The Forbidden Sacrifice and Global Uproar

“Not much mana left.” As they whittled the boss’s health down to 500, Lin Shenyue realized her mana bar was nearly depleted.

Ye Jue frowned upon hearing this. In his previous life, he hadn’t been responsible for potions within his team. His own combat pressure was considerable; a Berserker, though a melee class, was one of the most fragile warrior archetypes, demanding careful evasion.

The team’s rogue usually handled potions. This was partly because their combat tasks were fewer, and partly because the rogue class wasn’t inherently strong in direct battle, serving more as an indispensable support. Conveniently, this particular rogue also served as the guild’s financial manager, making them responsible for the entire team’s potion supply.

Yet, in this reborn life, having grown accustomed to simply requesting potions, he had forgotten to purchase any. Now, they were left without a single potion.

Ye Jue, still frowning, instructed, “Save enough mana for one healing spell, and cast it when the boss’s health drops below 150. This boss undoubtedly possesses high magic defense and will have significant resistance to light-element magic. A healing spell used for damage won’t be as effective as before.”

Lin Shenyue nodded in understanding. Ye Jue focused his mind, compelled to employ the “attack reset” technique to maximize their efficiency.

Simply put, after each attack, a player typically had to recover their weapon before initiating the next strike—a delay known as “attack cooldown.”

Short weapons, like daggers, had extremely brief cooldowns, allowing for incredibly fast attacks. However, heavy weapon users had discovered a way to circumvent this cooldown by forcefully initiating their next skill.

Unfortunately, the game’s default combat mode was system-assisted, which restricted free, intricate maneuvers. The alternative, a free combat mode, demanded an exceptionally high level of player skill. For now, even activating it wouldn’t guarantee proficient execution.

For Lin Shenyue, the system-assisted combat mode was entirely absent. Having missed the final day of game testing, she lacked certain auxiliary systems, such as pain sensitivity and various combat modes, in her gaming pod’s settings.

Nevertheless, after a day of familiarizing herself, she had largely grasped the game’s operational mechanics and avoided any significant errors.

Ye Jue intensified his attack frequency. Occasionally, two connected damage numbers would burst forth from above the boss’s head, stark proof of his advanced technique.

Lin Shenyue began meticulously calculating the damage of each attack and mentally tracking her mana regeneration rate. This precise calculation of her mana and damage output signaled her gradual ascent toward becoming a true master.

Unaware of her own progress, Lin Shenyue simply relied on her rapid computational abilities to progressively anticipate events. Given her naturally slower reaction time, pre-emptive judgments were crucial for her healing.

Perhaps linked to her rebirth, she perceived her calculation speed to be remarkably swift, allowing her to perform complex computations while simultaneously managing her actions.

Driven by her formidable computational prowess, Lin Shenyue precisely tracked the boss’s health depletion. Even after exhausting her mana with healing, she accurately predicted that once the boss’s health reached a certain point, her mana would have regenerated just enough for one final skill.

When Kaira’s health plummeted to 300, a flicker of panic finally crossed his face. He then roared, “Damn you, you two shameless thieves! Just you wait!”

Kaira ceased his assault and began casting a spell.

Ye Jue’s expression shifted slightly. “Attack quickly! He’s casting a healing spell!”

Lin Shenyue froze for a moment. Her calculations had indicated that her mana would be sufficient when the boss’s health reached 150, but now, it seemed she was slightly short.

Suddenly, Lin Shenyue recalled the three magic potions she had received from a quest, realizing she had only used two. She hastily located the last bottle and quickly consumed it. Though her mana regenerated slowly, it was enough for one healing spell.

She immediately cast the healing spell upon Kaira’s head.

Kaira let out a pained roar, turning his gaze toward Lin Shenyue. “Another lackey of the God of Light! I won’t let any of you off!” he fumed.

Kaira abruptly halted his incantation, his voice laced with venom. “Oh, great God of Darkness, heed the plea of your humble servant! I offer my soul, summoning your arrival to annihilate this world of shadows!”

Ye Jue’s expression subtly changed as he listened to the familiar words, yet he was powerless to intervene. This was a forbidden art, cast by Kaira through a sacrifice of his own life, and utterly impossible to interrupt.

Just then, a voice filled with righteous indignation echoed, “Kaira, I never imagined you would embrace the God of Darkness. You have betrayed our faith.”

Lin Shenyue turned her head, spotting the Blacksmith approaching with his hammer in hand. His eyes were heavy with sorrow.

Kaira watched the Blacksmith approach, a cold sneer twisting his lips. “Old man, are you satisfied now? I’ve freed myself, and I’ve freed this world.”

The Blacksmith spoke with anguish. “I was too demanding of you, but there was no need to abandon our way of life.”

Kaira closed his eyes. “It’s too late, old man. We both realized it too late. Ever since they arrived here months ago, I’ve had no path to return. Old man, though my past life was forced upon me, the time I spent with you was my happiest.”

With a grit of his teeth, Kaira forcefully halted the sacrifice, but this act caused his health to plummet rapidly. Interrupting such a ritual inflicted immense damage upon him.

A cold sneer echoed from within the summoning array, followed by a majestic voice. “My most humble apostle, you dare to abandon your faith? Then I shall claim your soul.”

A potent suction emanated from the array, pulling Kaira into its depths.

The Blacksmith’s face contorted, and a furious surge of sword qi erupted around him. “God of Darkness, release Kaira!”

He hurled his hammer, which, imbued with an unstoppable sword qi, instantly tore a gaping hole in the summoning array on the ground.

The voice from the array resonated once more. “So it’s you. You’re still alive. But this time, don’t interfere. You no longer possess your former strength.”

A formidable power surged from the array. The Blacksmith’s expression tightened, and he sharply commanded, “Both of you, leave at once!”

Hearing the Blacksmith’s words, Lin Shenyue subtly pressed her lips together and looked at Ye Jue.

Ye Jue’s voice was grave. “Let’s go. What follows will likely be a scene we’re not meant to witness.”

Lin Shenyue cast a worried glance at the Blacksmith. Despite their few encounters, she had developed a fondness for the forthright man standing before her.

She didn’t perceive them as mere virtual characters; instead, they felt like flesh-and-blood individuals.

Yet, she understood she couldn’t offer any assistance, and the system wouldn’t allow the Blacksmith to perish here. So, she hastily followed Ye Jue, retreating from the scene.

****

The instant they exited the cave, a system notification appeared: [You have successfully cleared the Level 5 Secret Realm, ‘Dark Cave.’ Would you like to hide your names?]

Without a second thought, Lin Shenyue immediately selected ‘Yes.’ Ye Jue also made the same choice.

[System Announcement: Congratulations to “**” and “**” from the Huaxia region for being the first to unlock the Level 5 Dungeon, Dark Cave! Reward: 100 Reputation, 5 Silver Coins.]

[System Announcement: Congratulations to “**” and “**” from the Huaxia region for being the first to unlock the Level 5 Dungeon, Dark Cave! Reward: 100 Reputation, 5 Silver Coins.]

[System Announcement: Congratulations to “**” and “****” from the Huaxia region for being the first to unlock the Level 5 Dungeon, Dark Cave! Reward: 100 Reputation, 5 Silver Coins.]

The system announcement rang out three consecutive times, instantly igniting a fervor across the entire world. The previously quiet world chat channel erupted into a flurry of discussions.

“Holy crap, who are these two powerhouses? They unlocked a Level 5 dungeon so quickly!”

“Judging by the asterisks, it seems one name has two characters, and the other has four.”

“Is the dungeon really that easy? Two people cleared it? Did they exploit a bug?”

“This truly brings honor to our Huaxia region! I wonder what kind of chaos is erupting in other countries.”

****

Meanwhile, the world channels in other countries had also exploded.

“This is impossible! How could anyone be stronger than our great H-Country? We must report them; they must be cheating!” This was the indignant outcry of a player from H-Country, convinced of their nation’s supremacy.

“Don’t worry about it. Our M-Country citizens will definitely surpass them.” Such was the confident declaration of a player from M-Country, who believed themselves invincible.

“Investigate them! Find their real-world identities and send people to kill them. How dare they aspire to be the first!” This was the deranged demand of a paranoid individual from R-Country.

However, since speaking in the world chat cost one silver coin per message, silence quickly descended upon the global channel.

Concurrently, the official customer service for Divine Realm was inundated with complaints. With most players still below Level 5, the fact that someone had already opened a Level 5 dungeon, vastly outpacing ordinary players, was a reality many refused to accept.

Divine Realm’s official response was published: [After investigation, the players did not use any unauthorized plugins or exploit any bugs. All player data is normal. We welcome players to continue exploring Divine Realm.]

The official reply, however, only fueled further discontent. Some even demanded that the two players’ information be exposed, but Divine Realm simply chose to ignore these calls.

As a pioneer in the current gaming landscape, Divine Realm had never worried about a lack of players.

Unable to elicit further responses, players eventually gave up their relentless questioning. After all, abandoning the game was something they were reluctant to do, so they resigned themselves to playing while simultaneously grumbling.