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Skypride was in a wretched state, scrambling to evade the enemy’s relentless assaults, so pressed that he did not even have a moment to command.

That was because Cloudsworn charged like a pack of rabid hounds, driving the players behind them to pursue him with reckless fury, nearly bursting him down in an instant. Fortunately, his equipment was excellent, and under concentrated healing, he managed to barely hold on.

This was not how the situation should have unfolded. In his view, the guilds of Wynwater City had only been able to keep each other in check because none possessed overwhelming strength to dictate the flow.

Cloud Edge had come precisely to assume that role. As long as they could display their true strength today, they would secure significant influence in all future events. Yet in the end… they had been caught completely off guard by the Brotherhood Guild.

It was all because of that scroll.

But regardless, the cave entrance had already been lost. Pressed by urgency, Skypride opened a call. “Calmstep, take over command for now, I can’t disengage here!”

“Understood, I’m arranging it.” The reply was brief, and the call ended immediately.

***

After about a minute, the rock shields dissipated one after another, and with the loss of protection, the momentum of the charge faltered. The warriors crammed within the narrow tunnel were overwhelmed, most of them dying to unexplained AoE damage.

This kind of terrain was not suitable for large numbers.

The Brotherhood Guild was nearly wiped out, yet their ferocity was chilling. Through near one-for-one trades, they had taken down most of Cloud Edge’s backline.

Before Cloud Edge could even catch their breath, members of Nether Dawn surged forward right after. At the very first clash, several frontliners dropped. There was no helping it, too many ranged classes had already fallen.

Suddenly, Cloud Edge’s forces retreated like a receding tide toward a cave entrance.

“Do we chase, boss?” Whisperwind asked hurriedly.

“Hold on…” He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

However, the players behind them had long since grown impatient and rushed forward.

After all, part of the Frostcrystal Vein at this entrance had not yet been fully mined. Some had even taken advantage of the chaos to secretly gather a portion, knowing it would sell for a high price outside. Deeper within lay unexplored territory. With so many players present, there was no need to worry about monsters, only how to seize the resources and retreat safely.

Quite a few onlookers also rushed in. The number of players pouring into the Frostcrystal Mine continued to rise, until it became completely packed. Rare resources had always been this enticing, driving countless people into fierce, bloody competition.

The chaotic noise echoed through the tangled caverns, spreading in all directions.

**Hiss, hiss…**

In a dim corner, something shook off the dirt and crawling insects clinging to its body and slowly rose to its feet.

***

“Bro, are you free? It’s time for dinner.” Zina knocked on the door.

At noon, she had suspected he might have been busy with… that sort of thing, so she had not disturbed him. But now it was already five in the afternoon. After such a long time…

There was still no response.

“Bro?” Had he overindulged and fainted, or had he simply fallen asleep? She knocked again, yet there was still no reply.

“…” She decided to wait a little longer.

***

Treka had been abducted just like that, for no apparent reason.

Based on the powers that had appeared earlier, they corresponded to ice, earth, and wood. They matched the other three colors tied to the revival of the Wind Guardian Spirit. In other words, had they all already emerged?

It made sense. Since the bosses within Dreamscape possessed a certain level of intelligence, there was no way they would simply sit around waiting to be hunted down one by one.

Zedana’s death had clearly served as a warning to them. Taking the initiative to strike was a perfectly logical decision. But if they had already made a move, why not show themselves in battle? Why abduct the Light Elf instead? It made no sense.

And to make matters worse, Zane had long since lost his sense of direction in the wilderness. Having skipped lunch, then enduring prolonged high-intensity combat and travel, he now felt an overwhelming sense of hunger and exhaustion, both in-game and in reality.

‘I should log out and calm down. Continuing like this would not help me find Treka anyway.’ Zane summoned the system menu and tried pressing the logout option. The surrounding light and shadows shifted and warped, but thankfully, logging out was still possible. At least that aspect of the system was fairly humane.

In a daze, he suddenly felt someone tugging at his pant leg.

“Miss Starry… no, fairy, please, show mercy and spare us!” A wretched-looking man pleaded humbly. Though his hands and feet were tightly bound, he still dragged himself across the ground toward her.

‘Is this… a dream?’ Zane vaguely remembered having just logged out of the game. Had he fallen asleep from exhaustion? That seemed likely, given how drained he had been earlier.

Zane did not speak. He was also waiting to see how the original owner would react. However, Starry remained completely expressionless, not showing the slightest intention of moving.

“Strange…”

Hearing a voice, the man acted as if he had been granted a pardon. “You finally spoke! I swear I’ll never dare to set my sights on you again! Even if I had nine lives, I wouldn’t come back!”

It was not just him. Several others dressed similarly and bound up nearby cast glances over here, pretending not to care.

“Spoke…?” Who spoke? I…” Zane subconsciously raised his right hand slightly, and a jade-like arm wrapped in casual clothing came into view. His pale, delicate fingers moved in accordance with his thoughts.

“I can control it!?”

***

At the same time, elsewhere…

**Creak—**

Zane’s bedroom door was gently pushed open. Zina pouted angrily at the figure stepping out. “Bro, that’s too much. You were clearly inside, yet you wouldn’t answer me.”

To her surprise, he did not respond at all. Instead, he curiously examined everything around him, lightly stroking the sofa before picking up the remote control and pressing its buttons one by one.

Zina’s lips twitched. She stood up in disbelief and touched her own forehead.

“Mm… no fever. Then could it be…” She walked over to Zane, who seemed immersed in his own world, and placed her hand on him.

“Not hot either…” Maybe it wasn’t a fever, but his brain had fried?
‘No, how could I think like that about my own brother?’

“Zina.” Zane suddenly spoke in an unusually serious tone.
“Ah!? Wh-what is it?” She jumped, startled. ‘What’s wrong with brother?’
“Nothing, I just wanted to call your name.” He shook his head lightly.
“…”
“Bro, don’t act like this… you’re scaring me.”
“I’m perfectly normal, don’t worry.” Zane said with a faint smile.

For some reason… it felt a bit unsettling. Zina shivered. He had clearly not been like this yesterday. Had staying alone in his room all day made him stupid from overindulgence?

‘No, no… if this continues like this, he might actually get sick! The news often mentioned extreme cases caused by people isolating themselves in their rooms.’

“Bro, do you want to go shopping with me tonight? Just browsing, we won’t buy anything.”

“Shopping…? Sure. I’d like to experience it.”

Hearing that, Zina nearly collapsed onto the floor. ‘What do you mean *experience it*?’ It sounded like he had never gone shopping before!

Zane quickly reached out and grabbed her arm, steadying her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine… Hey, bro, you’re not pretending, are you?” Zina probed.

“Pretending? Pretending what?”

“…”