"Crimson Galaxy"

The light of the [Gene Shop] gradually faded.

The players, who had still been reveling in the joy of leveling up, looked at their shriveled wallets and let out wave after wave of wails.

"This is highway robbery! The developers are way too greedy!"

A Divine Guard player named "Brute Force Yields Miracles" squatted on the ground, staring at the skill book called [Savage Collision], practically drooling over it. But the price tag of 200 Bio-Energy filled him with despair.

In that battle just now, everyone had fought desperately for over half an hour. After death drops and equipment repair costs, most people only had a few dozen points left.

"I just checked. Even a basic Bone Sword costs 150 points." A Hunter player beside him complained, "How is this a game? We're just working for the system!"

Vanguard Across the Realm frowned as well. As one of the main damage dealers, he had 135 points left, making him richer than most, but he was still far from being able to afford a skill book. He could only settle for the next best thing, spending 10 points on a [High-Hardness Whetstone] to carefully sharpen and repair his starter Bone Blade, which had chipped during the battle.

"I'll save the rest."

Vanguard Across the Realm remained calm. In this hardcore game, attributes and skills were king. Ordinary equipment could be compensated for with skill, but lacking a skill mechanic was fatal.

In the high-dimensional Void.

Watching the group of "Kinfolk" below curse at the shop, Gu Yuan was not angry in the slightest. If anything, he felt a little guilty.

It was not that he was greedy. He was poor too.

The divine body status panel on his retina was lit up in red: Heart Core Shield energy remaining: only 0.05%. Extreme danger status. The Bio-Energy submitted by the players, plus transaction taxes, had only added up to 8,500 points.

"Repairing the damaged pericardium costs 5,000 points, and maintaining the holographic network costs another 100 points per hour."

Gu Yuan sighed. With a thought, he painfully allocated 5,000 energy points.

At the edge of Heart Core Plaza, the pits and cracks left by corrosion began to squirm slowly. Countless golden flesh buds intertwined and grew. Within a few breaths, the ruined battlefield looked brand-new again.

"I need to give them a little incentive. That aorta leading to the lungs is too far away. If they walk there on two legs, I'll probably die before they get halfway."

He turned his gaze toward the massive blood vessel that surged endlessly onward. Countless enormous Red Blood Cells drifted with the current there, like natural vehicles.

"I need to package these things a little." With a thought, Gu Yuan altered the system description.

[Server Announcement: The journey to the next stop, "Gate of Judgment," is long.]

[Tip: Natural vehicles known as "Crimson Boats" drift along the Crimson Star Path. Smart Kinfolk should know how to go with the flow.]

"Crimson Boats?"

Vanguard Across the Realm's eyes flickered as he looked toward the end of the plaza.

That was the starting point of the [Crimson Star Path]. Looking down from its edge, everyone was stunned by the magnificent sight before them. This was no river—it was clearly a golden-red energy galaxy dozens of kilometers wide!

Countless glowing fluids surged through it, while innumerable massive, flat red discs floated amid the torrent. Every disc was ten meters in diameter, with slightly upturned edges and a soft fluorescent layer covering its surface. They looked like biological flying saucers straight out of science fiction.

"So these are the Crimson Boats?"

A female player named "Cloud Pomelo" gasped softly. "The art design is incredible. A scene like these giant things drifting through an energy river would make an amazing wallpaper with just one screenshot."

"What are we waiting for?"

Brute Force Yields Miracles slapped his thigh and sprang up excitedly. "The system practically spelled it out! Those are free buses! Brothers, get on board!"

Relying on his thick skin and sturdy body, he was the first to rush to the shore. Looking at the endlessly flowing galaxy below and a massive disc slowly drifting past, the burly man took a deep breath and leaped.

The system instantly issued its judgment: Action check successful. Strength check passed.

Brute Force Yields Miracles slammed onto the red disc like a cannonball. The disc was incredibly elastic. It sank sharply beneath his impact, then launched him high into the air.

"Damn! That's springy!"

He flailed wildly in midair before finally landing belly-down in the center of the disc, gripping the raised Bone Handrail at its edge with all his strength.

"It's stable! Brothers, get on! This thing's damn steady!"

Standing on the rapidly moving disc, Brute Force Yields Miracles waved at the stunned crowd on shore. He looked exactly like someone who had just managed to snag a seat during holiday travel.

"This actually works?"

Seeing this, the other players followed suit. For a while, the edge of Heart Core Plaza looked like people dumping dumplings into a pot, with splashes ringing out nonstop.

Vanguard Across the Realm did not jump immediately. After observing the current and the landing points for a while, he turned back toward Cloud Pomelo, who was still hesitating.

"Stay close to me."

"Huh? My... my agility is only 6. I'm scared I won't make the jump." Cloud Pomelo looked fearfully at the surging torrent below.

"It's fine. I'll pull you." Vanguard Across the Realm held out his hand.

Cloud Pomelo froze for a moment. Looking at the hand covered in black carapace, she gritted her teeth and placed her own hand in his.

"Jump!"

At his low shout, the two leaped at the same time. In that brief instant in midair, Vanguard Across the Realm displayed incredible control over his body. Not only did he precisely predict their landing point, he also pulled Cloud Pomelo along with him, easing the impact of their descent.

Thud.

The two landed steadily on a massive Crimson Boat. Beneath their feet was something soft yet resilient. Scarlet streaks of light rushed backward around them, while above stretched an endlessly lofty black Void.

"Wow..." Cloud Pomelo steadied herself against Vanguard Across the Realm's arm. Gazing at the dreamlike scene, she could not help but gasp. "This is basically a faster-than-light jump corridor! It's so cool!"

By then, most of the players had boarded the natural vehicles. The mighty fleet of star boats followed the vast energy corridor toward the depths of darkness.

The voyage did not last long.

Vanguard Across the Realm was sitting at the edge of the disc with his eyes closed, resting and recovering his stamina, when he suddenly felt the current beneath his feet slow down.

A red system alert flashed abruptly:

[Warning! The channel ahead is blocked by "Crystal Deposit"!]

[Emergency event triggered: Clear the channel.]

[Objective: Shatter the "Wall of Sighs" and kill the "Amber Devourers" guarding it.]

Everyone looked up.

Ahead, where the river channel had once been broad and open, a huge yellow mountain had suddenly appeared across its center. It was a giant wall composed of piled yellow, translucent crystals, reflecting an eerie glow beneath the light of the galaxy. Countless half-human-sized Slime Monsters wriggled across its surface, their bodies dripping with golden-yellow mucus.

"A roadblock?"

Standing on the foremost star boat, Brute Force Yields Miracles looked at the yellow mountain and cursed. "Are the developers insane? They piled a crystal mountain in the middle of an interstellar channel?"

Though he cursed, his body was honest.

"Brothers! We've got work! These monsters look all soft and squishy—they've got to be easy pickings! Smash them!"

However, when the first star boat struck the yellow mountain, the players realized they had been wrong.

There was no expected crash. The star boat sank into the clumps of viscous matter as if it had entered a swamp, becoming stuck fast and unable to move.

Then the Amber Devourers on the wall moved. They had no sharp claws or fangs. Instead, they opened their bodies and lunged directly at the players.

"Huh? These monsters don't do any damage?"

One player was hugged by a Slime Monster. Seeing that his health bar had barely dropped, he was about to laugh when his expression suddenly changed.

"No! My agility dropped to zero!"

The areas wrapped by the Slime Monster rapidly solidified, forming a thick yellow shell. The player was like an insect trapped in amber, unable to move even a finger.

"They're control monsters! Don't let them grab you!" Vanguard Across the Realm shouted from a boat behind them. "Mages! Spirit Pivot Envoys! Paralyze them with lightning!"

But this time, the Spirit Pivot Envoys hit a wall as well. More than a dozen bolts of lightning struck the Slime Monsters like mud sinking into the sea, without causing even the slightest ripple.

[Damage ineffective (Insulator)]

"Damn! Are these things immune to magic?"

"Physical attacks don't work either! My blade just slides off them! How are we supposed to fight this?"

As more than a dozen star boats ahead became firmly stuck and more players were sealed into amber specimens, the entire fleet was paralyzed.

"What's their weakness?"

Vanguard Across the Realm stared at the monster description panel, his brows tightly furrowed. The system had not directly provided a weakness hint. The players would have to discover it themselves.

At that moment, Cloud Pomelo, who had been hiding behind him, suddenly tugged at the corner of his clothes.

"Big shot... look at this environmental buff."

Cloud Pomelo pointed to an inconspicuous little icon at the upper right corner of her vision.

[Environment: High-Energy Ether Flow]

[Description: The current area is filled with highly active volatile gas. Fire effects increased by 200%. Extremely flammable.]

"Since the developers gave us this environmental hint, the solution must involve fire," Cloud Pomelo analyzed. "But the shop doesn't sell torches, and we don't have any fire mages."

Vanguard Across the Realm looked at the environmental icon, then at the Divine Guard players nearby in their heavy Chitin Plate Armor, as well as the crude bone weapons in their hands.

An idea flashed through his mind.

High-concentration flammable gas... impact between bone and carapace... flint!

This was the most basic physics engine interaction!

He suddenly looked toward Brute Force Yields Miracles, whose leg was tangled by a Slime Monster nearby.

"Big Strength! Smash your weapon hard against your armor! Or someone else's!"

"Huh?" Brute Force Yields Miracles looked utterly baffled. "What's wrong with you? Why would I chop myself?"

"It's the flint principle!" Vanguard Across the Realm roared. "Your carapaces and weapons are made of high-hardness chitin! In this environment, as long as you make a spark, it'll ignite everything!"

Brute Force Yields Miracles did not understand the physics behind it, but he understood what he was supposed to do.

"Got it! Brothers, come on, light me up!"

He suddenly raised the heavy Bone Hammer in his hand and smashed it hard against the shoulder armor of another trapped Divine Guard player beside him.

"Hang in there, brother!"

Clang—!

A crisp impact rang out.

A shower of dazzling sparks burst through the darkness.

In this highly flammable high-energy environment, those insignificant sparks were like a cigarette butt dropped into a powder keg.

A burst of orange-red flames exploded out of thin air, instantly setting the Slime Monster wrapped around the Divine Guard ablaze. The Amber Monster, which had been impervious to blades and weapons moments ago, let out a shrill scream the instant it touched fire. Its body rapidly melted into a puddle of black liquid.

[Critical Hit! -500 (Environmental Vulnerability)!]

"Damn! It really works!"

Brute Force Yields Miracles looked at the flames burning over his body. The Divine Guard's high constitution allowed him to endure the scorching heat for a short time. He looked like a blazing avenger crawling out of hell.

"Hahahaha! I'm on fire!"

Like a living fireball, he howled and charged into the monster horde, grabbing two Slime Monsters in a bear hug.

"Come on! Let's hurt each other!"

The other players caught on as well.

"Divine Guards make sparks! Spirit Pivot Envoys fan the flames! Hunters finish them off!"

For a time, the entire Crimson Star Path became the stage for a bizarre battle of "self-harm ignition." The once-indestructible Amber Great Wall began to melt and collapse rapidly under the players' wild tactics.

From the High-Dimensional Perspective, Gu Yuan watched the scene and could not help rubbing his forehead.

"Using themselves as lighters... these people really figured out how to exploit the realistic physics engine."

Still, looking at the cleared blood vessel and the plaque that had been cleaned away, Gu Yuan had to admit that although the Fourth Calamity took unconventional routes, they were indeed effective.

"Since they like fire so much..."

Gu Yuan glanced at the High-Energy Amber energy the players were absorbing and made a decision.

The next second, a Server Announcement appeared:

[Congratulations! Player tactics have triggered a hidden class mechanic.]

[Divine Guard class gained a new advanced path: Flame Prison Guard (requires Phagocytosis of "High-Energy Amber Essence" to unlock).]

In an instant, the Divine Guard players who had been disgusted by the Slime Monsters looked at the black sludge and amber fragments all over the ground with entirely different expressions.

"Don't steal it! That puddle of oil is mine!"

"Anyone who steals it is asking for a fight! I'm changing into a fire guy!"