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It took him quite some effort to finish buying all the potions, and when Zane finally checked the time, five minutes had already passed.

He sprinted toward the west gate, only to see it slowly closing. It made sense, though. If the gates stayed open, the enemy might have already slipped inside.

A number of players stood outside, shouting for entry. The guard frowned and barked, “If you wish to enter or exit, go around to the north gate! That gate won’t be closing anytime soon.”

Though clearly annoyed, the players had no choice but to obey. Zane turned and headed toward the northern gate.

By then, the northern gate of Wynwater City was already lined with densely packed ranks of players. From left to right stood the major guilds—Brotherhood, Heaven’s Accord, Drunken Fairytale, Nether Dawn, and Rainflower.

Beyond them were the lesser guilds and scattered players. They couldn’t form any real formation, only banding together into small temporary parties. Their lineup was notably weaker than the main guilds’, their average level lagging by two to five.

Although this defense had come abruptly, it also presented a golden opportunity. The Dark Faction would never send weaklings for a siege.

If they could hold the line this time, not only would they reap enormous rewards, but their guild’s reputation would also skyrocket. Everything depended on how they performed in this battle.

Watching their high morale and eagerness for the fight, Zane felt a wave of relief wash over him. Wynwater City should be safe.

His gaze swept up to the city walls, where hundreds of archers stood ready, bows drawn. Rows of pitch-black cannons were also mounted across the battlements, their barrels exuding a menacing presence. NPC cannons were bound to hit much harder than Lordsey’s explosives.

Yet amid that solid black line of archers, a single glint of gold stood out.

Focusing his eyes, he noticed that the golden-haired short figure was none other than Elna. She had joined the defense too?

Come to think of it… he had promised to help her level up today. But with things turning out like this, there was no helping it. Shaking his head, Zane turned to leave.

“What’s that guy thinking? Heading out now of all times?” a player muttered.

“Hmph, I’ve seen plenty of idiots like him. A party tried running out earlier, ran into some ghouls, and got wiped instantly.”

“Probably just a casual player. Seriously… can’t he even check the world announcements?”

“Forget him. The monsters will be here any moment now!”

***

After about five minutes of running, he could no longer see any players around. The Grayridge Plains stretched silent before him. Ever since the Gray Wolves had left, no new monsters had spawned here yet.

For some reason, though, the eerie calm made the air feel even heavier. Suddenly, a powerful Shadowfang leapt out from behind a tree!

The moment he activated the skill, his body blurred into a streak of electricity. When his vision snapped back into focus, he had already arrived at his target location.

Energy surged through his limbs, his paws pounding against the plains as Zane dashed forward at full speed. As the scenery blurred backward, a dark, rippling mass appeared on the horizon, a sea of enemy troops.

‘Tch… looks like I’m too late.’

The entire western route was blocked off. He couldn’t even imagine how many of them there were.

The monsters at the front looked familiar to him. Twisted faces, canine bodies, there was no mistaking them. Ghouls, level 22, Epic-grade monsters.

They clearly spotted the intruder. With snarling jaws and flailing claws, they lunged toward him.

“Awooooooo!”

The Swiftshadow Wolf unleashed a long, thunderous howl—

His physical attack instantly surged by 25%, reaching 479–483. A new skill, Rend, appeared in his skill bar, its timer counting down from sixty seconds.

“Let’s go!”

The ghouls showed no fear at his howl. Instead, they charged harder, fighting each other to reach him first.

**Slash!**

One heavy strike shaved off nearly a third of a ghoul’s HP. Without the level gap this time, the battle felt much smoother. But more enemies closed in, surrounding him in the blink of an eye.

…

Although his attacks dealt only moderate damage, there were simply too many of them. No matter how many he killed, more came swarming in. If he kept fighting like this, he would be worn down and killed for sure.

Zane unleashed the skill, targeting himself and the enemies in front. All monsters within a 10×10 area were instantly pulled into the swirling vortex.

…

The Tempest Field dealt 0.75×2 damage per second. Within just three seconds, the ghouls ahead were shredded into pieces, dissolving into clouds of experience points and loot that littered the ground.

Zane frowned. There was no time to pick up the drops, he had to break through this opening while it lasted!

The Swiftshadow Wolf charged with wild ferocity, tearing open a massive gap in the horde before bursting out through it. Naturally, this reckless move drew the attention of other monsters nearby.

‘Oh crap!’ Up ahead, a black-robed mage swayed his staff, dark energy gathering menacingly at its tip. ‘I can’t let that spell go off!’

Zane dashed forward, cutting through the ranks like a thunderbolt, piercing straight into the skeletal mage. A bright line of piercing energy carved through the enemy’s formation.

…

The skeleton mage’s physical defense was surprisingly weak, Zane dealt over two thousand damage with each strike! The Gray Wolf Gauntlets triggered their Wolf Soul effect, summoning a phantom wolf that lunged forward and finished the mage instantly.

Unlike Charge, Lightning Rush ignored terrain and obstacles entirely, it was a true movement skill that bypassed everything in its path. One couldn’t help but wonder: could it even pass through walls?

After taking down the mage, Zane darted toward the thinner section of the enemy flank, leaping and weaving through the gaps.

‘Almost there!’ Suddenly, every hair on his body stood on end. Acting purely on instinct, he rolled hard to the right! Soon after, a massive earthen spike erupted from the ground where he’d just been. Had he not dodged, he would have been skewered through the heart.

Zane didn’t even look back. He just kept running. Within the enemy ranks, a pair of pitch-black eyes slowly swiveled to track his movement, glaring coldly in his direction.

***

On the other side, the Snowfeather Goblins stood ready with bows drawn, eyes fixed toward the horizon. The Gray Wolves were spread across the entire camp, poised to strike at the first sign of movement.

“With this many archers, there’s no way anything gets through, right?” Endless Sea said, glancing at the arrow towers packed with goblins.

“No,” Starry replied grimly, “the enemy numbers are too high. We can’t just stay here. We need to move ahead and draw some of them out first. If we don’t, there’s no chance we can hold!”

“Huh? But aren’t the enemies still out of sight? And shouldn’t we wait for Zanny?” Nangong asked, puzzled.

“There’s no time…” Starry said.

Zane’s voice came through the party chat. “I’m on my way. Listen to Starry, push forward and take down as many as you can, or we’ll never hold the line!”

“…Got it!”

Just then, a system notification popped up.

‘No respawns!?’

***

Meanwhile, deep within the Rock Maze, the map was covered in dense clusters of red dots.

The air itself seemed to buzz with tension. Countless undead creatures stirred restlessly, barely restrained. It wouldn’t be long before they marched upon the Crimson Plains, and once they crossed that, the Elven City of Silverglow would be next!