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

The waiting time always feels long.

While the Myth Guild was preparing for battle in full swing, the entire Awakened community in New Beginning City was also in an uproar because of the news that came from the meeting of the Dragon Shield Bureau.

"Have you heard? The bug in the Realm of Origin is going to be fixed. Maintenance will be over soon, and you'll be able to log in again shortly!"

"Is it true? Is the news reliable?"

"Absolutely reliable! My cousin's classmate's comrade-in-arms is in the Iron Blood Alliance; their leader said it himself at a meeting!"

"Holy crap! Great! I can finally go back! I'm so bored in the real world!"

In an instant, all the awakened ones became excited.

They were eager to return to that familiar yet strange world, making their final preparations.

Two days later, at dawn.

As soon as Li Wu opened his eyes, he felt the faint glow emanating from the professional badge on his chest.

The next moment, the system notification from the Realm of Origin sounded:

[Dear players, system maintenance and upgrades are complete. The server will officially open in ten minutes. After this update, the in-game death penalty will be synchronized with the real-world "Soul Weakness" status. Please play with caution. We wish you a pleasant gaming experience!]

coming!

Li Wu took a deep breath and sat up in bed.

At the same time, the internal communication channel of the Myth Guild instantly exploded.

"It's open! It's really open!"

"Brothers, get ready to log in! Meet at Ironforge Central Square in ten minutes!"

"Attention members of the second regiment! Check your equipment and potions as soon as you log in, then report to me!" The voice was as steady and powerful as a mountain.

"Hey, First Regiment, stop dawdling! We can't let those newbies from Second Regiment outdo us!" Steel Shield's booming voice followed closely behind.

The entire guild, like a fully wound-up war machine, instantly activated.

Li Wu didn't participate in their discussion. He simply dressed silently, lay back down on the bed, and closed his eyes.

"Origin Realm, activate." He murmured to himself.

The familiar feeling of weightlessness came over him, and his consciousness seemed to be pulled away by an invisible force, instantly traversing endless space.

When he opened his eyes again, what came into view was the familiar ceiling of Ironforge, made of dark blue-green stone.

He was lying in his private lounge on the third floor of Qianjin Pavilion.

The air was filled with a faint smell of sulfur and smelting metal, a unique aroma of Ironforge.

He is back.

Li Wu sat up in bed and stretched her body.

Completely different from the feeling of suppression in the real world, here he could clearly feel the surging arcane energy within his body, as if he could tear through space with a mere gesture.

He opened his personal attributes panel and took a look.

[ID: Seeing Through the Fog]

[Occupation: Secret Envoy]

[Level: 30]

【…】

[Magic Attack Power: 1838]

Luck rating: 811

The 10% suppression of real-world synchronization disappeared, and all his attributes returned to their peak state before he left the game.

This powerful feeling made him let out a long sigh of relief.

"It's still more comfortable here."

He stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

Downstairs is Ironforge's central commercial street.

The scene on the street made him frown slightly.

The streets, which should have been bustling with people and players, were now rather deserted.

Although many players have logged in, it's a far cry from the bustling scene before the game "bug" occurred.

Moreover, the players on the street all seemed cautious, gathering in small groups, warily observing their surroundings, their faces no longer showing the relaxed and carefree expressions they usually had.

Li Wu understood that this was a consequence of the "death penalty".

When death in a game is no longer just a simple loss of experience points, but directly affects one's mental state in the real world, everyone becomes more cautious.

This may not be a bad thing for the overall gaming ecosystem. At least, those "red-named players" who enjoy malicious PvP and indiscriminately killing innocent players will be much more restrained.

Just then, his friends list started flashing.

It's Hua Zitong.

"Come to the Central Square."

"it is good."

Li Wu closed the window and left the lounge.

When he arrived at the central square of Ironforge, the core members of the Mythic Guild were already mostly present.

Steel Shield, Immovable Mountain, Night Wind, Ink Mark... Familiar faces, now filled with excitement and exhilaration at being reborn.

"President!"

"The president is here!"

Upon seeing Li Wu appear, the crowd immediately surrounded him.

"How are you feeling?" Li Wu asked, looking at everyone.

"Awesome! That was awesome!" Steel Shield laughed heartily. "I feel so energetic! I just tried it out, and I could crack a stone bench in the square with one punch!"

"I just tried out a skill outside the city. One Arcane Missiles and I instantly killed a level 20 boar!" Arcane Light said excitedly.

They are all experiencing this renewed strength in their own ways.

Li Wu nodded, then turned to the unmoving figure: "Is everyone from the Second Regiment here?"

"Reporting to the Chairman, all ten members of the Second Regiment are in position!" The man stood at attention, as if reporting to his superior.

"Very good." Li Wu's gaze swept over the group of newly joined geniuses.

Night Wind, still dressed in black, stood silently in the shadows, as if it might disappear at any moment.

"Now that everyone is here," Li Wu said, and the square instantly fell silent.

"Then, proceed according to the original plan."

"Remember, our goal."

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

"Stand firm as a mountain. You two teams, today's target is the level 25 dungeon [Wailing Caverns]. I want you to get my speedrun record before nightfall." Li Wu issued his first order.

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" came the resounding reply from Immovable Mountain.

"Steel Shield, you take a group to the level 30 dungeon [Scarlet Monastery]. This dungeon is a bit more difficult. I don't expect you to break the record today, but you must figure out the mechanics of all the bosses to prepare for speedruns later."

"No problem, President!"

"Lin Hai, the business of Qianjin Pavilion is now in your hands."

"Don't worry, Chairman, I'll take care of the business matters." Lin Hai confidently pushed up his glasses.

"Nightwind, take the Shadow Squad out and spread out. I need to know the spawn locations of all the elite monsters and bosses around Ironforge."

"receive."

One instruction after another was issued and executed swiftly.

The members of the Myth Guild, like a well-trained army, quickly divided into several groups and headed toward their respective goals.

Soon, only Li Wu and Hua Zitong remained in the vast square.

"Aren't you going with them?" Li Wu looked at her with some surprise.

Logically, as the vice president, she should be in charge of overseeing the dungeon raids.

"They've grown up and don't need me as their babysitter anymore." Hua Zitong shrugged. "Immovable Mountain is a qualified commander. With him around, I feel at ease."

She paused, then looked at Li Wu with a hint of a smile in her eyes: "Besides, rather than watching them play dungeons, I'd like to see how you, the 'ranking specialist,' are going to start your show."

Li Wu smiled.

He opened the map that Hua Zitong had given him, which was already deeply imprinted in his mind.

Countless points of light flickered on the map.

His gaze finally settled on the northwest corner of the map, a red area marked as "extremely dangerous".

"Then... let's start from here."

He pointed to that spot and said to Hua Zitong.

The name of that place is—Wind Whisper Peak.