Chapter 82

After taking a brief rest, everyone finally recovered their energy. Under Rod's lead, they walked into the depths of the dense forest.

The forest was silent, without a single sound.

Even the sound of stepping on fallen leaves and dead branches would quickly disappear into the darkness. The light from the sky was faint, as this was the boundary between the territories guarded by the Light Dragon Soul and the Dark Dragon Soul. This was one of the darkest places for those of the Light. Here, darkness and light were no longer as distinct as before; they blended together, indistinguishable from each other.

"Th-there's someone there!"

Suddenly, a Spirit Master jumped up, her face pale as she pointed to the side. Not far away in the forest, a pale face was floating there, quietly watching them.

"Leave them alone, keep moving forward."

Rod didn't even glance at it and continued walking. The Spirit Master, however, was clearly hesitant.

"But, those evil spirits..."

"If you don't bother them, they won't bother you."

Rod felt as if he were leading a group of newbies who had just entered the game. They would scream and be terrified at the sight of anything. Especially the female players, he had seen all kinds of reactions when they first came to this place: indifference, forced calm, continuous screaming, and sheer terror. At first, Rod would try to reassure them, but after leading more newbies, he no longer bothered to waste time on this. After all, they were scaring themselves. If they couldn't stay calm here, they would probably faint when they truly entered the Highlands.

"But, but..."

Seeing Rod's indifferent attitude, the Spirit Master was clearly dissatisfied. In her view, evil spirits were the enemies of the living. How could they not attack her, a living person, walking here? Moreover, the evil spirits hidden in the forest were not just a few. The more they walked, the more evil spirits appeared on both sides, silently flashing in the forest, their dead eyes filled with a longing for life, which was chilling.

As the number of evil spirits increased, even Marin, Riz, and Old Walker became tense. They vigilantly watched their surroundings, fearing that these undead evil spirits would suddenly rush out and surround them. The four Spirit Masters were so scared that they could hardly move. If it weren't for Rod's fast pace, they would have been too frightened to continue.

Among these people, only Rod and Serek remained calm. The former knew they wouldn't be attacked by these evil spirits. Despite their large numbers, this was just an illusion. In reality, they were weak. As long as you ignored them, they wouldn't dare to attack. However, if you couldn't withstand the pressure and broke down, they would become truly threatening.

Rod had Serek stay at the back for this reason. If any of the Spirit Masters couldn't handle the fear and tried to flee, at least the Master Swordsman could stop them from making a suicidal move.

However, these Spirit Masters were better than Rod had expected. Although they were pale and trembling, none of them fell behind until they left this area. This raised Rod's opinion of them. To be fair, even if these real Spirit Masters were fragile, they were indeed stronger than players. After all, they had truly seen death and had strong mental fortitude. In the game, players might think they had seen everything and were fearless, but when real death appeared before them, they were no better than those they once mocked.

At least that wouldn't be a problem here.

Rod swung his sword, sweeping away the branches in front of him. Then, a dreamlike scene appeared before his eyes.

The forest seemed like a curtain, hiding the background behind the stage. Now, the curtain had been lifted, and the scenery behind it was finally revealed.

The Highlands stretched out, with a flat grassland dotted with old, broken weapons, equipment, and carriages.

A long time ago, a brutal war had taken place here. The people of Light and Darkness fought for this highland for two hundred years. During these two centuries, countless people died here, their bodies and blood becoming part of the soil, but they did not vanish into nothingness.

No one knew the mystery of the boundary between life and death, light and darkness. Even the successors of the Light and Dark Dragon Souls probably couldn't answer this question. However, its effects were real. On this tangible boundary, the souls of the dead were summoned, wandering this land, as if they were still fighting, as if they wanted to continue the war until the end of eternity.

This was the scene that now faced Rod.

On the surface, the highland seemed deserted, with only streaks of light moving through the darkness. At first glance, the highland looked like a dance hall, filled with black and white halos. But upon closer inspection, one could see that whenever the halos illuminated, several figures appeared, fighting each other. They held weapons, shouted, and bravely charged forward, fearless of death.

Right before Rod, a warrior covered in arrows got up. His face was nothing but a skull, but his open mouth and roar revealed his anger. Seeing Rod, the warrior raised his longsword and charged at him. But just as he reached Rod, the halo disappeared, and in the darkness, the highland was empty again.

It was as if it had all been a fantasy.

This was the most challenging aspect of the Silent Highlands, and what made many players frustrated—the undead monsters appeared randomly. They only showed themselves and attacked when illuminated by light. But when the light disappeared and everything returned to darkness, they vanished.

Some players had tried to avoid the light and hide in the darkness, but the light's movements were random and unpredictable. When the undead sensed you, they would attack. If you tried to block them and a light suddenly illuminated your group...

Prepare to run back to your corpse.

The black curtain of the mages was useless here. The darkness here was not ordinary; it was different from the darkness of the Night Kingdom. The dark shadows here were a strange entity that had merged with the light, defying description.

So, what to do? For many players, this wasn't a difficult choice.

The best way to avoid passivity was to take the initiative.

"Riz, Holy Light."

Rod made a gesture.

A ball of holy light immediately appeared in the girl's hand, illuminating the surroundings.

The warrior who had tried to attack Rod reappeared with the light, roaring and raising his sword. But before he could strike, Rod swung his sword, and the powerful wind instantly swept him up, throwing him to the ground, shattered. The already broken and scarred corpse turned to dust and gradually disappeared in the breeze.

"I think you've seen how dangerous this place is."

Rod turned to the group behind him, who had various expressions. The mercenaries, including Riz, were serious. They weren't fools; Rod had deliberately demonstrated this to them. Now, they knew the Silent Highlands was not a place to be taken lightly—probably not even a fully armed mercenary group would dare to come here!

"But you don't need to worry about when the light will appear or when the enemies will show up. I can confidently tell you that from now on, enemies will appear from all directions!"

Without turning back, Rod swung his sword again. The silver Moonlight Blade whistled through the air, cutting a group of undead creatures in half, and they fell to the ground.

"So, I require you to stay focused at all times. Walker, keep an eye on the back. Marin, Riz, watch the sides. Annie, your primary task is to protect them. Remember, don't stop moving. We don't know how many undead creatures there are here. Our victory is to get through this highland. So, you must stay in sync with us. Understand?"

"Understood, Captain."

Annie, surprisingly, seemed very relaxed. She smiled and responded to Rod's order, even waving her hand, which made the others feel a bit drained—did this lady really understand the situation?

Especially the Spirit Masters, who had hoped this shield warrior would protect them. But seeing her now, they had no confidence in her—though they didn't have much to begin with.

If it weren't for Serek, they might have already given up.

"Follow me."

With that, Rod took the first step.

The next scene would be unforgettable for many.

They saw the pure white light dispel the darkness of the highland, and hundreds of undead creatures appeared, fighting each other. Sensing the light, they stopped fighting as if they had agreed beforehand, then roared and charged at Rod and his group!

This was it.

Watching this scene from behind, Serek's eyes changed. This was the most memorable part of his highland trial—the undead creatures emerging from the darkness, seemingly endless. While a truly endless army might be despairing, at least you could see how many there were. Here, you could never know how many enemies there were, and this exhaustion was the greatest enemy. Many couldn't hold on and broke down.

Nothing was more terrifying than having no hope.

So, what would Rod do?

Thinking about this, Serek became a bit excited. He focused on the rear while glancing at the battlefield ahead, eager to see how this young man would handle the "not too much pressure" he had mentioned.

What surprised Serek was that Rod didn't seem nervous. He just snapped his fingers.

"Riz, front, group heal."

"Sure, Mr. Rod!"

While maintaining the Holy Light, Riz extended her left hand, and soon, a pure white waterfall of light descended from the sky, enveloping the undead creatures.

"You do the same, same position! Cover everything!"

Hearing Rod's order, the Spirit Masters, though surprised, followed his instructions, raising their hands and casting group heals.

Pure white halos spread among the undead creatures, and their agile movements became sluggish. After all the Spirit Masters cast their group heals, the once fierce undead creatures now moved like toothless old ladies, barely able to walk...

"Marin, Chain Lightning."

A glowing light shot from the girl's fingertips, instantly landing among the undead creatures.

At first, it was a faint flash, but then a brilliant lightning bolt spread, jumping from one undead creature to another, forming a net that enveloped them. After a series of dull explosions, hundreds of undead creatures fell to the ground, silent.

"This..."

Marin stared in disbelief at the scene, even glancing at her fingers. Chain Lightning was the lowest-level group spell, not very powerful, and even weaker when dispersed. She had expected Rod to have her cast a powerful spell like a Lightning Ball to deal with these enemies, but now... she genuinely wondered if they were undead creatures or poorly made scarecrows?

There was actually such a method?

Serek, watching from behind, was also surprised. He knew that high-level Spirit Masters and Soul Knights could destroy undead creatures with holy light, but now, these Spirit Masters could do the same? No, that might not be accurate. High-level Spirit Masters' Judgment Hammer and Soul Knights' Light of Punishment could instantly destroy any undead creature, but these ordinary Spirit Masters could only weaken and slow them down—still, that was impressive.

Thinking about this, Serek glanced at Rod.

How did this young man know this method?

Not just Serek, the Spirit Masters were also surprised. Like Riz, they were amazed that they could have such a significant impact on the undead creatures. Some even looked at their hands in doubt, wondering if they were dreaming.

Unfortunately, Rod didn't have time to slap them to wake them up.

"Now you know what to do. Let's keep moving."

Looking at another group of undead creatures appearing under the light, Rod raised his sword.