Chapter 077: Escalation of Chaos

The Mage’s Legend, No Pop-up

Lin Jia dashed ahead, laughing heartily as he called out to Old Four and Old One beside him, “Well? How was my idea? Keep them busy! Let them have this place—we’re done with it! Ha ha!”

“So shameless! So despicable!” Old One exclaimed in admiration. “I used to think I was pretty brazen, but I never imagined you could reach this level! With such a horde of red-named lunatics swarming in, even if there’s nothing to drop, they’ll kill people until something does! You’re truly wicked!”

The Fragrant Stone Tomb was bound to be discovered sooner or later. Lin Jia and his group were outnumbered, but that was fine—the power of the masses was immense! With this batch of red-named players flooding in, the place would soon be barren, a wasteland.

Just as they reached the gates of Sabak Castle, Lin Jia saw a warrior in heavy armor running out of the city. Suddenly confronted by a mob of blood-red murderers charging toward him, the warrior seemed either paralyzed with fear or perhaps resolved to make a stand, for he stopped right at the city gate.

“Are you mad? What’s going on here? Are those your enemies chasing you? Need a hand?” he called.

A sudden message popped up; it was from Tiny Shrimp. Lin Jia then realized that the warrior blocking the gate was the Tiny Shrimp he’d met before. He hurriedly replied, “No, no! Let us through!” Tiny Shrimp didn’t answer but stepped aside to clear the way.

Old One and Old Four, leading the horde of red names, charged past Tiny Shrimp. Lin Jia paused to talk to him, “We found a hidden map beneath Sabak—loot drops there are amazing, and the chance for rare gear is high. We just got into a fight down there, and now they’re here for revenge!” Lin Jia’s eyebrow twitched, a mischievous grin appearing on his face.

“Are you serious?” Tiny Shrimp exclaimed in surprise. “A hidden map?”

At that moment, the red-named crowd ahead began to shout, “Those two disappeared! They slipped behind the house!”

“The hidden map must be behind the clothing store! Search quickly!”

Lin Jia chuckled, “Follow me!” He led Tiny Shrimp toward another secret path behind the small hut next to the weapons shop. Once inside the hidden passage, Tiny Shrimp followed Lin Jia closely into the Fragrant Stone Tomb, only to find Old One and Old Four already locked in combat. When Farewell saw Lin Jia arrive, he abandoned the warrior he was dueling and dashed over, shouting, “Run! There are too many of them!”

Before he could finish, a torrent of red-named players surged in behind Lin Jia. These cunning, monkey-like players were all high-level. Seeing Old One and Old Four had slipped away, they immediately targeted Lin Jia, chasing after him as he ducked into the secret passage with Tiny Shrimp in tow.

Perhaps these red-named players were simply used to killing, or maybe they thought these brawling players were fighting over some treasure. Either way, at the sight of a fight, they charged in mindlessly, hacking at everyone, friend or foe. The group led by Luce had been happily brawling with Farewell’s dozen or so comrades when the red-named mob burst in. They thought Lin Jia’s group had brought reinforcements. Since the newcomers attacked indiscriminately, chaos erupted into a massive free-for-all.

Poor Tiny Shrimp was swept into the battle before he could make sense of it. Yet, when two warriors attacked him, he sent two sharp sword lights slashing out, felling them both in a few strokes. The thrill of red-named players dropping loot had always delighted players; the two he killed dropped a veritable shower of treasures before respawning. Seeing the gleaming pile on the ground, players swarmed in to snatch what they could, and the ensuing scuffles only sparked more “explosions.”

Lin Jia dodged sneak attacks while glancing at Tiny Shrimp’s equipment panel. That longsword in his hand looked awfully familiar. He hadn’t had time to check earlier, but now, seeing the gear, Lin Jia was shocked!

The slender longsword was clearly the “Frostbind” sword—level 25 required, which Old Four still kept in storage. This guy was already level 25? The server opened only days ago. Had he never logged off?

Tiny Shrimp’s other equipment made Lin Jia green with envy. All were top-tier, even beyond what Old Four wore—an ornate golden dragon ring, a coral ring, a crescent-shaped ancient bronze “Ghost Necklace,” and a pair of superb Death’s Gloves with attack 1-3!

With this gear, no wonder he felled those two at-least-level-20 warriors with just a couple of swings. Most mysterious was his sword-light skill. It didn’t seem like Old Four’s Lethal Slash. Though both skills unleashed sword lights, Tiny Shrimp’s not only hit harder but could strike two foes in a line at once!

A new level 25 warrior skill?

Before Lin Jia could figure it out, a roar sounded beside him, “Hya!”—and his health bar plummeted by half. Startled, he teleported away at random, gulping down two lifesaving Sunwaters before he even hit the ground, much to Old One’s pained dismay.

No one had time to loot the ground anymore; items were littered everywhere, forming a dazzling carpet. Anyone who stopped to pick something up was immediately set upon by several weapons at once. The red-named players who fell had either just returned from grinding spots or had resupplied and stood in the red-named village’s safe zone to clear their infamy before heading out again. Their bags were stuffed to the brim!

The chaos was so intense that even a level 25 veteran like Tiny Shrimp was overwhelmed. He feinted a swing and retreated toward Lin Jia.

Understanding his intent, Lin Jia called Old Four and Old One to form a protective ring around him in a corner, shielding their little mage. The loot dropped by the fallen players nearly covered the battlefield in a glittering “carpet.”

The surge of red-named players packed the Fragrant Stone Tomb so tightly that there was barely room to turn. A moment’s inattention could mean death from a hidden blade or sudden strike.

As the melee escalated, slain players resurrected and began calling friends and forming alliances, summoning help from all quarters. Even Tiny Shrimp, unbeknownst to Lin Jia and his friends, had called in his own sizable force.

A squad of fresh level 22 professionals!