novellk Chapter 8: A Server-Wide Hunt? Welcome to My Hunting Ground!
Chapter 8: A Server-Wide Hunt? Welcome to My Hunting Ground!
Four hours and seventeen minutes.
It was reduced to one hour.
Wang Yan glanced at the flashing blood-red numbers on the panel and casually closed the interface.
Black blood was still dripping from the vaulted ceiling of the underground cave.
Four orbs of light floated in the center of the mother insect's remains.
A deep blue bone longbow, a white standard longsword, and a skill book that glows green.
And right in the center, there was a fist-sized purple crystal that throbbed like a heart.
【Bone-Eating Mother Worm - Heart (Purple - Special Item)】
[Effect: Upon crushing, a temporary insect hive will be generated in the designated area, lasting for 2 hours. The hive will continuously summon LV20 Bone-Eating Insects until the total number of monsters in the area reaches 300.]
Wang Yan walked over and put the purple insect heart into his backpack.
Zhuang Bugui stood three steps away, silently watching Wang Yan's actions.
Iron Pot Stewed Goose and Qiqi were not Qiqi. Qiqi leaned against the wall, not daring to even breathe.
Their expressions were a mixture of shock, awe, and fear of the unknown.
"Yours." Wang Yan didn't turn around and threw the green skill book over directly.
Zhuang Bugui raised his hand and caught it.
[Skill Book: Ghost Step (Green, Rare)]
[Effect: Increases burst speed by 30% for 3 seconds; 30-second cooldown. Available to Assassin and Ranger classes.]
Zhuang Bugui's eyes flickered slightly. This skill book was priceless to him at LV1.
"We didn't do anything..." The man with the iron pot stewed goose swallowed hard, his voice weak.
"Take these." Wang Yan kicked the blue longbow and white longsword to their feet. "Put on your gear. There's no time for you to stand around now."
Zhuang Bugui crushed the skill book to learn it, then looked up at Wang Yan: "I said, join us. You point, I'll go. Now what?"
Wang Yan pointed to the mark on his head that others couldn't see, but which was extremely noticeable.
"In one hour, my coordinates will be broadcast to some 'special' beings in this world."
"Special?" Zhuang Bugui frowned.
"The first hundred players to enter the game, the leaders of all the major guilds," Wang Yan said calmly, "will swarm in like sharks smelling blood."
Just as Da Bei picked up the longsword, his hand trembled and it fell to the ground again.
"A server-wide manhunt? We'd better log off now!"
"The subordinates will remain where they are," Wang Yan said, looking at him. "Do you think they'll let you go after they find me?"
Iron pot stewed goose and Qiqi are not Qiqi who feels cold all over.
They were already tied to Wang Yan's ship. A leaky ship, about to be attacked by a swarm of sharks.
Zhuang Bugui laughed.
He stared at Wang Yan as if he were looking at one of his own kind.
"You're not panicking at all, you haven't even thought about an escape route." Zhuang Bugui gripped his novice dagger tightly. "You're going to fight them?"
"It's not about hitting."
Wang Yan turned around and walked towards the exit of the secret realm.
"It's killing."
***
The four people rushed out of the "Bone-Eroding Cave" at top speed.
The outside light pierced his eyes, and before he could even catch his breath, he was stunned by the world channel flashing wildly at the edge of his vision.
[World Channel]: "Holy crap! Who is this 'Unnamed' player? Nightmare First Kill? I'm still queuing up to kill rabbits at the newbie village entrance!"
[World Channel]: "Level 9! He jumped to level 9! Less than three hours after the server opened!"
[World Channel][Megaphone]: "Mythical Guild is offering a hefty reward for the location information of an 'unnamed' player! A reward of 10 gold coins will be given to anyone providing valid clues!"
[World Channel][Megaphone]: "'Ragnarok' Guild Leader 'Indra': @Unnamed, friend, name your price, we want all the secrets you have."
The entire world channel is in an uproar.
The ID "Unnamed" became the sole focus.
"Boss, we're now the enemy of the entire server." Iron Pot Stewed Goose's voice trembled.
"Go to Blackrock Canyon." Wang Yan ignored the noise on the channel and marked a point on the map.
It's a 20-minute walk from here.
"The terrain there is too narrow," Zhuang Bugui glanced at the map. "Once we get blocked, it's a dead end."
"I want them to come and ambush me."
Wang Yan determined the direction and rushed out.
"The Fate Mark will increase the level of monsters in the surrounding area by 5. Let's go there now; the lowest level monsters there are level 15. Remember, don't aggro any monsters, save your stamina."
Twenty minutes later.
Black Rock Canyon, a narrow passage between cliffs.
On both sides are near-vertical black cliffs, the narrowest point only wide enough for three people to walk side by side. This is the only way for beginners to reach the next map.
Because of Wang Yan's approach, all the level 10 canyon wolves wandering here have turned into level 15 elite monsters.
Countdown: 00:21:47.
"Right here?" Zhuang Bugui looked around and instantly understood Wang Yan's intention. "You want to defend this place?"
"No."
Wang Yan walked to the narrowest entrance of the canyon and took out the purple [Bone-Eating Mother Worm - Insect Heart] from his backpack.
Under the horrified gazes of the three, Wang Yan raised it high and crushed it.
puff.
The purplish-black flesh and blood tissue writhed and burrowed into the ground like living things, and the earth began to tremble.
A massive insect nest, ten meters in diameter, rose at the entrance to the canyon, with viscous liquid flowing everywhere and countless fist-sized holes opening up on its surface.
[WARNING: This area has been contaminated; the temporary monster "Bone-Eating Worm" is spawning!]
hiss--
Countless level 20 Bone-Eating Insects crawled out of the hole. Ignoring Wang Yan and the others, they began to frantically attack the nearby level 15 Canyon Wolves.
Even more terrifying is that, under the passive influence of Wang Yan's "Fate Mark," the levels of these newly generated Bone-Eating Insects began to fluctuate.
Level 20... Level 21... and finally stabilized at level 25!
Within a minute, the entire entrance to Blackrock Canyon transformed into a chaotic battleground where level 15 canyon wolves and level 25 bone-eating worms clashed.
The goose stewed in an iron pot opened its mouth wide, but couldn't make a sound.
Using a purple item and his own debuffs, he created a death zone that even top-tier player teams cannot currently tread.
"Let's go to the other side." Wang Yan turned around. "The main force can't come over, but there are always experts who can find another way to get around."
Zhuang Bugui followed.
He now understands completely.
This isn't defense; it's selection.
Use this deadly insect hive to filter out 99% of ordinary players, forcing the truly top-tier enemies to come around from other cliffs.
And at the end of those paths lies the grave.
***
Wang Yan and his three companions arrived at the other end of the canyon. The terrain here was slightly gentler, but equally treacherous.
Wang Yan found a giant rock with the best view and sat down. He pulled out the God-Slaying Prototype and placed it across his lap.
He is waiting.
Zhuang Bugui stood beside him, wiping his short knife. Qi Qi and the stewed goose in the iron pot stared nervously into the distance.
Countdown: 00:00:03.
00:00:02.
00:00:01.
[Countdown has ended.]
[The Weaver of Fate has arrived; your coordinates have been broadcast to all marked units!]
Wang Yan opened his eyes.
A dozen or so black dots appeared on the eastern ridgeline.
They moved swiftly and coordinated perfectly, clearly an elite squad. The leader, clad in silver chainmail and wielding a bronze greatsword, moved with incredible speed.
Hundreds of meters away, the other party stopped and raised the greatsword in his hand.
A golden system announcement popped up in Wang Yan's field of vision.
[Regional Announcement (Blackrock Canyon): Player '霸刀' has challenged player '未名字' to a 'Duel to the Death'! Do you accept?]
Overlord Blade.
Wang Yan's lips curled up.
The top fighter of the Myth Guild. In his previous life, he was someone who, in order to steal an elite monster outside the newbie village, blocked his respawn point and killed him ten times.
"reject."
Wang Yan slowly stood up, and the God-Slaying Prototype in his hand emitted a soft chime.
He ignored the duel invitation and instead opened the flashing friend request list.
Player 'Di Shitian' has requested to add you as a friend.
Wang Yan approved it.
Di Shitian: "Friend, Ba Dao is one of my men. Hand over the secrets of the secret realm and that sword, and I'll give you a position in the elite team of the Mythical Guild."
Wang Yan typed a line of text in the chat box with one hand.
"Want it? Come and get it yourself."
Send, block, delete.
On the distant mountain ridge, Ba Dao seemed to have received an order. He grinned maliciously and waved his hand.
The dozen or so Myth Guild elites behind him spread out in a fan shape and began to flank him from different directions.
"What should we do?" Qi Qi gripped the longbow tightly.
Wang Yan didn't look at her, but stared at the enemy flanking them, and spoke to Zhuang Bugui beside him.
"Six on the left, you get them. Seven on the right, I get them. The Overlord Blade will spare them."
Zhuang Bugui was stunned for a moment.
He glanced at Wang Yan, who was at level 9, and then looked at his own level 1 stats.
Then he grinned.
"You call this a division?"
"I'll let you choose first," Wang Yan said.
Zhuang Bugui burst into wild laughter. With a flash, he activated "Ghost Step," transforming into a blur as he charged towards the six Myth Guild players on his left.
"Then I'll accept!"
Wang Yan, carrying his sword, walked to the right.
The battleground has opened.