Chapter Seventy-Six: The Sky Dragon

No one knows exactly how many monsters are marked on the map of Dongyuan City. If these creatures didn’t respawn automatically, someday they would eventually be wiped out—provided humanity survived until that day.

But they do respawn. In the same spot, after one monster falls, another identical one quickly appears before you, either to offer experience or to claim your life.

The monster siege began at two o’clock in the morning. At that hour, Dongyuan City was as bright as midday. All those present were players; not a single native remained.

The shops along the streets were empty, and even their wares had vanished. The taverns that operated through the night stood deserted; the alluring ladies and the dozing proprietors had disappeared without a trace. The mage’s guild was barren, the thieves’ guild abandoned… At that moment, Dongyuan City contained nothing but human players.

It was eerily silent.

This bizarre vanishing act cast a shadow of terror over everyone’s hearts. The cries of infants rang out loudly, their small lives spared from disaster, fortunate enough to have learned how to tap their fingers to log in, escaping starvation. After more than a month, perhaps they had grown a little, yet they remained fragile lives.

What was the monster siege?

No one knew.

Some could guess from the name; those who had been familiar with online games before the cataclysm. But for most, it recalled the hours immediately after logging into the game on the day disaster struck.

Painful memories resurfaced, unsettling those who had somewhat grown accustomed to their new lives… Until the first monster, facing no resistance, crossed the former safe zone, passed through the city gates, its crimson eyes glaring as it reached out its claws toward the first player—that was when everyone snapped back to reality.

Outside Dongyuan’s city gates, in the night, the glowing spheres that appeared only after dark in the distant suburbs were being devoured one by one by black shadows. East, south, west, north—those were the masses of monsters racing across the ground like clouds, united in their charge.

The earth trembled. Suddenly, countless shrill and chilling cries echoed through the sky… Flying monsters, level fifteen and twenty, descended in droves, their claws and beaks clamoring.

Panic erupted.

Wanderers were quickly swallowed by the horde, even if their levels had long surpassed ten, even if the surrounding monsters were only four or five. The old adage that enough ants can kill an elephant proved itself, stark and undeniable.

From the initial scattered screams, a relentless chorus of agony soon followed. The number of players in Dongyuan City plummeted rapidly.

“We must defend the soul crystal at the teleportation point.”

Xi Menyu gazed calmly through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the guild hall, watching the city bathed in light, its bloody scene unwavering. “According to the system mail, if the soul crystal is destroyed, Dongyuan City will no longer be a safe zone… even if we survive this siege.”

The mail’s rules for the monster siege were detailed: Guard the soul crystal and prevent its destruction. Kill as many siege monsters as possible to earn contribution points, which could be exchanged for unusual items.

Inferno began its operations in full force. The soul crystal, located in Dongyuan’s football stadium—the same compound where players were initially gathered—drew waves of players from every direction.

Since the guild system was activated, countless guilds had sprung up. Yet, by numbers, Inferno remained the largest.

But there was no unified commander; the defense of the soul crystal unfolded through individual initiative and localized coordination amid battle.

---

Inside Dongyuan City’s guild hall.

Gao Mingyang stared at the monsters flooding in like a tide, clenching and unclenching his fists in frustration. “Are we really not going out? What did Zhao Nan say?”

“Let me check, I just received a mail,” Finina replied. “We can use telepathic communication now.”

“I’ll find him!” Gao Mingyang hurriedly contacted Zhao Nan: “Nan, where are you right now?”

“The teleportation crystal can’t be used for now. I have to make my way back and might be late. Are the monsters surging toward the teleportation point?”

“They’re already there, but there are still plenty of monsters roaming inside the city. I feel like these wanderers are more interested in eating people than destroying the soul crystal! Damn!”

“That’s how monster sieges work… Since you’re in the guild hall, use the terrain to start hunting monsters. Honor points are valuable; kill as many as you can. Some buildings in Dongyuan are exceptionally sturdy—even monsters can’t break them. Be careful and you’ll be fine,” Zhao Nan advised.

“Got it!”

The call ended. Gao Mingyang repeated Zhao Nan’s words, and the group immediately prepared for action.

“We’ve been waiting long enough! Brothers, let’s go all out!”

---

Zhao Nan lowered his left hand from his ear and squinted, surveying the dozens of shadowy figures encircling him. They were drooling, their eyes ferocious, waves of wild energy radiating toward him.

Behind him stood a figure two heads taller, which suddenly let out a furious scream. The surrounding monsters retreated, heads lowered, wanting to advance but too wary to move forward.

Zhao Nan exhaled, turned, and patted the shadow’s side, murmuring, “You’re really hard to feed!”

Roar—

The shadow suddenly lowered its head, revealing jet-black gem-like eyes that affectionately rubbed against Zhao Nan’s face.

Its skin was coarse, the not-yet-hardened keratin scraping painfully against his cheek. Its skin was dark red throughout, and atop its head sat a brilliant blue gem.

Zhao Nan patted it again. From behind, he could see a pair of palm-sized wings fluttering softly in the air, and spines beginning to sprout along its back.

Its name: LV2 Eurysius.

Two hours earlier, after completing the legendary difficulty trial, Zhao Nan finally met the master of the castle—Oz.

---

He was a giant, ten meters tall, his body crimson, two twisted horns crowning his head. Oz sat silently in his massive stone chair, watching Zhao Nan approach.

Zhao Nan had seen this giant once before, but even now, he couldn’t suppress his awe.

“Congratulations, Chosen One. You are the first to pass the trial, and the first to achieve a perfect score on legendary difficulty. I will grant you the strongest companion!”

Zhao Nan’s anticipation grew.

Oz reached out. The gust from his enormous palm sent Zhao Nan’s hair flying backward. A flash of brilliance appeared—a deep red, intricately marked gold egg, the size of a person, materialized before him.

“This is the child of my best friend. Please take good care of it,” Oz said.

Historically, the first to complete Oz’s trial in Dongyuan City received a violet gold Flame Lion, level sixty before bloodline refinement, king of beasts. It belonged to Xi Menyu and was key to his rise among the world’s top hundred.

Zhao Nan didn’t know what score was needed for the Flame Lion, nor did Xi Menyu ever reveal which difficulty he had conquered. Since he didn’t know, Zhao Nan simply chose the highest difficulty and aimed for the best score, convinced the Flame Lion wouldn’t escape him.

But this was clearly not the Flame Lion’s egg.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

From the red, gold-patterned egg came powerful beats—the sound of a heart!

Zhao Nan suddenly felt a terrifying pressure, purely spiritual in nature.

He took a deep breath and touched the egg.

Sky Dragon Egg: Egg of a Sky Dragon from the fantasy dragon clan, level cap before bloodline refinement: 80.

At that moment, the eggshell cracked, followed by several more splits, like droplets shattered by the wind. Irregular fissures spread across the dragon egg, and a pair of pure black eyes peered out, observing him.

LV0 Eurysius…