Flesh Artisan

Coordinates: Liver - Detoxification Camp (H-103 Safe Zone).

Ever since the Dawn Guild planted its first stake and the system unlocked the [Toxin Extractor], the vibe of this once-daunting Poisonous Labyrinth had gradually become somewhat bizarre.

For elite players, this was the front line for pushing the battlefront; but for the vast majority of casual players, grinders, and life-skill players who hadn't reached the mainstream level yet, this place was a paradise paved with gold—provided you weren't afraid of dying.

On the outskirts of the camp, behind a massive, ruptured bile duct.

A player with the ID "Gou Gou Ying Ying" (Lao Gou for short) was sticking his butt in the air, carefully using a small shovel to dig green crystals off the wall. He was only LV.8; although the system didn't strictly forbid players under level 10 from entering, a red [High-Risk Area: Recommended Level LV.10+] warning remained fixed in the center of his vision.

[Environmental Warning: Toxic erosion in progress.]

The health bar above Lao Gou's head was dropping slowly but steadily. He hadn't changed classes, possessed no passive resistances, and the durability of the simple activated carbon gas mask he wore was plummeting.

Half a health bar left... dig one more! Just one more!

Lao Gou gritted his teeth and swung his shovel desperately.

Ding!

A fist-sized [Hardened Gallstone] fell.

"Got it!"

Lao Gou was ecstatic. He glanced at his remaining 30% health, turned around, and bolted.

"Run, run, run! Back to the safe zone to recover mana and health!"

Low-level players like him were everywhere around the camp. They were like a group of monkeys snatching chestnuts from a fire, rushing into the toxic mist to dig a few times, then scurrying back to the purification range of the beacon to meditate and heal before the monsters could catch them.

This was the "shuttle-run style grinding" unique to the Liver region.

Of course, everyone had a more intuitive name for this practice: knife-running.

Center of the camp.

Lao Gou dumped the junk from his backpack into the [Toxin Extractor] with satisfaction.

Buzz buzz buzz—ding!

[Obtained: Bio-energy +1200.]

"So satisfying!" Lao Gou's hands trembled with excitement. Even though he was tired as a dog and had to keep buying potions, the profit was much higher than hacking monsters in the lungs.

Just as he was counting his money, a strange, pungent odor drifted over from another corner of the camp.

A crowd was gathered there, pointing at a large chitinous pot set over a fire. The one stirring the pot was a life-skill player with the ID "Zhonghua Xiaodangjia".

"Come, come! Freshly cooked [Stir-fried Abyss Offal]!"

Zhonghua Xiaodangjia shouted, "The raw materials are sourced from liver parasites. It might look disgusting, but this is a miracle medicine!"

[Food: Stir-fried Abyss Offal (Fine)]

[Effect: Satiety +50, gain buff "Poison Resistance +15%", duration 30 minutes.]

"Give me a bowl!"

"I want two! With this, I can dig for another minute out there!"

For this group of un-classed players trying to make a living in the toxic mist, this bowl of dark cuisine was a life-saving treasure.

Lao Gou smacked his lips, but he still didn't dare to try it...

Dock area.

A group of foreign players with diverse equipment and IDs featuring strange characters disembarked from a Crimson Boat that had just docked.

Leading them was a white player with the ID "King Arthur". Behind him followed dozens of guild members still hovering around LV.5.

"My God, is this the new map? It's full of the aesthetic of industrial wasteland." (System auto-translation)

King Arthur looked at the magnificent hexagonal Hepatic Lobule before him and couldn't help but marvel.

"Boss, the system prompt suggests LV.10 to enter." The subordinate beside him looked at the bright red skull icon in his vision, his legs feeling a bit weak. "It says the toxins are very high. Will we die quickly?"

"What are you afraid of? The system didn't set up an invisible wall!" King Arthur brandished the small round shield in his hand. "Since the map is open, it's meant for people to enter. If Dragon Kingdom players can mine, so can we! Let's go!"

However, they hadn't even walked fifty meters out of the safe zone.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

The entire team's health bars began to plummet wildly.

[Environmental Warning: Highly toxic.]

"Damn it! Health is dropping so fast!"

"Healer! Heal us, quick!"

Before they could even adapt to the rate of health loss, two [Sludge Butcher] (LV.16) monsters suddenly charged out of the mist.

Although these butchers were blind, they were extremely sensitive to the scent of fresh meat.

Clang!

A massive, rusted iron hook swept across, instantly slicing three LV.5 squishy players in half and turning them into white light as they respawned in the city.

"F**k! The damage on this mob is overflowing!"

King Arthur scrambled back to the safe zone in a pathetic state, staring at his remaining few dozen HP with a bewildered expression.

"This isn't meant for us to play at all! Is this difficulty for real?"

Lao Gou, passing by, chuckled and eyed this group of foreigners with his small eyes full of business acumen.

"Hey, friends, don't push your luck if you haven't changed classes. Buying potions? Buying food? Or... buying my guide? For only 50 Biological Energy, I'll teach you how to mine right under the Butcher's nose."

Coordinates: Storm Abyss, Sector B1.

Compared to the chaos and opportunism of the Liver, this place appeared orderly.

Lei Zhen (Thunder King), though currently fighting on the front lines of the Liver alongside Feng Xing Tian Xia, kept a constant watch on the movements of the special operations team in the rear.

Through the remote communication channel, the commander codenamed "Viper" was reporting to him.

"Report, Team Leader, Group Three has successfully lured the mobs. The shield wall connection is perfect. Zero casualties so far."

On the holographic screen, those three hundred special operations soldiers were performing a dull but efficient mob-grinding cycle. Their average level had already reached LV.8. Although their speed wasn't the fastest in the entire server, they hadn't wasted any time on running back or death penalties.

"Very good," replied Lei Zhen, who was at the Liver camp. "Steady and solid. I've experienced the environment here in the Liver; without the LV.10 class-change physique and resistance gear, you can only run for your lives, with no way to fight back against the monsters here. Hold on for one more day. Once everyone has changed classes, gather immediately. I need your firepower here."

"Yes! Mission guaranteed!"

Coordinates: Liver - Front Line.

Just as the rear was peaceful (or chaotic), the exploration on the front lines encountered a major problem.

The second regiment of the Dawn guild (composed of newly recruited high-level players) came to a halt at a massive [Central Vein Junction].

"Commander, the path is blocked." The Hunter scout pointed ahead.

The originally wide venous river channel was cut off by a massive, dam-like wall of flesh. The wall was covered in dense, tiny holes, and from every single hole, soft-bodied monsters resembling leeches crawled out.

[Obstruction: Cirrhotic Nodule (Giant)]

[Guard Monster: Blood-Sucking Liver Leech (LV.19, Swarm)]

"This number... there are at least thousands of them, right?"

The second regiment commander, Frost Sword, felt his scalp tingle. These leeches were extremely fast in the water, and their attacks included life-steal; the Divine Guards couldn't hold their ground at all.

"We can't force an attack," Frost Sword judged calmly. "The terrain is against us. Water combat isn't our strength, and the toxins will reduce our movement speed."

"Then what do we do? Guild Leader Feng is still waiting for us to clear the way."

Frost Sword looked at the hexagonal towers surrounding them, and suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Since the water route is blocked, we'll go over the rooftops!"

He pointed to the tops of those towering Hepatic Lobule structures.

"We'll cross from above, rain down bombs from a high vantage point, and blow up that dam below!"

"But... how do we get up there?"

Everyone looked at the smooth, mucus-covered pillars that were hundreds of meters high and stared at each other. Although the game had a climbing mechanic, there was no way to get up these slippery walls without some special skills.

"Where are the combat engineers? Get the Flesh Artisan up here!"

Frost Sword shouted back.

Soon, five players wearing dark red robes and carrying massive skeletal backpacks emerged.

They were another class-change branch of the Life Weaver—[Flesh Artisan].

Unlike the healing specialization of the Life Sage, they excelled at using biological materials to alter terrain and create cover. Compared to the highly sought-after healers, this class was considered niche at this stage.

"Commander, leave it to us."

The lead artisan smiled confidently. He pressed both hands onto the ground, where several monster corpses from previous kills remained.

[Skill: Bone Reconstruction]

[Skill: Biological Scaffold Construction]

"Rise!"

Accompanied by the sound of teeth-grinding bone growth, the corpses on the ground rapidly decomposed and reorganized.

Countless white bone spurs erupted from the ground, interlocking and biting into each other, and within just a few minutes, they had constructed a winding "bone spiral staircase" along the smooth hexagonal pillar.

"That works too?!"

The surrounding players watched in a daze.

"This is what we're trained for," the artisan said, clapping the bone dust off his hands. "As long as there's enough material, never mind a staircase, we could build you a fortress."

"Well done!"

Frost Sword was overjoyed and waved his hand to issue the order: "All personnel, get on the ladders! Switch to high-altitude operation mode! Strap on the alchemy explosive packs! We're going to deliver a big gift to those leeches!"

In this world, the synergy of classes is far more important than mere numerical stats.

When these one hundred thousand players gather together, they are the omnipotent Fourth Calamity.

And behind that wall of flesh, an even more massive shadow was slowly opening its eyes.

The true master of this territory was waiting for this swarm of ignorant insects.