"We haven't even started attacking the Boss yet. How could any team have gotten ahead of us?"
"Don't tell me some other power's team entered the Tower of Ancient Gods before we did and has been quietly clearing it this whole time?"
"That's impossible! The Tower of Ancient Gods's difficulty is plain for all to see. Assembling a team capable of clearing it in secret without us even noticing is completely out of the question."
…
After the system notification left everyone in silence for a long while, none of them could believe it was true, and they all began speculating about which team had cleared the Tower of Ancient Gods.
But after guessing for some time, they all arrived at the same conclusion — it was impossible.
They had experienced the Tower of Ancient Gods's difficulty firsthand. They knew exactly how brutal it was. Not only did it require over a thousand Tier 3 Perfection experts, but every one of them also needed to be outfitted with peak equipment. All of that had been provided by the major superpowers from the outside world — the factions within the Dark World simply had no way to procure that many top-tier pieces of gear on their own.
"Elder Nuxin, could it be Dark Rhapsody and Divine Tribulation?" a Level 110 Tier 3 Assassin from Domination couldn't help but ask.
"Impossible! How long have they even been inside the Tower of Ancient Gods?" Nuxin instinctively rejected the idea. "Less than a day. That isn't even enough time for their two hundred-odd members to clear the outer perimeter, let alone push through all four ancient cities' worth of monsters!"
"Fair point. It's been less than a day. Even if they had top-tier gear and had already figured out the Boss's mechanics, pulling off a single clear would be impressive enough. Clearing four Bosses at once? That's nothing but a pipe dream." The Domination Assassin also felt foolish for even floating the idea that it could be Dark Rhapsody and Divine Tribulation. "Since it's not the two major guilds, who on earth got ahead of us in clearing the Tower of Ancient Gods?"
The three great guilds of the Dark World were, without question, the Dark World's three most elite organizations. This was both universally acknowledged and backed by hard fact — every other power's overall guild strength fell short of theirs by at least an entire tier. Otherwise, there would have been four or five great guilds instead of three.
It was genuinely difficult to imagine any hidden power lurking in the shadows capable of pulling this off.
"Though I don't know which force has thrown our plans into ruin this time, as long as it isn't Dark Rhapsody and Divine Tribulation, that's what matters." Nuxin suppressed his rising anger and spoke in a measured tone. "As for who it actually is — we'll find out the moment we're teleported out."
The appearance of a third party was certainly unexpected, but it was hardly cause for alarm. After all, far too many major corporations had invested in the Divine Realm. A number of powers had risen to prominence mid-stream, and there were undoubtedly plenty more that had been biding their time in the shadows — just like the Demon's Heart itself.
Moreover, the current situation was far from the worst-case scenario. With the influence wielded by the Demon's Heart and the other superpowers, they had nothing to fear from this third party refusing to cooperate. If anything, working with them was the wisest decision the third party could make.
The representatives of the other powers present nodded in agreement.
They collectively represented the vast majority of the Dark World's factions. If the third party refused to cooperate with them, they would only be digging their own grave. After all, the Tower of Ancient Gods wasn't the sole entrance or exit, and their control over it would only last a single month. Once that time expired, the conflict would no longer be about clearing the Tower of Ancient Gods — it would be an all-out war between players.
Shortly after Nuxin finished speaking, a teleportation magic circle bloomed beneath everyone's feet, transporting the entire group out of the Tower of Ancient Gods's interior space.
The Tower of Ancient Gods, First Floor — Central Hall.
Flash after flash of white light erupted across the plaza as the players who had been inside the first floor materialized in the central hall.
The first floor's central hall was roughly the size of two or three sports stadiums. In addition to the stone giant NPCs that normally stood guard, there were also numerous inns, restaurants, shops, and other establishments — easily capable of accommodating a hundred thousand people.
"Hurry! Find those people for me — now!" Nuxin ordered the moment he was teleported out.
The central plaza was enormous. Although they could see most of it immediately upon exiting, if those people had already slipped away, there would be nothing they could do. After all, fighting was strictly forbidden inside the Tower of Ancient Gods, and players were free to use Return Scrolls to leave at any time.