Ember Dragon

The Taliro Desert, within the city of Salim.

"Collecting dragon-related materials!"

"Looking for a pro to help me clear the Desert Wyvern Nest!"

"Scales of an adult green dragon, a top-grade material, originally priced at 29 silver nars per scale, but the stall owner is clearing out stock at a bargain price of only 9 silver nars per scale! Limited stock, first come, first served!"

"So expensive? Isn't this just ripping off inexperienced newbies who don't know anything about this?"
"Hehe, the price of dragon scales plummeted after the Great Rift Valley War. Twenty-nine silver nars was that market price ages ago. Come here, I'll only sell them to you for six silver nars, much cheaper than this unscrupulous merchant and black-hearted seller."

"What? Not enough money? Can't even afford one? Here, give me your bank card, I'll help you get a loan of ten gold dollars. Our Imperial Bank is a large institution officially certified by the Empire, with an annual interest rate of..."

"Recruiting experimental specialists for the Life Cult of the Mechanicus with a hefty reward! Compensation of three silver Naals for each death! Limited spots available, only three positions left, don't miss out!"

"This isn't a recruitment drive for lab specialists? It's clearly a recruitment drive for lab subjects!"

Players are gathered in the central square, some sitting on the ground setting up stalls to sell their wares, some discussing the war situation, some laughing and joking, and some arguing and debating, making the city exceptionally noisy and exuding a vitality completely different from that under the rule of the Church of the Dragon.

To the local Seleucids, these imperial people from the north, though strange in their behavior and possessing some dragon-like characteristics, rarely humiliated or oppressed them like the dragon worshippers, and would never cause their families to be destroyed.

After the "Battle of the Great Rift Valley," these players who had traveled from afar did not return immediately. Instead, most of them stayed in Seleucia, a region in ruins with endless opportunities, hoping to explore, earn gold and experience, and rise from the bottom to become the best in the game.

Just then, one of the players exclaimed, "Look, a new quest has been released!"

Immediately, the crowd in the square erupted in commotion, with almost every player browsing their own panel and discussing the latest war mission—"This mission is interesting, [Explore the Forbidden Zone of Doomsday]."

"By the way, what exactly is this 'Doomsday Forbidden Zone'? The name sounds pretty high-class."

"Could it be that the game developers have finally had a change of heart and are finally releasing a new dungeon? There aren't enough monsters to farm! The Empire's firepower is so strong now, I barely get any experience from war missions, I can only scavenge the scraps."

"Holy crap, look at this! The reward is amazing!"

Exploring the Forbidden Zone of the Apocalypse

Task Description:

Kazul, the "Crimson Embers," awoke from his long slumber, bringing with him an overwhelming and devastating catastrophe. This ancient dragon turned hundreds of miles of fertile land into scorched earth, creating a natural barrier against the Empire's attacks—the so-called "Doomsday Cataclysm."

Now, you need to explore this scorched earth after the disaster and seek a way to break the curse that has spread across this land.

Note: "When lava covers the earth and ash blankets the sky, the Mother of Dragons will descend upon the world, destroying the old era and ushering in a new one."

Mission Rewards: Your current exploration progress in the Doomsday Forbidden Zone is 0%. For every point you increase in exploration progress, you will receive a large amount of faction contribution and experience. Players with the highest exploration progress will receive a [Legendary Bloodline Potion - Type α].

Side Quest: [Kazul's Favor]

Quest Description: Kazul once founded a vast church, and his followers roam the earth, spreading the Lord's fame. Please capture or kill Kazul's followers.

Task Rewards (Choose one from the following):
Legendary equipment: the [Heart of the Ancient Dragon] armor set, the [Legendary Bloodline Potion - Type β], the [Dragon Pact Scroll] (an important item for advancing your class), and the [Vigitas Dragonscale Monk] modification surgery.
"A legendary bloodline potion? That's a rare item that even elite guilds struggle to obtain! I can't believe the official release of it so easily!"

"Legendary equipment, armor forged from ancient dragon scales, capable of casting eighth-circle protective spells and possessing extremely high magic resistance! Wearing this equipment, you can basically ignore enemy mages!"

"Holy crap, isn't that the key item for Dragon Pact Warlocks to advance? That's the strongest spellcasting class right now!"

"I think the most valuable thing inside is the modification surgery of the dragon scale cultivator! That's the dragon skin bro, the Burning Emperor's sword, with a unit cost of tens of thousands of gold coins."

The bio-modification technology of the Cult of Mechanics is no joke. Even a complete novice player with no class level or combat experience can reach level seven or eight strength after undergoing a dozen or so complex modification surgeries. That's pure numerical superiority.

The players were discussing it enthusiastically, their imaginations running wild, as if they could already see themselves triumphant after receiving the reward.

"Anyone want to team up for the Doomsday Zone? Looking for a teammate who is level 8 or higher, no Wild Warlocks or Rogues."

"We need a mage! Preferably from the Prophecy school, but the Defense school is also acceptable!"

"The Doomsday Forbidden Zone dungeon is recruiting elite teams. Requirements include a class level of 10 or above, extensive combat and exploration experience, and only classes ranked T1 or above in the [Singo's Class Strength Ranking] post are eligible to participate!"

"Newbie here, looking for help. I don't have many other advantages, but I'm hardworking, fearless, and have a lot of emotional value."

"Men send private messages, women strive for self-reliance."

"Wait, brother, isn't something's off with you?"

"We Erezai players are like this, everyone's a big brother."

"Damn, where have all the priest players gone in this game? Are there any priests left? Preferably a healing priest, our team just needs a healer, and we can go anytime."

In a corner of the city of Salin, in a dark alley, a man in a long robe with a sword at his waist, his face weathered, stood with his arms crossed, staring at the mission information in front of him, his eyes revealing an unwavering determination.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Hmph, I'm going to have this Vigitas dragonscale cleric's transformation surgery!"
So what if you're from a wealthy family? So what if you're a professional gamer? I will repay you a hundredfold for the humiliation you inflicted on me back then! As he said this, his eyes turned bloodshot, and the veins on his clenched fists bulged.

That's right, this man is not a native, but a player, whose nickname is "Chaotic Life" - he is the commoner warrior who was repeatedly crushed by many professional players and top players in the Imperial Gladiator Tournament qualifiers.

Immediately afterwards, several players of similar level to those in "Chaotic World" but with different professions appeared behind him, gathered together, and chimed in with their own opinions:

"Yes, brother, we can't let them continue to dominate us ordinary players! We need to prove to them that ordinary people can also become strong!"

"Thirty years to the east of the river, thirty years to the west of the river, don't bully young people into poverty!"

They are the [Mortals] Guild, whose members are mainly ordinary players with average strength but great ambitions. Led by the character "Luan Shi Fu Sheng", they are committed to surpassing the powerful guilds and professional players through their own strength.

The "slave quartet" led by Singo also arrived at the scene immediately.

Mantou said anxiously, "Let's get into the mission quickly! This time, the official team has suddenly had a change of heart and the rewards are so generous. There will definitely be a lot of people trying to grab them. If you're slow, they'll be gone!"

Singo shook his finger and said unhurriedly, "No rush. High risk means high reward. Knowing the nature of the Imperial government, the fact that they're willing to go to such lengths means this mission is definitely not simple."

Believe me, news has already come from the Crimson Scale Garrison that several powerful and experienced Crimson Scale Conqueror scouts have gone missing in that restricted area. If you try to force your way in, your fate will be even worse than theirs.”

The born warrior stroked his bald head, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and chuckled, "Hehe. Let's go over and observe the situation first, and have the others scout ahead for us."

Summer Night Autumn Rain nodded slightly: "That's indeed the point. We won't fight a battle unprepared; we'll follow behind them." "Hurry up, first come, first served!"

"The flesh and blood are weak and the machine is soaring!"

"The followers of Kazul belong to the royal authority! This time—no one can take them from us! Not even the Mechanicus!"

In a short while, a portal to the [Doomsday Forbidden Zone] appeared in the city, and players rushed into the portal to reach the southeastern border of the Empire's occupied territory—the entrance to the Forbidden Zone.

But when they saw the scene on the other side of the restricted area, the players were shocked and stood frozen in place, screaming in surprise.

Is this the place?

"Damn, it truly lives up to its name as the 'Forbidden Zone of Doomsday'."

At the border, a wide lava river flowed slowly, constantly bubbling and making crisp sounds. Thick smoke with a pungent sulfur smell filled the air, as if it were flowing from the depths of hell. A scorching wind swept across the land, stirring up countless ashes.

This river of lava divides the world in two: on one side lies the fertile and rich plains of Northern Seleucia, and on the other, a desolate and extreme apocalyptic wasteland, worse than purgatory, a sight that sends shivers down one's spine.

The most powerful guilds reacted the fastest. Players from the Cult of the Machine God launched basketball-sized metal balls across the river. The metal balls stretched out in mid-air and transformed into several mechanical dragons with red lights flashing in their eyes.

They are less than half a meter long, but their shape is almost identical to that of a real dragon.

"Instructions received—explore unknown areas; assessing various environmental indicators."

"The current temperature is 55°C, and the concentrations of sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen sulfide in the air are severely exceeded, making it difficult for the human respiratory system to sustain operations."

These mechanical dragons emitted cold, emotionless sounds as they hovered in mid-air, their heads looking down at the ground, their eyes constantly moving and emitting red light waves, seemingly scanning the local environment.

The players looked up and focused their attention on the arrogant-looking mechanical dragon, and couldn't help but start discussing it, their voices filled with both envy and jealousy.

"As expected of the Cult of Machines, they are truly wealthy and powerful."

"Isn't this cheating?"

"Other players have already made exploring dungeons a routine task; it seems like we ordinary players will never have a chance."

But at that moment, under the spotlight of countless eyes, the bodies of those mechanical dragons convulsed violently, their surfaces crackled with crisscrossing arcs of electricity, black smoke billowed from their joints, and they emitted a noisy, chaotic mechanical sound.

"Unknown magnetic field interference detected; connection lost; control system error."

"Self-destruct procedure is being initiated."

"boom!"

The mechanical dragons exploded in mid-air like dazzling fireworks, their charred fragments trailing black smoke and raining down on the ground.

"Holy crap, it just exploded like that?"

"Hahaha, it looks just like it!"

“man——”

The players' eyes widened in disbelief as they exclaimed in astonishment.

The operator of the Mechanicus simply pushed up his blue-glowing tactical goggles, frowned, and said into the walkie-talkie, "This area is shrouded in an unknown force field. Almost all of our instruments malfunction inside, making it impossible to communicate with the outside world or conduct large-scale unmanned exploration. We request the support of the Dragonscale Cultivator Legion."

Meanwhile, amidst the gasps of the crowd, the rock golem released by the Magic Coin Guild collapsed upon entering this apocalyptic forbidden zone, turning into a pile of messy rubble.

“Magical turbulence? This place is a bit eerie.” Charlotte put away her staff, staring at the land where lava flowed and ash shrouded, as if it were cursed, her brows furrowed.

The vice president of Magic Coins, Mingyue, has already begun to gather players within the guild to form teams, devise tactics, and prepare to explore separately.

"Aren't we going in?"

"Let's observe the situation further. The players from those powerful guilds haven't even gone in yet. If we go in now, won't we just become cannon fodder?"

"Exactly, it seems I underestimated it; this dungeon is quite difficult."

Suddenly, the players who had been so enthusiastic all backed down, and no one dared to be the first to try, for fear of becoming cannon fodder for others.

Just then, a powerful voice came from the crowd: "Hmph, these selfish rich families have lost their former ambition and only know how to hoard the most resources and lie in their comfort zone!"

Everyone turned to look, and saw Luan Shi Fusheng leading a group of ordinary players from the [Mortal] guild out of the crowd, looking down at everyone with a confident and domineering air.

"Who is he?"

"This guy's a real show-off."

"He looks familiar. Oh right, I remember now, isn't this guy the protagonist of the popular post 'The Myth of Unbeatable Qualifiers! Three Battles Against Pro Players in Chaotic Times!'"

"Poor man."

"Hahaha, so it was that unlucky guy. No wonder he's become so childish. He must have suffered some kind of mental trauma."

Listening to the players' mixed discussions, Luan Shi Fu Sheng's face flushed red, but he still managed to maintain his composure, straightened his chest, and argued, "Those things are all in the past. I am a man destined for great things, so how can I be bound by one or two failures in the past?"

"How can golden scales be just a thing in a pond? They turn into dragons when encountering wind and clouds!"

"Today, I will prove to you that players from humble backgrounds are the future of Erezeguet! Watch as I lead the charge and dare to be the first in the world!"

"As expected of you, big brother!"

"My mortal brothers, let's go! The time has come to make a name for ourselves!"

And so, the [Mortals] guild, comprised of ordinary players with an average level of less than seven, became the first explorers of the "Doomsday Forbidden Zone." (End of Chapter)