"This is way too hard..."
"My screen is going black! My screen is going black!"
"Damn it! If you fall into the lava, don't splash it on me!"
"I'm dead!"
"I'm on fire too!"
Ideals were beautiful, but reality was brutal. Accompanied by one wail after another, the unguilded solo players rushing at the forefront were practically wiped out.
Most possessed dragon bloodlines that were simply not pure enough to endure the cavern's scorching heat, nor could their lungs bear the searing, toxic volcanic fumes.
One could say they were ruthlessly eliminated before the trial had even truly begun.
Within the cavern, magma flowed sluggishly, leaving only a narrow path formed of fragmented slabs of cooled volcanic rock for passage.
Player after player slipped and plunged into the molten rock. Amid sizzles and hissing pops, their bodies charred black before they were swallowed whole, as though they had never existed at all.
"Is the very first stage already this insane?"
"I'm out, I'm out."
"Same here, heading back."
"This trial is probably meant exclusively for the top dogs anyway. Time to bolt."
"The damn devs are utterly inhumane, setting such an unforgiving level check. I'm going to the forums to cuss them out."
"O vast Heavens, why have you treated me so harshly?"
"Are the devs deliberately cutting off every path for us casual free-to-play folks?"
Realizing they had zero hope of passing the trial, many players lingering outside decided not to squander experience points and respawn chances in vain. Calling to their friends, they turned back for home, dubbing it a "strategic withdrawal."
Those who remained inside the cavern and managed to persevere were mostly veterans who had fought their way up since the closed beta, or elite squads carefully cultivated by the powerhouse guilds.
Their methods for crossing this Path of Burning were a true showcase of individual prowess, each displaying their own bag of tricks.
"Roar—"
Mantou and Singo rode atop a wyvern, directing it to cling to the cavern's rocky walls as it crawled forward, completely bypassing the magma and sweltering fumes below.
Xiaye Qiuyu applied heat-resistance and breath-holding elixirs to herself, carefully treading along the path.
"Watch me!"
Tiansheng Zhankuang, on the other hand, was brimming with confidence. Unbothered by the high heat and volcanic gas, he cleared several slabs of cooled lava in a single massive bound, covering nearly ten meters at once.
The Machine Cult players were even more absurd.
Their leader raised an arm and shouted, prompting the remaining members to pull out miniature replica mechanical clocks and chime them in unison.
"Praise the Machine God! Strike the great bell four times!"
"Arise—Firewarden!"
*Boom!*
As they raised their arms, a multi-crew Arcane Armor plummeted from above, slamming onto the ground.
Its chassis was forged from heat-resistant alloys, the gem-like nodes on its fists crackled with lightning, and an energy field shield that deflected flames enveloped its exterior.
Protected deep beneath thick layers of armor at the machine's heart sat the very sorcerer whom the Machine Cult aimed to advance.
She was a rather petite female player with medium-short hair and black-rimmed glasses—yet the handle floating above her head read: Art is an Explosion.
"Hahahaha! Who could possibly defeat us when we have the Firewarden?"
"Skitarii, charge!"
Like an enraged bull, this custom-built Firewarden armor rammed straight into the cavern, its rear thrusters spewing tongues of radiant fire.
"Leave it to the Machine Cult."
"They're so damn rich..." Mantou muttered sourly, gazing at the colossal suit of armor.
Ever since the establishment of the Claubau Military Industry Group, those fellows from the Machine Cult had grown wealthier by the day, reaching a level ordinary players could hardly dream of matching.
After all, as the ones overseeing the empire's military technology, they frequently held official posts within the defense conglomerate.
Rumor had it that for this class advancement quest, Gangtie Kuangchao, the guild master of the Machine Cult, had splurged three thousand gold coins just to forge this Firewarden armor.
Wangquan Guild refused to be outdone.
"Glory to Wangquan!"
"Heroes never die!"
"The Dragon-Pact Sorcerer slot belongs to us!"
Their paladins raised heavy shields to project radiant auras that repelled the heat, while wizards brandished their staves, summoning fierce gusts of wind to disperse the lingering volcanic gas.
Sheltered behind the shields, two draconic bloodline sorcerers extended their arms, manipulating the surrounding flames.
"Advance! Advance!"
Thanks to their luxurious gear and high-level classed individuals, they moved almost like a mobile fortress capable of withstanding any external threat.
"Holy crap..." Lonely as Snow muttered, awestruck by the grand display of the two powerhouse guilds.
"Guild Master, aren't we supposed to be a premier guild too? Where's our presence? Look at them, tsk."
Charlotte wore an unruffled expression and scoffed lightly. "Hmph, nothing more than superficial vanity projects. Who will claim the prize remains to be seen."
"When it comes to a caster advancement class, Magic Coin is determined to claim it!"
"Besides, as the master of a premier guild, I've come to lend a hand in person. Isn't that presence enough?"
Well, there was truly no need.
—And it was definitely *not* because Charlotte had recently succumbed to opening another round of loot boxes, blowing through every last copper of his savings.
Charlotte and the wizards and sorcerers of Magic Coin raised their staves in unison.
*Fly.*
Every member of Magic Coin rose into the air, hovering mid-flight—even the heavy-armored Lonely as Snow was no exception.
"Watch this."
"Cost me quite a chunk of experience to trade for this good stuff from Trump."
Charlotte swept his staff again, chanting an obscure incantation. The magic crystal at the staff's tip flared with violet radiance.
*Nezram's Amethyst Aura.*
A brilliant crystalline purple halo instantly enveloped the group, granting them temporary immunity to poisons and diseases.
"Mingyue, your turn," Charlotte prompted.
Mingyue, the vice master of Magic Coin, caught on immediately. She lifted her carved wooden staff, coaxing a faint glow from its wood.
*Protection from Fire.*
A translucent membrane of light wrapped around each of them, capable of absorbing a set threshold of fire damage to safely guide the party across the Path of Burning.
Several more wizards cast protective spells like Shield and Mage Armor in quick succession.
This was the accumulated depth of Magic Coin.
Setting aside their unlucky guild master, the guild held claim to the Magic Agency, boasting over a dozen powerful spellcasters who had reached the Level 8 cap.
Looking at the layered, multicolored auras enveloping his body, Lonely as Snow was filled with a profound sense of security. He nodded in satisfaction. "Now that's more like it."
Right after, he added under his breath, "Thank goodness Big Sis Witch didn't come..."
Indeed, Magic Coin's pillar of support, the infamous luck-carried warrior Feitian Nüwu, was absent.
Charlotte and the others had looked into the trial beforehand and knew that a single misstep could lead to a total party wipe. Thus, no matter how bitterly Feitian Nüwu had pleaded, Charlotte had adamantly refused to bring her along.
In the end, out of nearly three hundred players, only eighty or so successfully made it into the trial proper. The remaining two hundred-odd were completely eliminated.
Xiaye Qiuyu also cast Fly on herself, hovering in the air.
Gazing deep into the cavern illuminated by fiery light, her delicate brows knitted slightly—she seemed to have caught sight of something active within the magma.
"Look over there."
Chapter 426