Chapter 31 Forum Battle Report
Earth, the real world.
The Forsaken World official forum.
Just as countless casual gamers who missed out on the second closed beta test were still getting excited over the "Kobolds Must Die" post, a new post with the prefix "[Pro Evolution Soccer]" once again ignited the homepage.
[Title: [Frontline Report] Leaving the Starting Village! Seventy-Two Hours Traversing the "Old Forest"! If this isn't a AAA title, I'll eat my keyboard live! (Continuously Updating)]
Posted by: What kind of canned food?
"Brothers, this is Canned Food. It's evening on the third day of our outing. While we're camping in the wild, I've compiled some footage from the past few days and uploaded it. No more chit-chat, let's get straight to the video."
The video has started playing.
The footage is accompanied by violent shaking; it's a first-person perspective shot of horseback riding.
A fierce wind howled, and the twisted, withered black trees on both sides rushed past like ghostly shadows. The background music consisted of the whistling wind and the heavy clatter of horses' hooves.
The scene shifts to a battle scene.
A gigantic, mutated wild boar covered in black tentacles is roaring as it charges toward the camera.
"Husky! Stop it!" (Canned food's voice)
A gray blur flashed past from the side. "I'm Not a Husky" performed a high-difficulty leap on horseback that defied the laws of physics, his dagger piercing precisely into the wild boar's eye socket. At the same time, the camera shook, and a purplish-black fireball (only the size of a fist) roared out, exploding into a strange cloud of black smoke on the wild boar's body.
The scene then shifts to a chilling static close-up.
It was an abandoned village. The camera panned across the collapsed wooden houses, their roofs covered in black moss, and the wind howled through the broken windows. There were no corpses on the streets, only scattered shoes, broken toys, and dry, blackened scratches on the walls, as if made by fingernails.
The video ends with a still image of a campfire.
In the darkness, countless pairs of green eyes gleamed around the camp's perimeter. In the center of the camp, a silver badge emitting a faint white light and three black amulets glowing with an eerie red light intertwined, creating a strange aura where holiness and evil coexisted.
The comment section below the post exploded instantly:
[First Floor]: Holy crap! This wilderness map is huge! We've been running around for three days and we still haven't reached the end?
[Fifth Floor]: That deserted village gave me goosebumps... The details in this game are simply unbeatable; the sense of despair from "everyone gone" overflows the screen.
[12th Floor]: Am I the only one who noticed that last halo? Holy Light and Fel Energy mixed together? This team composition is something else!
[23rd Floor]: I'm so envious! I want to ride a horse too! I want to go on an adventure too! When will the official third closed beta test start?!
...
In the game, deep within the ancient forest.
"Phew...finally finished sending them."
The canned food slammed the forum link and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Maintaining the high-frequency data transmission of the chest protector for an extended period was taking a toll on even his current mental strength.
"Canned Food Bro, you've been running for three days already, how much longer?"
The husky, riding on its horse, idly swung its dagger. "This forest is full of trees, not a single living person who can talk, just monsters. I'm about to throw up from killing them all."
"Soon."
Kroll, who was walking at the front, reined in his horse and pointed to the edge of the woodland where the mist was gradually thinning. "After passing that birch forest, we'll reach 'White Stone Beach.' Once we cross White Stone Beach, we'll enter the White Stone Alliance's controlled territory."
These three days were also a journey of reshaping Crowe's values.
He had initially thought these three "evil god's minions" would cause trouble like mad dogs. But it turned out that, as long as the man called "Canned Food" was in charge, they were more professional than the most elite scouts.
The husky was in charge of scouting, its cunning eyes able to spot any disturbance; the Wolf of Wall Street was in charge of logistics, even sorting and packing the magic herbs gathered along the way; and the canned food was in charge of recording and decision-making.
What terrified Crowe the most was that they were truly unafraid of death.
On their first night, they were attacked by a group of ghouls. To test the monsters' attack patterns, the husky actually offered its arm for them to bite, bleeding as it shouted, "Record the data! Bite force is about 200 pounds!"
This indifference to life and death chilled even veteran Crowe.
"We passed through seven villages in these three days."
The Wolf of Wall Street rode up to Crow, his voice low and menacing. "It's all empty. Not a soul in sight."
"They all escaped."
Kro's voice was hoarse, "Some escaped to Whitestone City, some died on the road, and some... became fertilizer here."
He touched the **[Radiant Holy Emblem]** on his chest, which was already somewhat warm.
During these three days, the monsters in the forest would become exceptionally ferocious whenever night fell.
At first, Kro habitually activated the holy power within his emblem, erecting a sacred barrier. But in the land forsaken by the gods, this holy light was like a lighthouse in the night, not only failing to dispel much darkness but also attracting more monsters eager to devour the light.
Until the first night, when they were almost overwhelmed by the monsters, Canned Food stepped forward.
He had Crow put away the holy symbol, and then had the three of them activate the [Evil God's Heart Mirror] on their chests at the same time.
Buzz—!
At that moment, an aura deeper than darkness and more greedy than demons emanated from the breastplate.
That was the oppressive presence of the dominant predator.
The ghouls and wraiths that had been frantically attacking retreated the moment they sensed this aura, like rats encountering their natural enemy, tucking their tails between their legs and whimpering.
That night, Crowe couldn't sleep.
He looked at the faint holy emblem in his hand, and then at the three red amulets shimmering beside him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
What protected them was no longer the glory they had believed in their whole lives, but... the gaze of the abyss.
"Ready?"
Crowe pulled himself together, his eyes sharpening. "White Stone Beach is just ahead. There are no trees to block the view, so it's wide open, but that also means... we might run into White Stone City patrols."
"Remember your identities: country squires. Don't talk nonsense, don't look around, and especially don't give those knights that look...like they're eyeing their prey (actually, monsters)!"
Crowe gave a stern warning (mainly directed at the husky).
"Don't worry, we are professionals."
Canned Food straightened his gray robe and tucked the breastplate into his clothes.
The four men spurred their horses and charged out of the last patch of dark jungle.
"Splash—"
My vision suddenly opened up.
The long-awaited wind no longer carried the smell of decay, but instead carried a moist, damp air.
What appeared before the players was no longer the oppressive black forest, but a vast and breathtaking rocky beach.
Countless white and gray pebbles covered the earth, like a vast, dried-up river stretching to the horizon. And in the crevices of the rocky beach, some pale reeds stubbornly grew, swaying in the wind.
"This is Baishitan..."
The husky's eyes widened. "What a huge open space! Perfect for a team battle!"
"Don't just think about fighting." The Wolf of Wall Street pointed into the distance. "Look over there."
Following his finger, at the end of the white pebble beach, at the horizon, one could vaguely see the silhouette of a majestic white building.
The towering city walls were built against the mountain, and the pointed towers pierced the clouds. Even from a distance, one could still feel the city's immense size and fortification.
That is the largest fortress in the central part of this continent—White Stone City.
"We've finally arrived..."
Canned Food took a deep breath to calm his excited emotions.
"New map loaded."
He said in a low voice:
"Brothers, get your acting skills on point. The next battle won't be won by just hacking and slashing."
Crowe glanced back at the three men, and after confirming there were no flaws, he flicked his whip:
"Let's go! We'll get into the city before dark!"
Four horses galloped across the white boulders toward the colossal white city that represented civilization, yet was also rife with intrigue and danger