Chapter 1 At the Same Time as Fifty Players Entered the Scenario...

In the city, on a certain street.

A manhole cover, parasitized by decay, suddenly shifted. Then, a white, powdery substance surged up from beneath.

These "bone sands" initially just flowed, but quickly evolved into a true "gusher." In a matter of seconds, the manhole cover was blown open, and a pillar of sand shot into the sky, creating the effect of a sandstorm within a radius of tens of meters.

Where the sand passed, ghostly shadows flickered… Before long, those shadows solidified, transforming into nine bizarre living (or undead) beings.

"Indeed, a land permeated with deathly aura…" a massive skull, enveloped in eerie flames, floated in the air and intoned.

It was named Duoling, a high-ranking entity second only to the Four Pillar Gods.

Beside Duoling were eight other strange figures, namely:

Curse Spirit, appearing as a Latino male; tall and powerfully built, clad in a hooded brown robe. His appearance was no different from an ordinary human, except for his eyes, which were pupil-less, like amber, shimmering with an eerie light.

War Spirit, with the appearance of a human female, but nearly three meters tall, her entire body covered in solid biological scales, with a pair of dragon wings sprouting from her back.

Banished Demon, its body like a mass of flesh-forged, tangled vines, with indistinguishable limbs; its head a huge ball of flesh, lacking nose and ears; its eyes were two enormous compound eyes; it possessed a cavernous maw filled with rows of jagged, crisscrossing teeth.

Formless Demon, currently in the state of a black stone floating in mid-air, about three cubic meters in volume, with a texture similar to crystal, in an irregular shape, its surface adorned with gray-white patterns.

Bloodthirsty Demon, eight meters in length, with a blue face and fangs; its upper body had three heads and six arms, while its lower body resembled a serpent's tail. Its entire body was covered in ruby-like insect shell armor, radiating a scarlet glow.

The Penitent, a brown-haired woman in her thirties, wearing a tight-fitting leather armor, every inch of her exposed skin covered in suture marks, her eyes and mouth sewn shut with steel wire.

The Headtaker, a Caucasian woman in her twenties, red-haired, tall and athletic, wearing a soft armor; her face and right arm were covered in a kind of metallic alien bone armor.

The Seer, a four-meter-tall male giant with a god-like physique and perfect musculature, his skin azure blue, his long white hair woven into a bundle that hung down his back like the tail of a colossal beast.

These nine monsters of varying forms were the Netherworld Underking's—Nine Fiends of Death.

"Everywhere…wandering undead…" The Penitent uttered in a hoarse, weak voice, her eyes sewn shut seemingly not affecting her vision, "Millions of them…"

"And others…a pile of filth." The Seer added in a deep, resonant voice.

"Shall we purge them?" The Headtaker immediately followed.

"Not so fast," Duoling said in a commanding tone. "There seem to be some strange things here…"

The Curse Spirit then spoke, "Interdimensional travelers perhaps…" His eyes glowed brighter, "Hmm…I've never seen so many interdimensional travelers appear in the same place at the same time."

"Heh…they're all trash anyway, just get rid of them all together," the Bloodthirsty Demon muttered grimly.

As they were talking, suddenly, in the night sky above them…an eerie white line appeared without warning, surrounded by shimmering data streams.

Seconds later, the white line widened, and an arm reached out from within. Then, a person's head…and then, the entire torso squeezed through…Finally, a lithe figure burst from the rift, descending from the sky, landing right in the middle of these nine demons and monsters.

This uninvited guest was a woman, nearly one meter and ninety centimeters tall, with bluish-green hair. Her identity was one of the Source Organization's Derivatives, named L2-Xuelan.

At this moment, Xuelan was scanning the nine monsters around her with an indifferent gaze. In her eyes, she saw only sets of flowing, glowing white numerical matrices, and as an extension of a program, she could directly analyze this data…

Data identification:

——Breaching firewall...

——Downloading data...

——Initiating counter-strategy...

External Form Identification Database Activated, Downloading, Writing Modification Writing Writing.

【Name: Duoling】

【Faction: Netherworld Underking】

【Race: Undead】

【Level: ???】

【Height: 0-139 cm】

【Weight: ???】

【Combat Style: ???】

【Skills: ???】

【Danger Level: Medium】

Voice Recognition: Established.

Location: y-012.

Tracking Location: Cannot Activate.

Control Status: Out of Control.

Tactical Control Options: Calculating...

This was roughly what Xuelan saw on her "Tactical Interface." Because her level was still only two, she could not fully analyze the other party's information; some of the data still required actual combat or intelligence gathering to unlock.

"You are…what…" The Seer spoke again, his rhythm slow, his tone somewhat clumsy.

"Neither the aura of the living, nor the characteristics of the dead." The War Spirit stepped forward, "Interesting…an enemy? If so, that's wonderful."

"Can you state your intentions?" Duoling, as the highest-ranking entity among the Nine Fiends of Death, naturally possessed the highest intelligence, and he knew of the existence of Derivatives, so he raised a more constructive question.

Xuelan's analysis of the nine undead before her had been completed before the other party finished speaking. At this moment, she simply replied coldly, "My mission has no conflict of interest with you. My superiors have no interest in this land. As long as you don't interfere with me, we can all live in peace."

Duoling paused slightly, then continued, "So…your target is the interdimensional travelers?"

"Curiosity will do you no good," Xuelan replied. Neither of her two answers gave any substantial information, but she also did not directly break with the other party. After all, she was currently facing nine sets of unique data alone, and if a fight really broke out, her only option would be to run.

"Let me chop her up!" The Headtaker interjected eagerly from the side.

"No…" Duoling said, pausing slightly, then adding, "We're leaving…"

"What did you say?" The other eight Fiends of Death all revealed puzzled expressions (if they had faces).

"No need for further words…" Duoling said sternly. As the leader, he still had some authority. As soon as these words came out, the other spirits fell silent.

"Split up and purge the trash in the city," Duoling continued after a few seconds, "But try to avoid the interdimensional travelers, and…" He looked at L2-Xuelan, "Those beings similar to her."