Little Pink Starfish

Although the first battle had been won easily, Pei Sen did not let his guard down. The human wave tactic was indeed effective—so far, players had overwhelmed one opponent after another using it.

Still, he couldn’t shake his unease. Not only had this completely changed the players’ progression path, but the way they played the game was now drastically different from the original intention.

The players may seem strong, appearing capable of devouring any enemy like ants consuming an elephant, but Pei Sen knew very well that they were far from without weaknesses—in fact, their weaknesses were glaring.

The terrain of Frost Maple Territory was quite different from that of Lanno Territory. Lanno was situated at the tail end of the Askin Mountains, while Frost Maple had considerable mountainous areas.

Before dusk fell, Pei Sen spotted a figure standing on a low hill in the distance.

“Is that a mage?” Eagle asked.

Though they were inside a carriage, magical eyes set outside provided them with an unobstructed view.

Pei Sen nodded. “Yes.”

Eagle chuckled. “Your people still aren’t strong enough, but they’re improving rapidly. The method we used earlier won’t work here.” He paused. “Tell Aken and Jekko to take a look. If they fail, we’ll go around. Our current strategy works against the Bix clan, but it heavily depends on terrain. Once we lose that advantage, we’re helpless.”

Pei Sen agreed with Eagle—there was no need to engage the enemy here head-on. But the problem was, this was just a hill, and they could still bypass it. Later on, if they encountered a city wall, they would be forced into a frontal assault.

Red Maple Castle, where the city of Red Maple stood, was surrounded by towering stone walls, fully enclosing the largest city in the Frost Maple Territory.

Eagle wasn’t unaware of this; he just didn’t want to see Pei Sen’s people die in vain. Even a human wave tactic had to be supported by favorable terrain—not all places allowed its use.

But while he understood this, Pei Sen looked toward the players already charging toward the hill and sighed. “Too late…”

They had seen the figure on the hill, just like Pei Sen had, and were already charging forward before he had time to issue any tasks.

Frowning, Pei Sen said, “Taking out these mages here might not be a bad thing. If they retreat to Red Maple City and stand atop its walls, it’ll be even more troublesome. At that point, the players won’t even have a chance to charge.”

“Damn it, these NPCs are so dirty!”
“The ground’s full of wooden spikes—watch out!”
“That must be a mage up there. Are they gonna blast us from range?”
“Looks like it. Let’s try circling behind…”
“No use, the whole area is glowing—probably magic arrays.”
“Mages are the worst!”
“They’re not the worst—we need the Bix Magic Cube to unlock mage classes already. With mages, we’d have ways to handle this. Right now all we can do is charge.”

Swordsmen were not long-range classes by nature. While a few of their skills could hit distant targets, they were primarily close-combat fighters.

Among the skills Pei Sen had introduced, only Crescent Slash allowed for a short-range projectile. All the others required melee engagement.

The Red Maple family had turned the hill into a mage stronghold. At the center stood a tall senior mage in a luxurious purple robe, his face proud and disdainful. Around him were seven or eight mages—about half were intermediate level, the rest were beginners. All were his students.

In addition, the area around their position was protected by magical arrays to prevent intrusions.

The Red Maple family had paid a high price to stop Eagle. The elder mage, named Bawen, was somewhat famous in the Principality of Balst due to his greed—if the price was right, he would fight for anyone.

In the recent chaos of Balst’s ongoing wars, Bawen had earned a reputation for flipping sides. It wasn’t unusual for him to fight on one side one day, then switch sides the next if he was paid more. Everyone knew that Bawen didn’t care about loyalty—only profit.

This attitude had its benefits. He was wealthier than most mages and could afford all kinds of magical gear, including expensive array setups, without batting an eye. Of course, all his expenses today would be billed to the Red Maple family.

Thanks to this lifestyle, Bawen made a fortune, and his students—though capable of leaving long ago—chose to stay. As intermediate mages, they were considered valuable assets anywhere, but following Bawen meant guaranteed benefits.

Over time, this mage team became increasingly well-coordinated, rivaling even formal magic squads.

From afar, two members of the Red Maple family continued observing. A red-haired young man said calmly, “Lord Bawen may be expensive, but he’s always worth the price.”

Beside him, a red-haired woman sighed. “But this cost is too high—it’ll take a long time to recover.”

The Red Maple family wasn’t afraid of breaking the bank, but the consequences weren’t easy to absorb.

“If Uncle’s guess is right, then no matter the cost, it will be worth it,” the young man added softly.

Sveig hadn’t told the Red Maple family that he wanted to follow Lady Red Maple into death. But the world wasn’t short on smart people, and the Red Maple family had a few of those.

Even if he didn’t say it aloud, they had already guessed, especially when he sent Rin Star to Casey City—it confirmed their suspicions.

As they spoke, the players had already reached the foot of the hill and started attacking.

Bawen looked at the charging crowd with contempt. “A bunch of foolish swordsmen. Nothing but a disorganized mob.”

Then he raised his staff.

In the Kingdom of Esmia, ice mages were especially popular, but while great at crowd control, they lacked raw offensive power compared to fire or lightning.

Bawen, however, was a fire mage—rare in both Esmia and Balst. He had studied in distant Bonfrese, dreaming of becoming a powerful fire mage. He succeeded, but spent decades there and returned an old man.

Still, his fire-based magic was highly effective in warfare.

A rain of fire descended from the sky. Even fearless players hesitated before the searing heat.

Humans instinctively fear fire. Compared to frost, the roaring flames above were far more terrifying.

From a distance, Pei Sen’s face grew grim. “This is bad. It’s a fire mage.”

Among players, fire mages weren’t necessarily overpowered in PvP. Ice mages often had the upper hand with their control abilities.

But this wasn’t PvP. In this setting, fire was overwhelming.

Especially since all of Bawen’s students were fire mages too.

Visually, it was like hellfire raining down.

“Damn, does the game need to be this realistic?”
“I can actually feel the heat—this is insane!”
“Holy hell, the fire’s turning my avatar’s skin black!” said a beauty-conscious female player.
“Don’t be scared, it’s just fire—CHARGE!”
“Terrifying, yeah, but I’m going in. Even if I get PTSD!”
“Relax, it doesn’t actually hurt—it’s just a game.”
“Yeah! No pain, no fear! Kinda thrilling, honestly.”
“Bro, are you a masochist?”
“Can’t do this in real life, but in-game? Flames actually look kinda pretty.”

The whole place was blazing. It was exciting. In real life, people feared the pain of burning more than the flames themselves.

In-game, the pain was censored. Players realized that the fire didn’t hurt—just felt hot. Once the sensation of pain was removed, it was no longer real danger—just high-end visual effects.

Apart from rapidly dropping HP, there wasn’t much to be afraid of.

“CHARGE!”

Players kept surging forward. Even the beauty-conscious ones joined the fray. After all, even if they got charred, they could respawn as gorgeous avatars later.

The wave tactic, usually unstoppable, was useless here. The uphill terrain made it hard to climb, the obstacles slowed them down, and by the time they got halfway up, their HP was gone.

Despite the sheer number of players, the hill wasn’t big enough for them to crowd effectively. Bix Magic Cube’s physics engine included body collision, so piling up or clipping through models like in traditional games wasn’t possible.

From the mage stronghold, Bawen sneered at their futile efforts.

Bawen sneered at the players scrambling up the hill, only to collapse halfway, reduced to charred skeletons.

The scene was truly horrific.

“Even if they’re supernaturals, so what? Swordsmen aren’t that much stronger than regular soldiers in this situation.”
“And training a swordsman costs way more than training an ordinary soldier.”
“Supernaturals and soldiers are different—they usually value their lives…”

Yet the swordsmen continuously charging forward didn’t reflect that at all!

From a distance, the two Red Maple family members exchanged a look, unable to hide the shock in their eyes.

How could this be? Were there truly supernaturals in this world so desperate to die?

They knew swordsmen well—the Red Maple family raised plenty of them. Even those who swore loyalty would retreat under heavy casualties. But the swordsmen from Lanno Territory showed no fear. They just kept charging.

Soon, charred bones littered the small hill. Even Bawen, usually haughty and prone to taunting, fell silent.

What was with these people? So many had already died… Didn’t they realize they couldn’t break through?

Why were these swordsmen so fearless in the face of death?

The flames roared. Bawen was used to seeing people scream and panic in his firestorms. Yet the Lanno swordsmen didn’t cry out, didn’t flinch. They pushed forward with excitement and courage, melting in the fire but never retreating.

Inside the carriage, Eagle sighed. “This is the Bix clan—born warriors and heroes.”

Pei Sen also sighed. The players were far too reckless. It wasn’t a bad thing for them to face a little setback here. Not every situation could be solved with human wave tactics.

So far, players only knew how to charge and hack. Even now, no player had stood out for leadership or strategy. What they needed wasn’t just bravery—but also thoughtfulness.

Bix Magic Cube was a highly realistic game. Today, a single mage encampment had stumped them. More difficult challenges lay ahead. They had to learn to face them.

“Lord, this is getting out of hand.”
Eagle’s expression turned grave. “Pei Sen, be careful.”

This kind of indiscriminate fire magic made it impossible even for Aken and Jekko to get close. They were hiding nearby, waiting for the barrage to die down before finding an opening.

But Pei Sen had another way.

Eagle knew Pei Sen was already a mid-tier mage. Not only that, he was also a level-three swordsman. While normally no match for a high-tier mage like Bawen, Pei Sen had always kept many secrets.

If Pei Sen said he could do it—Eagle believed him.

But if something happened to Pei Sen today… Eagle narrowed his eyes. He wouldn’t just make the Red Maple family pay with their lives—he’d drag the entire Principality of Balst, and anyone else involved, down with them.

Eagle’s expression remained calm. He didn’t fear death—but he didn’t want Pei Sen to die.

Of course, Pei Sen wasn’t planning to die. Even if he weren’t afraid, thanks to his player panel, he’d just respawn shortly after death.

He could bluff his way through revival in front of players using a racial advantage excuse. But in Bix Magic Cube’s lore, revival wasn’t meant to be his power. That would cause a lot of complications with Eagle.

Plus, dying meant losing experience. He was already over level 40. Dying once would cost him nearly half a level. And post-40 leveling was way slower than before—losing that much XP would really hurt.

Both Bawen and the Red Maple observers noticed Pei Sen stepping off the carriage. They didn’t know who he was, but from his attire, they assumed he was probably a close aide to the Lanno lord.

“What’s he trying to do?” the red-haired young man asked.
The woman beside him frowned. “Trying to stop those swordsmen from throwing their lives away?”

They didn’t know. But the battlefield had turned brutal. Players still charged relentlessly. Even when a few nearly reached the mage encampment, they were instantly immobilized by the outer magic circle and slain by Bawen’s students.

“Don’t panic, guys! Mages should have mana bars, right? They can’t cast forever!”
“Yeah! Once they run dry, we’ll rush in!”

The players didn’t give up hope. Charging head-on was just normal behavior. Even if they lost, they could still respawn. At least they earned contribution points for participation!

“Didn’t hit the boss, but I smashed like ten traps!”
“I even reached the top of the hill for a moment!”

The situation looked bad, but it wasn’t enough to crush the players’ spirits. They kept charging, waiting for the boss to run out of mana so they could storm the hill.

Some even helpfully shouted,

“Track your resurrection limits! If you’re low on revives, stay back! Anyone with 3+ resurrections—up front!”

They were clearly trying to exhaust the mages in a war of attrition.

To outsiders, though, it just looked like mass suicide.

After sustained spellcasting, Bawen did start to tire. His mana reserves couldn’t support endless high-level magic. But no matter—he pulled out a mana potion and drank it in one gulp. Power surged back into him.

From a distance, the Red Maple observers grimaced. They knew this guy would demand reimbursement for the potion later.

Their original plan was simple: once the mage encampment was deployed, these swordsmen would surely retreat. If not defeated, at least stalemated—and a stalemate was what they wanted.

Their red-haired uncle had already gone to Red Maple Castle. They were hedging their bets—intercepting the Lanno lord here, while sending someone to contact Sveig.

The Red Maple family’s strategist had said: if they could stall the Lanno lord for three days, they could persuade Sveig.

But the situation was not unfolding as expected.

These swordsmen… would rather die than retreat!

After Pei Sen got off the carriage, he slowly approached the hill.

The players saw him and were instantly thrilled. Of course the game wouldn’t leave them helpless—here came an NPC to help!

Just like before, when they were overwhelmed by assassins and Sadin had shown up—now they were stuck, and here came Pei Sen.

“Is Pei Sen strong?”
“No idea. But we learned all our skills from him, right? Must be strong.”
“What level swordsman is he? A greatswordsman at least?”
“Maybe. But probably not stronger than Sadin? Sadin was supposed to be the strongest in Golden Rose Manor.”
“What about Ichabod?”
“He’s a greatswordsman too… Why isn’t he fighting? Why send Pei Sen?”
“Maybe Pei Sen’s stronger?”

Pei Sen heard the players’ chatter and couldn’t help twitching at the corner of his mouth.

Sorry, he thought. I’m just a level-three swordsman. Not even close to Sadin. I’m way behind Ichabod too.

Since he had never fought in front of the players, and since all the faction shop skills were swordsman skills, they naturally assumed he was one.

No one knew he was actually a mage.

Now, Pei Sen reached the base of the hill. Flames blazed before him, but he calmly took out a staff.

The players: ???

What the heck was this? A staff? Didn’t the Shadow Engraved Magic Stone say Pei Sen was a highly gifted swordsman?

So why did he just pull out a staff?

Pei Sen didn’t bother explaining. He cast Ice Shield, encasing himself in a protective ring of cold.

As a mid-tier mage, his Ice Shield was enough to protect him from the firestorm. Bawen may have been high-tier, but his spells were all area-based, not precision strikes. Massive spells traded accuracy and damage for coverage. Otherwise, a high-tier mage could have instantly vaporized any sub-mid-tier target.

Players survived the fire because these large spells weren’t at full damage.

Now, they watched in stunned silence as Pei Sen walked calmly into the fire, encased in his icy barrier.

“…So Pei Sen’s actually a mage?”
“No way. The item said he was a swordsman!”
“But look at him! He’s clearly a mage!”
“Uh… dual-class?”
“…Bro, what is this, a power fantasy webnovel? Dual-class my ass!”

Their worldview shattered, the players watched as Pei Sen walked to the center of the firestorm—his calculated strike zone.

Then, from his backpack, he pulled out a huge handful of scrolls.

Yes. Scrolls.

His backpack was full of them. Back in his “main account” days, Pei Sen frequently made scrolls to cover his in-game expenses.

High-tier magic scrolls could store one powerful spell—single-use, wide-range, high-damage, tear-to-use, fast and efficient.

“Sure, I’m only a mid-tier mage,” Pei Sen sneered at Bawen, “but so what?”

A high-tier mage? Hmph. Even if you’re high-tier—I’ll blast you to hell with magic scrolls!

Come on then—let’s duel with AOE spells! Let’s see who survives!