Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

In the early stages of Dreamscape, movement skills were not something every player possessed.

After all, Charge and Blink could both be learned at Level 50. If someone wanted to enjoy them earlier by purchasing skill books, they had to pay the corresponding price. The drop rate of skill books was on an entirely different level compared to equipment.

Under normal circumstances, anyone without a movement skill would have to endure at least a third of Pyrestorm’s damage to escape its area of effect. If their reaction speed was lacking, they could easily be burned to death before making it out.

The dominance of mages during the early game was no exaggeration.

Not to mention that this Pyrestorm had double the normal range. Some piece of equipment had clearly enhanced its area of effect.

Each damage tick exceeded 1,000 points. An ordinary player would struggle to survive even two seconds inside it. It seemed Cloud Edge was not lacking in experts.

There was no time to think. Zane activated the Elemental Horn, its radiance bursting forth. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind the woman. As Magic Swordsmanship came crashing down, he finally saw her ID: LoveYouMore

She looked like a young lady deeply in love. In that case… no mercy!

However, the mage’s body trembled slightly as she sensed the danger behind her. Without even turning her head, she casually stepped forward. As a result, Magic Swordsmanship missed completely.

‘This person is troublesome… If we don’t eliminate her quickly and allow the pursuers to catch up, her magic attack will undoubtedly inflict devastating damage on our side.’

Fortunately, Zane’s original intention had been a feint all along. Taking advantage of the moment she dodged, he predicted her next position. Starry’s body transformed into an afterimage and shot forward.

From Starry’s rapidly advancing perspective, she could clearly see the shock in her opponent’s eyes. Even if the mage wanted to cast Blink now, it was already too late!

“Hmph!” A cold snort echoed from the distance as another afterimage suddenly entered the battlefield.

**Bang!**

Starry struck the mage first. A single Charge had removed nearly four-fifths of her HP. Her face turned pale as she stared in disbelief at the terrifying damage. But before a follow-up attack could land—

A circle of little stars appeared above Starry’s head. She had been stunned after being hit by a Charge herself.

“Focus Stardust first!” the ambushing swordsman shouted urgently. Everyone knew how terrifying a Mad Swordsman’s attack power was. If they failed to deal with her now, the price they would pay later would be enormous.

At the same time, a beam of cleansing light descended. The stun effect on the mage vanished instantly. She nodded in understanding, gripped her staff with both hands, and began preparing a scorching Flameburst.

More and more players were arriving. If Starry took this attack head-on, her magic resistance was low enough that she would lose at least half her HP.

They couldn’t keep hiding any longer. If he still refused to act, the ones dying here would be them! Zane raised his right hand. Wind elements in the air condensed wildly, forming countless wind blades that gathered into a cyan tempest surrounding the battlefield.

**Swish! Swish!**

The main body’s attack power was slightly lower, but it was still more than enough to finish off the heavily injured mage. Since he was attacking a player killer, Zane would not trigger the PvP Status penalty. On the contrary, after the mage fell, a silver-glowing ring dropped onto the ground. One glance was enough to tell it was no ordinary item.

“Evie!” the male swordsman gritted his teeth and rushed past Starry, intending to secure the dropped equipment first.

Heh. Daring to launch a sneak attack was one thing, but openly looting gear in front of them was another.

Starry immediately entered a Debuff Immunity state. The swordsman had his back toward her and was completely defenseless.

The Autumn Moon Sword swept downward diagonally. The overwhelming force slammed him straight to the ground. Frost exploded outward, freezing him solid where he lay. He still had roughly two-fifths of his HP remaining.

Meanwhile, the wind blades continued relentlessly chipping away at him. Zane and Starry arrived simultaneously and brought their weapons down together.

Magic Swordsmanship and a Normal Attack perfectly erased the remainder of his HP. The ring he had just picked up immediately exploded back out upon death. Not only that, but an additional bracelet dropped as well. They just happened to be lacking high-level accessory equipment.

**Whoosh!**

At the very moment they were collecting the loot, a powerful arrow pierced straight through a tree trunk and instantly killed the priest hiding behind it, dealing over 4,000 damage.

It was Windblossom. Two more pieces of dropped equipment lay beside her. It seemed she had reaped quite a harvest as well.

“We should get moving. It’ll be much harder to fight once more people arrive.”
“Mm.”

…

According to the map Famichi had provided, Noctilune City was located northwest of Wynwater City, beyond the Valley of Luminara. They would also have to cross several unfamiliar large-scale maps along the way.

After repelling that group of players, they didn’t encounter anyone else from Cloud Edge. Perhaps their movement speed had simply been too fast, or perhaps the enemy had given up pursuing them.

Either way, they could finally focus on the quest in peace.

As for the loot, the ring increased Pyrestorm’s area of effect by 50%, so Zane planned to give it to Shiu later. The bracelet boosted healing effects. Why a swordsman had been carrying such an item was anyone’s guess. They could either give it to Dukeette or Seraphine, or simply auction it off.

While traveling, Windblossom couldn’t help asking, “…I know this might not be the best thing to ask, but I’m really curious. He’s clearly still a Beginner, so how was he able to use Blink? And even chain multiple Blinks in a row?”

Zane didn’t mind. He casually shared the Elemental Horn’s attributes with the party. “That’s the equipment’s special skill. It looks powerful, but once the three stored charges are used up, the Skill Points are practically drained too. It’s honestly a bit underwhelming.”

“Please donate unwanted equipment to people who need it, thank you very much,” Windblossom said, her face full of exasperation.

“Oh, right. Are you sure this is okay?”
“What is?”
“You attacked members of Cloud Edge. That’s definitely going to bring a whole lot of trouble later.”
“…Yeah, there might be a tiny problem.” Windblossom waved her hand dismissively. “But haven’t I already latched onto a powerful backer?”
“Hm? Is this the legendary technique of backing yourself?” Zane pondered seriously.
“Have some self-awareness as a top player already!”

…

After traveling for a while longer, they realized that no matter how good their equipment was, walking alone would take forever.

Running consumed stamina, which meant they would constantly need food to replenish it. After some thought, Zane decided to summon Morthar. Although a Unique creature wasn’t considered weak by player standards, it was fairly ordinary among NPCs, especially those of the Dark Faction.

The Sacred Scarab couldn’t return to the Pet Space. If it died, it was truly dead. Zane planned to let Morthar carry them for part of the journey before sending it back to the Crimson Plains on its own.

Naturally, the giant beetle startled Windblossom. Apparently, she had no resistance whatsoever to bugs and similar creatures.

Fortunately, Morthar was quite docile. After a while, she adapted and even started hopping around on its back.

“Are you actually a little girl!?”
“Cough…” Windblossom’s pretty face reddened. “Sorry, I got a little carried away…”
“You’ve got quite the girly side.” Zane gave her a thumbs-up.
“…”

Five more minutes passed.

“Shouldn’t we distribute the magibeast crystals now?” Zane suddenly remembered. “Once we get there, we probably won’t have time.”

“Good point.” Windblossom nodded and took out three crystals from her backpack. “There are three types in total: Red Rabbit, Brown Bear, and Wind Wolf. Which one do you want?”

“I’ll take the Wind Wolf one.” Zane immediately claimed the Wind Wolf crystal without any hesitation. He could already transform into a Swiftshadow Wolf, so having a Wind Wolf crystal would provide an extra layer of insurance.

Windblossom showed no intention of choosing first, leaving the decision to Zane.

“What about Starry?”

‘Starry, which one do you want?’
‘The Red Rabbit.’
‘Not considering the Brown Bear? It’s mighty and powerful, the very symbol of strength!’
‘The Red Rabbit.’
‘One bear paw slap and your opponent would be seeing stars instantly. Plus—’
‘The Red Rabbit.’

“…Boss, one order of cu… ahem, Red Rabbit.”