Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Return of the Dark Sorcerer

After several decades of development, the area covered by the Jingmen Safe Zone had grown significantly larger than before. The scattered safe outposts that once dotted the surroundings, some were breached by monsters, while others were abandoned by humans due to geographical reasons. Now, throughout the entire land of China, the main settlements were clusters of cities established upon these safe zones.

The Jingmen Safe Zone was now situated in the central and lower Yangtze River plains, encompassing regions that once included Jingzhou, Shayang, Zhongxiang, and others, with its southwestern part at the heart of the plains. Heading north, one would gradually encounter the shadows of mountain ranges. The Gate of the Moonlight Realm was located near the edge of the mountains, at the border with the former site of Xiangyang, with its defensive lines built upon the undulating northern hills.

It was the hour before dawn. Numerous large teams had already received their notifications and were stationed here, setting up temporary command posts. The very front lines were guarded by high-level rangers, constantly monitoring the monsters’ movements to prevent sudden attacks.

This time, the monsters possessed unique traits. They favored darkness and shunned light, and under the moonlight exhibited certain special characteristics. According to the intelligence gathered thus far, besides the peculiar scene monster, there were at least three other special monsters capable of posing considerable threats to human teams.

The first was called the Moonlight Werewolf, a creature with both bodily and facial features of a werewolf, pale skin that emitted a faint silver glow. Under moonlight, its body grew larger and its strength increased. Some high-tier werewolves even possessed stealth abilities, making them stealthy as tanks!

The second was a special gargoyle, its body comprised of a strange stone that could reflect moonlight. Under moonlight, it could unleash a bizarre white light wave, inflicting immense damage upon explorers. When injured, it would instantly petrify, making it exceptionally troublesome to deal with.

The last was a creature resembling an elemental being, native to the Lunar Secret Realm, but somehow it had appeared in reality! Its defining trait was the ability to temporarily immunize itself to either physical or elemental attacks. Thus, to defeat it, a party needed both physical and magical damage dealers present!

These monsters were of high level, putting immense pressure on the authorities, not to mention the elusive Moonlight Mirror Entity. It was said that the Jingmen Safe Zone had begun seeking assistance from outside, and more high-level explorers were rushing to the area.

The energy fluctuations this time affected several nearby Gates of Realms, so the battlefront was longer than expected. Before reinforcements and further orders arrived, high-level explorers dared not venture alone. Most powerful explorers were temporarily stationed at key strongholds, guarding against large-scale monster invasions of the cities. For example, Battlefish was now overseeing the core command area at the frontline, greatly boosting morale.

The night in the Jingmen Safe Zone was gentle.

At this moment, a fifteen-member squad was stationed at a makeshift outpost. This squad belonged to the River Guild, with an average level above fifty, making them the backbone of the force. Everyone was tense, as their outpost had been under monster attack since midnight.

In the distant sky, several mutated birds hovered, each at least level sixty. They had already called for reinforcements, but the help was still on its way, at least ten minutes out.

Suddenly, two Moonlight Werewolves appeared in the north, and immediately destroyed a newly built watchtower! The tower, recently reinforced with special materials, was deformed by a single swipe of a werewolf’s paw. Meanwhile, two gargoyles launched an attack on the squad, their blows landing on a giant light shield.

“Shield warriors to the front, be ready to activate your skills. Mages, keep slowing them. Priests, maintain healing spells. Everyone else, focus fire on the werewolf to the right!” Their commander was experienced, and since everyone was already on alert, tasks were quickly assigned.

A dazzling array of skills struck the werewolf on the right, provoking its furious roar. Despite their rich combat experience, facing monsters five or six levels higher still weighed heavily on them.

“Don’t hesitate to use potions, just use them—guild will reimburse!”
“Aqiang, keep an eye on other monsters. If more show up, we fall back to the second defensive line!”

These monsters were formidable; even the lowest-level werewolf required over a minute of concentrated fire to be dealt with. Yet the werewolves were smarter than expected—when pressured, they would quickly retreat, gradually nibbling away at the explorers’ defensive lines.

Soon, the ranger warned that three more monsters were approaching from the front. The captain immediately ordered a retreat, preparing to abandon the outpost temporarily. But the monsters seemed reluctant to let the explorers go, attempting to encircle them from behind, making the situation tense.

“These monsters are way too tough! Their stats are at least double those of ordinary monsters in the Moonlight Realm!”
“Tough or not, we have to fight. Fifteen of us—maintain formation during the retreat, and don’t lose anyone!”
“Mana’s running low, knights switch to mana recovery aura!”

Whoosh!

Suddenly, amidst the heated battle, a gigantic fireball emerged from the darkness, perfectly striking one of the werewolves, igniting it in flames! Energy inside its body ballooned and contracted rapidly, then exploded from within.

The monster that the team had been attacking for over a minute without success collapsed on the hillside just like that.

A shadow seemed to glide through the darkness. The other monsters were simultaneously struck, and in less than ten seconds, all were down, transformed into blue light spheres.

These blue spheres were quickly gathered by a man in black armor, who swiftly left the battlefield!

“???”

“Uh?”

“What just happened?”

All the squad members were stunned. Moments ago, they had been worried about casualties or being surrounded. Unexpectedly, a sudden powerhouse had wiped out these troublesome monsters, even the gargoyles, which hadn’t even had time to petrify, were instantly killed by this mysterious figure.

“Who was that? Was it a mage? I think I sensed the aura of Fireblast.”

“Seems like the Black Mage. The Black Mage struck again.”

“Holy—Is the Black Mage really this strong? I used to doubt the forums, but these monsters are over sixty levels, yet he handled them alone in just a few moves? That’s almost as strong as Battlefish!”

Everyone felt uneasy. They had heard rumors of the Black Mage appearing these past two days. The posts online were a mix of truth and fiction; the Black Mage had plenty of fans, and most took it as a joke. Supposedly, the Black Mage was powerful, at least level fifty or higher.

But this?

Just fifty levels?

A few skills, and so many monsters wiped out? These must have been well over sixty levels!

(End of chapter)