The sounds of human footsteps and the thud of Hoofed Beast mingled together, creating a sudden, deep rumble in the silent forest.
The first to realize something was wrong were the anglers who were night fishing; the sudden ripples on the water seemed to indicate that some powerful, large group was approaching.
The players who were gathered around the stove brewing tea also noticed the problem from the subtle vibrations. Even the Dragonborn shopkeeper who was sleeping in the closed general store was awakened by the tremor and was momentarily at a loss.
After a brief moment of confusion, all the online players and Dragonborn shopkeepers simultaneously realized one thing—
They are under attack!
In just a few breaths, Gorn's Holy Crusaders had surrounded the camp from all sides, and the fishermen could already see the shadowy figures advancing behind the withered branches.
That was an army composed of a large number of infantry and cavalry, and they were now completely surrounded.
In the next instant, Gorn leaped out from behind the withered bushes on his Hoofed Beast, brandishing his spear and piercing a fisherman's chest in the blink of an eye, throwing his body onto the riverbank.
Blood gushed into the river, and some local fish, attracted by the bait, immediately followed the trail of blood, trying to pull the huge creature into the water for a good meal.
"[ Gu Gugu ]!"
Another fisherman let out a cry of despair and immediately went into battle mode.
His arms began to rapidly Directed Alienation, but before the shape of the blades could appear, a dark mass of Holy Crusaders had already surrounded him, all wielding sharp weapons.
This group of Holy Crusaders, their eyes bloodshot like Blood Corpse, were the Second Order of Knights, who hadn't slept in ages.
Filled with resentment, the Holy Crusaders soldiers swarmed forward and quickly chopped the fishermen into pieces, throwing them into the river to feed the fish.
Because anglers need a quieter environment, their fishing area has long been moved to a spot a few dozen meters upstream from the supply station.
Just as the fishermen were being chopped into dumpling filling, a Dragonborn quietly peeked out from behind the grocery store.
She quickly figured out the situation: the enemy had arrived, and they would first kill the group of Soul Returner who were fishing, and then it would be the Soul Returner who liked to soak leaves in water.
Then it seemed to be her turn, but she couldn't leave yet. After a brief moment of thought, the Dragonborn ran towards a room behind the general store.
Dozens of meters away, after killing the fishermen, the Holy Crusaders turned their knives on the health enthusiasts.
With those poor fishermen serving as cannon fodder, the players who were enjoying their tea were already prepared for battle.
Unfortunately, as casual players in World of Disorder, they had no advantage in terms of individual strength, teamwork, or numbers. Their Alienation weapons were laughable, resembling fruit knives. The well-coordinated Holy Crusaders quickly found their weaknesses and sent them back to Hall of Heroic Spirits at lightning speed.
Meanwhile, the Dragonborn shop assistant furtively pushed open the warehouse door and immediately spotted his boss on the makeshift bed [ Good Times Don't Last ].
"Boss, boss!"
She quickly stepped forward and whispered, trying to rouse the already logged-out Soul Returner.
The [ Good Times Don't Last ] in the real world were naturally unaware that her in-game body was in danger, and the Dragonborn couldn't understand what "offline" meant. If she weren't still breathing, she would have thought her boss was dead.
The rumor that players are immortal is no secret among NPCs, but no one has ever publicized it. Instead, it exists in a state of urban legend, which many have heard of but is difficult to verify.
After all, as the number of players increases, many NPCs will only become familiar faces to them, and the relationships between them will not be so close that they can discuss such issues.
Some NPCs have indeed witnessed the reappearance of the deceased Soul Returner before them, but due to misinformation, most of the locals in the World of Disorder simply believe that some Soul Returner can be resurrected in a mysterious way.
The young Dragonborn had only vaguely heard about the players' characteristics, but couldn't be sure if they would die. Looking at his sleeping boss, the Dragonborn didn't want to lose this easy and pleasant job. More importantly, his master ( Seraphina ) had told them that as her Dragonborn, they must have a sense of contract.
That's right, she works at this grocery store, and she has a signed employment contract!
In that case, she couldn't let her boss die so easily.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, the Dragonborn steeled his heart, used his strong arms to hoist the body of [ Good Times Don't Last ] onto his shoulder, and quickly left the warehouse.
Several months of comfortable life did not make the Dragonborn forget the way of life of their race before the Soul Returner came to this land.
Her eyes narrowed to slits in the darkness, and the hunter's instincts once again took over her body.
The Dragonborn quickly determined the direction of the Holy Crusaders's encirclement; most of them were coming from the north, making the southern encirclement easier to break through.
So, under the cover of night, while most of the Holy Crusaders ' attention was focused on the rebellious health enthusiasts, the Dragonborn slipped out of the encirclement from the shadows of the warehouse, using the large trees as cover.
However, the heavy footsteps of someone carrying a person alerted the two Holy Crusaders. They saw a dark figure dart past them and immediately knew that someone was trying to escape.
The Holy Crusaders shouted and brandished his weapon. The Dragonborn shopkeepers, seeing the blade about to fall on them, immediately sensed something was wrong.
But things have come to this point, and there's no suitable weapon at hand...
She gritted her teeth and hissed:
"I'm sorry, boss!"
As he shouted those words, the Dragonborn suddenly twisted his body, narrowly dodging the two blades that grazed his scalp.
Then, she grabbed her Good Times Don't Last's ankles with both hands and, like a medieval knight, began to use his body as a weapon, spinning him around like a windmill.
"Bang!"
[ The Good Times Don't Last ] The sturdy skull collided with the head of a Holy Crusaders, who cried out in pain and fell backward, half of his head already swollen and congested with blood.
[ Good Times Don't Last ], who was used as a weapon, remained unconscious, but his nose had tilted to one side and his eye sockets were visibly bulging.
Ignoring all that, the Dragonborn continued to whip the Soul Returner's body, quickly lashing down another Holy Crusaders with his whip-like arms. Before the other Holy Crusaders could close in, he escaped the encirclement and, with his (somewhat dead) boss, disappeared into the woods.