Chapter Twenty: The Dark Storm

Escaped?

Ember burst out of the Shadow Devourer nest but saw no sign of the player. He immediately realized that the repeat offender had fled without a trace.

“Good, you’re fast!”

With a snort, Ember ceased to bother with the fool who lost both chicken and rice. Returning to the villa to clean the battlefield, his mood shifted swiftly from anger to joy. Not only had he obtained the drop from the Mantis Devourer Queen, but he also found a second Flame Emblem. Though its effect was a temporary invincibility, it was enough to elate him. What excited him even more was the loot from the Mantis Devourer Queen—not some bug eggs redeemable for credit points, nor enhancement materials, but a consumable item that increased his jumping distance.

……

[Jump Booster]

Type: Consumable

Function: Greatly enhances jump performance; effective uses (3/3)

Description: The mantis-shaped Shadow Devourer Queen can leap continuously thanks to her sturdy insect legs.

[Tip: Attach this item to both legs. When you perform a crouch, you can swiftly leap toward a target up to six meters away.]

……

In today’s virtual games, skill activation isn’t solely controlled by thought. Sometimes, combining body movements and eye guidance better suits combat. For example, a charge skill begins with a shoulder drop. Though you can activate it with just your mind by standing tall, the effect is greatly diminished. After all, the initial phase requires acceleration; anyone who’s taken physical education knows lowering your center of gravity helps you speed up.

Ember casually strapped the jump boosters to his legs, moved around a bit until they felt comfortable, and glanced around the villa. The first floor and basement had been completely destroyed by the mantis devourers, but the second floor had an iron door intact. Intrigued, Ember ran over and found it locked tight, requiring eight points of strength to open.

Without hesitation, he switched to his Dire Wolf Gauntlets and smashed the lock with a punch, bursting through the door. Inside, he saw a dried corpse slumped over an office desk, clutching a dagger in one hand and a suicide note nearby.

“Ahem!”

Perhaps because the room was so well sealed, the corpse had escaped the ravages of the dark mist, though the air was foul enough to make Ember frown. He took the note and immediately stepped outside.

“If I’m right, this should be the trigger clue for the second phase of the main quest.”

……

I was deceived!

Had I known the truth, I would never have been tempted by the golden watch.

Water Quality Research Institute? Ha! Such a crude ruse—how did I fail to see through it?

It’s over. Everything’s over. I’ve ruined my family, my career, and destroyed the cherished Maple Island...

I have no face left to continue merely surviving in this world.

Anna, how I wish I could come find you at school, but those mantises have trapped me here.

No one can escape Maple Island—not me, and not even you.

Even with your special abilities.

……

[Notice: You have triggered the main quest—“Reconstruction,” Phase Two.]

……

Quest Name: [Reconstruction] (Main Quest Phase Two)

Objective: Destroy the medium-sized insect nest located at the school.

Reward: Two points of kill score, ownership of a luxury apartment.

Description: Through a suicide note, you realize there is more to the destruction of Maple Island. Following its guidance, you decide to investigate the school and search for “Anna,” who possesses special abilities.

[Tip: The medium-sized insect nest contains a boss-level leader. Please proceed with caution.]

……

“Just as I thought!”

Ember nodded firmly and located the school on the island map. The island’s outskirts were dotted sporadically with small towns, but there was only one school, not far from Maple Leaf Town. Ember also remembered that among the three landing spots containing Flame Emblems, one was near the school. He decided to scout that area before officially challenging the medium-sized nest.

Besides the tangible rewards, this battle had given him valuable experience dealing with the mantis devourers, so next time he would not need to expend so much effort. The kill points from the main quest now brought his total to five, halfway to retaining his closed beta gains. Meanwhile, a system broadcast publicized his achievement, drawing waves of admiration.

[Global Broadcast: Foundation Reserve Staff “D1106” successfully destroyed the third small insect nest!]

“Three nests? People really are different! I struggled just to clear one, and he’s making it look as easy as eating or drinking.”

“Impressive. By the time, D1106 is almost certainly first on the leaderboard. Not a Taoist or White Flag number, so they won’t be ranked so low. That leaves only one possibility…”

“Ember!”

The repeat offender, fleeing desperately, clenched his teeth in hatred. The sudden broadcast confirmed Ember’s true ID as D1106. Fearful of provoking him, he swallowed his pride. On the road out of Maple Leaf Town, he happened upon two players. Startled, he prepared to veer away, but saw them waving enthusiastically.

“Hey, brother, I’m Fishscale Arm. You look alone—wanna team up? You might’ve heard my name. We’re all Foundation players here, so we watch out for each other!”

To better organize identities, every player wore a mark on their left sleeve: Foundation bore an eye, Scavengers had twin guns, University players had a book and pen. Thus Fishscale Arm easily recognized the repeat offender’s affiliation.

As a well-known veteran player, Fishscale Arm’s name was familiar, so the repeat offender agreed to join without much hesitation.

In fact, as more than twenty small nests had been cleared, many weaker beta testers began cooperating with familiar or same-organization players. Though this reduced kill point gains, it enhanced safety. Strong and reputable players like Fishscale Arm recruited allies with a long-term view. While a lone player might clear small nests, medium or large nests required teamwork.

Fishscale Arm didn’t believe any player, even the top three on the leaderboard, could solo a large nest.

“Great! Brother, looks like you came from Maple Leaf Town. How’s the situation there?”

The repeat offender almost said that Ember was in Maple Leaf Town, but considering Fishscale Arm’s personality, if he knew the top player was there, he would surely try to recruit him. So he quickly changed his story.

“There’s a powerful Scavenger fighting the Shadow Devourer nest alone. I wasn’t strong enough to get close, so I left town and just happened to run into you guys.”

……

“Is that so?”

Fishscale Arm accepted this without suspicion and checked the island map for their next destination.

“Then let’s skip Maple Leaf Town and head deeper into the island. The closer to the center, the more abandoned buildings—and the better our chances. Don’t worry about slow kill point accumulation; as long as we survive, we can fight. Maybe the three of us together can take on a medium nest!”

He cheered on his companions and led them into the island’s interior. Shortly after they left, Ember passed by their camp and ran toward the school.

“Twenty-three small nests cleared, eight eliminated, everyone’s fast! But can I handle a medium nest alone?”

Ember headed toward the school, gradually diverging from Fishscale Arm’s group. Within a minute or two, he came across a gas station. Luckily, it was filled with webs and no other players. Without hesitation, he entered the nest, decisively killing ordinary mobs and elite spiders, facing the Shadow Devourer Spider Queen for the third time.

But as he battled the boss, the game time hit the twentieth minute—and an anomaly quietly unfolded.

[Notice: Detected anomaly in island’s dark mist. All new personnel, remain vigilant!]

Hmm?

The sudden system alert made Ember furrow his brow. He recalled the CG ending and assessment briefing, thinking, “Is the Chaos Lighthouse about to make a move?”

At that moment, a dark mist storm suddenly whipped up around the island’s perimeter. The howling gale sounded like a demon’s sinister laughter, whipping up sand and debris, destroying dilapidated houses.

“What rotten luck today!”

Just after earning his second kill point, the Sword Immortal heard the approaching storm, grabbed the spider queen’s drop, and fled the nest without looking back. The endless dark mist obscured the storm’s exact state, but he knew that if caught, death was certain. So he sprinted away from the island town soon to be swallowed by the tempest.

“If I’d known today would be so unlucky, I’d have asked the Taoist for a divination! Random landing almost threw me off the island, surrounded by desolation and shadows. Finally found a nest, only to face a gang of ruthless fiends. Those mantises hacked harder than ever. Luckily, I switched to a good sword, or I’d be utterly embarrassed!”

The Sword Immortal grumbled about his misfortune. On the escape route, he encountered two players fighting each other. Out of goodwill, he warned them of the impending storm and urged them to flee. But both were too angry to heed his silver-framed ID and told him to mind his own business.

“Even immortals can’t save damned souls.”

The Sword Immortal didn’t argue and continued his escape. When the two players exhausted themselves fighting, the victor immediately perished in the storm. Had they heeded the advice and run ten meters farther, they could have escaped the storm’s grasp.

[Broadcast: Scavenger Reserve Member “X956” lost challenge eligibility due to dark mist storm encounter.]

[Broadcast: Dark mist storm has subsided. All new personnel need not panic. The three major organizations will investigate the cause promptly.]

Two successive broadcasts and the island map showing the storm’s zone made Ember realize the dark mist storms occurred periodically and gradually pushed players toward the island center. This meant many players would be forced into a small area, dramatically increasing the bloodshed.

“Looks like I need to speed things up.”

Having successfully slain the Shadow Devourer Spider Queen and destroyed his fourth small nest, earning another kill point, Ember hurried toward the school…