The allied army retreated from the fallen imperial capital or rather what is left of them. Since the first assault against the imperial capital is broadcasted to the whole world, the dismay of the casual players who were stripped away of their homes inside the game magnified.

The large area of effect attack of the dark god is not the only thing that they learned. When the players revived after the death timer, some of the players immediately refused the second recruitment for the attack force. A terrifying system notification has discouraged the players who have a lot to lose.

[You have been killed by the attack of the Dark God Nyarlathotep. The dark god used a part of your soul to empower itself. If you get killed nine more times with your soul shredding by a dark god in a short span of time, then you will cease to exist.]

The system notification that they received scared almost all the players from attempting a second attack. Some of the refused even if the participation reward is doubled because they do not want to get erased. Players who poured their blood, sweat and tears always fears Character Deletion.

In fact, the players did not know that the attack of the dark god might have exceeded the imperial capital if there were mostly NPCs present in the allied army. The NPCs that died in the attack got all of their souls devoured.

The players were also not dumb to notice that the shields of the priests were mostly directed at the NPCs that were stronger than the players. One thing that the residents of Pandemonium has lost is the trust of the players. The players that stayed behind only wanted the participation reward and nothing more. After a second failure, the players that remained will more likely disperse.

All the ones affiliated with the guilds no longer joined because they now have a different goal. The stream of the Rank One player, Hou Yiwei, garnered massive attention because of three words: God Slaying Weapon.

Hou Yiwei apparently found traces of this weapon when he cleared a mission for the elder dragons. The elder dragons are the highest-ranking dragons that even the dragon kings need to listen to. At first the dragonkin players thought the dragon kings they served were lying but they are proven wrong.

The dragon kings told them that the Elder Dragons are the ones who initiate the Festival of the Dragon King. The Elder Dragons are rather very powerful as they are like gods on the mortal plane but that also came with a burden. The elder dragons were weakened by the dark gods through a poison that not even an Elder Light Dragon or Elder Nature Dragon could cure.

The Elder Dragons cannot access their full power because if they do then the poison they were injected will spread like wildfire in their body. This is the reason why the elder dragons are weakened despite being level 400. They can only release strength that is in the realm of someone in their upper 200s.

The elder dragon gave Hou Yiwei clues on the God Slaying Weapon because he managed to find a rare herb that could alleviate the symptoms of the poison. Even the Elder Dragon that gave the information is not sure if it is true because he just recalled what he remembered.

The god slaying weapon that Hou Yiwei got a hint of is actually like his weapon. It is a war bow that is said to have been possessed by the greatest warrior that could use the bow and two swords. That warrior is said to have ascended to godhood but left his weapon for his inheritor to come.

Hou Yiwei relished the thought of becoming a unique job class where there is only one of you in the world. He actually felt bitter that he was not the first one to unlock one as he has been a pioneer of the game. Soon, other unique job classes have popped up, but he has yet to unlock one.

He saw what happened at the low-level fort and Neo Alfheim. He has seen the videos of a player who managed to unlock the demon race or Daemos. The player is a summoner that could transform and imbue his soulbounds with energy. The player even buffed all the players in the area with him.

Although Hou Yiwei always says to himself to never let fame get to his head, he always felt a prickling sensation in the back of his brain when the demon player is talked about. He did not want to admit that he always like being the subject of the stories despite his fervent refusal of praise.

Nowadays, he could only hear rumors like, 'If that demon player and Hou Yiwei were to battle, who do you think would win?

Another rumor would be, 'Do you think if all the unique job classes were to gather then they might overthrow the world rankings?'

The people no longer held interest on the concept of ranking based on level. They now have an interest in being different. Even Hou Yiwei of jealous of this demon player without even realizing it. When he unlocked the dragonkin race, he got lots of praises for it and it continues even now but the people were hungry.

They general player base wanted to feel excitement. Even Hou Yiwei could agree that he is not different from other dragonkins except for an increase in stats. It was then he found out that dragonkin could evolve and their base form is actually called a dragonewt.

The elder dragon told him that if he comes back with the god slaying weapon then he might have a chance to evolve into a dragonoid. Dragonoids are far different to dragonewts because they would look human but have the presence and power of a dragon.

He got this answer when he asked the elder dragon why demons differ in appearances. He got an answer and that was because the demons evolve into a higher order species. Unlike demons who have chaotic evolutions which could be influenced by different factors, dragonewts could only evolve into a dragonoid upon passing the Trial of the Dragons.

This did not bother Hou Yiwei as he only wanted to become stronger and to be recognized as the best player in the world. It did not escape his ears that Atlas Inc. is planning of holding an Esports event. He knew that he would get more attention there rather than outright challenging the demon player.

The first thing that he needed to do is to find this god slaying weapon that the elder dragon told him about. It seems that it would increase his chances of becoming a dragonoid if he were to possess this weapon. It would also grant him immense fame when he uses it to kill the dark god in the fallen imperial capital.

The only clue that the elder dragon gave him is that the god slaying weapon is located at the land where the sun is most bright. He first thought of the Western Continent because it is the land where the sun gives the most heat which is why he plans on going there without the aid of his guild members.

The elder dragon told him that the god slaying weapons have minds of their own and choose their masters. He wanted to prove that he deserves the weapon by finding it by himself to which his guild members thought as suicide. They knew that a god slaying weapon could not be easily found by an individual.

They are correct in assuming that but does not mean it is impossible. If Hou Yiwei let them come, then he would have already proven himself worthless in the eyes of the god slaying weapon. It is already hinted that the previous owner of the weapon ascended to godhood by himself without the help of others.

He started his journey in the blazing heat of the western continent alone. Even if he was alone that did not mean he is truly alone because he has his mount with him that is a fire bird. The fire bird is a rare type of bird that is said to be a bird that has the blood of a phoenix. The difference from a phoenix is that it cannot revive from its ashes.

Hou Yiwei searched the western continent for traces of the god slaying weapons. Unknown to him that the god slaying weapon is actually at a different continent as the clue said where the sun is most bright not most harsh. Still, his trip to the western continent will make him stronger than he is now.

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"What do you mean by us having a high-ranking member of the Church of Light?" Anastacia asked as she knows it is very tricky to become an enemy of a church.

"I need your help in breaking in at a special area in Abelport. The solution to our problems might be hidden down there. Do not worry as I will be the one who will put himself in danger." Adrian stated with meaningful smile to which Anastacia could only somewhat agree.