Chapter One: An Unexpected Incident on the Battlefield

To ensure the safety of the Timber Fortress, Thousand Illusions Ice Cloud disregarded his own wellbeing, leading the royal griffin directly into the path of the flying stones. His actions immediately ignited the morale of the players from the Black Moonstone Guild—a guild master who risked his own life; what did their lives matter in comparison? Spurred on by this example, the players of the Black Moonstone Guild rushed forward with their units, swarming toward Old Xiu Bi’s position. They could not believe that, with so many level 6 troops at their command, they would fail to overcome the fewer than a hundred cyclopes that Old Xiu Bi controlled.

Witnessing this, Old Xiu Bi ordered the cyclopes to cease their stone-throwing. With a sly chuckle, he signaled, and thirty-odd cyclopes draped in black robes stepped forward from the rear. As they advanced, they tore off their robes, revealing strange suits of black armor—not so much worn as locked upon their bodies. The heavy armor was covered in barbs and chains, and the cyclopes’ heads were tightly chained to their arms by seven thick iron chains. Each swing of their arms jerked their heads, forcing their bodies to stoop and reducing their towering height to about four meters.

Seeing these cyclopes, Thousand Illusions Ice Cloud frowned, a legend flickering through his mind. “Everyone, fall back! Defend from the Timber Fortress—do not engage them directly!” But his warning came too late; the players at the front had already clashed with the cyclopes. Li Bin, following behind Old Xiu Bi, could see through the legs of the cyclopes the formidable ranks of Charging Bull and his mighty Minotaur Guards and Earth Elemental troops.

Yet, to the cyclopes, these units were mere paper tigers. With a thunderous roar, the chains binding their heads snapped, and countless blood-red halos descended from the city walls onto their bodies. Driven by the pounding of war drums, the cyclopes charged toward the Timber Fortress, crushing every enemy in their path with bodies, fists, feet, chains, and searing laser beams from their eyes. Behind them, thirty bloody trails marked their passage.

Faced with such overwhelming power, everyone shared a single thought: could this truly be the normal combat strength of level 6 troops? Thousand Illusions Ice Cloud, having stealthily returned to the Bloodthirsty Wasteland, soon discovered the truth. Freed from their chains, these cyclopes stood at least six meters tall. Their true rank was… level 7.

“Old Xiu Bi, you dare defy the system’s rules by deploying level 7 units on the novice continent!” Thousand Illusions Ice Cloud shouted in anger.

“Is that so?” Old Xiu Bi, seated atop his Behemoth, laughed heartily. “You call them level 7 units—how amusing! They only have enough experience for level 7, but they haven’t upgraded. I kept them chained, waiting for this day to unleash their full strength. These adorable children—I call them Berserk Cyclopean Demons.”

Even as he spoke, the Berserk Cyclopean Demons had crossed three hundred meters of the battlefield, storming into the heart of the Black Moonstone Guild. There, countless slave units labored to reinforce three massive timber fortresses, and many players who had just been revived haggled with quartermasters, desperate to replenish their troops. The sudden onslaught left them no time to flee—many fell instantly, sent back to resurrection, and shattered fragments of City Hearts littered the battlefield.

“So this is the power of level 7 troops? Level 6 can’t compare at all,” Li Bin sighed at the sight.

“Level 7 and level 13 are thresholds; many units can’t surpass these levels, choosing instead to become elites or heroes,” said Reid, who stood by Li Bin’s side. Born at level 13, he understood the gulf between high and low ranks only after falling to level 5.

“With such a force, the battle’s outcome is decided. Let’s head back,” Li Bin said, unwilling to linger on the battlefield any longer.

“That’s wise. After all, Todi Na and the others have gained plenty of experience on the player battlefield—Master, your next upgrade is assured,” San Nei agreed, seeing little purpose in Li Bin remaining.

Just as Li Bin led his team away, the battlefield’s situation shifted once more. A dark cloud swept across the sky, and countless magic missiles rained down like a storm.

The missiles struck with uncanny precision, targeting the players on the battlefield. In an instant, a third of the players were slain. Li Bin, protected by the triple shield of the Undead Scorpion and the efforts of San Nei and Reid, managed to withstand the magical assault. Furious, he looked up—and what he saw nearly froze him in terror.

High above, a massive cloud hung suspended, through whose gaps the shadow of a city could be glimpsed. Reid, well-traveled and knowledgeable, quickly recognized it: a floating magical city of the elementalist type, its size indicating at least a level 6 township.

As the crowd murmured in awe, several spheres of light emerged from the floating city. Within the largest orb, a player clad in a robe shimmering with magical brilliance appeared, only his silver-bright eyes visible. Behind him, a battle flag unfurled, depicting a barrage of arcane missiles.

“It’s Source of Arcana,” Reid said, “an early player, once of the Psychic Element race but now evolved into Magic Element. His class is Arcane Severer. Back when he was level 14/13, he challenged Silver Dragon City alone. His power has only grown since. I’ve heard he’s a guest elder of the Free Alliance Guild.”

Li Bin frowned, confused—wasn’t it said that all players above level 5 were barred from entering the novice continent? How could someone at legendary level suddenly appear here?

“Don’t be alarmed,” said Source of Arcana. “I am merely passing through the novice continent—no intention to stay. I am using Shadow Projection, so my true self is not above the continent and has not entered its bounds. Even the arcane missiles just now were accidental, a side effect of my experiments. Don’t look at me like that.” His words were casual, but everyone present regarded him with contempt.

“Of course, I’ve come so far to deliver a message. At my current level, I can’t attend in person, so you’ll have to crane your necks and listen,” Source of Arcana chuckled, then delivered news that made Old Xiu Bi and Thousand Illusions Ice Cloud blanch.