Yae-hime shot up from her bed, staring in astonishment at the sudden appearance of the Artifact Rankings. “Rakshasa finally got her hands on the divine sword… wait, no, this is the Abyss Crown!”

The third artifact in the world had officially appeared on the rankings. Placed just beneath the two Chaos Artifacts, it shone brilliantly, drawing all eyes to it.

“I’ve never seen this artifact before…” She lightly touched the crown on the list, and instantly a set of information appeared before her. Only the artifact’s name and its appearance were shown; all other details remained hidden.

Yae-hime could say with absolute certainty that this artifact had never appeared in her previous life.

“What on earth is happening?” she muttered in confusion. One thing, however, was certain, the game’s progression had already exceeded her expectations. Just like reality itself, it had veered off the normal trajectory and was now advancing toward an unknown future.

For Yae-hime, this was hardly good news. Yet, it was also unavoidable. Ever since her rebirth, everything she had done had been pushing this change forward.

“The advantage of my reincarnation is vanishing at an alarming speed. I have to expand my edge again!” Clenching her fist lightly, Yae-hime’s expression gradually turned serious.

From this ranking, she felt a pressure unlike anything she had ever known. Just then, the system notification suddenly chimed.

Ding! Attention, all players on the Linhnan server. A mysterious dungeon has opened.

You may explore it freely.

Rewards: unknown.

After hearing the announcement, Yae-hime froze for a moment, then quickly turned back to the Abyss Crown.

This artifact had appeared only moments ago, and already the system was announcing the opening of a mysterious dungeon. Even without thinking too hard, it was obvious the two were connected.

“The player holding the Abyss Crown must be the key to this dungeon.” If she could find that person, she could join the dungeon quest, or even seize the activation item for herself.

“No, it’s bound to be targeted. After all, we’re talking about an artifact.” As she closed the ranking, Yae-hime muttered under her breath.

Beep beep!

At that moment, her inbox signaled new mail. With a light tap, she saw a message from Rakshasa.

Princess, did you win this artifact from a lottery draw?

I wish… unfortunately, no.

She gave a wry smile as she sent her reply.

* **Meanwhile, in Dorado, United States, inside a branch office of the CIA.**

Mira received the directive from her superiors almost immediately. Just as before, their task was to locate the artifact’s owner.

“Find them as quickly as possible? Easy for them to say. The only artifact holder we’ve successfully identified so far is Princess with her Chaos God Ring. As for the other mysterious artifact, there’s not even the slightest trace of information.”

Leaning back against the sofa, she spoke with clear dissatisfaction.

“This time it should be a little easier though. At least we know the person is somewhere in Linhnan, Cathay,” said the female colleague sitting beside Mira.

“True. With this mysterious dungeon opening in the Linhnan server, everything points toward the Abyss Crown being involved.” Mira nodded.

“Tell me, do you think this artifact could have been obtained by Princess?” her colleague teased.

At that, Mira fell silent for a moment, then shook her head. “Highly unlikely. From what I know, she should still be out at sea.”

“But can’t you still log in to the game from the sea?” her colleague asked in puzzlement.

“You can, but only if you’re near the Linhnan coast. Because the game’s servers are divided by region, and once you cross that boundary, you can’t log in. At least until the servers are merged, that won’t be possible.” Mira explained patiently.

“So that’s how it is. Judging from the speed of that battleship… no, that fisheries patrol vessel, it should be entering the Linhnan waters very soon, right?” Her female colleague raised the question.

“Indeed.” Mira gave a faint smile. “But you’ve overlooked one thing…mental exhaustion. Think about it. After such an intense battle, do you really think she still has the strength to mess around in the game?”

Even if she had a little energy left, the chances of acquiring an artifact in such a short time were practically zero. She added this calmly.

Clearly, Mira was underestimating Yae-hime’s resilience. But even if Yae-hime had the stamina, she would hardly be inclined to run around in the middle of the night. Besides, artifacts were things one encountered by chance, not something that could be forced through effort alone.

Her colleague found Mira’s reasoning quite convincing. Then she added, “Since the target is so clear this time, I wonder how many countries will get involved.”

“Not sure. Probably quite a few. Unfortunately, I can’t leave here for the time being because of that sea monster incident.” Mira’s tone carried a trace of frustration.

“True enough. That sea monster was terrifying, like a natural disaster,” her colleague said, her face paling slightly.

“We’ll leave the Cathay side of things to Maria,” Mira concluded.

“By the way, Mira, between you and Princess, who’s stronger?” her colleague shifted the subject.

“P-probably me, just by a little. But since we’ve never actually fought, it’s hard to compare,” Mira replied, her eyes shifting evasively.

“As expected of you, Mira.” Her colleague’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

“Alright, enough of that. I’ll log into the game and see what’s going on.” Mira stood, stretched lazily, and then returned to her room.

By now, the game forums were already in complete chaos. No, not just inside the game—the outside world was equally ablaze. All major powers had fixed their sights on Linhnan, Cathay. It wouldn’t be long before this quiet southern land was roiled with undercurrents, danger lurking at every turn.

Especially in Roc City, where Yae-hime resided. The number of people who wanted her dead far exceeded those merely seeking the artifact’s holder.

In Huadu, inside a luxury hotel suite owned by the Zhang Corporation, a terrible scream suddenly erupted.

“Aaaahhh!” Taurus clutched his head, his face contorted in agony, cold sweat streaming down his body.1

Every time he closed his eyes, he was haunted by the memory of what had just happened. The pain, as if his very marrow had been sucked dry, was far too vivid, far too horrifying!

After a long while, Taurus finally managed to calm down, gasping heavily for breath. He had never imagined in his wildest dreams that S.K.Y., the one who had always behaved like a dog behind him, hiding and pretending to support him, was actually such a terrifying monster!

“Ha… ha… that guy stayed behind me, growing stronger in secret, pretending to play support, all for this… wait, my equipment!” The thought of losing his Epic gear, and the Shadow Horn, sent him into a panic.

But going online now was out of the question. If S.K.Y. was still there camping his corpse, logging in would mean throwing his life away.

After pondering for a moment, Taurus thought of a solution. He would send guild members to scout the situation first. Only after confirming it was safe would he log back in.

Equipment was valuable, but his life was worth far more. After all, in this game, death meant not only dropping equipment and experience but also enduring the so-called “perfect death experience”!

At the same time, outside Jade City, a pitch-black draconic creature wreathed in the aura of death suddenly spread its wings and soared into the sky. Upon its back sat a man crowned with a diadem, his eyes glowing crimson, his entire body shrouded in deathly energy.

It was none other than S.K.Y.

He gazed into the night sky, his lips moving faintly.

“I hear it…the call of the Abyss.”