The secret-realm hall was packed to the brim.
Another thrilling day of adventure had begun.
While waiting in line, the adventurers casually ordered food.
Bright-Moon-Over-Snow called out boldly, "Aya, get four ice creams for us, and put them all on my tab!"
Nekomi Momo beamed. "Whoa, thanks for the treat, Boss Lady!"
Silent Blade added, "Grab me a pack of cigarettes!"
Blackstone Hammer King bellowed, "Five cups of instant noodles with sausage, and a bottle of cola!"
"..."
The atmosphere was lively and cheerful.
Honestly, the place felt like some magical alternate-world internet café.
Even though Kanzaki Ren had assigned five gnome citizens to assist the young net-admin, Nanshiriya, their lack of experience meant she was still scrambling nonstop.
Miracle City simply didn't have enough people.
Countless positions were short-staffed.
And the number of adventurers would only continue to rise.
The manpower shortage would grow more serious each day.
This was one of the many reasons why territory expansion was absolutely necessary.
Only by claiming more land could they absorb more population, recruit more citizens, and earn greater benefits from the adventurers.
The adventurers were still eating and joking around.
Lone Wolf exclaimed, "Miracle City isn't just fun. Even the food here is top-notch!"
Blackstone Hammer King snorted, "The only problem is how pricey it all is!"
Pig King sighed dramatically, "No choice. After eating here, everything in town tastes like pig slop to me."
Lone Wolf shot back, "Aren't you basically a pig already?"
"Shut it, mutt!"
The usual chaos.
At that moment, Wind-Sleeps-In-The-Breeze cleared his throat. "Everyone quiet down for a sec. Today's challenge is extremely tough. With the Tyrant-class Pursuer blocking the way, we have zero chance of clearing Stage Two of the Frenzy Apocalypse. Are we supposed to just go back and grind Stage One instead?"
"Impossible!" Angry Chick snapped.
Nekomi Momo punched the air. "The Pursuer isn't invincible. We can figure out a method and show the lord what we're capable of!"
"Exactly!"
"No retreat!"
"No giving up!"
"We're clearing Stage Two today!"
"Go big, everyone! We haven't cleared Stage One yet ourselves, but we're close. We'll catch up and fight the Pursuer together!"
Morale soared.
The Pursuer was strong?
So what?
The stronger the monster, the more these maniacs wanted to beat it.
Wind-Sleeps-In-The-Breeze continued, "Your spirit is great, but don't underestimate the Pursuer, or the lord either. We have limited attempts, so we need efficiency, not blind charging."
Bright-Moon-Over-Snow asked, "You have a plan?"
"We compiled all our info last night at the inn," he said. "We've already mapped out the entire Stage Two city and marked all insufficiently explored areas. I propose a full-scale, systematic search with assigned divisions."
"Good!"
"That'll boost efficiency!"
"If this city really hides a way to defeat the Pursuer..."
"So many teams working at once will uncover it fast!"
"Count me in!"
"Me too!"
"Give today's operation an epic name!"
The adventurers threw out ideas, and since the Pursuer was a tyrant-type zombie, they named the mission "Operation Regicide." Wind-Sleeps-In-The-Breeze took command, assigning tasks to each squad.
He had clearly prepared for this well in advance.
Under his direction, everyone deployed immediately.
White Crane Hermit observed the enthusiasm around him and raised his brows, clearly impressed.
"These youngsters have some fire in them... I can't fall behind as an old man."
Although he was very interested in fighting the Pursuer, he still couldn't access Stage Two, so he had to start with Stage One.
When offered a party invite, he refused and continued soloing.
The others found him stubborn but also curious whether a single person could realistically clear the stage alone. A crowd gathered around his secret-realm crystal.
With his skill and experience, clearing the stage wasn't hard if he only aimed to pass it. Stage One's Tank and Witch zombies spawned in mostly predictable patterns.
If he simply avoided the two most dangerous monsters, the stage was fairly manageable.
The adventurers had even discovered a shortcut route.
Many had already cleared Stage One thanks to it.
But White Crane Hermit? He refused such shortcuts. With rare interest in a challenge, he went straight for the Tank or the Witch.
His first attempt didn't spawn a Tank.
He was blindsided by a Charger and instantly eliminated.
In solo mode, if you don't detect special-infected early and react immediately, surviving is almost impossible.
On his second run, he cut down nearly a hundred zombies and finally met a Tank. But one-on-one proved far harder than expected, and he fell again.
Even so, he had gleaned valuable insight into the Tank's attack patterns.
His third run was more prepared.
He brought two fuel barrels and a Molotov, injuring the Tank before engaging. Victory seemed likely, but he accidentally alerted a nearby horde, throwing the rhythm off.
The spectators groaned, frustrated for him.
So close.
White Crane Hermit analyzed the mistakes, then immediately started his fourth attempt.
This time he cleared nearby zombies, optimized the traps, used the terrain smartly, and fought for twenty straight minutes.
At the last moment, with ammo nearly gone, he finally killed the Tank.
The crowd roared.
"No way!"
"He actually did it!"
"He soloed a Tank?!"
"He was slower, weaker, had less stamina, and zero team support, yet used terrain to outplay the monster and kill it!"
"The old master is insane!"
Even more spectators arrived.
"If I hadn't seen that myself, I wouldn't believe anyone could pull off something that clean. Blackstone Town's top adventurer just raised the bar again."
White Crane Hermit listened to their cheers.
But he wasn't proud.
He had won, but the cost was high: massive ammo usage and heavy injuries.
"Ten years without diving into a dungeon... my current state is nowhere near my prime."
Otherwise?
A brain-dead brute like that shouldn't have cost him this much trouble.
He loved pushing his limits, but he wasn't foolish.
He knew luck played a role. And with low ammo and serious wounds, challenging another Tank would be pointless suicide.
Better to clear the stage now and save harder challenges for later.
He avoided Tank and Witch zones, killed about thirty to forty normal zombies and a lurking Hunter, then made it safely to the exit.
[You have cleared "Frenzy Apocalypse: Stage One." You obtained: Tank Zombie Soul +1!]
A rare drop.
A five-star gray soul.
Even when killing a Tank, the drop rate was under 20%.
Compared to other secret realms, this was already four or five times higher than usual.
Likely because solo clears granted higher evaluations, boosting the drop rate.
He was thrilled.
Even aside from the loot, this secret realm was the most exhilarating one he had ever experienced.
He had 1 point of stamina left.
One more attempt possible.
But he didn't rush.
He had unlocked Stage Two.
If the youngsters failed to defeat the Pursuer, he didn't mind stepping in.
Nanshiriya had watched the entire process. Seeing him solo-clear the official stage, her tiny face went pale with tension.
On the other side of the hall…
A sudden shout rang out.
"Holy crap!"
"Everybody get over here!"
"Someone found a weapon that can counter the Tyrant-class Pursuer!"