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Good grief. With a formation like this, there was probably not even any space left to Blink.

The boss was protected by a Ring of Inferno, making it impossible to approach it directly. Aside from ranged attacks, there was no way to get close. But the Fire Spirits were steadily closing in. If there were only one or two, it would still be manageable. Now, however, the sky was filled with spiritual flames.

Even a single normal attack from each of them would be impossible to endure. Were they truly out of options…?

If he died here, the loss of levels would only be a minor issue. The real problem was the 33% reduction to all attributes. With his power cut by a third, what would even be the point of continuing to play? He might as well delete the account and start over.

‘Right… what if I use that move?’ No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he acted.

A curtain of flame surged upward, engulfing Zedana. Because it stood at the very heart of the flames, the fire burned even more fiercely around it.

…

A string of healing numbers instantly restored the boss’ HP to full, completely undoing all the damage they had dealt earlier. Still, what Zane wanted to see was not the healing itself, but the specific change it might cause.

However, Zedana showed almost no unusual reaction.

“Zedana, don’t you have anything to say about this?” Zane asked aloud, puzzled.

The strange wording seemed to catch the boss off guard for a moment. Then it spoke in disbelief. “A lackey of the Dark Faction wielding such pure flames… how rare…”

‘Seriously! I told you already, stop slapping labels on people like that!’

“However, that will not become a reason for me to spare you.”

“Tch!” Zane clicked his tongue.

‘If even this move failed… When all possible schemes and stratagems are exhausted, retreat is the best option!’ Zane and Starry immediately turned and ran. Treka was still some distance away at the outer perimeter.

“You cannot escape!” the boss declared in a deep voice, summoning the Fire Spirits to pursue and entangle them.

‘Surround us? In your dreams!’

Starry sheathed the Autumn Moon Sword and instead pulled out a sturdy black halberd from her backpack. Her right hand gripped the tail end while her left steadied the aim.

**Zzzzt… zzzzt… zzzzt…***

Thunder gathered at the tip of the halberd.

Electric current burst forth, spreading outward and coursing into every Fire Spirit within a 5×5 area ahead.

…

Terrifying damage numbers well above ten thousand flashed everywhere, many of them critical hits. The raging lightning blasted the Fire Spirits apart, scattering them in all directions.

Zane finally spotted Treka ahead.

“Run!”

The elf nodded and quickly fell into step with them.

***

* **Spiritwood**

Kesius advanced through the forest with a deep frown. After disengaging from battle, his body had begun repairing itself at astonishing speed. His HP had already recovered to 45%. That was sufficient. As long as he remained cautious, he could deal with most situations.

Earlier, he had simply underestimated that group of goblins.

One thing still bothered him… the air here was filled everywhere with the scent of Treka’s blood. It was far too suspicious. If this had happened before coming here, he might have assumed that Treka’s severe injuries had not yet healed. But after what had happened on the Crimson Plains…

Perhaps it was the Light Elf’s scheme. She might still retain her own consciousness.

The more Kesius thought about it, the more convinced he became that this was the truth. Otherwise, there was no way to explain those abnormal goblins. And this forest was clearly a new trap.

“…Let’s see,” he muttered, clenching his fist tightly. “Just how far you can go.”

…

Seeing the mark on the tree, Starry immediately knew that she had already circled back to this very spot for the seventh time.

“Ahhh!” She shouted a few times in frustration, almost giving up. She had never liked these kinds of twisting, roundabout puzzles. How was anyone supposed to get out of a place like this?

The traces on the ground clearly hadn’t changed, so why did following the path simply lead her back to the starting point? Was it some kind of teleportation magic? Or perhaps the environment itself was subtly guiding travelers off course?

Starry simply stood where she was and began to think quietly.

Three minutes later.

**Bang!**

The Autumn Moon Sword slashed fiercely into the marked tree. Forget thinking about it, she would just carve a way out herself! Such a fiery temper. One had to wonder who had influenced her like that.

To her surprise, a damage number suddenly popped out from the tree’s trunk!?

Starry immediately jumped back several steps. The middle of the massive tree twisted and split open, revealing a grotesque face. Vines and branches lashed outward, trying to bind the woman standing before it.

‘Hmm?’

Controlling her other body, she transformed into a Wishkeeper, and roaring flames instantly reduced the Treant to ashes. But that was not the only one. Many other trees nearby stopped hiding as well, revealing their true forms as they lunged forward with clawing branches.

‘There are this many of them?’

***

The Frostcrystal Vein lay northeast of Wynwater City. Following the road past Cragstone Rise, one only needed to turn into a small side path to find it.

This area already lay beyond the jurisdiction of NPCs, so no one guarded the place. Only a few wild monsters roamed here, roughly level 32 Epic-tier in strength.

After the recent siege event, nearly every guild had improved their command structure and coordination in group battles. Training against solitary monsters was no longer particularly difficult. As long as aggro and crowd control were handled properly, they could be killed steadily.

Farming monsters in groups of ten players was quite efficient.

After learning about the Frostcrystal Vein, Duskwraith from Nether Dawn immediately gathered his people and led several elite squads there. What he had not expected was—

“Skypride…? What are you doing here!?”

“Heh, that’s a strange thing to say,” Skypride replied with a light laugh, crossing his arms. He was the guildmaster of Cloud Edge, and beside him stood more than twenty elite players, every single one above level 24.

“…!” Duskwraith’s expression turned livid. Someone in his guild had only just discovered this location. Yet the moment they arrived, these people were already here. If there wasn’t a spy among them, he would refuse to believe it!

Having spies alone wasn’t unusual. Every guild had eyes planted within others. But this matter had only been known to the person who discovered it and a few of their leadership members. Even the brothers they had brought along didn’t know what they were here for.

A chill ran through Duskwraith’s heart. Of all people, he least wanted to get tangled up in something like this. Even so, he couldn’t afford to lose face.

“Is that so… what a coincidence,” he said calmly. “Then we won’t disturb you while you level. Bye~ Brothers, let’s go!” He waved his hand, and the others immediately followed him.

“Wait!” Skypride snorted coldly. “Do you think I don’t know? About what’s here.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Playing dumb won’t help.” His tone carried absolute confidence. “Let me tell you this. Cloud Edge has already decided to station itself in Wynwater City. Since we’re coming here anyway, we’re not afraid of offending you local snakes. Let me guess… you’re heading for the Frostcrystal Vein, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Haha, did I hit the mark?” Skypride laughed. Then his smiling expression abruptly vanished as he barked sternly, “If you dare take even one more step in that direction, I’ll have no choice but to send all of you back to town!”

The players behind him had already prepared their skills, ready to unleash them at any moment. Looking closely, this group was not only high-level, but even their lowest equipment tier was Rare.

“….” Duskwraith froze where he stood. After a moment, he clenched his teeth. “Well played, Skypride…! Let’s head back. There are still plenty of Mindstone Golems to farm at Cragstone Rise.”

“But… Boss!” Whisperwind hesitated.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Move!”
“Hmph!” Skypride waved his hand, signaling his men to spread out. The members of Nether Dawn withdrew through the opening.

Watching them leave, the guildmaster of Cloud Edge muttered quietly, “This is only the first step…”