NOVEL NEXT Chapter 117 : World Event (5)
"I got an armor," a player shouted with excitement, raising the glowing breastplate in his hands. "It's kinda cool. It boosts my defense by thirty percent!"
"Lucky you," his teammate replied with a sigh as he looked at a bone weapon in his hand with discontent. "All I got was this jagged bone dagger. It looks like it's about to break."
The first player laughed. "Hey, at least you can use yours. I can't even equip this yet. Needs level 30 to use."
"Yikes. Even our guild master's not that high yet."
"Yeah, tough luck for me."
They both chuckled, brushing off their disappointment as they walked back to rejoin their squad.
Around them, the massive battlefield was still alive with chaos. Players clashed with the endless waves of undead — skeletons with cracked bones, zombies dragging themselves through the dark soil, and strange shadowy figures that moved like smoke.
Explosions, spells, and shouts filled the air.
Despite the danger, the mood among many players was high. The World Event had drawn thousands of them together, and the thrill of fighting side by side made them feel unstoppable.
High-ranked players and skilled talent users were at the frontlines. Their powerful skills created huge shockwaves across the battlefield — slicing through hordes of enemies, clearing paths, and even taking down monsters that were some levels above them.
It was teamwork at its peak.
Every few minutes, glowing loot dropped from fallen enemies — swords, armors, staffs, potions, and rare items that sparkled with color. But no one dared to snatch them for themselves.
The rule was simple. All loot goes to the team leaders for distribution later.
This wasn't a time for greed. Everyone knew that the only reason they had made it this far was because they were united. A single selfish move could easily ruin the entire thing for all of them.
"I haven't seen Khan anywhere," one player said, catching his breath after finishing off a zombie. "Have you?"
"Not at all," another replied, wiping blood off his blade.
"I guess he vanished after triggering the event. I bet he's way ahead of us."
"Figures. He's always one thousand steps ahead. Probably fighting the boss already."
They laughed lightly, but both knew the truth. If Axton was involved in triggering this event, then he was already facing challenges beyond their level. The thought made them uneasy.
As the fight dragged on, the number of undead began to decrease. For a while now, the players had been battling, and their persistence was finally paying off.
Piles of bones littered around. The ground was cracked and covered in dark mist, but at least the horde was thinning.
And then, something new appeared.
Several glowing runic markings began forming on the ground ahead — massive circles carved by energy itself, shining faintly.
The players stopped to look. The moment the first one stepped close, a set of messages appeared before their eyes.
[The World Event begins here.]
[Enter Anarnia if you wish to participate.]
[Rewards will be distributed based on contribution scores.]
The chat exploded immediately.
"Anarnia?!"
"That's the city Khan entered?"
"Finally! This must be the main stage!"
Excitement buzzed through the crowd.
Without hesitation, many players rushed straight into the glowing portal that appeared at the center of the runic markings. The idea of greater rewards and rare loot was all they needed to throw themselves forward.
However, not everyone was so eager.
Some stood back, pale-faced and hesitant. They had already lost friends in the earlier fight. The thought of facing even stronger creatures inside that portal made their stomachs twist.
"What if it's worse in there?" one player muttered.
"It is worse, man," another said flatly. "You know it. I'm sure of it."
Fear split the massive army in two. About half of the players decided to stay behind, watching from a distance. Some even withdrew completely from the World Event.
The other ones — those who had either grown fearless or reckless — walked straight into the portal without looking back.
They were determined to see what lay beyond the gates of Anarnia.
******
When the first wave of players arrived on the other side, they were struck silent.
"What the hell… is this place?" someone whispered.
The sky was gloomy, filled with drifting ash and black lightning. Broken towers stretched into the distance, their tips crumbling away into dust.
What was once a grand city now looked like a graveyard.
"It's even worse than the place we came from," another said. "Like the end of the world happened here."
"It looks like… Atlas City before it became what it is now," someone guessed, staring at the ruins.
"Geez…"
Their voices were low and uneasy. The air felt heavy, like the city itself was watching them.
They were not in one large group anymore. The portal had scattered them into different regions of the ruined city, and each group saw a different part of Anarnia.
Some stood among collapsed buildings and twisted streets. Others were surrounded by black water and broken statues. A few found themselves in wide open plains filled with ash, where the wind screamed like a living thing.
"How do we proceed?" a player asked, turning to the one who looked like their leader.
The leader was a tall man wearing dark leather armor.
His eyes scanned the fog ahead. After a short moment, he turned around to give orders.
"We'll head west from—"
Splurt!
His words cut off mid-sentence. Blood sprayed across the group as his body dropped to the ground, lifeless.
"W–What the hell?!"
An arrow had pierced the side of his head cleanly. The players froze for a second, staring at the body in disbelief.
Then, a low, eerie laugh echoed around them.
It came from somewhere in the shadows.
Everyone snapped into a battle stance.
Shields rose, swords gleamed, spells were prepared… but it was too late.
More arrows came flying from the darkness, fast and deadly. The sound of wind cutting through the air filled the field.
"Get down!" someone shouted, trying to save as many players as could hear the voice.