Trap, Defensive Wall!

The Novice Village was a safe zone where players were forbidden from fighting.

No matter how many people they had or how fiercely they shouted, as long as Xiao Wen stayed inside the village, there was nothing they could do to him.

But would Xiao Wen choose to drag things out like this?

No!

He strode out of the Novice Village. A Duel Disk appeared on his left hand, while his right fingers rested on the cards. He drew a card!

Trap Card: Defensive Wall!

Defensive Wall · Trap Card

Duel Effect: Activates during battle damage calculation on the opponent's turn, nullifying the damage and drawing one card from the hand.

Summoning Effect: Creates an air wall with zero defense based on the player's level, blocking enemies from advancing. The air wall's HP (duration) is affected by the player's level: 10,000 × player level.

Having fully understood the summoning effect, Xiao Wen was stunned and could not help sighing.

"The attributes of Duel Cards are fucking insane!"

He was level 6 now. If he used it, the crystal wall created would have a full sixty thousand HP.

Even without any defense, sixty thousand HP would be enough to keep these people busy for a while.

"Fine, consider yourselves lucky today. I was originally planning to teach you a lesson, but unfortunately, I didn't draw a powerful monster."

Xiao Wen muttered as he placed the Trap Card in his Duel Disk.

The moment the card was inserted, Xiao Wen distinctly sensed a subtle surge of power entering the ground without causing the slightest ripple.

He raised his head and looked into the distance, where a group of fierce-looking players came charging out.

Players of classes such as Fist Masters, swordsmen, spearmen, and magic swordsmen charged at the front.

Archers stood in the middle of the formation, while mages held the rear.

These nearly hundred people were not amateur nobodies. At the very least, they came from somewhat renowned guilds, and their teamwork and class control were naturally far beyond that of ordinary players.

"Damn, these people really spared no expense!"

Xiao Wen smacked his lips, his expression growing rather strange.

Players from other Novice Villages could not leave their own village to fight monsters elsewhere. That was common knowledge.

But it was not absolute.

If Xiao Wen remembered correctly, it was possible to hunt monsters in another village, provided one had the money. The price was roughly 5 gold coins per person per hour.

How much could one even earn from hunting monsters in a Novice Village during the early game?

It was precisely because the cost-effectiveness was completely negative that nobody used this feature at all.

Yet this group had actually used it for his sake.

Judging from their numbers, most of them were not players from this Novice Village. This trip alone had cost them at least several hundred, perhaps nearly a thousand gold coins—equivalent to several hundred thousand Nine Provinces credits!

"My goodness, being rich really is nice."

After doing the conversion, Xiao Wen could not help remarking.

Ahead, the players advanced step by step. Though they were steadily accelerating, they maintained their formation throughout.

They had not let their guard down in the slightest because of Xiao Wen's earlier arrogant words. Instead, they became even more cautious, choosing to form an alliance and work together against him.

"Boss, do we really need to be this careful? There are nearly a hundred of us. If we all rush him at once, even a king-class player won't come out unscathed. And this kid?"

A player named Mu Li in the alliance asked quietly.

Ahead, a burly Fist Master turned around and glared at his lackey. "Keep it down! This kid isn't that easy to deal with! He's a dark horse who suddenly emerged in the Nine Provinces gaming world. He killed a level 7 Lord Boss before Wind Emperor did. That alone says plenty."

"Also, stay sharp later. Run when you need to run, and don't get yourselves killed! Monster Village Attack is urgent, and we need to raise our levels as quickly as possible. Got it?"

Mu Li nodded repeatedly as he stepped forward. His feet trod upon the hard earth, yet a faint unease stirred within him.

"Kid, should I call you brave, or should I call you stupid? You actually dared to confront so many of us here. Do you know that every one of us could spit once and drown you? Be smart and hand over the Guild Founding Token!"

The group rushed forward and stopped less than fifty meters from Xiao Wen, beginning their attempt to persuade him into surrendering.

It was not that they feared Xiao Wen. It was simply quite difficult to make a specific item drop from the backpack of a player with no Killing Intent Value.

Moreover, against a player whose strength they did not know, it was best not to tear all pretenses apart unless necessary.

Xiao Wen looked at the crowd before him with an ambiguous smile, amusement written all over his face. "Be smart? Let me tell you something. You've fallen into a trap."

"Trap Card, activate!"

He spread his five fingers and raised his hand. Instantly, beams of light shot skyward beneath the feet of the opposing players, transforming into walls that enclosed them all.

"I'm in a pretty good mood today, so I won't bother with you. You're still far too lacking if you want to take the Guild Founding Token from me. Have the people above you come in person."

After saying that, Xiao Wen turned and left, ignoring them completely.

"Let me give you one more warning. This time is just a warning. If you appear before me again, I'll kill you until you regret it!"

Inside the Defensive Wall, the players stared at one another in bewilderment.

What the hell?

Weren't they here to deal with that kid?

How had they suddenly become trapped instead?

And what the hell were these walls surrounding them?

"Hah!"

A Fist Master threw a punch at the wall, dealing two hundred points of damage.

Then everyone saw the Defensive Wall's total HP.

Sixty... sixty thousand??

Dear mother of mine!

While those people wailed and repeatedly attacked to chip away at the Defensive Wall's HP, Xiao Wen had already returned to the entrance of Nightmare Forest.

Compared to its previous desolation, there were now at least a few traces of players here.

"Rewards really do move people."

Xiao Wen clicked his tongue as he glanced at the human footprints on the ground, then walked straight into the forest.

Nightmare Forest was even quieter now than when Xiao Wen had first entered it. As he walked through the woods, he could hear dew dripping down and striking the dead leaves.

His gaze fell upon the deck in his Duel Disk, and Xiao Wen quietly drew a card.

Monster Card: Insect Warrior!

Insect Warrior: 2 Stars; Insect / Earth

ATK: 500; DET: 700

Description: Insect Warriors that live in the forest enjoy living in groups. They possess considerable killing power and formidable reproductive abilities.

"Insect Warrior? An initial attack power of five hundred, and if that's multiplied by its star rating... that gives it a full thousand attack power and fourteen hundred defense."

Xiao Wen's eyes lit up, and he instantly felt much more confident.

Hunting monsters in Nightmare Forest required strength, but it required efficiency even more.

With Xiao Wen's own strength, he naturally did not fear these level 10 monsters on the outskirts. But hunting monsters alone was simply too slow.

What kind of summoner would he be if he did not fight with summons?

He pinched the card between two fingers and placed it on the Duel Disk.

At that instant, Xiao Wen seemed to hear a chorus of insects chirping from deep within his mind as the card transformed into an Energy Sphere.

"Come out, Insect Warrior!"