Trapped Inside the Beta Test World for 1000 Years-Chapter 69

"Have we received the signal yet?"
"No, Sergeant."
"With such a thick fog, could something have gone wrong?"
Drill Sergeant Doom stood up, his gaze sweeping over the canyon below.
The mist rolled and billowed like the surface of a lake in early spring or late autumn.
It was early morning, the morning fog mingling with the canyon mist, like a girl's gentle hand softly caressing one's face, making one feel refreshed.
It also put him in an excellent state.
Suddenly, Doom heard a faint, lingering call, somewhere between a bird's cry and a beast's roar, stirring a subtle fear deep within his soul...
"Layton, what is that?"
Doom turned to ask a one-eyed bald man in the team.
"Maybe a wyvern, a herbivorous beast... but they shouldn't be here."
Layton searched for the direction of the sound, his face filled with uncertainty.
Suddenly, the dense fog in the canyon seemed to be stirred from below by an unseen hand, as if something was about to surge out!
"Get down! Sir!"
Layton suddenly lunged forward, knocking Doom to the ground, but he didn't have time to fully duck before a massive creature burst from the fog and struck his head with a claw, like a baseball bat smashing a watermelon, scattering red and white matter everywhere.
A headless body collapsed limply to the ground.
The moment Doom heard the sound, he made a decision, rolling forward swiftly.
As a seasoned instructor of the Dark Brotherhood, having trained newcomers in various villages for many years, Doom's escape abilities far surpassed those of an average rogue.
In an instant, he was on his feet, standing at the edge of the cliff, the dirt behind him crumbling away.
If the enemy's numbers exceeded his expectations, he would jump from here and seek revenge another day.
He knew all too well that his only chance of survival was to roll into the canyon, into the thick fog.
However, if the enemy numbers were few, he would show them the meaning of cruelty.
The wyvern flew overhead, dropping a person, then flapped its wings and took off again, this time diving into the canyon from a further distance.
Doom frowned. What did this mean? Was it going to charge out again?
"Hey, don't get me wrong~"
The person dropped by the wyvern approached with raised hands, shouting:
"That thing won't help me fight, so for the next ten minutes, I'm your only opponent~"
One person?
Deception? Illusion?
Though Doom thought this, he took a couple of steps forward.
He didn't know what kind of madness the opponent had taken to act so suicidally. But if it was just one person...
Ha, what a joke.
A dagger slid into his palm, and Doom, leading five others, slowly formed a circle, enclosing the newcomer.
—Yes, that's right, you are the notorious Dark Brotherhood, murderers with blood-stained hands, how could you just escape...
Xia Ya smiled, drawing his sword. Watching Doom step away from the cliff's edge, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The Drill Sergeant Doom before him was a treasure of the Starter Village. Like Sennia, Sanya, and Captain Maden, he was one of the most fully equipped NPCs, with the former being melee warriors, and Doom being the rogue, the most fully equipped one at that. Even someone as unlucky as Xia Ya could find a piece or two of equipment on him.
But this guy had a trait: he cherished his life, extremely so.
Moreover, he wasn't just protective of his life, he was also adept at finding a way out of any desperate situation, rivaling the survival skills of protagonists in films. For instance, earlier, if the dragon's claw had carried more than two level 20 units, Doom would have jumped without hesitation, but he wouldn't die from the fall. Instead, he would hang onto the cliff's edge, hide like a viper, observe the battle between the other five and the player, and wait for the right moment to strike.
Only in a situation like this—when the opponent came alone—would he be certain that the victory was assured!
Then, just like now, he would bring out his treasured ancient magical dagger.
Drill Sergeant Doom was once a grave robber, forced to join the Brotherhood for refuge after participating in the excavation of a high-ranking United Holy Nation official's ancestral grave. This dagger was his prized possession.
Yes, very well done...
Xia Ya glanced at the dagger he had coveted for a long time, feeling a sense of assurance.
He had revised his inherent perceptions.
In the past, he always considered combat power as the main criterion for comprehensive evaluation, but now it seemed not to be the case.
The system assessed the team's strength not just by combat power. In his three-person team, the one who surprisingly "dragged down the score" the most was Lef.
Because her skill list was too overpowered, in a place like Howling Stone Canyon, which was open and had beasts, herbs, and various materials, she could have an extremely significant impact. If not for being pressed for time, she could have delivered a perfect performance.
So, the increased difficulty of this mission was largely due to her, and it became much harder.
As a result, the spoils were richer than Xia Ya remembered.
Unfortunately, so far, the change in difficulty hadn't been felt.
The clumsy male eagle was killed by a trap, and the widow hawk was instantly killed by Skadi.
The only thing that could explain the situation was the battle before him... so Xia Ya wanted to experience it firsthand.
To experience the new things of the 178th cycle.
The Frost Longsword hung low, and as the encirclement tightened, the battle-hungry blood in Xia Ya's veins was gradually awakened, his eyes growing brighter.
He licked his lips and shouted:
"I declare! You are surrounded by me alone!"
Then he charged forward like an arrow released from a bow.
...
The wyvern's second trip brought Apulu Pie, Lef, and Yveline up. Before they pierced through the fog, the Dark Elf smelled a strong scent of blood.
She frowned, slightly worried about Xia Ya.
As the wyvern broke through the white mist and ascended to the sky, they happened to witness the final scene of the battle.
Five bodies lay on the ground in various odd poses, forming a large circle, leaving only Drill Sergeant Doom and Xia Ya.
...
Doom's left hand, from past experiences, had only three fingers left, unable to grip a dagger, so he had a specially made blade fist attached.
When the three fingers were brought together, the tip formed a sharp blade, and anyone unfamiliar with him would suffer from this weapon.
He had a keen insight, and he could see that although the opponent had killed five of his men like a god descending, his own stamina was also greatly depleted. As long as he kept pressing with continuous attacks, he could definitely break him.
Thinking this, Doom quickened his pace, his left hand's blade and right hand's dagger alternating like two interlocking drills, his attacks like a storm, relentless.
On the other side, Xia Ya did his best to avoid direct confrontation, constantly retreating.
Within the circle roughly formed by the bodies, one attacked with unstoppable momentum, while the other maneuvered agilely, occasionally being grazed by the blade, leaving blood marks, looking extremely battered.
Just one more breath!
Doom's eyes were bloodshot, blood rushing to his face, gasping heavily.
The cold air he inhaled carried a sweet metallic taste, and his lungs stung faintly with each breath, but he was convinced that he was just one breath away from breaking the opponent's defense. If he held on for one more second, the opponent would surely fall before him!
Suddenly, a shadow passed overhead, and Doom's heart sank.
Ten minutes... were up?
"Don't get distracted, Sergeant."
The Frost Longsword, along with Xia Ya's voice, stabbed out from an unexpected angle, and the momentarily distracted Doom was instantly struck on the right wrist, blood gushing.
He was shocked, and with that shock, fear and long-suppressed fatigue surged forth, collapsing him in just a few seconds.
Xia Ya seized the opportunity, his longsword darting out like a swimming dragon!
Shh
The sword tip pierced through the leather armor, deftly avoiding a piece of iron meant to block fatal wounds, piercing through the heart.
With a thud, Doom half-knelt on the ground, covered in blood.
Xia Ya was also stained with blood. He slowly withdrew the sword from the opponent's chest, flicking off the blood droplets, and wiped it on the dew-covered grass.
Then he looked up at the approaching wyvern.
"Wow... so cool!"
Apulu Pie watched the scene, a bit dazed.
The stark contrast of green grass and blood, the intertwining mist and dew, highlighted Xia Ya's calm expression, his every move exuding the aura of a cold-blooded, ascetic killer.
It was the scent of hormones.