Game’s Dogma

The East and West servers, as stated in the announcement, had yet to clash with one another. In fact, many players only realised that the game was separated into two servers through the announcement.

The East naturally referred to the Ten Eastern Cities, while the West was the Ten Western Cities. Although racial discrimination no longer existed in the current era, humans were still competitive in nature; who’d want to fall behind in a game? This nature was further amplified by the separation of servers, with some players from the East boasting about giving the West a beating.

However, both sides had been completely cut off from one another and lacked the means of competing with one another until now. The game publisher, World, had done an exemplary job at blockading information from the players. Players from the East couldn’t access any information of the West and vice versa, so their knowledge of one another was purely based on nothing but rumours.

Two rumours were particularly rampant: that the East had a masked king, and the West had a blonde god.

Drako Yau finished off the giant scorpion before him. With Dakki’s dances, taking care of the scorpions was no more than a stroll in the park. However, he had been walking for almost two days already, yet all he met was Dakki and no one else.

Just how large is this map?

His journey so far wasn’t fruitless though. As he continued to walk, he noticed that the surroundings were gradually changing, the differences so minuscule that they’d slip past ordinary people. Drako Yau only sensed the changes due to his enhanced senses from prolonged usage of Frost Form. The air was slightly moister and lacked the pungent scent of rotten flesh like before. Fewer cracks were visible on the ground, replaced by tough soil that was a tad bit softer.

This should be the right direction.

As expected, Dakki suddenly exclaimed from beside, “Look! Ahead!”

Drako Yau focused his gaze and saw the faint outline of a structure at the horizon. It caught their attention like an island in the vast ocean—an uplifting sight indeed.

“Let’s head over there,” he said.

Despite seeing the structure from afar, they still had a lot of walking ahead before reaching it. Still, Dakki turned exuberant ever since they caught a glimpse of the faraway structure.

As one of the few female top guild masters, she should’ve been more mature than this, yet she seemed to be back in her teenage self, full of energy and vitality. Her smooth and delicate skin, curvy figure, and charming face that seemed to be immune to the thrashing of time itself made her reminiscent of a fair lady who had just turned eighteen. It was an aura that no man could ever resist.

Yet Drako Yau was an exception. Not because he was blockheaded enough not to notice her charms, but because he was in a vigilant state. Entering this unknown land reminded him of the days of being hunted down by the old geezer; those years, that wilderness, those trees, and a pair of young and old spearmen who radiated extreme killing intent.

Drako Yau was certain of what awaited them—conflict. While the map was humongous, the distant structure was way too eye-catching for players to not notice even from afar. Everyone who saw it would definitely head towards it, and conflict always ensued whenever players gathered.

The war between the East and the West was inevitable given the Merit system. Whenever players from opposing servers met, a bloodbath would most certainly follow. Things were worse for players from the East as they weren’t united as one.

Even so, Drako Yau was looking forward to it. He was eager to have a taste of those from the West. The mysterious golden-haired young man was like a firefly in the dark with his strength, unconcealable even if he tried. If he was from the East, it would be impossible for him to not be as famous as Drako Yau was.

That left only one explanation: he was from the West.

Drako Yau never believed that he held the aura of a dominator that allowed him to intimidate any and everyone. His current achievements and status were all outcomes of his hard work. Although he didn’t like getting caught in trouble, especially when he was a Maverick, it’d only be more dangerous if he was an ordinary player. He had decided to take the path of domination through combat, defeating all who threatened him until no one dared to challenge him.

That blonde young man was no weaker than him in combat and had an ambitious mind. Drako Yau believed that man would definitely make a name for himself on the Western server. They had never conversed with one another, nor had they seen one another’s faces or eyes, so the saying “speaking a thousand words with a single glance” wasn’t possible either.

However, they had fought a duel, an exchange of spear and lance. Although they couldn’t speak with words, the way they wielded their weapons fully displayed their personalities. The blonde man’s lance spoke of an imposing aura that would never give in, indicating his unyielding and fearless nature.

Such a person would never take shelter under others. Instead, he would become the shelter that protected others from the storm; a shelter, a giant tree, or a towering mountain, whatever he chose to be.

Zeus once stood atop a mountain in anticipation of his reunion with the masked man. Now, Drako Yau set his sights on the unknown structure near the horizon with the same thought in mind.

This time, it wasn’t just a simple duel under the gazes of the six Castellans. Their contest was no longer limited to martial prowess, but also intellect, strategy, subordinates, and many more—it was an all-out war.

The vague silhouette of a human gradually came into sight. On this vast land of nothingness, players were as noticeable as a drop of ink on a white canvas.

Sensing that someone was closing in, Drako Yau mentally prepared himself for battle. Both parties didn’t head for each other and instead continued towards their common destination. Like two sharks that picked up the same scent of blood, they’d eventually meet as they were headed for the same location.

The silhouette turned out to be a person donned in exquisite traditional Chinese clothing. He had the poise of an elegant poet from ancient times, treading the chaotic world gracefully with gentle steps, each of which seemed to make a flower bloom in this desolate land.

The man was both obscure and well-known; he never showed himself apart from certain occasions, so most couldn’t associate his appearance with his reputation.

“Mister Mask, we finally meet,” he said with a refined yet unbridled smile.

This was still a game world in the end, even for Drako Yau. For him, the major difference between here and reality was that every player had their IDs shown above their heads. No matter how inconspicuous someone was, their IDs still gave away their identity unless they hid it one way or another.

Hibiscus, a gentleman-like flower that bloomed on this barren land, right before Drako Yau’s eyes.

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