eco

Chapter 388 - You know?

While everyone stood hesitating not knowing what to do, the enemy was already at the doorstep, and no one had time to think anymore.

All the alternative courses of action were shut down just like that, with only one option in front of everyone, which was to fight!

The few genuine players who had wanted to be a part of the guild rushed ahead to fight, and the different spies also helplessly looked at each other and proceeded to do the same thing.

They simply had no other choice.

As soon as the other group arrived closer, almost instantly a volley of attacks flew over to this side. Clearly, they did not come here with the intention of resolving anything with peace talks.

The vanguard, the middle guard, and the rear guard all started taking damage, and in a minute, the somewhat scattered Crimson Abyss group began crumbling.

While their side only had about 300 to 400 players, the six guilds arrived with most of their strength and brought over around 1000 players.

The entire place became a complete mess. The healers at the back tried to do their best and somehow pull up the numbers, but it was simply impossible.

Against the coordinated attacks, they were flailing and drowning.

But as opposed to the complete chaos on this side, the other side was well organized and fought with ruthless ferocity.

They were pulling huge damage numbers, and it was almost impossible to bring down the health of their vanguard.

The two sides looked like two extremes!

One had clearly come to battle while the other looked as if they had been caught with their pants down while taking a shit.

This somewhat made sense because technically, they had been ambushed.

But their leader was still here? He could have put some effort into organizing some part of the group at the least?

And where was he now? Who is commanding? Who is in charge? What was happening?

The current situation was the absolute worst. It looked as if no one had any intentions of winning. Some were even trying to run away even though it was too late.

There was nothing anyone could possibly do. The battle was over before it even began. Everything happened too fast and no one was able to react properly.

For some, this was also the first time participating in a battle, so they easily crumbled. Only the experienced spies from other guilds were able to somewhat hold out.

In the midst of this chaos and confusion, no one noticed that a figure had already slipped to the other side of the battlefield.

"See, didn't I say that we were going to win?" Rising dragon's guild leader contently licked his lips. Seeing all this destruction and massacre was very satisfying.

They were utterly dominating the other side and it was a good feeling.

Just a few hours ago, they had suffered this same fate at the hands of the demons, and now it was payback time. There was nothing more satisfying than revenge well done.

Now who would dare to call them laughing stock and who would dare to come after them and curse them. It was time to show their power!

"You told the guys to publicize about this online, right?"

"Yes, sir. All the preparations are done. Everyone will know about our victory."

"Mmm… good." Gorak nodded. However, there still seemed to be a restless look on his face despite everything.

This was because he couldn't spot the one person he wanted to find the most.

He did not care if all of these people here died or not. This victory would be completely meaningless for him without that one person.

"Where are you? Where are you?" Gorak murmured to himself while looking around.

At the same time, he also sent a few men out to close the borders and stop everyone from escaping.

"Hmph! "You cannot leave this place alive today!" He sneered and started sending in attacks. He was a mage so he conjured a fireball and sent it to the opposite side.

However, before his attack could land, suddenly, something big popped up over his head.

A big fat fireball!

"Huh?" Gorak looked at that fireball and the one in his hand, he blinked in confusion. One was the size of the burning sun while the other was as small as an egg yolk.

And before he could blink…

BOOM!

The giant fireball blasted, raining down fire bullets in all directions.

-100

-500

-300

..

..

Several damage numbers floated atop the players, and all of a sudden, the side that looked like it was going to win, was now in hot water.

And the person responsible for this stood at the back cooly. Liam did not stop and swiftly moved among the crowd of players to keep his position changing.

He then once again conjured another fireball that rained down bullets on a different set of players. Just like that, a whole group of players had their health dinged.

"Hey! Who is that?"

"Fuck! Someone else in here."

"Here! Here!"

After the second attack, Liam's presence was found out, and a few players tried to attack him. However, since he was at the back right now, there weren't that many melee players.

A couple of melee players and a few hunters and mages tried targeting him. Seeing this, some of the players at the front also started paying attention. Some of the tanks rushed to the back.

In under a minute, Liam was quickly surrounded in all directions, and several attacks flew toward him.

But unexpectedly, the person simply grinned. He did not look as if he was a prey trapped in a circle. Rather he looked as if he was about to start hunting.

Liam unsheathed his sword and quickly started plowing through the crowd. Clinging to his back, Luna as well did the same.

As he slashed down at the players in front of him, Luna sprayed fire everywhere. To make things complicated, the duo kept continuously moving.

Every time someone tried attacking them, the attack instead landed on their own teammate. Instantly, the ordered, well-organized group became chaotic.

"Rising dragon, what's happening in your guild? Why are you guys self-destructing?" All the other guild leaders started messaging.

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" Gorak cursed out loud. "That bastard is here!" He then typed furiously and charged towards Liam.

He had been searching for the guy, and now he was finally here. He did not care how many of his guild members died here. Now that he was here, he did not want to let him go at all costs.

"You think you are strong enough to take on an entire army single-handedly? DIE!"

Gorak aimed for Liam and started sending out several attacks. "Healers, heal me. Everyone, focus and kill that guy! I will reward 1000 gold coins to anyone who gets him!"

Hearing his words, all the nearby players immediately rejoiced. This was their chance to become rich overnight.

Everyone gripped their weapons tightly and sent out several attacks one after other, all aimed at Liam.

Though some of these attacks looked like they were going to miss their mark, most of them were definitely going to land.

"I GOT YOU NOW, you bastard!" Gorak immediately turned around, starting to head outside.

"Boss, where are you going now?" Someone called after him.

"I am going to the graveyard. You guys keep fighting." Gorak did not think about it too much and replied absent-mindedly, but as soon as he finished talking… something was amiss?

HUH? He turned around, fear and panic apparent in his eyes, only to see that the person he had just now spoken to was right behind him.

"So you know huh?" Liam smiled calmly.

"I know… what?" Gorak felt a chill run down his spine.

The next second, Liam was no longer standing in front of him and his vision also darkened.

[Ding. You have died]

Gorak's last bits of health disappeared and he lifelessly dropped to the ground. Liam stepped on him and avoided a few arrows aimed at him.

"So the cat is out of the bag huh? The bubble should burst in the next couple of days. I need to hasten my preparations."

He took out another [Rage Potion] from his inventory space and dunked it down.

With this burst of power, his stats received a significant boost, and suddenly he was about 20 to 30 levels higher than the surrounding players.

This was in addition to the extra stats he already had.

And to top it all, every one of his attacks landed like a cannonball with much more power and destruction.

From the moment Liam showed up, the entire group of players on the rightmost part of the army was in complete disarray.

Several people died in quick succession and their numbers had drastically reduced just like that in the snap of a finger.

All the other guild leaders who observed this from a distance drew big gasps in shock.

They did not realize it until now, but after witnessing it first-hand in front of them, they finally grasped the concept.

A true expert was equivalent to an army!

Chapter 389 - Healing Potion

As Liam once again moved away from his position, the other guild leaders slowly realized the real peril of the situation.

It was as if a dam was broken, and now the players were everywhere.

Where there was structure and formation before, now there was only complete chaos. The players from both sides had mixed together and were fighting very haphazardly.

And this infection was also spreading.

At this rate, their strength in numbers would go to utter waste. There would be a lot of friendly fire and damage on their side.

The number of players dying was also steadily increasing.

The other side was going down, but they seemed determined to take their army along with them.

And the reason for all of this was just a single person!

The other guild leaders quickly tried to gather their elite players to at least restrict Liam's movements until they could get a hold of the whole situation.

But unfortunately, they were too late.

Before they could begin to do anything like that Liam was already in the midst of the second guild group.

This time it was the Eradicators guild's turn. Liam entered the fray and immediately started murking up the waters.

He did not use any strategy specifically. He simply passed through like a hurricane, wreaking everyone in his path and this was more than enough to disrupt everything.

The coordination and group formation that the six guild leaders had boasted about was nowhere to be seen.

And because of the way they had popularized the battle, more and more members of the Crimson Abyss guild also started pouring in, all of them finally reaching the destination of the battle.

The entire place became completely chaotic and in the midst of this, to add more fuel to the fire, a group of Level 50 ravens descended down from above.

"WHATTT!!!! WHAT ARE THOSE?"

"Why are level 50 beasts here?"

"Maybe this is the special quest the crimson abyss guild is here for?"

The group of birds chased after Liam but everyone misunderstood the situation and started focussing their efforts on them.

This made the ravens very furious.

KRAAA! KRAAA! KRAAA!

Suddenly, the battleground was filled with their squawking sounds.

This alerted even more people and quickly, the PVP fight evolved into fighting for the chance to get the last kill of these ravens.

While everyone was completely involved in fighting, Liam on the other hand, quietly slipped away to the graveyard.

He broke into a cold sweat, seeing the ravens tear a new one and rip apart a few players into shreds.

"Again? Why am I getting repeatedly attacked by this mob? And they seem to be getting stronger and stronger with every wave? What the hell is going on?"

Liam bitterly smiled. These birds were chasing him!

Something was definitely not right.

He knew that he needed to figure this out soon because if the next wave was going to be a group of Level 60 or higher ravens, even he might not stand a chance.

He would get pitifully punctured by these birds.

Liam paused for a moment, looking back at the bloody battlefield.

Brrrrr. He then shook himself, throwing the image out of his head, and turned around, dashing towards the graveyard.

The ravens can wait. Right now there was something else more important that he needed to take care of.

While others chased after the potential drops from these ravens, Liam sped towards the graveyard to collect his own reward.

After all, this was the main reason he was here. How else could he easily gather so many souls without putting any effort?

He needed gold. He needed souls. This was the perfect chance for that.

When Liam arrived at the graveyard, he sucked into a big breath and immediately shifted into [Stealth] mode. Luna jumped off of his back and she as well hid in a nearby bush.

The graveyard wasn't that far from the battlezone, so they had to take care of business quietly and quickly.

More importantly… there needed to be a second battle zone in this area so that whatever he was going to do now would remain unnoticed.

Liam only had to wait for a couple of seconds when players started resurrecting one after the other.

A few probably already did before he arrived. He did not care whether they ran away or rejoined the battle. His only focus was on the ones who had resurrected right now.

Giving up on the stealth, Liam's figure blurred as he dashed towards the four players who were hurriedly checking their person to see what they had dropped.

"Damn bro, I dropped my sword. What bad luck!" One player cursed.

"Thank god! Thank god! Thank god! I only dropped that stupid wrist piece." Another one kissed his bow that was his priced possession, a unique grade gear.

The third friend was about to say something when suddenly their happy reunion was interrupted.

"Who-"

SLASH SLASH SLASH

Liam chopped the four of them, his sword dancing in the wind. In the dark of the night, the silent purple flashes quickly claimed the four lives effortlessly.

And this time, the poor guy's treasured bow indeed dropped.

Liam indifferently picked up the equipment and tossed it into his inventory. He then once again went into [Stealth].

However, he didn't get much time as, before long, the next group of sheep arrived, waiting to be slaughtered by him.

"Eradicators this time huh…"

Liam took a note of the guild emblem worn by the group before swiftly clearing them.

In case he was not able to finish them off today, he could always revisit the guild with the most kills and claim his bounty!

After taking care of these last few, the next batch arrived even sooner only barely giving him time to enter [Stealth] again.

This time surprisingly it was members from his own guild and the five of them also seemed to know each other.

"Guys, what the heck? I can't believe I actually died. The higher-ups better pay sufficient compensation for this."

The five of them had grave looks on their faces which made Liam very suspicious. Also, weirdly they were not even checking their gear and they already seemed extremely upset.

Could they also possibly know?

Liam did not act immediately and waited for another second and there it was.

"I died too many times already. Sorry, man. I am logging out. Fuck this shit. Growing strong and all is fine, but I first need to be alive for it."

Just as he suspected, the five players in front of him knew about the truth!

Which guild did they belong to?

Just as Liam was thinking about it, another person opened his mouth. "That's exactly why we are working hard. We need that healing potion."

Chapter 390 - Missing Persons

Liam who was casually listening up until now suddenly stiffened up.

He had been fishing for some other information such as the guild they were from, but he hadn't expected to stumble upon something like this.

"Healing potion? They couldn't possibly be talking about…?"

Snapping him out of his thoughts, the other person kindly added a few more details.

"What to do? If only we knew this from the beginning…"

"Heck, do you know how many times I died for a stupid quest! Thinking back I could have avoided all that and would now be in a much better position."

"Sigh… ya… now we have to beg for something random like this just to live." The man shook his head, "I don't know what's going to happen to this world."

"Mmmm. It is indeed scary, but I am also excited. We know all this information before others. So we are already ahead of millions or even billions of people. Doesn't that make you feel excited?"

"Stupid idiot."

"He He. Alright. Let's not hang out here too long. Others should be spawning soon. Let's run away."

"Agreed. No one would notice if we participate in this battle or not. It is better to spy from the comfort of the massage parlor."

"Ha Ha Ha."

The two of them laughed and chatted while quickly rushing away from the graveyard. They were completely oblivious to the fact that they were being watched by a predator.

Unfortunately for them their fate was now already sealed.

Whatever lingering doubts Liam had, everything was now completely cleared up, but… he did not intend on following them or dealing with them right now.

These two indeed had very valuable information and they needed some special attention. Also, since they were going to be in the guild residence, there was no hurry to chase them.

He watched the two disappear, but before they could escape from the area someone else respawned.

Under no circumstance did Liam want the duo to find out about his presence so before the next couple of players could even spawn fully, he slashed down with his purple sword, taking their lives without a single sound.

This unfortunate trio dropped three pieces of equipment that were quickly collected and put away.

Liam then silently continued his business while being deeply engrossed in his thoughts. Unlike the people he was killing, his mind was as calm as an ocean.

With every step that he was taking to level 50, he knew that he would be stepping into completely uncharted territories about which he had very little information if any. Panda Novel

However, that did not concern him. He only needed a few more steps to get the solid foundation that he had always yearned for.

With that in his grasp, he was confident in his ability to handle the rest.

Time slowly ticked by. The night was long as Liam continued to indifferently slaughter everyone who resurrected.

His mind was calm and steady and somehow the atmosphere was also extremely soothing.

He was in the Xion realm at the moment so he knew for a fact that there was no nether around him and yet this place and the air around him, everything was very relaxing.

It was as if he was suddenly able to think very clearly. Liam calmly breathed in and breathed out. The more time he spent killing the players who respawned, the more he felt alive.

He only did this because grinding the number of souls he needed was a lot more efficient this way. He was not reaping them one by one. This time he was going to get an entire bunch.

Not just that but he was also getting a lot of gold and items. War was truly one of the most profitable ways to farm things.

Gathering the things that dropped, Liam did not discriminate and continued to slaughter more and more players, irrespective of what guild they belonged to.

The only players whom he allowed to get out of that hellish graveyard were players from his guild. However, not all of them were that lucky.

If someone exposed himself to being a spy, then that person was naturally moved to the kill category. In this manner, things continued and soon several notifications started showing up.

[Ding. You have devoured a soul]

[Ding. You have devoured a soul]

…

…

…

The system chimed in succession after the first hour passed by. Many of these players' souls were already terribly damaged so Liam did not have to grind a lot.

And though the game system reduced the event to just another notification, Liam was well aware of what he was doing.

Every time he received a notification, it meant that he was taking away that life. Yet he did not bother to check if that person was good or bad or whether he deserved it or not.

Perhaps someone else might be more considerate of such trivialities, but he knew enough to know that these things do not matter in the long run.

When the truly terrible things knock on the earth's doorstep, hundreds and thousands of innocent lives would be claimed.

Compared to that number, something like this was simply irrelevant.

At that time, no amount of good deeds or morality would come to his or anyone else's rescue. Only pure strength would matter then and only pure strength mattered now.

This was a lesson that Liam had learned the hard way. He knew what kind of future awaited them so he did not dare dwell upon such trivialities.

He steeled his resolve and continued slaughtering the many players one after the other. Consequently, the number of souls he devoured also steadily increased.

Just like this almost another hour passed by when suddenly a few players started heading towards the graveyard.

It looked like someone had noticed the absence of the dead players. Or perhaps the battle was thinning down. It was about time after all.

Liam gripped his sword tightly as he gazed at the few players in front of him.

Chapter 391 - Grimreaper at the graveyard

Back on the battlefield, something extremely unusual was happening. The army of more than one thousand men the six guilds had come with had somehow dwindled to half its numbers.

Some of the elites were also missing.

Even among the guild leaders, three of them were missing.

Gorak, being one of the first few people to die, had respawned and rushed back to the battleground. However, when he returned the entire landscape had changed.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

Everything in front of him felt surreal. He had been so sure that they were going to win this fight, but somehow the tables had turned and now they were on the losing end.

Just how the hell did this happen?

Was this all the disturbance and destruction caused by that person?

He simply could not digest it. Was it even possible for someone to be so strong? Did the level difference matter this much?

He felt as if he was going crazy. Madly tossing attacks at any enemy he could spot, he dashed ahead in a frenzy.

Gorak tried to find Liam in the crowd but it was impossible. Actually, the bastard was extremely showy so it should have been relatively easy to spot.

The fact that he couldn't do was proof that he was right now not there on the battleground. Could he have already left? He thought that this was over and actually left the area?

Gorak gnashed his teeth in humiliation, but the enemy's arrogance was going to be his lucky chance.

Ptui! He spat in anger and furiously sent several instructions in the guild channel.

He tried as much as he could to bring back the scattered allies together and to get the fight once again under their control. This was the only thing that they needed to do to win.

They still had the numbers on their side and Liam was also missing. This was the perfect chance to make a comeback!

However…

Several minutes passed by and Gorak had to yet bring things under control. In fact, everything was just the opposite.

Little by little they were devolving more and more.

With every passing minute, somehow the players on their side seemed to be dwindling while the other side was growing in size?

"Damn it." Gorak chewed his nails, completely out of his wits, but he suddenly froze as if he had forgotten about something important and remembered it only now.

"Hey! Did you see anyone from the Gu family yet?" Gorak turned around urgently. He looked at the two other people from the guild and they had anxious looks on their faces.

"Boss… that…" They hesitated to reply to him.

"What? What happened? Where is the division from the Gu family?" Gorak could already tell that something was wrong.

"Boss, they did not come here."

"What do you mean? Are they running late or something?"

The guy shook his head with a bitter smile. He then relayed whatever information he managed to find.

"Boss, I am not sure if any men are headed this way. I was not able to find out what Gu Donghai decided. But…"

"Hmmm?"

"A large number of players from the Jade mountain guild are headed towards the south… towards…"

"Their guild residence?" The veins on Gorak's forehead throbbed.

Pa! He threw his left fist at his right palm angrily. "Those bastards! They actually dared to backstab me! They used me?"

It was clear as day to Gorak what had happened. He did not have to be a genius to understand this.

Gu Donghai knew in advance that there was going to be a huge battle here. The bunch of guilds was going to keep Crimson Abyss engaged here.

He knew this information and the bastard decided to use this for his own advantage.

While they were struggling and dying here just to get a foothold, that bastard was going to casually raid their guild!

"BA HA HA HA HA! This is good! This is too good!" Gorak started laughing loudly like a maniac. At this point, he did not know what else to do.

However, the next second, something jammed onto his back, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Alright. We can deal with that later. I should focus on what is in front of me." Gorak looked around and saw the obviously reduced numbers.

This could only mean two things, either the players on their side were running away, or… something was happening at the graveyard.

Perhaps just like how they had sent a small portion of their troops to the side to get the players who were running away, the other side was camping in the graveyard and slowly culling their numbers?

Gorak slapped his forehead hard. He already knew about this, so why the hell did he not consider this earlier! And why the hell did they not do this in the first place!

"SHIT!"

"Boss?"

"Let's go. Let's go. Fast. Fast. Round up some of our elites and bring them over here immediately. We are going to the fucking graveyard!"

A few members of the Rising Dragons and a group of other elites quickly scrambled and rushed over to the graveyard, the respawn site.

Since the place was located somewhat close to the battleground, they did not have to search for it for too long. They quickly arrived at the place.

"STOP!" Gorak suddenly halted his footsteps. Everyone was shocked and wondered what was happening.

But Gorak continued to look around like a lunatic, turning his head here and there.

He could feel that something was wrong. The graveyard was bleak and dull like it always was just like any other graveyard.

But there was something amiss here. He was sure of it. He subconsciously took a step back. However, it was already too late…

In front of him, clad in familiar clothing and armor was the same person… the person who had only just now killed him a few minutes back.

"So you are finally here huh?" Liam grinned.

Chapter 392 - Your base is under attack!

"What are you doing in the graveyard when there is a battle still going on out there? Hmmm?" Liam grinned.

Gorak and the other Rising Dragon guild members stared at the ghost in front of them in utter shock.

They had come here expecting to find a huge number of players but instead, there was only one. However, that one person was…

Everyone gulped. No one expected to find this monster here.

Even the guild leader Gorak who had first realized that some players could be sabotaging their army from the graveyard for some reason failed to think about this person.

"I… what…" Gorak stammered, unable to get any words out.

His reddened eyes were fixated on Liam, not even a hair on his body moving. The others also had similar expressions. No one wanted to breathe or speak.

"What? You are not going to answer me?" Liam chuckled. "You don't have to. The fact that you are here already told me everything."

He took a step forward and seeing him, the others subconsciously took a step back.

"You are leisurely camping out at the graveyard, so what other reason could be there for your presence here?"

"But the question still remains… how much do you know? Are you just here to rescue your friends or perhaps you know about everything?"

"I… I don't know anything. What… what are you talking about?" Gorak's eyes widened even further and he started blurting out.

He was already petrified of the guy, so how could he let him know his real intentions?

"Hmmm… is that so? But I thought I heard you say that you want to kill me off? You know once and for all?"

"How… how did you?" Gorak's heart sank. This person knew everything.

"Haaa… so you really did know after all." Liam smiled. "I was not a hundred percent sure until now, but I guess this confirms everything."

"No. No. Nothing like that. I don't know what you are talking about."

"So you did not plan to kill me permanently?"

"What? No no! I never thought about such things. What are you saying? This is just a game. I don't know anything."

"Well…" Liam shrugged. "Either way it doesn't matter to me."

His hand that was gripping his sword suddenly moved and his figure blurred. Before anyone could react, the next instant… two heads rolled on the ground.

Two of them had died just like that!

Gorak flinched as blood splattered on him. No, this wasn't something that he could possibly handle.

He snapped out of his trance, gave up any and all intentions of fighting back, and started screaming, "LOG OUT! LOG OUT! LOG OUT!"

However, unfortunately for him, nothing of that sort was happening. In his panic, he completely forgot that one could not log out when involved in combat.

He quickly scrambled to open his system interface and pressed the option there repeatedly. He needed to log out! Somehow!

But even then nothing was happening.

"Shit." He then realized that they were all in the same party and that's why he was in combat. He quickly left the party and opened his mouth but he was too late.

Liam slashed at him, directly engaging him in combat. It was only a small superficial slash but it was enough to draw some blood.

Gorak trembled. His last opportunity also flew out of the window. Now no matter what he couldn't log out until the combat ended.

He looked on his sides from the corner of his eyes to see if there was anyone whom he could use but… there were only dropped equipment scattered on the ground around him.

Everyone else had died. He was the last one remaining.

"Don't worry. Your friends will spawn back shortly and then I will get to kill them all over again." Liam smiled.

"No. You can't do that." Gorak's mind was spinning.

"Why not? It's just a game right?" Liam smirked.

The man flinched from the wound on his arm that was hurting like hell. His pulse quickened and desperation set in. "Why are you doing this? How could you be so cruel?"

"Eh? So if it's your men, then I'm being cruel, but didn't you do the same to our guild members? Or did you not come here with the same plan?"

"No! You can't do this! You cannot get away with this! Everyone will know what you did!"

"That's right. You can't do anything to me. My dad is an officer. He will make the police arrest you. Your whole life will be spoilt. Think about this."

Gorak shook his finger, his entire body trembling from top to bottom.

"Hmmm?" Liam still remained calm. It looked as if what he heard did not matter at all.

"But… but if you just let me go this once, then we can both benefit a lot. I know a lot. For example, right now you are actually in danger. See. I can be of help. Don't kill me. Don't kill me." Gorak continued.

This was his last chance so he started blurting out hurriedly, not even thinking before speaking out loud. He might as well be negotiating with Yama so he did not hold back.

"That's right. I can do anything that you want me to."

"If you just kill me, I am useless. But if you let me go just this once, I will give you a lot of gold coins. I can give you whatever information you need. I can also help you in real life."

Seeing the grown man ball his eyes out and continue to plead and beg for his life, Liam only lightly chuckled.

"Ok, let's say I forget and forgive everything that you did so far. You are just a pest, it's not difficult for me to forgive a mosquito. So now tell me what can you give me?"

"What is this information that you have?"

Color returned to Gorak's pale face and he immediately started spilling the beans. "Gu… Gu family. Gu Donghai! He is currently on the way to raid your guild residence!"

"Since the guild residence is not in a city, he thinks that he can take over and make it their guild's. If you leave right now, with your strength you should definitely be able to hold him back."

"Hmmm? Is that so? That is indeed new information." Liam mumbled.

The poor guy could not believe what he was seeing. He had just now said something alarming and urgent, but the other party did not show any response at all?

"I am saying he is going to take your guild!" He hurriedly repeated, trying to explain.

But Liam simply let out a soft sign. "We already talked about that. Do you have anything else to offer? Hmm?"

"What… what are you saying?" Gorak was completely speechless.

"Don't forget. You are right now negotiating for your life. So I would recommend that you not hold anything back."

I know that. I know that. Gorak gnashed his teeth and muttered inwardly. He already knew all of that but the thing was he really did not have anything else to offer.

Liam gave him a couple more seconds. "Anything?"

Gorak gulped, opening and closing his mouth wordlessly.

"I guess not huh? Alright then. I am losing valuable time here." Liam took a step forward, swinging his sword in the air. His blade looked so sharp that it was cutting air itself.

Gorak's scalp numbed and a yellow liquid dripped inside his chainmail. "Wait. wait. You will regret this. You will regret this. Can't you understand what I am telling you?"

"Gu Donghai is attacking your base as we speak. The Gu family will take everything that you have."

"You don't believe me? Is that it? Don't be a fool. He will kill you. He hates you for some reason."

Gorak did not even care anymore about what he was saying. He was trying desperately to divert Liam's attention. He wanted him to sweat and panic and forget about him.

However, unfortunately for him, the man in front of him did not seem to care at all.

Just like how he was standing there as if he had no connection with the battle that was going on, he also seemed to give two shits about the guild residence.

Liam simply took a step forward.

"You can't be serious."

He took another step forward.

"He is going to destroy you! If you kill me right now, you will also die like a dog! The same fate awaits you also! Mark my words. Mark my words."

"Ughh. Stop shouting like a shrew." He took another step forward, now directly standing in front of the guy.

"No! No! My father will kill you. Don't do this, please. Please. Gu Donghai will destroy you. He will take it all."

"Heh. Are you sure? Seriously, what do you think is happening over there right now?"

"Bye." Liam chuckled coldly and then swung his sword again, directly severing the guy's head from his body.

Gorak dropped lifelessly to the ground, the two halves of his body scattering in different directions along with one of the items he had equipped.

"That was not productive." Liam clicked his tongue and bent down to pick up the item. This had to make up for his loss of the coupe of precious minutes.

He then wiped the blood off the sword with his two fingers and sheathed it back.

He had only interacted with the guy for so long in the hopes that he could get more information but that did not yield any results. Nevertheless, he wasn't too disappointed.

Liam quickly hurried back to the graveyard as a few people had already run away from the spawn point.

He did not want to lose all of his hard work for the past couple of hours. So he quickly went back to what he was doing before.

Another player appeared and Liam immediately finished him off with a single strike.

And as for what Gorak had said about the Gu family… Liam thought about it and smiled. He really hoped that they would not change their plans and actually attack!

Chapter 393 - Just a small promise

Meanwhile…

A tall woman stood calmly at the entrance of a remote city inside the Gresh Kingdom. The gentle wind ruffled her reddish auburn hair, and she tucked the few strands behind her ear.

"I am here."

Alex grew slightly nervous looking at the gigantic golden gates. The city was very impressive.

Even from the outside, the place was spectacular, with various showy artful buildings dotting the land.

Just like Yleka city and royal city, this place also should have become extremely popular.

In fact more popular because the city was rumored to house an exceptional number of virgins and beautiful women.

But nothing like that happened mainly for one reason, not everyone was allowed inside the city!

Only people who have done enough quests to gather a sufficient amount of divine fame points and temple contribution points were allowed inside.

People who received a direct invitation like the one Alex did were also allowed inside.

However, these were not the reasons that she was nervous. She was tensed because of the strange quest she had received.

Not only was the quest vague but the time she received it was also very unusual. She couldn't help but feel the anticipation build up within her.

She wanted more power, needed more power. Would this quest be the solution to her problems? There was only one way to find out.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the gates of the city. Unlike any other place within the Kingdom, this was a lot more serene and tranquil.

There were no vendors lining up the streets. There were no hawkers or groups of players crowding around everywhere.

Instead, there were big trees, beautiful sculpted buildings, gardens, and koi ponds. She did come across a few NPCs who flashed a kind and gentle smile as they walked past her.

Alex as well naturally smiled in return. In fact, she was feeling a lot calmer now and continued strolling down the street, inhaling the warm nourishing air.

The main temple was located up the hill a few miles ahead so she headed over there directly.

In spite of being anxious about the quest, she also wanted to attempt it and learn more about it as soon as possible. The exploration of the city had to wait until after she had dealt with the quest.

Alex quickened her pace and walked along the winding path up the hill that lead to the entrance of the temple.

The scenery on the way was breathtaking. There were all sorts of flowers, trees, wild plants, and herbs arranged neatly in various patterns.

They seem to be naturally littered around the path but at the same time, there was an underlying elegance that seemed to tie everything together.

A relaxing gentle fragrance wafted out of these plants calming the minds and rejuvenating everyone who took the path up.

The sound of the nearby gushing waterfalls also added to this ambiance.

Alex couldn't help but pause for a second and take in the whole atmosphere.

Perhaps because she had only just been in the nether realm, she could feel the stark contrast between the two places very distinctly.

One was like warm soothing milk while the other was like acid. For the first time, she realized just how much effect the affinity to an element could have.

She silently took a few more deep breaths and started walking up the hill again. This time she saw a couple of meditation pavilions scattered around amidst the flowery gardens.

A few women were seated on these pavilions, with their eyes closed and the light robes on their bodies fluttering to the whims of the wind.

"Ughhh…" Alex stared at them and then looked awkwardly at the attire she was wearing currently.

Unlike their clean thin silky robes that clung to their figures, the clothes she had on were gaudy, murky, and bloody.

No doubt hers would be more practical if a fight broke out, but when in Rome…

She quickly changed into a spare set of clothes she had, a clean shirt and a pair of linen pants. It was not what they were wearing but at least it was clean.

She let her hair hang loose and continued walking.

Since there were almost no players around, she did not have to cover herself from top to bottom and she used this rare chance to air out her insides.

Now she felt a lot more at ease and enjoyed the walk, soon reaching the entrance of the temple.

The huge marble structure with gold interlaced resembled the royal palace in several aspects. However, the two buildings were very structurally different.

While the palace sprawled out horizontally occupying a lot of lands, the divine temple was more like a pagoda extending vertically.

It was clear that the entire city was built around this particular hill, with the divine temple at the center.

"Greetings sister, may I help you?" One of the attendants wandering about on the premises of the temple came over to Alex and asked. She had a warm smile on her face.

"Yes, I am here to meet priestess Xuraksa." Alex casually tossed out the name of the person from the quest she had received.

But unexpectedly, the woman in front of her seemed visibly surprised. Her mouth even made a little o. "High priestess Xuraksa? Please, sister. Come this way."

Alex nodded and to her surprise, the temple attendant personally escorted her inside the huge temple and just like that, her nerves that had only now calmed down, again started to flare up.

The minute she took the first step into the temple, she felt a vague pressure on her body. It was a weird feeling as if something or someone was watching her from somewhere.

But when she looked around, there were only pristine white marble walls and white marble floors with the occasional dull grey pattern.

There was really nothing else around her. However, the feeling she had was unmistakable.

Just as she was mulling over this, she took another step forward, and suddenly the space in front of her twisted and she was no longer standing on the hallway of the temple's ground floor.

"Hey!" Alex staggered back in shock. She immediately took out her sword and her shield defensively, her heart pounding against her chest.

However, nothing happened and after she had a chance to calm down and take a breath of two, she noticed an elegant, goddess-like woman sitting atop a golden throne.

"Welcome to the divine temple, young paladin."

Alex blinked and nodded, unable to avert her eyes from the strange person. The woman also had a warm smile just like the temple attendant but both were definitely not the same.

There was mysterious pressure that exuded from this goddess that was absent from the other one.

Alex recovered and quickly put away her sword and the shield. She had a feeling that even if she had these it was completely useless.

She could tell that there was a chasm of difference between her strength and the strength of this goddess, who was most probably...

"Priestess Xuraksa?"

"Yes, my child. I am high-priestess Xuraksa." The woman continued smiling while her eyes were solidly fixed on Alex.

Feeling very exposed, Alex shuddered slightly and then scrambled for words, "I am… I am here to take the Vow of tenacity?"

"Of course, child." The priestess smiled. It looked like she was done with her scanning. "I am the one who sensed your spirit a while back and called you here."

"Ah… I mean… Thanks." Alex awkwardly gave a return smile. "So how should I-"

"Ha Ha. You don't have to do anything complicated. You can simply take the vow in your heart." The priestess chuckled lightly.

Alex still looked confused so she explained a bit, "You don't have to be so nervous. In a way, these vows are nothing special."

"They are nothing but promises we make to ourselves. In this case, you are making a promise to yourself to fight tenaciously and never give up even in the face of impending death."

"If that is something that you want to do, you can take the vow. Otherwise, you can also ignore it, child. There is nothing wrong with it. It is entirely up to you."

Alex nodded. She now had a better understanding of the whole quest, though she had a small nagging doubt at the back of her mind that things couldn't possibly be so simple.

"A promise to myself huh… never giving up…"

The moment she thought about it, the obvious disadvantage stared at her in the face. This meant that she would not be able to run away from any enemy?

As if reading her thoughts, the priestess smiled and said, "It is not about fighting or fleeing child, it is about fleeing once you decide to fight."

"Ah." Alex nodded. "Ummm… if I may ask, would this give me anything in return?"

"Of course, it will. If you make a commitment to yourself, it will strengthen your resolve, will power and determination at your weakest, when you need it the most."

Alex had wanted some sort of numbers but it looked like vague cryptic answers were the only ones she was going to get.

She thought about it for a second and then decided to accept it. She was a tank after all and more importantly, she was always the last to leave a fight, so it suited her well.

"Ok. I will do this." She did not know what would happen once she did but it was worth finding out.

She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and thought to herself. 'I always promise to fight back and never give up."

Given how everything had gone so far, she did not expect anything and was about to open her eyes but unexpectedly, something strong gripped her.

Cough. Cough. Alex clutched her throat, gasping for breath. She felt suffocated like she was six feet underwater. She did not know what to do.

It was as if something was clutching or chaining her heart or her very soul. It made her feel imprisoned. She was getting buried alive.

Alex fell down on the marble ground and twitched uncontrollably, but she seemed to lack any and all control over whatever was happening.

There was only pitch-black darkness everywhere. She did not even know how long it persisted.

She bit her lips hard, drawing blood, in some sort of attempt to keep her sanity, but it was of no use. She really felt as if she was going to die.

At that moment, she just wanted to die even if it was to end the choking sensation that was gripping her.

However, suddenly something snapped.

Just as she was struggling, the same words that she had spoken just a second ago once again flashed in her brain.

'I always promise to fight back and never give up."

It was like a chant. It repeatedly echoed inside her like a repaired tape recorder. Soon she even forgot that she was not able to breathe and a warm feeling spread across her body.

This feeling gave her strength and a kind of unique power.

[Ding. You have gained a new skill]

[Ding. You have learned 'Vow of Tenacity']

[Vow of Tenacity - Passive skill; When your health drops below 2%, all your stats receive a 200% boost for 10 seconds]