Lord Of The Lost

Now that he had reached level 10, he fully understood just how difficult path-opening really was.

Without external help, it could take years.

And by then? It'd be too late.

As an avid gamer, Mao Che knew one thing for certain—

> The pioneers make the strategies, and the smart ones follow.

Why struggle blindly when you could copy the homework of the ones who had already blazed the trail?

William didn't comment.

Because in the end, everyone's path was different.

This wasn't just about copying strategies—it was more like an exam, where each player had to prove themselves.

The good news?

The Anchoring Pen could customize the final answer for each individual.

An open-book exam, with standardized solutions, ensuring full marks.

And as the one who set up the exam, William was more than happy to watch it play out.

The player faction was finally taking shape.

What was once a chaotic, scattered group of individuals had begun to develop a collective identity.

William and Forum Master weren't official leaders.

No one had formal authority over all players.

The concept of a player alliance hadn't even been officially introduced yet.

But power?

> Power comes from the ground up.

The reputation William and Forum Master had built was enough.

If they spoke, people listened.

A single message from them could rally an overwhelming number of players.

90% of player conflicts? Solvable immediately with their influence.

And the remaining 10%?

> That was a problem with the player, not the system.

A leader was necessary to unify the strength of the majority.

But William had never seen himself as a leader.

Instead, he simply observed, checking in on the high-level players to see what problems needed solving next.

The Forum Master had always managed his team with precision, but the forum was another beast entirely, a mess of endless reports, complaints, and confusion.

The massive influx of players into the Lost Maze was starting to distort the labyrinth itself.

Most of the newcomers were under level 10—only a tiny fraction had reached double digits.

Yet, their sheer numbers were beginning to alter the maze's structure.

A player with the [Spatial Coordinates] talent was the first to notice the shifts—

> The maze's already complex pathways were becoming even more unpredictable.

> Extraordinary monsters were multiplying, and the environment was deteriorating at an alarming rate.

It wasn't clear what kind of long-term effects this would have.

But not all change was bad.

The increase in extraordinary creatures meant more opportunities for players.

These creatures were generally Sequence 9, a rank that was rarely seen outside the maze.

For players stuck in Border Town, these creatures were usually impossible to find, let alone hunt.

The lack of high-level monsters was the biggest reason why extraordinary resources were scarce.

Now?

The maze was overflowing with valuable loot.

High risks. High rewards.

Each drop was worth several gold coins—more than enough to keep players coming, wave after wave, even if it meant certain death.

The Real Problem: The Sequence 8 Gargoyle

While the maze turbulence was manageable, the gargoyle at the portal entrance was turning into a serious issue.

Every time a player teleported into the maze, their arrival distorted energy and space, which, in turn, drew the gargoyle's attention.

These fallen creatures had no rational thought—they drifted aimlessly through the sky, attacking on instinct.

For the average player, facing a Sequence 8 enemy was a death sentence.

Most players fled before the gargoyle arrived, but some weren't so lucky.

Those who died to the gargoyle flooded the forum with rage posts.

> "Why should we have to deal with this thing the second we teleport in?"

"I thought the first teleportation fee was waived?! What a waste!"

The "free teleport" policy, funded by William's pioneering team, was meant to give new players a safety net.

Instead, it had been wasted on deaths by gargoyle—leaving some players frustrated and bitter.

But there wasn't much William could do.

An Unsolvable Threat?

The Labyrinth Guide had already mentioned these corrupted gargoyles.

Their dual resistances were insanely high.

They could reach Sequence 8 at maximum, making them incredibly dangerous.

William had once fought an elite werewolf—and even at full strength, he had barely managed to survive.

But werewolves, despite their speed and ferocity, were useless against gargoyles.

Werewolves relied on high attack speed, but their scratches barely left a mark.

Gargoyles could fly, staying out of range of most melee attacks.

Bottom line?

The situation was out of their control. For now, players just had to endure it.

William skimmed through the latest developments.

Some problems were unsolvable.

Others? Not yet urgent.

But overall, things were still under control.

Then, a new alert caught his attention—

The Knights of Despair, a faction left behind by the Forum Master, had just killed several black magicians.

These weren't ordinary enemies.

They were Hope Fragments, humans who had been corrupted into twisted magical entities.

Normally, Forum Master would handle these reports himself, but since he was in seclusion, the Knights of Despair had temporarily recognized William as their superior and forwarded the situation to him.

The problem?

The Hope Fragments were getting stronger.

One of them had reached the limit of Sequence 9, making it a serious threat.

Even the Knights of Despair were struggling.

The Resolution?

The mayor of Border Town had to step in personally, using the power of the King's Code to put an end to the crisis.

For now, it seemed like another disaster had been averted—but William couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

The Path of the Magician: Slow, Cursed, and Fearsome

Compared to warriors and knights, those who walk the magician's path start at a significant disadvantage.

At lower levels, a magician can barely cast one spell at a time, often losing track of one thing while focusing on another.

The reason?

> Magic is an accumulation-based discipline.

Unlike warriors, who grow stronger by pushing their physical limits, or knights, who refine their combat techniques, magicians must gather, study, and master their spells over time.

But those who persist?

Terrifying.

> The further a magician progresses, the more unstoppable they become.

William had always found the magician's path to be… unsettling.

Not just because of its potential, but because of how the world around him treated it.

Why Does Border Town Fear Magic?

The people of Border Town were simple folk—but their hatred of magic was almost instinctive.

Oddly enough, they enjoyed magic tricks—illusions, sleight of hand, parlor performances—but when it came to actual sorcery, their reaction was pure revulsion.

At first, William assumed it was because of the notorious black magicians.

Now?

> He suspected there was something much deeper.

Perhaps… magicians lose control too easily?

There was no other explanation for why Border Town had no official magician class transfers.

Even though magic was an ancient path, possibly older than warriors and knights, the kingdom itself tightly controlled magical practitioners.

> Warriors and knights could rise to power.

Magicians? They were crushed before they could grow.

Those who took the magician's path were rarely allowed to leave the kingdom.

Skull Valley, the last refuge of black magicians, was barely surviving under the constant suppression of the Magic Kingdom.

Even though black magicians had completely taken over Shadow Castle, they stayed hidden, fearing the wrath of the Blizzard Fortress.

In short, the magician path wasn't just a slow-burn power fantasy—it was a cursed road that made enemies everywhere.

William didn't care much for this accumulation-heavy approach.

But the fact that the kingdom feared it so much? That was worth noting.

The Gathering of Fragments

Among the many Hope Fragments that had surfaced, none had reached Sequence 8—a small relief.

But William was starting to see a pattern.

> Were the first fragments that left the Black Forest special?

Perhaps they attracted others, or maybe there was one central fragment drawing the rest toward it.

Whatever the cause, fragments had been emerging in waves, all heading toward Border Town.

A mere coincidence?

Doubtful.

Little Bob and the Mystery of the Black Forest

After discussing with Metatron, William had a working theory:

> The key to everything was the Sequence 6 fragment inside Little Bob.

Little Bob had entered the Black Forest during the last full moon, with Helka's help, and killed Hope.

But in the process, he was deeply corrupted.

His memories shattered, his mind distorted, and he even forgot about Helka's existence.

And yet—he had taken fragments of Hope's pages and placed them inside his own body.

Why?

No one knew.

William usually didn't care to dig too deep into mysteries unless they revealed a weakness in the Black Forest's forbidden power.

But he wasn't naïve enough to believe the Black Forest Boss had any weaknesses.

> If there was a way to defeat it, Helka wouldn't have resorted to pure brute force.

Instead of overthinking it, William preferred to deal with threats as they came.

Everything would eventually surface—and when it did, he'd be ready.

Preparation for the Decisive Battle

For now, the only thing that mattered was getting stronger—fast.

The final battle was approaching, and William had a lot to prepare.

It was time to finally use the extraordinary traits he had stockpiled.

The Power of the Warrior's Secret Medicine

Unfortunately, most of his stored traits belonged to heterogeneous paths.

> Not suitable for his own advancement—but still incredibly useful.

They could be used to craft physical enhancement potions—in particular, the Warrior's Secret Medicine.

This potion allowed warriors to rapidly accumulate extraordinary traits within their bodies.

For example:

A level 8 warrior only needed five bottles to become a transcendent warrior.

The difference between a Sequence 9 warrior and an apprentice was like comparing a beast to a child.

And compared to the slow, knowledge-heavy magician path, the knight and warrior paths were immediate power boosts.

> This was why warriors and knights dominated the early game.

After all, everyone had seen Helka's unstoppable charge firsthand.

And at this moment, William thought of something else—

A different kind of recipe.

Spiritual Oil…

A key ingredient. A missing piece.

Perhaps, the final step toward something greater.