Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"Dorudo seems to be adapting quite well to his new profession. My training task is devout prayer. The tolerant nun allows us to pray to anyone, anything, or even a general concept. That's how I learned my first skill, Healing. Everything about being a priest is wonderful, except that I've noticed the nun's faith doesn't seem so steadfast... Charles, how about you? Are you content with your life as a defender?"

"Of course, a good commander, a good Queen Lina, good training, the life of a defender basically met all my expectations, the tough soldier's life I wanted..."

"So what is your training task? Mine is eating meat, Essenna is devout prayer, what is yours? What is your first skill?"

The defender paused for a second, staring at his brother.

"The defenders' training mission is pressure-based combat..."

"Oh, it's about getting attacked." Dorodo nodded. "That makes sense for a front-line tank. What about the skills?"

Charles was wrong. Becoming a Berserker hadn't turned Dordo into a big, dumb brute. Although a Berserker's base Intelligence stat was only 9, he gained a loud voice and a blunt, sometimes embarrassingly blunt personality. He began to miss the strategist he once was. Without another word, Charles used his skill.

He raised his shield, and a layer of crystalline polymer grew on it, causing a small white bar to appear on Charles's health bar—his armor value.

"Layered armor, is that right?"

"...That's right, armor stacking. What about your skills, our Berserker?"

……

In the woods a mile away from the three-man team, a hunter player, suppressing his excitement, lay prone on the ground. He couldn't move as fast as the tortoise, and all his energy was focused on what was in front of him.

A beautiful bird with indigo tail feathers perched there, its lovely eyes meeting the hunter's, its melodious chirping sounding quite pleasant. The hunter's taming skills varied from person to person, and this former druid had chosen the most harmonious way to tame it. They drew closer and closer, the hunter's outstretched hand almost touching the tip of its tail. Both knew what that meant: a friendship transcending species was about to be born.

Only sudden death can separate us.

The cold, sharp blade fell, its cutting light seemingly tinged with blood. After a mournful cry, the beautiful bird scattered into dust. Kylo Rendezvous stood before the hunter, his gaze colder than the rocks.

"Ah...ahhh! My darling! My beloved Little Blue! Kylo Shiren! You heartless executioner! You despicable ghoul! You worm in the rotten wood! You damned jester! Do you know how much time and effort it took me to find Little Blue! She is the most beautiful phoenix tail I have ever seen, her tail is a rare sky blue! I waited for three days to find her! You! You! You!!"

In Kairo's eyes, the hunter jumped up emotionally, uttered a long string of censored words, and then knelt down again, crying like a child who had lost a toy, lamenting the injustice of fate and grieving over his hardships.

“I apologize, but I’m completing my assassin training; we need to assassinate our target.” Kylo vanished back into the shadows, leaving behind a half-hearted apology. He did it on purpose; the hunter before him had been a druid under the Elder Council, and had a long-standing feud with Kylo’s Queen’s Eye squad. Kylo, ​​the Blademaster, didn’t shy away from using underhanded tactics; if used against enemies, he would even take pride in it.

The hunter knelt on the spot, continuing to curse the air. He knew that complaining now was meaningless, but the imbalance in his heart needed to be released.

"You killed my bird! Why! Why didn't you kill me too! I don't want to live anymore! I can't lose my little blue bird!"

“That makes sense.” Crimson critical hit text appeared above the hunter’s head. His health bar was emptied, and his body made a splattering sound as he turned into a marble tombstone. Kylo Siren returned, wiping non-existent bloodstains from his short sword with a strange expression.

“I will remember your selfless dedication. Although we have a long history of enmity, please believe me, I am very grateful to you at this moment.” Imagining the hunter’s spirit stomping its feet in anger here, Kylo’s lips curled into a smile.

The assassin vanished again, and an invisible threat stirred up a slight breeze.

"Charles abandoned the Elder Council's forces. He's going to focus entirely on the game? I wish them good luck. I'll use my assassin skills to bring them joy. Have they moved?"

"No, Captain, those guys are still standing still. Their archer comrade is monitoring them with Eagle Eye."

Kylo Shiren took a breath.

"The first showdown in this new dream has begun, my old rival."

Chapter 724 Withdrawal

"Before taking action, Homo sapiens spontaneously identify various advantages to encourage themselves to act. This strong psychological advantage can greatly boost morale and thus expand the results..."

"Only now do I understand why those despised thieves and pickpockets continue to do as they please..."

"This advantageous position of the enemy being in the open while we are in the dark is like having the prey already in our grasp, stealthily moving, which is intoxicating."

Kylo Rendezvous crouched on the grass, in the shade of a giant oak tree. The assassin's stealth ability allowed him to blend into nothingness, even making the trampled grass beneath his feet appear upright.

The three members of the Elder Council were not far away, still talking animatedly, and Kylo heard every word they said.

“I’ll like them as tombstones. I’ll take screenshots to remember them. What do you think…” Kylo Shiren turned around, grinning like a cunning villain as he asked his subordinates, but his arrogant tone changed when he saw the scene before him.

Are you all sick?

He spoke to an open space.

Within the squad's shared field of vision, the rangers belonging to the Queen's Eye Guard appeared as ethereal, stealthy shadows. They moved sideways and hopped in place, their restless movements resembling crabs and frogs caught in a net.

Although this place looks like just an empty lot.

"Boss, this ability is amazing! Look, I can't even be detected!" One of them jumped up and spun two and a half times in the air, like a roc spreading its wings, receiving cheers from his fellow infiltrators.

Then, the next moment, his forehead slammed into the oak trunk, and with a thud, he was thrown back into his original form, only to be dragged to the back of the oak by a quick-thinking rogue.

Your companion (Drio) has been attacked by the enemy (Giant Oak), taking 10 damage and breaking stealth.

"..." Kylo Shiren inwardly praised, the stealth skill was really great, the shameful behavior of his foolish subordinates would not be seen.

After regaining their composure, the assassin players of Queen's Eye transformed back into the Queen's loyal guards, and under the orders of Kylo Siren, they approached Dordo and his group.

Stealth dealing triple damage, combined with weakness-based critical hits and multi-player coordination, makes the assassin squad's burst damage astonishingly high, especially in the early game when players are low-level. Kylo Siren can now kill anyone he sees. If it weren't for the fact that humanoid creatures only have a few weaknesses, Kylo could even declare assassins invincible, although they're pretty much invincible now.

"Charles five, Eisena three, Dordo four... five. Charles is the defender, and the two of them will assist the first group." The assassin missions were assigned, and Kylo himself was responsible for assisting the second group.

"And what about your skills, our Berserker..."

The approaching sound was so loud, as piercing as the pulse of its prey; a blade was drawn, and the assassin charged toward its prey.

The crisis erupted suddenly, and the Elder Council team was immediately surrounded and attacked. Eisena's health bar was instantly emptied, and she turned into a tombstone. The Priestess of the Moon actually reacted, but it was too late; her healing spells couldn't save her from instant death.

The moment Charles saw the dangerous shadow in his field of vision, he hurriedly raised his shield. The assassins were quick-witted; they deliberately waited for the crystal armor on Charles's body to dissipate before launching their attack. They seized the moment when the skill ended and plunged their blades into Charles's head and the gaps in his armor.

However, the Defender Knight's Crystal Armor wasn't an active skill as they had imagined; instead, it was an aura skill that could be toggled on and off. A crisp clinking sound rang out from Charles's armor as the assassin, his face grim, received the combat information transmitted by the game system.

Your attack on the defender (Charles) dealt 189 (armor reduction) damage.

Your attack on the defender (Charles) was perfectly blocked.

[Target Defender (Charris) (Defensive Form) is immune to critical hits and execution.]

The Defender Knights are elite units commanded by the former King Reid. Blessed by royal power, they can draw elemental energy from the earth to construct armor. This crystalline armor, covering their entire bodies, is highly effective in protecting the defenders, but at the cost of significantly reduced agility and mobility. But that's alright; they are knights, and they have mounts.

Stacking the most armor, using their warhorses to accelerate their physical impact, they turned defense into offense. For the first time, the assassins experienced the malice of cutting down tanks. Charles covered his face with his left hand, while his right hand swept his shield horizontally. The spiked shield smashed into the fragile assassin, and the riddled-with-holes elf lay on the ground for a long time without getting up.

"Kylo Samurai! You despicable bastard!" Charles roared, his voice still ringing with power.

The situation is much more dangerous for the Berserkers.

The five assassins completed their mission flawlessly, landing perfect stealth critical hits. Two of them were even incredibly lucky, reaching the highest possible damage value. Kylo was planning to immediately support Charles's team, but the next moment he gaped in disbelief.

Dordo survived five assassination attempts, though his health bar was critically low, barely holding on. He had indeed withstood the assassins' attacks. Berserkers drain the life force of their prey; in the Dream Game, Berserkers can increase their maximum health through daily hunting, gaining additional health with each level up.

The series of unexpected events made Kylo Siren wary. Taking advantage of the gaps between the others' attacks, he cut in to finish them off, aiming his sharp tip at Dordo's now reddened skin, less than a foot from his chest.

"Roar!!!" An invisible shockwave repelled the assassins, and Dorudo's body grew larger, his blood-red rage burning like flames.

The berserker, on the verge of death, entered a state of near-death rage. In his fury, the giant axe was swung into a streak of blood-red lightning, and with a single blow, Duoluduo cleaved an unfortunate assassin in two.

Each damage-dealing class has its own unique damage bonus: the Assassin's bonus is stealth plus a critical hit on a weakness, while the Berserker's bonus is enrage plus crushing kill.

【Bloodthirsty Slash】: Unleash a swift slash that damages the enemy while restoring the Berserker's own health, with the restoration effect increasing based on the amount of health lost.

Dorothy killed the assassin with a single axe blow, even managing to squeeze blood from his corpse. His own near-death health bar surged, making Kylo's eyelids twitch.

"Attack together!" Even though Dorudo had recovered some health, low health was still low health. With so many assassins, there was no reason to retreat. Thus, they successfully helped Dorudo lower his health, keeping him in a state of critical rage, and one-shotting squishy targets to feed the berserker.

The assassins ultimately prevailed. They abandoned their attempt to surround the Iron Turtle Defender Charles, instead gathering all their forces to hack and slash the Berserker Dordo to death, eventually wearing down the Defender through sheer attrition.

Kylo Shiren looked at the messy tombstones in front of him, having absolutely no interest in taking a photo. A dozen against three, and it was a sneak attack, yet Dorado still had ten of his own men.

"How did this damn game designer manage to balance the game? The warrior class is so ridiculous, the tanks are incredibly tough, the damage dealers have high health and high damage output, and the remaining magic swordsman is probably a pushover too. I really want to give this damn game designer a kidney punch."

Kylo Siren flicked his wrist and disappeared into the shadows, retreating with his men.

"I'll reduce my PVP time and focus on improving my class skills. According to that Shadow Mentor, Assassins can also learn the ability to fight head-on later on, so hopefully they'll be stronger."

"Those who died, remember to return to town and resurrect, lest they camp your corpse."

"withdraw."

Chapter 725 The Magic Swordsman Player

My name is Ceramic Shiren. I've had a question since I was little: who is the woman in the portrait hanging on my family's wall? Why do my parents and elders pray to and worship her?

Yes, she was indeed very beautiful, but in my eyes, she still couldn't compare to my mother. She radiated a certain light, an imposing and undeniable air of nobility that was impossible to ignore. I often felt like there was another person in the house, and I became cautious whenever I passed by her portrait.

For the first fifty years of my life, I stayed at home. Apart from my mother, the people I saw most often were women in portraits. It felt like there was always a pair of eyes watching you from behind.

I told my family about my discomfort, and they scolded me severely. It was then that I learned that the woman in the portrait was the first queen of our dream elves, Lady Nature, Irason.

She shines brighter than gold and is warmer than the sun. Every one of my relatives' eyes sparkles when they talk about her; they are praising the most beautiful person.

I never met the first queen. It is said that she left before I was born due to the despicable rebellion of the Witherers. The current Samurai family serves the former princess Tiffany, but everyone firmly believes that she will return to shine her light.

I suppressed my abnormality and tried my best to maintain the normal demeanor of a member of the Samurai family for a very long time.

The day the dream collapsed came so suddenly.

She returned, looking as if all the members of the Queen's faction would rather she hadn't come back. New shoots sprouted from her clothes and hair; her dignified demeanor lasted no more than three seconds, she was always smiling, and would rather sit than stand.

【Huh? Why are you asking me this? Isn't Tiffany the queen now?】

[This is so troublesome. Why doesn't Susanna help me with these chores?]

[A pledge of allegiance ceremony? Hasn't this outdated, formalistic habit been eradicated yet? No way, standing for so long is tiring… No, I mean… I trust everyone; the bond between us doesn't need any ceremony to maintain it!]

This Lady of Nature, our eternal queen, the light of the elves, shattered the ideals of a large number of dream elves with just a few words. That very night, my uncle, Kylo Rendal, launched an unprecedented dream war against the Elder Council faction and the Withered Ones faction. The attack on the Withered Ones was because they had allowed their great leader to degenerate into a cripple over the years; the attack on the Elder Council was because their elven governor was too omnipotent, severing any possibility of a comeback. The heartbroken Queen's faction became even more determined to support Queen Tiffany, determined not to let her follow in the footsteps of her crippled mother.

Loyal to the Queen and hostile to other factions, Irason's return seems to have brought no change.

Serari Shiren has a different opinion.

“I think it’s all a hoax! Not the kind of fraud with malicious intent, but a well-intentioned lie meant to educate and guide…” Serari said to her friend in the Dream Kingdom. “I suspect that the adults in the Queen’s faction, my family, are fabricating an image of a noble and majestic Elven Queen for the next generation, demanding that we practice asceticism and pledge allegiance to the noble. I pray and train every day for this, and I have to memorize hymns praising the Queen. My entire childhood has been spent doing this!!”

Serari paused for a moment, looked around, and saw that the surrounding woods were quiet, with only the roars of wild monsters echoing from the bushes. He glanced at his companion and continued, "I'm not saying that Lady Irason is so terrible; her truly approachable side is quite charming... I just... I just think I was incredibly stupid to believe the adults' nonsense. I don't want to inherit their traditions and perpetuate the ancient antagonism of the dream elves to us, the new generation, don't you agree, Azchiel?"

The calm audience nodded in approval of Serarri's persuasiveness, but like the family he bore—Azchir Moonscar—their eyes were clear, like the reflection of the moon in water. The Moonscar family was known for its wise men, and now it seemed that beneath the calm surface, some wild undercurrents might be lurking.

“Cera, maybe you can fabricate some evidence of being deceived to uphold your righteousness, but I don’t want to pretend. I don’t want to glare at other factions with gritted teeth during the day and dream of fighting them to the death at night. That’s why I met you; we’re both rebellious young people. We love games and like to spend more time having fun.”

Just as they said, the new generation of Dream Elf players got tired of the older generation's glares and secretly deserted to enjoy their own fun in Emerald Dream. Perhaps they are the real players. They adapted to local customs by changing their game appearance and creating online names.

【The Sunken Bikini Bottom】 and 【Examining the Universe】.

As deep enthusiasts of the dream world, Bikini Bottom and Qiankun each possess their own unique understanding of the game. They enjoy exploring Lyle's game world and searching for its fun Easter eggs. Meanwhile, a certain administrator, with a mind as unpredictable as a tentacle monster, has been spreading game texts with a strong personal touch everywhere—books like "Calabash Brothers vs. Autobots" and "The Dead or Alive of Artoria"—which the two have also read.