INICIAR SESIÓNThe Mistlands. The entrance to the Mist Town.The dense fog that had once been as impassable as a Wall of Sighs was visibly thinning, revealing a winding passage.Outside the passage, the rumble of engines broke the silence.A full eighty heavily modified combat vehicles had fanned out, sealing off the town's exit. Every one of them was painted with the emblem of the Free Alliance.The lead vehicle was no ordinary ride. It was a gigantic land dreadnought, practically a mobile fortress.This was the ride of Neptune, number ten on the points leaderboard: a Lv.7 heavy armored war rig.In the cab, Neptune swirled a glass of red wine, his burly six-foot-three frame sunk into a leather seat. He had a typical face, with deep-set eyes and a gaze as sharp as a hawk's."That redhead... is really in there?"Neptune took a sip of wine, sounding a little impatient.As a core member of the Free Alliance, he had originally been hunting in the eastern zone. Then he'd received intel that the "
Watching the scene, Jake felt both relieved and a little heartsick.He took a silver necklace and a black-covered diary out of his subspace storage and walked over to Lilith.He crouched down so his eyes were level with hers and spoke in an especially gentle voice. "Lilith, your mom asked me to give these to you.""Mom..."Lilith froze for a moment.The word felt both strange and familiar to her.Blurry fragments flashed through her mind: a pair of warm hands, a hazy embrace, a scent that made her feel safe...But no matter how hard she tried, she could never make out the person's face."My... mom?"She murmured the words and took the black diary without thinking.It was a very ordinary leather-bound notebook. Its cover was a little worn, giving it a well-used look.Sitting on the motorhome's soft sofa, Lilith gently stroked the cover with her small hand. Then she opened to the first page.What met her eyes was neat, graceful handwriting with a simple sketch beside it. The
Gavin, Victoria, and the others followed behind, everyone's steps growing lighter.It was finally over...The trip had been nerve-racking, and they'd come within a hair of dying more times than they could count. But they had survived, and they were coming away with quite the haul.Before long, Jake and his group reached the edge of the Mist Wall.There, a huge steel behemoth sat parked in the dark of night. It was the Lv.7 Starfield Motorhome.Its sleek lines and heavy armor had never looked so welcoming."We're finally back..."Bella let out a cheer and was the first to run up and open the door.The moment they stepped inside, the warmth of the climate-control system wrapped around them. It was like a completely different world from the one outside."Nothing beats the motorhome!"Iris collapsed onto the leather sofa with zero regard for her image, letting out a satisfied sigh. "I feel like these last few days lasted a whole century. You'd have to kill me to get me out of thi
"Thank you..."Evelyn looked as though every burden had been lifted from her shoulders.From inside her clothes, she took out the last things she had: a Tier 7 Mysticism upgrade blueprint and two brilliant Mid-Grade Starlight Stones. She held them out to Jake."These... are the rewards for completing the Mist Town quest... I have no use for them anymore. They're all yours."Finally, with trembling hands, she took off the necklace around her neck. Then she brought out a black-covered diary, carefully wrapped, along with several of Lilith's drawings and everything from that run-down apartment."Please... give these to Lilith for me."If she forgets... I hope these will help her remember a little... even just a little..."When she finished, she took one last, long look at the still-sleeping Lilith.The emotions in that look were too complicated to name. There was love, guilt, tenderness, and reluctance to let go.Then the silver ring on Evelyn's finger finally shattered completel
By now, Jake had dropped out of Deus Ex Machina mode. With the four women in tow, he hurried over to another part of the battlefield.Evelyn lay there quietly in a pool of blood.The moment Vera saw her, she rushed over and crouched beside her. "Evelyn! Quick, let me look at your wounds..."The green glow of healing was already lighting up in her hands.Jake had already given the four women a quick explanation of who Evelyn was, so they all knew she was the "Anne" they'd met before.Evelyn gave a slight shake of her head. A sad, beautiful smile appeared on her paper-white face, and she gently pushed Vera's hands away."Thank you. But it's no use... I know my own wounds."The gaping hole in her chest had stopped bleeding, because the blood in her body had long since run dry. She was only clinging to her last breath by having "stolen" the very concept of her injuries.Now that the battle was over, the obsession that had held her together had faded, and her strength was spent. Dea
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Sam and Gavin slowly came to with a groan.The last thing they remembered was being sealed under the earthen bowl Jake had made with the Terra Staff, then being snatched up by several thick vines.The suffocating sensation of staring death in the face still lingered in their minds.But when they opened their eyes again, what greeted their ears was the system's pleasant "quest cleared" chime."Gavin! Look!"Sam stared at the blueprint in his hand, trembling. "I got a Tier 2 Mysticism upgrade blueprint!"Gavin was stunned too. He had also received an extremely precious Specialization Sequence Blueprint.The two exchanged a glance and saw deep shock and bewilderment in each other's eyes."What happened?""We just... cleared it? While we were doing nothing?""I didn't even do anything. I just passed out...""Gavin! Sam!"Just then, an excited voice tinged with tears rang out.Gavin whipped around. In the distance, Gabe was stumb







