Chapter 620: Saint Monastery (I)

In the Munn Kingdom, there was an unfrequented leveling sacred ground located in the deep mountains of Grenbell. Countless monsters roamed the area and a single trip would not only award a player with chunks of EXP, but also fill their inventory with rare equipment and gold coins. It could also be said that this was the ultimate destination to farm gold coins and rare pieces of equipment for the players in the Munn Kingdom (before it was publicized to all the players). Therefore, in Golden City, often there would be low-level players roaming the plaza and raising their signboards with the words of—'Newbie looking to leech off pros in the monastery'.

And that was referring to the Saint Monastery.

Strictly speaking, it could be considered the gathering place of the Cultists.

The Saint Monastery used to be in the territory of one of the three Archangels, Archangel Serene, under the Light Dragon during the Creation War. However, due to the stalemate and change in situation, Archangel Serene abandoned this territory and the Saint Monastery was buried in historical dust. But some in the Saint Monastery survived like the Elves who escaped to the underground and became the Dark Elves. This organization was formed by Half-Angels and Humans and it gradually changed as the years passed. No one knew if they had abandoned their beliefs in the Light Dragon or the Light Dragon abandoned them. All in all, the members had formed a new, independent radical organization—the Saint Knights, also called the blood heathens by others.

This organization occupied the Saint Monastery illegally and abandoned their glory in exchange for stronger powers. They hated the Dark Dragon and were uninterested in the Light Dragon who had abandoned them. The Saint Knights believed in destruction and death and trusted that everything existed to be turned into nothingness. They were the representatives for destruction and used practical actions to spread the truth of destruction to every corner of the continent.

In fact, they were a group of extremists who engaged in terrorist activities. However, their strength was much more powerful than car bombs.

The Saint Knights were currently living in seclusion and were rarely heard of even within the Munn Kingdom. They became widely-known after the Country of Darkness started the war against the Country of Light and believed that the war was the omen of the continent's perishment and enlightenment by fate. Thereafter, the knights charged out, wreaking havoc everywhere.

Most of the players felt that the Saint Knights were annoying because they fought whoever they met even though they weren't powerful. There would occasionally be times when the Country of Light and Country of Darkness were fighting fiercely and the group of Saint Knights clad in crimson armor rushed out of nowhere, yelling slogans no one understood...

Got to say, not everyone had the courage to 'go against the world'.

Besides, the Saint Knights were known for being fearless. They regarded their death as a part of destruction and it was supreme honor for them to create a more devastating destruction before sacrificing themselves. Therefore, they bugged the Country of Light, Country of Darkness, and Munn Kingdom. No one would be glad when their war was interrupted by uninvited guests. Of course, the Saint Knights appeared rather useful to the players too. This was because they were naturally hostile to the Country of Darkness, which was filled with Undeads and suited the definition of 'destruction' even more. There were many times when Saint Knights rushed out of nowhere and fight to their deaths with the Undead Army when the players were overwhelmed by the Country of Darkness. Although Saint Knights had proven that they were only mantises trying to stop a car, their interruption earned the players some time for them to return to town or something...

However, after the players familiarized themselves with the Saint Knights' every moves in battles, the players discovered that the knights were the best source of EXP.

The Saint Knights were mainly Half-Angels that became Fallen Half-Angels, thereafter. But no matter what, their average levels were high—between 55 to 65—which appeared seemingly frightening. But on the contrary, they didn't possess threatening skills and were easily predictable in their movements. Not only did they have a long lead time, but their speeds were incredibly slow too. Even though they were 'Knights', most of them were infantry and knights were just the minority. In addition, they loved to overwhelm their enemies by charging forward as a whole, which was a thorny problem for equal-leveled players. However, it couldn't get any better for the higher-level players. After eliminating one or two of the Saint Knights, their entire spawn in the map would rush toward the intruder. The higher-level players could blast them over and loot their corpses for equipment without much effort.

Therefore, veterans in the game who led new players would arrive at the Saint Monastery and easily defeat one of the Saint Knights. Then, the Saint Knights would flood toward them while yelling ridiculous slogans and the veterans would wipe them all out.

The players would never get sick of grinding such monsters with high attack, low defense, low speed, few abilities, and provided a chunk of EXP. Besides, although the Saint Monastery was considered the gathering place of the Cultists, there were still rare pieces of equipment left behind from the Creation War. As long as one was lucky, one could earn a huge profit from selling them. Furthermore, the Saint Knights were also generous in their monetary drops...

It was due to this that solo-classes like the Mages, Spirit Swordsmen, and Rangers could grind the Saint Monastery whenever they reached the same levels with the Saint Knights. Even a class like the Thief with low defense and health could rely on traps to farm for EXP. Of course, it was impossible for classes like Shield Warriors and Clerics to grind the area with the same level as the Saint Knights because they didn't possess formidable AOE skills and it was too tough for them once the enemies attacked in waves.

In the game, Rhode's level and wealth were farmed from the Saint Monastery before the Munn Kingdom was destroyed. Thereafter, he established the guild and helped level-up the newbies there too. Therefore, when Lydia handed Grenbell to him, he was immediately reminded of this sacred training ground. However, it wasn't only the EXP, gold coins, and equipment that he valued highly. Instead, it was the two secret items hidden in the Saint Monastery as they would be optimal against the Undead Army.

However, this idea didn't come across his mind previously. Although he was aware that the Saint Monastery existed, he knew that he wasn't capable of grinding the area alone. Even though the players often farmed the area like an EXP bank, it was under the conditions that they were at least the same level as the Saint Knights. Currently, Rhode was still between 10 to 20 levels away from them. Strictly speaking, the Saint Knight's level might be on the high side, but their abilities weren't considered as insane as those who had entered the Legendary Stage. However, Rhode's level was even lower and it would undoubtedly equal to death if he headed to the Saint Monastery in his current form. Moreover, the couple engaged in an illicit love affair in the Saint Monastery wouldn't be easy to deal with...

But it was different this time. Grenbell had become his territory as he had confirmed the expansion of his territorial forces in his system interface, which also meant that Canary and Mini Bubble Gum had a wider activity range now. They had always been trapped in the Land of Atonement and were unable to roam around freely. Although they weren't resentful, Rhode felt that this was unfair to them. Even though the two young ladies weren't considered Humans and were only images from his memories, they could be considered as summoned against their will to a familiar, yet unfamiliar world. It was still great to have two familiar companions even though they were only phantoms.

So, this time, Rhode decided—he would only bring Canary, Mini Bubble Gum into the Saint Monastery and others weren't allowed to follow. Not even Anne, who loved to tag along with him everywhere.

Rhode wasn't worried for the safety of the Fortress at all. Corina had arrived in the Land of Atonement after completing her report to Lydia, but it was impossible for her to enter Starlight's Fortress with her identity. Instead, she used the identity as representing the Elves to be with the members of the Church. With her in the Legendary Stage to watch over the place, Rhode didn't need to worry about anything. Moreover, Gillian was around too and she would come up with all sorts of ideas to teach visitors harboring malicious intentions a lesson.

All this while, Gillian had been lying low and no one except Rhode knew what she was up to. After he got rid of the brazen group of Alchemists, he spoke to her about it and she quietly disappeared without revealing herself even though she was still within the Fortress. Rhode had no intentions of explaining her actions because he had other ideas.

It was late autumn.

The withered leaves fell to the ground and the bald tree branches shook in the chilly breeze that blew from between the mountains, announcing the departure of autumn and arrival of winter. There wasn't a single cloud in the azure sky, leaving an impression of bleak emptiness. Then, a lively voice broke the silence and the colorless world turned vibrant instantly.

"Frankly speaking, I never expected this day where I would see you dressed up as a newbie, Leader."

Mini Bubble Gum turned around and waved her hands joyfully like a vivacious skylark. "Especially when you show us that expression. Hahaha. I can't help but burst out into laughter whenever I think about that. Ah... What a pity. If we were in the original world, I would surely upload a screenshot of that to the forum. Of course, I'd will also charge money for it! The title shall be 'The Number One Player in the Dragon Soul Continent—Rhode's secret adorable side'! I'm sure this would blow up in the forums!"

"That's right, Bubble."

Canary nodded in agreement.

"Rhode and I know each other well in reality, but I've never seen him doing such a thing before anyone... What a pity. I should've kept a screenshot as a souvenir. But since Rhode is willing to take things this far for us, Bubble, we will need to kill the Dark Dragon for him, not to mention the Saint Monastery... Of course. The premise is that the Dark Dragon dares to come to our territory."

"With your current set of equipment, perhaps it is still too daunting for you two to deal with the Dark Dragon."

Rhode shrugged and revealed a glad smile. This was the reason why he brought Canary and Mini Bubble Gum along. He could reminisce the enjoyable feelings of the game and discuss about his level, equipment, ways to grind the dungeon, and how to destroy the BOSS before them. It was impossible for Rhode to discuss about all this with Marlene, Lize, or Anne. After all, they didn't come from the same world and Rhode was merely a passerby in this world.

From a certain perspective, Rhode could be considered a loner in this world. Although he had attained a lot of achievements, they were mainly caused by inertia. This world was exactly the same as the game that he had played in. He was able to gain success in the game and as long as he relied on his experience, he would be the same here. In fact, this was the truth. But, apart from that, Rhode was only a human and he felt other pressures too. In the game, no matter how many people were hostile against him, he could at least be with his like-minded companions to clear dungeons, chit chat, despise and mock the losers who had challenged them. Whenever they were free, they would speak of trivial matters leisurely, share the latest news, and scream 'You dumb*ss, if you don't put in the effort in fighting the BOSS, you can get lost!' when fighting dungeons.

Even if their team was eliminated, they would gather around and discuss about their mistakes.

But he couldn't do so here.

If it was said that Rhode, Canary, and the others fought for their pride and reputation as top players in the game, everything that he did now was to stop the horrifying war that would devour everything. It was impossible for him to goof off before the BOSS and he couldn't tolerate his team being eliminated because not only did this relate to his reputation, but it also concerned his life.

In the game, one could respawn if one was dead. But here... death would be forever.

And now, he could finally lay down the burden before Canary and Mini Bubble Gum and return to being an ordinary player. This was why he didn't allow Anne and the others to follow him because he couldn't possibly have casual conversations with Canary and Bubble with them around. Besides, he would be preaching to deaf ears because they couldn't understand the topic at all.

"It isn't your fault that the equipment isn't great enough, Rhode. But I have to put it up front. If we find the Prayer Suit while clearing the monastery, you can't snatch it away from us, okay?" Canary said as she flattened the creases on her robe.

Both of them were wearing the most ordinary robes without any special magical abilities. In gaming terms, they could be called as plain, insignificant clothes with a simple description of 'An ordinary robe'. Although Rhode managed to get his hands on some random magical equipment in the later missions, they didn't catch the eyes of the two young ladies. It was no wonder as even Rhode didn't want these items...

Besides, with Canary and Mini Bubble Gum's current strength, as long as they didn't meet opponents who were about the same level as them, the weak equipment on them wouldn't matter. Therefore, their requirements for equipment had always been 'beauty' first and 'attributes' second.

"Don't worry, Canary. I will let you and Bubble share the Prayer Suit equally if we find one and I will not snatch it from you."

The corners of Rhode's mouth perked up. Canary nodded in satisfaction before turning to Bubble and discussed about how they should share the Prayer Suit... Suddenly, they heard a loud commotion ahead.

What's wrong?

The trio came to an abrupt halt and exchanged glances curiously.

The rugged mountain roads of Grenbell were surrounded by cliffs and lush forests. The trio strode along the path, turned the corner, and spotted the source of the loud noises. Two groups of mercenary-looking men had unsheathed their swords and were confronting one another.