Chapter Twenty-Nine: Breaking Free

With that, the members of "Dark Destroyer" were instantly scattered by the fleeing crowd.

"Damn it... damn it!" Berserker Da Shan froze for a moment, sensing instinctively that things weren't so simple. Just then, a figure suddenly flashed before him.

"As a melee class, you can't afford to get distracted."

At the very moment these words, almost like a lesson, reached his ears, a fireball exploded directly against the Berserker’s chest!

Boom—!

Having activated his berserk skill, his defense was already lowered. Even a small fireball managed to reduce nearly a fifth of his health.

The impact sent the Berserker staggering backward a few steps. At the same time, Zhao Nan gripped his staff and brought it down hard upon Da Shan's head.

Da Shan was stunned. This was the first time he'd seen a mage actually use their staff as a blunt weapon... and it hurt like hell!

"Ironblood Slash!"

The massive axe came crashing down, sending several rays of light shooting forward, transforming into a wheel-like barrage of attacks. But Zhao Nan seemed to have anticipated the move. The moment the axe was raised, he swiftly circled behind the Berserker.

Once more, the staff came down hard on the back of Da Shan’s head.

Pain—!

Though in-game settings prevented players from dying outright from such attacks, the necessary pain signals still shot straight through Da Shan’s nerves.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" The giant axe swung furiously, but every strike was deftly parried by Zhao Nan with his staff, as if facing a seasoned swordsman.

But damn it, this was clearly a mage!

"That's enough..."

Zhao Nan suddenly paused, and at that moment, his staff burst forth with a dazzling light.

"Die!" The Berserker seized the opportunity, lifting his axe high as the glow of a skill shone from it.

But at that instant, Zhao Nan released his staff.

A deafening explosion reverberated—!

A mage’s last line of self-defense depended not only on their mana, but also on the quality of their staff. This particular staff, acquired from a certain woman, was of green quality—far superior to a novice’s weapon.

The violent blast struck Da Shan squarely in the chest, drawing everyone's attention. The Berserker’s body was thrown far through the air, landing charred and lifeless on the ground.

His health bar emptied in an instant.

He didn’t even have time to utter a final word before he became a cold corpse. As Da Shan died, a fist-sized yellow crystal appeared above Zhao Nan’s head.

This was the killer’s mark within the game.

Next to Da Shan’s corpse, several gold coins and a strange key appeared. Zhao Nan, momentarily taken aback, quickly swept them into his backpack.

Then he melted into the crowd, joining the other players as they fled the scene.

...

Phew—!

Gao Mingyang collapsed on the ground in a starfish sprawl, his three companions utterly exhausted.

Outside Dongyuan City, they had finally reached a truly safe zone, not just a cramped temporary refuge.

"We're really grateful to you all!" Gao Mingyang, still on the ground, looked at the women before him with a face full of gratitude.

"It's nothing," Xu Yang shook her head, gazing off into the distance with visible tension.

Her expression was mirrored, even intensified, by Finina.

"Ah, it’s Zhao Nan!" With her keen eyesight, Divine Envoy Li Meina pointed ahead.

"Zhao..." Xu Yang stopped mid-sentence.

A figure had already darted forward, throwing herself into Zhao Nan's arms—it was Finina.

Zhao Nan patted her shoulder gently to reassure her, then faced the group with a calm, quiet smile.

That unforced smile was more reassuring than any explanation. They all paused, drawn in by his natural charisma—a quality Zhao Nan had developed since leaving the fantasy instance.

A flash of insight crossed Gao Mingyang’s eyes. He'd assumed Zhao Nan was just Finina’s younger brother, but it was clear now there was nothing of the sort. Remembering that he’d tried to invite Zhao Nan earlier, he felt a flush of embarrassment, but he was not one to dwell on it.

Gao Mingyang stood and spoke sincerely, "Brother, we really owe you. If it weren’t for your plan, we’d have lost our lives back there!"

Zhao Nan accepted their thanks with a smile. "In that situation, you were still willing to risk yourselves to save others. You were worth saving."

Simple words, but they hit home.

"This is Xu Feng, the rogue; this is Xu Fei, the priest; and this is Gao Xiang, the elven archer—my cousin," Gao Mingyang introduced them. "I could tell you were a swordsman from the start!"

"Zhao Nan, mage," Zhao Nan replied.

Gao Mingyang opened his mouth, surprised despite having seen Zhao Nan use magic. Zhao Nan had tied down a whole group of enemies, more slippery than any rogue!

"Let’s add each other as friends." Gao Mingyang sighed, making his intentions plain.

Zhao Nan smiled, accepting the request, as did the other three.

"Alright, Zhao Nan, I doubt that group from 'Darkness' will let this go so easily. I already had some history with them, but now we’ve truly made enemies. I won’t waste words—right now we need to finish some quests and level up quickly. If you ever need help, just send me a message—even if I’m in the bathroom, I’ll come running!"

Zhao Nan nodded lightly, watching them leave.

He then added Xu Yang and the others as friends, excusing himself with the need to turn in some quests. Soon, he and Finina were out of their sight.

"Nan, why didn’t you accept Xu Yang’s invitation?" Finina asked, puzzled.

"I just killed that Berserker. If I joined their group, it would only cause unnecessary trouble," Zhao Nan replied. "No need to drag those clueless students into this mess."

"So, where are we headed now?"

"I’ll turn in my quests, then head to the Mage Guild," Zhao Nan smiled. "I may have caused trouble, but that Berserker did sponsor me—finally, I have an area attack skill."

"You really perked up after leaving the instance."

"The environment’s different—one’s attitude should change too. That laid-back mindset from the instance won’t help you survive here."

Hand in hand, Zhao Nan and Finina melted into the crowd.

...

Boom—!

Inside a composite building of concrete and giant trees in Dongyuan City, a bald, burly man shattered a bottle in anger.

Before him, a crowd stood with bowed heads, faces pale with fear.

This was the headquarters of "Dark Destroyer." The bald man was their boss—Brother Long.

"Can anyone tell me how Da Shan died?" Brother Long’s fury was palpable, but the crowd could only remain silent. No one had seen how Da Shan had died in that chaos.

"Boss, among the group that rescued Gao Mingyang, there was a woman I remember," a subordinate ventured cautiously.

"Speak!"

"She’s a teacher at Dongyuan High School, I think—there are several teachers leading a group of students."

"Dongyuan High School?" Brother Long frowned, then sent his men away.

"Brother Long, calm down. Here, have a drink," a beautiful woman beside him said softly.

Brother Long answered with a heavy slap, leaving a huge handprint on her face.

"Brother Long..."

"Shut your damn mouth! If it weren’t for you, would I have lost a brother?" His eyes bulged as he roared, "Get out and go serve my men! If any of them aren’t satisfied, you can go feed the monsters outside the city!"

"Brother Long, please, I’ll be good!" she pleaded, clutching his leg, sobbing.

"Somebody, get this wretch out of here! Let her amuse herself," Brother Long barked.

Several men dragged the woman away, grinning cruelly. Only then did Brother Long sit down, activating the bracelet on his wrist and bringing it to his ear.

Aside from mail, the bracelet had another, even more convenient function—a city-wide voice communication feature.

Telepathic chat.

"Who is it?" a deep voice answered on the other end.

"It’s me," Brother Long replied flatly. "One of my brothers died today."

"What’s that got to do with me? You want me to mourn your loss?"

"My brother’s death is linked to one of your school’s teachers!" Brother Long’s voice rose. "In the Cat Demon area, you’d better give me an explanation. Don’t blame me for forgetting old acquaintances! I told my men to stay away from you, but now your people are messing with me!"

The other side was silent for a moment before replying, "I understand. But I need some time—you’d better not do anything rash!"

"Two days. No more than that," Brother Long ground out. "I’ve lost a valued brother—I can’t just let it go, or how will I command respect in the future?"

The voice on the other end sighed, then said helplessly, "Fine, I’ll do my best."

...

The Mage Guild of Dongyuan City, formerly the city’s public library, now stood transformed into a vast building of Gothic grandeur.

Zhao Nan had frequented the Swordsman Hall, but this was his first time in the Mage Guild—a feeling akin to stepping into a grand garden for the first time.

There weren’t many people inside—just two or three, quietly reading. Who among them were real players and who were system-generated NPCs was impossible to tell at a glance.

He and Finina quickly approached the front desk, where a bespectacled young woman greeted them with a smile.

"How can I help you, customer?"

"Please list the skill prices for mages, levels six to eight," Zhao Nan requested promptly.

"Certainly. Please wait a moment."

The woman maintained her professional smile, her gaze empty and unchanging. Compared to Finina, this system-generated NPC was worlds apart.

In "Global Monster Online," not all system-generated characters possessed high intelligence or emotional complexity. Some, like this young woman, were only capable of executing basic, preset commands.