Chapter 516: Continent of Arad

Even though it was midday and many were already deep within their games, the sudden appearance of a new icon amidst the few select titles on the screens caught the immediate attention of a great many players.

Following the historic events of the Three Saint Sects, the great counteroffensive of the Dajin Kingdom, and the demonic scourge that had plagued the cultivators of the Morning Star Sea, both the Half-City and Jiuhua City branches were now populated not only by members of the grand factions, but also by a significant gathering of rogue cultivators, independent warriors, and representatives from small-to-mid-sized sects who had journeyed from the surrounding regions.

Though they were outnumbered by the great powers, their collective presence was by no means small.

The moment they discovered that this new game required no activation fee...

At the Jiuhua City branch.

An independent warrior sat before a computer and called out, "Come look at this! This game doesn't need activation; you can play it right away!"

Someone who had already attempted to click into the game shouted, "It really is free! I'm already in!"

Amidst the rising chatter of the crowd, several young noblemen who had just stepped through the shop doors after traveling from other cities halted in their tracks and looked over. "Free activation? Can such a thing be true?"

They exchanged glances. "Shall we give it a try?"

...

At the Yuanyang City branch.

As a relative newcomer, Xea naturally paid close attention to any fresh arrivals.

Thus, she immediately returned to her seat and clicked open the game.

The loading screen revealed a massive circular gear with an intricate, hollowed metal pattern at its center. As the gear began to rotate, the faint, distant ticking of a clock seemed to echo softly in the background.

As she waited to enter the world, a crisp, melodious tune, reminiscent of crystal chimes being struck, resonated through her ears. Xea listened with patient appreciation, finding the melody rather pleasant.

Beside her, Luo Piaoling glanced over. "What is that?"

"They say it's a newly released game. I'm going to try it first."

"A newly released game?" A look of contemplation crossed Luo Piaoling's face. He had spent the entire morning gathering information, and though these novelties were still deeply foreign to him, he was no longer entirely ignorant.

A new game meant a fresh starting line, and it meant a chance to contend on equal footing with everyone else.

His sharp instincts sensed an extraordinary opportunity.

A game that had only just appeared? He had already learned that in virtual worlds like Legend, those who gained a head start could secure a tremendous advantage.

"Perhaps I should try it too?"

At that very moment, they, along with countless players across all three branches, entered the game simultaneously.

The character creation screen possessed a touch of classical Western design. Beneath the display lay a horizontal row of metallic frames, each adorned with an intricate emblem resembling a medieval coat of arms, representing a distinct class. A sword hilt signified the Ghost Slayer, twin pistols represented the Gunner, and a holy cross stood for the Priest...

Though it was merely a game, it carried a sense of ancient ritual. Upon selecting a class, the character model would appear alongside a description of their path.

It was worth noting that when the original game was first released, classes like the female Ghost Slayer, female Gunner, female Priest, male Mage, and male Fighter did not exist.

However, since the system's version of virtual reality was nearly indistinguishable from actual reality, and to avoid the awkward scenario of players adopting avatars of the opposite gender, all five core classes offered both male and female options.

(Furthermore, the system version had subtly smoothed over and revised the narrative structure of the original game.)

"This class can utilize greatswords?" Xea clicked on the female Ghost Slayer and selected start.

Luo Piaoling chose the male Ghost Slayer.

Meanwhile, among the players who had journeyed from the Desolate Sea to Lingzhou, those who possessed a taste for novelty also began their journeys.

Song Qingfeng, for instance, selected a Fighter.

Xu Zixin chose the female Gunner.

As for the players native to Lingzhou, such as Tang Yu and Wang Xie, they carefully perused the class descriptions before selecting the male Gunner and male Mage to begin their games.

"Owner, what should I play?" Jiang Xiaoyue stared at Owner Fang with suspicion, fully intending to mirror whatever choice he made.

Fang Qi thought for a moment and said, "You should play a Mage. This owner is going to be a warrior."

"Oh..." She reluctantly selected a pint-sized female Mage.

This was an adventure set upon the Continent of Arad.

The crystal-clear, chime-like music gradually faded away, and as eyes blinked open from the darkness, the world suddenly grew brilliant.

The drifting clouds parted before them. Gazing down from the high sky, the earth spread wide with rolling mountains and vast seas. The heavens were encompassed by an unimaginably immense magic circle, and in the distance, a towering sky tower pierced the heavens, seemingly connecting to the celestial realm hidden within the heavy mists. Within those clouds, the faint shadow of a gargantuan beast could be discerned, all of which foretold the wondrous and bizarre nature of this land.

Even the few warriors from the Western Region could not help but gasp in admiration at this sight.

"I feel as though I have stepped into an entirely new realm! Is this truly not a pocket world contained within some spiritual artifact?" Luo Piaoling marveled.

A breeze stirred around them, and even the sense of touch felt entirely genuine. When he opened his eyes once more, only fragmented memories remained in his mind.

Memories of a hideous, blood-red ghostly hand, and the cold corpse lying beside him. The eerie atmosphere instantly jolted Luo Piaoling awake.

Upon regaining his senses, he found himself resting against the trunk of a massive tree within a vast forest, having fallen asleep.

Extending his hands, he saw that his left arm was bound by heavy chains, hideous and crimson, exuding an ominous aura. Beside his right hand lay a greatsword as tall as a man, and he was dressed in a simple short tunic—attire that was certainly not his own.

"I am..." Luo Piaoling shook his head as new knowledge and memories flooded his consciousness. "So this is a Ghost Slayer!?"

Filled with novelty and astonishment, he stared at his left hand, which seemed to harbor a power akin to a demon's. "Kazan...?"

Around him, monsters with dark green skin had already emerged from the shadows of the forest, closing in.

Every character portrayed by the players had come to this place harborings dreams or various purposes. The Ghost Slayers sought vengeance against Kazan; the male Gunners had been driven to desperation in the Celestial Realm before falling to the Continent of Arad; the Priests carried a holy mission to battle the Imposters cursed by the Blood Curse; and the female Ghost Slayers, products of imperial experimentation, trod upon this land to exact their revenge against the Empire...

Before them, the Ghost Slayers swung their greatswords, completely slaughtering the Goblins that ambushed them from the woods. The adventurers who emerged from the forest were then able to enter Elvengard, the so-called starting zone of the game.

It was worth mentioning that the forest of the starting zone was an open map rather than a closed dungeon. Seria would only be rescued by the very first batch of arriving adventurers, though she would maintain a deeply friendly attitude toward all subsequent adventurers who followed in their footsteps.

On the other side of the world, when the female Ghost Slayers first entered the game, they turned against the Empire and fled from pursuit before encountering Seria. Although players experienced this alongside other classes, the timeline within the game's lore differed.

A game of this nature could naturally not possess a single, linear narrative like a standalone title; every character possessed their own distinct storyline, as was only fitting.

Elvengard was a small, town-like outpost built entirely within the forest. Only by taking a horse carriage to Hendon Myre would one truly embark upon the journey of adventure.

"Wow... it's huge!"

Before their eyes lay a bustling, colossal metropolis filled with white walls and red tiles. Upon the beautifully landscaped town streets, one could see adventurers, merchants, scholars, and all manner of pedestrians hailing from every nation of the world.

As a free city that revered magical civilization, Hendon Myre was filled with a vast number of magical apparatuses. The majority of the buildings were white, reportedly because the founder, Myre, favored this color as a symbol of purity, causing the architecture here to maintain this style ever since.

Not only the warriors of the Western Region, but all the players from the various shops who had entered the game and arrived here, gazed upon the bustling throngs of people coming and going along the streets, completely unable to contain their awe at such a prosperous spectacle.

Along the streets, it was not merely the chatter of pedestrians that reached their ears, but from time to time, there also came...

"Giggle... Owner, look at that person, he's so funny!" Passing by, Jiang Xiaoyue pointed at a street vendor and giggled uncontrollably.

"Come one, come all, use money to make money!" A unscrupulous merchant wearing a strange pot on his head called out in a raspy, duck-like voice toward Fang Qi, Jiang Xiaoyue, and the others who were passing by.

Gazing upon the diverse commercial districts and the thriving city, Fang Qi looked at this prosperous sight; this was the Continent of Arad as it truly existed, not the ruined landscape of the aftermath.

"I don't believe a word of your nonsense!" Jiang Xiaoyue huffed, eyeing the passing adventurers and pedestrians before asking, "Owner, we came here to find some Master Pungjin, right? Where is he?"

"Yeah, he's very easy to find. He'll probably shout..." Owner Fang mimicked Pungjin's tone and said, "I am Pungjin, Master of the Wind Fist Style!"

They walked right into a bald man clad in yellow robes, who stared at the two of them with an displeased expression. "I am Pungjin, Master of the Wind Fist Style!"

"..." Owner Fang's face flashed with awkwardness. He had actually run right into the man himself.