Chapter 57: A Reckless March Forward
Time flowed like water.
Since arriving in the starter zone, Ryan and Moonlight Beauty had already completed a long string of quests together. Now, above the town’s skyline, the second wave of players had begun to descend from the skies—fresh blood, full of ambition.
After finishing off the grizzly bear in front of them, Ryan glanced at his companion. "Let’s head back to camp. Time to turn in these quests—and move on to the next phase."
Moonlight Beauty nodded without a word, following close behind.
Just earlier, Mia had mentioned Evelyn’s intentions to him. Ryan had taken a moment to consider it. Evelyn and her group weren’t top-tier pros by any means, but they were competent—far above the average player. With some guidance, they could easily push into the higher ranks.
So he’d sent them an invitation to join his guild.
As Ryan entered the camp, a wall of noise slammed into him. The once-quiet outpost had grown crowded. Dozens of players now gathered in chaotic clumps—those who’d missed the first airship transport were finally arriving in bulk.
It made sense. The dungeon in the Abandoned Mine wasn’t exactly insurmountable. Goldtooth, the first boss, was the only real challenge. As long as a group knew how to reach the lower floors, they could simply reset the dungeon until they got a more favorable enemy layout. After that, the rest was just a grind.
From the watchtower, streams of players poured down. Some, too impatient to take the long route, leapt straight off, triggering the system’s automatic warnings as they landed hard—earning themselves damage and a few groans from the crowd.
Moonlight Beauty trailed Ryan like a faithful shadow as they turned in quest after quest at the mission post. Her calm, graceful demeanor stood in stark contrast to the chaos around them.
With the backlog cleared, Ryan scanned the board and accepted the next quest. Moonlight Beauty mirrored his movements.
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