"A Tier 7 One-Horned Demon?"
"Just as I thought, this quest is basically like a tower defense game. Inferno faction units attack in waves from low to high tiers. If we hold them off, we complete the quest."
Standing once again atop the Doom Mountains, Ethan muttered to himself before turning excitedly toward Elyra. "Elyra, go ahead and cast a Divine Storm AoE spell."
Because after six hours of rest, Elyra’s mana bar had only recovered to about half.
Just enough mana for a single Divine Storm!
"Gulu gulu..." Elyra nodded immediately, glancing toward Seraphina.
With a mighty dragon cry, Seraphina spread her wings and soared into the sky, carrying Elyra upward!
Her innate skill—Avatar of Light & Thunder—activated once again!
Elyra’s petite body instantly transformed into her Form of Light!
At the same moment, immense and terrifying magical energy surged from within her body!
The energy swiftly condensed into a powerful storm of holy light and crackling lightning, sweeping down like a tidal wave toward the Tier 7 One-Horned Demons below!
In an instant, countless Tier 7 One-Horned Demons let out agonized screams!
Holy light and fierce lightning ravaged their bodies relentlessly, tearing through their ranks like a hurricane, leaving devastation in their wake!
Soon, large groups of Tier 7 One-Horned Demons collapsed onto the ground, forming mountains of corpses!
At the same time, Ethan heard the familiar system notification ringing in his ears.
"Congratulations! Your hero unit Elyra has successfully completed Stage 7 of the S-rank storyline quest—Infernal Outpost Battle! Tier 7 One-Horned Demons slain: 103/1000!"
Simultaneously, Elyra’s hero level shot up once again, reaching level 14. Now, she was just one step away from level 15 and adulthood!
"Man, the system’s really spoiling me. This isn’t an S-rank quest—it’s practically a cheat-level farming session!" Ethan chuckled, wearing a smug grin as if he’d just scored a huge bargain.
Then, glancing down at Cicero nestled lazily in his arms, Ethan said, "Alright, your turn now. No slacking off! The sooner you grow up, the sooner you can help Seraphina shoulder some of the burden."
"Chirp chirp..." Cicero let out a reluctant, sleepy grumble.
But then, with a quick leap, he jumped out of Ethan’s arms, instantly shifting into his battle form, ready to fight.
A fierce, earth-shaking dragon roar echoed through the sky!
In the blink of an eye, Cicero spread his wings and soared upward, charging straight into the savage horde of Tier 7 One-Horned Demons!
At the same moment, a storm-like energy began to gather around Cicero’s massive dragon wings, unleashing a deafening, destructive howl as it surged forward like a tidal wave!
With a single swipe of his dragon claws, hundreds of Tier 7 One-Horned Demons were instantly knocked off their feet, tumbling chaotically across the battlefield.
Cicero let out furious roars, raising his clawed hand as a spear formed entirely from destructive hurricane winds—the Dragonfang Spear—materialized in his grip, radiating terrifying power!
With one mighty strike, a devastating shockwave erupted outward!
Fifty Tier 7 One-Horned Demons exploded on the spot, reduced instantly to bloody mist drifting through the air.
Then, Cicero opened his massive jaws wide—
A terrifying dark-green beam—Venomous Dragon Breath—shot forth, detonating violently in the center of the demon army!
The catastrophic explosion instantly wiped out large swathes of One-Horned Demons, their bodies collapsing lifelessly in every direction.
Blood quickly stained the sulfurous earth crimson.
Barely half an hour later, Ethan—still standing there in stunned amazement—heard the familiar chime of the system notification once again.
"Congratulations! Your hero unit Cicero has successfully completed Stage 7 of the S-rank storyline quest—Infernal Outpost Battle! Tier 7 One-Horned Demons slain: 1000/1000!"
"Stage Completion Rating: SSS!"
"It’s already over?" Ethan snapped out of his daze, eyes still wide with disbelief.
If Seraphina’s fighting style was pure brute force, and Elyra’s was either a quick wipe-out or a swift retreat, then Cicero’s combat style could only be described as pure artistry!
Even though he fought in close combat, Cicero had toyed with the Infernal Legion’s Tier 7 One-Horned Demons from start to finish, leading them around by the nose and dancing circles around them.
This mesmerizing style of combat had completely captivated Ethan, Elynn, Elyra, and Seraphina, causing them to lose track of time entirely, immersed in Cicero’s breathtaking performance!
"When this lazy little guy actually decides to stop slacking off, he’s pretty damn reliable," Ethan chuckled appreciatively. "Alright everyone, let’s head ba—"
Before he could finish his sentence, another urgent system notification suddenly rang in his ears!
"Attention, Player Valkarion! The S-rank storyline quest—Infernal Outpost Battle—has undergone a sudden change! Please be advised: Quest objectives have been updated!"
"One of the Infernal Legions’ Lords, Balzareth—a Tier 10 Inferno faction hero—has discovered that the entire Infernal Legion force sent ahead to invade the main world has been wiped out, and he’s absolutely furious! Balzareth has decided to personally lead the remaining three major units (originally scheduled for the eighth, ninth, and tenth waves of the Inferno faction’s invasion) through the Hell Gate to attack the main world! Player Valkarion, please prepare your defenses and brace yourself for battle!"
"Time remaining until Infernal Legions’ invasion: 23 hours 59 minutes!"
"Mission difficulty has increased, but remains within the same overall difficulty rating!"
Ethan froze for a moment, his expression quickly turning serious. "The mission difficulty just got upgraded?"
The phrase "mission difficulty has increased, but remains unchanged" basically meant that, although the Infernal Outpost Battle mission had become tougher within its current S-level rating, it hadn’t crossed into a higher difficulty tier yet.
That’s why the announcement was worded that way.
According to the original mission plan, after three more waves of Infernal Legion invasions, the mission should have ended. But now...
"Could it be because we’ve gotten SSS ratings every single round?" Ethan muttered thoughtfully, eyes narrowing.
In the world of "Glory Lords X," mission difficulty wasn’t set in stone. After all, this was a fully realized, dynamic world—things evolved and changed based on player actions and outcomes.
So, depending on how missions unfolded and the ratings players achieved, the game’s difficulty could shift dramatically.
Take this Infernal Outpost Battle mission, for example.
The Infernal Legions’ invasion through the Hell Gate was clearly organized and planned. After losing seven consecutive waves without a single survivor, it would be unrealistic if their leaders didn’t react at all...
"But honestly, this might be better. Taking them all out in one big fight sounds way more satisfying than dealing with them wave by wave!"
Ethan grinned, turning toward Seraphina, whose eyes were already blazing with anticipation. "Seraphina, take Elyra to Fury Wasteland and level up a bit. Let’s see if we can get Elyra to adulthood before the final Infernal Legion invasion!"
Level 14 to 15 was a huge hurdle—
and not an easy one to overcome!
Because level 15 marked adulthood, it brought massive changes in maturity, physical form, and overall strength.
That’s why the experience bar from level 14 to 15 was notoriously brutal.
Both Seraphina and Cicero had been stuck at level 14 for quite a while, making them perfect examples. Now, Elyra was about to face the same challenge.
"Yes, Master," Seraphina nodded respectfully to Ethan, then turned to Elyra. "Come on, Elyra, let’s head to Fury Wasteland!"
Elyra excitedly hopped onto Seraphina’s back, cheerfully waving goodbye to Ethan, Cicero, and Elynn as they set off.
Seraphina spread her wings and soared into the sky, heading northwest toward Fury Wasteland. Ethan had always considered Fury Wasteland his favorite leveling spot. Sure, it didn’t have the insane monster density of the Infernal Outpost Battle missions, but it was still a fantastic place to grind comfortably.
If they put in enough effort, even just twenty-four hours there would net Elyra a huge chunk of experience. And with the upcoming final wave of the Infernal Outpost Battle—led personally by an Inferno faction hero—there’d be plenty of opportunities to rack up even more experience points.
Reaching level 15 and adulthood was definitely within Elyra’s grasp!
Thinking about this, Ethan glanced over at Cicero, who was lazily drifting back toward him. "What about you, Cicero? Wanna tag along to Fury Wasteland?"
"Chirp chirp, chirp chirp..."
Cicero immediately crashed into Ethan’s arms, shaking his head vigorously in protest. He gave Ethan a pitiful look, explaining that he was already on the verge of hitting level 15 adulthood himself, so there was no need to grind at Fury Wasteland.
"You really are getting lazier by the day..." Ethan sighed helplessly, knowing full well Cicero was just putting on an act.
Still, he couldn’t help but smile indulgently, lightly tapping Cicero on the head as a playful punishment.
He didn’t push the issue further. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs NoveIꜰire.net
Everyone had their own personality and preferences, and trying to force someone to change was not only difficult but could easily backfire. Besides, Cicero, Seraphina, and Elynn each held a special place in Ethan’s heart.
When you spent enough time together, you naturally grew attached.
As long as he had the resources and confidence to back it up, Ethan didn’t mind indulging them a little. It wasn’t a big deal.
And despite Cicero’s lazy streak, he always stepped up when it mattered most.
He knew exactly when to get serious.
Since that was the case, Ethan saw no reason to be overly strict.
Beep beep, beep beep beep...
Suddenly, Ethan’s communicator started buzzing urgently. Slightly startled, he quickly opened his friend list and saw it was his sister, Emily, trying to reach him.