Hellerchein's Followers

... Senior, do you know how many flaws there are in what you just said?

Iver's brow twitched involuntarily, while Lily, instinctively disbelieving, couldn't help but ask, "Undead... what?"

"Legion—"

Hai Na nervously stamped her feet, wanting to run forward quickly but not wanting to abandon her friends and escape alone. "Try to get into a room with lights on. If that's not possible... when they appear, remember to stay quiet and silent! Remember, stop immediately, stay quiet and silent! Otherwise, you might get caught!"

Upon hearing Hai Na's words, Iver understood what was about to happen.

—The Night of the Wild Hunt.

This is a phenomenon that occasionally occurs in Avalon and surrounding countries.

This usually occurs where the line between life and death is blurred. Those brave warriors who die on the battlefield or on the guillotine, but are not properly buried or given a funeral by priests, may be transformed into Night Parade Knight.

A lone Night Parade Knight poses no danger.

Occasionally, on cold winter nights, people might see a white horse silently riding by. They have no self-awareness; they simply follow the route of their last battle from Qidian to finish before vanishing on their own.

This is a fairly common type of ordinary phantom demon, a yellow-named unit— Night Parade Knight will even avoid pedestrians if they are not attacked proactively. Their strength fluctuates greatly, usually being weaker than in life, ranging from the Second Level to the Fourth Level.

However, the situation would be different if Greater Phantom Demon known as the "Wild Hunt King" were to emerge nearby—

Upon hearing Hai Na's words, Iver grabbed Sherlock and charged after Hai Na...

But they were a step too late.

A bone-chilling cold swept over him. Iver suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked up.

That was a truly miraculous night view—

Under the cold moonlight, black mist rose up.

It was black mist slowly seeping from the dirt road on the ground. Iver clearly felt a bone-chilling cold rise from the soles of his feet and spread upwards along his bones.

He felt as if his feet were frozen—to put it another way, it was like walking on thick snow in cotton slippers with poor waterproof properties.

The chill, like holding ice, quickly turned the cold into a slight but persistent pain.

—If Iver could see his own Health Bar, he would surely see it slowly and steadily decreasing, bar by bar.

The black mist rose like smoke, covering the entire street.

One by one, the lights in the tightly closed rooms went out, as if swallowed by the living darkness. But strictly speaking, it wasn't that the lights were extinguished; rather, they were so immersed in this unnatural darkness that they could no longer see the lights outside.

These dark areas looked like some kind of tiny mosquitoes—spreading out in particle form, like smoke.

Immediately afterwards, countless pale-white cavalrymen appeared in the air like thin shadows.

They appeared to grow from the black mist—first coalescing into a blurry, silvery-white armor, then the outline of Ghost Horse. The black mist then seeped into them, filling their interior and gradually making them more refined and sharp.

Once they fully appear, they immediately come to life.

These cavalrymen gleamed with a pale light, their white skulls hidden beneath armor of varying styles. They gripped standard skull-faced round shields in one hand and different weapons in the other.

The pure white Ghost Horse beneath them trotted restlessly, and a cacophony of sounds came from all directions.

The knights' boisterous laughter, their loud shouts, and the horses' neighing all rang out together.

Despite being in the dead of night and being deserted, it was as noisy as a festival.

Iver reached out and quietly took Lily's hand, giving her courage and telling her not to panic.

He stared silently ahead, trying not to move.

The others followed Iver and Hai Na's example and stopped in the middle of the road, remaining still.

Finally, a bolt of lightning struck. A rumble of thunder followed by a long, drawn-out horn call rang out, and the clamor of the knights gradually subsided, turning into a deathly silence.

After a long while, the second bolt of lightning struck.

The low rumble of thunder accompanying the horn sounded again. The undead knights excitedly pounded their weapons against their shields, creating a deafening noise. At the same time, they shouted and howled, their cries as mournful as ghosts wailing.

As the third bolt of lightning struck—the knights finally began to move.

Amidst the rumbling thunder and the faint sound of horns, the Night Parade Knight galloped forward.

They passed by Iver and his group, spontaneously making way for them. They ran past Iver and his companions on either side.

A strong chill enveloped my body from both sides.

Even so, Iver could still clearly feel their excited yet malicious gazes.

Almost every Night Parade Knight who passed by would excitedly slam their weapon against their shield and make a loud noise to intimidate Iver as they approached.

The undead, like acrobats, stood up from their horses in a posture that was almost as if they had fallen off, leaned their upper bodies close to Iver and the others, and waved their hands over Iver's head, bringing with them gusts of cold wind.

However, Iver made no move whatsoever.

He simply stared ahead with a cold expression, remaining motionless the entire time.

Finally, all the Night Parade Knight passed by them.

They flew into the night sky, carried by dark clouds—to somewhere outside.

As the surrounding temperature gradually rose and the streetlights came on again, Hai Na finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, Sir Hellerchein isn't here..."

—Hellerchein?

Iver finally heard a familiar name.

He suddenly realized—it was the Ghost Knights! After entering Eagle Cape Village, Iver had been completely lost. He had never seen this instance in the game. Even the main quest hadn't led him this way.

Perhaps it was a side quest, or perhaps Eagle Cape Village had disappeared by then, or some kind of change had occurred.

But now, upon hearing the name Hellerchein, Iver knew exactly where he was—

"Wild Hunt King" Hellerchein is a well-known World Boss.

Iver couldn't quite recall the exact point at which the quest started. But he remembered it was a World Boss in one of the expansions between 3.1 and 3.3, an enemy that appeared after the Shadow of Avalon was defeated and before the Shadow Angel was killed.

He was the second Wild Hunt King players encountered. He was also the first Seventh Level undead player to encounter after the world level cap was raised to 60.

Because there was another Fifth Level World Boss before, also the Wild Hunt King, Hellerchein was also called "The Great King" by players.

The Night Parade Knights appear every night, but the Wild Hunt King accompanies them only on Saturday nights.

Every Saturday night, he unleashes the Wild Hunt, appearing from a certain point, advancing along a certain route, killing anyone who dares to roam the hunting route, and abducting their souls—meaning that those who die in battle cannot be resurrected and must wait until the Wild Hunt ends to be resurrected.

Players then need to intercept the Wild Hunt's route in advance, whittling down the accompanying Night Parade Knight. Night Parade Knights with the Wild Hunt King in their ranks will permanently carry Dark Aura. This severely suppresses Illumination Spell, as the range of light is reduced to an extremely low level.

Depending on the type of Wild Hunt King, it will carry different aura effects such as "Fear Aura" and "Plague Aura".

Hellerchein carries the "War Aura" and the "Fear Aura," which can periodically instill fear in anyone who faces the Night Parade Knight, and then ensure that the knights will deliver a devastating blow to any enemy whose movements are impaired or who is caught in a pincer attack.

The Wild Hunt King will halt his march once all the cavalry has been routed. He will then stand still and fight the players—if he is defeated, he will leave behind "The Wild Hunt King's Reward" amidst laughter, releasing all the captured souls before vanishing again.

—Eagle Cape Village, the Qidian for Hellerchein and his retinue's Wild Hunt! Damn it, that's Seventh Level boss! I had a fever yesterday; the temperature drop in Shanghai was too drastic...

After taking ibuprofen and taking a nap, my fever had subsided, but I still feel a slight, lingering pain in my back and shoulder blades. Ibuprofen is amazing! I just woke up a little late today, so the second chapter will be a bit later! No need to ask for leave!