"Noah, you're telling me this is… a hidden encounter?"
Deep within the Endless Desert, Noah stood at the edge of a roaring sandstorm, staring at the dark, whirling chaos ahead. The corners of his mouth twitched as he asked the question.
Before stepping onto this map, he had done his research. He knew this storm zone wasn't some random event—it had always been here.
The Sandstorm Forbidden Zone.
For two hundred years, countless human players had tried to enter. Every attempt ended the same way: the moment they crossed the threshold, they were swallowed whole by sand and storm.
Players under level 1000 were killed instantly. Even a level 2000 Battle King would lose all sense of direction inside, blinded by the magnetic distortions and eternal darkness. In the end, they too would perish, unable to escape.
Thus, humanity had learned nothing of what lay beyond.
Eventually, a professor from Imperial Capital University dismissed the zone as "without research value," declaring it a mere set piece of the map—like a tree in the Forest Kingdom, or a pond in a beginner's field. Nothing more than environmental decoration to showcase the desert's cruelty.
And so the Sandstorm Forbidden Zone was abandoned. High-level players learned to ignore it, treating its existence as natural as the dunes themselves.
[Of course it's an encounter! Two hundred years, and no one's dared to find out what's inside? Don't you want to know?]
The voice of the Eyes of the Doomed whispered temptation into Noah's mind.
The storm lashed at his face. Even standing at the edge, he could barely breathe. Every gust carried blades of sand sharp enough to flay skin, threatening to tear him apart if he stepped closer.
He hesitated only for a heartbeat, then nodded firmly.
"Fine. Worst case, I die. I'm going in!"
[Remember—don't summon your goddess yet. You'll need her later.]
Noah frowned. "Then how the hell am I supposed to survive in there? Without the Goddess of Dawn's protection, I won't last ten seconds."
[Potions, you fool. What are you hoarding all those blood vials for? Planning to pass them down as family heirlooms?]
Noah glanced at the stash left behind by the Storage Rat—over two hundred stacks of advanced healing potions—and scratched his head sheepishly.
Right. Just a few hundred thousand gold. He could afford to burn through it.
"Alright. Let's do this."
[Once you're inside, keep your eyes shut. No matter what you hear, do NOT open them. Follow my instructions exactly. Trust me—this gamble is worth it.]
"Got it."
With the Eyes of the Doomed guiding him, Noah felt the last of his hesitation vanish. His heart pounded with excitement as he strode up to the storm's edge.
The wall of swirling sand towered to the heavens, blotting out sun and sky.
He inhaled deeply. Then, activating Aerial Step, he shot upward and plunged into the maelstrom with his eyes clenched shut.
…
The world swallowed him whole.
The air turned to knives—sand grinding against his skin, tearing at every pore.
His health plummeted.
"You used an Advanced Healing Potion. HP restored by 50%!"
"You used an Advanced Recovery Elixir. HP regenerates by 5% per second for 15 seconds."
One potion per second. Gulp after gulp, he spammed them without hesitation.
[Illusion vortex ahead. Turn left. Perfect dodge!]
[Two thousand meters—veer right. Stay sharp.]
The Eyes' voice guided him at every turn.
What Noah didn't see were the countless spirits drifting in the storm. Wraiths gathered around him, shrieking their grief, their numbers swelling with every second.
But Noah flew on blindly.
Two agonizing minutes later—
Silence.
The storm vanished. The pain ebbed.
[We're here. Open your eyes.]
Noah exhaled in relief. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The world was bright, skies clear.
"This… is a hidden map!"
His gaze fell upon a new landscape. A broken temple loomed in the distance—its ruins sacred yet desolate. It wasn't an oasis, but it felt like a miracle nestled within the desert's death.
Noah's eyes burned with excitement. His instincts screamed: this was it. This was the encounter.
"What's waiting for me inside?"
Heart racing, he advanced cautiously toward the temple.
Boom!
The ground shuddered violently. Not just the temple—the entire desert trembled.
"This is the Divine Domain. Mortals are forbidden!
The voice was ethereal and commanding, echoing from every direction.
The desert floor buckled, sand rising in waves like a stormy ocean.
Prepared, Noah rocketed upward with Aerial Step.
Then came the light. Divine radiance burst from the flowing sands. A suffocating divine power smothered the sky.
From the temple emerged a woman—long hair streaming, upper body human, lower body a serpent's tail. She radiated majesty and venom in equal measure.
"You dare trespass in my divine domain? Die!"
Above her head floated the name: Desert Goddess (Fallen).
Noah's jaw dropped.
"Another goddess? Damn, this is insane!"
Fear warred with elation. This was proof—the gamble had paid off.
No time to hesitate.
"Summon Deity! Come forth, Dawn!
At once, another divine force surged into the world, overwhelming the first.
Flowers burst into bloom across the desert sands. A woman in a flowing white gown descended, her silver hair and flawless skin glowing beneath the newborn dawn.
The Goddess of Dawn.
"A mere fallen god dares threaten my master? How laughable."
Her golden eyes flared, her voice cold and regal. Dawnlight spread across the battlefield, consuming the Desert Goddess's power, unraveling her divine domain.
The skies cracked apart with thunderous shatters. Wraiths screamed as they were erased by holy light.
"You… you're a mid-tier deity with a Level 12 Godhead!"
The Desert Goddess's composure broke. Panic twisted her face as she realized the mortal had summoned a god far stronger than herself.
"Master, apply the Chains. Now."
"I'm ready!"
Noah's pulse roared in his ears. He surged forward, palm glowing with the light of shackles.
The Desert Goddess struggled helplessly under Dawn's suppression. Her voice rose in desperation.
"Mortal, what are you doing?!"
"What am I doing?" Noah grinned. "You'll find out soon enough!"
"Chains!"
Boom!
Two blood-red chains burst from his palm, runes gleaming along their length. They whipped through the air, striking like vipers.
"AHHHHHHHH!"
Behind the Desert Goddess, a massive black phantom of a serpent-woman writhed and screamed as the laws of Creation*manifested.
The chains wrapped around her phantom wrists, pulling tight, dragging her down.
She thrashed, her divine power clashing with cosmic law—only to be crushed.
The struggle lasted half a minute. Then… silence.
The phantom stilled.
[Chains successfully applied.]
Noah smiled.
The Goddess of Dawn withdrew her light, drifting gracefully to his side.
Before him, the once-defiant Desert Goddess descended, her arrogance gone. She crossed her arms over her chest and bowed deeply.
"I am Mesa, the Desert Goddess. From this moment, I am yours to command, my master."
…
Above the skies, the world system's voice thundered:
"Player \[Demon-Slayer] has defeated the Fallen Desert Goddess, Mesa, within the Sandstorm Forbidden Zone! The sandstorm has dispersed! The Endless Desert map has doubled in size! All Lizardfolk, Sandworms, and Serpentfolk suffer -50% to all attributes, and +20% EXP gains for all players, lasting 48 hours!"
The announcement echoed across the world. And Noah stood tall, with a goddess kneeling before him.