Chapter Seventeen: The Emblem of Flame

[Global Announcement: Foundation Reserve Staff “D1106” has eliminated University Reserve Trainee “U127,” achieving the first kill!]

Announcement!

Another announcement!

Players participating in the closed beta on the Killing Isle were thrown into turmoil by the repeated global broadcasts. Many who lacked sufficient strength were astonished at how swiftly D1106 had cleared the insect nest. While their stats and skills made dispatching ordinary larval shadow devourers a breeze, dealing with elite-level foes was much more challenging. Most hadn’t even encountered the boss before suddenly hearing someone had secured the first kill of the insect nest.

But that wasn’t all. Within just four or five seconds, the player who claimed the first kill appeared again—and once more, it was D1106 from the Foundation!

This time, players capable of soloing smaller insect nests began speculating about D1106’s true identity. Most of them knew “U127” was the codename for Huoze, who had managed to collect five seals. That such a powerhouse was defeated so early in the livestream assessment caused many to cast suspicious glances toward the current leaderboard leader.

Ember!

Could it really be you?

Some players, intent on taking down the frontrunner, began to waver. If even someone as formidable as Huoze was no match, did they stand a chance? Meanwhile, others interpreted the two system broadcasts differently: Huoze was in the midst of clearing the nest but was robbed of the first kill by Ember, even sacrificing his own life. This convinced them to focus on hunting Ember, scouring the island in pursuit.

“U127... isn’t that Huoze? Just like that, he’s dead? I really want to applaud D1106, but as a member of the Nine Hexes, I have to say something. Sigh... what a pain!”

Dressed in rugged denim, the weary and storm-battered player sighed deeply, then, having recovered some stamina, launched a final assault on the Shadow Devourer Queen before him.

Elsewhere, Bai Jiujiannong, fully aware that D1106 was Ember’s codename, swiftly and decisively killed the Shadow Devourer Queen with a critical crossbow bolt, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Could his damage really be higher than mine? No wonder he’s confident enough to treat me like a tool! If I have to duel him, I must strike first! Hmm, if necessary, a sneak attack wouldn’t be out of the question. Eh, I’ll think about that later—first, let me see what loot I can find. It’d be pointless to work hard just to get points... Hehe, I even found a Flame Emblem—what luck!”

As many beta testers landing on the island marked Ember as their target, the discussion group erupted again.

An insider player with the ID “Piercing Insight” posted Ember’s inferred stats to the group, comparing them with the near-flawless Huoze’s profile and voicing his doubts.

“This makes no sense! Ember’s power level should be at least eight to counter Flame Impact, but he clearly doesn’t meet that criterion. Could he have taken two evolution potions and leveled up to ten? But the info from the Singularity says no player had reached level ten before the livestream began. Ember couldn’t have just killed the Shadow Devourer Queen and leveled up instantly, could he?”

“Wow! Where did you get all these stats from, expert?”

“Same question!”

“For those on the Killing Isle, I know about thirty percent of the accurate data; over a hundred players were rejected. By analyzing all this info, it’s easy enough to estimate the range during beta. But Ember must have something beyond current data—probably related to clearing Life Forbidden Zones above Hard difficulty.”

“Did you notice Ember glowed just now? If you don’t believe me, watch the replay. Though Flame Impact is dazzling, you can still see something off.”

“Holy crap! Such keen observation! Looks like Ember either used a protective item or triggered a special skill to counter Flame Impact. His power level really isn’t eight—he’s slightly weaker than the extreme power specialists!”

“Could there be an existence with power higher than level seven? Level seven power already matches all my attributes!”

“Of course! Newbie talents that boost power can erase level differences. So far, no one’s found any effect of the Will attribute on the Killing Isle. Maybe that’s Ember’s fatal weakness!”

...

[Notification: You launched a “Charge” at player “Huoze,” dealing 37 points of direct damage.] (30*1.5-8)

[Notification: Judging... Judgment successful! Target’s power level is three, not exceeding your power level plus one. “Ram” effect triggered. During the ram, any collision causes the target to take damage twice.]

[Notification: Player “Huoze” suffered 42 points of ram damage, health dropped to zero, disqualified from the Killing Isle challenge.]

[Notification: You have killed a player, earning one kill point.]

A total of seventy-nine points of charge damage instantly killed Huoze, whose maximum health was only forty-five.

This reminded livestream viewers of another truth: no matter how strong a mage is, they fear close combat. Losing their safe distance, magic users are as fragile as thin ice against explosive warriors. This made the audience realize that Ember’s dominance atop the leaderboard was no fluke—his damage output must vastly exceed the average.

But despite Ember’s easy counterkill, only he knew the real danger. The relentless Huoze, chasing peak damage, had indeed been terrifying. His explosive fireballs combined with Flame Impact had shaved nearly half of Ember’s health. Thanks to the Sun’s Radiance granting Ember a super armor effect, he ignored the knockback; otherwise, he might have been worn down like a helpless dog.

“Huoze—another member of the Nine Hexes. I remember he had five seals. Such strength forced me to use a survival skill.”

Ember furrowed his brows, confirming he couldn’t underestimate any opponent. Noticing Huoze left no loot behind, he returned to the makeshift operating room to pick up the Shadow Devourer Queen’s drops: a Shadow Devourer Egg worth five hundred credit points.

“Better than nothing. I’m broke as it is.”

Pocketing the egg, Ember began searching for the Flame Emblem. His keen perception led him to a corner of the operating room where he found it.

...

[Flame Emblem] (Core Item)

Type: One-time consumable

Effect: Increases 20 health points and 10 sanity points; effect lasts until the assessment concludes.

Description: A flame emblem forged from eternal fire. Though its effect can’t match the Sun Emblem, it remains a rare and precious item.

[Notification: This item cannot be taken out of the current assessment space.]

...

“Nice luck!”

Ember smiled faintly and immediately used the Flame Emblem. Compared to the other two emblems granting Sun Body and Sun Radiance effects, he preferred a solid boost to his base combat power. Raising his health to one hundred made him more confident for future encounters with Huoze.

“Game time hasn’t even hit five minutes yet. A great start!”

With a hint of joy, Ember pulled up the island map and set his next destination—a small town near the hospital. The map labeled it “Maple Leaf,” but like the hospital, it was now in ruins. This deepened Ember’s curiosity—why would anyone live in such a cursed place?

Driven by the desire for answers, Ember headed toward Maple Leaf. At that moment, the livestream view shifted away from him.

“Hey! Why the switch? Put the camera back!”

“Yeah! I was watching just fine. Why change the view?”

Perhaps Ember’s fiery scenes had been thrilling and exciting, stirring the audience. Many protested the change, but their attention was quickly captured by the new battle unfolding on screen.

This time, the spotlight fell on another leaderboard leader—not one of the famous trio—and someone Ember had never met. Not a Taoist priest, but his combat style was completely different from previous university players. His weapon was a wooden sword, but it carried a lightning effect. Coupled with his own electric sorcery and eccentric fighting style, he looked every bit a wandering Taoist.

“Don’t be mistaken. That wooden sword isn’t a Taoist’s weapon—it’s a custom-designed abnormal weapon. After the official launch of ‘Abnormal Paradise,’ you’ll be able to customize your weapon’s appearance within reasonable limits,” the host explained in time.

On screen, the non-Taoist was unleashing chained lightning, crackling explosively to stun large groups of Shadow Devourers. Visually, this far outshone Ember’s seemingly modest display, so no one protested the camera switch this time.

“Pfft! What’s so fun about magic? Flashy but hollow. When I get into the game, I’ll beat all of you down.”

By contrast, Miaomiao preferred watching Ember fight. She rolled her eyes at the flashy non-Taoist, teasing, “When I beat you, you never acted this cocky.”

Meanwhile, no longer the focus of the livestream, Ember was already dashing toward Maple Leaf.

This town was even more dilapidated than the abandoned hospital. Every building in sight was half-collapsed. After walking a while without encountering any Shadow Devourers, Ember noticed a toppled newsstand. Curious, he approached and found a tattered, partially legible yellowed newspaper inside.

“December 2nd, 9101... Wait, that’s a year before the game’s timeline. Could it be people lived on this island a year ago?”

Puzzled, Ember examined the paper carefully. He was lucky to find a headline: “Tap Water Quality Deteriorates; Maple Island Residents Urged to Cease Use. Water Company Investigating Causes and Will Provide Clean Water Until Improvement... If not a pipeline issue, groundwater must be contaminated. Judging by this, the pollution warning was just issued. The island must have suffered a catastrophic event, with the mutation process accelerating rapidly. Otherwise, so many valuable items wouldn’t remain in the hospital.”

[Notification: You have triggered the main quest—“Reconstruction”!]