C10 Mysterious Realm

To gain entry to the Mysterious Realm, one must fork over 500 gold coins—a barrier that ensures only elite gamers can access it. This time, Matthew was clued in thanks to an invitation from Tina; otherwise, he might still be oblivious to its existence. Each visit to the Mysterious Realm presents different creatures, but the objective remains constant: survive for 20 days to pass the challenge. Yet, Tina's ambitions clearly extended beyond mere survival. The Mysterious Realm promised additional rewards, which seemed to be of significant importance. The exact nature of these rewards would remain a mystery until the realm itself was unveiled.

Matthew spent five anxious days in the villa before the Mysterious Realm finally opened. Upon receiving the summons from the gaunt man, he hurried to the hall where Tina and three others were ready to embark. Over the past few days, Matthew had come to understand that Tina was the linchpin of the group. The silent man possessed considerable strength, the burly one followed the path of a warrior tank, and the lean man was sharp as a dagger. Each member was exceptionally skilled and showed a remarkable level of deference to Tina, which only deepened Matthew's intrigue about her.

"Player 'Tina' has invited you to join her team. Do you accept? Yes/No?" Matthew chose "Yes." Teaming up was common for expeditions into the Mysterious Realm, where encounters with rival squads were inevitable, often leading to competition. Matthew recognized that his gold card was his unique edge, granting him privileges akin to an exclusive membership. But before he could ponder further, Tina made the decision to enter the Mysterious Realm.

Heat!

That was Matthew's immediate sensation upon entering the Mysterious Realm. The blazing sun dominated the sky, its harsh rays causing the rocks to radiate heat with reckless abandon. The air felt as dense as gasoline, and the wind seemed to have vanished entirely. The thin atmosphere was akin to being at an altitude of ten thousand meters, creating an oppressively hot and suffocating environment that left Matthew gasping for air.

The landscape was a sea of yellow sand and withered grass, stretching endlessly into a desolate expanse. The ground, a fiery red, defiantly radiated heat. Here and there, a few ancient trees stood, their life long gone, leaving behind skeletal branches that resembled mummies.

Is this the Mysterious Realm 'Wasteland'? The severe weather was something Matthew, a southerner, had never experienced before.

"Please note, you have entered the Mysterious Realm 'Wasteland'. This mode differs from the dungeon mode. Completing side quests in the Mysterious Realm mode will grant you additional rewards. To initiate the main quest, please make your way to Gourault Manor to meet with the lord, Greem, within three hours. - Team mode detected. Initiating team mission: assist the royal forces in quelling the rebellion."

After reading the system prompt, Matthew was drenched in sweat. He glanced around and noticed it was just him and the man of silence. "Why is it just the two of us?" The man of silence, seemingly seasoned, provided a clear official explanation: "We must have been randomly teleported here. The Mysterious Realm appears to permit entry to solo adventurers."

Fortunately, Matthew understood. If there were no other team players, it made sense that they were isolated at the start, otherwise, it would be incredibly unfair to solo adventurers.

He peered ahead and suggested, "There's a main road over there. Let's head that way; we might encounter some NPCs." The man of silence nodded in agreement.

Neither summoned any creatures from their cards. Matthew didn't possess any reconnaissance cards, and the man of silence, being a Mage, wouldn't find it useful to summon his creatures for combat. Besides, having just entered the area, they were still unclear about the specifics and were reluctant to use their cards prematurely.

Matthew suspected there would be NPCs since the system hadn't provided directions to the manor.

As expected, they hadn't been walking long when a woman's scream pierced the air nearby!

Matthew was about to dash toward the sound when the man of silence restrained him, and they both crouched and approached cautiously.

"Help! Help! Someone, please save me!"

Matthew saw a young girl kneeling on the ground. She appeared to be just eleven or twelve, dressed in a tattered, flowery dress, her long black hair in disarray around her. Her body and legs were marred with wounds, and looming before her was a wild boar with enormous tusks.

This wild boar bore a resemblance to the largest of the three boar monsters from the game, but it lacked their endearing simplicity and charm, exuding only ferocity. Two massive tusks, each at least thirty centimeters long, protruded from the sides of its mouth. The beast shook its massive frame and charged toward the little girl.

Matthew immediately realized this could be a side quest. As he contemplated a rescue, a streak of golden light flashed beside him. The man of silence had preemptively summoned the hero 'Pleione'. She dashed forward, taunting, "Do you wish to admire my dance?" He was relying on just one hero? While Matthew puzzled over this, another golden light shone from the man's hand, revealing not another hero but a bow and arrow.

Card Name: Gala's Bow

Category: Weapon Card

Quality: White

Weapon Level: Level 2

Use: Summon Gala's Bow

Duration: 2 hours

The man of silence remained true to his name, offering no explanation to the astonished Matthew. He hoisted the enormous bow, and as the bowstring was fully drawn, an arrow shimmering with blue light materialized.

"Swoosh!" By the time the sound reached him, the wild boar had already been struck. A javelin-sized arrow was embedded in the boar's forelimb, eliciting a pained howl. Matthew was taken aback by the sheer force.

In the dungeon, the larger the monster, the more formidable it was. This wild boar stood as tall as a man, yet the man of silence had brought it to its knees with a single arrow. However, it seemed to have taken a toll on him. "Don't fall in love with me," Pleione teased, her dance captivating as she exploited her agility and true damage against the hulking creature. It wasn't long before the wild boar lay defeated on the ground. This starkly highlighted the chasm between Matthew and the elite players. Had he been in this predicament, he would have had to rely on slow, methodical teamwork to whittle down the beast's health.

[Side Mission Activated: Escort the injured Mia]

[Mission Details: On her way home, Mia was attacked by the wild boar leader and sustained injuries. She requests your company on her return to Gourault Manor.]

[Mission Reward: Gain favor with the maidservant Mia]

[Do you accept? Yes/No]

Sure enough, the little girl must be the guide. Without a word, the man of silence took on the mission. Mia visibly relaxed after he accepted, seemingly letting her guard down. Matthew approached and struck up a conversation, "How are you doing? Are you hurt?"

"Ah... I'm okay, thank you. Are you adventurers?" she replied, attempting to rise. "Ouch..." She stumbled and fell back down. Her ankle was seriously injured, and as Matthew tried to assist her, she nearly burst into tears from the pain. "I'll take care of this," said the man of silence, approaching to gently lift the girl onto his back. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, she offered no resistance. The man of silence carried her away, leaving Matthew gaping in amazement. "Wow, I didn't know you could do that."