The Only Player in ‘Child of Stardust’
Chapter 198 - 142: The Four Heavenly Kings Besiege the Novice Village

Chapter 198: Chapter 142: The Four Heavenly Kings Besiege the Novice Village

Outside the Devil’s Forest, the weather was sunny and bright.

But as soon as one entered the forest’s range, the light suddenly dimmed, the atmosphere turned gloomy and cold, and the temperature dropped to the point where you could see your breath.

Normally, there would be bird calls or the sounds of other insects in a forest, but the Devil’s Forest was eerily silent. It was so quiet that you could hear your own heartbeat, as if this was a life-prohibited zone devoid of any living things.

As they ventured deeper into the Devil’s Forest, the surrounding trees became increasingly twisted and grotesque. Each pitch-black trunk bore a hideous, terrifying face, their mouths wide open as if screaming silently. The desiccated branches extended in all directions, resembling claws furiously reaching out.

"So these are Devil Trees?"

Zhou Yuan stroked his chin, examining the black, monstrous trees in front of him.

[Devil Trees, twisted by Demonic Qi, though they appear terrifying, are actually no different from ordinary trees. Of course, each race will have a few mutants, and this forest contains a mutated Devil Tree King. It’s not hard to find it if you head towards the areas with more Devil Trees.]

"Demonic Qi corruption..."

Zhou Yuan noted this crucial information. In the game, Demonic Qi was associated with the Demon King. It was clear this forest transformed because of the Demon King, and the motive... it surely involved a hidden plot.

"About eight hundred meters to the west, there is a monster lair. The monster is called Shadow Panther, at level 21. Its main attack method is melee combat, so be cautious of its tail. It shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with," said the Beastman Will, holding his phone.

After the abnormal events occurred, the Control Bureau quickly contacted the game company for detailed information and game strategies. They sent the first batch of investigators into the game world, establishing a communication network to transmit information to temporary branch offices in various locations.

This included dungeon maps, the locations of hidden items, bosses, powerful equipment, and other crucial information.

——While "World Hunter" became popular as a VR game with real-world cooperation, it had traditional game modes that could be played on computers and gaming consoles, thus the existence of these strategies.

The birth of this game world was built on traditional game mechanics, with only a few areas affected by the VR mode overlapping with reality, so the strategies were mostly usable.

The group followed the map towards the boss and quickly reached a fork in the road.

"The left side leads to the boss’s room, and the right side has a treasure chest," Will said, looking at the strategy guide.

"Of course we’ll go for the treasure chest first!"

Zhou Yuan decisively headed to the right. The system’s task was to collect everything, and they couldn’t miss any treasure chests.

As they walked through the forest, the ground around them suddenly bulged. Skeleton soldiers in tattered armor, wielding swords and knives, emerged from the ground, black Demonic Qi flickering within their skulls.

[LV5·Skeleton Soldier]

[LV9·Elite Skeleton Soldier]

[LV12·Skeleton Soldier Leader]

A series of titles appeared in Zhou Yuan’s eyes, floating above the skeleton soldiers, each accompanied by a health bar.

"I’ll take care of it," Huo Yan Luo snapped her fingers, and several raging fire arrows shot out, easily obliterating the skeleton soldiers. Only the highest-level [Skeleton Soldier Leader] wasn’t taken out in one hit, but it fell to the second fire arrow the next second.

Gold light suddenly shone from Huo Yan Luo, raising her level to [LV12].

Even with her cultivation suppressed, she was still a 7th-tier god person. Killing a bunch of grunts was a piece of cake.

The group pressed on, soon reaching a dead-end blocked by rocks. Beneath the pile of rocks lay an iron treasure chest.

"What a classic scene," Jiang Wuming remarked.

It was so typical. If the chest turned out to be filled with junk, it would be even more classic.

He was about to open the chest.

[Only the clever ones can see that this is actually a mimic monster.]

"Wait."

Zhou Yuan stopped Jiang Wuming, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it at the chest.

Thud.

The stone left a dent in the chest.

The chest then opened by itself, revealing a dangerous interior filled with sharp fangs.

Two long, slender arms with sharp claws, along with a thick tongue, extended out. Upon closer inspection, the teeth were smeared with blood, and fresh clothing and flesh were caught between the teeth.

The arms then pushed against the ground, pulling out a tall, thin lower body from the earth.

[LV25·Mimic Monster]

"A mimic monster?"

The Beastman Will was startled. He quickly checked the strategy guide and exclaimed, "The guide says this place should have an excellent quality glove. How can it be a mimic?"

"Did someone swap it with a mimic?" Bai Lang speculated.

"No, someone tested it. The chests in the game have traits of [immovable] and [indestructible], so they can’t be replaced..."

As they spoke, the mimic monster with its blood-stained maw lunged at them.

Zhou Yuan clenched his fist——[Condensed Qi Fist]!

Boom!

The mimic monster was blasted away by a massive Gang Qi punch, smashing heavily into the rock pile, reducing its health by a third.

Zhou Yuan drew his Steel Rose, firing three explosive shots. Each shot dug blood-gushing holes into the mimic monster.

The others launched their attacks simultaneously. After a barrage, the mimic monster was left with the last bit of its health.

"Let me finish it off," Huo Yan Luo said, launching a fireball. The mimic monster fell to the ground with a burst of flames.

Gold light enveloped Huo Yan Luo again, and she leveled up to [LV17]!