Just an Appetizer

"Allow me to explain in terms that you might understand better. You, humans, are familiar with the term 'appetizer', I believe. But if I were to tell you that what you are currently experiencing is just an appetizer, then it's not even that." Despite the old man's obscure language, everyone understood that their current ordeal was nothing compared to the so-called guard. This suggested that the guard was an ultimate boss beyond their wildest imagination.

As the old man spoke, he appeared to age rapidly and lose his vitality. "Remember," he continued, "no matter what, once you enter... Guard maze... don't believe anything you see." He was unable to finish his sentence before collapsing to the ground. The sight of his body withering and turning powerless was frightening to behold.

"Beep, beep, beep!"

The antlions were about to launch a second wave of attacks. "We need to deal with the problem here first before we can locate the guard," someone said. Without any weapons at their disposal, they had no choice but to rely on brute force to fight off the monsters. There were no mines, machine guns, or grenades available to take down the creatures standing in their way.

As Bai Han and Lin Yuwei unleashed their powerful magic attacks, the two special forces soldiers could only watch in amazement as the battle unfolded without a single bullet being fired.

Despite their victory over the first wave of monsters, the group remained on high alert, unsure of how to defeat the monsters that stood before them. It was then that Lin Yuwei sprang into action, loading three crossbows and firing one at each of the three entrances. Her precise aim caused at least 20 to 30 monsters to fall.

Meanwhile, Bai Han wielded the Void Staff with a simple wave, reducing countless monsters to mere powder.

Eventually, the second wave of monsters was defeated, and the three red lights at the entrance of the cave went out, signaling their success.

As the group took a moment to catch their breath, Bai Han noticed something peculiar about the old man who had died of old age. The man's eyes seemed to hold a bright gleam, as if he had left something behind for them to discover.

Despite his death, the old man had kept his eyes open and tilted his head, insisting that they see his single eye. It was then that Bai Han realized that the Ferdican only had one eye, and that after death, it didn't become dilated like a normal person's eye, but instead turned black.

"Forgive me for what I'm about to do next." Without hesitation, Bai Han took out a dagger and plunged it directly into the man's eye.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" When Lin Yuwei saw Bai Han's actions and was about to scold him, he retrieved a shiny item that was hidden within.

"It looks like one of their iconic possessions."

[Ferdican Crystal: This is a small, crystallized object found in the bodies of all Ferdican residents, tightly bound to their crystal core. If the crystal core is removed or moved, the crystal loses its function. However, the crystals that have lost their function can be extracted from the residents' bodies and used as fuel for any substance. This is the last gift that the

people of Ferdican leave to passersby and all players, after their short lives.

Upon returning to the real world, unexpected gains can be achieved by possessing these crystals.]

[Ding! Additional mission completed.]

[Mission brief: Recover all the crystals of the Ferdican people. 1/148 left]

Finding more than 100 of these crystallized plants would certainly be a daunting task, but the promise of unexpected gains upon returning to the real world piqued Bai Han's interest.

He was curious about the crystals' purpose and knew that he would have to find all the residents to uncover their secrets.

"It seems that we need to find all the residents if we want to learn more about these crystals," Bai Han mused.

"I know where their settlement is. Colonel Sheffield and I have been there before. However, the place has since become infested with monsters. Strangely enough, as long as the residents don't provoke the monsters, the monsters won't attack them," Simon explained.

Bai Han understood why the situation had deteriorated. This place was originally peaceful, but outside forces sowed discord between the monsters and the residents, sparking a war. When players arrived, they were unknowingly drawn into the conflict by missions that required them to obtain mysterious creatures. This continued the cycle of violence and harassment by the monsters.

It was clear that someone was manipulating events from behind the scenes, and the secret realm was likely created by this shadowy figure. But what was their end goal? What was the significance of the crystal core?

Recalling Zhou Qiang's previous actions, Bai Han realized that the Zhou family, with their substantial influence, likely knew more about the situation than he did. If he could escape from this place and return to the real world, he might be able to use Zhou Qiang as a source of information.

Perhaps this encounter with Zhou Qiang, the so-called "bastard," was a blessing in disguise. Despite helping Zhou Qiang, Bai Han might be able to extract valuable information from him and turn the tables in his favor.

"Let's go search for the settlement you mentioned," suggested Bai Han.

Simon nodded in agreement and they made their way to Cave No. 2.

Each cave appeared to lead to a distinct location. Cave No. 1 served as a passage to the Initial Mystic Realm forest as well as another location. According to Simon, Cave No. 4 was a dead-end with no other way out. When they first arrived at the mystic realm, they had used military shovels to dig out these four caves. Despite disrupting the ecological balance, they had also provided many residents with protection from the monster attacks.