By the time he reached the outpost, Zack had cleared the path with ease.
The NPC at the outpost, a cheerful young man in leather armor, waved him over.
"Ah! The delivery from Gaia!" he said, taking the crate. "You handled the monsters out there yourself? Impressive!"
Zack inclined his head, voice steady. "Indeed. Ensuring the delivery while putting my abilities to the test."
The NPC handed him a small pouch. Reward: 1 silver coins, a minor health potion, and 120 experience points. Zack carefully stowed the pouch, noting silently that his abilities were now sufficient to take on level 4-5 mobs by himself.
He inquired with the NPC about what lay beyond this outpost and the NPC responded that it was south—
Beyond the outpost's wooden place, lies the Verdant Frontier, a dense jungle teeming with rare beasts and uncharted ruins. The area is wrapped in mist most mornings and people often vanish beyond its borders, lured by rumors of ancient temples and hidden dungeons untouched since the ancient time.
And only a handful of people have returned from exploring it.
Zack blinked, taken aback by the speed of the response, then asked about the zones to the north, east and west. The NPC replied patiently, outlining each region step by step.
East – Silverflow Marshlands
A river from Gaia Lake bends eastward into the Silverflow Marshlands. This wetland glows faintly at night due to bioluminescent flora.
The marshlands are home to elemental creatures, mostly water and poison types. Many alchemists and mages visit to harvest rare reagents like Moonpetal Lotus and Slime Cores.
North – Frostpeak Ridge
Further north, lies Frostpeak Ridge, a mountain range capped with eternal snow.
Few dare to travel there due to extreme cold and high-level monsters, mostly ice trolls, frost wyverns and spirit beasts. It's said the first major dungeon, Temple of the Frozen Crown, lies buried under the ridge.
West – Ember Plains
West of Gaia's farmlands, the terrain turns arid and red — the Ember Plains.
The grass burns dry under the sun and molten fissures split the land. Players often encounter fire wolves, ash golems and blazing horned boars here.
Zack contemplated for a while before he decided to proceed with Verdant Frontier.
As he crossed the boundary, the atmosphere shifted, growing heavy and warm, humming with an energy that hinted at things unseen. Leaves rustled overhead, shadows shifted between the trees and faint blue insects glowed like will-o'-wisps in the underbrush.
The Verdant Frontier wasn't like the forests near Gaia.
It was older and wilder. Ancient stones rose from the ground like forgotten relics, wrapped in roots as thick as boulders. Under the faint moonlight, bits of worn inscriptions shimmered through the moss
A faint growl echoed from the thicket ahead. Zack turned his gaze toward the sound, calm but alert.
[Enemy Detected: Jungle Stalker – Level 7]
A lithe, feline-like creature with leaf-patterned fur and glowing amber eyes emerged from the undergrowth, muscles tensing.
Zack smiled faintly, cold and composed, "Perfect target."
He raised his dagger. Mana surged and the faint blue of Ice Lance began to form in his hand as the first battle of the Verdant Frontier began.
A blur erupted from the foliage. The Jungle Stalker darted low, then lunged straight for his torso.
"Just like I thought."
Divine Barrier!
A golden dome shimmered into existence just in time CLANG! The impact rattled his ears, but the barrier held firm.
–0 (Blocked)
Barrier HP: 200 → 80
Zack countered instantly. Ice Lance!
A bright spear of frost burst from his palm, slamming into the beast's side.
–192!
[Slow Applied: –30% Movement for 5s]
[Mana –10 | Cooldown 2s]
The creature shrieked and rolled away, frost creeping along its flank.
Zack's barrier flickered, absorbing another claw swipe.
Barrier HP: 80→ 10
He smirked faintly. "Let's up the tempo"
Arcane Surge!
A violet shimmer wrapped around his body; his magic energy spiked.
Magic Attack +25% for 30s.
[Mana –10 | Cooldown 1m]
The Stalker blurred again, circling, testing his defenses.
Zack calmly raised his hand.
Chain Lightning!
The bolt of blue-white lightning shredded the monster's makeshift cover, damage popping up instantly –295!
The creature convulsed, letting out an ear-piercing screech.
Zack took a measured breath.
MP: 315 / 360
The barrier shimmered once more before breaking apart in a shower of sparks.
[Barrier Expired | Cooldown: 20s]
The Stalker saw its chance. It lunged again.
Zack sidestepped but claws raked across his arm.
–45 HP! [Bleed: –15 HP/s for 5s]
He raised his other hand.
Purify!
A pulse of white light washed over him, erasing the bleeding instantly.
[Mana –10]
Then he snapped his fingers Ice Lance!
The spell shot true, impaling the creature's leg mid-leap.
–230! [Slow Applied]
The beast crashed to the ground with a snarl.
Divine Barrier – Recast! ( Golden light shimmered around him again )
The Stalker pounced, claws screeching against the barrier.
–0 (Blocked)
Zack's barrier dimmed again, flickering at 30 HP durability.
Barrier HP: 200 → 30
Zack raised his dagger, channeling energy through it.
Chain Lightning!
The bolt ripped straight through the creature's chest.
–240!
Its HP bar dropped sharply — maybe less than 5% left.
"Time to end it" he muttered.
Ice Lance!
The final lance pierced clean through the Stalker's skull.
–195!
[You have defeated Jungle Stalker (Lv.7)]
[EXP +180]
[Silver coin +3]
[Loot: Beast Claw ×1, Stalker Hide ×1, Minor HP Potion ×2]
[Skill Proficiency: Ice Lance +0.2% | Divine Barrier +0.1% | Chain Lightning +0.1%]
Zack exhaled, glancing at his stats.
[HP: 195 / 240 | MP: 265 / 360]
Current EXP: 960 / 10000
"I can handle tight cooldowns… keeping the barrier active is what matters," he mumbled.
He leaned against a tree trunk, eyes drifting over the faint trails of shattered frost and scratch marks scattered across the ground.
Barrier for defense, Lightning for burst, Ice for control.
The thought left him oddly satisfied as he pieced it together.
A priest shouldn't play like a mage… but why not?
***
The wind carried a strange vibration as Zack stepped into the Verdant Frontier.
The trees swayed unnaturally and the usual murmur of wildlife was drowned out by a distant, resonant roar.
His deep blue priestly robes rustled softly as he adjusted his hood, the silver sigils along the hem catching faint scraps of moonlight.
Something was off.
At first, it was just a low rumble, like the earth itself was breathing.
The sound of metal colliding filled the air, accompanied by the crackling of magic and loud shouts, some filled with fear, others with anger. With each step he took, the cacophony intensified.
Zack paused atop a small hill, crouching behind a rock. He raised his hand slightly, letting Detect trace the surrounding area. Faint outlines flickered into view: hundreds of figures darting around a massive, hulking silhouette at the center.
The numbers floating above them— small bursts of damage here and there revealed a fierce struggle
[Boss Detected: Verdant Colossus – Level 5]
HP: 8,000 / 25,000
The Verdant Colossus throbbed with pulsing mana, its glow carving eerie shapes into the darkness. Jagged stone pillars littered the ground, cracked and blackened from repeated strikes.
In the night's dim haze, each ruin cast long, broken shadow.
The Verdant Colossus towered over the battlefield but that was barely the focus.
Around it, chaos reigned. Players charged, swung and cast spells in every direction, foe, some even hit friends and anyone unlucky enough to be nearby.
Red-named PKers darted around, attacking weaker players and the boss.
Zack scanned the battlefield more carefully. Three players— likely from the same clan were defending themselves against the PKers:
Ryven, Liora and Keth barreled through the fray, slashing indiscriminately.
"Step aside— or die!" Ryven bellowed, whirling his sword in a deadly arc, slicing past a cluster of players
"Out of my way!" Liora also quipped, firing a quick spell that crackled across the battlefield, hitting a random PKer instead of her intended target.
Keth dove in with a shield bash, toppling a wandering healer. "Sorry, didn't see you there!" he called, already moving on to another target.
Nearby, other group of Players with red names— Grumblefoot, Snickerdoodle, Bubblebeard and Snortfang joined the rampage, swinging, blasting and charging anything that moved.
"Got you now!" Grumblefoot snarled, while Snickerdoodle hurled fire spell toward a player…
"Everyone's a target!" Bubblebeard roared, slamming his hammer into a nearby enemy and sending them sprawling into another player.
Snortfang ducked behind a rock, then charged forward like a maniac. "You look tasty!" he yelled, stabbing wildly at a random figure, completely ignoring the Verdant Colossus looming over them.
The battlefield was pure anarchy. Numbers and skill effects flashed everywhere, explosions of fire, shards of ice and the ringing clash of steel.
No alliances held except for few; every player fought for survival, drops or simply the thrill of hitting someone first.
Faint outlines flashed across the battlefield, revealing the frenzy: healers desperately trying to stay alive and groups of players who hardly noticed each other as they hurled spells, strikes and curses in all directions.
"This… this is worse than I imagined," Zack muttered, a grin tugging at his lips.
The chaos was intoxicating. Around him, spells collided, swords clanged and adventurers screamed— some in triumph, some in pain.
Yet, the temptation was almost irresistible. The boss's health had already dropped significantly. Maybe I can team up with someone for a chance…
He scanned the battlefield. Soloing it? Last-hitting for some extra experience would be nice, but… "looking at this chaos. Not happening. If I step out now… I'll get shredded."
Zack crouched, fingers itching. The thrill of the fight called to him but he'd need to be smart, pick his moment and choose his allies carefully… if any.
The field was crawling with about sixty to seventy players, though most were scattered across the ruins rather than sticking together.
Some darted between the shattered pillars, desperately trying to survive the mayhem, while others laughed crazily or shouted, clearly enjoying the bedlam.
Magic spells collided in the air, swords and daggers clashed against shields and every so often, someone would vanish in a burst of lights.
Time was slipping away and Zack made a quick decision in case it was too late and chose to approach the trio Ryven, Liora and Keth.
He had to tread carefully; there was no way to know if they would accept him or attack on sight.
Zack darted between shattered pillars, keeping low and scanning the battlefield but his eyes were on the trio- who were clustered together, weapons drawn, clearly ready to strike anything that moved.
Keeping alert, he kept his skill ready ( boots ability - increase his agility stats ) to vanish at a moment's notice.
He froze a few meters away, raising both hands high in a universal "don't attack me" gesture. Pale moonlit mist drifted around his boots as his figure came into sight, his robe slightly singed from stray spells nearby.
Zack said evenly, his voice calm and measured. "I'm a priest. I can join your party, if that's acceptable."
Ryven's sword swung instinctively but he froze, eyes narrowing. "Wait… what the—hands up? Seriously?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Zack hurriedly called out, stepping forward, keeping his movements deliberate.
Liora lowered her staff, a spark of skepticism in her eyes. "A priest, huh? You don't look anything like one."
"Whoa! Easy there" Ryven bellowed, lowering his sword slightly. "You're not with those PKers, are you?"
"Definitely not" Zack said quickly, he stopped moving forward, his steps halting for a moment.. "I'm a priest. And, uh… I'd love to join your party, heal people, keep you alive— your standard priest stuff."
Keth, the defender, gave a mock salute. "Well, you might just save our hides then. We've been running around like headless chickens here."
Ryven, ever the pragmatic fighter, raised his sword slightly. "Alright, let's be clear whatever drops goes by class priority…even the boss" he added, glancing at the massive silhouette looming ahead.
The Verdant Colossus towered over the battlefield, its bark-like armor covered in glowing cracks of pulsing mana. Its massive limbs swung with terrifying speed, each step sending tremors through the shattered floor.
Jagged shards of stone and magical residue floated in the air around it.
Scattered explorers and cunning PKers stopped around them, glancing at the little group.
Some calculated the right timing to attack and steal the boss kill and loot. Others simply gawked at their audacity— this trio and now even a healer, casually stopping in the middle of the battlefield to recruit teammates while a massive monster loomed nearby
Ryven shook his head, muttering, " The battlefield's a mess…but for us maybe its good news that we got a healer"
He glanced at Zack. "Fine. You're in. But don't get yourself killed before you even cast a spell."
"I won't" Zack said evenly, finally letting himself relax a little.
You have joined the party.
Liora smiled and whirled her staff. Healer, welcome!. There's no turning back now.
Keth gave a small chuckle, adjusting his shield. "Welcome to the team. Let's see if your heals can keep up with our chaos."
Zack activated [Detect], scanning the battlefield as he fell into formation.
The Verdant Colossus rose ahead, its silhouette swallowing entire patches of moonlight. While scattered players and PKers watched the party with wary eyes. With these three at his side, he finally had some solid backup.
Rvyven chuckled, stepping forward. "As long as you keep us alive, you've got our blessings."
Zack's lips curved slightly.
At last, a fighter, a mage, a priest and a defender— perfect MMORPG synergy.