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“Th-this…” Parcio’s eyes darted about nervously. “Miss, we bear no grudge against each other. Why make things difficult for us?”

“That’s true,” Starry nodded.

Parcio let out a sigh of relief.

“But—” At that single word, the thief’s heart tightened again. “That only applies to before you tried to play me. If I’m not mistaken, you must have taken something, haven’t you?”

The appearance of Lava Spiders in this place was far too abnormal. Zane had never heard of any volcanoes nearby, nor was this desolate land suited for such creatures to survive.

And when one considered the identity of these thieves, the conclusion was obvious. They had likely stolen something extraordinary, provoking the creatures to pour out in full force.

“Huh? Miss, what are you talking about? I don’t understand a word!” Parcio feigned confusion.

“I’ll make you understand.” Starry’s voice was cold as countless vines erupted from behind her, binding Parcio tightly just as he freed himself from the entangling ground.

The other thieves, seeing him caught again, immediately abandoned Parcio and scattered in all directions. Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks. He could no longer stay calm. “The thing isn’t with me!”

***

By the time DumbCitrus realized what had happened, she was already back in Wynwater City. Yes, she had died again—clueless and confused.

“Orange, what happened?” Nangong saw her icon grayed out on the party list and asked quickly.
“Uh… I’m not even sure how I died,” DumbCitrus admitted blankly.
“Check your combat log?” Shiu suggested.
“Okay.”

She scrolled through the combat log… Flameburst! Looking closer, the caster was actually someone from Rainflower? DumbCitrus panicked. “It was Rainflower guild! I saw the names of two mages in the log!”

“Rainflower? Those b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲s̲…” Nangong’s face darkened with anger. Just a few days ago, they had been wiped out by them all the way down to level 10. And now, those guys had come looking for trouble again?

“They might be after me…” DumbCitrus said in a fluster. “I gave them a fake boss location before. They might be here to settle the score. This has nothing to do with you guys, just avoid them. Otherwise, it’ll only cause more trouble!”

“Hah, we’re already sworn enemies,” Nangong said indifferently.

“Let’s regroup first. Both parties should link up. Orange, don’t leave the city yet, it’s too dangerous,” Endless Sea said calmly.

“Mm!”

***

The moment the call ended, a large group of Rainflower players appeared before them. There was no time to regroup.

Endless Sea counted; there were nine of them. And the swordsman leading them was an old acquaintance, the swordsman FleetingDream.

Back in Glazed Lycoris, the predecessor to Dreamscape, FleetingDream had been considered one of the top independent players. Unlike Endless Sea, who hovered around the thirtieth rank, this man had been a long-term fixture of the top ten.

“Hmph, you’re still the same as ever, always hanging around girls’ parties.” FleetingDream spoke with a mocking, playful tone.

“Mind your own business!” Endless Sea’s face darkened, and he couldn’t help but snap back.
“Are you okay…?” YoyoPink asked worriedly.
“I’m fine… it’s just that this guy’s face is begging to be punched.”
“So this woman is your new flame, huh? Not bad-looking at all.” FleetingDream sneered with a smirk.

YoyoPink bit her lips hard, wanting to say something in her defense.

“Who the hell are you? Barging in just to harass our Yoyo?” Shiu asked irritably. Of course, Shiu knew exactly who this man was. But still, he couldn’t just let him walk all over their pride.

Although Dreamscape had already diverged greatly from its predecessor, and the former top ten were no longer guaranteed their old advantages, his skill level was still undeniably above Endless Sea’s. If their rankings were close, the outcome might have been uncertain, but a gap between tenth and thirtieth was often an unbridgeable difference in reaction speed.

Their side had only four people: Endless Sea, YoyoPink, BesideStillWaters, and Nameless Wanderer. A knight, a summoner, a mage, and an assassin. YoyoPink also had her summons; Lordsey, the Electrobunny, and the Little Butterfly… though the butterfly hardly counted for much.

The enemy side numbered nine in total, with healers, tanks, and damage dealers fully covered. There might even be an assassin lurking nearby.

As for Nangong’s party, they were grinding at another location a few hundred yards away. It would take them two or three minutes to rush over, but by then the battle would already be decided. Within three minutes, the winner would be clear.

They had already been wiped out once this morning, and now they were about to be slaughtered again… truly miserable.

“Who I am, you’ll find out soon enough,” FleetingDream replied, extending his hand to halt his guildmates. “Don’t interfere. I’ll settle this one with him personally.”

“Why should I duel you?” Endless Sea asked calmly.

“You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲… after what you did, you’ve still got the gall to play this game like nothing happened!? And now you don’t even have the courage to accept a duel?” FleetingDream’s veins bulged as his face twisted with fury, like he could lash out at any moment.

“…” Endless Sea remained silent.

“Fine. If you won’t accept, then your teammates will pay the price! Let’s see how many people are still willing to team up with you after this!”

Endless Sea sighed wearily, as though exhausted. “When did you become like this? To think you’d even join up with a guild like Rainflower…”

“F̲u̲c̲k̲! Did this punk just insult us? Brothers!” Rainflower’s Spark roared angrily.

“Stand down!” FleetingDream snapped coldly. “Your guild master sent you to help, not to cause trouble.”

“…” Spark grit his teeth but backed off.

“Well? Do you accept?”

“…Sorry, everyone. Looks like I’ve dragged you into this.” Endless Sea’s expression brimmed with guilt. Who would have thought that the usually cheerful, carefree knight—always laughing and loyal to a fault—also carried a story of his own?

“No worries. Just beat him down and come back for the raid,” Shiu said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“You’re Zanny’s friend. That makes you my friend too. It’s nothing,” Wanderer added without concern.

“Do your best! We’ll be waiting for you to come back out,” YoyoPink said earnestly, gazing at Endless Sea.

“Hahaha, you’re all putting too much faith in me. Even if this guy has fallen this low, his skills are still sharp. My odds of winning aren’t high.”

“What are you whispering about over there?” FleetingDream said impatiently.
“Come then!” Endless Sea said in a deep voice.
“Now that’s more like it! None of you move until I’ve won! Understood?”
“Hah, easy to say. But what if you lose?” Spark challenged.

As though he had just heard the world’s funniest joke, FleetingDream sneered. “Lose? Are you saying I’d lose to him? Hahahaha! Who do you think you’re underestimating, trash? Your Rainflower Guild can’t even produce a single decent expert, and you dare to question me? No wonder no one wants to join you~”

“You—!” Spark nearly charged in, but the lackeys behind him hurried to hold him back. “Brother, calm down! Calm down! The guild master ordered us not to cause trouble!”

“Hmph!”