The vortex portal opened wide.


    Nearly all the yers in the game couldn''t wait to step through, their emotions a mix of excitement and anxiety. The[Flowing Light and Dense Realm]was reputed to be filled with rare equipment and materials.


    However, opportunity came hand in hand with danger—each yer only had one chance!


    Upon entering the portal, everything went dark. It felt like speeding through a tunnel, and in just a moment, they arrived in the[Flowing Light and Dense Realm].


    Each yer''s teleportation point was random, but all were ced at the periphery of the secret realm.


    "Wow, this ce is gorgeous!" Vicky eximed, her face lighting up with excitement as she took in the surroundings.


    The lush green grass underfoot was incredibly soft, and a gentle breeze added to the serene atmosphere.


    It was dusk, and the moon bathed thend in a silvery glow. Fireflies dotted the dense forest in the distance, lending an almost fairy-tale quality to the scene.


    "That''s probably where we need to go." Irving said, gazing into the distance.


    A towering mountain loomed far away, emitting a strange, dark red glow from its peak—a stark contrast to the lush, vibrantndscape around it.


    "Looks like a volcano!" Vicky remarked.


    Many yers who had entered the realm also had their eyes on the volcano, with some already making a beeline towards it, eager to be the first to arrive.


    Just then, the system notification sounded again.


    [The Flowing Light and Dense Realm has officially opened.]


    [Friendly Reminder: All yers are currently at the edge of the secret realm. Head towards the dormant volcano, where numerous treasures lie hidden within its ruins.]


    [The first yer to open the treasure box will receive the rarest reward in the Flowing Light and Dense Realm. Note: Once the treasure box is opened, all other yers will be forcibly ejected.]


    [The adventure begins!]


    [Countdown: 04:00:00]


    All yers received the system notification simultaneously, their hearts racing with anticipation for the hidden "treasure box" within the volcano.


    Yet, only one lucky yer would ultimately im it!


    "Irving, we better start heading over there, or it''ll be toote." Vicky urged, unable to contain herself. However, when she turned to look at Irving, she noticed his deep, contemtive gaze fixed on the forest teeming with fireflies, as if lost in thought.


    "Irving, what''s on your mind?" Vicky asked, puzzled.


    Irving shook his head slowly and said, "Let''s take a walk around the perimeter first."


    "Take a walk?" Vicky felt as agitated as an ant on a hot pan.


    She wanted to dash straight into the forest, especially since the system had just indicated that the first to reach the volcano would get the most precious reward.


    "Do you really think the treasure will be that easy to obtain?" Irving chuckled.


    Even in reality, fortune doesn''t fall from the sky for no reason, let alone in the perilous Other World.


    Not far away, there were about ten yers quickly heading towards the forest. Before they left, they nced over in Irving''s direction, their eyes carrying an odd look, seemingly discussing something.


    "What''s that guy doing just standing there?"


    "Who knows, he''s probably admiring the scenery. His brain must be waterlogged."


    "Let''s ignore him. Let''s hurry through this forest. As long as we reach that volcano, we''ll have the chance to obtain the treasures within this secret realm!"


    These ten-odd yers were from a newly established small guild, half of whose members were warriors—the burly bearded man leading them was a formidable Level 9 warrior.


    Closebat warrior yers were powerful, not fearing any direct threats at the same level.


    In a moment, the figures of these yers disappeared into the dense forest. However, not even a minuteter, heart-wrenching screams erupted from the direction they had gone.


    "No! Stop!"


    "Help me, my leg!"


    "It''s too terrifying, run…"


    The screams didn''tst long before the forest returned to quiet.


    Seeing this, Vicky was rooted to the spot.


    While the small team wasn''trge in number, over half were warriors. Logically, even if they encountered danger, they shouldn''t have died so quickly, let alone without a single one escaping.


    Vicky felt relieved they hadn''t rushed directly into the forest. She looked at Irving and finally realized just how correct his decision had been.


    Soon.


    The two began to aimlessly stroll around the edge of the forest.


    However, they saw no other yers for a long time. After receiving the system prompt, most yers had eagerly entered the forest, naively thinking that whoever made it to the volcano first would get the reward.


    Such a mentality was far too simplistic…


    Suddenly, the pet, Little ck, who had always been trailing behind them, seemed to discover something and suddenly ran in a certain direction.


    Irving furrowed his brows and hurriedly led Vicky to follow it.


    "There seems to be someone there!" Vicky eximed.


    Not far from the forest, a yer covered in blood was crawling out, his eyes filled with terror, constantly ncing backward.


    "Help! Is there anyone out there? Help!" The yer screamed hoarsely, desperation etched on his face.


    Suddenly, arge shadow shed in the forest, and a huge spider pounced on the yer, immediately biting down on his face.


    The yer swung his arms to try to shake off the spider, but in just a moment, his body stiffened, and he fell silent.


    After its "prey" stopped moving, the spider spat out countless white silk threads to bind the yer''s corpse, then began pulling it towards the forest.


    Upon seeing this, Little ck barked furiously at the spider near the edge of the forest.


    Irving and Vicky also arrived there.


    From the moment they spotted the yer crawling out of the forest to their arrival, less than half a minute had passed. However, the battle had alreadypletely ended.


    The weapon dropped by the fallen yer indicated that he was also a warrior with a strong physique. Yet, surprisingly, he had no ability to resist the spider at all.


    "How could this happen..." Vicky couldn''t help but take a few steps back. The initial excitement in her beautiful eyes gradually gave way to a trace of fear.


    [Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider]


    [Level: Intermediate High-tier]


    [Description: The Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider is massive, covered in a dark purple exoskeleton adorned with intricate golden patterns. Its head features a pair of enormouspound eyes that provide a 360° view of its surroundings.


    The most striking feature is the pair of fangs at the end of its forelimbs, which are sharp, long, glisten with a cold sheen, and possess powerful attack capabilities. These fangs can also inject neurotoxic venom…]


    As Irving''s wand emitted a series of glows, the information about the exotic beast appeared before his eyes.


    "No wonder." Irving murmured to himself.


    An intermediate high-tier exotic beast had incredibly formidablebat capabilities, roughly equivalent to trainee hero-level yers, around levels 11-12.


    Most yers were still below level 11, in the novice stage, and stood no chance against such an exotic beast.


    The yer who had barely escaped was likely paralyzed in seconds after being bitten by the [Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider]due to the neurotoxic venom.


    "Irving, it looks really terrifying. We should get out of here quickly." Vicky said as she hid behind Irving, averting her gaze from the[Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider].


    Despite having significantly improved her mental fortitude after two rounds of cataclysm.


    She still had a natural fear of creepy crawlies like cockroaches, mice, snakes, and spiders.


    Irving had not brought the exotic beast army into the secret realm this time for two reasons. First, thest battle had almost wiped them out, leaving only four exotic beasts, which wouldn''t be of much help.


    Second, he had anticipated that the exotic beasts encountered in the secret realm would be far stronger than usual.


    This[Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider]might be the breakthrough he needed.


    "Little ck, attack!" A glint of excitement shed in Irving''s deep eyes.


    Unlike other yers, Irving''s eyes shone with excitement rather than fear at the sight of the [Poisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider]. He had entered the secret realm not just for treasures.


    Upon receiving themand, Little ck immediately assumed abat stance, its body enveloped in ayer of purple mes as it charged towards thePoisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider.


    Irving followed closely behind. To prevent thePoisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider from escaping, he quickly cast the skill [Gravity Swamp].


    An observable wave rippled through the air.


    Affected by the increased gravity, thePoisonous Fang Paralyzed Spider''s speed slowed significantly. Realizing it couldn''t retreat into the forest, it abandoned its freshly caught "prey" and fixed its blood-red eyes on Little ck.


    "Be careful!" Irving shouted in rm.


    Vicky, watching from behind, felt a surge of anxiety, her mind shing back to the fate of the team of ten that had perished in the forest. Her expression grew tense. But then, she heard something unexpected.


    "Be careful not to kill it." Irving said, a smile spreading across his face.