Chapter 116: Entering the Land of Plague

Entering the Chaos World
Anchoring to the Domain Selected
Beginning Assimilation of Character with Chaos Domain Laws
Entering Anchored Domain: Land of Plague
Date: Chaos Calendar, Year 3660, March 6
Location: Land of Plague, Crusader Fortress

Additional Notes: This is an anchored order scene; damage between descendents is reduced by 50%. Descendents can check their personal attributes anytime via the Chaos Mark.
Tip: Temporary skill 'Insight' acquired; can view target status. The scope of detection depends on perception differences.
Tip: Your appearance has been altered and will automatically revert upon returning to the main world.

After a brief teleportation, Chu Cheng set foot firmly on the ground and opened his eyes to see a towering ogre passing by.
His gaze instinctively followed the ogre’s departure. Behind the ogre was a mechanical gear framework holding two flintlock guns, with two small goblins quarrelling over them.

Looking around, the uneven plaza was crowded with ‘people.’
More precisely, various races: humans, orcs, dwarves, elves, gnomes, goblins, minotaurs, and a considerable number of ogres.

Chu Cheng was not surprised. In other domains, humans and orcs were mortal enemies, but in the Land of Plague dungeon realm, humans and orcs were allies. They shared a common eternal enemy—the undead.

Before entering the dungeon, the data had provided detailed information about the scenario.

Within this dungeon, a powerful necromancer turned lich had raised an undead army sweeping across the land, causing the near extinction of most races. The remaining intelligent beings united to form an alliance, retreating to the final bastion—the Crusader Fortress.

All descendents enter this dungeon at the Crusader Fortress and start with friendly alliance reputation.

There were no messy side quests or fixed storylines here, unlike other academic-level dungeons. The only main plot was the alliance’s counterattack against the undead.

Each time the dungeon cycle began, the alliance launched an offensive against the undead legions.

Because of the lack of a fixed storyline, the strategy, success, and progress of the counterattack varied with each cycle.

Additionally, resources and undead configurations were randomized each cycle, rendering most experience and strategies from previous runs useless—like starting anew each time.

Chu Cheng surveyed the bustling Crusader Fortress plaza. People came and went busily, yet no merchants were hawking goods.

It was lively, yet chaotic!

He activated the regional channel with a thought and immediately saw lively scenes hidden beyond the dungeon.

“Phoenix Squad attacking Ruins Camp, recruiting another squad, or three to five solo mercenaries. Pay: 3 gold per person; loot is free for all.”

“Long-term purchase of Soul Shards at 3 silver 20 copper per piece, Soul Essences at 22 silver each, Necromancer Essences at 11 silver each.”

“Long-term purchase of Mithril Ore at 2 gold 5 silver per unit.”

“Selling death protection potions and shadow protection potions of all levels, as well as purification potions. Discounts for bulk purchases.”

“Long-term purchase of all kinds of ores, supermarket prices minus 10%. Buy as many as you have.”

“Gold-rank team—Thunder Squad—organizing a hunt for the Four Horsemen of the Scourge, recruiting five DPS. Reward: 5 gold per kill. Priority to casters and tanks. Tanks receive an additional 5 gold bonus.”

All descendents communicated through the regional channel. Chu Cheng didn’t know how many had entered this dungeon, but judging by the frequency of messages, there were likely several hundred.

Although the Tower of Stars held numerous dungeons, not all were popular.

Some dungeons had harsh environments; some had difficult monsters. Various factors combined to make some dungeons popular while others remained desolate. The Land of Plague was large, teeming with monsters and bosses, rich in resources, and among the most sought-after dungeons.

Considering this was his first time in a high-level dungeon and unfamiliar with the situation, Chu Cheng decided to find a team to join. He sent a message to the gold-rank Thunder Squad:

“Captain, are you still recruiting?”

“Yes. What’s your class and level?”

“Tank, level 27.”

“Only 27? Are you a freshman this year?”

“Yes.”

“Uh, you’re too low level. We’re hunting the Four Horsemen of the Scourge—transcendent-tier bosses. You might not be able to hold the line.”

“I have 5,000 HP!”

“Huh?”

“Really?”

“Ahem. If that’s true, it might work. Where are you?”

“At the fortress gate.”

“Come outside the fortress. We’re near a large pile of bones on the right.”

“On my way.”

After ending the communication, Chu Cheng headed toward the city gate.

As the final bastion of the Alliance of Intelligent Beings, the Crusader Fortress was magnificent. The walls were over twenty meters high, black with a metallic sheen, adorned with various war machines and weapons.

The massive gate was closed; one had to use a hanging basket to descend. The ground outside the gate was littered with shattered bones, shrouded in a faint gray deathly mist. As soon as he stepped outside, a chill swept over him.

Beyond the gate stretched a desolate wasteland devoid of any greenery. Bones of various creatures were scattered everywhere, many pierced with decayed arrows.

To the right of the gate was a large bone pile surrounded by a dozen or so people who seemed to be discussing something.

Chu Cheng walked straight over. Immediately, a burly man clad in ornate plate armor approached and called from afar:

“Are you Chu Cheng?”

“Yes!”

The man sized him up, also dressed in splendid plate armor.

“For everyone’s safety, I need to check some of your basic attributes: HP, resilience, and defense.”

“Of course.”

Chu Cheng summoned his panel and shared his HP, resilience, and defense stats.

The man glanced over the numbers, his eyes flickering slightly before nodding:

“Alright.”

“Though your level is low, your HP is extraordinary. Your combined HP and defense are enough for a tank. We’ll pay the recruitment fee of 5 gold per Scourge Rider plus 5 gold tank subsidy as agreed. How about that?”

“Sounds good!”

“Welcome aboard!”

Chu Cheng noticed he had been added to a temporary team channel. Upon joining, the leader Thunder welcomed him and introduced his role.

There were twelve members in the team, most warmly welcoming his arrival.

Chu Cheng thanked them and waited quietly nearby.

Elsewhere, a man with a braided ponytail carrying a staff whispered to Thunder:

“He’s only level 27; can he really tank?”

Thunder said nothing but sent Chu Cheng’s shared data.

“Take a look. Notice anything?”

The braided man glanced at the data, then suddenly understood, surprised:

“A legendary hero class?”

Thunder nodded:

“Having 5,000 HP below level 30 is impossible with just 500 constitution. It’s unlikely to be from gear or skills. The most probable explanation is that he has a legendary hero class. The legendary hero template gives 20 HP per point of constitution, enabling such a high HP pool.”

“Hmm, no wonder.”