Chapter 20

The Summer Palace is in crisis, and VIP players are about to be massacred. The Divine Palace is in a panic, wishing they could crawl out of the underground Divine Palace to fight the disrupters.

So, where are our dragon-slaying heroes?

The Divine Palace's monitor operator shifted the view to the halfway point of Mount Agas.

In the画面中，three heroes tasked with slaying the dragon were climbing the mountain with all their might. They were using both hands and feet, with blood on their hands and feet, and gasping for breath as if they were about to suffocate and die at any moment.

The three maintainers were doing their best, but unfortunately, their legs were too short, and the mountain was too high. At this speed, they probably wouldn't make it before the Divine Palace was destroyed.

"Is the giant eagle almost here?" Chen Hansheng asked, looking at the screen. They still had a plan. Previously, they were concerned about the maintainers being discovered by the disrupters, but now that concern was gone, so they called in the giant eagle for emergency assistance.

"It's ready and will arrive in ten seconds," replied an animal handler. Animals are one of the methods used to kick players out of the virtual world. When a player's game time is almost up and they can't find other ways to kick them out, they might send an animal. For example, a rabid dog biting a player can usually get them out of the game within half a month.

Among the three, Charlie had the best stamina and was in the lead. Fifty meters behind him was Sun Ran, who always considered himself a gentleman and was supporting the nearly exhausted Jasmine.

"Russell, the dragon's roar has been heard for five minutes. It will take us at least half an hour to reach the top. By then, either the Dragon King will be defeated, or the Summer Palace will be in ruins. What's the point of us pushing so hard now?" Jasmine was already doubting their goal.

Climbing all-out on a steep and rugged mountain path for five minutes is enough to make anyone as exhausted as a dead dog.

She was telling the truth, and Sun Ran couldn't refute it directly. He could only try to console her: "We are nominally Charlie's baron's attendants. If Charlie, our master, hasn't given up, how can we be the first to stop?"

Now, they were just putting on a show to tell Mr. Shu that they had done their best. If they gave up halfway, it would leave a bad impression and affect their future maintainer evaluations.

"But... sigh!" Jasmine sighed heavily, using all her strength to prepare to accompany the gentleman to the end. After all, they were entrusted with a mission, and it's a virtue to be loyal to one's duties.

Just as she was about to give it her all, Charlie, who was in the lead, sat down on the snow and stopped moving.

Jasmine was immediately overjoyed, her spirit lifted, and she also sat down on the snow.

Sun Ran was a bit puzzled. Charlie was a Bronze maintainer, a mature person, and shouldn't give up halfway.

"What's going on?" he asked loudly.

"The boss saw we couldn't make it in time and sent us a plane. Let's wait here," Charlie said, as exhausted as a dead dog.

"Plane?" Jasmine looked up at the sky, very surprised. According to common sense, it should be impossible to manufacture planes in this world.

Just as she was wondering, a loud eagle cry came from the sky, and then three giant eagles appeared. Each eagle had a wingspan of nearly five meters, more than twice the size of the eagle that had delivered their weapons.

"These are the Dragon Eagles that live in the Lari Mountains. They are said to be the hunting pets of the Supreme God Shu, with incredible strength, capable of lifting large animals like water buffalo into the sky," Charlie explained.

Mount Agas is part of the Lari Mountains, so the journey for these giant eagles was not far.

The eagles spotted their targets, swooped down, and each grabbed one person with their talons, then quickly flew towards the Summer Palace.

"If we had known the giant eagles were coming, why did we struggle so much to climb the mountain?" Jasmine, lying comfortably in the eagle's talons, thought their previous efforts were foolish.

"The giant eagles are mortal creatures with limited stamina. Climbing some of the way can reduce their burden and help us reach our destination faster," Charlie explained.

Sun Ran remained silent, lying motionless in the eagle's talons, seemingly resting. In reality, he was contacting the central AI, discussing how to legally enhance his abilities.

Being so restrained, unable to use magic despite having it, was extremely frustrating and didn't match Sun Ran's character. He could endure it for a short time, but if it went on too long, it would definitely cause problems.

Of course, this communication was very secret, and even game administrators couldn't detect it.

Flying is a great skill. The mountain path that would normally take at least half an hour was covered in less than a minute with the help of the giant eagles.

With a 'plop' 'plop' 'plop,' the eagles dropped the three people on the snow from about two meters up, then flapped their wings and flew away without delay.

The ground was covered in thick snow, so although the three were a bit disheveled, they weren't injured.

About a hundred meters from where they landed was the entrance to the Summer Palace.

From here, they could see that the stone statues in front of the Summer Palace were already broken, leaving only a damaged stone base. Behind the statues, in the grand hall, bright electric flashes flickered, and intense explosions could be heard.

The battle was still ongoing!

The situation in the grand hall was clear. A man in black battle armor was fighting a group of mages. It was obvious that this man was the Dragon King in human form. He was being restrained by the mages, leaving him no time to focus on anything else. This was the perfect opportunity to strike!

Charlie was excited. Attacking now would replicate the dragon-slaying feat from halfway up the mountain and complete the maintenance mission.

He leaped up from the snow and rushed towards the grand hall.

"Russell, Jasmine, cover me."

Their previous perfect cooperation had given him enough trust in his mage teammates. He believed they would support his actions.

Sun Ran also saw the situation in the grand hall and knew this was a critical moment. He quickly instructed, "Watch out for the Dragon King's armor and sword; they are both level four!"

To destroy a higher-level item, you need to hit the same point ten times for each level difference. For a two-level difference, it's a hundred times, and for a three-level difference, it's a thousand times, increasing exponentially.

"Understood!"

Charlie responded and charged into the grand hall.

His first combat goal was not to kill the Dragon King, as that was extremely difficult. His primary goal was to drive the Dragon King out of the Time Hall. Outside the hall, the divine punishment lightning was already ready. As soon as the Dragon King appeared, it would strike and kill him.

Behind him, Sun Ran quickly followed, and Jasmine had already cast an invisibility spell on herself and quietly hid in a corner.

Charlie had the strongest attack power in the maintenance team. To repel or even kill the dragon, it could only be done with the heavy sword 'Dragon's Sorrow' in his hand.

Inside the grand hall, the Dragon King Mephilong was already within ten meters of the Grand Mage Aikan, about to break through his defenses. He wasn't surprised by the arrival of the maintainers, as they had the support of the entire game company.

"The dragon slayers have finally arrived!"

The mages of the Summer Palace were overjoyed. The arrival of reinforcements at the most critical moment was the most uplifting thing.

The game administrators in the Divine Palace also cheered. Fortunately, everything was in time, and no serious consequences had occurred.

Director Chen Hansheng also sighed in relief. It was close, but it was thrilling.

He then became serious again. The maintainers hadn't completely succeeded yet, and they couldn't relax.

He clapped his hands and called out, "Attention! Monitor the disrupters. The divine punishment administrators are ready with the lightning. As soon as the disrupters appear in the field of view, strike immediately!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

In the Summer Palace, Charlie said coldly, "I've already killed your two subordinates. You will be the third!"

He held the heavy sword diagonally in front of him, gathered his strength, and began to charge!

At the same time, his body seemed to swell, and the exposed skin on his body took on a metallic sheen. This was a level three warrior skill he had bought for 100,000 credit points: the Golden Bell Shield.

During the skill's activation, it could significantly increase his physical strength and temporarily boost his body's data structure to level three, a well-known auxiliary warrior skill. Unfortunately, although the skill was powerful, it had significant side effects. One use would completely destroy the body, and even the administrators' resurrection skill couldn't save it. If not for this, he would have used it halfway up the mountain and wouldn't have been bullied by the dragon.

With the Golden Bell Shield activated, Charlie's charging speed increased significantly. The sound of his feet hitting the ground was extremely heavy, and clear footprints appeared on the stone floor, with clouds of dust rising. He charged towards the Dragon King like a galloping horse.

In the Divine Palace, Chen Hansheng was excited when he saw this. Good! This is what a Bronze maintainer should be like. It's worth the 20,000 credit points for the mission fee.

Grand Mage Aikan's eyes also lit up with hope. Although he didn't believe the dragon slayer could kill the Dragon King, his arrival and the strength he possessed would effectively restrain Mephilong.

With everyone working together, they could definitely make Mephilong pay a heavy price.

Thinking of this, he thrust his staff forward forcefully. The lightning, which had seemed somewhat dim, became bright again, even pushing Mephilong back half a step.

"Looking for death!"

Mephilong was furious. His right hand's sword still countered the mage's spell, while his left hand turned back, and the Shadow Flame spell was cast again, rushing towards Charlie.

Shadow Flame is a level three spell and cannot be underestimated. Charlie's body was also at level three strength, so if he were burned, it would definitely result in a mutual loss.

He was startled and immediately turned the heavy sword to block it in front of him.

Almost at the same moment, he noticed many identical illusions of himself appearing around him.

These illusions had the same expressions and movements as him, making it impossible to tell the real from the fake.

Charlie was pleased: "This little girl Jasmine is reliable in critical moments."

The illusions were extremely realistic and moved quickly around him, effectively confusing the enemy and greatly reducing the pressure on him.

Sure enough, under the interference of the many illusions, Mephilong's first attack missed, hitting an illusion, which immediately disappeared.

"Just a minor spell!"

Mephilong sneered, changing the dark red flame column to a sweeping motion. As it passed, the walls melted, and the illusions disappeared, quickly reaching Charlie's real body.

Just as the dark red flame column was about two meters from Charlie, heavy frost runes appeared in the air. The runes were triggered by the flame column, exploding into ice flowers.

The frost runes were only level one, and facing the level three Shadow Flame, they could only exist for an instant, perhaps less than 0.1 seconds. However, four runes appeared in the air, delaying the Shadow Flame for half a second.

Releasing four level one spells almost simultaneously, Sun Ran's forehead was drenched in cold sweat, showing that he had done his best.

Half a second is a very short time, just a blink, but for a martial arts expert like Charlie, it was the difference between life and death.

With this brief respite, he could react and dodge calmly.

Although Charlie had already seen Sun Ran's spells, he couldn't help but admire: "This mage Russell is truly powerful. His timing in battle is perfect, and his spells are fast and effective. This guy will definitely become a high-level maintainer."

Due to the delay caused by the runes, the Shadow Flame ultimately did not hit Charlie. Moreover, as soon as the illusions were destroyed, they quickly reappeared, constantly interfering with the Dragon King's judgment.

The three maintainers worked in perfect harmony, allowing Charlie to advance smoothly. The Dragon King Mephilong had powerful attacks but couldn't harm them at all.

The situation was improving, and the administrators in the Divine Palace, the mages in the Summer Palace, and the charging Charlie all began to feel hopeful.

Victory was within reach.

Mephilong was also somewhat surprised. He didn't expect these guys to be so difficult to deal with, which explained why his subordinates were eliminated so quickly.

If this continued, he might really be in trouble. If he were forced out of the Time Hall, he wouldn't be able to withstand the lightning strike.

It seemed he had to use his hidden means.

"Don't wait, help me quickly!" he suddenly shouted for no apparent reason.

Just as everyone was puzzled by his words, Grand Mage Aikan's body suddenly trembled. Looking down, he saw a bloody dagger tip protruding from his chest.

Traitor! The Summer Palace had a traitor! That was his only thought.

"Die!"

Grand Mage Aikan was furious. The injury to his heart made his vision go black. In the moment between life and death, he mustered his remaining strength and swept his staff behind him, delivering his final blow. Even if he died, he would take this traitor of the Summer Palace mages with him!

The full-force attack of the Grand Mage, enhanced by the artifact, was terrifying.

A deep blue level four lightning bolt flashed, cutting four mage leaders, including the traitor, in half, killing them all without exception.

Then, Grand Mage Aikan also fell heavily to the ground, dead, still clutching the artifact 'Shu's Staff.'

In an instant, five mages were all dead.

Grand Mage Aikan was the most important force restraining the Dragon King. With him dead, how could the three maintainers alone stand against the divine son Dragon King?

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

Mephilong glanced at the fallen mages, sighing inwardly. Originally, he had kept this hidden card not to help in the battle but to assist in the Mage Academy's search for the command ring's clues. Using it early was a pity.

However, with the Grand Mage dead, without his restraint, the three maintainers were no longer a threat.

Charlie was just charging in front of Mephilong, his heavy sword slashing down. In the current situation, retreating was useless, and he could only grit his teeth and attack.

"Clang!" A loud sound echoed as the Dragon King's one-handed sword met the attack.

A level four dragon sword against a level three 'Dragon's Sorrow.' The Dragon's Sorrow shattered, while the dragon sword remained unscathed.

Charlie, with the Golden Bell Shield activated, clashed with the level four Dragon King.

Charlie didn't retreat a step, but his body shook violently, and he was temporarily paralyzed, losing his combat ability. The Dragon King, however, was unaffected, and his dragon sword continued to thrust, piercing Charlie's chest.

"Die!" The Dragon King growled, and the dragon sword slashed diagonally inside Charlie's body.

A level four weapon was incredibly sharp, cutting Charlie's body in half, rendering the administrators' resurrection skill useless.

Director Chen Hansheng sighed deeply and stopped paying attention to the battle. With a traitor in the Summer Palace and the Grand Mage killed, the battle was lost. The Grand Mage's accidental injury and the survival of the other mages were irrelevant. He needed to quickly hire higher-level maintainers to enter the scene and save the Dragon World.

However, with the disrupters controlling the Dragon King and obtaining the divine staff, the situation was dire. Who could resist?

Suddenly, the monitor operator shouted, "Director, Russell has obtained Shu's Staff."

What? Shu's Staff was behind the Dragon King. How did Russell get it? Chen Hansheng turned to look at the Time Hall in the Summer Palace.

Inside the Summer Palace, Sun Ran had somehow made his way behind the Dragon King and picked up the divine staff. At this moment, Sun Ran was still invisible, and there was an illusion of him at the entrance, even casting a spell.

All of this confused the Dragon King, allowing him to focus on Charlie without worrying about the other two lower-level maintainers, so Sun Ran successfully obtained the divine staff.

Now the question was, could a mage, with the artifact specifically granted by the creator god Shu to mages, turn the tide?