Chapter 9: Am I Walking into a Trap?

This unexpected encounter left both sides momentarily stunned.

Fang Zheng hadn't expected these cultists to appear in this cellar via teleportation array. After all, in the game, players arrived in Tristram to find it already engulfed in flames with cultists everywhere. Hence, it was natural to assume that the cultists had invaded Tristram. But now, thinking carefully, if Tristram's priest was indeed a cultist, then it's not surprising that this teleportation array would connect to Magda's lair.

The cultists, on the other hand, clearly did not expect to encounter Fang Zheng in this secret cellar. Judging from his attire, he seemed like a militiaman, but how could an ordinary militiaman get in here? Could it be that he was also one of their companions?

"You..."

The leading cultist looked at Fang Zheng, just about to say something, when Fang Zheng swiftly dashed forward, gripping Frostmourne tightly in both hands and swinging hard!

Strike first and gain the upper hand; act late and face consequences!

There were more than a dozen cultists who teleported over this time, possibly their vanguard. Fang Zheng had no time to escape now, so he might as well seize the opportunity to catch them off guard!

Crusader Strike!

As Fang Zheng swung his sword, Frostmourne trembled again, a dazzling Holy Light erupting like a flashbang and illuminating the dark cellar in front of him. This caused the newly arrived cultists, who hadn't yet understood the situation, to instinctively raise their hands to shield their faces.

This time, the Crusader Strike, upgraded by one proficiency level, unleashed power that Fang Zheng had never imagined.

As Fang Zheng swung his sword, several cross-shaped holy symbols suddenly appeared around the blade, shooting out like heavy hammers, slamming into the cultists. The symbols then flashed and exploded, blasting the cultists back against the walls, where they slumped down, motionless.

This effective?

Seeing this, Fang Zheng was astonished. He hadn't expected the Crusader Strike to become such a powerful area-of-effect skill upon upgrading. It was almost comparable to the skills of the Nephalem in the Dark World... But thinking carefully, both were from the same company, so it's not surprising to see such changes.

Could it be because it's in the Dark World that the Crusader Strike skill transformed like this?

Whatever the reason, this was clearly a welcome change for Fang Zheng. That thought flashed through his mind and quickly vanished. He then tightened his grip on his longsword, absorbing the remnants of the golden light particles from the exploded crosses into Frostmourne, and aimed his thrust at the cultist leader.

"Ah———!!"

The blade, glowing with Holy Light, pierced through the cultist leader's chest. He let out a scream before collapsing to the ground, lifeless. Fang Zheng then swung his sword again, taking down two more enemies. But just as he planned to continue his assault, a dark figure appeared before him.

"Roar———!!"

A pitch-black, ferocious Hellhound suddenly emerged, roaring as it lunged at Fang Zheng. Forced to fend off the Hellhound's attack, Fang Zheng pushed it back with a sword strike and turned his attention forward again.

The other cultists had also risen by now, raising their hands to summon their demonic minions. Soon, black holes appeared in front of them, from which various demonic creatures emerged, standing between Fang Zheng and the cultists.

These cultists are quite capable.

Seeing them recover so quickly, Fang Zheng couldn't help but sigh internally, elevating the threat level of cultists in this world considerably. In his previous battles with the undead, Fang Zheng had already discovered that the combat power in the real Dark World was vastly different from the game.

Simply put, the game experience of a paying player and a non-paying player is worlds apart!

The soft and harmless undead in the game possessed Tyrant-Class strength and defense in reality. These cultists, who should have been easily bullied, had combat skills rivaling top-tier warriors.

Is it possible that I'm playing on nightmare difficulty?

The fight proved that these cultists were no pushovers. After forming a defensive wall using their summoned demon creatures, they raised their hands and started chanting. Instantly, fireballs shot from their hands toward Fang Zheng.

This is bad!

Seeing the fiery red fireballs, Fang Zheng quickly rolled to the side, taking cover behind the platform. Explosions echoed as the platform shook violently, hot air whistling past him. He watched as countless fire sparks scattered, igniting the surrounding tables, chairs, and cabinets. Soon, the entire cellar was ablaze. Smoke rolled, heat surged, and all that could be seen was wavering crimson.

"Damn, why do cultists always like to set fires?"

Enduring the thick smoke, Fang Zheng couldn't help but grumble under his breath. The entire basement was a sea of flames, with the exit completely blocked. Fang Zheng was now trapped between cultists in front and a raging inferno behind. Apart from Frostmourne, he had no useful equipment or items. He hadn't picked up anything good while fighting the undead earlier and was still wearing a militia outfit. If the fire continued, he was dead for sure!

No choice but to fight!

With that thought, Fang Zheng acted decisively. The cultists might have a way to survive in such an environment, but he didn't. Grabbing a stone fragment, he hurled it at the cultists' direction with all his might.

"Clang!"

The stone hit something with a loud noise, drawing the cultists' and their summoned demons' attention. Seeing this, Fang Zheng's heart stirred.

This is the moment!!

As the cultists turned to the noise, Fang Zheng leapt over the platform, rushing toward his enemy, Frostmourne in hand, turning himself into a storm as he charged.

Once again, Holy Light flashed. With a "boom," the demon creatures blocking Fang Zheng's path were blasted away. Seizing the opportunity, Fang Zheng lunged forward, thrusting Frostmourne into the heart of a cultist behind a demon creature. He didn't possess the Holy Church Army's ability to turn into a human cannonball, so he had to resort to this method.

"Kill him!!"

At that moment, Fang Zheng heard the cultists' furious roars. Rolling to the side, he felt a burning sensation graze his back. With a "bang" and a series of explosions, the cultist previously impaled by Fang Zheng was hit by a flying fireball, exploding into pieces. The blast sent Fang Zheng rolling backward uncontrollably.

Unbelievably unlucky!

In pain, Fang Zheng felt his entire body burning. His shoulder felt numb as if a chunk was missing, and he had no strength left in his hands. Frustrated, he thought about his misfortunes. Having died unexpectedly in his past life, he was reborn only to face endless chases and traps. What had he done to deserve this? His grandmother used to help people cross the street too!

When down on luck, blame society!

But Fang Zheng had no time to dwell on these thoughts. Trying to get up from the ground, he quickly realized his right hand was not on soil but on a hard, patterned stone slab!

Found it!!

Overjoyed, Fang Zheng looked around, spotting a glowing teleportation array carved into a stone slab beside him!

This is it!

Without hesitation, he rolled into the teleportation array. His assault on the cultists was not for mutual destruction. His sole aim was the teleportation array! If he could enter it, he could escape back to...

"Whoosh."

What's happening?

Fang Zheng stared blankly around him. He remembered stepping into the teleportation array, but before he could activate the portal to Tristram, the scenery changed. The burning cellar vanished, replaced by a dark and eerie hall.

Then, a woman's voice echoed in his ear.

"Who are you?"

Turning toward the voice, Fang Zheng saw a scantily clad woman floating in the air, with two butterfly-like insects beside her, watching him coldly. In front of her stood dozens of cultists in robes.

"I..."

Seeing the woman, Fang Zheng was speechless—wasn't she the cult leader responsible for Deckard Cain's death, Magda?

Did I just walk into a trap?