"Hide," Reilei said as she gently placed Ayanellia down and unwrapped the tail around her.

Ayanellia seemed concerned for Reilei as a tiny frown appeared on her face. Nevertheless, she followed Reilei's instructions.

Ayanellia used Natural Blending to conceal herself as a thin veil of mana encompassed her, causing Ayanellia to become one with her surroundings.

"It looks like there is no use trying to escape. Then..." Reilei turned to face the kitsune who bore its fangs at her.

"I'll be depending on you, Xiao Liang,"

The next moment, a violet and blue aura enveloped Reilei as the magic power around her spiked to a frightening degree.

Suddenly, Reilei accelerated straight at incredible speeds!

As if sensing the impending danger, the kitsune swiftly darted forward. It remembered being tricked last time; therefore, the kitsune did want to fall for the same thing twice!

The Failed Kitsune leaped several meters into the air and spun its body in a full circle. As it performed this action, the top of the kitsune's first tail lit up white, and its fourth tail red.

...BOOM!

The sound of an eruption came from the kitsune's position as a twister formed out of nowhere. And, following the explosion, the twister became engulfed in flames, creating a blazing inferno that forcibly drew enemies to its center!

However, when the inferno appeared directly on her path, instead of slowing down and finding a way around it, Reilei charged right into the middle of it!

...

A few moments ago, somewhere in the forest located just outside of Eastgate...

There was a massive state of panic going around Eastgate due to the chaos that was unfolding lately.

Not too long ago, a terrifying vortex came from the heart of the forest and almost made contact with the outpost walls!

Unlike major outposts, Eastgate possessed a minimal amount of defenses and personnel. In addition, while their walls were fortified with a type of structural integrity magic, they had no defensive magic barriers protecting them.

Fortunately, the vortex was off by a few meters and passed right by them; otherwise, who knew the amount of destruction and damage it would have generated!

As panic ensued at Eastgate, a woman stood alone at the very edge of the forest on the path created by the swirling vortex, examining whatever traces may have remained behind in the process.

A pair of slightly pointed ears peeked out from behind the woman's hair, revealing her identity as a member of the trephasia race. However, she was not an NPC like other trephasias but rather a player. This trephasia was none other than Luna!

"Something capable of causing this much destruction... There's no doubt—a wild boss must have appeared in the forest. But, its behavior is quite strange for a wild boss. Can it be that a group is already fighting against it?" Luna said to herself as she carefully studied the scarred earth.

"Sir Aeacus has still not returned to Eastgate, and two squadrons have previously failed to subjugate the creature. If things continue to progress at this rate, there will be no one left to defend Eastgate by the time Sir Aeacus returns. Should I offer my assistance again?" Luna internalized.

As an Adjutant of Aeacus Jestal, Luna's authority was on par with a Commander of the War Brigade. However, her title also made it so that she was not officially a part of the four war branches. Just like Aeacus Jestal, she was deemed a "special war power", and exempt from the standard command structures in place.

But, before his departure, Aeacus made it clear to Luna that she was not to get involved in the affairs of Eastgate unless it was at their request.

Luna already offered her assistance to the head commanding officer of Eastgate, an old Captain by the name of Yonas; however, she was turned away.

"We have everything under control. An outsider needs not concern themselves with our affairs, especially the Adjutant of Lord Aeacus."—these were the words Captain Yonas spoke to Luna.

But, although he hid it reasonably well, Luna could still hear a slight tone of displeasure whenever Captain Yonas mentioned the name Aeacus Jestal.

Luna did not know what caused Captain Yonas to secretly resent Aeacus, but it should have been set aside if it was a personal matter, given Eastgate's present circumstances. Even if it was not forever, at the very least, it could have waited until the creature that was running wild and wreaking havoc inside the forest was taken care of.

As Luna pondered whether or not to confront Captain Yonas again, the sound of an explosion rang out from deep within the forest.

BOOM..!

Luna set her gaze in the direction of the explosion as she saw a towering spiral of flames soar into the skies.

"That area—it's not too far away from the outpost." Luna frowned.

Based on the distance of the flaming spiral, Luna estimated that whatever or whoever was fighting had to be less than one hundred meters away!

"It is true that Sir Aeacus instructed me not to interfere with the affairs of Eastgate since we are simply visitors; however... I suddenly feel like taking a casual stroll through the forest. If I happen to run across any danger on the way, I suppose I would be left with no choice but to defend myself." Luna thought to herself.

If it was this way, neither Aeacus nor Captain Yonas could find fault with her actions.

"I made a promise to her... that whenever the people of the Mortal Realm are in trouble, I would not turn a blind eye and remain idle. I intend to keep that promise." Luna internalized as she made her way into the forest towards the towering spiral of flames!

...

Meanwhile...

Izroth, Niflheim, and Sacred Blade were inside a dark and damp underground area that sloped downward. Fortunately, they had some light thanks to the mystical energy around Sacred Blade's sword.

"Watch your step. The deeper we go, the more inclined the ground will become. And, trust me, it's a long way down." Sacred Blade commented.

"Speaking from experience?" Niflheim asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. However, it's as they say, sometimes, misfortune can give birth to a new kind of fortune." Sacred Blade replied.

He then continued, "While I was out completing area patrol and area clearing war objectives, I tripped over an out of place stone. As a result, I tumbled into a tree. But, instead of slamming face-first into the tree, it opened up and swallowed me. After that, I fell to the bottom. And, it's there that I found the entrance that leads into the crusade."

"Luck can also be considered a skill," Izroth commented.

It was the first time Izroth spoke since entering the underground area. He had attempted multiple times to peer through the darkness with his Energy Vision Sense; however, something was obstructing it.

'I suppose it's not too surprising that my Energy Vision Sense can't function properly in this place. I expected as much after witnessing the illusion magic bound to the tree.'

Sacred Blade saying that the tree "swallowed him" was not exactly an accurate statement. However, given the level of illusion magic in use, Izroth did not blame Sacred Blade for being fooled.

"Luck as a skill, hm? Now that you mentioned it, I do have one point in my Luck stat. Perhaps that played a part?" Sacred Blade said half-jokingly.

"Ah, that's right; you do have a point in Luck. Maybe it really was because of that. It's regrettable that after all this time, my Luck stat remains inactive." Niflheim sighed as he shook his head.

"It can't be helped. Gaining even a single point of Luck is just too difficult, and ironically, requires a bit of personal luck." Sacred Blade said.

"Is Luck truly that hard to acquire?" Izroth asked.

"Hard doesn't even begin to describe it. But, just so you have a clear picture, Sacred Blade possessed the highest Luck stat in Blue Oasis—tied with six other players." Niflheim revealed.

Izroth was a little taken aback. He knew that Luck was not easy to come by, but he had no idea it was such a nightmare for players to obtain. After all, Izroth's own Luck stat was already at four!

'Now that I think about it...'

When Izroth thought about what he had to do to gain his current Luck points, Sacred Blade and Niflheim's conversation made perfect sense.

From receiving the blessings of not one but two different divine beings to being the first player to land the killing blow on a hardcore raid boss monster—it was only after completing tasks of that magnitude that Izroth was able to acquire any points towards his Luck stat!

...

After walking for approximately five minutes and having a casual conversation along the way, the three reached the bottom of the slope and stepped into a well-lit open area.

However, they were not alone. In total, there were three other individuals present, all gathered around a small puddle of water with a diameter no bigger than 45 centimeters.

"Niflheim, Palace Master Izroth—allow me to introduce you to the three players joining us for this crusade." Sacred Blade said as he stepped forward.