The army marched beneath the sun.
Thousands of little feet, claws, scales, and wings moved through the flower field in a steady rhythm. Rabbits hopped in neat rows, their ears held high. Chickens walked with stones gripped in their talons. Snakes slithered like dark ropes through the grass. Lizards advanced with lowered bodies and sharp eyes, while the black-scaled lizard strode near the front like a proud general.
At the very front walked Richard.
His feathers stirred in the warm breeze. Sunlight slid over his crimson comb and wings, painting him in gold and crimson. From behind, he looked like a dignified and heroic golden chicken.
Inside, however, his tiny chicken heart was in turmoil. It felt like it had been stuffed into a boiling pot seasoned with nothing else but guilt.
'Fuuuuh…'
Richard exhaled slowly in his mind.
His claws pressed into the soil one step at a time.
'Haven't you already decided?' he whispered slowly to himself.
The Path had already shown him the direction.
There was no need to hesitate.
Now was not the time for such thoughts.
He closed his eyes for a moment as he walked, and the world inside him opened.
Golden threads spread from his soul like countless roots beneath an invisible crown. Each thread led to one of his subjects, pulsing softly with warmth. Together, they formed a network that stretched through the marching army behind him.
Richard's breath slowed.
Then, without speaking, he activated his talent.
[Talent: The Path - Activated]
The golden world trembled.
Countless filaments burst into existence before his inner sight, spreading in every direction like a storm of glowing spider silk as he focused his desire onto the next battle. Roads immediately opened. Some broke, while some twisted around unseen decisions and consequences. Some led to victory, and some led to slaughter.
In one road, the black-scaled lizard charged too early, got surrounded by players with shiny shields, and was beaten so badly it looked like a flattened piece of charcoal before going berserk again.
Per Richard's desire, that road collapsed immediately.
More roads opened.
More roads collapsed.
The sunlit battlefield appeared in fragments before finally only a few roads remained.
Seeing the familiar red path he had seen countless times this past week, Richard stepped onto it yet again.
The red path pulsed beneath his claws as the world narrowed.
The future became clearer.
He saw himself entering the battle.
One moment of wrath after watching for far too long.
The player line shattered.
His army surged.
The lizard roared.
Snakes bound ankles.
Chickens struck their eyes.
Rabbits darted through gaps like little white arrows.
This time, it was an overwhelming victory.
Richard's heart should have lifted.
Instead, the red path continued.
A single golden light flickered near the right side of his army, it slowly dimmed…then finally spanned and went out.
Among thousands of subjects, only one would die if he followed this road perfectly.
Any rational ruler would have sighed in relief. Strategists would have praised the result. A general would have called it a miracle, an achievement of their lifetime. One death in a battle against otherworlders who were more organized than ever, trained, and fearless of true death should have been something to celebrate.
But Richard could not celebrate.
Because the thread belonged to a small white rabbit hopping three rows behind him.
Richard opened his eyes.
For a moment, the march blurred.
He did not turn around immediately. He already knew where it was.
The rabbit's thread had always been easy to recognize this past week, not because it was strong, but because it was strangely stubborn. A tiny thread, barely more than a warm line, yet it pulsed with a rhythm that felt like someone beating a war drum using a spoon.
It was one of the Little Whites, those personally in charge of his meals.
Now, it was one of the most muscular rabbits in the field.
Its left ear folded halfway down, giving it a very easy to recognize appearance. That was why Richard called it Bent-Ear.
Richard remembered the first day of training.
While the other rabbits did push ups with small pebbles strapped to their backs, Bent-Ear had chosen a stone twice its size.
It had taken one step.
Then collapsed face first into the dirt.
Richard had stared down at it in silence.
The rabbit had lifted its head, nose twitching, eyes shining with fierce determination.
Then it tried again.
And collapsed again.
By the fifth attempt, Richard had been forced to kick the oversized stone away before the rabbit accidentally ascended into a pancake.
Another memory surfaced.
The third day.
Richard had been gathering worms for his beloved hen until Bent-Ear appeared beside him with mud on its face.
The rabbit placed the worms before Richard with both paws and looked up proudly, as if presenting a priceless treasure dug from the grave of an ancient dragon king.
Richard stared at the worms.
Then at the rabbit.
Then he praised it like usual.
Bent-Ear bounced in place so happily it nearly fell into the hole it had dug.
Before long, because of its determination, it had become one of the largest rabbits in the field. Perhaps wanting to show off its efforts, it always flexed its muscles whenever it was talked to.
The march continued.
Richard's claws slowed.
Behind him, thousands followed without question.
His throat felt dry.
He turned his head slightly.
The little rabbit hopped in formation, body tense with determination. Its folded ear bounced with every step. Around its waist was a vine belt holding three tiny stones. The stones were round and smooth, clearly chosen with care.
Richard looked forward again.
His vision darkened at the edges.
'This is the only way…'
The thought came instinctively.
His talent was still active, and as if hearing the weakness in his heart, more filaments opened.
Richard saw himself ordering Bent-Ear to stay behind.
The rabbit obeyed and survived, but another rabbit died.
Then two chickens.
After that, another snake.
The battle changed, tiny details falling apart. A stone was not thrown at the right time. A certain player was not distracted. A charge was delayed by half a breath. A spell was not interrupted. A body was not shielded at the right time.
Blood scattered under the sun as the path collapsed, not meeting his desire.
Richard's claws dug into the earth.
Every road that spared Bent-Ear demanded a greater price.
Richard stopped walking.
The entire army halted behind him in a ripple of confused squeaks, hisses, clucks, and growls.
The black-scaled lizard turned. "Boss?"
Richard did not answer.
His gaze remained fixed on the ground.
Among the noise, Bent-Ear noticed the sudden stop and hopped out of formation with small, careful movements. The creepy snake and the hen with muscular thighs followed after it, along with several other creatures.
"Squeak?" it asked together with them, while flexing its muscles.
Richard slowly looked down.
The rabbit stared up at him.
Its folded ear twitched.
He lowered his gaze at it, causing it to stiffen.
For a brief moment, Richard saw the future again. A small white body under the sun, a stone leaving tiny paws, and the golden thread dimming until it finally snapped.
He wanted to order it to go back.
He wanted to tell it to stay in the flower field, dig worms, train, flex its strange little muscles, and survive until the day it could awaken its own talent naturally.
But every road where it survived demanded more lives.
Richard gently touched the rabbit's forehead with his wing.
The rabbit froze.
Then its eyes widened.
Its little body trembled from excitement as it flexed even harder.
To Bent-Ear, perhaps this was recognition, a sign that the Boss had noticed its hard work.
Richard felt something crack inside his chest.
His throat tightened.
Then suddenly, as if cold water had been poured over his heart, he calmed for reasons he did not understand.
Richard inhaled slowly.
"Let's continue."
His voice was calm.
The black-scaled lizard stared at him for a moment, but Bent-Ear only squeaked proudly before hopping back into formation with the others.
Richard stepped forward.
He did not look back again, as if any more hesitation would be an insult to those he wanted to save…those he wanted to sacrifice.
...
Meanwhile, Novice Village #2.
The village gate slowly opened beneath the afternoon sun.
A crowd of players stood before it, weapons ready, armor adjusted, and eyes fixed on the forest beyond the barrier. Unlike a week ago, they did not rush out in a noisy wave. Shield users stood near the front, ranged players stayed behind them, and support players waited closer to the center.
It was not perfect, but compared to their sorry excuse of a formation a week ago, this was a big improvement.
Some players still whispered excitedly. Some kept checking their rewards from their instructors or quests they did this past week with grins they could not hide. A few were clearly trying very hard to look calm despite their stiff shoulders.
But at least this time, they looked somewhat like a group ready for battle.
William stood near the front, flexing his fingers slowly.
The compact gauntlets around his hands shifted with his movement, metal plates covering his fingers and forearms smoothly. They were light, but solid. Different from what he was used to in Fighter's Arena, but compared to those unrealistic things, this one was more comfortable than anything he wore before inside and outside the game. It was as if the equipment was also adapting to him. It felt much more real and... alive.
William slowly closed his fist, exhaled, and looked at the sun that had already risen high into the sky.
The preparations should be ready.
Not far from him, Aelius stood with over a hundred players gathered around him. His golden hair shone beneath the sun, and the sword at his waist made him look even more striking than usual. If one ignored the fact that the beauty was a man on the inside, it was indeed a scene worthy of a painting that should be passed down generations.
While not all of the two hundred beta test players in Village #2 belonged to the Holy Sun Guild officially, it was not an exaggeration to say that over seventy percent had already joined the guild. Only those who preferred solo play like William, or those who had other plans like Roxana and her loyal followers, were not officially registered as guild members. Still, they were basically working as one group. As of right now, there was no real difference between guild members and non-guild members other than the outfit.
"Goddess, please lead us!"
"Let's get revenge for the Goddess!"
"Sob, our Goddess looks so cool with a sword on her waist!"
"Look at her trying to look serious, it's so cute!"
Aelius's mouth twitched slightly. He felt that the comments at the end were somewhat wrong, but he still kept a calm expression, almost already used to their attics.
William walked toward him.
Seeing him approach, Aelius turned his head and gave him a nod.
William nodded back before asking, "The plan is clear right?"
Aelius glanced at the players around him before puffing out his chest proudly, as if he was the one who came up with the plan.
"Of course!" he said, looking at the players before him as he pointed toward the forest outside the village gate, or more accurately, straight toward the flower field far on the horizon. According to what they had learned from the village, that was the place where the mobs… no, where their greatest enemies resided.
"The most important thing for all of us to remember is that we should not split too far apart this time. Their numbers are too many, and if we scatter, we will only repeat the same mistake as before."
"This time, we will divide into three lines," Aelius continued. "The first line will be shield users and stronger melee players."
Aelius looked at the melee and shield players present.
"Your job is to receive the first wave and stop the creatures from rushing through."
"The second line will stay close behind them. Ranged players, spear users, and those with mid-range talents will attack from there. If rabbits, snakes, or chickens slip past the first line, the second line handles them before they reach the rear."
Aelius then looked toward the last group of players.
"The third line will be the reserve. Support players, healers, and the ones who can still fight but are not suited for the front will stay there. If the first line weakens, the second line moves forward, and the third line fills the gap. If one side is pressured, the reserve helps stabilize it."
Several nearby players nodded as they listened.
"So it's a classic formation. Simple, but against creatures who do not know anything about it, it should be pretty effective."
"Right. Last time, once we scattered, everything became a mess."
"As long as we stay in three lines, they can't surround us as easily as last time."
Aelius nodded. "Exactly. We cannot match their numbers. There may be ten creatures for every one of us, maybe even more. If we chase every rabbit or snake that appears, we will lose immediately. So we do not chase or get greedy for the kill, just hold the line and let them come to us."
One player scratched his cheek. "But what about the black-scaled lizard? There's no way for us to keep the line steady if it appears, right?"
The surrounding players became quieter.
The black-scaled lizard had left a deep impression on many of them. Even those who had not been near it directly had seen how it tore through players during the first battle.
Aelius's expression grew serious. "The black-scaled lizard is still the biggest threat. None of us can win against it one on one, even if we became stronger during this week."
Aelius glanced at William before continuing.
"Even William might not be able to take it down alone, so don't try to fight it alone, understood? If it appears, the first line players should try to slow it down as much as possible. The second line attacks from behind the shields, and the third line will move to support wherever it appears, we will take it down together"
William nodded, but after a moment, he spoke.
"Also, remember to watch out for the rooster I mentioned if possible."
The nearby players went silent.
According to William, the rooster was related to both of his deaths. Something that made even him cautious was of course something they had to keep in mind.
One of the players frowned as if he suddenly remembered something. "Wait… now that I think about it, weren't the creatures covered in golden light last time? If the rooster is as formidable as the solo god said…could it be?"
The words caused several players to pause.
"Right. I saw it too."
"Was that some kind of buff?"
Aelius's expression also changed slightly.
He had also seen it during the first battle. At that time, there had been too much chaos for him to think about it carefully. The creatures rushed from every direction, the black-scaled lizard tore through the front, and the players scattered before they could understand what was happening.
But if the rooster William mentioned was really dangerous, and the golden light had appeared around those creatures…
Aelius frowned.
"For now, treat the rooster as the same danger level as the lizard if it appears," he said. "It may be some kind of command-type or support-type monster. If it appears, do not try to engage it alone, and if you see golden light around the creatures again, warn everyone immediately."
The players nodded one after another.
A rooster being a support-type monster sounded ridiculous, but after being killed by chickens, rabbits, snakes, and lizards, no one wanted to dismiss it that easily.
After discussing the strategy once again, they were all ready to depart.
Aelius turned toward the open gate and raised his sword.
"Let's go, everyone. Let's show those bastards what we are made of!"
"OOOOOO!"