Dark Eldar

Greatness is everywhere. —Otherworldly Rules 03

The death of the nameless green-skinned orc had little impact on the other heroes leveling up in Cigarette Butt Jungle (111271) at Pris Fortress. They generally believed that in this alternate world, "death" and "rebirth" coexisted. This might be influenced by the fearless spirit embodied in the epic battles of yesteryear. Whether this was right or wrong, whether to cherish life or take a gamble... remains to be seen.

Loki felt sorry for the green-skinned orcs.

"What treasures are in his backpack? The Iron Giant has been picking them up for so long and hasn't finished yet?" Loki wondered.

The midday sun shines over the Cigarette Butt Jungle. What's the meaning behind this new map? And what does "cigarette butt" mean? Nobody cares. Like other bizarre maps such as White Wasteland and Coal Mine, what's the origin of the name? Only the local NPCs can explain it (for the sake of the plot). Heroes come and go; who cares about the meaning of a place name?

After a while, the armored monsters dispersed. They were quite clever; they only quickly gathered together when necessary. Had they developed a "scheme"?

Loki summoned his red Void Beast mount and ran to where other heroes were leveling up to see how they were dealing with the enemy.

The "cigarette butt jungle" doesn't match its name; the jungle is very sparse, with only a few trees every few hundred meters. And as for "cigarette butts"? Not a single one was to be seen. Nor did anyone appear to be smoking.

Not far away, a group of five caught Loki's attention. He wanted to see how the five of them would fight.

A typical 20-man raid group can definitely handle it. They have 5 or 6 healers alone. The rest are all DPS, a 4-tank lineup. Even if they encounter a large number of armored giants, a 20-man raid group can still escape unscathed. Unlike 5-man teams, which require a relatively higher level of skill.

Five heroes engaged in fierce battle, all of them dwarves. Two are artillerymen, hunters; two are tanks, main and off-tank; and the last one is a female priest, but unfortunately, she's a rogue priest and probably hasn't unlocked the "Resurrection" ability yet. (The Resurrection skill is very difficult to obtain in this world; it requires passing a "Trial" exam.)

Their battle was incredibly fierce; after each wave, they had to rest on the spot, waiting for the next wave of armored warriors to arrive.

"Hello?" Loki greeted them while they were recovering their health and mana.

"Please don't get in our way, okay? It's dangerous here. You came from another world, right? Otherwise, how come you have a military void beast mount?" The dwarf female warrior sitting near the front asked seriously.

She wasn't very good-looking.

Loki knew she was probably a paid dwarf female warrior. (Note: Some less attractive random female races, for racial balance, have been authorized by the Order to recruit girls through "payment"; real-name authentication is required; there are also certain age requirements. Low interaction activity can lead to reports.)

"Got it, I'll just take a look! Don't worry! I won't take advantage of the situation," Loki said calmly. He didn't think too much about it. He's always been naive, both in the past and now. Even after experiencing so much, he remains naive. Perhaps this is his innate advantage in forging the artifact "Mold of the Creator"?

Loki, who was already close to reaching Elder level (level 80), still had several "major events" on his quest list to complete, such as "Finding the Marked One," "The Whereabouts of the Wind Whisperer," and "The Avenger's Sword." Some of these even offered lifetime achievement rewards. However, to better adapt to level 30, Loki wanted to first "visit" the new map to see what changes had occurred in this world, so he could better determine his next steps. Although Loki, having come from another world, still cared deeply about the "Holy Land" and the safety of the Elders, he had also realized: "If I don't progress, if I don't seek more valuable and meaningful storylines, then I will be letting down the 'artifact' I possess, and I will also be letting down my mentor, Elder Joseph, for his cultivation and the education I received in this other world from a young age..." He wanted to become a more useful and greater person, not just a "possessor of an artifact."

"What's the point of obtaining a divine artifact? Is it superfluous? Was I born just to match it? To flaunt it?" A series of complex questions frequently haunted Loki's mind. Loki had to confront himself, not only his bright side, but also the far more terrifying "dark side." He never wanted to be a mere supporting character, simply the "master" or "slave" of the "Mold of the Creator"?

"Master" and "slave" are merely different names (RPG concept), requiring a certain level of "awakening" to understand. Ordinary online players, especially a five-person battle squad like the one before them, are completely incomprehensible. Ordinary heroes (including VIPs) always believe that "becoming the best in the world!" is their lifelong ambition.

Lost in complex thoughts, Loki stared blankly into the distance. He seemed to have forgotten to protect himself... After a wave of armored monsters perished, the five-man dwarf team, having meditated to recover 80% health, exchanged a glance and suddenly charged at Loki, intending to finish him off.

Even the battle-hardened Loki reacted swiftly. The kind-hearted Loki mistakenly thought a monster was spawning in his area and instinctively tried to give way... But the five-man dwarf team's target wasn't the "Iron Giant"!

"You guys?" Loki exclaimed. He really didn't want to kill heroes, except for "self-defense."

A strong wind picked up, and sand grains mixed with the occasional rusty, broken screws (white, attribute-less) that had fallen from the dead armored monsters drifted across the ground, much like cigarette butts.