CHAPTER 153: THE ROAR THAT SHOOK THE GROVE

Evelyn, without hesitation, fired a Concussive Shot straight at Ryan, expecting him to stagger or falter for at least a moment. The arrow struck true, but to her surprise it had no effect at all, and he kept charging toward her, relentless, his speed undiminished.

Cursing under her breath, Evelyn tried to switch Aspects, hoping to slip away before he closed the distance. But Ryan, quicker in both thought and movement, struck her with a Judgment that instantly reset the slow. A burst of golden light followed, a punishing strike that shattered her health in a blink. She collapsed to the ground, defeated in an instant.

"What the hell—you used a potion, didn’t you? My slow didn’t even touch you!" Evelyn scrambled upright, glaring at him.

"Paladins have a skill called Freedom," Ryan replied, grinning as though it were the simplest thing in the world. "It makes us immune to slows for a few seconds. So your Concussive Shot was never going to work on me."

"What about my Freezing Trap, then?" Evelyn pressed, narrowing her eyes. "I placed that perfectly. How did you know where it was?"

"That’s where awareness comes in." Ryan’s grin faded into a calm, measured look. "You think your placement is clever, but with a little attention anyone can see it. Hunters should never rely on Freezing Trap as a last resort. A Paladin can break out of it with Divine Shield, and even a regular PvP trinket clears it."

The crowd that had gathered around them pushed in closer, voices rising in a mixture of awe and impatience. Few chances came to hear Ryan talk like this. Normally he leveled alone, his name known more from achievements than from teaching. Yet now, surrounded by guildmates and onlookers, he began explaining class mechanics with the ease of a seasoned veteran.

Reactions rippled through the group like sparks catching fire, the excitement in their voices carrying hints of relief as well. "So that’s how it works!" someone exclaimed, remembering their own recent defeat. "You can really do that?" another said, eyes widening as if a puzzle piece had finally clicked into place. "What a brilliant idea!"

The lessons sounded basic, yet in their guild—small, new, and struggling—they landed like revelations. It was as though pieces of the game that had always been hazy suddenly came into focus. Ryan watched their thoughtful faces without interrupting.

Instead, he accepted a duel challenge from Nightwalker. The rogue looked restless, eager to test his new level 30 abilities. For rogues, that level unlocked a chain of stuns that, used well, could lock an enemy down for seven full seconds. They couldn’t dish out maximum damage while keeping the stuns going, but against fragile opponents it was more than enough to tear through their health.

Against Ryan, though, it was a different story. His heavy armor dulled Nightwalker’s blades until the rogue’s damage felt like little more than scratches.

After half a fight, Nightwalker had only managed to chip away about two thousand health before finally conceding. He flashed a wry smile, clearly worried that if he kept going, he might lose his nerve altogether.

While the others continued debating combat strategies, a sudden shriek split the air. High-pitched and piercing, it made everyone flinch. They looked up just in time to see a grayish-white beam of light descend onto one of the ancient trees in the Cleansing Grove.

The tree itself remained untouched, but the sound was deafening, a roar that rolled across the entire map. Even at this distance, the echo was overwhelming. Everyone in the area would have heard it. To seasoned players, the meaning was obvious: the signal for the daily monster invasion, one of the best chances to earn Willmag Research Society reputation.

"Hold up, everyone. Something’s happening." Ryan raised his voice, cutting short the duels. Too many of them had gotten hooked on sparring in the Grove, forgetting all about turning in quests.

"When something like this triggers, it usually means a regional event," he explained. "And since no one else is here right now, this might be our shot. Let’s go check if there are any quests."

Archress Mageress reacted first, sprinting toward the Grove’s center before he even finished speaking. The others quickly abandoned their duels and followed.

When they arrived, the sight left them speechless. The once-quiet camp was overflowing with NPC troops, all level thirty-five and marching in formation toward the Grove’s outer edges. Ryan pushed through the growing crowd, clearing a way for his guildmates.

Even the least attentive among them could sense it now. Something major was unfolding, something big enough to summon an army of NPC soldiers.

"Look over there! A new quest just popped up—it’s blue! Has anyone seen one like that before?"

Smoking Gun’s sharp eyes caught the marker, barely visible among the cluster of quest icons. Without hesitation, he bolted toward it.

"It’s called [Defend the Camp]," he reported quickly. "Objective is to kill a hundred Corrupted Giant Insects. Rewards are experience, gold, and Willmag Research Society reputation." He frowned, puzzled. "But why’s it blue? The quest looks the same as any other."

"That’s because it’s a daily quest," Archress Mageress explained. "In Verdant Spire, over in the Arid Plains, you can unlock a similar one after finishing the questline and hitting Exalted reputation. You can take it every day for solid rep and experience."

"Then everyone grab it," Ryan said firmly. He gestured toward a faintly shimmering barrier that now surrounded the camp. "With the external shield active, we should be safe enough to complete it."

Inside the barrier, players felt no different, as if the magic wall didn’t exist. But its presence was unmistakable, casting shifting colors across the Grove like sunlight through stained glass.

Just as they finished accepting the quest, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble. From the horizon came a rising rumble, heavy and unrelenting.

Then they saw them.

An army of Corrupted Giant Insects, massive and grotesque, surged into view. The invasion had begun.