the impending disaster!"

"Ding! Aran Pillar has a quest for you: Disastrous News. Will you accept it? This is a Main Story Quest. Complete the quest to receive a

handsome reward!"

Main Story Quest!

In comparison to a Hidden Quest, triggering a Main Story Quest was much easier. However, it was exactly because the trigger was easier that the

completion difficulty was extremely high! Initially, you may be required to just run around a little and kill a few monsters but the last step

or even last few steps would always require you to fight a super boss. It would be a near impossible task even with tens of thousands of players

engaged!

Zhang Yang was psyched. Even though he had managed to accidentally trigger a few Hidden Quests in his previous life but because he had joined

the game a little too late, he had naturally never encountered a single Main Story Quest! Yet this main quest right now, if he was eventually

required to overthrow Calina, he would have to find tens of thousands players above Level 200 to join him, otherwise it would just be sending

them straight to their deaths!

To achieve Level 200... it would take at least 5 years! Zhang Yang had only managed to get to Level 179 after grinding for 3 years in his previous

character!

"Accept!" Zhang Yang accepted the quest. Since he did not know how long he would take before arriving at the last plot step, he might as well

take it easy.

After announcing the quest, Aran promptly left the place. Zhang Yang wondered how a Level 1 NPC could roam around the field filled with Level 10

monsters so freely. Zhang Yang continued on and grinded. After half an hour, he bathed in a golden light and reached Level 9. Checking the time,

he noticed that it was already past 9 PM. Zhang Yang gave it some thought and decided to reach Level 10 before disconnecting to rest.

The altar did not respawn after it was destroyed. Instead, many Fire Elementals had appeared. Main Story Quests were exclusively singular, and

so, the situation where he had helped Calina escape her seal would not reoccur to other players.

Zhang Yang spent another 4 hours grinding and had finally achieved Level 10. Then, he opened his inventory and changed into the 3 Black-Steel

equipment that had long sat there unused. His HP and Weapon Attack increased by a certain degree.

[Player: Zhan Yu]

Level: 10

HP: 350

Defense: 16

Strength: 60

Melee Damage: 76 – 84

Attack Interval: 2 seconds

For a tank, this amount of HP was under expectations but his Weapon Attack was absolutely wonderful, capable of generating massive aggro!

He then invested his SP gained from achieving Level 10 into the skill <Block> and the skill's cooldown time had reduced to 8 seconds.

Zhang Yang went to the Beginner Village's teleportation portal and was beamed to White Jade Castle as a white light. He then disconnected.

Taking off the gaming helmet, Zhang Yang made himself some supper and took a bath after finishing his meal. He then went to bed and fell into a

deep sleep.

The next morning, Zhang Yang woke up at around 6 AM and worked out for an hour. He took a shower and went outside to grab some youtiao1 from a

local breakfast stall. He got back home and ate it with milk.

After his breakfast, Zhang Yang was preparing to enter the game when he heard his phone ring.

"Hello–"

"Little Yang! You're indeed amazing!" Zhang Yang could only get a hello out before his words were drowned by the caller. "I followed your

instructions and picked the Hunter class! First, I killed the wolves, collected 10 pelts and later moved to the catacombs to kill some monsters.

Once I reached Level 5, I handed over the coats. Haha. I burnt the midnight oil and got to Level 10!"

"Who are you?"

"Damn, you can't even recognize your fatty bro's voice?" Han Guang scolded jokingly. "I even took the Hunter's Hidden Job Quest but I can't even

complete 'Extremely Difficult' and 'Hard', so I only took the 'Average' difficulty level and got an 'Average' score, obtaining a Skill Book

called <Precise Shot>. Haha, this skill is totally off the charts! Still, some guy had actually gotten a 'Perfect' score! I felt so jealous

after seeing the server announcement! I really don't know how he did it!"

Zhang Yang smiled a little as he listened to Han Guang's excited tone, "Alright, you should have reached the Capital by now right? Let us both

go and raid a dungeon later!"

"Ugh. I've been playing the whole night. I can't take it anymore, I'm going to sleep for a few hours! Little Yang, I'll join you later in the

afternoon. Wait for me! Ah right, my IGN is called 'Slim and Handsome', don't forget to add me into your Friend List."

Han Guang hung up before Zhang Yang could even reply.

"Slim and Handsome?" Zhang Yang recalled Han Guang's size that could compare to that of two average men standing side-by-side and felt a shiver

run down his spine.

CHAPTER 12

Ranking

Before he had disconnected yesterday, Zhang Yang's rank among China region's players might not have been first but he had definitely been in the

top 10! After one night though, mad level grinders had taken advantage of the fact that there were less players in the middle of the night and

grinded up their levels.

Zhang Yang left the teleportation portal and reached the home of warriors. Along his way, he had spotted more than tens of Level 10 players.

Upon entering the Capital, a new feature was added to the game interface: Ranking.

There were a lot of rankings such as Player Level Ranking, Hall of Fame Ranking, First Hardcore Mode Dungeon Raid Ranking, Fastest Hardcore Mode

Dungeon Raid Level Clearance Ranking and so on.

The rankings were based on regions.

'God's Miracle' had divided its global players into 8 regions: China, Japan & South Korea, India, Europe, Africa, South America, North America,

and Australia region. The Australian server had included a few other Asian countries such as Indonesia, Singapore and so on.

Each region had one server and each server had only one ranking. The servers of these 8 regions shared data so cross-regional wars could be

implemented, resulting in an integrated gaming environment.

Currently, most of the rankings were empty. The rankings that had grabbed more attention would be the Player Level Ranking and Hall of Fame

Ranking.

[Hall of Fame Ranking] (China Region)

Player (Name Hidden) was the first to kill a Level 15 Black-Steel Boss, the Black Panther King, in the field (Continent Calendar 9287, August

23rd).

Player (Name Hidden) was the first to complete the Hidden Quest with a 'Perfect' score (Continent Calendar 9287, August 23rd).

Zhang Yang then swiped out the Player Level Ranking and checked the current levels of the expert grinders.

[Player Level Ranking] (China Region)

Powerful Priest, Troll, Cryomancer, Level 11

Humble Gentleman, Human, Cryomancer, Level 11

Hunt the World, Troll, Sniper, Level 11

Slender Waist, Elf, Pyromancer, Level 10

Overlord Orders Chicken, Orc, Berserker, Level 10

Floating Fireball, Human, Pyromancer, Level 10

Frost Night, Elf, Assassin, Level 10

Sky Shaman, Dwarf, Guardian, Level 10

Don't Hit My Face, Dwarf, Defender, Level 10

King of Assassin, Orc, Bandit, Level 10

As expected of Spellcasters, the master grinders in traditional games. There were already 4 of them among the top 10 Player Level Ranking! Of

course, professions picked in the early stages of the game did not matter as much. The key to leveling fast was the duration spent online or

having a strong support at your back. For example, a guild could have all its members deal damage to a monster until its last drop of HP then

reserving the last hit for its designated player!

According to the settings of 'God's Miracle', player under non-party mode who made the last hit on the monster would gain 50% EXP. Therefore, if

the guild had been willing to sacrifice the interest of a portion of its players, it could easily boost the level of one or more players. Rich

players could also hire others to push their levels faster.

If a guild could cultivate a high-level player who could enter the rankings, it would be advantageous to the guild's image, achieving effective

advertisement.

Zhang Yang sighed, his level was a little behind! However, it was not compulsory for him to be the top 1 in Player Level Ranking, as long as he

had remained in the list. What was more important to him was the progress of the Fastest Hardcore Mode Dungeon Raid Level Clearance Ranking!

To assess the strength of a guild in 'God's Miracle', the most important standard was the guild's speed in hardcore dungeon raids. After all,

there were only a few bosses in the field, and their respawning period took several days up to a whole month! The competition was fierce since

there were limited bosses but numerous players. The equipment loot would never have been sufficient to go around!

A dungeon would be different. As long as players were capable, they had equal chances to defeat bosses and acquire better equipment! The chances

of obtaining stronger equipment would drastically increase if a player had joined a speedy dungeon raiding guild. To most players, their

decision on which guild to join would have been obvious.

Zhang Yang's plans were: first, to use his familiarity of the game's future trend to hoard materials and sell them to earn a fortune! Second, to

strive to be the first to clear most of the hardcore mode dungeon raids, boosting his reputation to form a super guild. Third, to look for

outstanding teammates and establish his own team to dominate the S-Class League, achieving his previous life's goal!

Currently though, he did not possess much capital and thus was unable to hoard much materials to profiteer of market monopolization. That was

why he had now set his eyes on dungeon clearing, the Hardcore Mode of Bangar Crypt.

Bangar Crypt was the game's first dungeon with a Level 10 – 15 range recommendation, allowing a maximum of 10 players. All dungeons in 'God's

Miracle' had consisted of 3 modes: Normal, Difficult and Hardcore.

Normal Mode was fairly simple. A little grinding in the raid would have cleared the level. Obviously, the drops would be of average quality, a

grade lower than those in Difficult Mode. However, it would allow common players to enjoy the excitement of fighting the boss, making it the

main choice of casual players.

Difficult Mode lived up to its name of being very difficult. Even for teams in which players were already familiar with one another and had

great teamwork, they would still have a hard time grinding before they were able to clear the dungeon! Going into Difficult Mode with

temporarily formed party could very well equate to seeking your own death.

Hardcore Mode was even more vicious, where a minor mistake could lead the whole team to an instant death. However, the rewards were equally

great. Dropped equipment were of the highest grade, Hidden Bosses that could only be found in this mode, too, had chances of dropping various

Profession Recipes.

These 3 modes were not connected, that would mean that there was no need to clear Normal Mode or Difficult Mode before accessing Hardcore Mode.

As long as the pre-requisite quest for the dungeon raid was completed, players could freely choose between the dungeon's modes.

The first party to clear the Hardcore Mode Dungeon Raid would enter the First Hardcore Mode Dungeon Raid Ranking and have the news announced to

the world through the server. It would have been a glorious feat. Regardless of it being an individual player or an entire guild, this

announcement would still be a great declaration of valor and fame.

Fastest Hardcore Mode Dungeon Raid Ranking would then be unlocked. Record breaking players would be listed in the ranking and the server would

issue a global announcement as well. There was a rule in Speed Raiding Ranking though, that if the level of any particular player in the

clearing team had exceeded the dungeon level's upper limit, the result would not be taken into account. Otherwise, it would have been

meaningless to have several Level 100 players breaking the record of a Level 10 dungeon.

First Clear and Fastest Hardcore Mode Dungeon Raid would have been the core competition for all guilds in the future, bearing utmost importance!

Zhang Yang had his eyes set on the Hidden Boss of the Hardcore Mode Bangar Crypt – Momoermo. There was a chance for this boss to drop the Metal

Caster's Shield Recipe. The shield would be of Green-Copper rarity, the best-one-to-date for both Guardians and Defenders before Level 20!

He wanted to earn his first pot of gold using this recipe to accumulate even more wealth. He could then snowball his wealth into greater

proportions!

Zhang Yang found a female NPC with the name tag, 'Ani, Warrior Instructor' at the warrior settlement. Blonde hair, blue eyes, large breasts and

voluptuous hips. She was wearing a sparkling gold armor designed so sexily that it had only barely covered her chest and buttocks, revealing her

alluring snow white skin.

Although all of them knew well enough that this character was an NPC, many male players had still stared lustfully at her, drooling.

Zhang Yang, too, felt that it was much more pleasing to the eye looking at this pretty lady in front of him as compared to the sharp-tongued,

middle-aged Farion. He started a conversation with the NPC and learned the Level 10 Guardian skills <Shield Oath> and <Provoke>.

[Shield Oath (Passive)]: Increases Defense by using a Shield, reducing all damage by 20%. 1 Rage increase each second while in combat. All aggro

points generated by your attacks increase by 20%. Requirement: Shield.

[Provoke]: Provokes a target and forces it to attack you, lasts for 2 seconds. Cooldown time: 10 seconds.

Recalling the main quest in his quest log, Zhang Yang decided to first complete the quest and see what would follow. Zhang Yang asked an NPC

guard about the whereabouts of Grand Magus Anthony Faylon and went to the Magician Tower in the center of the capital.

"Warrior, you do not belong here!" 2 NPCs with sorcerer's robes had blocked Zhang Yang's way.

Zhang Yang said, "I have an important message for Master Anthony Faylon!"

"Is that so?" the 2 NPCs hesitated before one of them said, "Alright, Master Faylon is at the top of the Magician Tower!"

He guessed that these 2 NPCs would not have let him pass if he did not have the main quest in his quest log. Zhang Yang thought about it while

he entered the Magician Tower. He went along the staircase and soon reached the top of the tower – the ninth floor.

An old man with chest-length beard was deeply engrossed in looking at a crystal ball, his back hunched and faced Zhang Yang. Speaking before

Zhang Yang could even open his mouth, "Young man, I have already known the purpose of your visit!"

[The Grand Magus Anthony Faylon] (God Class Boss)

Level: ???

Hp: ???

In 'God's Miracle', every capital was safeguarded by a God Class Boss. This white bearded old man would be the strongest person in White Jade

Castle. In his previous life, Zhang Yang had witnessed how the old man had unleashed a formidable skill during the Demon Siege War and wiped out

millions of demons, a scene that was both terrifying and impressive!

Unfortunately, this powerful grand magus would be assassinated by a demon's assassin as part of the storyline. As he was a God Class Boss, he

would never respawn after his death.

"Master Faylon, what should we do now?" Zhang Yang simply replied to keep the plot going in order to unlock the follow-up quest.

"Aih—" Faylon sighed and turned around. His face filled with despair and sympathy. "Calina was once a great hero, but... she was betrayed by the

people she had sworn to protect with her life. Her soul had been suffering from the torment of betrayal, I can feel it!"

He paused before saying, "Perhaps, there is still some hope to free her soul!"

Zhang Yang's eyes lit up. As long as he was not required to kill the God Class Boss Calina, the main quest should be much easier to complete!

"Young man, I need you to collect 3 items! After you've collected them, I shall be able to create a relic capable of purifying the dark force

casted by the Demon King and revive Calina's soul!" Faylon spoke in a deep voice, "This mission is very difficult. Are you willing to take on

this responsibility?"

Did he even have an option? Zhang Yang nodded his head and replied immediately, "Yes master, I am willing!"

"Ding! You have accepted the quest: The Crafting Materials of a Relic! This is a Main Story Quest. Complete the quest to receive a luxurious

reward!"

[The Crafting Materials of a Relic] (Difficulty: S)

Quest Description: Faylon needs you to collect 3 materials to create a powerful relic in order to purify the dark force affecting Calina! These

3 materials are the Heart of the Black Dragon, the Horn of the Mythical Unicorn, and the Book of the Damned from the spectre race.

Progress: Collect the Heart of the Black Dragon 0/1, the Horn of the Mythical Unicorn 0/1, and the Book of the Damned 0/1.

Shit, I might as well fight Calina directly! Zhang Yang cursed when he saw the materials he was required to collect.

CHAPTER 13

Entering the Dungeon

The Black Dragon and the Mystical Unicorn were both Level 150 Field Bosses and also the strongest among monsters of their own level tier. While

killing them would be hard, it would still be easier then actually trying to fight Calina.

What got Zhang Yang mad was the Book of the Damned!

Book of the Damned was the spectre race's totem, hidden well within the Evil Spirit Tower that resided in the sacred land of the spectres. Not

only was it heavily guarded by a strong defense force, in the tower also sat the strongest among the 7 Witch Kings in the spectre realm 'Witch

King of the Undead', a God Class Boss above Level 200, Madevitch. To acquire the Book of the Damned under his nose...

Still, he would consider all these to be fine. All he had to do was to acquire the Book of the Damned, and not defeat Madevitch, Witch King of

the Undead.

Now though, as there was absolutely no way for him to proceed with this quest, he could only set it aside for now.

Zhang Yang first accepted the quest 'Traces of the Gnomes', the pre-requisite quest to enter the Bangar Crypt dungeon. The quest was simple, to

eliminate 20 gnomes. After completing the mission, he met up with Sorr the Army Captain. This middle-aged man was shocked and could not believe

that there had been gnomes around the White Jade Castle!

This NPC then gave out a subsequent quest, 'Find Their Lair'. Zhang Yang followed the quest instructions and arrived at the entrance of the

Bangar Crypt dungeon. Upon completion and submission of the quest, he then received Sorr's final quest called 'The Raid' and obtained the

permission to enter Bangar Crypt dungeon.

[The Raid] (Difficulty Level: A)

Quest Description: You have found the lair of the gnomes. Find their leader, Dadaerda. Initiate the raid and slay these horrid creatures!

Progress: Kill Dadaerda 0/1

This quest did not set any required specific difficulty level to kill Dadaerda, so even if the boss was killed in Hardcore Mode, the end reward

of the quest would have been the same as those in Normal Mode.

Zhang Yang returned to the dungeon entrance once again and saw a 9-man party waiting outside the dungeon. As they saw Zhang Yang walk towards

them with a shield on his back, one of the players had immediately private messaged him, "Bangar Crypt Normal Mode! We have a main tank! We're

in need of another off-tank, would you join us?"

Only Guardians and Defenders could wield a shield in the game, so the player could easily identify Zhang Yang's class even with his profile

hidden.

Difficult Mode and Hardcore Mode could only be attempted once a day but Normal Mode did not have any limit to its entry. Zhang Yang had to keep

his dungeon entry until Fatty Han came online to go with him, so he could only do Normal Mode with this party now. He thought about it and

replied, "Invite me!"

"Ding! Player Floral Shorts invites you to join his party. Will you accept his invitation?"

"Accept!" Zhang Yang tapped 'Confirm'.

"Ding! You have joined the party. Party leader: Floral Shorts. Distribution mode: Roll the Dice."

Distribution mode referred to the distribution method when items of white grade and above dropped. Roll the Dice mode was the most common party

choice where the item would automatically go to the player who had rolled the highest number.

Besides Roll the Dice, there were also Leader's Distribution (party leader would decide who would receive the loot) and Individual Loot

(finders, keepers).

Zhang Yang noticed that of the 9 players, Floral Shorts and 3 others belonged to the guild Pride, while another 2 were in different guilds

themselves while the remaining three were guild-less like Zhang Yang.

"F*ck, this off-tank has only 350 HP. He is useless! Floral, kick him out!" A Spellcaster by the name of Prideful Precepts scorned when he saw

Zhang Yang's HP value.

"Ding! You have been expelled from the party!" Zhang Yang received a notification as soon as he was expelled.

Zhang Yang could not help but become surprised. Members of this Pride Guild were so domineering, expelling someone without a second thought!

Rage simmered in him but he shook his head at once. Why be petty and degrade himself to the same level as those imbecile players?

Just as he was about to leave, Zhang Yang's sight was glued to a player who had not hid his name, "Hundred Shots, Male Dwarf, Beast Hunter,

Level 10".

It was him!

Zhang Yang vividly remembered that this Beast Hunter had been an impressive character in his previous life, and was ranked first in the top 10

Beast Hunter list! Just by looking at his skills, he may not be the best. However, his luck was extremely good that he had managed to get a Baby

Red Dragon as his pet!

Dragons, as one of the most powerful monsters in 'God's Miracle', even if it was downgraded to a player's pet and lost its devastating killing

skill, was still remarkably strong! With the help of his pet dragon, Hundred Shots had managed to squeeze into the top ten ranking and

eventually took the first spot. Players dubbed him as 'The Dragon Hunter', and even players who had gotten phoenixes as pets were considered

inferior to him!

As for how Hundred Shots got his hands on the pet dragon, he had always been secretive about it and had never revealed anything. Thereafter,

Beast Hunters had kept attempting to figure out the method to obtain such a pet but had never managed to even come up with a clue. The Dragon

Hunter, it had always been just him!

Yet now, this future hotshot was still a long way from his fame. By his side stood a pet pig that kept wiggling its butt. His current expression

was without the confident flair after he had gotten famous, looking just like any other common player.

Never had Zhang Yang thought that he would meet this future hotshot on the second day of his game. He was stirred. If he could get Hundred Shots

to join him, he would be taking a large step forward towards his dream of conquering the S-Class League.

Furthermore, Hundred Shots was still a common player now, this would be the best time to get close to him!

"Hey, we're still lacking one member. Take it as a favor. We'll bring you in as a good deed!" Floral Shorts suddenly sent him a private message.

Along with it, an invitation to join his party.

Zhang Yang's first reaction was to reject the invitation, but as he saw that Hundred Shots was also in the party, he changed his mind

immediately and chose 'Accept'.

Returning to the party, Zhang Yang took his time and looked through the party's structure: A Defender (Main Tank), a Sacred Knight (Healer), 2

Hunters (DPS), 2 Thieves (DPS), 2 Mages (DPS), and 1 Priest (Healer).

The main tank Defender's HP was very high, totaling a whopping 700 HP. However, with 3 gaming years' worth of eyesight, Zhang Yang could easily

tell with a glance that only the shield worn by this Pride guild player, Kindling Chest Hair, was of Black-Steel rarity. The rest of his

equipment were only of White-Wood rarity!

Since White-Wood rarity equipment, other than its armor, would not add any Attribute bonus, this Defender's HP would have had been completely

increased by his given AP. This had also meant that the 50 AP gained on his way to Level 10 were all invested in Vitality. In addition to the

Attribute increase when he leveled up plus the default 50 HP at Level 1, it would total up to 650 HP.

Lastly, with 5 points of Vitality bonus from the Black-Steel rarity shield, they would all add up to exactly 700 HP maxed.

This kind of Vitality investment was also known as the Bull's Blood investment. Since the beginner equipment was weak, the AP gained during

leveling up would be the main support of increasing a tank's Attributes. However, starting from Green-Copper rarity and above, the bonus

Attribute provided would be enough to match the AP; from Gray-Silver rarity and beyond, the bonus Attributes would exceed the character's own

AP, thus equipment would become more crucial as the game progressed.

Nevertheless, as a tank, one had to be able to defend attacks in addition to withstanding a monster's aggro. Otherwise, the boss would have

wiped out all the other players, so even with such high HP, how would one compare to the boss?

This tank's weapon was a White grade one-handed hammer bought at Level 10, possibly having 7 – 13 Weapon Attack Range, but since he had added

all of his AP with the Bull's Blood method, his maximum would have only reached 15 Strength and melee damage of around 22 – 28 points.

A regular Level 10 monster would have 10 defense points, while an Elite would have 15, and a Boss would have 20. If he could only inflict 7 – 13

damage on an Elite, it would have meant that he could only ditch out 2 – 8 damage to a Boss. It would be close to impossible to pull any aggro

at all!

In comparison, Zhang Yang's sword alone would have already dealt 16 – 24 damage. Adding 60 points on Strength attribute meant that his melee

damage could reach a terrifying 76 – 84 points!

"Hey useless Guardian, just watch and learn later. We're doing you a favor here. Don't mess up and cause us all to die!" blabbered Prideful

Precepts.

"Pay no heed to them. These guys have a stinky mouth. It's not worth to pick a fight with them!" Zhang Yang received a private message, looking

at the sender: Hundred Shots.

Zhang Yang smiled, he was just thinking of approaching him and quickly sent a reply, "Mm, I'm just going to treat it as them farting!"

"Haha, you're absolutely right! They're just a bunch of stinky kiddos!" Hundred Shots instantly replied.

"Alright, now that we're all gathered, let's go into the dungeon. Time waits for no man!" Floral Shorts announced in the party channel. "Speed!

Haste!"

All 10 players entered the dungeon one by one. A sudden change flashed and they had arrived at a scarcely lit underground cave. Just some

distance away stood 6 green and oddly-shaped gnomes. They had no eyes on their face but their ears were exceptionally large.

[Gnome Soldier] (Elite)

Level: 10

HP: 5000

"Hairy, go!" said Floral Shorts in the party channel. "Guardian, be prepared. If someone OTs, be sure to handle it! Priest! Sacred Knight! You

two focus on healing the tank!"

OT1 referred to the moment when someone had caused an aggro value that exceeded the monster's current target, typically the tank, causing the

monster to switch its attacking target.

Even though both Guardians and Defenders were considered as tank, these two classes had totally different attacking styles.

Defenders would have more AoE attacking skills, making them suitable for fields where there were many smaller monsters. His spell-immunity skill

was better too, giving him an advantage when faced with a magic-type boss. On the other hand, Guardians had a stronger single-target aggro

pulling ability, suitable for dealing with single physical-type bosses.

Carrying a shield on his left hand and a war hammer on his right, Kindling Chest Hair walked a few steps forward and furiously threw his shield

out.

That was not showing off at all but actually activating the Defender's skill called <Shield Toss>. A skill that would attack 3 targets at once,

causing 100% physical damage to each one.

CHAPTER 14

Of One Root!

"If I remember correctly, you aren't a member of the Black Star," said the man seated before Zhang Heng. He was well-built and had a series of

facial scars that lent him a streak of menace.

The room Zhang Heng was in was cramped and enclosed, and it appeared to be an interrogation room of some police station. It had been three days

since their unit was ambushed at Town H. The ambush was definitely well-organized because it had surprised even Ying, the expert in ambush

warfare. Everyone was killed other than Ying who despite suffering a stomach bullet wound managed to slip away through the sewers, and Zhang

Heng who was captured after getting shot in the arm.

In the past three days, to Zhang Heng's surprise and relief, there was no application of torture. As a matter of fact, he even received

treatment for his bullet wound in that they helped extracted the slug and gave him antibiotics. It was only until the third day that he was

brought to this interrogation room before this man who revealed himself as the leader of a rebel army of few thousands, the man whom the rest

referred to as Chou.

Taking in deep breaths to steady himself, Zhang Heng replied, "I, I have nothing to tell you because I have not even heard of the Black Star..."

This gave Chou a pause before laughing out loud. He addressed Zhang Heng without a hint of ire in his voice, "Oh, sorry I forgot you're here.

The statement wasn't addressed to you, I was merely talking to myself there. I'm pretty sure you have nothing to do with Black Star, I would

have known if you are, although I suppose they could have recruited new member recently... But I doubt you're even military, so, don't worry."

Caught off guard by Chou's comment, Zhang Heng blurted out, "But aren't you here to interrogate me?"

Smiling, Chou answered, "Interrogate you? Now, why would I do that... I believe everything you know I would have already known. For example, I

know where you're from. A Tennessean base housing a spaceship, right?"

Zhang Heng was visibly perturbed by the man's casual dropping of confidential information. He could barely mount a response.

Seeing Zhang Heng's flabbergasted response, Chou chuckled, "Don't look so scared. I have no intention to harm you and in fact, you're not here

to be interrogated at all, and that information about your base... It's really not that hard to deduce. Your people have been trekking all over

the world drafting able-bodied civilians and bright minds. Even if we're in the middle of anarchy, obvious activities like that aren't really

that hard to miss. And with all these information, it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together, which again tells me that you aren't a

Black Star because they won't need me to spell something this obvious out for them."

Fearing the answer, Zhang Heng hesitated for a while before finally asking, "If that's the case, then why am I here?"

Instead of answering, Chou retrieved a photograph from his pocket and dumped it on the table between them. Zhang Heng could feel tears pricking

his eyes as his sight fell on the photograph. It was a portrait of his family, a memento from better times. A family of three was smiling

brightly at the camera, there was his mother who unfortunately had died in the earlier days of the riot and his father whose location was still

unknown. The sight of his parents pierced a shard of grief through his heart.

"Where did you get this photo? It has never left my father's wallet!" he demanded hurriedly.

Chou explained, "That's right, I heard about your team's objective so while you're in here I've gathered all my resources to help you finish

what you have started. I'm sorry to say, this man in the photo had died three months ago in an outbreak. Due to the rarity of his size during

these times and the fact that he had a gun on him, he had made quite an unforgettable impression on one of my men, so when I issued the search

details, he came forth and I took this picture from him. Keep it, it's yours after all."

Afraid Chou might renege on his words, Zhang Heng hastily stored the treasured photo, and said, "If you're expecting me to repay your kindness,

then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint, I have no say within the Black Star group... But making a case to take a few more people along, that I

could still do, that's your purpose after all, isn't it?"

Chou snickered at the suggestion before adding ominously, "You, my friend, are sorely mistaken... I have no interest getting aboard that ship. I

agree it might be a different story if the ship was found by somebody else but the thought of having to exist in the same space as that

hypocrite... I'd rather die... So, I don't need your help, I just need you to stay put and be a good bait. If I know that son of a bitch and I think

I do, he'll order his men to come save you soon, so you just sit still until then...

And then, my revenge against the Black Star would be complete..."

The time was already nine in the morning when Yao Yuan awakened from his sleep.

Guang Zhen's unit had departed for China seven hours ago. With the best firearms and bulletproof vests, as well as satellite triangulation and

hovercraft technology, there were simply no forces left on earth that could stand a chance against them. That much was certain.

But a sliver of apprehension remained lodged in Yao Yuan's mind. It had to do with the person he had just dreamed of... The traitorous Black Star

that he had eliminated way back when the squad was training on one of the space stations... But why would he dream of him now...

Added to that was the out-of-body feeling that he first experienced when they initially breached the base, that feeling had gotten more and more

pronounceable in the recent months... They all seemed tied to that episode on the space station...

"I'm coming, Ol' Wong. Until then please be careful because I sense a great danger out there..." prayed Yao Yuan silently. He then peered at the

control panel of the hovercraft he was traveling in, it showed 9.30 a.m... He had left half an hour right after Guang Zhen's unit departed. He

hoped he wasn't too late...

Few hundred miles away, the Black Star and another five hundred soldiers were preparing to engage the enemy. The group had been separated into

multiple sub-units with each Black Star leading the way to infiltrate their enemy's base. They were able to locate their enemy so quickly

because the hovercraft they used were connected to earth's satellites. By tracing Zhang Heng's and Ying's transmission signals, they were able

to quickly pinpoint the location where Zhang Heng was held. It was a deserted skyscraper in the middle of the city, next to a police station.

They even managed to discern that the enemy had about three thousand people. After removing the harmless ruffians and civilians that they had

managed to sway to their side though, the actual number of armed rebels had an expected maximum number of only eight hundred.

It was an easy mission, so Guang Zhen wasted no time for they needed to get to Zhang Heng fast, in hostage rescue operations such as this, time

was of essence.

"Move! Move! Move! Lieutenants and Sergeants get your unit coordinated! Get moving!" Guang Zhen ordered out of habit, in Chinese. When he

realized most of his team had remained waiting for his order, he repeated it in English.

Almost instantly, fourteen hovercraft sped into the building, their outer machinegun turrets blazing. The outermost patrols were decimated under

the hail of bullets, some even fracturing into pieces. Soon after, a piercing alarm shot through the building.

Guang Zhen lifted his head and spotted a hovercraft landing on the roof. It was the scouts led by Lee. Their point of entry was from above. In

the hovercraft, as Guang Zhen loaded his gun and checked his vest, he issued for landing and ordered his men to prepare to storm the building.

As the craft touched the ground, under his orders, his team spread out to secure the structure...

"Hahaha... Look at them! Walking step by step into my plan!" cackled Chou who was watching all this unfolding through a surveillance screen in the

adjacent police station. With the difference of technology available in mind, he knew his men had no chance against Yao Yuan's troops so instead

he had used this inequality to his advantage. Stationing the place with just enough mobs to feed into the opponent's sense of triumph, the

skyscraper was essentially a giant trap luring Guang Zhen's troop in with a trail of small victories.

While noting his enemies' movement through the screen, he elaborated with dripping malevolence, "Here's a little trivia for you. I was a spy

sent by the higher-ups to infiltrate the Black Star. Espionage like this is actually extremely common, it was to the government's benefits to

keep tabs on special ops units, like Black Star, in fact before Yao Yuan became a leader, there was a long history of spies in the squad. If you

think about it, it was actually a symbiotic relationship, the government would be more willing to grant the squad with larger budget and supply

if they knew what was truly happening... But Yao Yuan that bastard, when he found out, wanted to silence me when we're training on the space

station, dismissing everything that I've done for the squad!

No thought went into his mind that I had a family to support, because unless necessary, who would volunteer as a spy? But no, he never saw

things from my perspective and gave me no chance. If not for my luck, I would have been a floating carcass in space by now. But thanks to him,

everything I had was taken away from me. Because of political reasons, those politicians were unable to tell my family I was actually a spy but

instead spun some story about how I was a foreign mole and had to be eliminated. I never heard from them after that. Those bloody officials,

they turned on me!"

Chou's narration had gone to a point where he almost had everything yelled out, but here, he caught himself. After some time, he continued in a

tone that was contrastingly and eerily calm, "But no worries, today I'll expose Yao Yuan for the hypocrite that he is, he always says nothing is

more important than your comrades and mates, well, what the hell am I? But that's alright, I'll make mass graves out of his so-called comrades

and let's see whether he'll use the remaining time to avenge his supposed comrades or will he escape like the coward that I know he is..."

Chou slipped from within his uniform a tiny remote, and resumed his monologue as if he didn't notice Zhang Heng that was scared shitless beside

him, "Guess what this is... It's connected to explosives that I've collected over the past few months... And bingo! They have been deployed

throughout the building... With just a soft click, the place will be flattened in a matter of seconds..." here, Chou turned to peer at the screen,

"There're still a few units not within the range, but soon... We'll have a firework display on our hand... Exciting, isn't it..."

Zhang Heng looked at the monitor in increasing despair as Guang Zhen's troops gradually fill up the screen. Before long, they had managed to

secure the whole building.

Chou laughed manically but right before his finger touched the remote button, a shadow swooped in through the window behind Zhang Heng, sending

pieces of glass flying. As the person safety rolled into a soft landing, he unbuckled his arms and released a shot at Chou. Years of training

helped Chou dodged the shot by leaping back and even managed to return fire at the intruder.

"Yao Yuan! How dare you still show your face around me?!"

"It is you, Ning Bo Tao! You survived space?!"

"Yes, I survived but unfortunately for you, today you won't!"

To Zhang Heng, it was a scene right out of the Matrix. Somehow between dodging bullets, the two men still had time to fire at each other. It was

as if they knew the trajectory of the bullets before they were shot!

And the room thundered with relentless blasts of gunshots!

CHAPTER 15

Homo Evolutis!

In Yao Yuan's mind's eye, he could see clearly that he wasn't drastically faster than usual. Granted, his speed was greater than your everyday

man but that didn't explain the ease with which he could avoid Chou's bullets. It also wasn't due to a sudden improvement of his reflexes or

acquiring a new ability where he could predict the bullets' trajectory. Of course, all these were given a minor boost in an adrenaline-filled

gunfight but it wasn't boosted to superhuman level.

What did help though was a newly acquired ability which allowed him to psychically envision malice projections. Whenever a bullet was fired, he

could sense a coagulation of malice forming at its target location. It was in the way that he could tell beforehand where the bullets would

land, and thanks to that millisecond of foresight, he could evade incoming danger accordingly.

This new instinct of his was so strong that he could even tell where his opponent intended to move before actually moving. And so he aimed at

where he felt Chou was going to move next instead of where Chou actually was. He had never experienced anything like this before but it was

incredibly instinctual. It surprised even himself that he could dodge every bullet and stop enemy short in their step.

This didn't mean that he had the natural upper hand though because it appeared that Ning Bo Tao or Chou had mastered the same skill. As Yao Yuan

weaved through the volley of bullets, so did Chou.

After a few minutes of this back-and-forth dance, both men had emptied their cartridge without a single slug ending up in the opponent's body.

Without pulling any extra trigger, somehow they psychically knew their guns had emptied and flung them off for body-to-body combat. The sounds

of bones on bones and muscles on muscles were so loud that Zhang Heng had to cover his ears.

Before long, the fight was fast approaching its premature conclusion. A projected simulation inaccessible to Zhang Heng had occurred between the

two brawling men where it showed that after few more bouts of clashes, Yao Yuan's greater skill at close-quarter combat would prevail. The

visage was so authentic that both men had to give it validity.

Perhaps dampened by the vision or he had truly reached the end of his limits, Chou's attempts at evasion became attempts at blocking. Weirdly

enough, at one point as he got further cornered, he started laughing and said, "Your Killer's Arms had gotten better since the last time I

tasted it! But unfortunately..." Here he let his guard down and allowed one of Yao Yuan's punches to land. Reigning in the punch's blow back, he

somersaulted onto the floor. At that instant, the room door was kicked out and Chou's men rushed in. They immediately lifted their assault

rifles and were ready to unload it all across the room. However, Yao Yuan was somehow faster, even before the door had landed on the ground, he

had rushed towards the opening.

Even before any of the triggers were pulled, Yao Yuan had already sidled up to the foremost man. Without giving him any chance to react, Yao

Yuan unleashed a punch on his stomach and as the force sent him folding him upon himself, Yao Yuan elbowed his back and the man crumbled as his

vertebrae snapped.

The whole process happened so fast that when the rest of Chou's men registered the sound of bones cracking, their fingers were still on the

triggers.

Within the next second, Yao Yuan kicked the fallen man into the air. As shells were being unloaded, Yao Yuan grabbed hold of the man's body as a

human shield. The unexpected rabid convulsion of their mate's body made Chou's men hesitate momentarily.

As they dropped their weapons, Yao Yuan could no longer feel any projected malice, and that bade him into action. Dropping the bullet-riddled

body, he rushed into the group of stunned men.

The result was to be expected. Yao Yuan's combat style was neither military boxing which was common to trained men, nor special ops' grappling

techniques nor Chinese Wushu, it was a unique fighting style tailored to his height, ease of movement and appendages length. Yao Yuan spent

eight years honing this art of killing which he dubbed the Killer's Arms. It was somewhat similar to Jeet Kune Do2; both styles using the

smallest effort and shortest time to achieve lethality.

With lightning speed, he collapsed the trachea of one man before letting loose a flying roundhouse kick that caved in another's temple and one

other's neck. And with that, all of Chou's reinforcement had been vanquished.

It had to be said that Yao Yuan's airborne roundhouse kick wasn't for show. He was in the middle of dropping his heel on the last man but right

then he could sense projected malice in the form of flying knives sailing towards him. Out of option, he added lifting propulsion to his kick in

the hopes of avoiding the knives using the momentum of air twirls.

However, no matter how fast his instinct could be, his body couldn't catch up with the speed of darting knives. As he landed, two knives were

jammed into his left torso, but because he was hit in a mid-air spun, the angle of entry was slanted, missing his vital organs by a bit.

The knife on his right bicep though, that was unfortunately possibly fatal.

This was how it is between highly-skilled experts, one small distraction could prove fatal. Chou started laughing maniacally as he leaped

towards Yao Yuan, hoping to land the final blow.

Seeing this, fear clogged Zhang Heng's heart. He knew full well that after Chou killed Yao Yuan, he would have outlived his use. He had serious

doubts that Chou would be as kind to him as Yao Yuan once was.

Even if he was to miraculously survive this, he would be a sitting duck. The control code to initiate warp was in the hands of Black Star who

found Noah Two. If Yao Yuan was to die, the rest of the Black Star would be blown into smithereens and the remaining ten million people would be

left on death panel...

In an unexpected twist, Zhang Heng saw Yao Yuan stepped onto the hand of the body beside him and the rut-tut-tut of an assault rifle rang out.

The man Yao Yuan stepped on still had his fingers entwined over his weapon's trigger and as Yao Yuan applied pressure, the piston shot out a

series of bullets aimed at Chou!

Chou could sense the projected malice but since it came not directly from Yao Yuan, he misjudged the trajectory the bullets would take. He tried

swerving out of the way but as he landed by the wall, the lower of his body was already riddled with holes.

As Chou slumped in his pooling blood, his facial expression was not one of fear or sorrow as one would expect but rather he looked relieved.

Between gasps of air, he croaked, "Yao Yuan, did you purposely let yourself be hit to lure me to charge towards you?"

Yao Yuan shook his head as he walked solemnly towards Chou, "No, that was indeed unavoidable. But somehow as I landed, I have an intuition that

this plan would be able to spell your death."

Hearing that, Chou started laughing even harder, "Looks like even fate wants me dead. When I was still in Black Star, you were always that

little bit better than me, be it bravery, resourcefulness, combat skills or leadership... When we were on the space station, you told me how small

you felt looking at the immense nothingness around us, I didn't tell you at the time but I totally agree with you, I felt swept by a sensation

of anxiety, emptiness, and loneliness when we were in space... It was unsettling but it also gave me this ability which had me overjoyed because

I'll finally have something that could help me overtake you... Alas, it's a trick of fate after all, huh? In the end, I'll never outrun your

shadow...

But seeing you with this power did help me confirm the hypothesis that this power comes with man's extended habituation in space. Perhaps it

evolved out of man's need to feel empowered against the nothingness of space... And so as your spaceship continues on in space, you'll probably

have more people like us on your hands... But that concerns me no more... Lan... How I've missed you but don't worry... I'm coming..."

Chou's breath gradually slowed until his spirit returned to nothingness.

Yao Yuan looked somberly at his former squad member and few moments later, he retrieved Chou's dog-tag from his body and slipped it into his

uniform. Then he stood up and addressed Zhang Heng, "Can you still move?"

This gathered Zhang Heng's scattered senses, he sprang up replying, "Yes, Sir. I have no problem moving but quick, inform Captain Wong that the

building they're in is full of explosive!"

This information startled Yao Yuan but when he spotted the shattered remote at the corner of the room, he breathed a sigh of relief, "That's

alright now, without the remote, the bombs won't go off so easily. Ning Bo Tao was a top secret agent, he won't set the bombs at places where

it'll be accidentally hit by stray bullets... So let's get moving. We're leaving earth by six. And have you found your father?"

The question brought tears to Zhang Heng's eyes. Shaking his head, he answered, "He's found dead..."

Yao Yuan moved forth to corner Zhang Heng into a hug, "My condolences... But now you have to carry on on his behalf, he would want you to do that.

Now, let's meet up with Ol' Wong' and then we'll depart for the spaceship."

Just before Zhang Heng made to follow, he caught himself and yelped, "Yao Yuan, wait a minute, I have a request to ask of you... There are some

womenfolk in this station that were gathered by Chou's troop. They are truly helpless, couldn't we bring them along? There are only one hundred

of them, that isn't really a huge number. They're nice people, in the three days I was captured, three of the girls came over to nurse me to

health. They gave me water and changed my bandage. One of them is called Bai Ning Xue, another Luo Mao Miao and the last one whose surname I

didn't catch was called Bo Li. Please, I beg of you to bring them along! I'm willing to trade my ranking with their places onboard."

Yao Yuan stared intently at Zhang Heng for quite some time. As he turned to leave, he said, "This is the last time I will hear of such request

again! You're a military man now, your rank represents your honor, your life! Do not treat it so lightly! I will not hear of something like this

again! So do not let me down...

But I'll remind you that the hovercraft will leave in another ten minutes. Until then, anyone that fits our screening criteria is allowed

onboard..."

Author's note: First update of the day, still a wall of text. On other news, it's my mother's birthday today so the afternoon update will

probably be pushed to the night. Sorry for the inconvenience. Please continue with your support if you've enjoyed this book.

CHAPTER 16

Barbarians and Their Barbaric Ways

"<Justice Defense>!"

Realizing that he could not beat Zhang Yang, Kindling Chest Hair had immediately provoked the boss to temporarily pull Black Claw's aggro over.

"Ding! You are affected by <Death Stare> (Stack 1). All damage received increased by 100%, lasts for 12 seconds!"

Kindling Chest Hair really had the worst luck. Just as he provoked the boss, Black Claw had activated <Death Stare>. His body flashed in a

crimson glow and a debuff appeared above his avatar.

This skill could not be dodged or blocked.

The provoke effect had worn off after 2 seconds and Black Claw returned to attack Zhang Yang.

"Fire up the DPS1!" Zhang Yang said in the party channel. He was not worried about being instantly killed under the stacking effect of <Death

Stare> but more so that the longer they took to kill the boss, the more Black Claw would cast <Venom Spit>, ultimately wrecking the party when

the healers became overwhelmed.

Of course, in this Normal Mode he could easily solo kill the boss alone!

After a while, Black Claw turned around and took aim at Prideful Precepts, spitting black spittle on him.

"F*ck, is that how you pull the monster, noob warrior! How could you let the boss attack me?" Prideful Precepts rebuked and then hollered at the

same time, "Heal me!" He had a total of 300HP but 200 was gone instantly.

"You're the f*cking noob! That's the boss' <Venom Spit>. Zhan Yu had explained it very clearly just now, it randomly targets a player! What are

you barking at?" Defiant Monk could not hold his anger anymore and finally exploded.

Grunting, Prideful Precepts remained displeased and begrudged but did not fight back.

10 seconds later, Kindling Chest Hair initiated another provoke and temporarily pulled Black Claw's aggro over again.

"Ding! You are affected by <Death Stare> (Stack 2). All damage received increased by 200%, lasts for 12 seconds!"

Poor thing, he had just drew the boss over and was immediately stacked with another <Death Stare>.

Zhang Yang exclaimed internally, who said this guy was a noob, he's been provoking precisely when the boss casts <Death Stare>! Such a genius!

After beating up Kindling Chest Hair, Black Claw turned again and Zhang Yang took over the aggro.

After some time, Black Claw stopped his actions and aimed at Snowy Death, casting <Venom Spit> and dealing 200 HP of damage to him.

Kindling Chest Hair casted the third provoke on the boss after <Justice Defense>'s cooldown had completed.

"Ding! You are affected by <Death Stare> (Stack 3). All damage received increased b 300%, lasts for 12 seconds!"

Black Claw's <Death Stare> was casted every 10 seconds, coincidentally the same as the cooldown time of <Justice Defense>. This was the reason

Kindling Chest Hair had been the receiver of <Death Stare> each time he had provoked the boss.

"-528!"

Black Claw's normal attack damage was already around 150 points usually and since Kindling Chest Hair had 3 stacks of <Death Stare> on him, his

basic damage had reached an approximate 600 points! Deducting the Defender's passive 15% damage reduction and character defense, the damage had

still amounted to 500 plus points!

Reduced to almost nothing from a total of 700 HP in an instant, Kindling Chest Hair panicked and screamed, "Heal me!"

"+76!"

"+73!"

"+100!"

Three green numbers floated across Kindling Chest Hair's head. They were the healing done by Prideful Babysitter, Ocean Despair, and his own

ingested bottle of red pot respectively, raising his HP to 421 points. Although Ocean Despair had hated Kindling Chest Hair, he had still

dutifully healed him at such a critical moment.

"-509!"

Black Claw made another blow in an instant and the hit landed on Kindling Chest Hair.

"Ding! Player Kindling Chest Hair has died!"

Black Claw turned and continued attacking Zhang Yang.

Unable to contain it anymore, Flame Emperor laughed and said in the party channel, "It seems that the Defender does have some contribution! He'd

endured three times of <Death Stare> for Zhan Yu! Your death was not in vain!"

"Yeah, a hero!"

"You can rest in peace!"

Players that were not from Pride were talking merrily in the party channel, their words causing Kindling Chest Hair to fume with anger. His

intention was not even to help Zhang Yang, he merely wanted to throw a tantrum. Who would have known that he would be triple stacked with <Death

Stare> which allowed him to be instantly killed by the boss!

He had dug his own grave, provoking the boss continuously to have Black Claw become immune to the effects. Zhang Yang could not have saved him

even if he wanted to! Of course, Zhang Yang had no interest in saving such a foolish and arrogant guy even without the provoke immunity. He was

not that kind!

"Speed up the DPS1!" Zhang Yang said in the party channel.

"OK!" the crowd replied. Zhang Yang won their respect with his capabilities.

Without Kindling Chest Hair 'snagging' <Death Stare>, Zhang Yang had quickly gotten stacked with many levels of the <Death Stare> debuff. Death

would be an absolute certainty had the boss even touched him lightly. However, Zhang Yang had maneuvered himself with such agility, moving and

dodging, not giving Black Claw a single opening to land a strike!

While <Venom Spit> had caused a certain degree of burden to the healers, because they did not need to heal their tank, a lot of MP was conserved

and they had more than enough to heal the other players. The party had not lost any more members.

"80%! 70%!"

Under the constant attacks the party, the boss' HP had decreased steadily. Nearly 3 minutes later, Black Claw's HP was left with a mere 10%.

"Ding! Party Leader Floral Shorts has changed Group Looting Parameters to Master Loot!" A system notification popped up suddenly to indicate the

change of distribution method.

"Floral Shorts! What are you doing?" Defiant Monk quickly questioned.

"I'm afraid that people will mess up the loot, so I'll split it myself!" Floral Shorts said in a self-righteous tone.

Everyone kept mum and continued attacking the boss.

"Ding! The party you are in has killed Black Claw! Obtained 3,650 EXP (50 points Party Bonus)!"

Black Claw fell to the ground and dropped 3 to 4 equipment and a heap of gold coins.

"Let's see what the drops are!" Equipment was every player's main motivation to enter dungeons. When the boss had died, everyone had

automatically surrounded the loot. However, due to the Master Loot Mode, they could only look at the equipment dropped but were unable to pick

them up.

[Black Claw] (Black-Steel, Fist Gloves)

Weapon Attack: 7 – 13

Attack Interval: 1.9 seconds

Level Requirement: 5

[Heavy Chest Plate] (Black-Steel, Heavy Armor)

Defense: +2

Vitality: +3

Strength: +1

Level Requirement: 5

[Black Leather Boots] (Black-Steel, Cloth Armor)

Defense: +1

Vitality: +2

Intelligence: +1

Level Requirement: 5

According to the dungeon setting, equipment dropped from Hardcore Mode would be one grade higher than Difficult Mode; and equipment dropped from

Difficult Mode would be another grade higher than Normal Mode. Since Bangar Crypt was the lowest level dungeon in the game, only Hardcore Mode

would drop Green-Copper equipment. If it had been according to the setting, the equipment dropped in Normal mode should only be White-tiered!

However, the game company had taken into consideration that if the first dungeon had only dropped White-tiered equipment, it would have

discouraged the players! Compromising, they decided that Normal Mode would also drop Black-Steel equipment but its level requirement was reduced

to Level 5 while Difficult Mode and Hardcore Mode continued dropping Level 10 Black-Steel and Green-Copper equipment respectively.

"Ding! Player Floral Shorts has obtained Black Claw!"

"Ding! Player Kindling Chest Hair has obtained Heavy Chest Plate!"

"Ding! Player Prideful Precepts has obtained Black Leather Boots!"

"Ding! You have been distributed with 96 copper coins!"

A series of system notifications rang. Party leader Floral Shorts had distributed all the equipment in a flash while simultaneously obtaining

the gold coins and distributing them to each party member through the system.

This had caused a wave of disapproval among the party members.

"What the f*ck? How can you distribute the equipment without asking!"

"F*ck, barbarians hijacking equipment!"

"What did you think we were? Your workers?"

Floral Shorts snorted and said, "I am the party leader, of course I have the priority for equipment! Hairy is the main tanker, if it wasn't for

him tanking the boss' <Death Stare>, we wouldn't have beaten the boss, and he died twice. Is it wrong to prioritize him in equipment

distribution? As for Precepts... he dealt the highest DPS among those who wore robes!"

"F*ck you! You can't even command as a leader and had zero contribution to the party! How dare you put yourself as priority?"

"The Defender is a complete joke! There's no difference to our party with or without him around! Zhan Yu got stacked with 13 stacks of <Death

Stare> and he was alright. What difference would 3 stacks make?"

"Look at the damage statistics yourself! If you're not blind, Precepts was much worse than Flame Emperor!"

Prideful Magus replied immediately, "The damage statistics is not even accurate. How is it possible that our Guardian ranks first every single

time? I've been attacking all the time, I might as well commit suicide if my attack is lower than a tank!"

The rest of the players got even more enraged listening to his self-righteous argument.

"Let's go on, let's go on. It's just a few equipment, everyone can get them after a few more rounds!" Prideful Babysitter pacified the party.

"Change the party leader or we'll quit!" Hundred Shots said.

"Yeah, change the leader!" the others followed.

"Ding! Player Floral Shorts has made player Prideful Precepts the Party Leader!"

Is this showcasing the lowest level of one's IQ?

"F*ck! You are all shameless!" Defiant Monk was rendered speechless by these Pride members' scoundrel ways.

"Either change the leader to Zhan Yu or disband!" Hundred Shots said while the others agreed immediately.

The four Pride members were at a loss.

"Ding! Player Prideful Precepts has made player Zhan Yu the Party Leader!"

Zhang Yang had encountered plenty of barbarians in his previous life but those who could compete with the Pride members were indeed few! These

men should have joined the Rogue Clan! He smiled lightly and changed the Group Looting Parameters to Roll-the-Dice Mode and said "Let's

continue!"

He did not care for the loot from Normal Mode, there would be more good stuff waiting in Difficult Mode and Hardcore Mode!

He had wanted to kick the four Prideful players out but had quickly changed his mind. Expelling them was not the best way to punish them. The

best way to release his anger was letting them know that this party had the ability to clear Difficult and even Hardcore Mode so these selfish,

greedy guys should have tried to snitch better equipment, then kick the others out at that time to drive them mad with jealousy and regret!

CHAPTER 17

The Second Boss

The players continued along their way. After killing five waves of minions, they reached the second boss.

A 3-man tall, green-skinned gnome was sitting in front of a large metal door napping, a sharp spear in its arms. The atmosphere was completely

silent, as no other minions were around.

[Babarerba the Sleepyhead] (Black-Steel Boss)

Level: 13

HP: 39,000

"How do we fight it?" the party's sight had settled on Zhang Yang. Unknowingly, he had become the party's core.

Zhang Yang recalled and said, "This boss has only 2 skills: first, <Curse of Water and Fire>, it will cast a water curse on a random melee

player who is not holding the most aggro and cast a fire curse on a random ranged player. These two cursed players will keep losing HP but once

both of them are together, the curse will be removed."

"In that case, we can all fight in melee range distance. This way, there is no need to move everywhere, no?" Hundred Shots had thought of an

idea.

Zhang Yang laughed, "If everyone did melee attacks, the boss will only cast the water curse. Two players will then keep losing HP and there'll

be no way to dispel it!"

"Oh!" the crowd nodded uniformly.

Zhang Yang began distributing responsibilities, "Later when we start the fight, ranged players stand together, remember to stand at least 10

meters away from the boss, that'd be around this line. I will position the boss later, ranged attackers do not cross this line or else the boss

will consider it as melee range distance. Melee players attack from the left side, whoever gets cursed should run to the center. Respond as

quickly as possible, otherwise it'll be a burden to the healers. After the curse is removed, return immediately to your original positions!"

"Understood!"

Zhang Yang continued, "The boss' second skill is to summon a puppet to aid him in battle at every 25% HP loss. The puppet's HP is low, and

should be around 3,000 HP in Normal Mode but its damage is sky-high! That is why we must nuke it the moment the puppet is summoned! You guys

don't have to worry about aggro, I'll be the first to pull it!"

Everyone instinctively looked at Kindling Chest Hair. Usually the main tank would pull the boss' aggro while the off-tank would pull the

minions'. Things would then work out flawlessly. Obviously, Kindling Chest Hair was completely undependable. If he were to pull minions, those

minions could end up flying everywhere!

Kindling Chest Hair was annoyed to the point of rage by the team's stare, "What are you looking at?!"

"Pay attention. Even when the puppet is summoned, the boss will still cast <Curse of Water and Fire>, so always remember to run to the center to

dispel the curse!" Zhang Yang reminded.

"Understood!" the crowd nodded again.

"Alright! Start the fight!" Zhang Yang waved his sword and did a <Charge> towards the boss.

"-78!" Normal attack.

"-138!" <Horizontal Sweep>.

Babarerba recovered quickly and with a deafening shriek, it had thrusted towards Zhang Yang with its spear.

"<Block>!"

"-34!" <Block> reflected damage.

"-99!" <Shield Bash>.

"-55!" Normal attack.

"Attack now!" Zhang Yang commanded in the party channel.

The crowd moved onwards, melee fighters stood together, ranged fighters gathered on their end as well.

In just a matter of time, Babarerba had casted <Curse of Water and Fire>.

"Ding! Player Snowy Death has been affected by <Curse of Water>, losing 70 HP per second. Effect will remain until player's death!"

"Ding! Player Hundred Shots has been affected by <Curse of Fire>, losing 70 HP per second. Effect will remain until player's death!"

Without waiting for Zhang Yang's reminder, these two players had come out of their formation and headed towards each other. They got together

quickly and split up instantly, returning to their positions and resumed their attack on the boss. The healers had also healed them, quickly

restoring their HP.

"Well done! That's it!" Zhang Yang complimented as encouragement.

About 15 seconds later, Babarerba casted yet another <Curse of Water and Fire>, its targets this time were Floral Shorts and Ocean Despair.

Ocean Despair had quickly gone to the center but Floral Shorts remained attacking the boss.

"Floral Shorts, quickly head to the center!" Zhang Yang frowned as he yelled.

"Run faster noob Knight, I'm still attacking here!" said Floral Shorts without a care.

"Bloody idiot!" Ocean Despair ran towards Floral Shorts in an instant. The moment the two of them were near each other, the spell was removed.

Since Floral Shorts did not cooperate fully, they had taken a bit more time, causing them to lose over 200 HP. That was two-thirds worth of

their HP value!

Ocean Despair then ran back to his position and self-casted 3 times of <Holy Light>. Only then did he manage to recover his lost HP, his

expression vicious.

Babarerba's HP had been lowered to the 75% mark soon after.

"Damned intruders, all of you must die!" Babarerba raised its spear and began to chant a spell, "Come forth demon from the depth of the abyss,

bring evil with you into this realm!"

"Ding! Babarerba has summoned Demon Puppet Tasair!"

A hexagram magic circle appeared underneath Babarerba's feet. As a dim light flickered, a red demon only half a man's height had appeared by its

side, the demon's long tail extended from its hip. It had sharp teeth, and deep green-colored eyes.

[Tasair, Babarerba's Demon Puppet] (Elite)

Level: 13

HP: 3,000

This was a minor demon, also known as an 'imp', the lowest ranked among the demons.

"Tasair needs a sacrifice!" The demon shrieked and set its sight on Prideful Babysitter, leaping towards him.

"<Charge>!"

Zhang Yang dashed towards Tasair and landed a slash on it with his sword.

"-62!" Normal attack.

"-142!" <Horizontal Sweep>.

"Target the imp! Nuke it!"

Tasair recovered from the stun and leaped towards Zhang Yang to attack him.

"<Block>!"

"-39!" <Block> reflected damage.

"-98!" <Shield Bash>.

Zhang Yang lured Tasair towards Babarerba and when both the monsters were together, he crouched, evading both their attacks, and returned to his

original position.

Tasair's HP was very low and it was immediately killed under the crowd's combined attacks. After that, the party refocused their attacks on

Babarerba.

It did not take long for Babarerba's HP to hit the 50% mark.

"Intruders! Your attacks have hurt Babarerba! Babarerba is angry now!" Babarerba raised its spear again and began his chant, "Come forth demon

from the depth of the abyss, bring evil with you into this realm!"

A hexagram magic circle appeared once again underneath Babarerba's feet. This time, a blue fat demon appeared by his side. It had no legs, but

there was a black malicious cloud floating under it. There were faces with only eyes on both the front and back of the demon.

[Gluttony, Babarerba's Demon Puppet] (Elite)

Level: 13

HP: 3,000

This floating demon, due to its blue-colored body and fat shape, was also called "Blue Fatty" by the players. This demon was one rank higher

than the previous one but both monsters' attacks and HP were similar here in the Normal Mode dungeon raid, only differing in their appearance.

"Anbaratumargutton!" Gluttony let out a weird low noise and floated towards Snowy Death.

"<Provoke>!"

Zhang Yang immediately took over and did a blow, "-59" damage text floating from the top of Gluttony's head.

"<Block>!"

"-39!" <Block> reflected damage.

"-98!" <Shield Bash>.

"Ding! Player Kindling Chest Hair has been affected by <Curse of Water>, losing 70 HP per second. Effect will remain until player's death!"

"Ding! Player Prideful Precepts has been affected by <Curse of Fire>, losing 70 HP per second. Effect will remain until player's death!"

Babarerba had taken the chance to cast <Curse of Water and Fire> during the chaos.

"Move quickly!" Zhang Yang frowned as he reminded them.

Kindling Chest Hair went on clashing with the boss like he had not heard a thing...

Prideful Precepts remained unmoving, shooting Frost Arrows...

"F*ck me, you two better start moving now. Your fucking HP is dropping too fast, I can't keep up!" Ocean Despair shouted angrily.

"Bullshit, I'm attacking! Healing is supposed to be you healers' job! Why else do we need you to raid the dungeon with huh?!" Prideful Precepts

answered arrogantly.

"Fine! Fine! Do it your way. I'm not going to heal anymore!" Ocean Despair stopped his actions.

Prideful Babysitter was desperately healing but even if he were to heal one-to-one, he would not be able to keep going. What else could he do

when there were two? He then said, "Precepts, Hairy, you two better get going now, I really can't keep this up anymore!"

Only then did the two of them stop what they were doing unwillingly, looked around and then ran towards each other.

After a few steps, Prideful Precepts' HP had dropped to rock-bottom, Prideful Babysitter was nearly done casting his healing spell but Prideful

Magus had then died from <Curse of Fire>.

"Ding! Player Prideful Magus has died!"

"Sh*tty noob Knight! F*ck you!" Prideful Magus cussed, "How the f*ck are you a healer? What the f*ck were you doing not healing?"

"If I ever f*cking heal you dogs with even another single drop of HP, I really am a shitty noob Knight!" Ocean Despair scolded back.

Without <Curse of Fire>, Kindling Chest Hair could not dispel the <Curse of Water>. He was barely alive from his vast vitality, as he shouted,

"Shut the f*ck up and start healing me!"

Ocean Despair did absolutely nothing, determined to turn against everyone in Pride.

Prideful Babysitter had been healing Kindling Chest Hair constantly but how could he heal in time, especially when he was alone? Kindling Chest

Hair's HP loss was much faster than his healing speed. Within seconds, Kindling Chest Hair died as well.

"Ding! Player Kindling Chest Hair has died!"

"You f*cking noob Knight! F*ck your entire family!" Kindling Chest Hair too cussed.

"Ding! Player Prideful Magus was expelled from the party!"

"Ding! Player Kindling Chest Hair was expelled from the party!"

Zhang Yang smiled faintly as two notifications rang out, "Too noisy, it's disturbing the fight!"

Floral Shorts had wanted to rebuke but he held back and said, "OK, just add them back when the battle is over."

Gluttony was killed promptly, and the battle's rhythm returned to its normal pace.

Countering <Curse of Water and Fire> was actually not difficult, they were in Normal Mode after all. With the absence of both of Pride's

barbarians, the party's efficiency had significantly increased with each player running towards each other almost instantly once they were

cursed. The pace lasted until well after Babarerba summoned its third demon, as they finished killing the boss rather quickly.

"Ding! The party you are in has killed Babarerba! Obtained 4,924 EXP (50 points Party Bonus)!"

CHAPTER 18

Nuked?

"Ding! Player Prideful Precepts has joined the party!"

"Ding! Player Kindling Chest Hair has joined the party!

After the battle, Floral Shorts had been urging Zhang Yang to re-invite the other two players into the party or they would have lost the chance

to bid for an equipment once somebody had touched the boss' corpse.

Zhang Yang gave a slight smile and sent the party invitation to the two of them. Before they could even start arguing, Zhang Yang preemptively

said, "All of you Pride members, no one speak from now on! I will kick anyone who can't keep their mouth shut. If all four of you can't keep

your mouth shut, I'll kick all four out! We don't even need that many players in Normal Mode!"

Stunned by Zhang Yang's authoritative assertion, even though the four Pride players held a grudging look, no one dared make a noise. If these

words were to come from Zhang Yang had they first started the dungeon raid, they would have treated it as a passing joke. After experiencing 2

boss battles though, they knew that Zhang Yang was a pro player, someone much more skillful than them!

Other party members smiled, their anger subsiding. They began to think even more highly of Zhang Yang.

"Touch the corpse!" Zhang Yang said casually.

Although Floral Shorts had stayed silent, his reaction was incredibly fast, rushing to the boss' side and with a touch, 3 equipment and a Roll-

the-Dice window had appeared in front of everyone.

In Roll-the-Dice Mode, for items higher than White tier dropped by the boss, each player in the party could roll should they desire it. The

system would then randomly generate a number between 1 – 100; the player who had the highest roll would obtain the item they had rolled for. Of

course, if there was no need for the item, one could pass.

[Bloodstained Hat] (Black-Steel, Cloth Armor)

Armor: +1

Vitality: +3

Intelligence: +1

Level Requirement: 5

Zhang Yang had chosen to pass and the others were quick in making a choice. A total of 5 players rolled for the equipment.

Prideful Precepts, 36 points.

Flame Emperor, 87 points.

Prideful Babysitter, 76 points.

Floral Shorts, 27 points.

Kindling Chest Hair, 92 points.

"Ding! Player Kindling Chest Hair has obtained Bloodstained Hat!"

The party boiled with anger again.

"Why the hell did you roll for a cloth armor when you're not even cloth classed, motherf*cker! Where did this barbaric Pride Guild come from?

All barbarians!"

Those from Pride kept mum, be it due to having qualms about Zhang Yang's warning or their arrogance which was keeping them from arguing. What

was clear though, was that they were determined to be barbarous to the end. It did not matter whether the other two equipment fit them, they had

chosen to roll for them anyway.

Zhang Yang sent a private message to the other party members one by one saying, "Level 5 Black-Steel equipment are not much better than White-

Wood rarity ones. Let them "Need"1 roll! Let us clear the Difficult and Hardcore Modes later and show them what real loot is. Make them jealous,

that's the best payback!"

The players were thrilled. This would mean that Zhang Yang had intended on leading them to raid both Difficult and Hardcore Modes! After

battling two bosses with him, they already had no doubts regarding Zhang Yang's capabilities. Perhaps Hardcore Mode could be a problem,

Difficult Mode though, there would be a big chance that they could clear it!

Receiving such a promise, the party calmed down. To be honest, Level 5 Black-Steel equipment would have been insignificant to Level 10 players.

It would have been discarded after a few levels of use. The players from Pride had humiliated themselves for temporary benefits and had also

lost their chance to raid the Difficult and Hardcore Modes with Zhang Yang. It was obvious whether they had benefited or suffered a loss.

[Hard Leather Chest Plate] (Black-Steel, Leather Armor)

Armor: +2

Vitality: +2

Dexterity: +2

Level Requirement: 5

The rest of the party had fought back mercilessly in dealing with the Pride players' shameless act. All the players besides Zhang Yang had

joined the roll, Ocean Despair ended up obtaining the equipment. He then passed the equipment to the leather armor classed player, Defiant Monk,

who had the second highest roll. Defiant Monk was utterly grateful.

[Hard Leather Gloves] (Black-Steel, Leather Armor)

Armor: +2

Vitality: +1

Dexterity: +1

Level Requirement: 10

This equipment, however, had fallen to one of the Pride members. The four of them had looked as contented as winning a 500 million dollar grand

prize. The others had already adjusted their emotions and had treated them as a joke. Only scornful smiles appeared at the corners of their

lips, none of them saying anything.

The Pride Quad thought they had put a halt to the other party members' momentum, feeling all the more pleased with themselves.

"Let's move forward!" Zhang Yang said calmly after the equipment distribution.

Bangar Crypt had a total of 3 bosses and another 7 waves of minions along their way to the last boss. The party had spent 20 minutes clearing

the minions and had finally reached the ultimate boss after passing through a long tunnel.

[Gnome Leader Dadarerda] (Black-Steel Boss)

Level: 14

HP: 42,000

Dadarerda was a 5-meter tall giant gnome sitting on a plain throne. By his side, 2 guards in duty were guarding seriously.

[Royal Guard] (Elite)

Level: 13

HP: 6,500

Zhang Yang set his mind straight and began to explain the strategy, "This boss' battle is divided into 2 parts. First, eliminate the 2 guards. I

will grab ahold of their aggro when we begin. Target the 'star-marked' one first and then the 'sun-marked' next. Then we follow-up with the

boss."

"The boss has two skills. He will randomly place fire pits on the ground for the first skill. I think it should be about 10 to 15 pits. You have

to pay attention and avoid the pits, because each step will cost you 100 points of damage."

"The boss will spin and spew a cone-shaped flame for his second skill, and 300 HP will be taken once you're burned! However, there's a 2 seconds

casting delay that can't be interrupted but can be used as an indication of attack. The boss does not spin very fast, so as long as you follow

its rotation, you'd be able to avoid the flame. What you need to pay attention though is that you'll have to also focus on the fire pits as you

evade the spewed flame. Keep your eyes on both dangers!"

Zhang Yang paused and asked, "Is everyone clear? If you don't understand, ask me now. I can repeat the strategy again."

Everyone remained quiet.

"Very well, we shall start now!" Zhang Yang wielded his sword and ran forward. When he was within the casting range, Zhang Yang used <Charge>

and stunned Dadarerda, slashing it at the same time. "-52" damage text then floated across the boss' head.

When the battle began, the gate to the passageway would be closed automatically and would not open again unless the battle had ended.

Both the royal guards immediately shrieked in their strange voice and charged towards Zhang Yang.

"<Block>!"

"-32!" <Block> reflected damage.

"-92!" Zhang Yang used <Shield Bash> on the 'star-marked' monster.

"-136!"

"-142!"

"-129!"

Zhang Yang immediately chained <Horizontal Sweep> with his previous attack, causing yellow damage numbers to drift across all three monsters'

heads.

Without further instruction from Zhang Yang, the party had initiated their attack on the 'star-marked' monster at once.

"Ding! Dadarerda used <Lava Pit>. Lasts for 60 seconds!"

10 fire rings with 1 meter diameter each then appeared randomly on the battlefield. Some had appeared right beneath the players' feet while some

had appeared randomly across the battlefield.

"Beware of your steps!" Zhang Yang reminded.

Evading 10 pits was fairly easy. Everyone resumed attacking the 'star-marked' monster, killing it in just a short amount of time.

"Ding! The party you are in has killed a Royal Guard! Obtained 700 EXP (50 points Party Bonus)!"

"Next target! Continue!" Zhang Yang commanded.

"Ding! Dadarerda used <Lava Pit>. Lasts for 60 seconds!"

Another 10 fire pits appeared on the field and everyone started becoming busy evading the pits.

Suddenly, Dadarerda stopped attacking and raised its hands. A progress bar appeared on its head as it began chanting in a weird language.

"Get ready! The boss is going to spit fire! Be on your feet!" Zhang Yang turned and moved away from the boss' front, pulling the 'sun-marked'

monster with him.

"Ding! Dadarerda used <Flamethrower!>"

Dadarerda opened his mouth and a flame more than 30 meters long was spat. He then slowly twirled and began his rotating attack.

"Take note of where you're stepping!" Zhang Yang pulled the 'sun-marked' monster's aggro while moving along with the boss, hiding by his side

the whole time.

Even with Zhang Yang's reminder, a few players had forgotten about the <Lava Pit> beneath their feet as they evaded <Flamethrower>, causing

damage text to float from their heads one by one.

"Ding! Player Floral Shorts has died!"

"Ding! Player Prideful Magus has died!"

"Ding! Player Prideful Babysitter has died!"

"Ding! Player Flame Emperor has died!"

Good job, 4 members had died in an instant! On the other hand, if it were not for Kindling Chest Hair's 700 HP accommodating his damage from

<Lava Pit>, he would have turned into a corpse already.

"Continue the attack!" Zhang Yang did not want to criticize anyone. After all, since this had been everyone's virgin battle against this boss,

progressing in any way was inevitable. Furthermore, the boss would cast <Lava Pit> every 10 seconds. Since the fire pits would last for 60

seconds, it meant that there would have been a total of 60 fire pits on the field later on, making things even more chaotic.

And this was only in Normal Mode. The fire pits in Difficult Mode would have lasted for 90 seconds with an extra 30 pits while Hardcore Mode's

would last for 120 seconds, covering almost the entire field with fire pits.

"Ding! Dadarerda used <Lava Pit>. Lasts for 60 seconds!"

30 seconds later, there were 30 pits on the field. Fortunately, <Flamethrower>'s activation rate was less frequent.

"Ding! The party you are in has killed Royal Guard! Obtained 700 EXP (50 points Party Bonus)!"

'Sun monster' kept it up for a while but had eventually succumbed to the party's nuke.

"Hurry up and attack the boss!" Zhang Yang hollered softly.

"Ding! Dadarerda used <Lava Pit>. Lasts for 60 seconds!"

Almost simultaneously, Dadarerda stopped his attack and a progress bar appeared on its head once again.

"Ding! Babarerba used <Flamethrower>!"

With 40 fire pits on the ground, all hell broke loose.

"Ding! Player Snowy Death has died!"

"Ding! Player Defiant Monk has died!"

"Ding! Player Kindling Chest Hair has died!"

"Ding! Player Hundred Shots has died!"

"Ding! Player Ocean Despair has died!"

Amidst the raging flame, Zhang Yang became the sole survivor in his party!

CHAPTER 19

Solo Kill

"Zhan Yu, give it up!" Hundred Shots advised when he saw Dadarerda's HP had only dropped by 9%. "Let's do it one more time. We've all

experienced it now, surely we'll last longer!"

Zhang Yang gave a slight smile and said, "Let me try!"

"Try your ass! Do you think you're God, that you can solo kill a boss?" Prideful Precepts scolded. "I'll kowtow to you thrice and call you

grandfather every single time I see you if you could solo kill it!"

"Hmph! I'm not that blessed to be your grandfather, I don't want to die of being infuriated by you!" Zhang Yang avoided the boss' attacks

agilely while delivering substantial damage to it. Technically, his damaging power was the highest in the team anyway. If he were to do it

alone, it would only prolong the battle duration by 2 to 3 times more.

"Noob tank! Don't waste any more of our time okay?" Floral Shorts joined in. "Each minute you take to fight it while 9 of us lay here is

equivalent to 9 minutes wasted. You can't possibly compensate us for the time lost!"

"Hey! Don't assume you represent all of us!" yelled Snowy Death. "I have full confidence in our Guardian. I don't mind laying here for a while!

If you're afraid of wasting time, you can always resurrect yourself immediately!"

"I also have no problems laying here for a little while more!" Hundred Shots, too, had expressed his support for Zhang Yang.

"Bunch of motherf*ckers!" Kindling Chest Hair could only cuss lowly.

Even though the Pride Quad kept throwing insults, none of them had released their bodies! In 'God's Miracle', if you had released your body

before a dungeon raid ended, you would not be able to resurrect to rejoin the dungeon as well and you would also be forgoing your ability to

participate in the roll for battle loot.

Whatever had been going on in their minds, even though the Pride Quad had no faith in Zhang Yang's ability to solo kill the boss, none of them

had released their bodies, fearing the possibility of an upset! That said, even if they had released their bodies, they could not reenter the

dungeon, so they might as well lay back and watch!

"Ding! Dadarerda used <Lava Pit>. Lasts for 60 seconds!"

....

"Ding! Dadarerda used <Lava Pit>. Lasts for 60 seconds!"

Finally, the field had achieved the maximum number of fire pits. With 60 <Lava Pit> on the field, it was a sight to behold! The field was fully

enveloped in bright, fiery light! The pits had covered almost half of the entire landscape in such a huge cave!

"Ding! Dadarerba used <Flamethrower>!"

Dadarerda began to spit fire again.

After <Lava Pit> had reached its maximum number of uses in the field, <Flamethrower> became the biggest threat, forcing the player to move

around. The current field filled with lava pits would have been the worst scenario for the players!

Only one-third of Zhang Yang's athleticism was required to cope with the current situation. This was just a joke for him. If this situation had

required his full capabilities, how could he aim to clear Difficult and Hardcore Mode later on?

Dadarerba's HP dropped consistently, decreasing from 91% to 66% after 3 minutes!

Zhang Yang's HP had remained a solid 100%, moving at a comfortable pace in his evasion of the boss' attacks. He then swung his sword, chopping

away at the boss' HP.

"Pro! A real pro!" Everyone stared in disbelief.

Though they had already known of Zhang Yang's exceptional skills, nobody had any idea how high his standard was! With the scene in front of them

then, they clearly understood a pro's realm!

Solo kill a boss!

This dude could totally solo kill a boss!

No! Not only this boss, he could completely raid this entire Normal Mode Bangar Crypt dungeon on his own! The only difference would be that a

party would take approximately 1 hour while he would have taken 3 hours!

Was this dude even human?

Flame Emperor immediately searched for a name on his Friend List and sent a private message and said, "Guild Leader, I have something to tell

you!"

A reply came back soon after, "Is it important? I'm in the middle of Difficult Mode Bangar Crypt party raid!"

Flame Emperor turned on the recorder and filmed Zhang Yang fighting the boss. He then sent the recording over and said, "Leader, this is of

utmost importance! You must see the video I'd just sent you!"

"Haha, you little rascal. You wouldn't be sending me another porno right?" The other side replied instantly, either he had killed the boss or

they were completely wiped out.

"Guild Leader..." Flame Emperor expressed his innocence.

"Eh?" The player on the other end turned on his voice chat, his surprised tone could clearly be heard, "Hey! Quiet for a second, I'm talking to

Flame here!" He paused for a moment and asked, "Flame, what's the man's IGN?"

"Zhan Yu!" Flame Emperor turned off the party channel and began voice chatting with his leader.

"Extraordinary! He never got hit once. There are so many pits on the ground yet never once did he step on them! Pro, an absolute pro! Even if

this was only Normal Mode, it's still very impressive! When we did it previously, we actually got wiped out twice by this third boss and had

only managed to clear it on the third try!" The person on the other end of the line kept quiet for a while and said, "This player, he's not in a

guild?"

"Yeah. Otherwise I wouldn't have called you!" Flame Emperor replied.

"Try to approach him later, ask him if he's interested to join our Lost Paradise, I'll loosen the conditions a little! Hmm, give him an Officer

position and a spot in our guild's first explorers team!"

"Okay, I got it! Oh right! Leader, he told us that he'll clear Difficult Mode with us later. Would you like to join us?" said Flame Emperor.

"Hmm... I've yet to clear the first boss here so I haven't used any of my entrance counts. Basically, I could still join you guys! Right, isn't

your party full already?"

"There are 4 shitty Pride members here, we'll kick them out after clearing Normal Mode!"

"That's good, reserve 4 spots for us from Zhan Yu. I'll bring Sky and the rest to join you guys! Hold up about recruiting him, let me talk to

him personally when I've come over!"

"Sure!" Flame Emperor agreed simply.

On the other side, Dadarerda's HP had dropped to 21% yet Zhang Yang still had his HP untouched! At this point, no one had any doubts, Zhang Yang

could totally solo kill the boss!

"15%!"

"10%!"

"7%!"

"4%!"

"3%!"

"2%!"

"1%!"

"Ding! The party you are in has killed Dadarerda! Obtained 42,050 EXP (50 points Party Bonus)!"

Zhang Yang had obtained all the EXP since dead characters could not be awarded with any EXP. This had exponentially increased his EXP bar so

much that one could visually witness the surge.

"He did it! He really did it!" The other 9 players mumbled to themselves as if they were dreaming.

"Go resurrect yourselves! I'll wait for you guys to loot the corpse!" Zhang Yang said grinning.

Prideful Precepts though, had interpreted Zhang Yang's intention with a crooked point of view and said, "Loot now! We'll resurrect after

equipment distribution. We can just revive at the entrance, no need to run all the way here!"

If drops were looted amidst resurrection, players outside of the dungeon would not be able to roll for the loot.

Zhang Yang smiled and crouched to touch the corpse.

[Heavy Hammer] (Black-Steel, One-handed Hammer)

Magic Attack: 8 – 12

Level Requirement: 5

[Lord's Hat] (Black-Steel, Leather Armor)

Defense: +2

Vitality: +3

Dexterity: +1

Level Requirement: 5

[Linen Pants] (Black-Steel, Cloth Armor)

Defense: +1

Vitality: +2

Intelligence: +1

Spirit: +1

Level Requirement: 5

The party began rolling and Ocean Despair had managed to get the Heavy Hammer, while Snowy Death had obtained Lord's Hat, and finally Flame

Emperor had gotten Linen Pants. None of the Pride Quad had obtained anything!

This obviously made everyone happy, smiles etched on their faces except the Pride members whose expressions were awful. They then released their

bodies and resurrected themselves at the spawn point.

"Hm, we shall challenge Difficult Mode after reviving. If anyone has anything else to do, you can leave!" said Zhang Yang casually. He actually

had not much care for Difficult Mode's equipment but this party's current equipment was too basic. It would be extremely tough for them in

Hardcore Mode if they did not loot some proper equipment from Difficult Mode.

The Pride Quad's eyes lighted up thinking about Level 10 Black-Steel equipment dropped in Difficult Mode! In comparison, Normal Mode's drops had

been complete trash!

The party was quiet, no one had any indication of leaving.

"Pride members, you guys can leave yourselves!" Zhang Yang said.

"Why do we have to leave?" Kindling Chest Hair immediately shouted. Zhang Yang was obviously a pro player. As long as they followed him around,

they would definitely have access to good equipment!

"No reason, I just don't like your faces!" Zhang Yang kicked them all out without further ado.

"F*ck! Add us back now or else I'll kill you every time I see you! I'll make sure to kill you back to Level 0!" Prideful Precepts had sent Zhang

Yang a private message instantly.

"Bro, we've done you a favor by taking you in back then. You can't just kick us out like that right?" Floral Shorts tried to guilt trip Zhang

Yang.

Zhang Yang did not waste any effort talking to them, immediately blacklisting the Pride Quad. From now on, he would not be receiving any more

private messages from them.

He opened the Character Search Window and tried searching for "Slim and Handsome" to see if Fatty Han had connected. Coincidentally, the result

had shown that his character was online. Zhang Yang hurriedly sent a private message saying, "Fatty Shit, I'm Zhang Yang!" Attached along with

the message was a friend request.

Instantly, the request was approved and Fatty Han sent back a reply, "Oh, I've just slept for about 2 hours and you've already reached Level

10?"

Zhang Yang scoffed and said, "Enough chit chat, go complete the pre-requisite quest for Bangar Crypt dungeon quickly! Big brother here will

bring you to raid Difficult Mode!"

"Little Yang, you'd better not forget that you were born 2 months later than your Fatty Big Bro!" Fatty Han refuted and said, "Alright! I'll go

do the quest now!"

"Pro, now that we're short of 4 players, I have some guild members who would like to join, let me invite them over, is that alright?" Flame

Emperor asked in a private message to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang thought for a while and said, "I have a friend joining, he's doing the pre-requisite quest now so you can only invite 3 players!"

"Sure!" Flame Emperor gladly replied.

Zhang Yang passed over the Party Leader position to Flame Emperor and without much delay, he had added 3 players into the party.

"Ding! Player Crimson Fire has joined the party!"

"Ding! Player Phantom Day has joined the party!"

"Ding! Player Silky Snow has joined the party!"

CHAPTER 20

Difficult Mode

Flame Emperor had returned the leader position to Zhang Yang right after he had finished adding members with his invitations.

"Hi everyone!" Crimson Fire greeted with a smile as soon as he had entered party.

Zhang Yang was still exiting the dungeon when he said, "Those releasing their bodies would resurrect themselves at the entrance. Right, Crimson

Fire, where are you guys? How soon can you be here?"

"We're in a dungeon raid now. After we leave the original party, we'll be sent to the entrance automatically, much faster than all of you!" said

Crimson Fire with a smile.

Zhang Yang nodded and sent a message to Fatty Han, "Hurry up or you'll miss the first boss!"

"F*ck, your fatty bro is on his way, wait for me!" Fatty Han replied immediately.

Zhang Yang smiled, of course he would have waited for Fatty Han before starting the boss fight. He as a human being would always have a little

selfishness.

Very soon, the dead characters had resurrected at the dungeon entrance while Zhang Yang had also exited the dungeon, and all 9 of them gathered.

"Wow, we even have a beautiful lady!" Among the 9 players, 8 were male and Silky Snow was the only female player. This was a norm in any game,

where the male player population would always be much higher than that of the female player population. 'God's Miracle' had only attracted a

large number of female players after a few months due to its realistic game interface.

Silky Snow had selected elf as her race, wearing a milky white long dress and a golden floral headpiece. She had a slender body, waist slim and

long legs with round perky breasts. Her almond-shaped face oozed a mature seductive aura, and while it was not peerless, she was outstanding and

would definitely make heads turn.

Silky Snow, Female Elf, Priest, Lost Paradise, Level 10.

Crimson Fire, Male Dwarf, Bandit, Lost Paradise, Level 10.

Phantom Day, Male Orc, Berserker, Lost Paradise, Level 10.

These 3 people had the 'Lost Paradise' guild tag above their heads just like Flame Emperor. Before this, it was the Pride Quad; and now, it was

the Lost Paradise Quad. Once bitten, twice shy; the other 4 party members inspected the Lost Paradise members with a cautious gaze.

Zhang Yang set the dungeon difficulty to Difficult Mode and said, "Let's go!" His eyes scanned around and saw that the Pride Quad had revived,

looking at him and the party with eyes filled with vengeance.

"Ding! You have entered Bangar Crypt (Difficult Mode)!"

"Why are we still short of one player?" Phantom Day asked frowning.

"He's still doing the pre-requisite quest. He will arrive soon though. It's fine, we can go ahead!" Zhang Yang replied. The number of monsters

had remained the same in Difficult Mode but their HP and attack damage would have increased exponentially.

[Gnome Soldier] (Elite)

Level: 10

HP: 7,500

Their HP had increased by 50% compared to Normal Mode!

Zhang Yang marked one of the monsters and said, "Focus your attack on the marked monster later. We'll take them out one by one!"

Phantom Day had once again voiced his opinion, "Can you hold so many monsters just by yourself? Should we get a Defender first then swap your

friend in after we've got to the first boss?"

Zhang Yang smiled and said, "It's fine, I should be able to hold it!"

Phantom Day kept quiet after that. They had known before they came that this trip was to observe Zhang Yang's capabilities and then decide what

conditions to offer him in recruiting him to the guild's first explorers team. That way why even if Phantom Day had not believed that Zhang Yang

could pull 6 monsters, he remained quiet.

Zhang Yang moved forward wielding his sword. Before he could start the fight, his body suddenly flashed with a white light and a translucent

shield appeared!

"Ding! Player Silky Snow has casted <Holy Shield> on you! 80 damage points will be absorbed. Lasts for 30 seconds!"

<Holy Shield> was a skill exclusive to Priests. It was very practical but it could only be obtained from skill books looted from monsters'

drops. Seeing that Silky Snow was able to attain this skill, it would seem that Lost Paradise should have some capable players in their guild!

Zhang Yang had thought about it as he picked a monster and did a <Charge>.

"-64!"

11 Rage was generated from the normal attack and 10 more Rage had come from <Charge>, raising Zhang Yang's Rage to 21 at once.

"-146!"

"-152!"

"-304!"

"-149!"

"-144!"

"-153!"

6 damage texts popped up at the same time from using <Horizontal Sweep>, one of them had even been a critical strike, a pleasing sight to those

watching.

"F*ck you, what devastating damage!" Phantom Day yelled. While he was slashing monsters, he asked, "Zhan Yu, what skill of yours is that? How

could it be so powerful?"

Zhang Yang continued pulling aggro while posting the skill <Horizontal Sweep>.

"What the f*ck, how could such a godly skill exist?! 200% melee attack damage and it's even an AOE! This is wicked! Big brother Zhan Yu, where

did you get this skill book from?" Phantom Day had admired the power of <Horizontal Sweep> so much that he had even addressed him as big

brother.

Zhang Yang smiled and said, "I coincidentally completed a Hidden Quest. This was the reward!"

After hearing that, disappointment greeted Phantom Day.

If the skill book was dropped by a monster, there would be a chance to obtain it no matter how rare it was! A Hidden Quest's rewards though,

could only be unique! There could only be one in existence!

Zhang Yang used <Block> and reflected a significant amount of damage to all monsters. 8 seconds later, <Horizontal Sweep>'s cooldown time had

ended so he gave the monsters another blow, bringing about another 6 horrifying damage texts. He then said, "Berserkers can learn <Tornado

Cleave> at Level 20, it's also an AoE attack!"

[Tornado Cleave]: Waves the weapon in your hands like a tornado. Causes 80% melee damage to surrounding targets. Cost: 20 Rage. Cooldown time:

10 Seconds. Requirement: Melee Weapon.

It seemed like a power-shrunk version of <Horizontal Sweep> but a Berserker could wield two one-handed weapons or a two-handed weapon. Its 80%

melee damage would not have been any worse than a Guardian's <Horizontal Sweep>, of course, provided that both of their equipment were on the

same level.

Phantom Day sighed and said, "But I'll have to wait till Level 20! And the damage is much lower than <Horizontal Sweep>!"

Before Level 20, no other class would have any AoE skills other than the Defender. Even Zhang Yang had only obtained one because of a Hidden

Quest!

While the two of them were talking, the Gnome Soldiers fell one by one. Although these monsters' HP and attack were a lot higher than those in

Normal Mode, it was still useless if they could not even land a hit! A higher HP had only meant that they took a longer time to kill them!

Few minutes later and 6 monsters had fallen.

"Zhan Yu, would you like to join our Lost Paradise?" Crimson Fire sent an invitation to Zhan Yu and said, "Our guild is sponsored by 'Dragon

Century Corporation'. Every core member will have a fixed salary! If you join us, I can offer you an officer position and a spot in our first

explorers team. The monthly salary will not be any lower than 10 thousand!"

A typical white-collar would have a salary of around 10 thousand each month. What Crimson Fire had offered was indeed not bad!

If it had been in his previous life, Zhang Yang who had just entered the game would have succumbed to this temptation and agreed immediately.

However, a mere 10 thousand could not strike his interest any longer! Zhang Yang smiled and said, "Currently, I do not have any intentions to

join any guild!"

"What a pity!" Crimson Fire said regretfully. He then turned his head and gave a look to Silky Snow.

The vixen subtly nodded her head and began to chat with Zhang Yang.

The beauty trap?

Zhang Yang shook his head with indifference. In his previous life, he would probably have been blinded by beauty. He was currently living a

second life though, and that made Zhang Yang much more resiliently firm and steady. He regarded Silky Snow's advances with impartiality while

leading the party forward.

"Little Yang, add me into the party, I've completed the pre-requisite quest!" A message had finally come from Fatty Han after the party had

cleared their second last wave of minions.

Zhang Yang immediately sent a party invitation and an elf hunter called 'Slim and Handsome' appeared in the party list.

"Hurry up and come over or I'll start the boss without you!" Zhang Yang said in the party channel.

"Don't! Wait for me!" Fatty Han cried.

Some 7 or 8 minutes later, a jumbo-sized elf came running from the back, by his side was a black wolf.

According to the official introduction, elves were all tall and slim but 'Slim and Handsome' had completely destroyed the image of the noble and

elegant elves. His bucket-shaped waist was already frightening to look at.

"I'm not late right?" Fatty Han scanned the party and his eyes shone when he saw Silky Snow. He ran over to her in his glorious jiggling ass and

said, "Hi beautiful! I'm Slim and Handsome, the greatest hunter in the future, the one and only!"

Zhang Yang took the King Panther's Armlet he had obtained from slaying the Black Panther King and handed it to Fatty Han. Fatty Han took it

naturally without faking courtesy. Giving him a smile, he equipped himself with the armlet.

Zhang Yang said, "Alright, it's the boss battle soon. Quiet down, I'll explain the strategy!"

"The boss still only has 2 skills. <Death Stare>'s effect remains unchanged but <Venom Spit>'s damage has increased by 50%, and every hit could

deal 300 damage. Those who have less than 300 HP would definitely be killed within seconds! Silky Snow, please make sure you cast <Holy Shield>

on everyone who has less than 300 HP in order to prevent member reduction!"

In the party, a total of 4 people had less than 300 HP – Crimson Fire, Phantom Day, Fatty Han and Hundred Shots. It would