Some Are Still Miserably Grinding Through Monsters, While Others Have Already Reached the Pinnacle of Life

Around the militia defense line commanded by Maxim in Cadman City, a group of players who had just started the game were resting.

All the players, including Sister Pomegranate, the "Chosen One" with four character talents, were in a sorry state. And of the 24 players, only 19 remained.

Just moments ago, the black snow in the city had suddenly intensified. As if some strange omen had triggered it, the despair spawn launched a sudden counterattack. Caught off guard, five players were swallowed by the sea of monsters.

If Maxim hadn't led people to their rescue, the rest would have had a hard time making it back alive, too.

"You were far too reckless!"

Holding the Calculation Orb, Maxim scolded the players in front of him in a cold voice:

"With your abilities, you shouldn't have come anywhere near here! You certainly have courage, but your sacrifices should have been worth more. Your lives belong to Lord Murphy, and you've just wasted his time.

Go hone your skills in the safe zone at the rear. Come back once you've mastered real combat techniques."

With that, Maxim turned and walked away without hesitation.

The players didn't mind the NPC's scolding.

They figured he was just warning them that, at their current character levels of 1–2, they couldn't roam freely through this "monster zone."

In other words, they were low-level characters who'd wandered into a high-level map. Wasn't it perfectly normal for a few of them to die?

"This real battlefield's different from a group fight with padded weapons."

The leader of the four-man padded-weapons group, River-East Lion's Roar, said to his two buddies:

"We really do need more practice. But did you get A-Gou's dog tag and Calculation Orb back? We can't afford to buy him another set right now."

"We