【 PLAYER NAD FÉNG 】
—
Green vines shot forth, each as thick as a human wrist. Of course, compared to the Toxic Worm King’s tentacles, which were as massive as water barrels, they still seed slender.
Yet it was precisely these comparatively slender vines that, before the astonished eyes of the two newbies, effortlessly ensnared the monstrous Worm King.
After being restrained, the Worm King let out an enraged screech, thrashing its grotesque body in an attempt to break free. However, no matter how violently it struggled, the vines did not budge or even quiver.
“Turn to ash.”
The soft voice spoke again, carrying the composure of a superior, as though discussing a trivial matter.
At once, a golden light gathered beneath the Worm King, forming a complex circular array inscribed with countless mysterious runes and intricate patterns.
The array blood with radiance, releasing a dreadful magic so oppressive that the two newbies trembled uncontrollably.
The Worm King itself shuddered and shrieked sharply, its cry edged with fear.
The light rose, bathing its body as particles of golden radiance spread outward from the magic array, revolving in a constant orbit around the entrapped Worm King.
“So… so beautiful…” Nana whispered unconsciously, srized by the dreamlike sight.
Whilst bathed in the shimring light, the Worm King scread again—this ti with a trace of despair. And then, before the stunned gazes of the two newbies, its once-dreaded body convulsed and abruptly crumbled.
In an instant, the creature’s monstrous form dissolved into nothingness, before vanishing completely into the air.
On the ground, only scattered remnants remained:
undigested goblin bones, broken equipnt, and even several unbound flasks and waterskins once belonging to the fallen veteran players.
“That dreadful monster…was one-shoted just like that?”
The two newbies stared, completely awestruck.
All the veteran players in their party had been annihilated with ease by the Worm King, yet it was easily obliterated just like that, as if it were nothing at all. The contrast left them shaken beyond words. Even the dizziness creeping into their minds from the spreading debuff abruptly faded.
Who was it?
Who had helped them?
The thought surfaced in both their minds at once.
Instinctively, the two turned around and finally noticed a striking silhouette standing in the distance.
She was a female elf, most likely a druid, appearing no older than seventeen or eighteen.
She wore a robe of gold and erald, more ornate than the gear Yeye had once seen on the Templar Knights in the Chosen City. The fabric shimred faintly with light, and its tailored design accentuated her slender fra and graceful waist. Golden patterns traced delicate motifs across the deep green cloth, enhancing its elegance.
In her hand she carried a wooden staff, its appearance clearly belonging to so rare and precious timber. Ancient engravings spiraled across its length, and at its crown glead a gem of golden amber, set within a filigree of gold.
There was no mistaking it:
That staff too was a treasured artifact!
Mysterious. Elegant. Commanding.
These impressions arose simultaneously in the minds of the two awestruck newbies.
Curiosity compelled them to lift their gaze to her face.
She had golden hair and sapphire eyes, which was the standard default features assigned to players during avatar creation. Even her shoulder-length haircut was the plain first hair preset of the character editor, unaltered from the mont of selection.
Her appearance, though possessing the innate beauty of the elves, lacked the sculpted perfection of those obsessive players who customized their characters’ faces to scores above ninety-five points. At best, she could be considered average, being nothing more than a default system-generated template.
And yet, despite this person’s unremarkable appearance, she radiated a presence difficult to define:
A noble aura, detached from the mortal world, mingled with a subtle pressure that exudes authority.
That unique quality gave her an undeniable allure. The two newbies found it difficult to avert their eyes.
Beauty is not determined by appearance alone.
Sotis, it lies more in the innate presence of a person.
In that mont, the two felt this truth keenly. Although this person’s looks were ordinary among players, the sa thought rose in both Yeye and Nana’s minds:
This person is truly beautiful…
Unconsciously, they felt drawn to her—curious, eager to approach, eager to know her.
Their eyes drifted upward, to the space above her head.
Yet to their surprise, there was no userna hovering above her head.
They froze for a mont.
Could she be… an NPC?
That was their first thought.
But they imdiately dismissed it. Her equipnt bore the unmistakable hallmarks of a player which was flashy, ornate and striking. It was nothing like the modest attire worn by the NPCs they had seen in the Chosen City.
At that instant, a mory surfaced in their minds—specifically, the words their party leader, FacetheWind, had once ntioned:
“Players can hide their usernas from those of a lower level than themselves…”
It was hidden!
Of course—that must be it!
This mysterious expert before them had definitely concealed her userna. The two novices quickly pieced everything together.
They might not know her userna, but one fact was certain.
Anyone capable of so easily defeating that dreadful Worm King, an opponent that even Senior Wind and his veteran teammates had been powerless against, had to be at least Silver rank. Moreover, among Silver-rankers, her strength was undoubtedly exceptional as well.
As the two newbies looked toward their mysterious savior, the other party turned her gaze upon them.
Her erald eyes seed to pierce straight through them.
With a single glance, Yeye and Nana felt as though every part of them had been laid bare.
An involuntary sense of unease welled up in them, their hearts trembling nervously.
In the next mont, the druid player gently shifted her staff.
At her motion, the gemstone atop the staff blossod with radiant light. The two novices, whose weakened from the spreading poison debuff and huddled together in fear, suddenly felt a warmth envelop them.
Soft green motes of light appeared around them, flowing gently into their bodies. The exhaustion weighing upon both body and spirit lted away with astonishing speed.
At the sa ti, the self-inflicted wounds they had used to remained conscious imdiately closed, healing swiftly before their eyes.
Within monts, vitality returned to them in full. Every negative status they’ve incurred had vanished; even their lingering fear was soothed, replaced by a sense of calm.
On their status screen, the debuffs icons beneath their HP bar disappeared completely.
The two exchanged glances, elated. Yet before they could speak their thanks, their mysterious savior’s voice reached them first:
“This place is not ant for players at your level.”
Her tone was soft, gentle even but with it carried an authority that brooked no argunt.
To the two novices, it felt uncannily like being scolded by a teacher after breaking a rule. Without realizing it, both lowered their heads in embarrassed silence, like chastened school children.
The realization startled them, but they could not deny the strange effect her presence had.
“U-Um… thank you for saving us, esteed Senior…” Yeye stamred, instinctively using an honorific. Though the word felt a little awkward, it was the only polite term that ca to his mind.
Beside him, Nana’s eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at their mysterious savior—the way a fan might look at her idol.
“S-so amazing… so cool!” she whispered, awestruck.
Seeing her reaction, Yeye tugged at her sleeve in warning.
Jolted back, Nana quickly joined in:
“T-Thank you, esteed Senior!” she said brightly, her voice tinged with excitent.
The mysterious female player responded with a gentle smile.
“You’re welco. It was nothing more than a small effort on my part.”
Her kindness imdiately put them at ease. The tension in their shoulders eased, and she seed all the more approachable in their eyes.
After a brief hesitation, Yeye walked forward, curiosity overcoming him:
“Um… Senior, as you can see, I’m Yeye, and this is Nana. You can also just call Coconut. May I ask… how should we address you?”
The mysterious player regarded him briefly before answering with a calm smile. A single word left her lips:
“Féng. You may call as Féng.”
…Féng?
The two froze for a mont. The na struck a faint sense of familiarity, though neither could recall from where.
Before they could dwell on it, “Féng” spoke again:
“The Titan Ruins aren’t a place for newbies like you two. The monsters down here are nasty and dangerous, way more than beginners can handle. You’ll just end up with nightmares if you push your luck.”
“Once you’ve had a breather, head back the way you ca. Only one Worm King shows up in this part of the tunnels. Now that it’s down, you won’t run into anything else that strong around here.”
With those words, she lightly tapped her staff once more.
A soft glow washed over the two newbies, vanishing in an instant.
Yeye sensed sothing had been added to his status.
Glancing at his interface, he noticed a new icon—silver-blue in color—beneath his HP bar.
“I’ve given you two a ‘Dread’ buff. So anything below Silver rank will feel your aura, get scared, and run off. With that, you both should be able to move through the tunnels without worrying about more attacks.”
Féng’s explanation was calm, almost soothing.
Dread buff?
Directly affecting all monsters below Silver rank?
Yeye’s heart skipped a beat at the thought.
Vaguely, he realized that this mysterious player who called herself Féng was far more powerful and unfathomable than he had initially imagined.
After all, when those two max-level veteran druids and mages in their party had cast support buffs on them earlier, the effects had been far weaker than what this mysterious expert had bestowed just now. Not only that, but those buffs had required long, continuous chanting.
Yet this player nad Féng, had produced an extraordinarily powerful buff without any chanting at all, simply by willing it into existence.
No, it was not just this one buff.
From the mont she had appeared, every spell she used had been entirely chantless.
Yeye had watched many gaplay videos before entering the ga and had picked up a rough understanding of its spellcasting chanics. The detail that had impressed him most was the sheer difficulty of casting spells without incantations.
It was an advanced technique that even many veteran Silver-rank strears could not achieve. And yet, this mysterious player used chantless spells as naturally as breathing.
A true powerhouse big shot…
There was no doubt in Yeye’s mind.
This person was a genuine elite big shot!
Perhaps even a max-level silver-ranker.
The thought filled him with awe and curiosity.
Still, no matter how curious he was, there was sothing more urgent he needed to address.
He exchanged a glance with Nana, then rubbed his nose awkwardly before speaking hesitantly:
“Um… Senior Féng, the thing is, we… we only started playing today. We joined the party of so older players who were guiding us, but… we don’t know the way back.”
His voice grew quieter, trailing off in embarrassnt.
Féng looked at him knowingly, then gave a small nod.
“I understand.”
A mont later, a new dialogue box appeared in the two novices’ vision—a request for map sharing.
At the sa ti, Féng’s gentle voice followed:
“This is a map I’ve personally made. You may use it.”
Yeye and Nana froze for a second.
After a brief hesitation, they nodded lightly, voiced their thanks, and accepted the request.
At once, their minimaps was updated.
And when they looked at the changes, their eyes widened in astonishnt.
The detail was astonishing.
From their current position, the path was laid out with complete clarity, marked with simple and intuitive symbols.
The mapped area was extensive and thorough.
What’s more, even the aboveground terrain was depicted with equal clarity and precision, leading all the way to the ruins’ exit.
What an incredible map…
The sa thought crossed both their minds.
At that mont, several avatar icons in their party list flickered back to life.
Yeye imdiately understood—their fallen teammates had finally been resurrected. Naturally, their location was no longer within the Titan Ruins and they had respawned back at the central zone of the Elven Forest’s boundary of the Chosen City.
Yeye’s spirit lifted, and he was about to type in the party chat when a ssage appeared from their party leader:
“…Huh? Coconut, are you two still in the ruins? You’re alive?!”
Seeing Senior Wind’s question, Yeye quickly typed his reply:
“Yes, Senior Wind, luckily we both are still alive. A player nad Féng saved us.”
The mont his reply was sent, the party channel exploded with ssages filled with exclamation marks and question marks:
“What the—?!”
“What?!”
“Féng?!”
“You actually t Miss Féng?!”
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