021, three against four!

The throne of the fourth treasure bestowed the Shapeshifter with a transcendent skill. This time, the throne granted the Morning Wind Warrior two standard skills. Although the form of the reward differed, the essence was similar. The dragon form was an ultimate ability, rarely used due to its significant drawbacks, and typically avoided. The Rage Strike and Fierce Tiger Strike were regular skills, enriching the Berserker’s offensive repertoire, allowing for a variety of attack combinations.

For Morning Wind, he preferred conventional skills that could be frequently employed. Rage Strike and Fierce Tiger Strike proved highly advantageous in the arena, far more potent than mere damage-dealing skills. Morning Wind had never encountered such abilities before; he had not expected the throne to grant skills useful in both PvE and PvP.

The throne was likely reserved as an extra reward for the first player to clear the challenge. Afterwards, there were standard prizes. Before Morning Wind lay three coffins—black, gold, and purple. He could choose one to open, receive his reward, and then depart through the adjacent teleportation gate.

Stan had abandoned the sixth-floor quest and had also reached the highest level via a teleportation array, earning his reward. However, he could only choose from the black and gold coffins.

Neither Stan nor Outrace understood the significance of the coffin colors, but Morning Wind did. The black coffin contained volatile rewards: the prize could be the highest quality—some who cleared all six levels had even found orange-grade equipment inside. Yet, it could also turn into a curse, permanently reducing attributes. The black coffin was a gamble on luck; good fortune brought fame and fortune, bad luck condemned one to despair and mediocrity.

The gold coffin typically yielded materials and currency. With luck, it might contain purple materials or white gold coins. These held little interest for Morning Wind, so he would never choose the gold coffin. The purple coffin, however, was very likely to contain purple-grade equipment, which was the very reason for his journey.

System: You have obtained the “Nightblade Panther’s Reins.”

System: You have learned Basic Riding.

“A Nightblade Panther? A mount? Why this?” Morning Wind’s heart sank. He had hoped for a piece of purple equipment but instead received a Nightblade Panther mount. For most players, having a mount was a tremendous advantage. Yet, with his super-powered mech, Morning Wind felt a mount was unnecessary.

What pleased him somewhat was that alongside the mount, he had also learned Basic Riding—a skill notoriously difficult to acquire. Despite having defeated countless elite monsters, he had never obtained a riding skill book. This made learning riding all the more valuable.

The mount was bound upon acquisition, non-tradable and unsellable, but it served well for travel. Few players had mounts, so possessing one was notable. With it, Morning Wind’s travels would be easier, and those without mounts would struggle to keep up.

“Shorty, are you done killing yet?” Morning Wind could teleport out at any time, just waiting on Outrace.

“It’s a bit troublesome; give me 20 more minutes.” Outrace had to slowly wear down the boss, unwilling to risk an all-out attack this first time. They could come back later when more experienced.

Time Sand’s rewards were poor; the pyramid challenge was ill-suited for him. Initially excited, he now realized Morning Wind had trapped him with two scrolls. He was even considering killing Morning Wind to seize his items. After emerging, Time Sand hid beneath the black sand, planning to ambush the others when they appeared.

“Should be out soon, just wait!” Dragon Knight Peter noticed the barbarian Balu lying on the sand, nearly asleep, and urged him to stay alert. If Balu remained in such a state, Morning Wind and the others could easily focus their attacks on him.

For the sake of the three magic rings, the four had waited over two hours. Defeating Outrace’s team would be ideal, ensuring no one else could threaten their ring collection. Ultimately, who secured the strongest ring would depend on their strength.

“Watch out for that warrior named Duan Morning Wind. His reflexes are incredibly sharp; he dodges my ambushes. Given the chance, he can instantly kill someone,” Time Sand warned. He feared the Berserker Morning Wind more than Outrace or Stan, whose burst damage was less threatening.

Having witnessed the barbarian Berserker Balu’s ferocity, Time Sand judged Morning Wind’s burst to be comparable. In his skeletal scorpion form, Time Sand dreaded Morning Wind’s sudden onslaught, knowing one burst could end him.

“Duan Morning Wind? Never heard of him,” Dark Demon sneered with closed eyes. He had never seen that name in the WPR rankings. Ranked fifteenth worldwide, Dark Demon considered Morning Wind merely a lucky newcomer from the Chinese server, his ring acquisition owed to strong equipment.

Aside from Time Sand, all three were within the WPR’s top 50 players. Though ranked over 200, Time Sand wielded a powerful Bone Ring, earning wary respect even from the top three. If he could not become an ally, he would surely be an enemy, and they would prioritize killing him.

Possessing the Bone Ring meant having a chance to turn the tide—a terrifying magic ring indeed.

“Duan Morning Wind hasn’t appeared in the WPR rankings before. He’s recently risen in the Chinese server, dominating even professional players. We should still stay cautious,” Peter advised, remaining wary despite his skepticism of Chinese professionals. Historically, China had never reached the top three in Olympic arena competitions, so their lack of recognition was understandable.

Dark Demon laughed scornfully, “Any pro from Europe could easily claim the Chinese professional league title. Their players rely solely on money to boost skill.”

Peter knew the Chinese scene better now, with many strong professionals emerging. They were scattered across teams, which often maintained strict hierarchies, allowing freeloaders to linger and hindering overall progress.

Peter avoided debating Dark Demon. Indeed, many Chinese players were gold farmers, excelling at mindless quest grinding, trading labor for money. This game’s level cap of 30 enabled global battles, and Chinese gold farmers advanced faster than most.

Morning Wind was unaware of WPR rankings or national skill levels. He only remembered that two years later, China was brimming with talent. Even the highly competitive European, North American, and South American servers dared not underestimate them. In many cross-server battles, China often produced unexpected dark horses. Morning Wind himself had once been such a dark horse, surviving a ten-thousand-player battle royale alone to claim the highest reward.

“Priority kill Duan Morning Wind. If he switches to shield, then focus Stan. Save Outrace for last,” Dragon Knight Peter reminded them. They must not focus on Outrace first; the Paladin was the hardest to kill. The priority was Morning Wind, forcing him to swap his sword for a shield. Once Morning Wind was shielded, killing him would be far more difficult.

“If they want to die, let it be quick. Don’t waste our time!” The impatient barbarian Berserker Balu growled. He wouldn’t have come if Peter hadn’t insisted on defeating Outrace’s team swiftly to weaken them and force them to split up.

Today’s battle was crucial, almost deciding the victor between the two ring teams. Outrace had already slain the Pharaoh. After choosing his loot, he didn’t rush out but continued strategizing with Morning Wind and the others. They absolutely could not lose—even by running away.

Suddenly, the three teleported out. Morning Wind glanced at them and immediately launched a Heroic Leap, then charged the barbarian Balu, who was just recovering and readying his weapon. The desert terrain made it easy to knock opponents down. Balu, still unprepared, was struck and fell.

Because Morning Wind had exited stealth before his leap, his charge did not cause a critical strike, and he couldn’t activate the Rage Slash bonus. Since Berserker’s Fury removed fear, Morning Wind preferred not to trigger Rage Slash through Berserker’s Fury this time. He had activated Fierce Tiger Strike and Bloodthirst. Just as he intended to use Rage Strike, Balu kicked him from the side, sending him stumbling backward. Had Morning Wind not steadied himself, he would have fallen.

Balu’s kick was swifter than Morning Wind’s charge, but Morning Wind maintained balance. Balu realized he had found a worthy opponent. Within moments, he had suffered three attacks himself. Planning an ambush but being counter-ambushed was embarrassing.

Demonic Leap!

“Dark Demon, where do you think you’re going?” Stan blocked the Night Demon King’s rapid advance toward Morning Wind with a demonic leap. The Night Demon King moved incredibly fast at night, trailing several afterimages—formidable indeed.

“Peter, since we rarely meet, don’t just walk away!” The dwarf Paladin’s movement was slow, but he summoned a wyvern to block Peter’s advance for now.

The battle was three versus three, though in truth three against four, with the Bone Scorpion still on the ground. If they engaged in a free-for-all, they would lose their advantage. Choosing to match roles against roles, they could hold the line until the Bone Scorpion appeared.

The highlight of this battle was the clash between two Berserkers—two magic rings colliding. To Dragon Knight Peter, this was Outrace’s intention, showing confidence that Morning Wind could outmatch Balu. In truth, Outrace’s goal was different…