Storm Front

[Server maintenance complete.]

[Connecting to Soul Network...]

[Welcome back to Titan: Genesis.]

[Current online players: 11,000/11,000.]

Blue Star time, eight in the morning.

As the maintenance countdown hit zero, ten thousand second-test new players surged into the game like a floodgate opening.

Location: Sighing Corridor (outpost at the cardiopulmonary junction).

This massive platform, built from white calcified material, was instantly drowned in a dense sea of white light. The once-empty, desolate stronghold was now packed with people, their clamor nearly lifting the three towering Valve Giant Gates overhead.

"Holy crap! This is really a game? The smell of the air, the feel of the wind on my face!"

"Stop pushing! Who stepped on my foot? The pain system is real!"

"Is this the legendary 'Heart Core Sanctuary'? Oh no, the map says this is an outpost."

Ten thousand fresh-faced newbies in starter white gear (Chitin Underwear) were like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, touching and examining everything around them.

And in the middle of the crowd, the thousand "first-test veterans" who had kept their equipment and levels became the center of attention.

Especially Dali Chu Qiji.

That guy was standing on a high rock right now, wielding that huge Bone Hammer, wearing a full set (though pieced together) of Chitin Plate Armor, looking mighty impressive.

"Selling [High-Energy Amber Essence] up front! This stuff is great—essential for torches and weapon enhancement! Only 50 Bio-Energy a piece! No cheating!"

Dali Chu Qiji shouted at the top of his lungs.

Newbies with envious eyes immediately crowded around him.

"Big bro! How do I level up in this game?"

"Big bro, why can't I get any quests?"

Dali Chu Qiji grinned and pointed at the dim corners around the corridor: "Don't just think about charging through the gates—that's a high-level zone, you'll die if you go in. See the dust around here? That's where [Void Dust Mites] and [Sludge Monsters] are hiding. The system spawns them for you to practice on!"

Just as he said, the Titan's body was so massive that even in this relatively clean "Sighing Corridor," countless tiny cleaning organisms and metabolic waste bred in the corners and crevices. For LV.1 newbies, these were the safest EXP packs.

[Server-wide announcement: Class advancement system is now open.]

Just as the square fell into chaos, a golden system screen unfolded before every player. It was what everyone cared about most—the class tree.

[Tip: After reaching LV.10 in any basic class, you can go to your instructor for the advancement trial.]

A massive holographic diagram slowly expanded, detailing the conventional futures of the four classes (hidden classes not shown):

1. [Divine Guard] (Tank line)

Advancement 1: [Steel Bastion]

Focus: Extreme physical defense and taunt control, the main tank of the team.

Core skills: [Indomitable Will], [Shield Wall Charge].

Advancement 2: [Berserk Behemoth]

Focus: Abandons shields, uses two-handed weapons, relies on high HP and Blood Sucking for melee output.

Core skills: [Blood Thirst], [Seismic Wave].

Advancement 3: [???] (Hidden branch, requires specific conditions to explore)

2. [Hunter] (Assassin line)

Advancement 1: [Ghost Blade]

Focus: Stealth, backstab, instant burst, the god of flanking.

Core skills: [Shadow Step], [Execution].

Advancement 2: [Venom Ranger]

Focus: Sustained poison damage, trap placement, ranged kiting.

Core skills: [Toxin Tempering], [Corrosion Trap].

Advancement 3: [???]

3. [Life Weaver] (Support line)

Advancement 1: [Life Sage]

Focus: Powerful single-target/group healing, purifying negative statuses, pure healer.

Core skills: [Rain of Life], [Light of Recovery].

Advancement 2: [Flesh Artisan]

Focus: Battlefield architect, uses biological materials to build Bone Walls, turrets, and alter terrain.

Core Skills: [Barrier Growth], [Bone Spike Forest].

Advancement Three: [???]

4. [Spirit Pivot Envoy] (Magic)

Advancement One: [Thunder Lord]

Focus: Violent lightning output, group paralysis control.

Core Skills: [Thundercloud Storm], [Lightning Chain].

Advancement Two: [Mind Hacker]

Focus: Mind control, illusions, turning monsters against each other.

Core Skills: [Mind Lash], [Chaos Command].

Advancement Three: [???]

Staring at this detailed class-change chart, a glint of light flashed in Feng Xing Tian Xia's eyes.

"LV.10..."

He glanced at his current level: LV.2 (15%).

Though he was one level ahead of the new players, there was still a long road ahead before the class change. In this vast world of Titan, every level-up required a massive amount of Bio-Energy.

"Brother Feng! Group me, group me!"

Dali Chu Qiji squeezed out of the crowd, followed by Yun Zhong You.

"I want to go level up too..." Yun Zhong You said quietly. "I just checked, and the [Life Sage] skills seem to be able to dispel the environmental toxins here. I want to class-change early."

Feng Xing Tian Xia nodded, then shouted in the zone channel:

"Elite pioneering team, advancing into Storm Abyss! Need two Spirit Pivot Envoys, must follow orders, no pure noobs! Only LV.2 veteran players!"

Since this was an eleven-thousand-player server, there was no need for him to fight alone. In this hardcore game, a well-configured fixed team was more important than anything.

Soon, two players with the IDs Thunder King and Data Maniac, both Spirit Pivot Envoys, joined the team.

"Move out."

Feng Xing Tian Xia didn't waste words. Leading this 5-man squad, he pushed through the noisy crowd toward the already-opened Valve Giant Gate.

Behind the gate lay the new map—[Storm Abyss].

Coordinates: Storm Abyss - Right Lung Lobe Edge

The moment they crossed that massive white gate, the environment changed drastically.

Whoosh—!

The mournful wind howled like ghosts and wolves wailing. This was no longer the calm blood vessels, but a wasteland filled with turbulent currents and toxic gas.

The sky was a murky gray, with countless enormous holes hanging overhead—the entrances to Alveolar Sacs several kilometers in diameter. With every breath of the Titan, violent hurricanes swept through these holes.

On the ground, charred, sponge-like tissue was everywhere, and the air was thick with yellowish-brown dust.

[Environmental Warning: Entering "Inflammatory Storm" zone.]

[All party members take 1 point of burn damage per second.]

"Healer, put up sustained recovery."

Feng Xing Tian Xia commanded calmly.

Yun Zhong You immediately activated [Bio-Gel Spray], coating everyone with a thin regenerative film that barely offset the environmental damage.

"Enemies ahead, stay hidden."

Feng Xing Tian Xia crouched low, pointing toward the charred, sponge-like ground ahead.

There, a new type of monster they had never seen before was roaming.

They looked like some kind of scorched rock giant, two meters tall, with molten lava flowing from cracks in their bodies, swinging burning stones in their hands.

[Monster: Flame Poison Golem (LV.5)]

[Description: An elemental being formed from Necrotic Tissue and high-temperature inflammation. High defense, immune to fire damage.]

"Level 5 monsters! And an elite template!"

Dali Chu Qiji swallowed hard. "We're only level 2. Can we take them?"

"These aren't even bosses, not even mini-bosses."

Feng Xing Tian Xia's gaze was deep. "These are just the most common patrols in Storm Abyss. Look further out..."

Following his finger, the team saw that deep in the mist, Flame Poison Golems like these were packed densely, by the hundreds and thousands. And further in the distance, vaguely visible, [Giant Flame Demons] dozens of meters tall were wandering.

In this vast world, there was no such thing as a "single final boss."

Because to the microscopic players, a severe case of pneumonia here meant billions of enemies. Every inch of land was a battlefield.

"We don't need to clear the map. That's something only millions of people could do."

Feng Xing Tian Xia analyzed calmly, "Our goal is to establish a foothold. Da Qiang, go pull aggro—only that one! This monster is slow and easy to kite."

"Got it!"

Dali Chu Qiji raised that crude Chitin Shield and charged forward with a roar.

"Hey, grandpa's right here!"

The Flame Poison Golem turned slowly, let out a muffled roar, and swung its burning fist down.

Boom!

Dali Chu Qiji stumbled back two steps, his health bar dropping by a fifth.

"Nice hit! As long as I'm not surrounded, I can play with you all day!"

"Move!"

At Feng Xing Tian Xia's command, Thunder King and Data Maniac at the back raised their staves simultaneously.

Crackle!

Two arcs of blue lightning struck the golem's knee joints. Though the damage was low, the golem's movements stiffened for a moment.

In that instant, Feng Xing Tian Xia moved.

Like a black ghost, he slipped behind the golem. His bone blade dealt little damage to the rocky skin, but he wasn't targeting the skin—he aimed for the crack on the golem's back where magma flowed: the energy core.

Puff!

[-45! (Weak Point Strike)]

The five-man team worked in perfect sync. Despite being three levels lower, they ground down this Elite Monster in two minutes.

Boom!

The golem collapsed, shattering into a pile of rubble.

[Killed Flame Poison Golem (LV.5). Team gains Bio-Energy +30.]

[Obtained material: Flame Poison Crystal Core (can be used for weapon enchantment).]

"Awesome! I can actually see the XP bar jump!"

Dali Chu Qiji excitedly picked up the glowing red crystal. "A hundred more of these, and I'll hit level 3!"

"Don't get careless. Keep the rhythm."

Feng Xing Tian Xia stared at the sea of monsters in the distance, not letting his guard down.

"We're dancing on a knife's edge. If we pull more than two, it's a wipe."

High-Dimensional Perspective.

Gu Yuan watched the scattered sparks of battle gradually lighting up in the Lung region and nodded slightly.

Though most new players were still brawling over a single LV.1 Dust Mite in the Sighing Corridor, the elite squad led by Feng Xing Tian Xia had already secured a foothold at the edge of the Lung.

"This is the adaptability of the Fourth Calamity."

Gu Yuan checked his energy reserves. With eleven thousand players online simultaneously, Bio-Energy consumption was skyrocketing, but the rate of acquisition was rising exponentially.

"As long as they can establish a stable outpost there, I can continuously recover energy and repair my divine body."

But he also knew the situation in the Lung was far more complex than what the players saw.

It wasn't just inflammation (Flame Poison Golems)—there was also the far more lethal Virus Legion. Those true invaders were lurking deep in the Alveoli, greedily eyeing these fresh, living cells.

"Grow quickly, warriors."

Gu Yuan murmured.

"The real war hasn't even begun yet."