Chapter 84: The Secret Realm Opens

The battle that took place in the castle last night still left Jony in shock whenever he recalled the scene.

The formidable strength and sheer audacity displayed by Irving had left a profound impact on everyone present.

Even though Irving had shown no mercy, driving out all twelve guilds from the castle, these people were still eager to find out more about him.

As the apocalypse descended, following a strong leader was always the wisest choice in such a harsh environment.

Inside the mansion.

"Sophia, you must find a way to get closer to that young man." Jony urged, continuing, "You two are the same age, and I'm not sure what the relationship is between him and that girl from the other night. But it doesn't matter; a man like him having multiple women around is quite normal. Sophia..."

"Dad!" Sophia furrowed her brows, "Please stop. While I admit he is incredibly strong, we're just friends."

Sophia felt a mix of emotions.

She knew that if Irving hadn't shown up, she would have died in that cave.

Without Irving, her family wouldn't have been rescued either.

However, she couldn't overcome her inner turmoil. After all, she had never had a boyfriend, and Irving already had a woman by his side.

"I understand what you're worried about." Jony, having lived through much, could easily read his daughter's mind. He continued, "Trust your father's judgment! I have a strong premonition that this young man will reach heights we can't even fathom. It's only a matter of time."

"Now is the best time to get close to him."

He added. "Let's not talk about the apocalypse, even in normal circumstances, it's not uncommon for a powerful man to have multiple wives and concubines.. As long as he can love and protect you, that's enough."

But Sophia couldn't accept his reasoning and stood up, leaving the room in defiance.

Watching her leave, Jony sighed deeply. The situation in Starling City was becoming increasingly unstable, with various forces eager to gain an advantage before the impending apocalypse, aiming to secure their foothold.

When the apocalypse truly struck, there would be a massive reshuffling of power. Families that were once mighty might find themselves at the very bottom, struggling to survive, and some might not even be able to protect their lives.

Jony's brows knitted together as he pondered this. He couldn't bear to see the family, built through generations of effort, fall apart. In the young man from last night, he saw a glimmer of hope.

"It's all my fault for spoiling her too much in the past." Jony shook his head, fully aware of his daughter's stubborn nature. He sighed again and left the room.

Meanwhile, the opening of the [Flowing Light and Dense Realm] was imminent.

After dinner, Irving logged into the game. He had a little over an hour left. Given the state of the castle after last night's battle, there was no rush to proceed with the [Occupation].

Standing in front of the stone house.

Irving glanced at the surrounding wooden walls and arrow towers and shook his head.

He had to admit, compared to the castle constructed by The Brotherhood of Night Blades using resources looted from twelve guilds, his shelter appeared embarrassingly simple.

"Irving, even though the exact time of the third wave of cataclysm hasn't been announced, we need to prepare in advance." Vicky said with some concern.

Irving smiled silently.

He hadn't mentioned his plan to take over that castle, figuring Vicky would naturally find out when the time came.

At that moment, Little Black came over, swaggering and rubbing affectionately against Irving's pant leg. Trailing behind were several exotic beasts.

As these exotic beasts spotted Irving, they lined up neatly, much like soldiers before their general, seemingly awaiting their next orders.

Irving looked at the exotic beasts before him, still bearing the scars from the previous night's battle, and sighed.

The skirmish last night had been brutal, not only causing significant casualties among the Green Ivy Guild but also decimating nearly the entire group of close to a hundred exotic beasts he had brought along. Only the eight Stone Golem Giants maintaining the turbine generator's power supply had survived. Now, he was left with merely four.

"Help them recover from their injuries." Irving said, looking at Vicky.

Exotic beasts inherently had strong regenerative abilities, given that they constantly faced danger. With just a slight use of her [Healing Art], Vicky managed to completely heal the wounds of the exotic beasts.

Irving focused slightly to open his [Personal Information] interface.

[Class: Necromancer]

[Novice Phase, Lv: 6 (/120)]

[Talent: Tenfold Drop Rate]

[Equipment: Evil Source Wand (Legendary), Void Ring] seaʀᴄh thё nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[Hidden Identity: Public Enemy No. 1!]

[Player's enslaved exotic beasts: Stone Golem Giants*9, Snow Shadow Headed Wolf*1, Snow Shadow Wolf*2...]

Although the number of exotic beasts had significantly decreased, his level hadn't dropped.

At level six, he was still in the Novice Phase, a phase devoid of any enhancements. Only upon reaching level eleven and entering the Trainee Hero phase would he gain the corresponding boosts, with a chance to enhance his talent.

For Irving, there was only one path to leveling up at this stage: continuously collecting and enslaving exotic beasts. Other methods were not even worth considering.

However, he could already sense that the path to leveling up wouldn't remain this straightforward.

After all, if it were merely about quantity, he could easily enslave low-level pigmen, significantly boosting his exotic beast count in a short time.

"I suspect that once I enter the Trainee Hero phase, the difficulty of leveling up will increase dramatically..." Irving murmured to himself. "But for now, let's not worry about that. The upcoming [Flowing Light and Dense Realm] event, initiated by the will of Blue Star, promises a lot of valuable loot."

The combat capabilities of exotic beasts like pigmen and butchers outside the shelter were too low. Having them around wouldn't even make them effective cannon fodder; they would just be a burden.

Irving decided he wouldn't waste any more time enslaving low-tier exotic beasts.

His focus was entirely on the [Flowing Light and Dense Realm]. Despite having the [Tenfold Drop Rate] talent, the highest-level exotic beasts he had encountered so far were only mid-level.

Due to the level restrictions of these exotic beasts, even with a high drop rate, the quality of the equipment he obtained was limited.

The [Flowing Light and Dense Realm] presented an excellent opportunity, fraught with both danger and potential rewards. It would spawn not only a large number of high-tier equipment but also powerful exotic beasts.

Perhaps for other players, encountering a powerful exotic beast would be a matter of great concern. However, for Irving, who wielded the[Evil Source Wand]and had even been dubbed "Public Enemy No. 1" by the Blue Star, it was a fortuitous opportunity.

His army of exotic beasts urgently needed to grow stronger!

In the harsh reality of the apocalypse, anyone around him could potentially betray him, but exotic beasts would not. No matter what, they would remain loyal to their master until death.

Irving glanced at the wand in his hand once more. Although it was already a legendary piece of equipment, his low level prevented him from unleashing its true power.

Besides this primary weapon, all his armor had been destroyed in the previous battle.

"Hopefully, after returning from the[Flowing Light and Dense Realm], I can acquire some strong yet lightweight protective gear. Otherwise, I'm bound to suffer for it one day..." Irving thought to himself.

As a Necromancer, he belonged to one of the most unique and rare classes of mages, a class with an inherent flaw: weak close-combat abilities.

This was why, when faced with Duncan last night, Irving had been forced to resort to a mutually destructive end. He could clearly sense how formidable a Trainee Hero-level warrior's physical strength was.

Moreover, as levels increased over time, this physical disparity would only widen, potentially turning into an insurmountable chasm...

In future battles, if he were ever forced into close combat, his defensive gear would be his last line of defense!

Just as Irving was deep in thought, a notification suddenly echoed in his mind.

[The Flowing Light and Dense Realm will open in thirty minutes!]

[Players, please proceed to the portal to enter the Flowing Light and Dense Realm.]

[Kind Reminder: 1. Each player has only one life in the Flowing Light and Dense Realm. Upon death, they will be forcibly logged out and resurrected the next day. 2. The portal will remain open for only half an hour. Missing this window means you cannot enter.

3. The Flowing Light and Dense Realm will be accessible for only four hours, or until a player discovers the core treasure of the secret realm, at which point all other players will be forcibly logged out...]

Not just Irving, but every player in the game received this message.

Immediately following the announcement, a vortex-like portal appeared out of thin air beside each player. Entering it would transport them directly to the[Flowing Light and Dense Realm].

"You stay here and guard the place. You won't be needed this time." Irving commanded the four exotic beasts beside him.

The situation inside the secret realm was unknown, but one thing was certain: many players would participate. Bringing the exotic beasts along might not only be unhelpful but could also attract unnecessary trouble if other players saw them.

Quickly, Irving, along with Vicky and Little Black, stepped into the portal.

An adventure had begun...