Divine Awakening: My Game Drops Increase Infinitely

[Hart: Hey, what's going on? The teleportation circle's gone crazy. Everyone's coming here!]

Axton stared at Hart's message in their chat window.

Before that, he had been looking at the global notifications — the ones everyone outside of Anarnia had just seen.

He didn't know what to say. In truth, there was nothing he could say. What the system had done was beyond his control.

He wasn't a Game Master or had any administrative role of sort, and he couldn't control the mechanics of the world. If he could, none of these random players flooding into Atlas City right now would have that privilege.

Axton let out a long, frustrated exhale before replying to Hart's message.

[Khan: I can't stop you or your guild from participating, but trust me when I say you don't need to.]

As if waiting for that response, Hart replied almost instantly.

[Hart: What do you mean? What about the rewards?]

[Khan: Like I said, it's best for Dragon Claw to sit this one out. But in the end, the choice is yours. I won't force you if you don't want to take my advice.]

Even through text, it was obvious that Axton wasn't in a good mood. His tone was sharp, and to the point.

After sending the message, Axton closed the chat window and turned his attention back to the task before him. He couldn't afford to be distracted.

Whatever chaos was happening outside Atlas City wasn't his immediate problem. Not yet.

******

Hart frowned at the screen, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"That's… weird," he muttered.

He reread the exchange between himself and Axton several times. It didn't sit right with him. Something about Axton's tone — the warning hidden behind his words — made his skin crawl.

Still, he couldn't shake off the trust he had in that man. Axton had proven himself more times than Hart could count.

He had guided them through the Hell Mode Dungeon when no one else could. He had been their greatest ally, their major supplier of different grades of equipment. There was no logical reason for Axton to deceive him, or seek the fall of Dragon Claw Guild now.

And yet… that message.

Hart leaned back slightly, a chill running down his spine.

"We don't need to, huh?" he murmured. "That doesn't sound like someone trying to keep all the rewards to himself. That sounds like someone who knows something dangerous is coming."

After a few moments of silent thought, Hart made his decision.

"Alright, everyone," he said, glancing over the players from Dragon Claw who had arrived with him in Atlas City. "Listen up. I want all of you to stand down. Don't take part in the World Event."

His announcement was met with confused looks and murmurs from his guild members.

"What? Why?" one of them asked. "This is a huge chance for us! You saw the system message, Hart."

"Yeah," another added, "this could push Dragon Claw up in the rankings! Why would we sit this one out?"

Hart crossed his arms and looked them all in the eyes.

"I just got a warning from Khan," he said firmly. "He told me to stay out of it. And when someone like him says something like that… we'd better listen."

The room fell silent. No one dared to argue further.

Hart then opened the Guild Chat and began typing. His fingers flew across the interface as he explained everything — the sudden messages, Axton's strange tone, and his gut feeling that this World Event wasn't what it seemed.

He knew some members, especially Trey, wouldn't take his decision lightly.

Trey was ambitious. He was the kind of person who saw every challenge as an opportunity. But Hart hoped that, at least this once, Trey and the others would see the bigger picture he was painting.

'Axton's warning wasn't random,' Hart thought grimly. 'He's telling us to stay away because something's not adding up. If even he thinks this event is dangerous, then I'd be a fool to ignore it.'

The thought alone was enough to send another cold shiver down his spine.

******

Meanwhile, deep within the Realm of Shadows, Axton continued forward.

He knew exactly what was happening outside. Players all over the world of New Eden were pouring into Atlas City, chasing after the promise of glory and rewards.

It was the same pattern every time, only on a larger scale. The system dangles shiny prizes, and everyone rushes in like moths to a flame.

Axton couldn't blame them. For most, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to progress. But he also knew that this particular realm wasn't going to be kind to them.

He glanced around at the eerie ruins and the darkness that clung to every corner. The creatures he had faced so far — the skeletons, the zombies — had been relatively simple for him to handle. Weak, slow, and predictable. But that was only because he was strong enough to tear through them with ease. For an ordinary player, even one of those monsters would be a nightmare.

"They'll probably form parties," Axton muttered under his breath, stepping over the cracked remains of an old bridge. "Rely on numbers. Safety in groups."

He chuckled quietly, though there was no amusement in his voice. "But what happens when they meet something they can't handle? What happens when they run into a Shadow Warden… or a Zombie Commander?"

The image of it — dozens, maybe hundreds of players, screaming and dying in the darkness — flickered in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became. But Axton was not annoyed at the prospective loss of lives.

This wasn't supposed to happen. He had done all the work — clearing the paths, defeating skeletons and zombies, unraveling the mysteries of the realm.

Now the system had turned his efforts into a public event, letting everyone else reap the benefits of his sweat.

His jaw tightened.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered. "I did everything to get here, and now they're just… walking in?"

The longer he stewed on it, the more his irritation grew. But then, as quickly as it came, he exhaled and let the frustration fade.

A small smirk tugged at his lips, his expression changing into something devious.

"Fine," he said softly. "Let them come."

He stopped walking and looked around the misty expanse of the ruined city. His eyes gleamed faintly in the gloom.

"I didn't force anyone to be here. They are coming to this place of their own will. So whatever happens next…"

He gave a small shrug. "They'll just have to deal with it."

Axton folded his arms, his expression settling into calm indifference.

"Besides," he added, "if they're all here, they might as well serve a purpose."

He turned toward the distant horizon. The City of Anarnia was massive — too massive for him to explore alone.

"If I can't stop them," he murmured, "then I'll use them."

He chuckled again, this time with genuine amusement.

"They'll test this place for me. Every corner, every threat, every trap. They'll pave the way."

His voice grew quieter, his tone carrying both resolve and cold detachment.

"But they would have to survive those zombies first," he muttered with a sigh.