Twin Towers Kingdom, Fire Hill Ridge.
As a level 90+ map in the Twin Towers Kingdom, players who had recently reached level 90 after entering the Divine Realm often came here to grind. Not only was Fire Hill Ridge well-suited for level 90 players to farm experience, but the level 96 world boss, the Earthfire Wyvern, also appeared there from time to time.
Compared to other world bosses, the Earthfire Wyvern demanded extremely high fire resistance from players, but the fight itself was considerably easier. All it took was organizing a Tier 3 raid of a hundred players, and they could take it down.
Newcomers from the major guilds could level up while keeping watch for the Earthfire Wyvern's spawn. The moment it appeared, they could notify the guild immediately and have the guild's raid come to eliminate it. On top of that, they'd earn a share of guild contribution points, and with a bit of luck, a Gold-grade piece of equipment over level 100 wasn't out of the question.
"Those NPCs have been stealing mobs more and more often lately," said a level 97 Tier 2 Guardian Knight holding a shield, glancing at the dozen-plus level 95 Leader monsters and one level 96 Lord monster that had just been taken down. His heart was full of mixed feelings.
Ever since the great system upgrade, the old days of grinding mobs freely were gone.
You could see NPC teams forming to hunt monsters everywhere, and their levels were typically more than ten above the map's level. Their weapons and gear were enviable—the weakest among them wore Dark Gold equipment, and there was no shortage of NPCs wielding Epic weapons. Players like them didn't dare cause any trouble…
"That's for sure. We've been pretty lucky," said a level 91 Tier 2 Oracle resting nearby. "I heard from some of the Tier 3 big shots in the guild that on the level 100+ neutral maps, Tier 3 NPCs above level 130 are roaming everywhere. In some places there are more players than monsters, and they had to go even farther out. Just the travel time alone costs them twice as much."
"But this is a great opportunity for us," a level 95 Tier 2 young Ranger said with some excitement. "The leveling speed for players below 100 is clearly much faster than for those above 100. If we can catch up to the main group's average level and advance to a Tier 3 Class, we'll be set."
In the early days of the Divine Realm, the game had been popular, but compared to the current, one-of-a-kind Divine Realm, the two didn't even exist on the same plane. Now, virtually no one in the real world was unaware of the Divine Realm's existence.
Competition in the Divine Realm was growing fiercer by the day. After reaching level 100 and venturing into neutral maps, players entered a kind of hell mode—leveling speed plummeted. For the newer players who had come to the game late, this was actually good news. They had missed plenty of opportunities in the early stages, and now was their chance to catch up.
Right now, every major guild was frantically recruiting Tier 3 powerhouses, even proactively offering generous monthly stipends in Credit Points.
Some students who played the Divine Realm now earned more per month than white-collar professionals, which had driven a growing number of office workers and retirees to dive into the game, hoping to earn extra income. Those looking to supplement their earnings were far from few.
Just as the six-member squad was chatting, a wave of energy suddenly surged through the area.
BOOM!
The violent shockwave bent and swayed the surrounding trees, and the very earth trembled beneath their feet.
"What's going on?!"
The level 97 Guardian Knight at the front stared in astonishment toward the source of the disturbance in the distance.
But before anyone could react, a piercing roar followed—so sharp that all six members clamped their hands over their ears.
"That's definitely the Earthfire Wyvern!" The young Ranger's eyes lit up.
The Earthfire Wyvern!
If they reported this to the guild, it would be a major contribution.
"The Earthfire Wyvern should be right over there." The Guardian Knight pinpointed the sound's origin and pointed toward a valley to the west. "Move! That thing won't wait for anyone!"
The six squad members exchanged glances and immediately charged toward the valley.
They didn't know who had angered the Earthfire Wyvern, but as long as they located it, their job was to find it and report back so the guild's Tier 3 team could come to take it down.
It didn't matter if another guild spotted the Earthfire Wyvern first—a level 96 world boss was no pushover. Once it gained a semblance of intelligence, these monsters would flee when they realized they couldn't win, and chasing one down was an enormous headache.
That was enough time for their guild's Tier 3 team to arrive. As for who would land the killing blow, that came down to skill—after all, a world boss's loot was extraordinary. Not to mention the abundance of Sub-Legendary materials, but with good luck, an Epic weapon or piece of equipment usable up to level 120 was entirely possible, and even fragments of Legendary items could be expected.
However, the Earthfire Wyvern's roar had simultaneously attracted dozens of player teams. Each one immediately reported to their guild, determined to claim the kill.
Within less than a minute of running, these teams arrived one after another at the valley where the Earthfire Wyvern was located.
Every team of players stared at the Earthfire Wyvern before them and couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. The Earthfire Wyvern before them was completely different from what they had known before.
"How did the Earthfire Wyvern get this big?"
"Why does its health bar have nine segments?!"
There, in the valley, was a wyvern well over fifty meters tall. Its entire body was wreathed in ethereal flames, and the flap of its wings summoned gales that sliced through the landscape like blinding wind blades, shredding everything in their path to pieces. Its roar alone forced players to stagger backward, and the scorching domain radiating from it could reduce any player with fire resistance below 400 to ash in an instant.
Earthfire Wyvern (World Boss), Legendary, Domain Lord, Level 99, HP 3,300,000,000.
Staring at the Earthfire Wyvern looming before them like a mountain, all anyone felt was despair and terror.
The pressure the Earthfire Wyvern exuded was overwhelming—a single beat of its wings leveled an entire stretch of terrain…
At this point, forget about fighting it; even approaching it might turn them to cinders. Some of these players wondered whether even Tier 3 Classes could truly withstand this colossal beast.
"Wait! It's injured!"
A level 97 Tier 2 Ranger who had been studying the Earthfire Wyvern closely suddenly shouted.