027 Ten Ringbearers!

The Vanishing Chamber obtained a magic ring, and at that very moment, he became a Ring Bearer. In truth, his goal was not to collect rings but to kill other Ring Bearers, a task tied to his professional mission. For instance, the final blow to the monk was meant to be delivered by him, which would grant him an upgrade. Each magic ring can only provide one upgrade, so cheating was nearly impossible for the Vanishing Chamber.

To eliminate more Ring Bearers and gain greater arcane power, the Vanishing Chamber had already spread word that a Ring Gem would appear in Ghost Valley. The Ring Gem could enhance a ring’s attributes, equivalent to the power of three rings. Whoever obtained the Ring Gem would see their strength soar dramatically.

Besides the Ring Gem, other temporal events were scheduled to occur here. Few knew about this—only players who triggered special quests were aware.

Apart from hunting Ring Bearers, the Vanishing Chamber also sought the Dark Dragon Gem during this special event. The Dark Dragon Gem was one of the five unique dragon gems. The Vanishing Chamber already possessed the Fire Dragon Gem, and if he collected all five, he would obtain a super legendary piece of equipment exclusive to his profession.

System prompt: Blood Ring Bearer, Bone Ring Bearer, Life Ring Bearer, Dragon Ring Bearer, Night Ring Bearer, Death Reaper Ring Bearer, Curse Ring Bearer, Demon Ring Bearer, and Death Ring Bearer are all in Ghost Valley.

The Vanishing Chamber saw the system prompt: nine Ring Bearers had arrived. Including himself, that made ten. This would be a grand feast of Ring Bearers—survival would depend on each one's skill.

“Crow, I didn’t expect you to come to Ghost Valley too!” Outrales spotted Morning Breeze but didn’t greet him openly, instead sending a private message.

“I just happened to be here. You’re here too?” Morning Breeze was puzzled. Why was Outrales here? Could it be that he was also after the magic rings?

“Since you’re in Ghost Valley, how could you not know? A temporal rift is about to appear, scattering heaps of treasure. Only players with magic rings can survive; otherwise, they’ll be sucked into the rift.” Outrales wasn’t sure if Morning Breeze was truly unaware or just pretending.

Morning Breeze was startled. If that were true, then many Ring Bearers were gathering here. The Vanishing Chamber was likely here to kill and seize their rings. Morning Breeze didn’t usually browse the world forums, and no one had informed him. If not for the monk pursuing two Ring Bearers nearby, he might never have known.

“Crow, be careful. There are many Ring Bearers here this time. I also know that the Vanishing Chamber from Mexico seems to have a special mission—to hunt players with magic rings.” Outrales decided to confide in Morning Breeze; he needed allies. Alone, he was vulnerable, as many would target isolated Ring Bearers first.

“You watch yourself too, shorty!” Morning Breeze wasn’t worried. His survival skills were strong, and with his Nightblade Panther, he was even less concerned about ambushes. The Nightblade Panther was sensitive to darkness and would alert him to danger, allowing him to evade attacks. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be riding it.

For now, Outrales was an ally. Until other Ring Bearers fell, he wouldn’t attack Morning Breeze, unless Morning Breeze could finish off a target.

Outrales invited Morning Breeze and Stan into his party. Stan immediately said, “When the temporal rift appears, many ancient artifacts will scatter, including the Ring Gem—equivalent to three rings. Obtaining it greatly boosts ring attributes and may grant extra effects.”

The Ring Gem!

As a reborn player, Morning Breeze had never heard of these things, nor knew about the temporal rift. It was embarrassing. However, he had joined two years later than most and disliked forum discussions, so there was much he didn’t know.

If not for the half-stat penalty on his Shapeshifter character, Morning Breeze would have switched to that one. He could have watched the chaos from a distance and grabbed some loot when the rift opened. But his warrior character lacked such an advantage; the only benefit was killing others for treasure.

There were at least eight Ring Bearers here, and Morning Breeze didn’t want to start a fight, as he feared being ambushed from behind. In fact, chaotic battles didn’t suit him—the randomness was too great. He even considered retreating and letting them fight amongst themselves.

Besides the Ring Bearers, many others had come to see if they could kill them and loot their rings. But Ghost Valley was vast, and finding Ring Bearers was difficult, especially with impatient players like Baru lurking, ready to ambush.

“Sacrifice! This place is perfect for a massive sacrifice!” Baru, hiding underground, loved the dark environment of Ghost Valley. With so many Ring Bearers arriving, it was ideal for hunting. As a player skilled in ambush, Baru held a great advantage here.

The Vanishing Chamber sent his friend back first. The temporal rift was about to begin; without a magic ring, Ghost Valley was a dead end. Even if he ended up alone, he wasn’t worried—few could kill him.

The rift would erupt at the Ghost Altar in the valley, where everyone would gather. Once it appeared, all might strike.

The ten Ring Bearers would clash, but the Vanishing Chamber planned only to finish off weakened foes. As for who would claim the rings, that was not his concern. The ring he held didn’t suit his attributes, so having another was useless.

Outrales gathered Morning Breeze and Stan; the three approached the Ghost Altar but didn’t advance further. Arriving too early before the rift appeared might spark needless battles. Few players remained in the center of Ghost Valley—escaping once the rift opened and hearthstones were disabled would be nearly impossible.

They waited about twenty minutes. The surroundings dimmed, the air trembled, and the environment swayed—the temporal rift was imminent. They had to prepare. Getting too close risked being sucked in, even with a magic ring.

“Temporal rifts usually eject items on one side while pulling things in on the other. We’re near the pull side; we must relocate,” Stan calculated swiftly and led them to a safer spot.

During the move, Morning Breeze encountered other Ring Bearers, but no one attacked. Their trio had no intention of fighting yet—securing the Ring Gem was preferable to killing each other. A battle was inevitable; the only question was when.

After settling in, they waited another ten minutes. The rift trembled violently, and the space around them began to tear...