Chapter Ten: The Call to Arms

[Player will soon return to the Paradise and begin a new quest. Please note that there is no one beside you.]
[Transmitting: Target Paradise!]

After the prompt, a familiar sense of disorientation swept over him. The world spun wildly, and once it settled, Murong Xun found himself back in his own private quarters.

A new quest was about to begin. Murong Xun was rather looking forward to it. Last time, he’d been thrown into the quest world with no knowledge or preparation—this time, who knew what would happen?

"Paradise, can I know in advance what kind of world I'm about to enter?"

[Player LV1, level too low, unable to access upcoming quest information! One hour until quest begins. Please wait patiently!]

Murong Xun showed no reaction, but now he understood: higher-level players could learn quest details ahead of time. No wonder those people he’d encountered last time had so many talismans—they must have known what kind of world they were entering and prepared accordingly.

He had an hour to prepare. Although he didn’t know what kind of world awaited him, basic supplies were essential.

Leaving his room, Murong Xun headed straight for the player market.

"Come and see, come and see! Skills, materials, all types available—whatever you need, you'll find it here."
"Buying quest world information for a high price—guaranteed satisfaction!"
"Complete set of recovery items—healing, mana restoration, stamina boosters, we've got it all, check it out!"

The bustling market was as lively as ever.

Shouts and bargaining echoed around him.

With just over a thousand Paradise coins to his name, Murong Xun didn’t intend to buy too much—especially not healing items.

In the end, he purchased a single potion: instant recovery of five percent health, just one vial, costing him three hundred Paradise coins. The price pained him, but since it offered instantaneous healing, he gritted his teeth and bought it.

Beyond that potion, he saw nothing else he particularly needed, so he made no further purchases. Instead, he headed for the grocery market, spent the remainder of his coins on thirty portions' worth of ramen ingredients, and used one hundred and fifty coins to buy a portable kitchen. Since it wasn’t a combat item, such lifestyle wares were inexpensive—given that even a basic weapon could fetch four or five hundred coins.

As the countdown ended, Murong Xun found himself standing on a phantom platform, surrounded by countless other players.

It seemed that entering a quest world was done en masse; his solitary journey last time had been due to a special inheritance trial.

"How can this be? Why was I suddenly sent into a war world without any warning?"

Someone suddenly cried out in despair.

With that shout, several others turned pale.

"Me too! How did the war world suddenly activate?"

The surrounding players didn’t gloat at their misfortune; they merely regarded them with pity. In the Magic Tower, who had the right to mock others?

A sense of somber solidarity filled the air. Today’s fate could easily become theirs tomorrow.

In the Magic Tower Paradise, one mode was undoubtedly the most dangerous—the war world.

Survival was the primary goal in the war world.

But even so, the chances of making it out alive were slim. An individual's strength was insignificant in such a world.

"Anyone want to form a party? Let’s stick together for warmth in the war world!"

Someone called out, instantly attracting attention.

Murong Xun’s heart stirred.

Party formation?

He’d read about this term in Qiqige’s notes: players about to enter the same world could form temporary parties, effective only for that quest.

One could also assemble a stable team.

If inclined, one could establish an adventure group, or even a guild.

Each mode had its distinctions, starting with the number of participants and the types of bonuses.

Temporary parties offered no bonuses, but required little commitment, so teaming with strangers was always risky.

Here, many were forming temporary parties, while those already in established teams looked on with disdain.

A stable team had its advantages—members could specialize in various fields, adapting to different environments, and support one another.

Unlike solo players, who bore every burden themselves and needed well-rounded skills.

Seeing all this, Murong Xun felt tempted. He never considered getting teammates; when profits were high, even allies could turn against you.

What attracted him was the bonus itself.

Guilds, adventure groups, and teams all offered different bonuses.

Of course, it was too early for him to think about such things; one needed to reach at least level ten to establish them, and he was only level one. No need to dwell on it now.

Time ticked by. Most were anxiously seeking parties.

"Life player seeking strong teammates, promise to obey, have decent support skills, won’t drag the team down."

Just then, a familiar voice rang out.

Murong Xun looked over and saw it was the succubus youth, Qiqige, who sold basic intelligence.

He hadn’t expected to see him here, but wasn’t particularly surprised.

As a life player, he only entered quests once every three months. The fact that he feared Murong Xun, a combat player, was unusual.

After three months, combat players would have gone through nine quests. Unless they died in a quest, the odds of encountering each other were low. If Qiqige was so wary, it meant he was about to enter a quest himself and didn’t want unnecessary complications.

He hadn’t expected such a coincidence—they were assigned to the same batch.

Despite seeing him, Murong Xun had no intention of greeting him.

[Time’s up. Quest world ‘Dragons and Knights’ now open. Timeline confirmed. Preparing for transmission.]

But before they could be sent, another prompt arrived, instantly changing Murong Xun’s expression.

[Warning: You have been conscripted into the war world ‘Dawn Watch’.]
[Reconfirming timeline, locating world position, preparing for transmission.]
[For this quest, the only main objective is to survive. No additional tasks. Side quests must be discovered by the player. Minimum evaluation required: C+ or higher.]

A sudden conscription shattered all of Murong Xun’s plans.

He hadn’t made any emergency preparations for a war world. The supplies he’d gathered would suffice for an ordinary quest, but in a war world, they were woefully inadequate.