Chapter 16: Exploration Operation
Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Chimera Wraith, Street Slayer, and Midnight Pig Slayer once again formed a team.
In addition, they recruited four new players into the team: Level 1 Warlock Little Bell (Xiao Lingdang), Level 1 Monk Chenxi (Morning Dawn), Level 1 Warrior Mad Blade Old Wang (Kuangdao Lao Wang), and Level 1 Warrior Salty Fish Thrust, all of whom were new players who had entered the game on the second day.
The reason they agreed to bring along the four newcomers.
Mainly stemmed from hearing that Ye Li Meng’s team had been recently wiped out.
Ye Li Meng’s skills were not bad, and his companion, the ranger Lone Boat, was no worse than Black-Eyed Rui Ge — perhaps even slightly better.
Although their downfall was due to greed and rushing ahead without proper preparation, it was enough to prove that this world was filled with danger.
Under such circumstances.
Of course, there was strength in numbers.
Right now, who could even be called a real "newbie" or "veteran"?
Everyone had entered the game with just a day's difference.
Twisted Three Kingdoms followed the logic of reality, not merely that of a numbers-based game.
Even with a gap of several levels, it did not necessarily create an absolute, crushing advantage.
Among the new teammates, there was a monk and a warlock.
Their initial skills, Healing and Flame Arrow, were both very useful.
As for the other two players, they were not simple characters either.
The warrior "Salty Fish Thrust" was a well-known top player in the gaming community and an old acquaintance of Black-Eyed Rui Ge.
Whether in terms of awareness or operational skills, he was undoubtedly among the nation's top tier.
As for the warrior Mad Blade Old Wang, according to his self-introduction, he had served in the military for many years.
Judging by the aura he exuded, he was clearly no ordinary person and would likely be a great asset to the team.
It was not hard to see that Twisted Three Kingdoms had a certain bias when selecting players for its closed beta.
But that was only natural.
Game slots in the early stage were extremely precious. To better test the game's performance, it was, of course, necessary to select high-quality, high-standard players. At this stage, those who could enter the game were far from mediocre.
"Wow! So magnificent!"
Little Bell was completely captivated by the scenery upon leaving the village.
Salty Fish Thrust exclaimed, "Bro, I’ve played no less than a thousand games, but this is the only one where I feel no sense of 'immersion'... because it's basically direct teleportation, right? Damn, this is insanely awesome!"
Chenxi and Mad Blade Old Wang were similarly stunned speechless.
You could say it was fake, yet it felt so real — for example, the spectacular, magical sky overhead, covered in starry clouds, grand and magnificent, far more soul-stirring than any oil painting or special effects in movies.
But you could also say it was real — the flowers and trees, the sensation of the wind brushing your hair, the feeling underfoot when stepping on the grass, and the various scents drifting into the nose — all constantly told you that there was no difference from the real world.
"While I completely understand how you feel, this isn’t the time to admire the scenery. The world of this game is massive, and there’ll be plenty of chances to see even more breathtaking sights. For now, let’s complete the mission first," Chimera Wraith reminded them.
Black-Eyed Rui Ge nodded in agreement. "Let's first clear out the nearby low-level monsters!"
The eight of them immediately sprang into action, hunting Snake-Tailed Pheasants and other small monsters, helping the newcomers adapt to combat while building up team coordination and synergy.
"Amazing! The impact feeling is incredible!"
Salty Fish Thrust asked, "Old Black, what physics engine do you think this game uses? I'm starting to doubt whether it was made by humans on Earth. Could it be some alien black technology conspiracy against humanity?"
Black-Eyed Rui Ge replied grumpily, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Hurry up and get to work!"
The team became increasingly coordinated as they advanced toward their objective.
"Careful!"
A flash of the blade from Mad Blade Old Wang.
A colorful viper was sliced in half and fell from the bushes.
Everyone gasped sharply.
At the same time, their admiration for Mad Blade Old Wang deepened.
This old soldier seemed to have extremely rich wilderness survival and jungle exploration experience, always keenly detecting dangers hidden within the dense forest that were completely invisible to the naked eye.
Not just the natural traps formed by poisonous flowers and vines.
But also threats like venomous spiders, snakes, and mutated beehives.
Although these creatures were only at the standard Level 0.
It did not mean they were not dangerous. Their sheer toxicity alone was enough to kill a player outright. It could even be said that danger lurked at every step, making people break into cold sweat and feel their skin crawl.
"Luckily we have Uncle Blade. Otherwise, even if I had three lives, I probably wouldn't make it through this road!" said Street Slayer.
Midnight Pig Slayer also exclaimed, "Yeah! No wonder Old Ye and his team wiped! This game’s map is full of the developers’ malicious tricks!"
Mad Blade Old Wang said, "Rather than saying it’s the developers’ malice, it’s more accurate to say that this game is just too real."
After an eventful but ultimately safe journey,
Mad Blade Old Wang and Salty Fish Thrust both leveled up to Level 2.
"There are monsters!"
Everyone noticed that ahead was a patch of shallow grassy land. Since the grass there did not grow very tall, the view was quite open.
Two types of completely new monsters appeared before their eyes.
The first type resembled goats, entirely hairless, with their bodies covered in bony armor and a massive single horn atop their heads.
The second type looked like wild bulls — robust and heavily muscled — dragging behind them an enormous tail longer than their bodies, ending in a structure similar to a scorpion's stinger.
【Skeletal Mountain Goat】, Level 4 Common Monster...
Description: Goats that have been corrupted and demonized by Abyssal Corruption, possessing sturdy exteriors and adept at using their horns to rip apart enemies.
【Scorpion-Tailed Wild Bull】, Level 5 Common Monster...
Description: Wild bulls that have been corrupted and demonized by Abyssal Corruption, boasting powerful physiques, formidable brute strength, and a venomous scorpion tail.
"New monsters."
"Such amazing models."
"Not only are their levels high, but there are quite a few of them..."
Black-Eyed Rui Ge swept his gaze across the shallow land and grassy field — even within sight, there were dozens of them. It was clearly another great monster farming area.
However, Black-Eyed Rui Ge had no intention of actively hunting the Skeletal Mountain Goats and Scorpion-Tailed Wild Bulls.
Although they were technically common monsters, they did not appear weak at all and seemed to display herd behavior. A careless move could easily provoke a mass attack.
Thus he said, "We’re not here to farm monsters today. The town is only about two to two and a half miles away. Let’s prioritize completing the mission."
"Agreed!"
"I agree too!"
Everyone carefully skirted around.
At that moment, a particularly domineering Scorpion-Tailed Wild Bull caught their attention.
【Skeletal Scorpion-Tailed Bull】, Level 5 Elite Monster...
Description: An elite-level monster leader, not only more ferocious than ordinary Scorpion-Tailed Wild Bulls but also more adept at using deadly poison to kill its prey.
This monster was significantly larger than an ordinary Scorpion-Tailed Wild Bull, with fur gleaming like bronze metal.
Its head was encased in a layer of bony material, resembling a massive skull helmet crowned with twin horns, and within its bronze bell-sized eye sockets, it seemed as if flames were flickering.
Just standing there,
It exuded an overwhelming sense of dominance.
This was undoubtedly the area's boss.
If they could take it down, they would earn the First Kill reward!
Of course, the players remained extremely cautious. After all, even the Snake-Tailed Flame Chicken had been a tough fight.
This boss in front of them was clearly much stronger than that.
Rushing into battle without understanding its mechanics would almost certainly mean death — even ten lives would not be enough!
After taking a long detour,
They finally managed to avoid the monster area.
Everyone breathed a deep sigh of relief.
The target town was now very close.
Suddenly, Chenxi spoke up, "Is that a building up ahead?"
They saw a dilapidated structure resembling a pavilion emerging in the distance, completely overgrown with withered vines.
Among it stood a broken stone stele, most of its inscriptions weathered and blurred, with only a few characters faintly recognizable.
"There’s writing!"
"The town shouldn’t be far now."
"Are we finally about to make contact with the civilization of this dark Three Kingdoms?"
"Judging by how ruined this place is, who knows what happened here. Maybe we’ll encounter an NPC from the Three Kingdoms era who can explain what went wrong."
This was indeed the Three Kingdoms.
Yet not the familiar Three Kingdoms.
No one knew exactly what had transpired in this world.
It was precisely because of this that there were so many mysteries and puzzles to uncover.
Everyone felt as though they were playing a fragmented narrative soul-like game!
Perhaps every inconspicuous item, every scrap of text, every NPC, or even equipment, items, and minor monsters could contain crucial story clues.