Before leaving the novice village forest, Alex performed a quick scan through his inventory.
He had obtained a second [Snake Backpack] and decided to take advantage of his synthesis ability.
He activated the synthesis process and combined the two identical items.
Ding!
[Synthesis Complete!]
[Snake Backpack + Snake Backpack = Python Backpack (Legendary)]
[Can store up to 250 items, up to Legendary rank.]
A satisfied grin formed on Alex’s face.
His inventory space had just increased significantly, providing him with enough room for all the rare items he hoped to collect during the upcoming event.
“Perfect,” he thought, stashing the newly synthesized backpack into his inventory.
Now, Alex turned his attention to something even more important: his prized [S-Rank Shadow Egg].
“Hey, panel,” he called out. “Show me the S-Rank Shadow Egg.”
Ding!
A panel appeared before him, showing the shadow egg inside a blue square, standing still.
Beneath the egg was a notification that read:
[Needs an S-Rank Seal Card to Hatch.]
But Alex wasn’t focused on hatching it just yet.
Instead, he wanted to try something else—something potentially game-breaking.
[Potential Extraction is available.]
He couldn’t use his ability on a living being.
For example, the moment the egg began the hatching process, there was no way he could enhance it.
But what about when it is still in its egg form?
He didn’t know if it would work, but it was still worth the try.
He eyed the egg carefully, and then whispered, “Potential Extraction.”
Ding!
[Do you want to use ‘Potential Extraction’ on ‘S-Rank Shadow Egg’?]
Alex smirked.
This was exactly what he hoped for.
“Yes.”
Ding!
[Extraction successful! You have enhanced ‘S-Rank Shadow Egg’ to ‘SSS-Rank Shadow Egg’!]
[Your pet was supposed to be a ‘Night Howler Terror,’ but it has now evolved!]
It worked.
The process had elevated his pet from an already powerful S-Rank to the ultimate tier: SSS-Rank.
Alex could feel his excitement build.
In most cases, companions could grow to be as powerful, if not more powerful, than their masters.
This SSS-Rank pet was going to be an absolute beast, capable of turning the tide in any battle.
“Nice,” Alex muttered, satisfied.
Just as he finished admiring his newly enhanced egg, a notification popped up in the corner of his vision.
Ding!
[StarPillow: Where are you?]
It was Alice.
Quickly, Alex pulled up his [World Map] to check her location. She was standing at the entrance of Dawn City, waiting for him.
[FateBreaker: Coming, don’t worry.]
Without wasting any time, Alex made his way toward the city.
Along the way, he noticed numerous players struggling with preparations for the Toxic Forest event.
Many were desperately trying to gather ingredients to make poison antidotes, while others were panicking over the high cost of buying them outright.
Twenty minutes later, Alex arrived at the entrance to Dawn City, where Alice was waiting for him.
She looked as radiant as ever, a small smile of relief on her face as she spotted him.
“Finally, you left me behind, you big jerk!” she teased, but her tone was light-hearted.
“Sorry, I was busy preparing for the event. Here, take this,” Alex said, pulling out several poison antidotes from his new [Python Backpack] and handing them to her.
“Oh?” Alice raised an eyebrow, impressed.
Archers, in comparison to most classes, get a starter inventory that can hold up to 500 slots, a good advantage that can help them store not only arrows, but items from any rarity too.
That is why Alice didn’t need a backpack, archers never needed one, as when they upgraded their profession, their inventory size increased too.
It was just to make it convenient for them.
“So, what do we do now?” Alice asked, tucking the antidotes away.
“Well, I’ve pretty much prepared everything,” Alex said with a shrug, “so we just need to head into the event.”
“Damn, you keep treating me like I’m a baby by doing everything yourself!” Alice pouted playfully.
Ignoring her banter, they decided to head into the city for some final preparations.
The knights and members of the church eyed Alex warily, but his reputation was just high enough to avoid any trouble with them.
After a quick stop at the alchemist to check for any last-minute supplies, the two of them logged out for some rest.
…
The next morning, Alex awoke to the smell of breakfast—well, kind of.
Alice had tried her hand at cooking, but it didn’t exactly turn out as expected.
You couldn’t expect someone that had been sheltered, with a dozen private chefs, to be good on their first try.
“Is it good?” she asked, her eyes hopeful.
“Uhm… no,” Alex replied honestly, though he took a few bites anyway. “But I’m sure you’ll improve.”
After a quick meal, it was time to get back to business.
[Toxic Forest Event: 4 minutes remain]
The event timer was ticking down in real-world time, meaning there were just a few more minutes before the action started in the game.
[Do you want to join ‘Universal Descent’?]
“Yes.”
…
In an instant, both Alex and Alice were teleported back into the game, appearing at the entrance to Dawn City.
The city was packed with players, all of them scrambling to prepare for the Toxic Forest event.
“Selling cheap antidotes!”
“Looking for a party!”
“The alchemist is out of stock—someone help!”
Chaos filled the streets as players rushed to buy antidotes or find parties to join.
The poison mist would only dissipate once the event ended!
Without the antidotes, they wouldn’t survive the poison mist that filled the forest, which meant they wouldn’t be able to collect any points or claim any rewards.
Alex didn’t care about the commotion.
He was fully prepared.
His main focus now was earning enough points to secure that SSS-Level Seal Card he needed to hatch his enhanced pet.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[One minute remains!]
The game made a global announcement, reminding everyone that the event was about to start.
Alex checked his map.
The gray mist that had previously obscured the [Toxic Forest] had been replaced by a detailed map of the area, showing a dense forest with several key locations marked.
This event revealed itself to be much more juicy than expected by many.
Thus, all the major guilds would participate.
The [Night Howler Apocalypse] was an event you were forced to participate in if you were inside the first city.
But the [Toxic Forest Event] was something you had a choice to participate in or not, meaning that it became ten times as popular and wanted!
Especially with the rewards already displayed!
As the clock hit zero, another announcement rang out:
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[The Toxic Forest landmark has been made public. Players may now enter and begin earning points by defeating monsters.]
[Note: There is no ranking. Points are all that matter.]
[Don’t forget your poison antidotes!]
The antidote market had exploded overnight, with the price of a single antidote rising from one silver coin to five.
Any avid businessman would have had an orgasm at this return, Richard included, maybe.
But Alex didn’t need to worry about that.
He had already prepared plenty for both himself and Alice, and planned to sell the leftovers.
They made their way toward the forest, passing by countless players who were struggling to buy antidotes or join last-minute parties.
As they approached the entrance, a green mist loomed over the forest—thick, toxic, and deadly.
“That’s strong,” Alice gasped as she stared at the mist in awe.
“That’s low-level poison,” Alex corrected her, his tone calm. “We’ll be fine.”
Before stepping into the mist, both Alex and Alice pulled out their antidotes from their inventories and drank them.
Ding!
[You are now immune to poison for 59:59 minutes.]
“Let’s go,” Alex said, his voice firm as he pointed toward the forest.
And with that, they both stepped into the toxic wilderness, ready for whatever challenges awaited them.