C22 Mission to Kaka Village

A hundred players gripped their weapons tightly as they left the village and headed in the direction the NPC had pointed out. The scattered monsters nearby were barely a snack for the advancing players, not even causing them to pause for a second. Even the coolie-like self-detonating creatures were quickly surrounded and hacked to pieces before they had a chance to explode.

As they moved further from the village, the players noticed a shift in the terrain. The muddy path darkened, weeds became sparse, and the trees appeared more withered than those surrounding the village. Some patches of soil, despite their dry, cracked appearance, felt oddly soft and springy underfoot, like stepping on rubber clay. It wasn't long before some players started to complain of motion sickness.

"Pick up the pace and cut the nonsense! Remember what we went through while guarding the NPC!" someone called out.

The game's map seemed endless, and curiosity soon got the better of some players, who began to explore their surroundings. This stretched out the once tightly-knit group, prompting Shadow of Wind, who was at the forefront, to loudly remind everyone to stay focused.

"Are we going to attract a horde of monsters again? That only happened during the NPC protection mission, right?" Recalling the overwhelming scene of monsters swarming from all directions, some stragglers quickly picked up their pace, while others remained unconcerned.

"It's hard to say. Have you not noticed the increase in monster encounters? The density has definitely changed. It's possible that this game is designed to draw monsters out once you leave the village," someone speculated.

With a swift raise of his sword, one player cleaved a zombie in half, while another teammate decapitated it. As the zombie dissipated into a puff of black smoke, the confident player chimed in, "Think about it, everyone. If you die, you drop your weapons. That means we'd probably have to start over with the second wave of players on the next quest. Can you handle that?"

His words struck a chord, and the previously nonchalant players suddenly snapped to attention. Dying in the game was one thing, but losing their hard-earned equipment was another matter entirely. The game's realism made weapon crafting a time-consuming task, and dying could even earn you the scorn of NPCs. With these concerns in mind, Shadow of Wind sensed a transformation in the hundred-man troop; they were now brimming with a lethal resolve, like an elite military unit poised for battle.

The players advanced quickly and quietly into the foreground, soon arriving at an eerie location. On either side of the barely passable muddy path, which was hardly a road, lay hundreds of graves.

"Stay sharp, everyone!"

No sooner had Shadow of Wind spoken than pale skeletal hands began to burst forth from the earth around the graves. The fleshless bones took mere seconds to claw their way out, the skulls turning on their necks with a chilling crackle.

"Damn, is this a monster spawn? Skeletons were buried underground?"

"It's not a huge number. Let's keep formation and try not to get encircled!"

In other games, they might have charged at the monsters, taking a potion and retreating if outmatched. But here, no one dared such recklessness. Heeding their companions' warnings, each team formed their preferred formation and cautiously advanced toward the newly emerged Skeleton Monsters.

Shadow of Wind's sword came down on a skeleton's neck, feeling only slight resistance before decapitating it. Yet the headless skeleton, osteotome in hand, swung at Shadow of Wind.

Thankfully, two teammates quickly blocked the skeleton's arms, preventing the blade from reaching him. Shadow of Wind, drenched in a cold sweat, swiftly severed the skeleton's arms, warning aloud, "These aren't like the archer skeletons we've faced before. They don't die when beheaded. Everyone, stay alert."

Zhuge Bayun studied the skeleton before him, then abruptly drove his sword into the skull's eye socket. The ghostly green flame within flickered violently before fading away, and the crippled skeleton crumbled to pieces.

"The weak spot is the will-o'-the-wisp in the eyes. Aim there!"

"Holy crap, skeletons have weaknesses too? No wonder I couldn't kill it, even after hacking off its limbs and neck!"

"This is a fascinating twist. Will different monsters have unique vulnerabilities going forward?"

"Hard to tell. Remember that Kobold we encountered? Bigger and brawnier than Brother Wild Waves, yet I don't think we managed to take down even one, right?"

Shen Wanjin's axe struck the skeleton monster's ribs with a hefty blow, sending it stumbling backward. Beside him, Nako deftly swung her machete at the creature's neck, severing its head with a resounding crack as it rolled to the ground. A spear then found its mark, plunging into the empty eye socket of the skull.

Watching the skeleton collapse into a heap, Shen Wanjin nodded, pleased. "Knowing the weak spot makes all the difference, but Nako, you've got impressive combat instincts."

Nako scrunched up her nose, beaming with pride. "Well, I am a war correspondent. I've got my survival skills maxed out!"

The skirmish was over in minutes; nearly a hundred skeletons lay dismantled, their defeat a boon to the players' experience points. The players scanned their surroundings eagerly, like wolves on the prowl, wishing for another wave of enemies to hone their skills.

The players had emerged nearly unscathed, with no serious injuries to speak of, save for a few unlucky ones who had been caught off guard at the start and suffered cuts from the skeletons' osteotomes. They managed to staunch the bleeding, but the sight of them wincing and grimacing was almost comical.

"Let's proceed with caution, everyone. If you're injured, stay towards the back. We need to avoid any casualties during this mission!"

"Doesn't this game have any healing potions? If the injuries were more severe, would we have no choice but to respawn in the city?"

"It's tough to say. We're still on the newbie quest, so it might not be time to encounter those items yet."

"Maybe they haven't rolled out the eating feature yet. I tried to eat some grass and fruit earlier, but got a message saying the function wasn't available."

"Stop overthinking and keep moving. The monster respawn has begun. Stay sharp!"

Alerted by the reminder, the players took note of the growing cacophony of monstrous roars and the increasingly pungent stench of decay. Shadows loomed in the distance, swaying as they drew closer.

"We can't afford to stop now. If we do, we'll be swarmed, and unlike last time, we can't afford to use our numbers to buy time. This mission is to reclaim the village."

Shadow of Wind quickly strategized and then rallied the group. "We're in a tight spot. I suggest we combine our strength and push forward in an Arrow Formation. At the very least, we need to scope out our mission target—Kaka Village."

The players all nodded in agreement and swiftly converged, forming an arrowhead formation. With Shadow of Wind at the helm, they took off at a breakneck pace.

"Keep moving, everyone! Our objective is to break through—avoid engaging with the monsters and don't look back at those falling behind! Charge!"