The game has become a real alternate world

On a blood-red, dark land.

Dark clouds hang low overhead, allowing only a faint glimmer of sunlight to pass through.

The entire land is perpetually shrouded in the gloom of rainy weather.

The vegetation and trees on the ground appear as if stained black by blood-red, becoming bizarre and twisted.

In the dark environment, a creepy discomfort arises.

"This damned place, inhale~ exhale!"

A human scout, cloaked and hunched while walking, cursed under his breath.

"Shut up, focus if you want to stay alive." There seems to be another scout ahead, possibly the captain.

There are several other companions nearby.

They are spread out widely, but each one is cautiously observing as they advance.

Observing while noting some details, whether it's the vegetation or the geographical environment.

This is clearly a scout team.

Suddenly, a slight feeling of tinnitus emerges.

All the scouts instantly froze in place, like sculptures, not moving at all. As if engaged in some statue-playing game.

Once the feeling passed, they relaxed.

And continued forward.

"Whoever discovered this, truly impressive." One of the scouts couldn't help but say.

If no one had discovered this, they don't know how many would have died during reconnaissance.

He had heard numerous accounts of this happening before.

A considerable number of scouts and reconnaissance soldiers have perished here.

Had they received similar reconnaissance missions here before, they would almost treat them as missions bound for death.

"It wasn't one of ours, heard it came from the Church's side." Another scout said.

"Let's move quickly, we need to gauge the enemy's movements."

Previously, quite a few scouts had already identified different scales of enemy gatherings.

It's clear the enemy is preparing to make a big move.

They must venture ahead to understand the enemy's movements, to make sufficient preparations in response.

Thus, they traversed between the eerie forests, stepping on the blood-red dark earth.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, some kind of roar came from closer proximity, eventually turning into a wolf's howl.

With these two sounds echoing, as the team remained vigilant, the captain decisively gave the order.

"Everyone! Disperse and retreat, quickly! We've been discovered!"

Evidently, this wasn't his first reconnaissance here.

Though uncertain why they were discovered, decisively running back to bring the current intel is the priority.

Upon hearing this, the other team members promptly responded, immediately scattering and fleeing.

The enemy had evidently surrounded them, swiftly maneuvering through the jungle.

From the sky, the sound of giant bats flapping their wings was heard.

The captain scout circled a few times, then quickly ran towards the return route from a more distant location.

From the sky, the sound of wings flapping was heard.

He realized he was being targeted.

With the bats' cries, a massive body swooped down directly in front of him, blocking his path.

This was a creature clearly larger than other giant bats, featuring a unique saddle on its back.

A pale-skinned figure clad in light armor, holding something resembling a magic staff, descended from it.

Upon seeing this person, the scout's eyes widened. It was their first time seeing a real member of the Blood Race face-to-face.

In most cases, they faced the reconnaissance teams of the Blood Race, consisting of Ghouls and giant bats.

The real Blood Race was only encountered during the surprise attacks a few months ago when they were driven back to the fortress.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Gazing at the Blood Race descending from the giant bat, the scout assessed the situation.

Can you win?

The chances are slim.

Can you escape?

The chances are slim.

He could only try.

With the assessment made, he acted decisively. Uncertain of what he was clutching, he immediately flung it forward.

A few pellets flew out.

The Blood Mage, with a gentle wave of the magic staff.

A horizontal stripe of blood directly smashed onto the pellets, but they exploded, releasing a large cloud of ash enveloping the surroundings.

Incidentally, some of the blood was blown apart, causing the gray-white smoke to mix with a bloody scent.

Taking the opportunity, the scout immediately dashed into the nearby mountain forest.

His body began to fade into the darkness, becoming concealed within the shadows between the big trees.

Clearly, he was noticeably different from an ordinary scout; he was a professional.

He wielded the Power of Shadow Magic.

The tinnitus sensation returned, causing him to remain still within the shadows.

Meanwhile, the Blood Mage emerged from the ash, appearing displeased.

However, the pale, emaciated face of the Blood Race made it difficult to discern his expression.

Most of the Blood Race had already lost control over facial expressions; more resembled expressionless cold figures.

Pulling with the magic staff towards a certain direction, he unexpectedly yanked the hidden scout out from within.

"This... impossible!" the scout captain exclaimed.

Even with hints of discovery, it shouldn't be so immediate.

He was somewhat confident in his concealment.

Yet, the enemy knew where he was the entire time, making his concealment a joke.

"Fool."

Uttering a curse, the Blood Mage gently waved the staff. The scout suddenly felt something in his body draining away, a kind of pain, then his strength waned, collapsing down.