...

Clink! Bang!

In the middle of the Rosentarus forest, two people were exchanging blows as their blades clashed.

"Your skills have improved," Niflheim stated calmly.

The next moment, Niflheim pushed forward with his shield as he activated the skill Shield Bash, forcing the person before him to retreat several steps.

Skeeeeech!

Suddenly, a violet energy wave in the shape of an arc raced towards Niflheim.

The wave contained an abundance of mystical energy as it released a high-pitched screech that would cause most people to cover their ears instinctively.

Niflheim strengthened his stance, raising his shield to protect himself from the incoming energy wave!

However, just before crashing into Niflheim's shield, the energy wave dispersed.

"?!" Niflheim seemed surprised by the energy wave scattering on its own accord.

At the same time, numerous sparks of light with colors that covered the entire spectrum began to spread throughout the surrounding atmosphere.

Two sparks of light drifted in Niflheim's direction as they weaved and danced around one another while narrowly avoiding a collision.

But, as if their luck had abruptly run out, the two sparks slammed into each other.

...BOOOM!

A powerful shockwave swept past Niflheim as an explosion occurred where the two sparks touched. However, it did not stop there.

BOOM! BOOM!

After the first two sparks made contact, they started a chain reaction of explosions that rang throughout the environment.

The explosions engulfed Niflheim as he was swallowed by the tide of destruction.

A few seconds later, the sound of explosions finally died down as a wide cloud of dust enveloped the area.

Woosh!

Out of nowhere, a blur emerged from the cloud of dust as a silver streak broke through!

Soon after, the dust cleared, and a gust of wind blew over the battlefield, revealing two individuals standing perfectly still.

One of the individuals was Niflheim with a lowered stance, and the tip of his sword pointed just two centimeters away from his opponent's throat.

Likewise, Niflheim also had a blade pointed at his forehead. However, it was a bit shy of four centimeters away from him.

"It's your victory, Capta- Ah, excuse my rudeness. It's still a bit strange not referring to you as Captain. It's your victory, Niflheim." A voice sounded as the blade being held towards Niflheim lowered.

Niflheim stood up straight and returned his blade to its sheath. The shield in his hands also disappeared as a smile formed on his face.

"No, I would feel somewhat shameless if I counted that as my victory. My class is just a bad match-up for you. Not to mention, your class shines when you're up against multiple enemies. You've improved a lot since we were last together, Sacred Blade." Niflheim said as he gave a satisfied nod.

Sacred Blade was a member of Blue Oasis—or rather, an ex-member.

After Niflheim's "voluntary departure" as the guild put it, many of those who served with him in the 7th Squad left Blue Oasis, and Sacred Blade was one of them.

Blue Oasis tried to brush Niflheim's leave under the rug using the excuse that he left of his own free will. But, Sacred Blade was there that day and knew the truth—he was forced to choose between maintaining his integrity or going back on his word.

Sacred Blade knew what kind of man Niflheim was, and even though he put up with a lot of mistreatment in Blue Oasis, this was the last straw.

Furthermore, Sacred Blade was never on good terms with most of the players in Blue Oasis.

Once he joined, Sacred Blade rapidly climbed through the ranks of Blue Oasis to a core member due to his talent. Unfortunately, this caused a lot of jealousy and hatred to be directed at him from guild members who had been around for a longer time and felt that he stole their spot from right underneath them!

"So? How did you manage to avoid my last attack? You're the first person I've shown it to. I was sure I caught you off guard." Sacred Blade asked curiously.

"It's true that I was surprised at first and I didn't know what to expect. So, I just trusted my instinct. I used Unimpeded Charge to escape from the center of the blast zone. Then, once the staggering effect wore off, I immediately executed Rush while using the dust cloud as cover." Niflheim explained.

"Instinct? I should have known... If you were off by even a few steps with Unimpeded Charge and messed up the timing, you would have been a sitting duck. What would you have done then?" Sacred Blade inquired.

"Who knows? Regardless, everything turned out alright in the end, wouldn't you agree—Palace Master Izroth?" Niflheim said as he turned around and looked up at one of the trees a few meters away.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Izroth clapped lightly as he sat atop a tree branch. He had arrived on the scene a while ago; however, he decided to sit back and watch the battle unfold.

If things got too dangerous, Izroth planned to interfere. But, he had a feeling that it would not come to that. After all, he sensed no hostility from either party involved when their blades crossed.

"I thought it would be a shame if I interrupted your fight when it was just getting interesting. The two of you fought well." Izroth stated as he leaped down from the tree, landing near Niflheim and Sacred Blade.

"Palace Master Izroth, we meet again. Allow me to thank you again for your help during the raid. I only wish that we did not have to depart under such tedious circumstances last time." Sacred Blade said as he respectfully greeted Izroth.

Izroth gave a small nod and replied, "What has passed has passed... Sacred Blade, is it?"

"I am honored that you remember my name despite our brief encounter. What has passed has passed... indeed, these are words of truth. But, at times like this, we can only look ahead." Sacred Blade said calmly.

As Izroth, Niflheim, and Sacred Blade continued deeper into their conversation; the topic Izroth had been curious about emerged at last.

"Hm? Why are we still here? You mean Capt-... Niflheim has not informed you yet?" Sacred Blade looked over at Niflheim with an expression of clear confusion on his face.

"Oh? Informed me of what?" Izroth inquired.

"Well, truth be told, I planned on telling you sooner, but I wasn't able to get in contact with you," Niflheim responded.

"I just recently came back online," Izroth revealed.

"I figured as much. It seems got a bit too sidetracked by our fight and didn't keep a close enough eye on my friendslist." Niflheim stated.

He then continued in a serious tone, "But, now that you're already here, it's probably better if Sacred Blade asks you himself."

"Ask me?" Izroth turned to face Sacred Blade, who had an air of gravity about him. He wondered what was going on that could cause two top players to turn so serious.

"I already owe you, Palace Master Izroth. So, you can consider this as me paying you back." Sacred Blade stated with a slight smile of excitement and a hint of nervousness.

He then tightly clenched his fist and declared, "I've found it, here in Rosentarus—a crusade."

"?!"

'...A Crusade? Interesting. Truly, interesting.'

Crusade—if news of its discovery got out, it would make the commotion that happened at the Great Sea Palace Raid look like a common street brawl.

Unlike dungeons and raids that players could venture through countless times, crusades could only be attempted once—exactly, once.

That's because, after the first group entered inside, the entrance to a crusade would disappear without a trace—permanently!

However, it was also due to this feature that the treasures one could obtain within a crusade were enough to make anyone salivate!

Of course, the most important aspect could not be overlooked in this situation.

If Sacred Blade were telling the truth, then he would be the very first player to have discovered a crusade!

At that moment, Izroth could only inwardly sigh at Blue Oasis' misfortune. If Sacred Blade were still a member of their guild, he would have been obligated to report the crusade to them. But, since he was no longer a part of Blue Oasis, he was free to do as he wished.

In a way, Blue Oasis had forfeited yet another great opportunity!

"Are you certain?" Izroth queried.

"Yes. If the recounts from the beta testers are accurate, then, without a doubt, it is a crusade. It's not too far from here if you want to see it with your own eyes." Sacred Blade mentioned.

"Then, lead the way," Izroth replied without hesitation.

In the end, this was something he definitely had to verify with his own eyes!