Vol. 3: Chapter 13
The western farmlands of Starlight Village were a stark contrast to the fortified east. The area was filled with fields essential for the village's sustenance, meaning heavy fortifications couldn't be built without sacrificing crucial cropland.
Historically, this wasn't an issue; the seemingly impassable Shadowcrag Mountains had always served as a natural barrier, and monster spawns were rare.
But tonight, that natural barrier had become the enemy's highway.
Three goblin bosses led a massive swarm of their kin pouring down the cliffs. Players who had been fishing, gathering herbs, or tending to their plots were slaughtered instantly.
Upon reaching the fields, the goblins ignored the village's defensive palisade entirely. Instead, they swarmed the apothecary’s garden, the vegetable patches, and the rice paddies, rampaging with destructive glee. They trampled, torched, and despoiled everything in their path.
A series of urgent system warnings began to chime for everyone.
System: Rice Paddy #1 has been destroyed! Grain production is falling. Food supplies are now critical. Village supply rate -1%. Point-exchange cost for potions and elixirs +10%!
System: Rice Paddy #2 has been destroyed! Grain production is falling. Food supplies are now critical. Village supply rate -2%. Point-exchange cost for potions and elixirs +20%!
The quartermaster’s point-exchange was the only source for high-efficiency healing and mana potions, as well as rare elixirs that temporarily boosted defense or core stats. While standard vendors sold potions that restored a maximum of 5,000 health, the quartermaster offered ones that restored 10,000. They were expensive at five points each, but in a tough fight, they were lifesavers.
Now, as the goblins continued their rampage, the prices for these crucial supplies were skyrocketing.
The player base went ballistic. Whether they had the official quest or not, a chaotic flood of players began rushing west, determined to wipe out every last goblin.
Three minutes past midnight. The second day of the invasion.
Lila’s phone rang. It was Mira. After hearing the situation, she immediately logged back into the game. Seeing the disorganized zerg rush of players heading west, a sense of dread washed over her. This is a trap.
She quickly opened the Starlight Village guild leaders’ channel and began typing.
“To all guild masters: control your members! Send a maximum of 30% of your forces west! The goblins are weak; we don't need to throw everyone at them. Keep your main forces stationed in the east to guard against an attack from the Horde’s main army!”
She sent the message three times, highlighted in urgent red text.
The responses were not encouraging. A few guild leaders were on her side.
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“Don’t worry, Lila. My main raid team is holding the line in the east.”
“Agreed. The true play is in the east.”
Most, however, blew her off.
“Mind your own business, Lila.”
“lol, you’re just scared we’re gonna farm all the points before you.”
“These goblins are easy kills and worth a ton of points. This is a golden opportunity, don’t let this woman trick you!”
“She never shares the high-point quests with us, and now she wants to stop us from earning our own?”
“Exactly. If this call came from Dawnbreaker, I’d listen. But who are you to give us orders?”
Lila’s face darkened as she read the selfish replies. She was fuming, but she was powerless to stop them. Without Kael here, do I really have no authority over these people?
For a fleeting moment, she desperately wanted to drag Kael out of bed and have him log in to back her up. But she pushed the thought away. I can’t rely on him for everything. I have to solve this myself.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed her racing thoughts. She opened her in-game comms and called Hazel and Rena, telling them to get online. A minute later, they appeared, both looking bleary-eyed.
Hazel let out a massive yawn. “Lila? Is it time to fight?”
Rena rubbed her eyes, looking to Lila for orders.
Lila wasted no time and laid out her plan. Hearing the gravity of the situation, the two were instantly wide awake.
“Understood, Guild Master! We’re on it!”
Soon, an elite 20-person squad from [Crimson Bloom] assembled at the eastern gate. Lila, Hazel, Rena, Mira, and sixteen other core members moved out as one. Their destination: the edge of the eastern forest.
The journey was uneventful, and they quickly reached a spot about a mile from the woods.
“Hold,” Lila commanded, raising a hand. The team stopped, their eyes scanning the darkness. The area was eerily dark; the fighting from the previous day had destroyed most of the glowing flora and startled the fireflies, drastically reducing visibility.
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Lila turned to her oracle. “Rena, you’re up.”
Rena nodded. “On it.” She once again summoned the [Orb of Scrying], letting it hover in the air before sending it gliding toward the forest.
Lila addressed the rest of the squad. “Protect Rena, no matter what.”
“Yes, Guild Master!”
They had just formed a defensive perimeter around Rena when a pack of over thirty creatures burst from the shadows.
[Gloomfang Stalker], Level 31
[Three-Eyed Prowler], Level 32
A scout party running into another scout party. There were no words exchanged. Both sides immediately engaged.
At the rear, Rena focused on controlling the [Orb of Scrying], guiding it slowly into the forest. It was even darker under the thick canopy.
At first glance, the woods appeared completely empty. But Rena didn’t give up. She adjusted the orb’s altitude and began a circular sweep of the area.
Suddenly, she sensed something was wrong. If the forest were truly empty, there should at least be the faint glow of Crystalgrass on the forest floor. The fact that she saw absolutely no light could only mean one thing…
A cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Steeling her nerves, she activated one of the orb’s built-in skills: [Pulse of Light].
The orb floating high in the trees began to glow, then erupted in a blinding flash of white light.
WHOOM!
The pulse illuminated a 100-yard radius. The scene revealed below made Rena’s blood run cold.
Countless Orc warriors were massed beneath the trees, a silent, disciplined army waiting for the order to advance. In the distance, a colossal, unknown monster turned its head. Its two eyes, as large as basketballs, locked onto the orb.
Fzzt—
Two beams of brilliant energy shot from its eyes. They were accompanied by a volley of other unseen projectiles that streaked through the air.
Fortunately, Rena was prepared. She immediately shot the [Orb of Scrying] higher into the sky, then recalled it at maximum speed, not daring to linger for another second.
As the orb flew back, she screamed a warning to her team.
“Lila! It’s the Orc army! ”
Lila’s heart leaped into her throat.
“Retreat! Full retreat, now!”
The twenty of them immediately abandoned the fight with the prowlers and stalkers, turning and sprinting back toward the village. As they ran, a single, terrifying thought echoed in all their minds:
Are they going to chase us?