35 Chapter35-Gathering of Forces
The sun rose in the east.
When John, clad in a black robe, arrived at the Dark Forest bar, the doors were still shut.
Yet, inside the hall stood four individuals dressed in uniforms similar to John's, two men and two women.
John was somewhat taken aback upon seeing them, as these faces were all too familiar.
They were either bartenders he had seen on the second floor or regular patrons who frequented the bar for drinks.
Having been around for two or three years, John had his suspicions, but he never imagined that these Hidden Stars folks would so blatantly use the Dark Forest bar as their secret base, showing little to no discretion typical of a covert organization.
As this group noticed John entering in Hidden Stars attire, smiles spread across their faces.
A burly man, who was polishing a giant sword, laughed heartily at a companion, "See, I told you this kid would join us sooner or later. Old Dog, cough up the money. I won this time, and I won't accept a penny less!"
The Hidden Stars member known as Old Dog was a short, thin man with a sneaky appearance.
John recognized him as someone who usually stood by the second-floor windows, drinking while watching the girls dance in the club below—a rather sleazy character.
At that moment, Old Dog, with a gloomy expression, reluctantly pulled out his wallet, muttering, "Damn, I misjudged. Isn't this kid just awakened as a common magus class..."
John was speechless, finding it incredulous that he had been the subject of their bet.
Victor hadn't arrived yet. John was fairly acquainted with these folks and quickly blended in with them.
Before long, he had learned their codenames and class levels.
The burly man who had bet with Old Dog was named "Gold Flash," a lv51 diamond-tier earth dragon knight.
Among the two women, the tall, black-haired lady who preferred silence was a lv49 platinum-tier dark flame magus named "Dark Fox," while the other, with a seemingly innocent face but a stunning figure, was a lv45 platinum-tier Radiant Priest named "Silver Tear."
To John's surprise, the seemingly unreliable Old Dog turned out to be a lv54 diamond-tier assassin!
Looking at Old Dog's smug expression, John found it hard to associate him with the prowess of a diamond-tier warrior.
The team was indeed powerful, with an overall strength reaching the diamond-tier.
Only John, at lv10, seemed a bit out of place.
When they learned that John would be joining them on the trip to the advanced secret realm, they were all taken aback.
Old Dog looked at John in astonishment and asked, "Kid, do you have a death wish?"
The earth dragon knight Gold Flash also clucked his tongue, "The advanced secret realm is full of dangers. Isn't a lv10 like you going in there just seeking death?"
The shy priest Silver Tear softly advised him against going, and even Dark Fox, who had been meditating, gave John another look.
John shrugged and smiled, "I'm just going in to grind some low-level monsters and get a glimpse of the world. After all, it's not every day you get a chance to enter an advanced secret realm. Who knows, I might stumble upon some good fortune."
The undeveloped secret realm was rich in resources and, with its abundance of high-level monsters, leveling up there was indeed much faster than in ordinary secret realms.
John's reasoning did make sense, but typically, not many would dare to do so.
Those who dared to enter an advanced secret realm at a low level were either extremely confident in their abilities or possessed powerful items.
Yet, John didn't seem to fit either category.
Old Dog couldn't help but give a thumbs up, teasing,
"Not bad, I admire people with your kind of recklessness. But don't worry, once we're in the secret realm, you just find a place to level up, and leave the rest to us."
The other three nodded in agreement.
They had their own missions to attend to and naturally couldn't look after John.
Besides, there were level restrictions for forming a team; the level gap between members couldn't exceed 10 levels, so they couldn't team up with John for leveling.
Nonetheless, getting John to a lower-level area within the secret realm was no issue. The rest would be up to him.
The group chatted casually at a booth in the bar. Before long, Victor, also in a black uniform, approached.
The five immediately straightened up and adopted a more serious demeanor.
John knew his first mission was about to commence.
Victor glanced over the group, his gaze lingering on John for a moment, before calmly stating,
"This mission includes a new member. His strength isn't great, but since he insists on entering the secret realm, you don't need to give him special treatment. Just focus on completing the mission, understood?"
Old Dog and Gold Flash exchanged helpless glances and nodded, their looks towards John carrying a hint of apology.
John didn't find anything wrong with Victor's approach.
If he died in the secret realm, it would be his own choice, with no need to involve others.
Besides, they had more important tasks at hand.
In Victor's eyes, he was merely there to tag along, so it wouldn't be right for him to hinder their mission.
Victor glanced at the time, then spoke gravely,
"The secret realm is about to open. Once you're inside, try to avoid conflicts with other factions. If you find anything related to the dark god's legacy or remnants of power, immediately report back to me using the badge. I'll handle it."
He surveyed the group, adding sternly, "Remember, don't try to tough it out if you encounter danger. There are many powerful individuals this time, and I can't look after you at every moment. If someone picks a fight, and you're confident, take them down on the spot, no matter who they are! Don't worry about the repercussions; I'll take care of them. Your primary objective is to stay alive. Everything else is secondary and will be handled by others. Got it?"
The group responded in unison, "Understood!"
Victor's commanding tone displayed the assertiveness and humane side of Hidden Stars, making John appreciate the firmness typical of Federal operatives.
Victor nodded, not saying much more, and gestured, "Depart immediately!"
Old Dog and the others expertly picked up their gear.
Without any noticeable action, silver masks materialized on their faces, covering everything but their eyes.
Even Victor's face now bore a golden mask, even more intricate and imposing.
John had examined his uniform and badge and knew these seemingly ordinary items were actually iron-tier equipment specially crafted by a blacksmith.
Though these pieces had no attributes, they possessed miraculous functions, not only concealing their faces but also enabling communication and signal transmission, a true piece of high technology.
The masks on Old Dog and the others' faces were the effects of the Hidden Stars badge.
Imitating the others, John activated his badge and donned a mask as well.
His, however, was black.
John surmised that the color of the mask might represent their rank within Hidden Stars, but he wasn't certain of the specifics.
He made a mental note to inquire more about it from Old Dog when time allowed.
After their preparations, the group didn't linger and exited through the back door of the Dark Forest bar.
A massive black hovercar awaited them outside.
Old Dog and the others climbed aboard, but Victor did not join them.
He nodded to the group and then transformed into a streak of white light, shooting towards the sky.
His speed was so great that it created a series of sonic booms, and he vanished in the blink of an eye.
With Victor's strength, there was naturally no need for him to use a vehicle, and even John's current speed was faster than the hovercar's.
However, they chose to ride in order to conserve energy.
The hovercar sped away.
Two days later, John once again beheld the majestic Wallfort of Stellarburg. But unlike his first visit, his emotions were now much more subdued.
The black hovercar soared over Wallfort, and the azure sky instantly turned to a murky grey.
It was as if an indissoluble cloud covered all sunlight, casting a pall over everyone's spirits.
...
Merely a hundred kilometers from Stellarburg, the vast desert was now crisscrossed with eerie red lines.
These lines formed a colossal magic array on the barren land, its red, sinister light flickering continuously.
Waves of daunting pressure emanated from it, as if some monstrous creature might burst forth at any moment.
Yet, the people standing nearby seemed unaffected, continuing their conversations and laughter.
Anyone knowledgeable would be astounded by the scene, for the area teemed with powerful figures and major forces.
In addition to Stellarburg's Lord Theodore, Eldritch of the StellarSea Academy, Baron of the Goldworth conglomerate, Maximilian of the Foster Group, Alexander Stratford of the Northwest Citadel, there were also renowned Wanderer teams, mercenary groups, bounty hunters, and solitary powerhouses gathered.
Virtually every notable figure who had received the news had converged on this typically deserted area.
Everyone was there for one reason: the advanced secret realm.
