Chapter 10: Domain Node | Monsters Are Coming
Ancient Battlefield.
The ground was littered with mountains of bones.
At that moment, a streak of black flame traced a crescent arc across the sky, arcing over a heap of bones before striking a Cursed Soldier dead-on. In an instant, roaring flames consumed the creature.
Moments later, ten figures vaulted over the bone pile and approached the burning remains of the now-dead Cursed Soldier.
"Hahaha! The fusion of abilities is insane. I don't even need vision anymore to take down a target!"
The speaker was a young man, around twenty years old. In his human form, black flames coiled around his body, and his expression brimmed with pride.
Seeing this, envy was plain in the eyes of Li Zheng and the others.
"Damn, the weakest Owl-Headed Fiend just turned into the meta build thanks to the Bonefire form."
Thanks to a demonstration and explanation from the Guide, Li Zheng and the others had learned that monster traits could be used in combination while in human form. But even so, they were stunned by Dirt Poor's display.
The Owl-Headed Fiend's monster trait was Dirge.
Activating the ability projected a perception mode centered on the user, extending outward. Its initial radius was 50 meters, and by Level 5 had expanded to 100 meters.
Bonefire's trait was the control of deathly flames.
Used together, they allowed players to lock onto units within a 100-meter radius and perform precise long-range attacks even without direct vision.
It was the first time Li Zheng's group had seen the full potential of fused monster traits.
"It's great, but my Body Tempering Level is still 0. In human form, I can only use two monster traits at once, and I can't inherit monster attributes. When I use both abilities together, I get dizzy," Dirt Poor complained, then continued.
"I asked the Guide earlier. Going from Body Tempering Level 0 to 1 requires 10,000 Sacrificial Power. For now, we still need to rely on monster forms. Our human forms mental strength just can't handle frequent skill use."
—
After analyzing the different monster traits, only Dirt Poor and Fun Without Spending, who had both started with the Owl-Headed Fiend form, chose to embed Bonefire as their second monster soul.
Li Zheng and the others decided not to embed a new monster form just yet.
According to the Guide, the cost to level up the Star Vein would increase progressively.
So it was better to wait for a more synergistic monster trait before embedding a second soul. For now, they'd continue operating in Black-Scaled Serpent form.
The reward from defeating Bonefire had also given them high expectations for containing more Primordial Monsters.
It was easy to imagine that in the late game, each player could create a personalized build by combining various monster traits, just the thought was exciting.
—
While Li Zheng's group was experimenting with fusion traits, another batch of players entered the game and began advancing westward from Emperor's Mound Village.
A 30-player team steamrolled through hordes of Cursed Soldiers, mowing them down like grass.
Another Cursed Soldier climbed from the ruins ahead.
Immediately, the 30 players charged like starving wolves, leaping at the newly risen enemy.
Drunken Milk: Guys, let me get this one! I haven't gotten a single kill after all this way. Don't be jerks!
Black Ball: That one's mine! Anyone who takes it is my son!
Iron Hammer: Cute Baby, you're already Level 2 and still snatching kills? Have some decency. I'm not paying back that 200 now!
—
Chaos broke out as the players swarmed the Cursed Soldier, shredding it into bones within moments.
Black Ball, who landed the kill, beamed with joy. The rest looked bitter and disappointed.
But this mix of kill-stealing and camaraderie brought them a long-lost sense of joy, grinding together, growing stronger.
"This game is insane! I thought the claims were just marketing. No way a game could be 100% immersive… but now I'm a believer."
"For real. The stat boost from leveling feels amazing. I can jump several meters high, feels like I'm Superman."
Just then, their leader, Cute Baby, spoke up.
"Guys, we just got a regional notice saying another team defeated a Primordial Monster and earned a ton of rewards. Let's go find one too."
He turned to the Guide water sphere floating beside him and asked.
"Guide, are there any Primordial Monsters nearby we can hunt?"
[Primordial Monsters are scattered throughout Monster World. While there are a great many of them, they are autonomous entities without territorial restrictions. You could run into one anywhere, even with just a few steps.]
Realizing that Primordials spawned randomly, Cute Baby looked slightly disappointed.
The team continued westward.
Along the way, each time a Cursed Soldier appeared, they fought to land the final blow, shouting, bickering, and laughing all the while.
An hour later, they exited the bone-littered battlefield and arrived at a vast plain filled with blood-red plants. In the distance, they saw a towering stone monolith resembling the gaping jaws of a monster howling at the sky.
Opening the map, the previously fogged-out area became clear, and a new label appeared: Blood-Soaked Plains.
Just then, a message appeared in every player's mind.
[Challenger Notice: Domain Node of Origin discovered. Capturing a Domain Node grants substantial rewards (shared among all participants).]
A scarlet light marker appeared on the map over the stone monolith in the plains.
The sudden quest alert got everyone hyped. Big rewards were on the line.
Without hesitation, even knowing there could be danger ahead, all 30 players charged toward the monolith.
Once they arrived, they discovered that the gaping 'mouth' of the stone was actually an entrance to an underground cave, draped in crimson vines like a hanging curtain.
Cute Baby: Are we going in, boys?
Drunken Milk: Hell yeah. We're here, aren't we?
Iron Hammer: Activating Gargoyle form! Follow me, brothers, charge!
—
After a quick discussion, all players agreed to enter the cave.
Inside, the light dimmed.
At the front, Iron Hammer summoned the shop menu and spent 1 Sacrificial Power to buy a torch, leading the way with its light.
The cave corridor was narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The group lined up in a long procession to explore further.
Before long, Iron Hammer suddenly stopped and crouched down to examine a glowing plant at his feet.
It was half a meter tall, with long, flexible leaves that looked like carved emerald, shedding faint starlight in the darkness.
Drunken Milk: Why'd we stop? Is something up ahead?
Marble: Did we run into a monster? What's its hunt level?
Gurgle: Say something, Iron Hammer! What's going on?
In response to the questions, Iron Hammer shared the plant's details in the party channel.
[Valleygrass]
Spiritual Grade: Level 2
Spirit Plant Info: A low-tier spirit plant native to the Emperor's Mound Mountain Range. Eating it enhances sensory acuity with a slight permanent buff. It can also be sacrificed for Sacrificial Power.
Note: Sacrificial Power can be used for Star Vein upgrades or shop purchases and is tradable among Challengers.
—
Class Rep: Holy crap! We just found treasure at the entrance! I'm a college student, this one's mine!
"Get lost!"
The others immediately booed and jeered at Marble's shameless claim.
At that moment, Iron Hammer looked toward his Guide water sphere and asked.
"Guide, what does 'sacrifice' mean in this context?"
[Open your function panel to access the Sacrifice feature. Challengers can sacrifice any spiritual material to the Emperor's Sign in exchange for Sacrificial Power.]
Following the Guide's instructions, Iron Hammer opened the function panel and selected the Sacrifice tab.
A translucent altar interface appeared before him. The altar's base was made of massive black stone, weathered and chipped from ancient erosion. The pedestal was encircled with exquisitely carved monster totems, and a crimson flame burned at its center.
To the right of the interface was his spatial inventory, with 50 item slots.
[Place Valleygrass into your inventory, then use your mind to drag it onto the altar to perform a sacrifice.]
Hearing this, Iron Hammer bent down and yanked the Valleygrass out of the ground.
He summoned his inventory, an inky vortex appeared before him, and tossed the plant in.
A mini 3D model of Valleygrass appeared in the first slot of his bag.
Summoning the Sacrifice interface again, he dragged the plant with his mind and dropped it into the altar's crimson fire.
As soon as it touched the flames, the Valleygrass was incinerated, transformed into a burst of scarlet energy that merged into his body.
[Challenger Notice: Sacrificed Level 2 spirit plant Valleygrass. Received Sacrificial Power from the Emperor's Sign: 109 points.]
This notice also appeared in the party voice channel.
Iron Hammer: Guys, I tested the Sacrifice system. It works great. Just toss in any unwanted stuff and convert it to Sacrificial Power.
"Get lost!"
Everyone behind him flipped him off and loudly demanded the reward be split evenly, even if each of them would only get 3 Sacrificial Power.