Chapter 96: In a confrontation, the braver one wins

"Something's not right... it seems like they're accompanied by something." the player at the forefront of the Fox family guild suddenly hesitated.

Before he could react, his vision went black.

"It's the poisonous spiders from the woods!" a nearby player exclaimed in alarm.

Everyone froze.

They saw the player who had been knocked to the ground desperately trying to tear the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider off his face.

However, the eight legs of the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider were barbed. Once the spider pounced on a player, the barbs would embed deeply into the flesh.

"Help... help me!" the player screamed.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a sharp pain in his face, followed by a rapid numbness spreading through his limbs.

Watching their fallen comrade, the players of the Fox family guild exchanged looks, none daring to step forward. Their expressions were a mix of complex emotions.

"How did those poisonous spiders end up here?" one player asked, puzzled.

The next moment.

As James led his twenty players closer, they finally saw clearly that their ranks were mixed with a large swarm of Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders.

"This... can't be possible!"

"Am I seeing things?" the players of the Fox family guild rubbed their eyes, mouths agape in shock.

In the woods on the outskirts of the secret realm, numerous colonies of Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders were scattered. That was their territory.

Every player who entered the woods would be considered prey by the spiders.

But upon leaving the woods, none would be seen at the base of the volcano, let alone deep within the volcanic underground. The scorching temperatures there were entirely unsuitable for their survival.

"You bastards, traitorous dogs colluding with foreign forces, I'll slaughter you all today!" By now, James had charged forward with his men, and a burly warrior from the Green Ivy Group swung his axe heavily towards the head of a still-dazed player.

Although there were ongoing disputes and hidden battles among the various domestic guilds, these were internal conflicts. Once foreign forces became involved, the situation changed entirely.

The players recruited by the Green Ivy Group were all filled with fervent zeal. At this moment, they were fighting not just for themselves.

Any man of flesh and blood would never accept foreign forces encroaching on their homeland.

Thud!

As the axe fell, the player's head was brutally split open, and blood spurted out in an instant.

The thick scent of blood immediately filled the air.

"How could you abandon your dignity as a human being to become the lackeys of foreign powers, scum!" The burly warrior from the Green Ivy Group spat on the player's body, quickly pulling out his axe and charging forward again.

In a confrontation, the braver one wins.

The roughly twenty players from the Green Ivy Group, driven by a Spartan-like fury, began a wild slaughter.

On the other hand, the players of the Fox family guild, though superior in numbers and evenly matched in strength, were now like a pack of scared, stray dogs.

There were two reasons for this.

Firstly.

Morale.

As melee warriors, once their morale was crushed by the opponents, the outcome was already decided, especially when their strengths were nearly equal.

Of course, the most crucial factor was the sudden appearance of the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders!

No one could have imagined that these spiders, which only existed in the woods, would show up in the volcanic underground.

And the one orchestrating this was Irving...

Not far away.

Seeing the twenty-odd players from the Green Ivy Group defeat an enemy force several times their number, the members of the Angel Guild, who had long been terrified, were dumbfounded.

They fell into a stunned silence, especially those who had mocked earlier, feeling their cheeks burn with shame.

Anna glanced at the members of the Angel Guild behind her, a look of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

"Do you see that!" Aron shot them a fierce glare, his voice harsh and rebuking, "That's what we call spirit, that's what we call courage!"

"You were all spoiled because every time you took action, there was a guard escorting you. The world is far more brutal than you can ever imagine." As he spoke, Aron's face was filled with a combination of disappointment and frustration.

These members of the Angel Guild, each having an extraordinary talent in the game, were like flowers in a greenhouse under the official protection, never able to truly grow and thrive...

"Worthless!" The leader of the Night Blades, a mysterious man, looked at the returning Addison and, lifting his hand, delivered a heavy slap to his face.

"Lord Vite, please let me explain..." Addison, covering his reddened cheek, attempted to speak.

But he was met with yet another slap.

"What is there to explain? We, the Night Blades, have sent you so much equipment, and what was the result?" A harsh glint flashed in Vite's cold eyes. "Cowards! All of you, the people of your country, are spineless. I don't understand what use you are!"

Addison lowered his head, not daring to speak further.

Even though he felt a surge of anger at these words, it quickly disappeared.

Having chosen to be a dog, he had to accept the reality of being one.

"Get out of my sight." Vite shoved Addison aside, his gaze drifting towards the group of the Green Ivy Group not far away, an odd look flashing in his cold eyes.

Although they belonged to different countries and served different powers, Vite found himself feeling a touch of respect for the players of the Green Ivy Group.

He had been observing the recent battle from the rear, his gaze barely lingering on the more than twenty players of the Green Ivy Group before shifting again.

"Those three young people are quite unusual..." Vite muttered.

He was referring to Vicky, Sophia, and Irving.

At this moment, a low voice of a diminutive Black Robed Old Man by his side broke the silence, "Lord Vite, I believe the most significant threat is the young man in the center... I can feel that he is far more powerful than the other two."

The Black Robed Old Man, his gaze sharp and penetrating, was staring intensely at Irving, continuing, "Especially the staff in his hand. I seem to feel a very strong power emanating from it." seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

At his words, Vite nodded in agreement. However, as his eyes fell on Irving's face, his countenance suddenly froze.

"Is that him?!" Vite couldn't help but exclaim.

"Lord Vite, do you know him?" The Black Robed Old Man inquired.

"Do you remember our operation in the capital city some time ago?" Vite paused before continuing, "We paid a huge price back then, and finally, one of our small squads managed to infiltrate, but in the end... it was him who ruined the operation!"

The Black Robed Old Man was also stunned. As his aged gaze fell on Irving again, his eyes became increasingly complex.

At that time, the Night Blades had dispatched a total of five small squads with orders to infiltrate the country at all costs. Their mission was to take advantage of the first offline event hosted by the official authorities to eliminate the first batch of players granted access to the Other World Game.

Their objective was straightforward: to significantly weaken the country's player strength.

The first batch of players chosen by the Blue Star Will were the most gifted and promising. They possessed certain qualities, and subsequent slots granted to players were far less valuable.

However, the meticulously planned operation by the Night Blades was completely disrupted by one young man, Irving.

"According to the intelligence at the time, he was already a mage back then." the Black Robed Old Man said gravely. "But I feel he is not that simple. Those suddenly appearing venomous spiders are very likely related to him."

The next moment.

The Black Robed Old Man seemed to suddenly realize something. His aged eyes widened: "Could he actually control those venomous spiders? Otherwise, how could they appear in the heart of the volcano?"

Crucially, if the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders were naturally present in the volcanic heart, they would have indiscriminately attacked all nearby players.

However, the reality was quite the opposite. The Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders seemed to have allied with the players of the Green Ivy Group, joining the battle together.

This was the fundamental reason why the guild formed by the Fox family had collapsed so swiftly.

Without the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders joining the fray, the remaining twenty players of the Green Ivy Group, despite their bravery and determination, would never have lasted this long.

At this moment.

The sounds of battle in the heart of the volcano gradually subsided, with countless corpses piling up in the narrow passageways.

James's armor was stained with blood, and behind him stood twelve players.

These players had fought alongside him to the very end.

James and the twelve players simultaneously looked at Vite standing before them, emanating a powerful aura of killing intent. Their bloodshot eyes were filled with rage.

However, Vite merely gave a disdainful smile. He glanced at James and his companions with indifference, not considering them worth his attention. His cold gaze then shifted to Irving in the distance.

There was no denying that the young man in the distance piqued his interest greatly.

"Your name is Irving, isn't it?" Vite sneered, pointing to the front and continuing with a hint of provocation, "Do you dare to come here and have a chat?"