Chapter 634

【 PLAYER NAMED FÉNG 】

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Green vines shot forth, each as thick as a human wrist. Of course, compared to the Toxic Worm King’s tentacles, which were as massive as water barrels, they still seemed slender.

Yet it was precisely these comparatively slender vines that, before the astonished eyes of the two newbies, effortlessly ensnared the monstrous Worm King.

After being restrained, the Worm King let out an enraged screech, thrashing its grotesque body in an attempt to break free. However, no matter how violently it struggled, the vines did not budge or even quiver.

“Turn to ash.”

The soft voice spoke again, carrying the composure of a superior, as though discussing a trivial matter.

At once, a golden light gathered beneath the Worm King, forming a complex circular array inscribed with countless mysterious runes and intricate patterns.

The array bloomed with radiance, releasing a dreadful magic so oppressive that the two newbies trembled uncontrollably.

The Worm King itself shuddered and shrieked sharply, its cry edged with fear.

The light rose, bathing its body as particles of golden radiance spread outward from the magic array, revolving in a constant orbit around the entrapped Worm King.

“So… so beautiful…” Nana whispered unconsciously, mesmerized by the dreamlike sight.

Whilst bathed in the shimmering light, the Worm King screamed again—this time with a trace of despair. And then, before the stunned gazes of the two newbies, its once-dreaded body convulsed and abruptly crumbled.

In an instant, the creature’s monstrous form dissolved into nothingness, before vanishing completely into the air.

On the ground, only scattered remnants remained:

undigested goblin bones, broken equipment, and even several unbound flasks and waterskins once belonging to the fallen veteran players.

“That dreadful monster…was one-shoted just like that?”

The two newbies stared, completely awestruck.

All the veteran players in their party had been annihilated with ease by the Worm King, yet it was easily obliterated just like that, as if it were nothing at all. The contrast left them shaken beyond words. Even the dizziness creeping into their minds from the spreading debuff abruptly faded.

Who was it?

Who had helped them?

The thought surfaced in both their minds at once.

Instinctively, the two turned around and finally noticed a striking silhouette standing in the distance.

She was a female elf, most likely a druid, appearing no older than seventeen or eighteen.

She wore a robe of gold and emerald, more ornate than the gear Yeye had once seen on the Templar Knights in the Chosen City. The fabric shimmered faintly with light, and its tailored design accentuated her slender frame and graceful waist. Golden patterns traced delicate motifs across the deep green cloth, enhancing its elegance.

In her hand she carried a wooden staff, its appearance clearly belonging to some rare and precious timber. Ancient engravings spiraled across its length, and at its crown gleamed a gem of golden amber, set within a filigree of gold.

There was no mistaking it:

That staff too was a treasured artifact!

Mysterious. Elegant. Commanding.

These impressions arose simultaneously in the minds of the two awestruck newbies.

Curiosity compelled them to lift their gaze to her face.

She had golden hair and sapphire eyes, which was the standard default features assigned to players during avatar creation. Even her shoulder-length haircut was the plain first hair preset of the character editor, unaltered from the moment of selection.

Her appearance, though possessing the innate beauty of the elves, lacked the sculpted perfection of those obsessive players who customized their characters’ faces to scores above ninety-five points. At best, she could be considered average, being nothing more than a default system-generated template.

And yet, despite this person’s unremarkable appearance, she radiated a presence difficult to define:

A noble aura, detached from the mortal world, mingled with a subtle pressure that exudes authority.

That unique quality gave her an undeniable allure. The two newbies found it difficult to avert their eyes.

Beauty is not determined by appearance alone.

Sometimes, it lies more in the innate presence of a person.

In that moment, the two felt this truth keenly. Although this person’s looks were ordinary among players, the same thought rose in both Yeye and Nana’s minds:

This person is truly beautiful…

Unconsciously, they felt drawn to her—curious, eager to approach, eager to know her.

Their eyes drifted upward, to the space above her head.

Yet to their surprise, there was no username hovering above her head.

They froze for a moment.

Could she be… an NPC?

That was their first thought.

But they immediately dismissed it. Her equipment bore the unmistakable hallmarks of a player which was flashy, ornate and striking. It was nothing like the modest attire worn by the NPCs they had seen in the Chosen City.

At that instant, a memory surfaced in their minds—specifically, the words their party leader, FacetheWind, had once mentioned:

“Players can hide their usernames from those of a lower level than themselves…”

It was hidden!

Of course—that must be it!

This mysterious expert before them had definitely concealed her username. The two novices quickly pieced everything together.

They might not know her username, but one fact was certain.

Anyone capable of so easily defeating that dreadful Worm King, an opponent that even Senior Wind and his veteran teammates had been powerless against, had to be at least Silver rank. Moreover, among Silver-rankers, her strength was undoubtedly exceptional as well.

As the two newbies looked toward their mysterious savior, the other party turned her gaze upon them.

Her emerald eyes seemed to pierce straight through them.

With a single glance, Yeye and Nana felt as though every part of them had been laid bare.

An involuntary sense of unease welled up in them, their hearts trembling nervously.

In the next moment, the druid player gently shifted her staff.

At her motion, the gemstone atop the staff blossomed with radiant light. The two novices, whose weakened from the spreading poison debuff and huddled together in fear, suddenly felt a warmth envelop them.

Soft green motes of light appeared around them, flowing gently into their bodies. The exhaustion weighing upon both body and spirit melted away with astonishing speed.

At the same time, the self-inflicted wounds they had used to remained conscious immediately closed, healing swiftly before their eyes.

Within moments, vitality returned to them in full. Every negative status they’ve incurred had vanished; even their lingering fear was soothed, replaced by a sense of calm.

On their status screen, the debuffs icons beneath their HP bar disappeared completely.

The two exchanged glances, elated. Yet before they could speak their thanks, their mysterious savior’s voice reached them first:

“This place is not meant for players at your level.”

Her tone was soft, gentle even but with it carried an authority that brooked no argument.

To the two novices, it felt uncannily like being scolded by a teacher after breaking a rule. Without realizing it, both lowered their heads in embarrassed silence, like chastened school children.

The realization startled them, but they could not deny the strange effect her presence had.

“U-Um… thank you for saving us, esteemed Senior…” Yeye stammered, instinctively using an honorific. Though the word felt a little awkward, it was the only polite term that came to his mind.

Beside him, Nana’s eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at their mysterious savior—the way a fan might look at her idol.

“S-so amazing… so cool!” she whispered, awestruck.

Seeing her reaction, Yeye tugged at her sleeve in warning.

Jolted back, Nana quickly joined in:

“T-Thank you, esteemed Senior!” she said brightly, her voice tinged with excitement.

The mysterious female player responded with a gentle smile.

“You’re welcome. It was nothing more than a small effort on my part.”

Her kindness immediately put them at ease. The tension in their shoulders eased, and she seemed all the more approachable in their eyes.

After a brief hesitation, Yeye walked forward, curiosity overcoming him:

“Um… Senior, as you can see, I’m Yeye, and this is Nana. You can also just call me Coconut. May I ask… how should we address you?”

The mysterious player regarded him briefly before answering with a calm smile. A single word left her lips:

“Féng. You may call me as Féng.”

…Féng?

The two froze for a moment. The name struck a faint sense of familiarity, though neither could recall from where.

Before they could dwell on it, “Féng” spoke again:

“The Titan Ruins aren’t a place for newbies like you two. The monsters down here are nasty and dangerous, way more than beginners can handle. You’ll just end up with nightmares if you push your luck.”

“Once you’ve had a breather, head back the way you came. Only one Worm King shows up in this part of the tunnels. Now that it’s down, you won’t run into anything else that strong around here.”

With those words, she lightly tapped her staff once more.

A soft glow washed over the two newbies, vanishing in an instant.

Yeye sensed something had been added to his status.

Glancing at his interface, he noticed a new icon—silver-blue in color—beneath his HP bar.

“I’ve given you two a ‘Dread’ buff. So anything below Silver rank will feel your aura, get scared, and run off. With that, you both should be able to move through the tunnels without worrying about more attacks.”

Féng’s explanation was calm, almost soothing.

Dread buff?

Directly affecting all monsters below Silver rank?

Yeye’s heart skipped a beat at the thought.

Vaguely, he realized that this mysterious player who called herself Féng was far more powerful and unfathomable than he had initially imagined.

After all, when those two max-level veteran druids and mages in their party had cast support buffs on them earlier, the effects had been far weaker than what this mysterious expert had bestowed just now. Not only that, but those buffs had required long, continuous chanting.

Yet this player named Féng, had produced an extraordinarily powerful buff without any chanting at all, simply by willing it into existence.

No, it was not just this one buff.

From the moment she had appeared, every spell she used had been entirely chantless.

Yeye had watched many gameplay videos before entering the game and had picked up a rough understanding of its spellcasting mechanics. The detail that had impressed him most was the sheer difficulty of casting spells without incantations.

It was an advanced technique that even many veteran Silver-rank streamers could not achieve. And yet, this mysterious player used chantless spells as naturally as breathing.

A true powerhouse big shot…

There was no doubt in Yeye’s mind.

This person was a genuine elite big shot!

Perhaps even a max-level silver-ranker.

The thought filled him with awe and curiosity.

Still, no matter how curious he was, there was something more urgent he needed to address.

He exchanged a glance with Nana, then rubbed his nose awkwardly before speaking hesitantly:

“Um… Senior Féng, the thing is, we… we only started playing today. We joined the party of some older players who were guiding us, but… we don’t know the way back.”

His voice grew quieter, trailing off in embarrassment.

Féng looked at him knowingly, then gave a small nod.

“I understand.”

A moment later, a new dialogue box appeared in the two novices’ vision—a request for map sharing.

At the same time, Féng’s gentle voice followed:

“This is a map I’ve personally made. You may use it.”

Yeye and Nana froze for a second.

After a brief hesitation, they nodded lightly, voiced their thanks, and accepted the request.

At once, their minimaps was updated.

And when they looked at the changes, their eyes widened in astonishment.

The detail was astonishing.

From their current position, the path was laid out with complete clarity, marked with simple and intuitive symbols.

The mapped area was extensive and thorough.

What’s more, even the aboveground terrain was depicted with equal clarity and precision, leading all the way to the ruins’ exit.

What an incredible map…

The same thought crossed both their minds.

At that moment, several avatar icons in their party list flickered back to life.

Yeye immediately understood—their fallen teammates had finally been resurrected. Naturally, their location was no longer within the Titan Ruins and they had respawned back at the central zone of the Elven Forest’s boundary of the Chosen City.

Yeye’s spirit lifted, and he was about to type in the party chat when a message appeared from their party leader:

“…Huh? Coconut, are you two still in the ruins? You’re alive?!”

Seeing Senior Wind’s question, Yeye quickly typed his reply:

“Yes, Senior Wind, luckily we both are still alive. A player named Féng saved us.”

The moment his reply was sent, the party channel exploded with messages filled with exclamation marks and question marks:

“What the—?!”

“What?!”

“Féng?!”

“You actually met Miss Féng?!”

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