Volume One: Tales of the Novice Village

Chapter One: Winter Ice

Arrogance, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust...

The seven original sins of humanity form the source of all evil, and also constitute the seven perilous, insurmountable levels of Blackflame Mountain—the land of the end in "Eternal Radiance." At the deepest point of these seven levels, in the shattered grand hall of the Blackflame Palace, a pillar of black fire shoots skyward, piercing a hole through the rolling black clouds above.

Warm sunlight pours through, washing away the ever-present black flames of Blackflame Mountain. A gigantic, ferocious figure struggles and howls within the pillar of black fire. As the sunlight cascades down like a waterfall, the black figure, like a moth plunging into a candle flame, lets out earth-shattering, mournful screams, then dissipates into wisps of black smoke, vanishing into the air.

"Foolish creatures! You think you have achieved final victory just because you defeated the great Blackflame Lord? Without the restraint of me, the Blackflame Lord Ankarrama, countless legions of dark demons will become mad dogs unleashed. You beings who dwell in the world of light will never understand the true relationship between light and darkness... Gahahaha..."

A voice as cold as a blade in the winter night, trembling with shudders, echoed through the black palace. The response to the Blackflame Lord was the masses covering the mountains and plains. All kinds of radiant lights shimmered from their strange armors and robes, and the thunderous cheers that followed the Blackflame Lord’s fall rose from the foot of the mountain, sweeping toward the summit like a gust of wind, rumbling through the sky like spring thunder in an instant.

At the very center of the group stood six people, each dressed differently. One of them, a warrior wielding a crimson greatsword and clad in blood-red armor gleaming with dark golden light, looked up at the man in a white robe to his right and said slowly, "In this epic quest to conquer Blackflame Mountain City, your 'Proud Snow Under Heaven' guild contributed the most people and effort. President Grace Carter even broke through the three Blackflame passes alone. The right to first pick the equipment goes to you. By the way, where is your president? Earlier, she and Elder and Hunter Carter went to hold off three mini-bosses. Why hasn’t she returned?"

The white-robed mage smiled slightly. "After our president, Elder, and Hunter Carter took down the three mini-bosses, she saw that President Walker and the other two had no trouble handling the Blackflame Lord, so she left early, saying she had an important appointment. Before leaving, she instructed me to let President Walker handle the distribution of the boss’s loot."

"An appointment?" the warrior muttered, a cold, sharp smile curving his lips beneath the crimson helmet. "Hmph... Handing over the loot distribution to me. Is this a favor for me to repay in the soon-to-be-launched 'Firmament'? Or is this appointment important enough for all three presidents of your Eastern Alliance to attend together?"

The crimson greatsword traced a dazzling arc through the air, sheathing itself with a hint of wicked brilliance—elegant and sinister, just like the warrior himself. Turning around, the warrior raised his hand lightly, and the thunderous cheers instantly fell silent. The crowd parted to form a long passage, countless eyes shining with admiration and awe as they watched the warrior descend from the summit.

"Lillian Carter, you handle the loot distribution. I’m tired..."

"Yes!" replied a woman with an exceptionally voluptuous figure, bowing her head, her expression complicated as she watched the crimson figure depart.

At the summit of Blackflame Mountain, looking down, the sunlit Blackflame Palace was no bigger than a matchbox. The lingering black flames in the air were swept away by the fierce mountain winds. This was said to be the highest point in "Eternal Radiance." Ordinary players, just standing here, would likely be blown straight off the cliff by the ferocious winds in an instant.

A flash of sword light swept across the dim summit, like a brilliant blade splitting the darkness, finally condensing into a single point of starlight that shot toward a man in pale blue leather armor standing on the platform at the mountain’s peak. The sword light, like a meteor, stirred the air into a buzzing clang as it flew, reaching the man’s face in a blink.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of the man’s lips—subtle, almost imperceptible, as plain as his unremarkable, more ordinary than handsome, face.

Suddenly, two bursts of light flared in the darkness. Two cyan blade auras, like surging flames, burst from the man’s hands. "Ding ding ding..." The sound of blade and sword clashing rang out endlessly. Sword light and blade gleam collided countless times in the air, finally freezing in a scene where two short blades with cyan patterns crossed to block a long, silver-white sword as pure as snow.