Chapter 24
In terms of combat power, roughly ten players would be needed to hold off a single member of the Dragon Star Knight Order.
The Dragon Star Knight Order was once quite renowned. Ferr, as an early royal guard, ranked among the lower tiers within the Royal Knights. Had His Majesty Lether not been so fixated on Duke Burk Anger in his earlier years, Ferr would never have been dispatched to Lanno Territory in the first place.
Of course, this was also because Fei’er had been ostracized within the Royal Knights due to his insufficient strength, ultimately becoming the sole scapegoat abandoned by them.
Nevertheless, since then, Fei’er had been determined to prove himself. It was purely by chance that Wallis managed to win his loyalty;若非 Wallis had saved Fei’er’s life twice, he might never have earned the allegiance of such a proud and arrogant individual.
However, after so many years, even knights once known for their loyalty and righteousness had long been corrupted by money, which is why they willingly became an indispensable part of the human trafficking syndicate.
Without the protection of the Dragon Star Knights, Kui Lang would have been unable to sell the captives he seized to the distant Central Territory.
Regardless, the knightly order’s combat prowess remains intact; their frequent escort missions over the years have kept these knights battle-ready.
The players rushed forward unexpectedly, leaving not only Keso and the mages bewildered, but also Valis and the Dragon Star Knights completely caught off guard.
This was nothing like he had imagined! Valis was utterly unprepared; he had always believed Eagle merely intended to vent his anger, never suspecting that Eagle truly meant to kill him.
Only upon seeing Keso arrive did he realize the gravity of the situation, yet surely there should have been at least a chance to exchange a few words?
Who could have expected these Bixians to charge in recklessly, outright eliminating any possibility of dialogue!
To the players, even when there are story cutscenes, those cutscenes are less important than the boss; they’d skip them with ESC if they could, let alone now when there are no cutscenes at all.
There’s only one boss; if an NPC kills it, how unjust would that be?
As for the word “assist” in the quest description—”Assist the Mage Tower”—the players completely ignored it.
However, the notification Keso received stated that these Bixians would assist him.
But where is the slightest hint of “assistance” from this bunch??
The members of the Dragon Star Knights were completely overwhelmed and at a loss, swallowed by the crowd. Though powerful, they were vastly outnumbered; there were at least two thousand players against them.
This time-limited quest was clearly even more enticing than the Young Count’s birthday banquet. If one were to rank what players are most passionate about in games, fighting bosses would undoubtedly be in the top three. Today happened to be Sunday, so most players were free. Even those who weren’t originally logged in, upon seeing the quest announcement, abandoned everything else—whether they were out or just monitoring forum updates—and rushed home against all odds.
What? A date?
No, even a date isn’t as important as the game.
These closed-beta players of the Bix Cube are currently at their peak engagement, their passion for the game reaching unprecedented heights.
Thus, out of the combined 2,200 players from the first and second beta tests invited for this limited-time quest, nearly 2,100 showed up—an astonishingly high participation rate.
“This group is quite interesting,” Kexo remarked reluctantly. “I heard Pei Sen shares the same race as them?”
“Yes, but Pei Sen seems perfectly normal,” Bertha said, standing beside him in astonishment.
She had been thoroughly startled by this group of crazed Bixians.
The mages stood rooted to the spot, completely at a loss for how to react.
“This won’t work. If we cast our spells, we’ll easily injure these Bixians.” After all, they were technically on the same side now; attacking their own allies didn’t seem right.
Besides, the Dragon Star Knights were already completely overwhelmed by players. Even for mages, precisely targeting the Dragon Star Knights wasn’t an easy task. At the very least, these mage apprentices probably couldn’t manage it, and even novice mages likely lacked such fine control. Only intermediate mages should be capable of pulling it off.
Kexo smiled faintly, his expression ambiguous. “Then let them go first. We’ll keep watch and ensure that no one from the Dragon Star Knights escapes.”
“Yes, Lord Kexo.”
He wasn’t stupid; he knew that if anyone from the Dragon Star Knights managed to escape, that young master would surely seize the opportunity to reprimand him.
Kexo had no intention of giving Eagle such a chance.
Pei Sen couldn’t foresee everything with perfect accuracy either. His original plan had been for the Mages’ Tower to serve as the main fighting force, while the players simply ensured that no one escaped.
The current situation is that the players have rushed forward to become the main fighters, while the mages are left idling on the perimeter, merely preventing escapes.
Isn’t this completely backwards?
But considering the nature of players, such a scenario is hardly surprising.
“Do these guys even bother reading the quest details?” Pei Sen sighed helplessly. “Besides, it seems you can’t defeat the Dragon Star Knights and Valis as they are now.”
Among the more than two thousand players, only those from the first closed beta could barely hold their ground; the majority of players below level ten from the second beta were simply crushed by the Dragon Star Knights.
It was merely that their overwhelming numbers and fierce momentum surged forward like a tide, catching the enemy off guard for a moment.
True to their reputation, the Dragon Star Knights, under费尔’s command, swiftly reformed their ranks, and rows of the foremost charging players fell in rapid succession.
Valis’s expression was grim, but after cowering for so long, he finally abandoned all illusions at this critical moment, as if returning to his days as a knight many years ago. His combat prowess had never been weak; otherwise, Eagle would never have sent Keso.
Keso is a high-level mage and should be more than capable of handling Wallis, a level-five swordsman.
The Dragon Star Knights are mostly level-three swordsmen; however, as knights, they wield greatswords, making them stronger than ordinary swordsmen. Ferr alone reaches level four, not to mention that, being a knightly order, they already possess excellent coordination.
“This is far too reckless…” Pei Sen said with a frown. “A group of players barely reaching level ten, at most in their teens, actually daring to challenge a level-fifty boss? Keep in mind, even the regular foot soldiers of the Dragon Star Knights equate to level-thirty mini-bosses. They truly have no fear.”
Precisely because Wallis and the Dragon Star Knights possess such high “levels,” the quest specifies that players must assist the Mage Tower in their assault.
Yet now, the players had truly become far too reckless.
They fell in droves, utterly unable to withstand the assault of the Dragon Star Knights, let alone reach Valis.
Kexo watched coldly, a faint trace of mockery curling his lips.
He held no fondness for Pei Sen, and naturally felt even less toward Pei Sen’s own kind, the Bix race. Especially since this group of Bix, unlike the well-dressed Pei Sen, appeared ragged and disheveled, making them all the more contemptible in the eyes of this noble and elegant mage.
Since these people are looking for death, let them die then.
The remaining mages stood behind Keso, showing no trace of sympathy for the Bix tribe either. Two young mages felt slightly uneasy, fearing that Pei Sen might trouble them later, given that he was reportedly now a favorite of the young master.
Aside from them, the rest of the mages watched the group of Bix tribesmen charge forward and meet their deaths, even engaging in lively whispered conversations with great interest.
After all, this group of mages had never been happy about being assigned such a task in the first place.
However, gradually, the smile on Keso’s lips stiffened, and the expressions of those mages grew increasingly pale as they chatted.
Until they could no longer continue the conversation.
The brave and fearless Bix race surged forward relentlessly, with some even rushing over from the city gates to charge ahead without hesitation.
Even if they died within seconds of charging forward, not a single one of them took a step back!
Kesso knew that members of the Bix race rapidly turned into skeletons upon death. Yet, as piles of bones accumulated ahead, blocking the path, the Bix warriors charging from behind stepped over their predecessors’ remains, gripping their swords tightly and continuing to fight without hesitation.
No words could adequately describe this scene; it was so overwhelming that even Kesso, a senior mage well-versed in countless wonders, was momentarily struck speechless.
He could no longer bring himself to smile.
A young mage’s face grew paler and paler until he could no longer hold back. “This is too horrific, truly too horrific! Let’s act quickly! Why hasn’t Lord Kexo issued the order yet? Must we watch until the bones of the Bix race pile up throughout the entire governor’s mansion?”
Several young mages who had never witnessed slaughter before also began to waver. “This was supposed to be our mission… The young master sent us here to kill Governor Wallis and the Dragon Star Knight Order…”
In truth, the players weren’t fools either; they had noticed that this so-called boss seemed to be rather high-leveled, with shockingly high attack power. However, their numbers were overwhelming. With over two thousand players gathered at the governor’s mansion, Wallis and his companions, who lacked the ability to cast large-scale area-of-effect spells, would still require considerable time even if they managed to slay every single player.
Had the players been unable to break through the defenses of the Dragon Star Knight Order, they likely would have given up by now. Fortunately, the situation wasn’t that dire.
A player shouted excitedly, “We can break through its defense, and the boss side has no healer to restore HP!”
This is the fundamental reason why players keep charging forward relentlessly. Moreover, the main force of second-test players hasn’t even reached level 10 yet; since death doesn’t cost them any experience points, what’s there to fear?
However, this tactic only works under current circumstances. Although Wallis is strong, he isn’t that powerful. If it were Sardin instead, Pei Sen was certain that no matter how much the players jumped around, they wouldn’t be able to break through Sardin’s defense.
It’s true that Wallis is a level-five swordsman, but level five hasn’t yet undergone a qualitative transformation. Against swordsmen of level six or higher—levels seven or eight—with the players’ current levels, no amount of charging would make any difference.
Players like Designer thought even further ahead. “No wonder the quest description says ‘assist the Mages’ Tower in capturing this place,'” he remarked, glancing at the mages standing motionless nearby. “It seems the boss’s level is indeed high. The correct way to complete the quest is to let these mages make the first move.”
But it was too late for regrets now. The designer glanced at the Dragon Star Knights, whose health bars had only dropped slightly. “Never mind. These bosses aren’t invincible against players; they can still be defeated. I just wonder if the rewards would be greater if players took them down without help from NPC mages…”
Pei Sen didn’t know whether the rewards would be greater either; he only knew that Young Master Eagle seemed quite furious.
Besides Eagle, those observing through the Magic Eye included Steward Sardin and Defense Officer Ichabod. Neither approved of Eagle’s order to execute Wallis, and upon hearing the news, they had rushed over immediately.
Yet the moment Eagle saw them, his face darkened. After Sardin offered a few words of persuasion, Eagle sneered, “What? Are you asking me to retract my command?”
Satin fell silent for a moment. Knowing that Eagle was on the verge of exploding, he finally stopped speaking. As for Ichabod, seeing Eagle’s grim expression, he didn’t dare to utter a word either.
The defense steward of the Golden Rose Manor was a man in his forties, sturdy-built and plain-faced. Unlike Satin, who was handsome, tall, and graceful, this man possessed undeniably solid capabilities.
He had always been a man of few words, and certainly wouldn’t provoke Eagle at such a time.
Yet when they witnessed through the Demon Eye those valiant and fearless Bix Cube races charging relentlessly only to fall in droves, both Satin and Ichabod were utterly shocked.
“These people…”
Eagle’s icy voice rang out, “Kexo is truly remarkable. He still hasn’t taken action, merely watching these Bix race members throw themselves to their deaths. Indeed, he is my excellent steward.”
Watching the scenes transmitted from the Demon Eye, Sardin and Ichabod were left speechless.
Even if they wanted to speak up for Kexo, it was difficult to find the words.
Not only them, but even the mages present at the Wizard Tower were momentarily shaken, for the scene was too gruesome. It stirred an indescribable sentiment within them toward Kesso, who still had not issued the order to act.
Indeed, they had always looked down upon the Bix race, mocking just moments ago those who rashly charged forward as fools. Yet now, seeing them perish so horrifically, any human heart would inevitably undergo some change.
Kesso’s continued inaction began to stir silent condemnation among the mages of the tower, who now deemed him excessively cold and merciless.
“Lord Kesso,” a mid-level mage finally could not help but speak out.
Keso waved his hand and glanced at Wallis, who was surrounded by players with an increasingly grim expression. “I’ll handle Wallis. You all focus fire on费尔. The rest stay around to prevent anyone from the Dragon Star Knight Order from escaping.”
Even if they looked down on the weakness and foolishness of the Bix race, they could still see that continuing like this, the Bix would defeat the Dragon Star Knight Order at a tremendous cost.
They had already lost many people, but the Dragon Star Knight Order wasn’t unscathed either.
One person, one sword—even if each only managed to inflict a tiny wound on those powerful knights, hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands charging forward could allow ants to bring down an elephant.
Everyone was sympathizing with the Bix race, who had died so tragically; Pei Sen had already received several pitying glances. He sighed, speechless in his heart.
After all, on the forums, players were howling and clamoring wildly: “We can take them down, we can take them down! Don’t rush; the timed quest lasts 24 hours. At this rate, slowly grinding them down is no problem!”
“As long as not every attack misses, there’s nothing to fear.”
“Exactly. Even if we can only chip away a little damage each time, we can still wear them down to death.”
“It’s not that exaggerated. The minor boss from the Dragon Star Knight Order we’re focusing fire on has already lost five percent of his HP. If we resurrect a dozen more times, we can definitely bring his health down to seventy percent. I just don’t know if losing that much HP will trigger another phase, like him unleashing a major ability or something.”
“It’s a pity this game only has swordsmen. It would be great if there were mages to cast spells from range.”
“Wouldn’t having tanks and healers be even better? But swordsmen are fine too, I guess.”
“Stop being so picky. At least we can break through their defense. Everyone, pay attention: these knights are wearing armor that’s hard to cut through. Aim for the unarmored spots; it’ll definitely work.”
Thus, the players acted quite insidiously, directing all their sword strikes toward the knights’ faces, feet, and arms.
The armor worn by members of the Dragon Star Knight Order wasn’t full plate; it consisted merely of helmets and chest guards, offering rather inadequate protection.
Some players even attempted to lift the protective flap hanging from a knight’s waist, striking directly at his groin, causing this otherwise formidable knight to turn pale with fury on the spot.
Nevertheless, effective is effective—as long as you don’t hack at the armor itself.
No one cared about the bones beneath their feet, and not a single player felt any fear.
Are you kidding? Would anyone be afraid of dying in a game? Of course not.
Players were simply glad these bosses weren’t invincible; spending more time and dying a few extra times was no problem at all.
Ketho finally made his move, knowing that if he didn’t act now, it would already undermine his authority within the Mage Tower.
But the moment he made his move, Wallis’s expression changed, and he desperately tried to flee.
Because he knew he was no match for Keso, and by now, Wallis had completely abandoned any lingering hope of luck.
“Fer! Order the knights to protect us as we break through; stop worrying about these Bixians!”
“But they have already surrounded us completely,” Fern said sorrowfully.
Even though this group of Bixes was not strong, they refused to retreat even unto death; even if bones piled high upon the ground, even if charging forward meant certain death.
They still did not retreat.
To break through the encirclement, one would first have to pierce the Bixes’ blockade, not to mention the mages outside who were watching with predatory intent.
Fell felt that they most likely couldn’t escape.
Inside the manor, Eagle’s expression remained grim. Seeing that Kesso had finally taken action, Sardin and Ichabod knew there was no turning back now.
Wallis was as good as dead.
“Young master, once Wallis is dead, what will become of Kai City?” Sardin sighed.
Eagle sneered coldly. “He’s merely a city lord. Do you think my territory will collapse without him?”
“That’s not what I meant.” Sardin really didn’t want to provoke him any further today.
Eagle suddenly said, “I think Mary is an excellent choice. She has been by my side for nearly ten years. Like Wallis, her family pledged loyalty to the Langno clan early on. In terms of managerial ability, she is certainly no less capable than Wallis.”
Sardin was momentarily stunned; he never expected Eagle to actually intend for Mary to become the lord of Casey City!
“But Young Master, if Lady Mary leaves, you—”
“It’s nothing. Besides, it’s not that far away—just Casey City, after all.”
Sardin fell silent; he could not directly speak out to block Mary’s future.
Mary was not a noble. According to the laws of the Kingdom of Asmia, once Eagle, as the lord, officially appointed her as the city master of Casey City, she would be granted the lowest rank of nobility, shed her status as a servant, and thereby join the ranks of the nobility.
In fact, Wallis had been in the same situation initially; he too had originally been merely a servant of the Lanno family, yet gradually advanced to his current position.
Mary was not present now, but if she later learned that Sardin did not wish for her to become the city master of Casey City, their relationship would likely never be as harmonious as it was now.
Deep down, Sardin actually did not want Mary to leave the estate.
As someone who had taken care of the young master for many years, he at least showed Lady Mary some respect. Moreover, the position of steward was crucial; if replaced by anyone else, even Sardin would feel uneasy.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Eagle said impatiently. “From now on, Pei Sen will be the steward of internal affairs and also my personal butler.”
Pei Sen was momentarily stunned. He looked at Eagle, who issued the command with elegant poise, never expecting this matter would involve him.
Eagle flashed him a smile and gave a subtle wink, looking very much like a playful young boy.
Pei Sen: “…”
In fact, Eagle initially only intended to promote Pei Sen, yet today he suddenly made such a decision.
In any case, once Pei Sen becomes the steward of internal affairs, his authority within the manor’s inner gardens will increase significantly. Since Lady Mary oversees the inner gardens, with her meticulous and careful nature, Pei Sen venturing out alone would pose no problem; however, attempting to sneak Eagle away would likely be discovered by Lady Mary within half an hour.
But if Pei Sen himself becomes the steward of internal affairs, that is an entirely different matter.
Eagle is determined to follow Pei Sen; wherever Pei Sen goes, he will go as well.
Besides, in all these years, he had left the estate only a handful of times. Now that Pei Sen had finally arrived, there might be a chance to go out with him; there was no way Eagle would let such an opportunity slip away.
Pei Sen hadn’t thought that far ahead at the moment; he only felt the gazes of Sardin and Ichabod fixed entirely upon him.
The doubt in their eyes was so obvious; they likely believed that Pei Sen had whispered into Eagle’s ear, prompting him to make such a decision.
Pei Sen felt utterly wronged; he truly hadn’t done anything of the sort!
“If this continues, I’ll truly become a favored concubine…”
He was already the fastest-rising figure in the Golden Rose Manor, riding on the young master’s favor—especially remarkable since he wasn’t a long-serving member of the household, but merely a commoner hired onto the estate.
Those behind his back, consumed by envy and jealousy, had nearly ground their teeth to dust. Though they dared not let such whispers reach Pei Sen or Eagle’s ears, rumors had already begun to circulate.
Especially since Pei Sen was exceptionally handsome.
In Aesmia, fifteen-year-old Eagle was already considered an adult, yet only Pei Sen still regarded him as a child.
A child… who was already nearly as tall as he was.
At this moment, dozens of knights were escorting a figure across the Starfall Plains, galloping swiftly toward the Golden Rose Manor. They had bypassed several dangerous areas on the plains and were now approaching its edge, not far from their destination.
“My Lord Count, we are almost there.”
“Alright.” The one being protected in the center was a silver-haired youth who appeared slightly older than Eagle. With silver hair, blue eyes, and a black mole at the corner of his eye, he looked handsome and sentimental, though currently haggard, which somewhat diminished his beauty. “At a time like this, I suppose only Eagle would dare to take me in…” He smiled bitterly, coughed twice, and clearly was in terrible condition.
Akin Ashcroft, who had sent a letter to Eagle not long ago, never expected that so many unforeseen events would occur in such a short span of time.
Within Casey City, Valis was slain by Keso, and finally, even Fer fell. The players erupted in cheers, posting screenshots of their victory on the forums.
Even though all the players had died numerous times, it meant nothing to them; what they truly cared about was how much reward they would receive upon the mission’s completion.
Claude, who had just logged into the game after perfectly missing the time-limited quest, was cursing furiously: “Never again will I attend such boring gatherings! They wouldn’t even let us leave. Damn it! I didn’t even make it to the quest. I’m so furious!”
At that very moment, standing on the edge of the Starfall Plains, he happened to spot a group of knights approaching from afar.
“Huh? Who are those people? Could this be triggering another major quest?” Claude’s face lit up with hope; he desperately wished for some quest to soothe his wounded spirit right now.
But those knights didn’t even glance at him; they swept past him in a flash, the powerful gust from their galloping horses nearly knocking him flat on the ground.
“Pah, pah, pah!” Spitting out the dust blown into his mouth, Claude quickly took a screenshot and posted it on the forum; he felt this group seemed rather unusual.
Pei Sen saw the post immediately. Were these people heading toward the manor?
He glanced at Eagle, sensing that the newcomers were likely nobles as well.
He hoped the young master would be tied up with something and stop constantly thinking about going out to play with him.
If anything were to happen to this person, Pei Sen was terrified of being murdered by all the players.
He truly couldn’t bear that!