Chapter 111: Golden Fortune City XVII
The growls grew louder, shaking the stone underfoot. Dust fell from the cracked gates as they were struck again. The bronze metal screeched before bursting open a second time.
[ Wave 2 – Begin ]
A flood of Ironfang Gnolls charged through. Bigger than the Beastlings, they carried jagged axes and wore scraps of rusted armor. Their eyes burned yellow, and their howls echoed across the city.
"Stronger ones this time!" someone shouted.
"Focus fire, don’t let them surround you!"
The streets lit up as players unleashed their skills.
A Flame Dancer spun into the fray, her blades trailing fire as she cut through three gnolls at once, the flames bursting outward with each strike.
Beside her, a Runic Guardian slammed his shield into the ground. Blue sigils spread across the cobblestones, forming a barrier that blocked the gnolls’ charge. Arrows and spells rained down safely from behind his wall.
Farther down the street, a Storm Caller raised his staff, chanting as clouds swirled above the city. A bolt of lightning crashed down, splitting a gnoll in half and leaving the others stunned long enough for a group of spearmen to finish them off.
Rhys stepped into the fight only when a gnoll came at him directly. He raised the Ruinous Darkness Blade, its edge shimmering as [Water Blade] cut through the creature’s axe and chest in one motion. A Tier 1 Gift Box dropped into his inventory.
Around him, players were shouting, cheering, and pushing forward.
"Gift Box! Tier 2 this time!"
"Nice! Higher drops already, that’s fast."
"Hold formation, don’t let them scatter us!"
The gnolls fought harder than the Beastlings, but the players’ combined power pushed them back. Explosions of light, fire, and ice filled the streets. Every class showed their worth—assassins striking from shadows, priests chanting blessings that healed wounds, even beast tamers unleashing their companions into the fight.
Within minutes, the last gnoll fell, crushed under a hammer swing that cracked the ground.
The system’s voice rang out again:
[ Wave 2 Complete ]
[ Total Monsters Defeated: 187 ]
[ Wave 3 will begin in 45 seconds ]
Players caught their breath, some grinning wide, others already nervous.
"They’re coming faster. Third wave’s never easy."
"Good. That’s when the real rewards start."
"Drink up, get ready. This city’s streets are about to drown in monsters."
Rhys wiped the blade clean, eyes never leaving the gate. The power gathering beyond was stronger, heavier. He could already tell—the next wave would test everyone much harder.
The gates groaned again, though the gnolls’ corpses had barely cooled.
[ Wave 3 – Begin ]
A thunder of paws shook the earth. From the dust burst Crimson Horn Boars—hulking beasts with tusks glowing faintly red, snorting sparks with every breath.
"Boars! They’ll charge straight through formations—spread out!"
The warning came too late for a party that stood too close together. Three boars barreled into them, tossing armored players into the air like dolls.
But a Gravity Binder stepped forward, slamming his staff into the stone. Purple runes lit beneath the beasts’ feet. The boars slowed mid-charge, as though caught in a swamp of unseen force.
"Now!" someone shouted.
Arrows whistled down, lightning bolts cracked, and a Sword Saint dashed through the slowed monsters with six strikes so fast they looked like flashes of silver. Three boars collapsed in unison.
One survivor squealed and rushed at Rhys. He met it with [Whirlwind Slash], his blade glowing as it spun in a wide arc, splitting the beast open and knocking back two others behind it.
When the last of them hit the ground, loot sparkled across the bloodied cobblestones.
[ Wave 3 Complete ]
[ Total Monsters Defeated: 241 ]
[ Wave 4 will begin in 40 seconds ]
The air grew colder. Frost licked the edges of the broken gates before the next roar echoed.
[ Wave 4 – Begin ]
Frostbound Wargs padded into the city, their fur like icicles, their eyes pale blue. Their breath froze the air itself, leaving trails of mist where they prowled.
"They’ll freeze us solid—watch your spacing!"
The first warg leapt high, aiming straight at a healer in the backline. Before it could land, a Meteor Monk rose into the air with a flaming kick. His foot connected mid-air, smashing the warg down with a burst of fire that left a crater in the street.
A party of frost mages tried to lock down the pack with their own ice, but the wargs resisted—until a Sunfire Cleric raised her censer. Golden flames washed over the ground, melting the enemy’s frost aura and empowering allies with resistance.
Players shouted in awe.
"Clerics can do that?!"
"She just countered their whole element!"
Rhys cut through one warg’s throat with [Swift Cut], then whispered, "Puddle."
The ancient beast appeared at his side, eyes glowing. With a flick of its tail, [Shadow Tendrils] erupted, binding three wargs as they thrashed, helpless. Rhys finished them with a scalding [Steamburst Edge].
The rest of the wave broke quickly, thanks to the cleric’s blessing.
[ Wave 4 Complete ]
[ Total Monsters Defeated: 303 ]
[ Wave 5 will begin in 30 seconds ]
A heavy drumbeat began beyond the gates. Not music—footsteps. Marching.
[ Wave 5 – Begin ]
The gates shuddered and split open further as Bronze Legion Ogres entered. Each stood three times the height of a man, wielding crude shields and jagged halberds. Their bronze-plated skin gleamed in the torchlight.
The frontline faltered.
"They’re elites! Tough hides, high defense—!"
An ogre swung its halberd like a tree trunk, sending five players flying.
That’s when a Runescribe leapt forward. His hands blurred as he carved glowing glyphs into the air.
"Inscription: Sundering Seal!"
The rune detonated against the ogre’s chest, carving a crack into its bronze skin. Arrows and spells immediately poured into the weak point, staggering the beast.
Another ogre slammed into the ground, sending shockwaves down the street. But a Phantom Dancer appeared behind it in a shimmer of afterimages, her twin blades leaving marks of shadow flame across its back until the giant toppled.
Rhys fought side by side with Puddle, their movements seamless. While he struck with [Vertical Slash], Puddle unleashed [Light Bullets] that pierced exposed wounds, each kill dropping higher-tier loot into their inventories.
[ Wave 5 Complete ]
[ Total Monsters Defeated: 379 ]
[ Wave 6 will begin in 25 seconds ]
The streets were littered with glowing loot boxes, blood, and broken cobblestone. Players panted, some already chugging potions, others yelling to reorganize.
But Rhys’s gaze stayed on the widening gates.
He could feel it.
The real test hadn’t even started yet.
The air quivered as though the city itself was holding its breath. Then, with a sound like mountains grinding together, the gates split wider than before.
[ Wave 6 – Begin ]
Out marched the Ironhide Trolls—towering brutes with mottled green skin plated in slabs of natural armor. Their clubs were made of uprooted trees still dripping with sap, each swing capable of shattering walls.
"Those things regenerate—cut deep or they’ll stand right back up!"
A Berserker howled, his axes blazing crimson, and threw himself into the fray. He hacked through a troll’s knee, severing the joint, but before it could topple, the wound began knitting itself back together.
"Damn it!" someone shouted.
From the rooftops, a Plague Harrower raised her staff. Sickly green fumes poured down, coating the trolls. Their wounds sizzled, regeneration faltering as poison rotted their flesh.
"That’s it—keep the pressure!"
Players surged forward, hammering at the slowed trolls. A Stormcall Arcanist raised both hands, drawing down a spear of lightning from the sky. It struck an Ironhide square in the chest, splitting its torso with a thunderous crack.
Rhys wove between two of them, his sword flashing with a watery sheen. He whispered a spell, his blade blooming with steam. [Steamburst Edge] cut through one troll’s throat, leaving a scalding wound that refused to close. Puddle finished it with [Abyssal Grasp], dragging the body into writhing shadows until it stopped moving altogether.
When the last troll fell, players erupted in cheers. Loot boxes glittered like stars across the battlefield.
[ Wave 6 Complete ]
[ Total Monsters Defeated: 448 ]
[ Wave 7 will begin in 20 seconds ]
The cobblestones quaked again. From the cracks in the ground, a low hiss spread.
[ Wave 7 – Begin ]
The streets flooded with Venom Serpents—slick, scaled monsters no longer than a man, but numbering in the hundreds. Their fangs dripped neon-green venom that hissed wherever it touched stone.
"Too many—!"
Panic rippled across the plaza. Lines broke as serpents swarmed feet and legs. A tank stumbled, screaming as poison burned through his greaves.
"AOEs! Blast them all at once!"
A Pyrelord answered, spinning his massive blade. A ring of fire surged outward, incinerating dozens of serpents in a single breath. Another player, a Wind Dervish, spun into a tornado of slicing gales, sweeping whole clusters off the streets.
Still, serpents slipped past the defenses, fangs striking out at the rear.
Rhys moved fast. [Magic Missile] darted from his hand, knocking serpents back before they could coil around fallen allies. Puddle swept its tail, releasing [Dark Mist] that clouded the serpents’ vision, making their strikes wild and clumsy.
In the chaos, a Shadow Archer fired arrows that split mid-air, striking five serpents at once. A laughing Drunken Fist Brawler stomped another into paste, spinning in a haze of swaying punches.
The wave ended in carnage, but players had held.
[ Wave 7 Complete ]
[ Total Monsters Defeated: 603 ]
[ Wave 8 will begin in 15 seconds ]
Rhys wiped blood from his cheek. Around him, players were sweating, pale, gripping their weapons tighter than before. Some had already burned through half their potions.
And still—the gates groaned wider.