Chapter 5: Primordial Bonefire | Monsters Are Coming
"Serpent Bind!"
"Second Serpent Bind too!"
"Third Serpent joins in!"
—
After one hour of gameplay, Li Zheng and the others had become proficient in coordinated combat.
They had successfully slain several Cursed Soldiers at the ancient battlefield and all reached Level 2.
The six players using the Black-Scaled Serpent form had grown from their original one-meter length to about 1.3 meters.
The two players who chose the Owl-Headed Fiend form now had even more vibrant wings and larger frames.
The most noticeable change occurred in the Gargoyle forms, their bodies not only increased in size but were now coated with a layer of flowing black crystal sheen.
The more they played, the more stunned they were by the game's realism.
Especially the stat boosts after leveling up, they could feel the increases in strength, speed, and other attributes. It wasn't just numbers changing in a menu; it was real physical sensation.
That made leveling up not just exciting, but downright addictive. They were eager to feel their power continue to grow.
But the game wasn't without its issues.
It was too realistic. The stench from the decaying Cursed Soldiers was almost unbearable.
Worse still, the game hadn't disabled pain perception. During combat, even minor bumps and scrapes hurt.
They couldn't help cursing the Lunar Eclipse Race for being such maniacs, how could they not include a pain adjustment setting? Were they trying to torture players?
[Actually, the pain adjustment option is right there in the system settings in the function panel. Just because you didn't check doesn't mean it isn't there.]
"You couldn't have said that earlier?"
[Well, none of you asked.]
They called up the function panel and sure enough, found the pain adjustment slider in the system settings.
To their surprise, pain perception could only be reduced to 10%, but that was still better than 100% pain feedback.
After adjusting the settings, Li Zheng and the others saw their combat efficiency skyrocket.
After dismembering another Cursed Soldier, the exhausted players were about to rest…
When suddenly, Dirt Poor let out a sharp alert.
"Dirt Poor, why the hell are you screaming? You think you're actually an eagle now?"
"There's a strong energy fluctuation approaching from three o'clock."
Everyone looked in the indicated direction. In the distance, a three-meter-tall humanoid skeleton was striding toward them.
Unlike the previous Cursed Soldiers, this one's body was engulfed in roaring black flames. Its charred skeletal form, wreathed in terrifying shadowfire, looked incredibly menacing.
Focusing their vision, a monster info prompt appeared in their minds:
[Bonefire (First-Generation Primordial)]
Hunt Level: 9
Guide Analysis: A special monster wielding Primordial Power. Possesses the ability to manipulate deathly flames.
Note: Killing a Primordial Monster automatically completes containment. All participants share a substantial reward.
"A boss has appeared!"
Seeing that Bonefire was a Primordial Monster, Li Zheng and the others were ecstatic.
In other games, a boss always meant massive loot, especially for a gold-farmer like Li Zheng.
The profits from just one rare boss could cover several days of living expenses.
If they were lucky and a rare item dropped, they might even strike it rich.
And in most games, bosses had to be fought over with fierce competition.
But this one had walked right up to them. They weren't going to let this chance slip by.
"Kill it!"
The ten players charged at the standing Bonefire without hesitation.
"Serpent Bind!"
"Second Serpent Bind too!"
"Third Serpent joins in!"
—
Even before they got close, they were shouting out their signature moves.
As Dirt Poor once said. Win or lose, you gotta bring the hype.
But this time, things didn't go as smoothly.
Bonefire's empty eye sockets flared with black flames.
With a wave of its hand, several black fireballs detached from its body and flew at Li Zheng's group.
The frontliners, Li Zheng, Murderous Intent Rising, and Leopard-Headed F2P, were instantly struck and set ablaze.
The searing pain was unbearable. The three of them collapsed to the ground, thrashing and rolling as the flames continued to burn, completely unextinguished.
The remaining seven leapt over their burning teammates and continued their charge at Bonefire.
The moment they made contact, their bodies too were ignited by the flames, but they gritted their teeth and kept biting and pecking, chipping away at Bonefire's skeleton.
Before long, all ten players were reduced to ashes in a blaze of fire.
As the screen darkened, a system message echoed in their minds.
[Challenger Notice: Character death. Sacrificial Power -10 (If Sacrificial Power drops below 0, you cannot purchase any items in the game store). Character enters a 1-hour cooldown period.]
The view returned to the virtual interface. When they tried to click the game icon again, a prompt appeared:
[Character undergoing flesh reconstruction… (Cooldown: 59 minutes, 49 seconds)]
Realizing they couldn't re-enter the game, they had no choice but to log out of the virtual interface.
[Grind Kings Player Chat Group (Online: 10 Members)]
Dirt Poor (admin): What the hell? Why does the game have a revive cooldown? Give me another chance and I swear I could kill it.
Game Gold-Farmer: Dark Land's realism is so perfect, it's painful. Even with pain perception set to 10%, that fire still had me thinking I was about to meet my great-grandma.
Paying for Games? LMAO: It's fun, no doubt. The attribute feedback is amazing. But the pain is real too. Bonefire's combat power is insane. At Level 2, we're no match. I suggest we level up before trying again.
Murderous Intent Rising: Damn… there's a respawn cooldown? My Level 100 Heavenly Python development plan is now completely on hold. I'm hurting, guys.
Family-Sharing Stepdad: Brothers, big problem, Welfare Officer has left the group.
Dirt Poor (admin): What the, Stepdad's out? He probably got scared about sharing pirated content. Everyone, keep this hush-hush. Don't share the download link anywhere, or Stepdad might get 'inspected by the water meter guys.'
—
While stuck in revive cooldown and unable to play, the Grind Kings players made a decision.:
They would never cause trouble for their Stepdad Welfare Officer. The download link would not be publicly shared.
They then shifted the topic to the game's world lore. During the conversation, Li Zheng brought up an idea.
Game Gold-Farmer: Guys, should we look for an organization?
Dirt Poor: Good idea. Most people playing this game are big spenders. If we join the right group, we can earn some serious money.
Family-Sharing Stepdad: Brothers, go forth and find a group. I'll follow wherever you go. No questions asked.
—
Everyone agreed.
In this context, organization meant guilds or factions in the game, player communities.
As gold-farmers, the Grind Kings players usually joined medium-to-large gaming guilds, offering in-game services to wealthy players in exchange for income.
This time would be no different. After testing the game, their first instinct was to find a gaming group.
Seeing that everyone supported the idea, Li Zheng typed a message.
Game Gold-Farmer: I'm heading to the forums now to look for a guild. Wait for me, brothers.
A flood of replies followed.
Stepdad, go forth and return quickly!