I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

[Regional Emergency Announcement for District 21: The rift in the abyss has been torn open, and ancient decay is awakening from its slumber!]

[Warning! The regional boss, [Rotten Behemoth - Grassos], has descended upon the border area between areas 101 and 110!]

The Rotting Beast Grassos is spreading the "Withering Plague." All players within the plague's area will continuously lose health and have all attributes weakened! All players are advised to proceed with caution!

Defeating a regional boss will bring blessings to the entire District 21! All players who participate in the kill will receive incredibly generous rewards based on their contribution!

……

The cold and authoritative announcement echoed repeatedly in the deathly silence of the world.

Every word carried a terrifying pressure that sent shivers down one's spine.

Regional leader!

The moment they heard that term, all the players in Area 21 who were panicking because of that strange phenomenon were stunned.

They had heard of and even seen the leader of the Wild Lands.

[The Venomous Hydra] and [The Heart of Rock] are both beings of this level.

Although powerful, it is not invincible.

But... a regional leader?

What is this?

It sounds like it's a level above "Wild Map Leader".

After a brief moment of shock and bewilderment, the entire public communication channel in District 21 was in an uproar!

"Holy crap! Regional leader? What's that? Sounds pretty awesome!"

"【Rotting Beast - Grassos】? Still spreading plague? This boss... feels even more terrifying than the previous ones!"

"Who cares! The announcement said there's an incredibly generous reward for the kill! Brothers, our chance to make a fortune has arrived! Blackrock Hills, assemble!"

"Go! Go! Go! Fortune favors the bold! Even if we can't win, can't we at least try? What if we manage to land the final blow? Then we'll be set for life!"

In an instant, countless players, blinded by the promise of "incredibly generous rewards," began to flock from all directions toward the coordinates indicated in the announcement.

Greed, once again, triumphed over fear.

……

Beginner Village #102

Two small guilds that were fighting fiercely at the village entrance over an elite monster immediately stopped after hearing the announcement.

"Stop...stop!" a guild leader shouted breathlessly, "The area boss has spawned! It's right next to our village!"

"Damn it! Why didn't you say so earlier!" another guild leader cursed, then immediately yelled in the guild chat, "Everyone! Stop fighting! Follow me to fight for the boss!"

The two groups, who were fighting to the death one second, suddenly became united and charged in the same direction.

Not far away, Zhao Tianyu, who had just come out of the respawn point, also heard the announcement.

A complex expression appeared on his face.

Regional leaders...

This was undoubtedly a huge temptation for him.

If he can get a share of the spoils in this BOSS battle, he might be able to catch up with the top-tier players and salvage some face.

but……

The thought of that place, so close to the No. 101 beginner village, and the possibility of encountering those two nightmarish figures again, sent a chill down his spine.

"Tianyu, shall we...go?" Li Qiuyue asked softly, her eyes filled with longing and hesitation.

Zhao Tianyu fell silent.

He glanced at his teammates who were also hesitating, then at the solo players who had rushed out of the village like madmen, and finally gritted his teeth.

"go!"

"Fortune favors the bold! Let's just observe from the sidelines, seize opportunities when they arise, and retreat when they don't! I refuse to believe that with so many of us, we can't even get a sip of soup!"

……

Outside the Howling Cave.

Li Wu stood on the edge of the cliff, quietly listening to the resounding announcement.

All the frustration and pent-up emotions in his heart vanished at that moment.

Instead, there was an irrepressible, burning fighting spirit!

Regional leader!

An incredibly generous reward!

He instantly understood the meaning of the "not necessarily" that Hua Zitong had mentioned!

This is their only hope of breaking the deadlock!

The experience points a regional leader can provide are absolutely astronomical!

If we can take it down, we'll definitely be able to collect those 20,000 experience points!

"Let's go."

Li Wu turned his head and looked at Hua Zitong beside him.

He noticed that Hua Zitong's face didn't show the smugness of someone who had "mastered the plan" that he had imagined. Instead, it carried a hint of relief and lingering fear.

It was as if she was just gambling, betting that the area boss would appear within the next three days.

And now, she's won her gamble.

"Um."

Hua Zitong nodded, and a relaxed smile finally appeared on her previously tense face.

"The opportunity has arrived."

Her voice was soft, yet full of power.

Without further hesitation, the two leaped off the cliff and sped toward the chaotic borderland shrouded in endless darkness and crimson lightning.

An unprecedented battle for the BOSS, sweeping across the entire 21st district and all the newbie villages, has officially begun.

The protagonist of this battle was destined from the very beginning.

……

When Li Wu and Hua Zitong arrived at the border of the beginner village, it was already packed with people.

Looking around, it was a sea of ​​players.

A rough estimate puts the number at least in the tens of thousands.

These people came from various newbie villages in District 21, with all sorts of IDs and guild prefixes. Like a group of sharks smelling blood, they surrounded this area.

The whole scene was noisy and chaotic.

Shouts, commands, and the roar of skills rose and fell in a chaotic mess.

"Brothers from Village 102, move this way! We're advancing from the east!"

"Ironblood Alliance, heed my command! All warriors, form a shield wall at the front! Mage groups, prepare for the first round of focused fire!"

"Holy crap! Who the hell shot me in the back?! Stop pushing! You're stepping on me!"

"Make way! Let the people of 'Rising Again' pass!"

All the major guilds were trying to organize an effective offensive formation, but due to the sheer number of players present and the intertwined forces, with no one willing to yield to the others, it was impossible to form a unified command.

Many others, like headless flies, followed the crowd blindly forward, hoping to profit from the chaos.

Li Wu and Hua Zitong did not rush to squeeze in.

They found a high hillside, from which they could observe the entire battlefield situation from a superior vantage point.

"The situation is more chaotic than I imagined." Hua Zitong's brows furrowed slightly.

"There are too many people," Li Wu commented succinctly.

He didn't like the chaotic scene.

A large number of people means more variables.

Just then, a commotion arose from the back of the crowd.

"Get out of my way! All of you, get the hell out of my way!"

Amidst a burst of arrogant shouts and curses, a large group of players with the prefix "Blood Wolf" above their heads, like a red-hot dagger, roughly squeezed a path through the crowd.

Leading the group was none other than Blood Wolf War Soul, the guild leader of the Blood Wolf Guild, who had just experienced the greatest humiliation of his life in the Blackrock Mountains.

His face was terribly gloomy at that moment, and his eyes were bloodshot and filled with resentment, like a wounded wild beast ready to devour its prey.

Behind him followed nearly two hundred members of the Blood Wolf Guild.

Although their numbers were significantly fewer than when they had previously besieged Li Wu, their momentum was even more ferocious and insane.

Every face bore a resolute expression, as if they were burning their boats.

Blood Wolf War Soul's eyes flashed with killing intent when he saw Li Wu and Hua Zitong!

……

On the other side, another well-equipped and well-organized team slowly approached from another direction.

They were few in number, only about a hundred, but each of them exuded an aura of elite.

Their arrival silenced the previously noisy battlefield.

Flower Language Guild!

Leading the group was the seemingly composed warrior player, Huayu_Chengfeng.

As for their president, Huayu Xiaofeng, she didn't come; it's unclear what happened.

"Vice President, there are so many people! The Blood Wolf Guild is here too, and they look like they're going to eat people alive." A female mage next to Huayu_Chengfeng looked at the chaotic scene in front of her and was somewhat astonished.

"As expected." Hua Yu Chengfeng's expression was calm. "Someone like Blood Wolf Battle Soul, after suffering such a huge loss, would be strange if he didn't seek revenge."

His gaze swept across the crowd, and soon settled on two familiar figures on the distant hillside.

"They're over there." He pointed in the direction of Li Wu and Hua Zitong.

"Wow! The masters really are here too!" The female mage's eyes lit up instantly. "Vice President, should we go over and say hello?"

"No rush." ​​Huayu_Chengfeng shook his head. "Let's assess the situation first. The guild leader instructed that our primary task in this operation is not to seize the BOSS, but... to ensure the safety of our allies."

As he spoke, he made a gesture to his men.

"Everyone, establish defensive positions centered on us, and be ready to provide support at any time."

"yes!"

The hundred elites of the Flower Language Guild immediately sprang into action, quickly constructing a solid defensive position at the edge of the crowd, a position that could be attacked or defended at will.

Their actions also attracted the attention of many players around them.

"What's going on with the Flower Language Guild members? Why aren't they fighting for the boss? What are they doing setting up camp here?"

"Who knows? Don't try to guess what these big guilds are thinking."