Dragon's Sorrow

Before eight o'clock, Black Dragon Lord Mephisto's livestream had already drawn several million viewers. As the top streamer in Skyworld's Monster District, Mephisto's channel had always been enormously popular.

However, Mephisto did not greet his viewers. He adhered to one very important principle while streaming: never break character. Since he was playing a black dragon—and a Black Dragon Lord at that—he had to possess the presence and grandeur befitting one. While other streamers constantly called out things like "bros," "dear viewers," and "handsome guys and beautiful ladies," Mephisto said things like "foolish mortals," "puny humans," and "interesting little creatures."

And believe it or not, plenty of viewers loved that act. Of course, some cursed at him too, but Mephisto did not care. A streamer could never please everyone; it was enough to maintain his own distinct style.

Of course, he was not entirely set on doing things his own way. He occasionally interacted with his viewers, but always in a manner that fit his identity. For example, at that very moment, he began "talking to himself" as he watched the distant adventurers.

Mephisto (Black Dragon Lord): "Hehehehe, another group of adventurers who don't know their own limits. These foolish, greedy humans will never learn what self-awareness means. They actually dared to trespass into my territory. They are truly courting death.

Fine, fine... Let the shadow of death fall upon this land once more. Let the fury of the black dragon turn your flesh and blood to ash, nourishing this land!"

As Mephisto muttered to himself, barrage comments immediately began flashing across the livestream.

[Yes, yes, yes! Teach those foolish humans a good lesson.]

[Dragon Bro, you've got no shame. You actually plagiarized Illidan's lines.]

[Burn them, burn them, burn them all to ashes! I want to see people being roasted alive. Don't censor it later.]

[Dragon Bro is mighty, Dragon Bro is badass. Dragon Bro, it'd be a waste of your talent if you didn't act in movies with lines like that.]

[Dragon Bro, did you make up those lines yourself? Or do you have a screenwriter drafting your speeches? They're pretty awesome.]

Mephisto (Black Dragon Lord): "Hahahaha, well said, puny humans. I must admit, you have successfully amused me. Then witness the power of Black Dragon Lord Mephisto."

He spread his wings and soared into the sky. His wingspan of over a hundred meters blotted out the heavens, and several black wyrmlings hurried after him.

At the same time—on the outskirts of the Dark Plains:

The skies over the Dark Plains were always covered by dense black clouds. They were not a natural weather phenomenon, but a strange sight formed by the volcanic ash constantly falling from above and the smoke rising from molten lava.

Even the sky had become dim because of it, and the air was thick with the scent of death and sulfur.

There was no vegetation and no inhabitants. Everywhere lay thick volcanic ash and dried-up pools of lava.

No matter how one looked at it, the Dark Plains were a barren land of utter deathly silence.

Yet on this land blanketed by death, an army of more than three hundred adventurers was passing through "silently."

"Everyone, keep quiet! Don't alert the monsters around us! We have to reach Dragonfire Peak before the black dragon discovers us! Shh, don't talk! None of you talk!"

The guild leader, Qingfeng Lanhuai, tirelessly reminded the players of the Dragon's Sorrow guild.

But the results were minimal. Players were inherently unruly, carefree creatures, and they were all exceptionally excited about the goal of this operation. The discussions never stopped. Rather than a covert march, it felt more like a field trip.

Lakeside Knight: "Did you hear? Black Dragon Lord Mephisto captured the princess of the Torrentkeep Kingdom and imprisoned her in his lair. They say that if you rescue the princess, you'll receive the king's reward, advance directly to the Hero Template, marry the princess, and reach the pinnacle of life."

Fifty-Third Street: "Bullshit, right? Isn't the Adventurer Template unable to advance? Besides, can the Hero Template really be advanced to that easily? I heard that Black Dragon Lord Mephisto has already held hands with the princess, and they even had two half-dragon babies. Damn, that guy really has all the luck with women. He's living the good life."

Astral Sage: "Isn't Mephisto a player? Can players even have children with NPCs?"

Red Cloud: "Aaaaah, this game has an adult mode? How do you hold hands with NPCs? Hurry, hurry, someone teach me."

Yun Feng: "You can unlock it as long as you pay. Send me 200 on WeChat, and I'll help you set it up..."

Wu Shang Zhonglin: "Player my ass. I heard Mephisto isn't a player at all, but an NPC disguised as a player."

Astral Sage: "Mephisto is definitely a player. I've watched his livestream. He really gets into character when he streams, and the way he talks is especially funny."

gn2: "What? Mephisto is a streamer? Then when we beat him up later, can we get on TV?"

Ma Tianxing: "Hahaha, that might actually happen."

Tiantian Wuren: "I heard Mephisto hasn't been taken down in six months. His drop-rate bonus has now stacked up to 500%. If we kill him, it'll be a massive loot explosion. Even his underwear could drop. As long as we take down that black dragon, we'll be rich!"

Black Cat: "I heard Mephisto's dragon lair is filled with treasures he collected from all over the world. A while back, a Gnome thief sneaked into the dragon nest dungeon, opened a treasure chest, and stole an orange gemstone. It sold for hundreds of thousands."

Xiao Bielie: "Holy shit, is that real? What kind of gemstone is worth that much? Why don't we put together a stealth team and give it a try someday?"

Bloodstained Paladin: "So Black Dragon Lord Mephisto is really that strong? Can we beat him?"

Desire Sea Barbershop: "What's there to fear? This time, our entire guild came out in force. We brought over three hundred people, including five full parties of level-forty-plus mains. No matter how strong Mephisto is, he's only a forty-man raid boss. We can bury him under sheer numbers. The key now is making sure he doesn't escape. We have to trap him inside the dungeon."

Xu the Immortal: "Uh, no wonder the guild leader is so nervous. Shouldn't we keep our voices down...?"

Everyone whispered among themselves, passing around information that was either reliable or completely unreliable. They grew increasingly excited about this operation, and even their footsteps quickened.

Qingfeng Lanhuai leaped onto a protruding rock and looked around, but all he could see was the dim sky and the distant Dragonfire Mountains.

This damned place was gloomy even in broad daylight. Visibility was extremely low, and it made one's skin crawl.

Qingfeng Lanhuai searched around but did not see a single monster. Just as he was about to return to the group, a strange gust of wind suddenly swept over them.

The wind was fierce, sending volcanic ash swirling through the air. It carried a strong smell of sulfur, and unease suddenly rose in Qingfeng Lanhuai's heart.

Eagle Eye! He widened his eyes, and his gaze instantly became as sharp as a hawk's, yet he still could not see anything.

Beast Sense! This time, he finally sensed the direction of the threat—diagonally above him. He abruptly looked up, but there was nothing there, only dim dark clouds and a glaring red sun hanging in the sky. Then, he suddenly saw a black shadow flash across the sun.

Not good!

"The dragon is here! Nine o'clock direction! Prepare for battle!" Qingfeng Lanhuai roared as he removed the Dragonbone Longbow from his back and drew an arrow.

Xu the Immortal: "Nine o'clock? It's only eight o'clock right now."

Black Cat: "What are we doing at nine, Guild Leader?"

Qingfeng Lanhuai cursed furiously, "The nine o'clock direction, you idiots! Forty-five degrees to the side!" During that delay, the shadow in the sun rapidly drew closer and grew incomparably huge. It was a massive black dragon with a savage face and a wingspan of over a hundred meters. As the black dragon dived down, dragonfire rained down like a blanket over the sky. A group of unlucky fools gathered together chatting had not even reacted before the flames engulfed them. Screaming, they either became running wildfires or were burned into charred corpses.

Lakeside Knight: "Holy shit, holy shit, what a huge black dragon!"

Desire Sea Barbershop: "Aaaaah, it hurts, it hurts! Put me out, quick!"

Yun Feng: "Fuck, this black dragon has no sense of honor! He actually ambushed this nineteen-year-old veteran!"

The black dragon showed no mercy as he watched the adventurers descend into chaos. He continuously spewed flames, which spread through the crowd as though alive. Adventurers afflicted with the Ignite effect screamed and fled in every direction like humanoid torches.

Several black wyrmlings excitedly spat fireballs, throwing the scene into even greater chaos.