Chapter Sixty-Four: Breaking Through the Barriers

A new day has arrived. I log into the game, ready to begin a fresh adventure. I still remember that after entering the pitch-dark corridor yesterday, I was forcibly logged out. I have no idea what kind of environment awaits me today.

After logging in, I walk through that corridor again, and suddenly a flash of light blinds me. My body instantly loses all sensation, as if I am submerged in endless darkness. However, the sensation lasts only a few seconds before my senses return.

I find myself in a world that is utterly unfamiliar. I am standing atop a small hill, above which hangs a blood-red full moon suspended in the void, casting a dark crimson hue over everything below. All around, towering black stone pillars—each more than a hundred meters high—rise up in grotesque shapes, resembling petrified subterranean demons.

Everywhere, dilapidated houses and ominous gravestones dot the landscape. The place feels post-apocalyptic, oppressive, and unsettling. As I tread this eerie path, a faint green orb of light suddenly emerges from the ground nearby. It rises gently to my height and hovers in the air, quickly twisting and morphing into a green sphere.

From within the sphere comes the voice of Anubis: “Greetings, brave one. Your trial begins now. I will ask you one last time: do you wish to give up, or begin?”

“Begin!” I reply without hesitation.

“Very well! The courageous never retreat. Your first trial starts now. Go to the Blackwater Swamp ahead and seize the Blood Gem from a group of imps. Use it to unlock the gate to the next stage. Begin.” With that, the green sphere vanishes.

I immediately summon the Hurricane Wolf King, mount up, and head in the indicated direction. The first trial can’t be too difficult, so I don’t pay it much mind. Navigating the path between the stone pillars, ruined houses, and gravestones, I travel for about ten minutes before the landscape opens up into a blood-red marsh.

Within the scarlet swamp, there are about a dozen creatures the size of dwarves—imps, level 40, ordinary beasts.

These imps are hideous, their bodies covered with wrinkled, dark green skin. Their thin frames and limbs are topped with oversized heads that could rival a toad’s in ugliness, and they chatter in high-pitched voices.

As soon as I arrive, the imps brandish short spears and unleash piercing cries. Led by two slightly larger and stronger companions, they surge toward me, surrounding me with hostile intent.

Three of the imps suddenly spread their wings and take to the sky, brandishing their spears and shrieking as ten fine, sharp arrows and several green energy spheres shoot toward me from the ground, raining down from a hundred meters away.

They have warriors, mages, and archers—a complete combat force. Unfortunately, they’re far too small, like a group of children challenging a strong adult.

The Hurricane Wolf King, agile as ever, easily dodges most of the attacks. Then, with a spiral hurricane attack, it shreds the three airborne imps to pieces, their remains falling on their companions below.

They are utterly powerless to resist!

Their attacks barely scratch me or the Hurricane Wolf King, inflicting less than twenty points of damage—little more than a tickle.

As expected, the first trial is very easy. The Hurricane Wolf King dispatches the charging imps one by one with gusts of spiral wind. The battle is a massacre—thirty-some imps are wiped out in less than a minute. These pitiful creatures are so stingy they don’t even drop a single useful item.

However, the so-called Blood Gem does not drop, so I begin searching the area for any survivors.

Suddenly, a three-meter-tall demon bursts from the ground. Though large, it otherwise resembles the imps. Without hesitation, I command Dragonblade to attack. Fulfilling its duty, Dragonblade cleaves the demon in two with a single strike.

Even in death, the demon is stingy, yielding only five copper coins and a red gem the size of a duck egg. Upon inspection, I see it is the Blood Gem—the quest item.

Having obtained the Blood Gem, a large gate appears before me. I walk through it, and in the next moment, I find myself by a crystal-clear lake. Though not large, the lake shimmers with a million points of light as the wind from the eastern mountains and forests ripples its surface—a scene of natural beauty that lifts the spirit.

“Ding~! Player Mighty Dragon has entered the second trial: Misty Forest. Objective: slay the magical panther in the forest.”

The system prompt flashes. I recall Dragonblade and, together with the Hurricane Wolf King, enter the forest. The woods are eerily quiet, broken only by the occasional strange howl of some unknown beast. The Hurricane Wolf King treads carefully on the leaf-strewn ground, producing only the faintest rustle as it carries me, ever alert for ambushes.

We pass through the lakeside forest, cross a small stream, and enter a sparse redwood grove. Beyond the trees, the mountains stretch unbroken. But as soon as we enter the grove, something unexpected occurs!

Whoosh!

A pale blue wind blade, nearly a meter long, whips out from the redwoods, whipping up dead leaves as it slashes menacingly toward me, suspended in midair. At almost the same instant, an icicle shoots from the same direction, launching a sudden assault at great speed.

An ambush! The Hurricane Wolf King reacts instantly, dodging the wind blade, but the icicle comes too quickly. Though we evade a fatal hit, it strikes the shoulder—729 points of damage appear above me, inflicted by the icicle.

The wind blade misses and carves a deep scar into a nearby redwood’s trunk. Next, two panthers—one large, one smaller, both striped—step out from the trees about fifty meters away, their emerald eyes gleaming as they fix their gaze on me.

Gale Demon Panther, level 55, elite beast.

Frost Demon Panther, level 55, elite beast.

Seeing that there are two of them, I’m somewhat surprised. Level 55 elite beasts are no easy feat for a solo player at this stage—they are clearly a real threat.

At once, I command the Hurricane Wolf King to target the Gale Demon Panther. As the Wolf King prepares to unleash its spiral hurricane, the two panthers, evidently wary of the move, split up and dash toward me from both flanks, using the trees for cover.

Interesting! I dismount, fixing my gaze on the charging panther. It lunges at me with astonishing speed, jaws wide and claws bared, but I react quickly—wielding the Wishful Staff, I unleash Crushing Blow, Energy Burst, and Assault all at once. The Gale Demon Panther lets out a mournful cry, tumbling to the ground. The Hurricane Wolf King pounces and rips open its soft belly with a Rending Claw, spilling its entrails—a vicious blow, though not instantly fatal. I have no time to finish it off, as the Frost Demon Panther is already within twenty meters, spraying a large quantity of sickly green fluid from its mouth!

The Hurricane Wolf King and I retreat swiftly as the liquid splatters onto my previous location, sending up white smoke as it corrodes the ground and tree trunks—a potent poison or acid.

Vicious! Having narrowly escaped, I’m somewhat enraged. I command the Hurricane Wolf King to unleash a spiral hurricane at the onrushing Frost Demon Panther. It dodges, but as it hangs in midair, I fire a Death Ray. The shot lands squarely on its head, blasting away half its skull and leaving it twitching helplessly on the ground—3,211 points of massive damage.

The Hurricane Wolf King approaches and delivers the final bite, ending the panther’s suffering.

Just as the Frost Demon Panther dies, a wind blade slices into the Hurricane Wolf King from behind—1,277 points of damage. I spin around, cross my fists, and unleash a Sky-Splitting Slash, cleaving the dying Gale Demon Panther in two.

I was a bit careless! Shaking my head, I recall the Hurricane Wolf King so it can recover. If it were to fall and enter a dormant state, it would be a serious disadvantage for the trials ahead.

Still, the two panthers drop a piece of equipment, two impressive-looking crystal cores, and a gold coin—a modest reward for the effort.