Online Game: Starting with an SSS-Level Plundering Talent - Chapter 84

Chapter 84: Plotting Against John, Elemental Secret Area

Green Moon was a Level 3 city, surrounded by monsters over level 60, so it wasn’t heavily populated by players.

When John appeared at the Green Moon teleportation point, his arrival didn’t cause much of a stir.

A short Assassin player with a fawning expression quickly ran over, eyeing John cautiously as he asked, “Godslayer, sir?”

John nodded, guessing that this guy must be from the Mike White Family.

The Assassin beamed and immediately said, “Sir, Lord Toby has been expecting you. Please, follow me.”

He led John to a small estate, one of the properties owned by the Mike White Family.

The estate wasn’t large, and a few servants were bustling about—all of them Dark Humans slaves.

John couldn’t help but marvel at the extravagance of the Mike White Family. A single Dark Humans slave cost at least 1,000 gold coins per month.

The expenses for the servants alone in this estate would amount to tens of thousands of gold coins each month.

“Haha, Godslayer, we meet again,” a cheerful voice rang out as Toby warmly approached, arms outstretched.

John frowned and stepped aside, avoiding the embrace.

He had no interest in exchanging pleasantries with this man.

His goal was to sabotage Toby’s plans to build a city, and he was well aware that the Mike White Family wasn’t genuinely trying to recruit him.

Toby didn’t seem bothered by John’s coldness. He simply gestured politely, “Godslayer, please, come inside.”

John, not in the mood for small talk, strode straight into the reception room.

A flicker of killing intent flashed in Toby’s eyes as he glanced at the Assassin player nearby and coldly said, “You’re dismissed. Leave us.”

The Assassin player quickly retreated, and the two maids with pleasant faces in the reception room were also sent away.

Now, only the two of them remained in the spacious room.

John casually took a seat, picked up the cup of tea in front of him, and said calmly, “I’m interested in the terms you proposed. Let’s discuss them in detail.”

Toby waved his hand generously and said, “Godslayer, there’s no need for formalities. Whatever you want, I’ll agree to it.”

“Oh?” A smile appeared on John’s face as he said, “I want to be the head of the Mike White Family. Can you agree to that?”

“Heh,” Toby forced a laugh and replied, “Godslayer, you must be joking. Even if I could agree, the family would never allow it. But any other condition you want—wealth, power, women—you can have it all. You’ll be second to none…”

John interrupted him, asking, “And by ‘second to none,’ you mean?”

“Of course, I mean under the protection of the Mike White Family. With us backing you, no one would dare touch you or your country!” Toby’s tone was filled with confidence in the might of the Mike White Family.

John took a sip of tea, seemingly deep in thought. After a long pause, he finally spoke, “It seems I have no reason to refuse. Let’s consider it settled then—make sure your promises are fulfilled in the real world as soon as possible.”

“You can count on me!” Toby pounded his chest in a show of sincerity, then shifted his tone as he looked at John. “Since we’re all on the same side now, I could use your help with something.”

John smiled slightly and replied, “We’re friends now, no need to be so formal. Just tell me what you need.”

Toby grinned, “Straight to the point. I’m planning to establish a city and could use your help to fend off the monster tide.”

John’s smile widened; he had been wondering how to thwart Toby’s city-building plans.

He didn’t rush to agree, instead taking a moment to think. After a brief pause, he nodded and said, “I can help you. But defending against the monster tide will take twelve hours, so I’ll need compensation—ten thousand gold coins.”

“No problem.” Toby agreed without hesitation, not even blinking at the amount.

He then added, “Would it be possible for those powerful beasts that accompany you to assist as well?”

John casually swirled the tea in his cup, studying Toby’s expression.

It was clear Toby planned to betray him once the city was established.

John shook his head, “I can’t command those beasts. They helped me before because I had done them a favor, but they’ve since left.”

“Ah, I see,” Toby responded, feigning disappointment, though inside, he was delighted. Without the protection of those beasts, his plan would be easier to execute.

He continued, “No matter. I plan to build the city within a Secret Area. With you and my elite players helping, we’ll have no trouble defending against the monster tide.”

John nodded, then asked, “When do you plan to establish the city?”

“This afternoon. Everything is nearly ready. Let’s meet at the south gate at noon,” Toby said, rising from his seat, signaling that their meeting was over.

John inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

He hadn’t realized Toby was moving so quickly—he had nearly let Toby succeed in establishing the city.

“Alright, I’ll be there on time,” John said, standing up.

“I’ll see you out,” Toby offered, escorting him to the door and waving as John left.

As soon as John was out of sight, the smile vanished from Toby’s face, replaced by a dark, calculating look. He turned to the two guards beside him and commanded, “To the City Lord’s Manor.”

Toby then began walking toward the City Lord’s Manor.

Unbeknownst to him, John had doubled back, using a concealment talisman and his stealth skills to silently follow them.

The grand City Lord’s Manor was heavily guarded, but Toby entered without issue.

This is a clear sign that the Green Moon City Lord held him in high regard.

Led by a servant, Toby arrived at a pavilion.

The pavilion surrounded by artificial hills and lakes, an elegant landscape.

In the pavilion, a middle-aged man with a goatee was lounging comfortably on a chair, enjoying a massage from a maid.

The Lord of Green Moon, Dine, possessed the strength of a fifth-tier epic-grade warrior.

As he sensed someone approaching, he didn’t bother to rise from his seat and instead asked calmly, “How did it go?”

Toby, adopting a respectful demeanor, replied, “My Lord, we plan to establish the city this afternoon. But are you certain your arrangements will be enough to capture Godslayer? Don’t forget, he has a legendary-grade pet by his side.”

Despite his confident exterior, Toby couldn’t shake the deep fear he had of Godslayer, especially after several failed attempts to deal with him.

His fear had only grown recently, as he had learned that Godslayer’s pet Avis had advanced to the legendary grade—a fact.

That filled him with both jealousy and rage.

Dine frowned, his expression darkening as he asked coldly, “You don’t trust me?”

“Of course not,” Toby quickly replied. “It’s just that this guy has more than just magical attacks. Last time, my anti-magic charm didn’t manage to trap him.”

Dine waved his hand dismissively, clearly annoyed, and tossed a jade stone to Toby, saying coolly, “A legendary pet is indeed powerful, but at the fourth tier, it’s not capable of causing much trouble. You may go.”

Suddenly, a voice echoed in John’s mind, “Elemental Key!”

It was the voice of the Undead Lord.

Startled, John almost lost his stealth and revealed himself.

Toby carefully pocketed the jade stone without further comment, bowing as he took his leave.

John silently followed him, all the while asking in his mind, “What is the Elemental Key?”

The jade stone that Dine had handed to Toby must be something significant for the Undead Lord to react so strongly.

For a while, there was no response, and just as John was about to give up, the voice of the Undead Lord returned, though fainter this time, “It’s the key to unlocking the Elemental Secret Area. The Elemental Secret Area is a special Secret Area unique to the Dark Humans. Kid, they plan to use this Elemental Secret Area against you. You’d better not enter.”

“Is it that dangerous?” John asked internally.

The Undead Lord replied, “The Elemental Secret Area can seal off magic, and the elemental golems inside are immune to physical damage.”

“Immune to physical damage?”

John was taken aback, immediately thinking of the spectral creatures he had faced before.

But unlike the spectral creatures, which were only partially immune to physical damage, the elemental golems were completely immune.

“Is there any way to counter this?” John inquired.

He knew he had to enter the Secret Area to prevent Toby from establishing the city—otherwise, all his efforts would be for nothing.

After a long pause, the Undead Lord’s voice returned, weaker than before, “The dark, spatial, and lightning magic you control won’t be affected. The strongest elemental golems in a Secret Area opened by a third-tier city lord won’t exceed the fifth tier.”

John breathed a sigh of relief. If the elemental golems were only at the fourth or fifth tier, he was confident he could handle them.

The voice in his mind echoed once more, “Kid, whether you go in or not is up to you. I need to rest now. My soul was severely damaged from saving you last time.”

With that, the voice faded completely, leaving John alone with his thoughts.

John frowned, dismissing the Undead Lord’s words with a hint of disdain.

Indeed, the last time he was under the Fox Demon’s enchantment, it was the Undead Lord who intervened.

However, John didn’t believe the Undead Lord was trying to save him. That strike clearly aimed to kill his soul and take over his body.

Even if the Undead Lord hadn’t intervened, John wouldn’t have been in any real danger.

With his Undying and Immortal talent and the life-sharing connection with the Tree of Life, as long as his soul wasn’t completely destroyed, he couldn’t die.

As for the Undead Lord claiming his soul was weak, John saw this as a potential opportunity to eliminate him.

Unfortunately, without any means to attack the soul or detect the Undead Lord’s presence, he had to set that idea aside for now.

Leaving the City Lord’s Manor, John didn’t bother following Toby any further. He melted into the crowd.

His mind more at ease now that he knew the enemy’s plan.

…

At noon.

A crowd of players, all elite members of the Mike White Family, gathered at the southern gate of Green Moon.

Suddenly, a massive shadow fell over them, accompanied by a howling wind. A gigantic Holy Dragon appeared in the sky.

It was Avis.

Boom!

The ground trembled as Avis landed with a mighty thud, sending a gust of wind that knocked players off balance.

Everyone stared in awe at the enormous Holy Dragon, their expressions filled with reverence and shock.

Avis’s massive body was covered in tightly packed purple scales that gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting a metallic sheen as if forged from steel—something far beyond the players’ ability to resist.

Even Toby couldn’t help but swallow nervously. This was the first time he had seen Avis in his true form, and he felt a pang of doubt, wondering if Dine’s plan could really kill this mighty dragon.

John jumped down from Avis’s back.

Toby quickly composed himself, plastering a smile on his face as he stepped forward to greet John with feigned enthusiasm. “Godslayer, we really appreciate your help this time.”

His warm, sincere smile betrayed no hint of the treachery he was planning.

John couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries. “Let’s get started,” he said curtly.

“Alright.” Toby added John to the party, activated the Elemental Key, and led everyone into the Secret Area.

Meanwhile, back in the city, at the resurrection point, a large contingent of fourth-tier city guards was assembling, waiting to ambush John upon his revival. Their orders were clear: to kill him again and again.

…