Within the Lande Kingdom, a secluded valley.
Barren mountains, with withered trees standing tall.
Gnarled and grotesque rocks seemed to be clinging to an invisible tree's bizarre vines, winding and spiraling upward, opening their "claws" at the very top in a masterpiece of nature's artistry, like arms reaching out from the abyss.
The sky was bright and clear, but the sunlight offered no warmth.
The air was still and silent, broken only by the sound of footsteps crushing decaying branches.
"Crackle, crackle..."
"Stop pushing! I'm walking!"
Three people with their hands tied were being shoved forward.
Two men and one woman, all wearing the standard newbie gear. (referring to white underwear)
Behind them, several strange figures followed, their bodies covered in black cloaks. Occasionally, pale hands would emerge from beneath the cloaks, like vampires who hadn't seen the sun in years, shockingly white.
"So, where do you think they're taking us?" the man in the back asked, his voice a little excited.
The man in front said, "Isn't it obvious? It's a sacrifice."
"RomanticBucket, what's wrong?" the man in the back asked, noticing the woman walking with her head down. He spoke without trying to keep his voice down.
"I'm so hungry," RomanticBucket pouted. "I'm on a diet in real life. Everyone said the game's taste system is so good, I wanted to come in here and eat until I burst! But I got caught and have been walking ever since. I'm starving."
"We're being escorted because we're special," the man in the back shook his head, although he knew his two companions couldn't see him. He even got kicked for it, but he didn't react. "Hidden storyline, you know?"
"I'm hungry."
"What do you want to eat? You're daydreaming while playing a game! ...Stop kicking me! I've been putting up with you for too long!"
Another round of kicks and shoves followed.
The group fell silent again.
They passed through an extremely long mountain path. The light of the sun was blocked by the jagged, strange mountains. The shadows on the back side of the mountain were like a giant blanket, draped diagonally overhead.
Where the light didn't reach, nothing could be seen.
The escorts lit torches, the flickering flames illuminating the way forward.
After walking blindly for some time, they finally reached their destination.
A dilapidated church.
The church had lost its roof, and the statue of the "Symbol of the Sun" had long been kicked over, lying horizontally to serve as a makeshift rock stool for resting one's rear.
Lush weeds clung to the dragon rider statue, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, weaving a green vine scarf full of barbs for the dragon beneath him.
A small clearing had been made, and cages were placed there. After the three undying players entered, the cages were locked.
"S&M, StillTalkingTough, what are we going to do?" RomanticBucket, facing her two newly acquainted friends, finally asked a question besides wanting food.
Being escorted as prisoners was making even this fun game boring.
If the immersion weren't so strong, she would definitely force a disconnect.
She had invested too much in playing this far, and RomanticBucket was very curious about what would happen.
But if the final reward was disappointing, she would definitely curse the game developers to never have enough to eat, to have their mothers catch them every time they tried to sneak a piece of meat, and to be forced to become herbivores eating salads without dressing.
"Next up has to be a hidden quest!" StillTalkingTough, whose actions perfectly reflected his name, said, "I bet someone will give us a mission in a moment. As long as we complete the mission, we can join."
"Join them? They don't seem like good guys," RomanticBucket hesitated. "I watched videos on the official website. Several newbie villages are richer than this. At least the houses have roofs. If we stick with them, we might end up skipping nine meals every three days."
"This is a gathering, a secret gathering!" StillTalkingTough thought the little girl in front of him had a problem with her thinking. "Hidden quests are always like this, right S&M?"
"I dunno, man, I just came to play the game, anything's cool with me."
"Dude, your accent's pretty thick," StillTalkingTough chuckled, chatting away. "I heard you guys drink raw cola over there?"
"My ding-dong even glows in the dark."
"Haha!" RomanticBucket burst out laughing.
Noticing the other two were looking at her, she pouted, pulling down the corners of her mouth, trying to look sad.
(ω)
"Snort—snort—"
Her shoulders were shaking.
It's hard to hold back laughter.
The trio's optimism didn't affect the actions of the group outside.
They gathered together, softly singing a creepy song around a bonfire that gave you goosebumps.
It was incomprehensible, but the melody was very eerie.
Until—BOOM!
A ball of blood-red flame appeared out of nowhere.
"I knew it! I knew it!" StillTalkingTough exclaimed excitedly.
His investment these past two days was paying off.
A figure in a black robe walked over, unlocked the cage, and dragged S&M out.
"Congrats, bro!" StillTalkingTough grinned, looking envious. But he also knew that these "story events" were probably personalized, and it would be his turn soon.
The blood-red flame descended from the sky, engulfing [S&M].
"Aaaagh—!" A scream.
The flame returned to the sky, growing a little stronger, but S&M had completely disappeared.
"What the heck?" StillTalkingTough's smile froze on his face.
The situation seemed different from what he imagined?
Soon, RomanticBucket and StillTalkingTough received a private message from S&M.
S&M: [I just straight up died! Not only did I lose experience, but I also leveled down! These past three days were a waste. I'm pissed!]
"I'm logging out!" RomanticBucket declared decisively, then her face fell. "Can't quit during combat."
The cage door opened once more.
This time, RomanticBucket was the one being dragged out.
She stood there with her eyes closed, awaiting judgment from the blood-red flame.
As it turned out, this wasn't judgment at all, nor was it selecting "qualified" candidates. It was simply a sacrificial ritual, and the three undying players were the offerings.
Watching [RomanticBucket] disappear before his eyes, StillTalkingTough was genuinely anxious.
RomanticBucket sent a private message: [The game seems to have updated to 1.02! I'm in the wilderness now, I should get teleported to a nearby settlement. Hurry up and die!]
Hearing this, StillTalkingTough looked at the blood-red flame in the sky with anticipation.
Dying was definitely the most cost-effective thing to do since he wasn't a high level, didn't have a lot of experience, and had already wasted three days.
"Come on!"
But the bizarre cultists didn't act, they just kept singing.
RomanticBucket: [I was teleported to Star Dragon Outpost! Wow, they gave me gear right away?]
S&M: [I'm at Star Dragon Outpost too. Where did you get teleported to, bro? Maybe we can run dungeons together later.]
StillTalkingTough: ...
He hadn't died yet.
Finally, after eagerly anticipating it, the blood-red flame engulfed him.
"Huh?" StillTalkingTough blinked in confusion after respawning.
He wasn't in a settlement or camp, but in a wilderness... it seemed to be the same place he had last died and respawned.
Could it be that because he was with those cultists, the game thought he was in a settlement, so it didn't teleport him away?
Responding to the concerned messages from the two players he'd just met online, StillTalkingTough replied: [My luck's not bad. Even though we didn't get teleported together, we can play together sometime in the future, I'll carry you.]
S&M: [Thanks, pro!]
RomanticBucket: [ω]
Looking at the wilderness before him, StillTalkingTough sighed.
Star Dragon Outpost, he wanted to go there too.
However, first, he took off his gaming headset and sat down at his computer to log into the official website.
He happened to see someone discussing Lind vs. the Carrion Queen. Most players were eager to learn Lind's skills.
He quickly typed on the keyboard and casually replied:
[I think it's just okay. This kind of Carrion Queen will definitely be a common mob in the later game, not worth mentioning at all. Not like me, I'm about to learn magic. Isn't that cooler than this brute-force style?]