Ashen Dragon

Chapter 209: Chapter 134 Checking the Gains
 

A few hours later, as tiny particles of light gathered, the three were resurrected together in Northwind Castle.

This ancient teleportation circle was heavily guarded, with Mezulash assigning the most elite and reliable Tiefling soldiers to its protection. They were well aware of these “Starfallen’s” miraculous abilities, including their “resurrection.” As long as the players didn’t break any rules, the soldiers would turn a blind eye.

As experienced “public servants,” Mantou and Singo were already familiar with the soldiers guarding the respawn point.

“Yo, Kailon, you’re on duty today?”

The Tiefling guard called “Kailon” nodded politely in response.

“All good, another normal day, no strange Starfallen.” Kailon thought to himself.@@novelbin@@

He was relieved to encounter normal players. You never knew what you might see here—last time, a player walked out of the array in broad daylight completely naked, indifferent to the Tiefling’s lack of “Holy Light” as they paraded their unclothed body. It was an eyesore!

Whenever he recalled that scene, his hand holding the spear would tremble slightly.

If not for the rules, he would’ve loved to stab that indecent fellow to death.

Yet again, light particles gathered within the circle, forming an unconstrained, shamelessly naked body in midair. It symbolized humanity’s primal pursuit of freedom, contorting the Tiefling guard’s expression into a grimace.

The player still had the familiar ID—[Wings of Freedom], a figure revered by many beta testers as Holy Light Bro.

Due to the special nature of the Druid’s wild form, Holy Light Bro often charged into the front lines of various battles as a giant bear. Death was a routine matter for him, which led to his one-sided acquaintance with the guards stationed there.

“I heard the NPCs here are highly intelligent, forming good relationships with them might be beneficial,” he thought.

Thus, the stark-naked Holy Light Bro “amicably” waved at the guard.

“Yo, it’s you again. Long time no see.”

Kailon’s face immediately darkened, and his expression twisted with gritted teeth. To him, this was a blatant provocation, in the literal sense.

“Restrain, must not stab him to death.”

“But this Starfallen, he truly deserved to die—” The Tiefling guard thought as he gripped his spear so tightly his hands trembled, watching Holy Light Bro scratch his head in confusion from a distance.

…..

Mantou and the others couldn’t wait to return to their temporary base and start tallying their spoils.

Due to death penalties, Mantou, who had accumulated less experience, dropped directly to level three, while Singo and Natural War Maniac barely managed to stay at level four.

But these penalties didn’t bother them much.

After all, they were professional gamers participating in high-level battles, far superior to most average players who just coasted along.

At the moment, Mantou’s backpack was already filled with precious White Dragon Scales. His panel showed the trait [Thin Ancestral Dragon Bloodline], with his base attributes significantly boosted, and he even gained the unprecedented [Dragon Shifting] ability.

He had also received a hidden quest reward.

Hidden Quest: [Explore the Polar Night Demon Tower]

Investigate the truth behind the Polar Night Demon Tower (1/1)

This tower, located deep within the Kalka Mountains, was one of the haunting legends of the North. Many adventurers sought its treasures, but they all became fodder for the tower’s monsters, sometimes transformed into half-human, half-dragon creatures that roamed the tower, wailing miserably.

Reward: 1000xp

Passive Trait: [Black Tower Explorer]

Proficient Skills: Insight +1, Investigation +1, Perception +1

Mantou was elated, his face full of harvest joy.

“Whoa, we’ve hit the jackpot this time!”

Natural War Maniac rubbed his shiny bald head: “Ha, it wasn’t a wasted death, especially for Mantou, who made a killing.”

Singo suddenly reminded, “Hasn’t it been a while since you updated your video?”

“Ah, update?”

“I almost forgot—I’ve been so busy gaming. The last update was… a month ago?”

Mantou smacked his forehead and chuckled awkwardly.

He could already imagine the barrage of comments like “Lock Mantou in a small black room” and “Send razor blades” from his fans, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

What was wrong with that?

He was just a creator who wanted to game freely!

Singo patted his shoulder and said calmly, “This dungeon run is great material, you can show off your new ability.”

Mantou asked in surprise, “Do it now? You don’t want to hog the dungeon resources?”

Singo said helplessly, “I have some self-awareness; this dungeon’s difficulty is beyond us. The NPC intelligence in this game is ridiculously high, almost like real life. We got lucky this time, but next time, if that Mage is prepared with all his high-level spells, we’ll be easily taken out.”

“Alright, I’ll edit it tonight.”

Mantou scratched his head, speaking nonchalantly.

He then realized that the hand patting his shoulder remained there, squeezing harder and causing pain.

Singo murmured, “Do you remember those fifteen Gold Coins?”

“Come on, no hitting below the belt!”

“I’ll pay you back!”

…

After going bankrupt to pay off his debt, tearfully pawning all his Dragon Scales to Singo, Mantou finally escaped the clutches and stayed up late to edit the video.

He uploaded the video at three in the morning, giving it a clickbait title.

Mysterious Black Tower Howls at Night, Who’s the Culprit? Beastly Mage Transforming His Own Daughter, Is It a Twist of Humanity or Moral Decay?—All in “Elzegai Diary, Issue 8: Explore the Polar Night Demon Tower.”

Mantou’s previous video had amassed a lot of views, attracting nearly 100,000 curious players on top of his old fans. Though he hadn’t updated in a while, the moment he released the video, fans and intrigued newcomers immediately clicked on it.

“The truly missing person returns!”

“Mantou finally resurrected?”

“It’s been a month! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting?”

“People, calm down. Let me clarify: Mantou isn’t dead, he was just locked in a small black room and tortured by me. I just let him out after having my fill, just so you know.”

“Hahaha, the previous guy is such a weirdo.”

“Mantou is dead, burn paper if necessary, call his soul for small matters, dig up his grave for big ones, if you see him again, he must be resurrected.”

Mantou’s mischievous face appeared on the screen once more.

“Welcome to the long-awaited ‘Elzegai Diary,’ Issue 8, I’m Mantou.”