Flesh Artisan

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

As the Dawn Guild drove in its first nail and the system unlocked the [Toxin Extractor], this once-intimidating Poisonous Labyrinth gradually took on a rather bizarre atmosphere.

For elite players, this was the front line for advancing the battlefront. But for the many solo players, grinders, and life-skill players who had yet to reach the mainstream level, it was practically a paradise paved with gold—as long as they weren't afraid of dying.

Outside the camp, behind a massive broken bile duct.

A player with the ID "Scraping and Scheming" (Old Gou for short) was sticking his butt out as he carefully dug green crystals from the wall with a small shovel. He was only LV.8. While the system did not strictly bar players below Level 10 from entering, the red warning, [High-Risk Area: Recommended Level LV.10 or above], remained fixed in the center of his vision.

[Environmental Warning: Under severe poison corrosion.]

Old Gou's health bar was slowly but steadily dropping. He had not changed classes, had no passive resistance, and the durability of his crude activated-carbon gas mask was plummeting.

"Half a bar left... Just one more piece! One more!"

Old Gou gritted his teeth and desperately swung his shovel.

A fist-sized [Hardened Gallstone] fell out.

"It dropped!"

Overjoyed, Old Gou glanced at his remaining 30% health, then turned and ran.

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

Low-level players like him were everywhere around the camp. Like monkeys snatching chestnuts from a fire, they rushed into the poison mist, dug a few times, then fled back into the beacon's purification range to sit and recover before the monsters could catch them—or before their health bars gave out.

This was the Liver Region's unique "back-and-forth grinding."

Of course, everyone had given this method a more easily understood name: Knife Run.

In the center of the camp.

Old Gou happily dumped the junk from his backpack into the [Toxin Extractor].

Buzz, buzz, buzz—ding!

[Obtained: Bio-Energy +1200.]

"So damn good!" Old Gou's hands trembled with excitement. Though he was exhausted and had to keep buying medicine, the profits were far better than killing monsters in the lungs.

Just as he was counting his earnings, a strange stench drifted over from another corner of the camp.

A crowd had gathered there, pointing at a massive chitinous pot set over a fire. The one cooking was a life-skill player with the ID "Little Master Chef."

"Come on, come on! Fresh out of the pot—[Stir-fried Abyss Offal]!"

Little Master Chef called out loudly. "The ingredients come from liver parasites. It looks disgusting, but this is miracle medicine!"

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

[Effect: Fullness +50. Gains the BUFF "Poison Resistance increased by 15%" for 30 minutes.]

"Give me a bowl!"

"I'll take two! With this, I can dig outside for another minute!"

For these unclassed players trying to scrape out a living in the poison mist, this bowl of Dark Cuisine was a lifesaving treasure.

Old Gou smacked his lips twice, but still did not dare try it...

The dock district.

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

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

"Good Lord, this is the new map? It has the beauty of an industrial wasteland." (System auto-translation)

King Arthur could not help marveling at the magnificent hexagonal Hepatic Lobules before him.

"Boss, the system says LV.10 is recommended." The lackey beside him looked at the bright red skull symbol in his vision, his legs going weak. "It says the toxin levels are high. Are we going to die really fast?"

"What are you afraid of? The system didn't put up an invisible wall!" King Arthur waved the small round shield in his hand. "If the map is open, it means people are supposed to enter. Dragon Kingdom players can mine here, so can we! Move!"

However, less than fifty meters outside the safe zone.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

The entire team's health bars began plunging wildly.

[Environmental Warning: Severe poison.]

"Damn it! Our health is dropping too fast!"

"Priest! Heal us!"

Before they could adapt to the pace of the health loss, two [Sludge Butchers] (LV.16) suddenly charged out of the fog.

Though these Butchers were blind, they were extremely sensitive to the scent of fresh flesh.

Splash!

A huge rusty iron hook swept across them, cutting three fragile LV.5 players in half. They turned into white light and returned to the city.

"F**k! This monster's damage is completely overkill!"

King Arthur fled back into the safe zone in a sorry state. Looking at the few dozen health points he had left, he was completely stunned.

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

Old Gou, passing by, chuckled as he looked at the foreigners with his little eyes full of business acumen.

"Hey, friends, don't force your way in without changing classes. Want medicine? Want food? Or... want to buy my guide? Just 50 Bio-Energy, and I'll teach you how to mine right under a Butcher's nose."

Coordinates: Storm Abyss, B1 Zone.

Compared to the chaos and opportunism in the Liver, this place was orderly and disciplined.

Although Lei Zhen, the Thunder King, was currently fighting alongside Vanguard Across the Realm on the Liver front line, he kept a close watch on the movements of the Special Operations Regiment in the rear.

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

"Reporting to Captain Lei: Group Three has successfully lured the monsters. The shield wall transitions were flawless. Currently, zero casualties."

In the holographic display, those three hundred special operations members were carrying out a tedious but efficient monster-farming cycle. Their average level had already reached LV.8. Though their speed was not the fastest on the server, they had not wasted any time running around or suffering death penalties.

"Very good." Lei Zhen replied from the Liver camp. "Proceed steadily. I've experienced the environment on the Liver side. Without the physique from a LV.10 class change and resistance equipment, anyone who comes here can only do Knife Runs and has no ability to fight the monsters. Hold on for another day. Once everyone has changed classes, assemble immediately. We need your firepower here."

"Yes! We guarantee mission completion!"

Coordinates: Liver - Front Line.

While the rear was peaceful—chaotic—the exploration at the front line ran into serious trouble.

The Dawn Guild's Second Regiment, made up of newly recruited high-level players, stopped at a massive [Central Vein Junction].

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

The once-wide vein channel had been cut off by a huge wall of flesh like a dam. The flesh wall was covered in dense holes, and leech-like soft-bodied monsters protruded from every single one.

[Obstruction: Cirrhotic Nodule (Giant)]

[Guard Monsters: Blood-Sucking Liver Leeches (LV.19, social)]

"There must be thousands of them... right?"

The commander of the Second Regiment, "Frost Sword," felt his scalp tingle. These leeches were incredibly fast in the water, and their attacks came with Blood Sucking. Even Divine Guards could not hold their ground down there.

"We can't force an assault." Frost Sword made a calm judgment. "The terrain is unfavorable to us. Water combat isn't our strength, and the poison will reduce movement speed."

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

Frost Sword looked at the hexagonal towers around them and suddenly thought of something.

"Since the waterway is blocked, we'll take the rooftops!"

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

"We'll go over from above, throw bombs down from high ground, and blow open that dam below!"

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

Everyone looked at the smooth, mucus-covered pillars hundreds of meters high, exchanging helpless glances. The game had a climbing mechanic, but no one could get up those slippery walls without some serious skill.

"Where's the engineering team? Get the Flesh Artisans up here!"

Frost Sword turned and shouted.

Soon, five players in dark-red robes and carrying massive skeletal backpacks stepped forward.

They were the other class-change branch of the Life Weavers—the [Flesh Artisans].

Unlike the Life Sages, who specialized in healing, they excelled at using biological materials to alter terrain and create cover. Compared to the highly sought-after healers, this class was relatively unpopular at this stage.

"Commander, leave it to us."

The leading artisan smiled confidently. He pressed both hands against the ground, where several corpses from previously slain monsters lay.

[Skill: Bone Reconstruction]

[Skill: Biological Scaffold Construction]

"Rise!"

Amid a teeth-grinding sound of growing bones, the corpses on the ground rapidly disintegrated and reassembled.

Countless white bone spikes drilled out of the earth, interlocking and meshing together. In just a few minutes, they formed a winding "White Bone Spiral Stairway" up the smooth hexagonal pillar.

"That works?!"

The surrounding players stared in shock.

"This is what we're trained for." The artisan patted the bone dust from his hands. "As long as we have enough materials, forget ladders—we could even build you a fortress."

"Excellent work!"

Frost Sword was overjoyed and waved as he gave the order. "Everyone, up the stairs! Switch to high-altitude operations! Carry the alchemical explosive packs! Let's give those leeches a big present!"

In this world, class combinations were far more important than raw stats alone.

When these hundred thousand players gathered together, they became the omnipotent Fourth Calamity.

And behind that wall of flesh, an even larger shadow slowly opened its eyes.

The true master of this territory was waiting for these insects who did not know their place.