Chapter 33: Going to the Herian City

Arthur stepped out of the portal and found himself standing inside the guild hall. Unlike before, the place was now considerably livelier, with players moving around everywhere, buying and selling equipment, exchanging information, and discussing the challenges they had encountered.

Arthur had already put on his mask before stepping through the portal. His gaze swept across the hall before eventually landing on the main receptionist.

The moment his eyes landed on her, the receptionist’s body stiffened.

For some inexplicable reason, she suddenly felt as though she were being watched by an ancient horror. A chill ran down her spine, and cold sweat instantly appeared across her forehead.

She hurriedly looked toward the source of that terrifying sensation.

Arthur was standing there.

No one could tell what was going through the receptionist’s mind, but one thing was obvious.

She was terrified.

It was as if she had encountered a riddle that should have been incredibly easy to solve, yet no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not understand the existence standing before her.

"Have you finished your trial, Mister?" she asked with a forced smile.

"Yes, I have. Has the teleportation to the city been activated yet?" Arthur asked casually.

"Yes, sir. A few hours ago, Azure Town received its thousandth Level 10 player. The teleportation array can now be used, allowing players to travel to the city."

The receptionist paused before continuing in a gentle voice.

"However, before you leave, I strongly recommend purchasing the information regarding the city. It is extremely important for anyone entering the city for the first time."

"How much?"

"90 Gold."

The receptionist smiled and took out a thick book before handing it to him.

Arthur accepted the book and paid the required amount without hesitation.

He did not actually need the information.

With his knowledge from his previous life, he already knew far more about the city than the receptionist could possibly tell him.

However, refusing to purchase it would only create unnecessary suspicion.

"Thanks. I’ll visit here again before heading to the city," Arthur said casually.

Just as he was about to leave, a pleasant voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Hey, bigshot. May I have a word with you? You’re Darklord, right?"

A beautiful woman approached him.

Arthur recognized her immediately.

Eliana Grandvale.

She was the heiress of one of the largest families in the Aurora city.

Arthur had known her quite well in his previous life. She had eventually become an extremely powerful mage, and the two of them had cleared several dangerous dungeons together.

More importantly, Arthur remembered that her character was not bad.

Seeing the mysterious masked man stop, Eliana’s eyes immediately lit up.

The Grandvale Family had already given strict instructions to everyone who entered Genesis Realm.

If anyone spawned in Azure Town and managed to establish a good relationship with Darklord, they would receive the family’s full support and could even be considered for the position of heir.

"Bigshot, my name is Eliana Grandvale. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Eliana smiled elegantly.

"Our Grandvale Family values talented and valiant individuals. There are already several Platinum Grade Foundation players in Azure Town, but none of them have accomplished what you did."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"They attempted to solo the Hard Mode of the Orc Graveyard Dungeon, yet they were completely crushed before they could even challenge Hell Mode."

Arthur remained expressionless behind his mask.

"Speak your business."

His voice was calm and indifferent.

Yet for some reason, Eliana found that calm tone strangely attractive.

She desperately wanted to see the face hidden behind the mask, but she knew better than to ask.

"Bigshot, if you obtain any high-quality equipment that you wish to sell, could you consider our Grandvale Family?"

She smiled sweetly.

"We’re willing to pay more than the government."

"I don’t have anything to sell at the moment."

Arthur glanced at her.

"But give me your contact ID. If I obtain anything suitable, I’ll contact you."

Eliana’s eyes immediately brightened.

"Of course!"

She quickly provided her contact information.

Arthur stored it before activating his Stealth skill.

His figure instantly disappeared from everyone’s perception.

He had no intention of losing a potential customer.

He needed money.

A lot of money.

The major families would eventually establish their own factions within Genesis Realm, and as the game continued to develop, they would become some of the largest buyers of powerful equipment.

To Arthur, every major family represented a potential customer.

Eliana stared at the empty space where Arthur had been standing.

Her eyes widened.

"He used a Royal Grade Stealth Skill?"

She frowned slightly.

"But it shouldn’t be able to last for very long."

She shook her head before turning around.

She needed to report this encounter to her family immediately.

Meanwhile, Arthur did not actually leave the guild.

He waited outside patiently.

Only after Eliana and the other players had left did he enter the guild hall again.

His Stealth disappeared, revealing his masked figure once more.

The receptionist immediately looked toward him.

Arthur could tell at a glance that she could see through his Epic Grade Stealth.

As expected, the NPCs in the guild were far more powerful than ordinary players.

"Give me ten Revival Scrolls and one Divine Dungeon Key," Arthur said calmly.

The receptionist’s eyes widened.

She wasn’t particularly surprised by the Revival Scrolls.

It was the Divine Dungeon Key that shocked her.

The information book she had just sold Arthur clearly stated its price.

Over 100,000 Divine Gold.

How was this player planning to pay for it?

"Sir, are you sure you want the Di..."

"Yes."

Arthur interrupted her without hesitation.

"Just sell it to me. Also, give me a map of the Sun Kingdom."

The receptionist stared at him for a moment before mechanically nodding.

The Revival Scroll was one of the most important items a player could possess after entering the city.

Within the beginner towns, players could die twenty times before their lives were truly endangered.

But inside the cities, things were completely different.

Without a Revival Scroll, dying even once could mean death in the real world.

Because of this, Azure Town was still the safest sanctuary available to players at this stage.

One Revival Scroll cost 50 Royal Gold.

After calculating everything, the receptionist took out ten golden Revival Scrolls, a mysterious golden key, and a detailed map.

"Sir, that will be 101,500 Divine Gold."

Arthur calmly handed over his card.

A faint flash of light passed through the card. The payment was completed instantly.

Arthur took the items and examined the map.

The Sun Kingdom.

This was the parent kingdom where Herian City was located, the very city he was about to enter.

"Thanks. Goodbye."

With those words, Arthur activated his Stealth and disappeared once again.

The Divine Dungeon Key was an extremely unusual item.

It granted access to an endless dungeon designed specifically for continuous grinding.

Once inside, the player would face wave after wave of Boss Monsters.

The first wave contained ten Level 11 Common Grade Bosses.

The second wave contained twenty.

The number continued increasing until the tenth wave, which contained one hundred Level 11 Common Grade Bosses.

Then the difficulty would increase.

The eleventh wave contained ten Level 11 Elite Grade Bosses.

The same pattern continued through the higher grades.

By the fifty-first wave, ten Level 11 Mythical Grade Bosses would appear.

And at the sixtieth wave, one hundred Level 11 Mythical Grade Bosses would descend.

After clearing the sixtieth wave, the dungeon would advance to the next level.

The sixty-first wave would contain ten Level 12 Common Grade Bosses.

From there, the endless cycle would continue indefinitely.

The dungeon had only one absolute rule.

Once the player died inside, they could never enter again unless they purchased another Divine Dungeon Key.

For ordinary players, the dungeon was practically impossible or waste of money.

But for Arthur, it was exactly what he needed.

He could send his God Grade Shadow Generals into the dungeon and let them continuously slaughter the Bosses.

The Divine Gold obtained from the dungeon could then be multiplied by his Infinite Multiplication talent.

The 100,000 Divine Gold he had spent on the key would be recovered quickly.

And after that, he could continue accumulating more.

Much, much more.

Even in his previous life, the Divine Dungeon Key had been sold inside the guild.

Yet nobody had ever purchased one.

The reason was simple.

The price was absurd, while the dungeon itself was so difficult that almost nobody could make effective use of it.

But Arthur was different.

He now possessed God Grade Shadows.

Arthur looked toward the distant teleportation array.

A faint smile appeared beneath his mask.

"Let’s enter Herian City."