Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Secret Passage

In no time, the remaining guild members activated their Return Stones and disappeared from the area.

After two days of continuous combat, they had long passed the cooldown period for using the stones. Now, only Ethan and his four companions remained by the pond.

Ethan glanced at the group, taking note of their varied expressions:

Skyblade looked positively thrilled, his excitement practically bursting out of him. Clearly, Ethan’s earlier words: “This fight only requires the five of us.” had ignited a fire in him. Ethan knew him too well. Skyblade was the kind of hot-blooded youth who could be roused to action with just one sentence.

Slashblade maintained his usual stony demeanor, unreadable as ever. If he had any strong opinions about their suicidal-sounding mission, he didn’t show it.

SeraphWarrior, however, wore his doubts on his face. He clearly found the idea of five players taking on fifteen hundred hard to swallow.

Then there was Meatball, the youngest of the group. His round face showed a mix of fear and exhilaration. He was clearly nervous but also thrilled to be chosen by Ethan for this mission.

Ethan chuckled when his eyes landed on Meatball. The kid was a warlock class, but he was nothing like the typical image people associated with the class. Most people expected warlocks to have a sinister air, tall, thin, draped in dark, ominous robes, their outfits often featuring deep red or black tones. They were portrayed with oversized hoods, and an aura of mystery and dread.

The Warlock players in the game had a similar intimidating vibe, most players leaned into the stereotype, mimicking the style.

But Meatball? He was the complete opposite. Chubby and fair-skinned, he gave more of a younger brother vibe than a dark sorcerer. To top it off, he wore black-rimmed glasses, frames only, no lenses, adding to his harmless appearance.

And then there was his outfit. Instead of the usual warlock attire, his gear had been transmogged into something absurdly wholesome. Transmogrification was a premium feature in the game, allowing players to alter their gear’s appearance to suit their tastes. But it wasn’t cheap. First, you needed to buy outfit templates, which were essentially virtual “skins” sold at absurd prices in the in-game clothing store.

Clearly, Meatball came from money. Ethan could only sum him up in five words: “Chubby kid in black glasses.”

Ethan let out a small laugh. “Alright, it’s just us now. Let’s get started.”

“How are we doing this, Boss? Just say the word!” Skyblade said, practically vibrating with anticipation.

Ethan shot him a pointed look. “First off, you need to follow orders. No charging in without thinking.”

He directed the remark at Skyblade specifically. Ethan knew him all too well, once the fighting started, Skyblade had a bad habit of losing his head and going full berserk.

“Got it, got it!” Skyblade nodded enthusiastically.

Ethan continued, “We’re going to be racking up a lot of red names after this. It’ll be a long time before we can safely return to any city…”

“Doesn’t matter!” Skyblade interrupted. “We’ll have the guild supply us in the field. Who needs cities anyway?”

Ethan ignored him and turned to Slashblade. “If Skyblade interrupts me one more time, feel free to invite your sister to hang out with him tomorrow.”

Slashblade nodded without hesitation. “Understood.”

Skyblade opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say died in his throat.

Ethan smirked at the sight and addressed the group. “Alright, no need to be nervous. Meatball, your job is to apply Aquatic Breathing to everyone but me. Slashblade, you focus on healing and dispelling debuffs, especially anything that slows or roots us. The rest of you, stay close to me. I assume you know how to swing a weapon?”

The group nodded, but the mention of Aquatic Breathing left them puzzled. They couldn’t figure out why a water-breathing buff would be relevant to a fight.

Still, Meatball quickly cast the spell on the team, blue runes circling each member as the buff activated. When he turned to Ethan to apply it to him, Ethan waved him off.

“I don’t need it,” Ethan said, before leaping into the pond without another word.

“Follow me!” he shouted back.

The group exchanged confused looks. What was this? Wasn’t this supposed to be a fight? Why were they suddenly going for a swim?

Hesitantly, they followed him into the water.

[Aquatic Breathing: Grants the ability to breathe underwater, increases swimming speed by 20%. Duration: 20 minutes.]

As they submerged, they looked around but couldn’t spot Ethan. Instead, a seal circled them.

“Follow me,” Ethan’s voice came through the party chat.

The group finally realized, the seal was Ethan.

At Level 20, Ethan’s skill [Transform: Stag Form] had automatically upgraded to [Transform: Travel Form].

[Transform: Travel Form:

On land: Transform into a stag, capable of carrying one passenger. Movement speed increased by 200%.

In water: Transform into a seal. Swimming speed equals or exceeds base movement speed.

In flying zones: Transform into an eagle. Flight speed increased by 500%.]

Travel Form was one of the perks of being a druid. Even before the game introduced mounts, druids could enjoy enhanced mobility for free. While other players had to spend gold to learn riding skills and buy mounts, druids could transform and outrun most ground mounts without spending a dime.

And this wasn’t limited to just land. With forms for land, sea, and air, druids had unparalleled versatility.

For regular players, entering the water reduced movement speed to 40%. Even with the Aquatic Breathing buff, it only increased to 60%. But Ethan’s swimming speed, boosted by Travel Form, remained at 110%, meaning he had to frequently stop and wait for the others to catch up.

About 30 meters underwater, Ethan paused by a cave entrance.

“This way. Follow me,” he directed through the party chat.

The group entered the underwater cavern, the narrow path forcing them to swim single file.

They encountered countless branching paths along the way, but Ethan scouted ahead at every turn, returning to guide them down the correct route.

After nearly ten minutes of navigating the labyrinthine tunnels, they finally emerged into another pond, breaking through a new exit.

Ethan gestured for them to wait. Without explaining, he submerged again and swam toward the surface alone.

At about three meters from the waterline, he activated [Transform: Panther Form] and entered Stealth Mode before slowly ascending further.

The moment he reverted from Panther Form, the game’s breathing timer appeared—a countdown bar indicating how long he could stay underwater without air. Just as the timer reached halfway, Ethan broke through the surface.

As soon as his head emerged, he spotted a small campsite near the water’s edge. About fifty players were stationed there.

“It’s been almost half an hour. Where the hell are those Renegade Alliance guys?” one player asked irritably.

“How should I know?” another snapped.

“They probably used their Return Stones already. Combat cooldown expired over twenty minutes ago. If I were them, I’d have done the same,” said a player with a bit of common sense.

“Exactly. I don’t get why the Guild Leader has us sitting around here. Let’s just go find some low-level players to kill. Way more fun,” another chimed in, clearly annoyed.

Ethan silently observed the camp. The composition of the group was telling, most of them were priests, with only a few damage-dealers standing guard.

Priests, with their slower movement speed, weren’t suited for mobile operations. Their presence here likely meant this was a support unit, stationed to respond to orders and provide backup when needed.

Ethan began clearing the area of potential threats, starting with a few rogues lurking in stealth. He even dealt with two druids in panther Form, their stealth rendered useless against him.

Thanks to several pieces of gear that enhanced his stealth detection, Ethan could easily spot their faint outlines within five meters. Even without the gear, his level advantage—seven levels higher, meant their stealth was practically ineffective against him.

Meanwhile, the rest of his team had crept up just below the water’s surface, hovering less than ten centimeters beneath. Pressed against the pond’s edge, they waited for Ethan’s signal.

Even Meatball had summoned his Demonic Guardian, the towering creature poised for action, awaiting orders.

Once Ethan confirmed all hidden threats had been eliminated, he typed a single word in the party chat:

“Attack.”