Chapter Sixteen: The Final Trial (Revised Edition)

After finishing our meal, everyone logged back in one after another. By the time I entered the game, Roc and Fire Phoenix were already waiting for me, so the three of us continued on our journey. The road ahead was long and uncertain; in this vast jungle, no one knew when the end would come. But as long as we kept moving in the same direction, we would eventually make it out. It was this conviction that kept everyone persevering.

Along the way, as our gear and levels increased, so did our strength, and traversing the forest gradually became easier. After reaching level fifteen, I equipped my Bronze Knuckle Dusters, which greatly boosted my stats:

Weiwei Dragon
Class: Summoner
Level: 15
Vitality: 500
Mana: 350
Attack: 135 (Base 30 + Bronze Knuckle Dusters 100 + Gloves 5)
Defense: 50 (Base 25 + Wolf Bone Armor 10 + Ninja Boots 15)
Reputation: 10
Luck: 0
Summoned Creature: Little Black Dog (evolving)

With 135 attack power, I could easily deal with the occasional small monsters we encountered. By the next day, as we moved forward, everyone noticed the forest around us was thinning out—could we be nearing the edge of the jungle?

Were we finally about to leave this dark, dense forest? The thought brought cheers from the group.

“My God, we finally see hope of getting out!” Suddenly, about twenty meters ahead, a voice cried out in delight.

Following the shouts, a team of seven appeared before us. Soon, we found ourselves surrounded by a large number of player teams. We joined them, and after a while, the scenery before us was no longer forest but a vast, barren area. The exposed ground was sparsely dotted with drought-resistant plants, and occasionally a rodent would dart by, only to be instantly reduced to pulp by bored, trigger-happy players.

To the west of the plain, at the base of a sandstone mountain in the shadow of a cliff, stood the remnants of eerie, broken colonnades, exuding an aura of sinister dread. Even just approaching the entrance was enough to send chills down one’s spine.

Yet, this place was bustling with activity. I saw four beings resembling angels—clearly summoned beasts of the Angel race. In addition, there were two Summoners accompanied by fearsome demon-like creatures, with bat-like wings and black miasma swirling around them—clearly high-level Demon race summons. There was no shortage of experts here.

Indeed, there were many Summoners gathered, each with a bizarre array of summoned beasts: winged wolves, a mighty lion, a giant elephant, a two-headed snake—every one of them a display of formidable power. Compared to these, my little black dog was easily the weakest summon present.

In a short time, hundreds of people had gathered, and more kept arriving, all with the same goal, moving steadily forward.

As we followed the crowd over one hill after another, we finally came upon a vast valley. In front of the valley, a large group of people sat or lay haphazardly around the entrance, their faces haggard and bodies drenched in blood, sighing and lamenting their fate.

From this place, thick smoke billowed upward—someone had evidently gathered a massive pile of wood and set it ablaze, which explained the dense, rolling smoke.

“What’s going on here? Why is everyone just sitting around?” Roc asked, puzzled.

Ahead, a line of NPC soldiers was guarding what appeared to be a teleportation array. “Excuse me, brother, where are we? Why are so many people gathering here?” Fire Phoenix asked a player sitting on the ground.

The player looked up at her and said, “No harm in telling you. This Dark Forest has another name: the Beginner’s Jungle. That means it’s only suitable for new adventurers, the least dangerous place you’ll find.”

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped. The dangers we’d faced on the way here had brought us close to death more than once, yet according to this man, this was just the Beginner’s Jungle? The blow to our confidence was immense.

At that moment, one of the NPC soldiers stepped forward and announced in a loud voice, “Adventurers, listen! Ahead on the plains lies a horde of terrifying monsters. If you wish to reach the main city, you must break through their blockade—this is your final trial. Succeed, and the Empire will reward you richly and allow you to leave. But if you’re afraid, you can pay to use the teleportation array to reach the main city—however, the fee is ten gold coins per person. It’s your choice: pay up, or face the trial.”

The NPC’s words set off a wave of discussion. I checked my pouch—thirty gold coins, just enough to get the three of us through. But the reward for the trial intrigued me even more.

Soon, someone shouted, “There are so many of us—if we charge in together, even the boss won’t be able to stop us!”

The player who had spoken earlier said gravely, “I advise you not to rush in recklessly. The monsters here are terrifying—their strength can instantly kill anyone present. If we don’t have a plan, we’ll just be losing levels for nothing.” With that, he led his group of a dozen or so, along with seventy or eighty warriors and other classes, forward in an orderly fashion.

The three of us gazed out over the desolate plain. Roc took out a cigarette, lit it, and muttered, “What a godforsaken place. If they manage to find the boss here, I’ll be amazed.”

Seeing him smoke, I asked, “Where did you get that?”

Roc replied, “Back in Idiot Village, I learned how to make opium from an NPC. I modified the recipe and turned it into cigarettes.”

Fire Phoenix asked, “Do you work for a tobacco company in real life?”

Roc answered, “Yeah, but I was just a low-level employee. I got laid off a few days ago, so now I’m a professional gamer.”

We made our way to a high spot on the southern side, where large rocks were scattered about. We hid behind them for cover. One flat-topped, weather-beaten red boulder was especially suitable. I lay flat on it, taking in the entire scene.

A vast army of players was advancing, ranks divided by class. Warriors marched in the front lines, the whole formation looking quite impressive. There must have been at least a thousand people—an extravagant force at this stage of the game. If any boss could be brought down, it would be by this kind of might.

With preparations complete, I idly opened the team channel. The man leading the warriors was clearly the top commander—his voice was booming with excitement as he promised that no one would be shortchanged after defeating the boss. I couldn’t help but doubt his words—here, everyone was out for themselves.

After listening, I closed the team channel, rolled over, and sat up, intending to chat with Roc to pass the time. I noticed he was diligently sharpening his greatsword on a stone, making it gleam with a raw, violent beauty.

Finished, he swung the sword a few times, then grinned at me, displaying a row of gleaming white teeth. “It’s time for slaughter!”

At that very moment, I felt a strong tremor from the ground beneath the rock, and loud shouts of alarm erupted from the player formations encircling the ruins—the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Fire Phoenix gripped her short bow tightly, unable to speak, while at the front, Roc muttered under his breath, “I wonder who’ll be killing whom.”

Suddenly, the tremors reached a peak. The earth shook, and stones and dust fell from the bare sandstone mountain. Then, two figures in black sprinted out in front, their equipment marking them as archer players. They were running for their lives, as if something unspeakably terrifying was pursuing them.

Suddenly, the ground split open with a violent crack, and a torrent of black erupted forth, surging outward and instantly engulfing the two unlucky souls who hadn’t escaped in time.

Their screams were so piercing that even from several hundred meters away, I could hear them clearly.

It’s just a game—do they have to make it this dramatic? I swallowed hard, cursing under my breath, but I could sympathize with those poor fellows. That black wave wasn’t really a wave at all—soon I saw that it was made up of countless giant black beetles, each as big as half a person. Their round bodies resembled cockroaches, but they were a thousand times more terrifying. Each had six razor-sharp claws, moved with frightening speed, and sported two scissor-like red mandibles at the front of their heads. Their beady red eyes glittered with a chilling light.

Black Beetle, Level 20, Common Beast—this was the brief info relayed from the players ahead.

“Free attack! Free attack!”

The team channel echoed with the warrior leader’s hoarse command, but it was unnecessary. Everyone was already on edge, and no one wanted to be bitten by such a creature.