Counterintuitive

In-game chat messages cannot be photoshopped or altered, so when Baldhead posted that image in the guild’s chat channel, countless players were left in disbelief.

In The Last Sword, weapon quality is categorized by the glow they emit: white, blue, purple, pink, orange, gold, rainbow… And in the image, the weapon in that player’s hand, radiating an orange glow, was unmistakably a Legendary-tier piece of equipment.

Legendary-tier!

"That player claimed the weapon was stolen from a monster in the Nask Great Graveyard," Baldhead said gravely. "Plenty of players have already sought him out to see the weapon, but he’s gone into hiding."

"Into hiding…"

While everyone was eager to see what a Legendary-tier weapon looked like, the real focus was on the fact that it had been obtained from a monster in the Nask Great Graveyard!

"If that hidden dungeon has a Legendary-tier weapon, what about the boss’s drops?"

"Damn, the big guilds must be going crazy—they’ll definitely try to clear that dungeon now."

...

Just as the players predicted, the major guilds immediately sprang into action upon receiving the news, rallying their forces to conquer the dungeon.

"Miss Su Qiao, the Tenglong Guild and Aoshi Guild are teaming up for this raid. They’ve gathered over a thousand players!"

"Dammit, they moved so fast."

Su Qiao’s expression darkened when she heard the news. "We don’t have enough manpower in this starter village, and our other members can’t cross over from different zones."

"No choice—gather everyone we have left. We’re going in!"

"Understood!"

The Sky Eagle Guild set out, numbering roughly five to six hundred players. But when they arrived at the entrance of the Nask Great Graveyard, they were stunned.

The entrance was packed—wall-to-wall players, easily numbering in the tens of thousands.

"Every guild is here!"

"Wait, organize the team. Don’t start fights at the dungeon entrance—preserve your stamina!"

Solo players were also swarming the area, cramming the entrance, yet no one made a move to enter.

The first to act would be the first to suffer—no one wanted to be the vanguard against that elite monster.

The guild players, too, avoided conflict here. After all, if they fought now, the solo players would swoop in and reap the rewards.

"This dungeon doesn’t limit the number of players who can enter, so the guilds brought everyone they could."

"Let’s just go. No point hesitating."

...

"Su Qiao, your Sky Eagle Guild is always so slow. Just arrived now, huh? Heard you guys discovered this hidden boss but couldn’t even handle an elite monster?"

A warrior-clad man stepped forward, smirking at Su Qiao with undisguised mockery in his eyes. "The Sky Eagle Guild really is useless."

"Hu Tianyu, what’s your problem?" Su Qiao’s face turned icy. "Don’t think just because your two guilds teamed up, you’re anything special. Our guild’s overall strength still surpasses yours."

Hu Tianyu, leader of the Aoshi Guild, merely shrugged. "Overall strength? Your whole team wiped and dropped a level, didn’t they? And you still dare claim you’re stronger?"

"Want to test that theory?" Su Qiao’s expression darkened, but she had no qualms about starting a fight right then and there.

"We’ve got no time for this. The real treasure is inside."

"You—!"

Finally, the guilds made their move, charging into the castle.

Solo players seized the chance to slip in as well, though some were blocked by guild members guarding the entrance. Still, many managed to sneak through.

In the end, it was a chaotic stampede—no one could control the crowd.

"Move out!" Su Qiao ordered. "Let’s go!"

...

Inside the castle, monsters began spawning as players poured in.

Small skeletons emerged, raising their weapons to attack.

But with the sheer number of players present, the tiny skeletons stood no chance—they were instantly overwhelmed.

No treasures dropped from the slain skeletons—not even decent crafting materials.

"These monsters wiped the Sky Eagle Guild?"

Some guild players cut down the skeletons effortlessly, looking puzzled. "These things are weak as hell."

"Who knows? Maybe the Sky Eagle Guild just sucks."

The players advanced smoothly, chatting and joking, feeling none of the pressure expected from a hidden dungeon.

With so many people, their firepower was overkill.

But that impression shattered the moment they encountered the Skeletal Guardian.

The massive Skeletal Guardian stood like an immovable statue, blocking the passage behind it, exuding an overwhelming sense of menace.

Compared to the puny skeleton soldiers, its towering frame and pitch-black shield made it clear—this was on a whole other level.

"This…" The leading guild halted, hesitation creeping in.

"That’s the elite monster that wiped the Sky Eagle Guild?" Hu Tianyu of the Aoshi Guild gripped his shield, glancing between his own and the Skeletal Guardian’s.

There was no comparison.

"Be careful. That thing’s no joke."

At that moment, Su Qiao and her group caught up. Seeing the Aoshi Guild hesitating, she sneered.

"What’s wrong? All that big talk earlier, and now you’re scared?"

"This is called strategy," Hu Tianyu snapped. "Unlike you, who just brute-forced it and paid the price."

Su Qiao scoffed. "Oh? Then by all means, you take the lead."

"Miss Su Qiao, that elite monster hasn’t attacked us because we’re outside its aggro range," Baldhead interjected. "That means there must be something special about the passage behind it—maybe a mechanism?"

"A mechanism?" Su Qiao’s eyes lit up with realization.

"You’re saying we shouldn’t fight it head-on, but find a way to bypass it and disable the mechanism?"

"Exactly. A level 20 dungeon elite shouldn’t be this strong. A direct assault clearly isn’t the intended strategy." Baldhead was certain.

It defied logic.

A hidden dungeon in a starter village having such a high-level elite monster made no sense.

After all, his intel had never mentioned anything about an elite this overpowered.

"Then let’s try it!"