Chapter 51: Flowing Light, Burning Blood
Early the next morning, after a warm bowl of Cereal prepared by his sister, Ryan logged back into the game.
Nothing new had surfaced on the forums overnight. The paid guide he’d posted the day before still hadn’t attracted any buyers. Most players were biding their time, waiting for the countdown to end before attempting that particular path themselves.
Shortly after Ryan had logged off the previous night, both the Night Elves and the Orcs had finally broken through their respective racial dungeons. The other two races soon followed suit. Now, the forums were buzzing with speculation—when would the Tauren players of the Dark Horde finally clear theirs?
The Tauren community, unfortunately, had run into a wall. Several of their top guilds—some of the largest and most organized in the game—were unable to break through. No matter what they tried, their strategy kept falling short. It wasn’t until one determined solo player finally cleared the dungeon on their own that the truth came out: the entire community had been operating under a fundamental misconception.
They had consistently mistaken the wrong method for the right one.
Because of that flawed approach, their tanks couldn’t withstand the boss’s attacks, leading to wipe after wipe. The breakthrough came when this lone player discovered a hidden route that allowed them to reach the final boss under completely different conditions. Only then did the Tauren realize that their previous strategy had inadvertently triggered a massive damage multiplier on the boss.
With that revelation, the road to victory finally opened.
Just as the Tauren completed their long-overdue dungeon clear, Ryan reappeared in the Astral City inn.
His Engineering skill had now reached 30 points in proficiency. Paired with the stack of Crude Gunpowder in his inventory, Ryan gave a small, satisfied smile. He deposited most of the powder into the Public Bank Vault and set off to find the Wandering Merchant.
Without the same stroke of luck he’d had yesterday, Ryan closed the purchase window without hesitation and made a quick return to Stormhold Fortress via the teleportation portal.
After arriving at Goldmine Town by gryphon, his first move was to turn in his main quest. The reward was substantial—several hundred reputation points with Stormhold Fortress—just enough to elevate his standing to Honored status.
In Kingdom Forge, reputation is everything.