Game’s Dogma

All players had a bittersweet relationship with the four great dungeons. They hated it for the war that broke out due to both servers contesting for the new resources, but they loved it because of the explosive levelling speed.

Dungeons were the greatest source of experience. Dungeons monsters gave more experience than wild ones, and players didn’t have to fear poachers because every dungeon was an individual instance. Plenty of monsters spawned in close packs as well, saving players travel time. Apart from item drops and gold, clearing a dungeon also came with an experience reward.

From the intel Drako Yau gathered, the top players of the Western server were already around Level 47 to Level 48, while the current level cap was set at Level 50. Even so, he wasn’t worried. While the level difference existed, the East also had something the West lacked—Divine Tea!

As time passed, the players who had qualified for the Tea Party of Swords felt the Divine Tea’s effects. The two levels’ worth of attribute points were undoubtedly useful, but the secondary effect of increasing their comprehension capability was the real deal. It was a vague and mysterious change; they felt they could use their skills with better proficiency, but it wasn’t merely a mental illusion because everyone who had drunk the tea reported the same effect.

While the Western server still had the overall advantage, the disparity in strength between the top elites on both servers was minimal.

Drako Yau chuckled upon reading the endless messages his companions sent him. Naturally, he was well aware of yesterday’s announcements. Zeus—that was his archrival.

Chau Yu… This guy never admits defeat, does he? It’s about time.

“Strider, call in our squad. We’ll take on Hell difficulty today.”

Their squad consisted of their usual members: Drako Yau, Idyllic Poet, Danting, Greenstone, and Windstrider.

Drako Yau chose these four for specific reasons. Greenstone was an irreplaceable core member that needed no further explanation. Danting had excellent mobility and could deal lots of damage, making him an ideal scout. His teleportation array also made him a great supporting player who could instantly help out anywhere.

Windstrider, while lacking long-range attacks due to dual-wielding, had remarkable control skills. Dual-Wielding Rifle Mastery and Dual Magazine boosted his cast speed significantly; as long as he was within range, he could use all sorts of ranger skills to command the scene.

Idyllic Poet was the perfect fit to compensate for Windstrider’s reduced range. With her Phoenix Ring, she was among the top ten players with the highest damage potential in the game. Mages were meant to deal damage, given that they had the room to cast their spells, after all.

Lastly, Drako Yau was the best tank they had. The five of them together formed the perfect squad. They could switch out for others who were more suited for a particular situation, but the current squad was the most versatile combination.

Rumours were spreading that Mask wasn’t challenging the Hell difficulty dungeons because he was terrified by the insane difficulty. However, even Drako Yau’s companions were oblivious to his solo ventures into the dungeon.

Taking on a Hell difficulty dungeon alone—who would believe that? Everyone would merely snicker at the ridiculously bold statement even if the one who said it was Mask, alliance master of Dragon Alliance.

Everyone went silent once they entered the dungeon. Last time, they had been discovered the moment they stepped out of the woods. Other players had similar experiences; consensus was that squads attempting to clear the Beastmen Territory dungeon had to stay undiscovered.

The dungeon would only become more difficult once the beastmen noticed intruders. However, Hell difficulty was originally extremely challenging. No one knew what would happen if the difficulty went up another notch.

“Wait for me here,” Drako Yau said and closed his eyes without moving a step.

The other four glanced at one another. They stayed silent and watched him. After a good while, Drako Yau suddenly stepped out of the woods, surprising them. Still, they quickly calmed down. They could always reset the dungeon anyways.

What surprised them more was that the system notification didn’t appear this time. They watched Drako Yau take a few corners before disappearing into the encampment.

Danting, the most impatient of them all, felt worried and wanted to chase after Drako Yau, but Greenstone stopped him.

Windstrider instantly said, “Boss told us to wait here. He must have something on his mind. If you follow him, you might mess up his plan.”

“Oh…” Danting dragged his voice, suppressing the impulse to charge out. He kept peeking at where Drako Yau disappeared though.

They all knew Drako Yau’s identity as a Maverick. Once they understood he only had one life in the game, they tacitly agreed to keep him alive at all costs. This was why Greenstone gave up on protecting Oda Nobunaga to rescue him back in the encounter quest. Windstrider never rushed the enemy because he had to stay in range of him to provide supporting fire. Danting was also prudent when it came to using his teleportation skill, as he had to teleport to him during emergencies. Idyllic Poet took it even further; she’d always follow him around, reserving her Fire Shield for him even when she was in danger.

They were all his secret guardians.

A wait without an end in sight was torturous. After who knew how long, the four heard the system’s voice out of the blue.

“Successfully passed through the Beastmen Territory. Now entering the Beastmen Secret Lands. Teleportation commencing in ten, nine, eight…”

Once the ten-second countdown was over, the four vanished from the bush they were hiding in. They were in a cave by the time their vision recovered. A red cloak was awaiting them calmly.

“Boss, what happened?”

“Nothing, I just passed through the encampment. Here comes the real challenge,” said Drako Yau with a stern face.

He had penetrated the beastmen encampment multiple times before, but he’d end his expedition every time he reached this cave. A vague sense of danger always halted him.

The old geezer had once told him that all cultivators had a sixth sense. Simply put, they’d sense impending dangers like a rat facing a cat.

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