Chapter 100: Abandoning the Contest

The "Legacy Treasure" was within reach, yet everyone present fell into silence.

At that moment, James turned his gaze to the side and without hesitation said, "If this method really works, I'm willing to quit the game and leave the opportunity to Irving!"

He continued, "If it weren't for Irving, we wouldn't have made it this far. We might have been killed by those Night Blades bastards long ago." Sёarch* The nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"That's right!"

"Since James has said so, I'm also willing to give this chance to this brother."

"I'll quit too!"

"Me too..." Behind them, the seven players from the Green Ivy Group also nodded in agreement, their gazes all fixed on Irving.

The reason these people made such a decision was not because of James, the guild leader's influence, but because they genuinely admired this young man.

Earlier, when Irving led the Green Ivy Group to storm the Brotherhood of Night Blades' fortress, his strength and boldness had already won over many.

And during this secret realm exploration, especially when they encountered those Red Flame Fierce Snakes, the players from the Green Ivy Group had already decided that even at the cost of their lives, they would cover for Irving to enter the volcanic core.

However, Irving had not chosen to do so at the time. Instead, he risked staying behind to lead the players in killing those Red Flame Fierce Snakes.

In this young man, they saw a light, a light of hope!

"Irving, that Legacy Treasure wouldn't be of much use to us anyway, and it would just waste the opportunity." James said with a smile.

James's decision was not entirely selfless. In the harsh environment of the apocalypse, everyone would naturally consider their own interests, which is human instinct.

But he was very clear that with Irving's strength and boldness, he would surely achieve something extraordinary in the near future. All James needed to do was to support him at any cost.

Sometimes, making the right choice is crucial.

And in the near future, James and his guild, as well as his family, would all benefit greatly from his choice. Of course, that's another story...

"Irving, we'll leave now, and the rest is up to you." James said, glancing at Anna and Aron before leading the seven players from his guild to exit the game.

In the volcanic core, apart from Irving, only the Angel Guild remained.

Aron hung his head low and couldn't help but let out a sigh. A rare hint of hesitation surfaced on his resolute face as he turned to look at Anna beside him, seemingly inquiring about something.

Meanwhile, the remaining dozen or so members of the Angel Guild also turned their gazes towards Anna, all waiting for her decision.

Before entering the secret realm this time, the Angel Guild had been ordered by their superiors to obtain the treasure within at all costs. This would have a profound impact on the influence of the authorities in the ensuing apocalypse.

The protection team that Aron led was a group of elites selected from the military. Their sole purpose was to ensure that the Angel Guild completed this mission.

However, the entire protection team had been annihilated, and the Angel Guild had also suffered heavy losses. As the deputy leader of the Angel Guild and the direct commander of this operation, Anna would be unable to explain the situation to her superiors if she couldn't obtain the treasure within the secret realm.

Not only her position as deputy leader would be revoked, but she might also bear the full responsibility for the failure of this operation...

Anna's eyebrows knotted tightly together, and she couldn't help but sigh, "Irving, I'm terribly sorry. I'm representing the authorities, and I can't just choose to give up like they did."

Upon deciphering the underlying meaning of these words, the expressions of Vicky and Sophia immediately darkened.

Vicky said indignantly, "So, you mean that you want to compete with us for this treasure? If it wasn't for Irving ordering the Green Ivy Group to rush up just now, your Angel Guild would have already..."

"That's enough." Irving interrupted her before she could finish her words.

"Irving, I didn't say anything wrong. We saved them, and now they're repaying kindness with ingratitude." Vicky rebuked, her heart filled with resentment.

However, when she saw the look in Irving's eyes, she could only close her mouth. Even so, her face was filled with anger when she looked at Anna.

Sophia, on the other hand, didn't say anything, but one could see a hint of chill on her cold face.

Even Little Black, who had been staying close to Irving, seemed to have sensed something. When it looked at the members of the Angel Guild, its round eyes were also filled with hostility.

Surrounding them, over a dozen Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders were also gathering.

Irving remained silent, simply casting a cool glance at Anna and the others. He was waiting for the Angel Guild to make the first move.

Despite being targeted by the Night Blades just now and narrowly escaping death, his injuries had mostly healed by now. If the Angel Guild dared to attack first, he would not hold back even given their past relationship.

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

"Anna!" At this moment, Aron suddenly stood up. He first glanced at Irving, then turned his gaze to Anna, "Vicky was right. If it wasn't for Irving, we might have been wiped out by those Night Blades by now. So... if you want to fight, then fight. I wouldn't harm my own people anyway, and even if there were repercussions from above, I would bear them all alone!"

At this point in time, Anna was in a great dilemma as well. As the deputy leader of the Angel Guild and the overall commander of this operation, she had to do this for the benefits of the authorities.

However…

After a moment, Anna sighed. She turned around to face the members of the Angel Guild and said: "You always thought of yourselves as more talented than other players, right? Now the opportunity is here. Do you think you are qualified to fight him?"

Her sudden question sounded exceedingly grating.

The dozen or so members of the Angel Guild were momentarily stunned, then suddenly seemed to understand something, and one by one, they lowered their heads in shame.

This secret realm expedition had a profound impact on the Angel Guild, especially on these members who had always been under official protection and had never truly experienced real combat.

Even though they possessed excellent talent in the Other World, flowers nurtured in a greenhouse can never truly grow strong, nor withstand the trials of storms.

This secret realm expedition had laid bare all their shortcomings!

"I asked you a question! Answer me, do you have the ability to contend with him?" Anna questioned once again, her voice echoing in everyone's ears.

"Anna, we…" The members of the Angel Guild first glanced at Irving, then helplessly shook their heads.

"Alright!" Anna continued, "It's good that you understand. Since that's the case, it seems that our Angel Guild is not qualified to vie for the treasures of this secret realm this time!"

"I hope you understand that in the impending apocalypse, no one will care about your official background or whether you are members of the Angel Guild. Only unwavering courage and strength will enable you to go further!"

This secret realm expedition had imparted a vivid lesson to these Angel Guild members.

In the near future, they would become increasingly stronger because they would always remember this expedition. Whenever they faced difficulties and crises, a figure of a young man would always appear in their minds.

The strength and bravery of that young man became their model to follow…

"Irving, our Angel Guild is not voluntarily giving up the treasures of this secret realm, but because we no longer have the ability to compete." Anna's tone gradually softened as she spoke, "Irving, I hope you can understand. After all, I am a representative of the authorities, and no matter how close our personal relationship is, I must prioritize the interests of the officials."

With that, Anna led the members of the Angel Guild out of the game.

At this point, only Irving and his companions were left in the belly of the volcano. Apart from the rolling sound of the boiling lava, the surroundings fell into a profound silence.

"Irving, why isn't there any reaction? By now, we should be the last players remaining, so that 'Inheritance Treasure' should belong to us." Vicky paused, then continued to speculate, "Could it be that Sophia and I also need to log out of the game?"

At this point, Vicky and Sophia exchanged glances. Without any hesitation, they were about to log out of the game as well.

"Wait a moment." Irving suddenly stopped them, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "Even if you both log out of the game, I'm afraid that 'Inheritance Treasure' won't automatically come into my possession."

"Irving, there's only eight minutes left until the secret realm closes. Just let us try!" Vicky urged.

The usually taciturn Sophia nodded in agreement, "That's right, let's give it a try. This is our only option left. Once the secret realm closes, all the treasures will be permanently buried and never appear again."

Irving didn't say anything more. With his current abilities, he couldn't traverse the forty to fifty meters distance to reach the platform directly.

Soon, Vicky and Sophia also logged out.

Besides Little Black and the Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spiders, Irving was the only player left in the volcano's belly, and he was the closest to the 'Inheritance Treasure.' However, after waiting for a moment, not only did the 'Inheritance Treasure' show no signs of movement, but the system also remained unresponsive.

"As expected…" Irving's face showed a hint of bitterness.

[Time until the secret realm closes: 00:06:21]

Seeing the time ticking away, Irving suddenly remembered the parchment scroll he had found in the side hall after conquering the castle. Maybe it contained some clues.

This was his last chance…