Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 292 Straight to the Enemy's Nest, World Leader

The Emancer wielding the Sword of Duncan was not the only surviving player from the Brood faction at the time; the Rogue among the first Ambush Squad escaped by hiding in the Pocket Shadow Dimension.

He hid in the shadows for two minutes, which, though seemingly brief, was like an ordinary person diving without protection, undergoing a severe physical and mental test as he descended beneath the surface of the world.

Before leaving the shadows, the Wanderer had already completed an advanced form of invisibility, ensuring that even infrared rays could pass smoothly through his body. He slowly moved his body, retreating from the unshielded rooftop into the building, and observed the battle from near the window.

Then, the immense power field storm unleashed by the dragon's incantation tore through the streets and shattered the building where he was hiding.

The wanderer fell into the ruins, hid among the rubble, and witnessed the ensuing battle, or rather, the slaughter, which would be a more apt description.

At this moment, the hunting target, "Lighthouse Guest," finally broke free of its stealth and was fully revealed.

The Wanderer maintained steady breathing, observed the target out of the corner of his eye, and then took out a fully invisible electromagnetic sniper rifle. It was quiet, had little recoil, and the enchanted bullets it fired did not emit light. Its power was enough to tear apart a rhinoceros, shatter armor, and pierce through magical shields.

At a distance of less than 300 meters, the Wanderer could hit his target with a blind shot. He also saw the target's exposed back of the head, unprotected after removing the hood; a single shot would complete the hunt, granting the rich rewards of the Purgatory quest and a massive amount of kill experience.

But his finger rubbed the trigger, and he hesitated to pull it.

The wanderer, doubting his ability to kill the man, was like a child standing dozing before a giant tiger, clutching a dagger. If he couldn't take the man's life with that strike, his fate was sealed.

But is it really possible for someone to possess such terrifying offensive capabilities while also having exceptional defensive performance and regenerative abilities?
Against any other opponent, even a boss monster in a dungeon, the Wanderer would simply fire immediately.

But when faced with the Lighthouse Residents, he was genuinely afraid, and he admitted his fear, saying there was nothing to be ashamed of.

Imagine pulling the trigger, and in less than half a millisecond, the opponent's head explodes. What happens next? Does the headless body fall, continue moving, or heal rapidly?
Players in the illegitimate offspring faction have one chance to revive.

If you fail, you'll be killed by the enemy. Return to the main city and immediately exit the instance to avoid further pursuit. However, you should also be prepared for the worst-case scenario of abandoning the instance altogether. Some vengeful players will camp out there for extended periods.

The wanderer weighs the pros and cons in an instant, and the moment his decision is made, his finger is already on the trigger.

The electromagnetic coil began to charge, and then a small black shadow was emitted from the muzzle of the gun. A faint magical light bloomed in the air, as quiet as a flying insect skimming the surface of water. It pierced the sound barrier and fell along a straight parabola, pointing directly at the back of the target's head.

A fleeting moment can feel like an eternity.

The wanderer's heart clenched, his mind blank; he awaited the outcome, less than a breath, less than a fleeting thought. The bullet flew faster than his thoughts.

Lin Bo saw the enchanted bullets coming from behind on the display screen, their faint magical aura captured by the nascent spirit residing in the creature's brain.

The Mage's Appearance display screen has a signal delay, which is extremely short, but it does exist. That is, the bullet trajectory seen on the screen has a time error of less than a quarter of a millisecond, enough for the bullet to travel several meters.

The magical aura captured by the spirit was located in real time, with absolute accuracy.

When he became aware of the attack, his spirit seemed to be stimulated and suddenly "awakened," replacing the biological brain to think more quickly and calmly assess the situation.

There was no time to move his body. The Lv3 Flow Control Technique chose the "Torrent" trait instead of the "Shadowless" trait, so it wasn't known for its speed. He couldn't dodge the bullet, so he could only rely on the Absolute Control Technique to strengthen his body.

But even the most resilient flesh and blood cannot withstand such immense pressure.

What could be faster than an electromagnetically launched bullet, capable of stopping it at the last second?
lightning.

The mysterious mercury floating in front of Lin Bo was flowing with plasma. Suddenly, the plasma burst out, detached from the sword, and transformed into a blazing white and blue serpent, with tiny branches extending from its surface like the claws of a dragon.

It weaves through a world where everything is still; dust, hair, wind—everything that moves slowly is frozen in place for lightning. The high-speed bullet seems like a slug struggling to crawl on a wall.

The white dragon bypassed the three-eyed skull mask, passed by his ear, circled around to the back of his head, opened its snake-like mouth, and pounced, swallowing the sharp, enchanted bullet. Plasma oscillation instantly vaporized and sublimated the metal.

After swallowing the bullet, the white dragon still had some leisure time. It took a bite to grab the hood of the cloak and put it on Lin Bo. Finally, it leisurely returned to the blade of the Secret Spirit Mercury and settled there peacefully.

All of this happens in a shorter time than a complete neuronal information exchange.

The wanderer only saw a blinding flash of serpentine white light, and when he looked again, the Lighthouse Keeper had vanished without a trace; the other had become invisible once more.

The bullet disappeared along the way, like a clay ox crossing a river, leaving only the dull whistling of the gun barrel echoing, revealing the sniper's position.

He muttered, "It's over."

His vision was filled by a rapidly approaching red lightning sword. The wanderer regained consciousness and found himself inside a soft bubble, curled up like a tree frog.

This is the resurrection pool in the main city of the Gods and Demons. Hundreds of players who have just been resurrected or who have come to watch the excitement have gathered in the hall.

The fellow sufferers were discussing that terrifying Night Guard player.

Some were afraid and didn't plan to continue participating in this hellish mission, while others were unconvinced and prepared to put all their fighting spirit into it, just like when facing a high-difficulty boss challenge, gathering intelligence, analyzing weaknesses, finding flaws, and seizing victory.

The first level 17 sorcerer player to die was the most resentful.

In the real world, high-level players often linger because they have left memories and imprints there that are difficult to let go of. So even if they don't get experience points or disaster coins as rewards, they will still come in to wander around and stay. Some of them even hide their identities and live like local residents, engaging in a deeply immersive role-playing experience.

They don't waste time and energy on high-level missions, but they can occasionally be persuaded or invited to participate. The sorcerer was invited to hunt down the Lighthouse Keepers, but unexpectedly, he was the first to die.

The wanderer overheard the sorcerer rallying the players at the respawn pool, urging them to regroup.

He swam slowly over and was discovered by his companions. Everyone was surprised, not expecting that the wanderer would be the last to die. They quickly asked for details.

“I saw him. The Lighthouseman, he appeared after his duel with [The Sword Hero].

Everyone was shocked by what they heard.

At this moment, the newly resurrected Evocation Master interjected, "I don't plan to use this nickname anymore. Moreover, I intend to switch factions."

"You fought him and forced the Lighthouseman to reveal his true form?"

“That’s not true.” The Shaper hurriedly shook his head. “From beginning to end, I had no chance of defeating the Master. He fought me while killing his teammates and minions.” He briefly described his personal experience, the powerlessness and brilliance that seemed to be against heaven and earth, which made him determined to leave the Abomination’s camp and go to the Master’s side to learn about higher and more infinite techniques.

The Enchantress, weakened, departed amidst the farewells of the crowd, preparing to accept the quest to switch factions.

The players were silent for a moment, then someone asked the Wanderer what happened next.

"I saw him appear, then I pulled out my gun, aimed it at the back of his head, and shot him."

The low spirits reignited violently, and everyone's gazes were like towering bonfires, burning intensely.

"You killed him?! No, was he injured?" the sorcerer asked urgently.

The wanderer gestured with his fingers, fired a shot into his temple, tilted his head, and said, "I don't know. After I fired, by the time I realized what was happening, he had vanished. The bullet went somewhere, and then I died. Nothing more to say."

He showed no sign of disappointment, but everyone could tell that the Wanderer was the one who had completely given up.

In the world chat, the Wanderer sent a message.

[Shadow Assassin (Sinful Offspring)]: Lighthouse Guest, were you shot?

After these words were spoken, the channel fell silent for a moment, and no one continued to spam the chat.

Soon after, the response came.

[Lighthouse Guest (Night Guard)]: No, but it was quite thrilling (laughs)
[Lighthouse Keeper (Nightguard)]: Are you guys coming back? I'm in a hurry, my teammates are waiting for me to get back.
[My Favorite Devil Lady (Bastard Child)]: Guess?
[Lighthouse Keeper (Night Guard)]: Still haven't decided? Then I'll come find you guys. By the way, those of you who are out of resurrection attempts, remember to leave the main city, or just leave the instance.
The area around the Rebirth Pool was solemnly quiet, like a cemetery.

"What does this guy mean?" The sorcerer smirked. "Is he planning to solo our main city?"

Before he finished speaking, one spacetime vortex after another opened, and many players who had just been resurrected immediately entered the teleportation channels and left.

And so the place fell silent once more.

The streets of the Bountiful Royal Court were in an uproar. The abominations themselves wouldn't have such an emotional reaction; the only ones alarmed were the players and cultists who worshipped the abominations.

Suddenly, the divine abomination's sleeping egg in the central temple trembled violently, its roots spreading throughout the city's underground and surface twitched continuously, and the earth shook.

"Kunkas is angry." The players looked at each other in bewilderment.

"A lot of boss monsters died today, and so many players were resurrected. It must be feeling uncomfortable."

The vibrant and diverse Royal Court is like a chaotic architectural painting, a collection of houses from all eras. It is a breeding ground for illegitimate offspring, forever bathed in the intense sunlight of a summer midday.

However, at this moment, layers of thick, leaden-gray clouds rolled in and gathered from all directions.

The local players were not surprised by this unusual phenomenon; they simply remarked, "Here we go again."

An announcement was posted in the world chat.

[Network Battle Alert: An abnormal spacetime fluctuation has been detected within the instance; the background in some areas will be suddenly affected]

[Detecting mutation information, obtained the affix "Rebirth Shadow"]

[Due to the anomaly, a world-leading monster has been born.]

Defeating the leader will eliminate the mutation ahead of time.

In the Royal Court of Abundance, within the Dream Bed Hall, the roots of the Star-Spotted Black Stone coiled into a massive sphere—the sleeping egg of Kunkas. Tens of thousands of believers burned incense and prayed day and night, beseeching the Divine Abomination to break free from the seal of the gods and awaken as soon as possible.

At this moment, a temporal and spatial anomaly descended upon the main city. The sleeping egg convulsed and spasmed, and a deep, dark purple-black rift, as deep as the abyss, opened on its surface. The world leader monster, the Shadow of Kunkas, extended a sharp claw from the rift, followed by a second and a third. Long, translucent, pitch-black shells, like centipedes, slowly emerged and stretched their bodies in the air of the temple.

The discussion exploded in the player channel.

Challenging world bosses is a big and exciting event. Sometimes a dungeon mutation can last for several months, during which time factions engage in fierce battles, and players have a good opportunity to gain experience and harvest materials to exchange for disaster coins.

A large number of Night Guards and Nine Towns players are preparing to head to the Bountiful Royal Court to launch a siege challenge. Such a large-scale battle naturally requires the assistance of local forces. Allocating resources, planning strategies, and designating tactics will all take some time.

But there's another topic that everyone is even more interested in.

Will the Lighthouse Observer still choose to travel to the Royal Court of Abundance at this moment? Faced with affix mutations, the wise should choose to retreat when faced with difficulties.

Lin Bo saw the announcement on the channel and at the same time received a message from his faction.

[Network notification: You have triggered the quest - Slay the Shadow of Kunkkas]

Difficulty: Purgatory

Description: A temporal anomaly has created a metamorphic demonic shadow of a divine abomination. Its power is far less than its original form, but it still poses a significant threat. Do everything in your power to gather all available help and eliminate this terrifying enemy.

He traversed the atmosphere of the dream world with his hands behind his back, easily breaking the sound barrier, and was rapidly flying towards the core plain.

In a short while, the main city of the wicked offspring camp was already in sight.

Kunkas's shadow resembled a black bronze pillar, stretching from the earth's surface towards the sky.

It had locked its chilling crimson gaze on the tiny mage in the distance, and opened its mandibles, its sharp, high-frequency shrieks chilling the royal court and the vast plains.

This is a cruel challenge from the world's leader.

(End of this chapter)