Lora stared at Alice in disbelief.
"I can't believe it… how did you do that? Those monsters were at least 10 levels above us!"
As she looked at Vale, she noticed the faint twitch at the corner of his mouth, and suddenly, it clicked — the red-haired girl, Alice, was definitely not just a simple guardian. She had to be something far more powerful.
"Master Vale,"
Lora said, her voice full of awe,
"this is the first time I've ever seen such a fast level-up. It reminds me of a legendary player… one who used to be the number one in the beta test. His nickname was Valer, and it's oddly similar to yours. "
"He once made a record of reaching level 20 within 24 hours of the server opening. At that time, the second-place player was only level 7. "
"Within a week, he had reached level 50 — and the world only opened up to level 45. Even with such strict level restrictions, he still managed to keep leveling up. That was no small feat."
Vale sighed, shaking his head.
"Yes… if I had teamed up back then, I might have even gone one level higher. But I was too eager to win, and I didnt want to share the experience."
Lora blinked, her eyes widening.
"You… you're the legendary player? The one from the beta test?"
Vale didnt confirm or deny it. He simply said, with a calm and distant tone:
"Go pick up the gear. We're going to update our equipment now."
Lora nodded and immediately followed Alice with Victoria at her side. Soon, a series of blue-quality gear items, requiring level 10, began to emerge from the ground one after another, glowing with dazzling light.
The towering light pillars from the items drew the attention of players outside the city. Many of them paused their battles and turned their heads toward the forest, eyes wide with shock and greed.
Among them were a group of players who had been hunting wild boars, completely forgetting they were still in combat.
Their eyes were locked on the unbelievable blue light pillars, and they didnt even notice the boars sharp teeth tearing into their bodies.
As the boars fangs pierced their flesh, many players collapsed to the ground, their health bars reaching 100%.
"Watch out! Dont look at that forest! Its not something we can afford to covet!" A middle-aged man in a red robe, wielding a steel longsword, barked with fury.
"Yes, Lord Captain! Everyone, focus! Keep killing these magic rabbits!"
A young girl with golden hair and a purple tight-fitting suit, holding a steel dagger, was fighting alongside a girl of about sixteen, with golden hair and blue eyes, wearing silver armor.
They had just slain a magic rabbit.
[Congratulations! You have gained 100 experience points. You have reached level 4!]
"Father, we did it!"
A soft, gentle voice echoed from the distance.
The golden-haired girl wiped a few strands of blood-stained hair from her forehead, revealing a face so beautiful and angelic that it made the air still.
"Anna, watch your back!"
The purple-haired man quickly slashed at the wolf cub behind her.
"Thank you, Louise, cousin."
Anna smiled sweetly, her voice like a gentle breeze.
"Anna! What are you doing standing there?! Run!"
The middle-aged man roared, his eyes full of panic and anger.
The cub of the Wolf King was lured by Louises rage, letting out a guttural, terrifying howl that shook the very air. Within moments, dozens of Wolf King Guards charged from all sides, their eyes glowing with cold, bloodthirsty hunger—like wolves of the underworld.
"Fall back, everyone! Now!" the middle-aged man barked, his voice sharp and commanding.
But it was already too late. The Wolf King Guards had surrounded them from three directions, leaving only one narrow escape—toward the Abyss Forest.
"Damn it, this is really a pain. Are we really going to have to go into that death trap?" the man muttered, his brow furrowed in frustration.
Just as he was about to make a decision, a wave of screams erupted from the distance—sharp, desperate, and filled with terror. In the blink of an eye, the thirty-person team was reduced to barely fifteen.
"We can't take them! Our highest level is only 5!" Louise shouted, her voice trembling as she dodged a wolfs claw. Her dagger was broken, her body covered in blood, and her eyes were wide with fear.
Anna stood quietly, her silver sword clutched tightly in her hands. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were filled with determination.
"We dont have a choice," she said softly, her voice steady. "We go in."
The middle-aged man clenched his jaw, scanning the group. Then, with a sharp nod, he said:
"Everyone, follow me. Were going in."
As the group quickly retreated, they stepped into the dark, eerie forest. The moment they crossed the threshold, the Wolf King Guards immediately halted their advance.
The cub of the Wolf King gave them a mournful, almost resentful look, its eyes filled with rage—but it seemed to hold back, as if something in the forest was keeping it at bay.
The middle-aged man raised his hand, and the rest of the team immediately scattered into the dense underbrush, vanishing into the shadows.
Then, they saw it—a massive, molten beast standing about two kilometers away, towering over the landscape like a mountain.
It was a Lava Colossus, over ten meters tall, and it was currently resting, its massive body radiating heat and power.
The man made a silent gesture, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Stay quiet. Dont wake it up. Thats a 20-level boss. If it detects us, one single strike will kill us all."
The group froze. A cold sweat broke out on their brows. Their footsteps became even lighter, almost silent.
They pushed through the thick forest until they reached a river. And there, in the water, was a woman—bathing, singing a soft, enchanting melody. Her long, flowing hair drifted along the river, as if it had a will of its own.
The mans eyes widened in horror.
"Run! Thats a 30-level boss—The Shadow Queen! Get out of here—now!"
Before the others could react, the womans long, dark hair suddenly twisted and surged toward them. A few of the warriors, who had no agility points, were instantly caught in the web of hair and pulled into the water. In an instant, their bodies exploded into a shower of blood and flesh.
The remaining survivors ran for their lives, their hearts pounding as they disappeared into the depths of the forest.
As the night deepened, the group finally found a cave entrance hidden among the trees. The once-mighty expedition had been reduced to just three: the middle-aged captain, Louise, Anna, and two remaining warriors.
"Were done for," Louise said, her voice trembling with fear. "If we keep wandering in this forest, we wont just be stuck—we wont even have a chance to level up. Well be dead before we even find a way out."
The middle-aged man ran a hand through his thick beard, his expression dark and weary.
"Louise, youve never been brave like your father. This is just a temporary setback. We came out here to escape—this is our chance to be free. We just need to find a place to settle down."
But Louises eyes flashed with fury, her voice breaking into a scream.
"You bastard! Dont you dare mention my father! He was a coward, a traitor! He ruined my mother, my aunt—you, Hikaru, what are you? You married my aunt, and yet you let her suffer under the city guards rule. You dont act like a man, you act like a coward!"
The captains face darkened, his hands clenched into fists. "Louise, dont talk like that—"
"Dont tell me what to do!" he screamed, her voice echoing through the cave. "You think I want to live like this? Id rather die than be a slave to the city guard and your so-called 'freedom!"
The silence that followed was heavy, filled with the weight of old wounds, betrayal, and unspoken pain.
Anna stood quietly, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword. She had heard these words before—from her own mother, from her own aunt, from the women who had been taken away.
And she knew, deep in her heart, that this was only the beginning.
himself brought Emiko and Haru to that Lord Bob. Do you think I wanted them to be thrown into the lions den? If it werent for your fathers greed, trying to gain favor and wealth, how would we end up in this situation?"
Just as the two were about to clash, Anna pointed toward a red figure in the distance, her voice trembling.
"…Who is that?"
The group immediately drew their weapons, their hearts pounding.
Then, they saw her.
A girl, dressed in a blood-red evening gown, her beauty almost ethereal. Her dagger was dripping with blood, and a sickly, metallic stench hung in the air.
"Dont move." Alices soft, delicate voice whispered as she grabbed Anna by the throat, her pink tongue slowly dragging across Annas neck, leaving behind a long, glistening strand of saliva.
"So delicious…" Alice purred, her eyes glowing with a strange, unnatural light. "I wonder if my master would give me more of his offspring to play with…?"
The air grew colder. The tension was thick, almost suffocating.
Anna struggled, her breath shallow, her mind racing.
This was no ordinary girl.
This was a monster.
And she had come for them.