The fork in the dirt path diverged in two directions. The one straight ahead to the right would lead to the Gargantuan Cave, and the one in the south going towards the mountain range would lead to the land of the banish dark elves, Dark Ridge Mountains.
The Land of the Banished Dark Elves was located in the southernmost continent of Arcadia. At this point in time, players couldn't access it unless the [World Quest], [Rescue the Dark Elf Prince, Zeroth], was completed.
Elves and Dark elves were at war, so the borders between their lands were closed, and players couldn't access it without clearing that [World Quest] first.
[Rescue the Dark Elf Prince, Zeroth] was a giveaway world quest that was easy to complete since the developers wanted the players to have early access to the lands of the Dark Elves.
However, the player ATP must at least reach the 50s before that since the World Boss of that quest couldn't be defeated with ATP's below 50s.
Ren knew how to trigger that [World Quest], [Rescue the Dark Elf Prince, Zeroth].
However, he wasn't interested in it since the rewards were mediocre at best because it was an easy quest.
Though the reward equipment was rare, it wasn't legendary or an artifact. It was an OP equipment at the start, but more equipment would come sooner that was way better than those.
Although Ren was interested in a single item on the list of rewards. He was thinking of selling the information of that [World Quest] when the [Guild] feature was established, then ask that rewards item as compensation.
Or he could also sell the information for money.
Who knows?
But as of now, Ren's focus was on Isolde and Leonel, who were pushed by the crowds towards the border territory of the Dark Elves.
Everyone viewed each other as an opponent –– a competitor. They were hurrying southwards, afraid that they would miss something or others would hug all the items and monsters.
Ren slightly shook his head.
He leisurely took his time and took a breather at the greeneries around him before the landscape changed to one of dirt and rocks after passing the lush trees.
In less than thirty minutes, Ren arrived at a cave with glowing blue crystals. They were just normal light crystals and couldn't be foraged, but some still tried to attack it with their weapons, thinking that it would yield items. It was comical to see since the crystals just respawn endlessly.
The cave was short and straightforward before they arrived at a cliff with nothing but vast greens below and an open sky above. Forward in the dirt path were shadows of gigantic Rocky Mountains. It was covered in fog and couldn't be seen clearly.
The path leading forward was guarded by two massive stone pillars flanking both sides of what seemed to be the only entrance leading towards the Rocky Mountains and onwards to the land of the Dark Elves. Two towering guards double the size of an ordinary human were guarding the entrance, holding spears in one hand.
Upon closer inspection, the guards have dark skin beneath their armor, long elongated ears protruding from their helmets, and a very menacing look on their faces upon sighting the players.
Dark Elves.
A race that was known for its high magic and physical damage.
Their beauty contended with the white Elves though they were more ragged and barbaric looking than the graceful and elegant white-skinned Elves.
Another significant difference between the two besides the skin color was the ears. Dark Elves have large elongated ears, while white elves have pointy ears like the shape of a leaf.
Dark Elves were another race that was accessible later. Although only Elf Players could change their race into Dark Elves and acquire bonus ATP, skills, and spells.
However, that race change wasn't available until the [World Quest], [Rescue the Dark Elf Prince, Zeroth] was cleared, and the Land of the Banish Dark Elves, Dark Ridge Mountain, became accessible.
Ren stopped beside Isolde and Leonel as they watched a bunch of players stepping forward towards the giant pillars.
"Halt! That is as far as you go! This path leads to the land of the almighty dark elves. You critters go back whence you came, or we'll kill you without mercy," one of the guards said.
Everyone stopped and looked at each other.
Ren, Isolde, and Leonel stayed back, meters away from most players, but they still heard and saw what was going on.
Leonel had a face of a gawker.
Isolde was curious.
And Ren was bored.
"We want to enter the land of the dark elves," a player said.
The guard frowned and shouted, "Absurd! Just because you said you wanted to enter, we will just let you?! This is no place for the likes of you! Our land will not be soiled and dirtied by pretentious, backstabbing hypocrites like you! Get lost!"
The players were shocked at the display of hostility by the two guards, and they momentarily couldn't react.
Ren recalled the story of the two races. It started with the Queen of the Elves' daughter, Princess Elaine, being betrayed and killed by the King of the Dark Elves, Zeroth.
On the other hand, the dark elves wanted to get back their imprisoned King from the white elves' clutches.
That was the brief story found in the COVENANTS app.
However, Ren knew that it was a lot more complicated than that. And a bonus item was given to the player who successfully uncovered the truth behind the [World Quest], [Rescue the Dark Elf Prince, Zeroth].
And that bonus item was what Ren was after.
"You guys scram! No one is allowed to enter here!"
And, of course, the hard-headed players didn't heed the elves' warnings one bit. What's more, the more the two guards pushed the players away, the more the players wanted to enter their territory.
"Don't be afraid, everyone! I'm sure that this is just another quest. Once we defeat those guards, we can enter the place!"
"Yeah, that's right! It just might be a quest. We might be able to trigger one!"
Upon hearing the word 'quest,' it was like all the players could see were items and rewards. They grabbed their weapons and were ready to attack.
Ren shook his head as he watched the foolish youths. If he remembered correctly, those two guards were unkillable, and their ATP was in the three digits already.
To make matters worse, they were the type of NPC that would kill players once their [Relationship Level] dropped below [Ruffian].
Ren couldn't exactly blame the players since he was given a second chance and already knew this stuff that was otherwise new to the newbies who just entered the game. And unless they used a [Monocle], they wouldn't see the high ATP of the two guards.
What's more, the developers specifically wrote in their guide that the players MIGHT trigger some kind of an event or quest if they pressed the NPCs further, not knowing that some NPCs could kill them.
One player apparently was too greedy that he thought he could kill the guards and pushed his way through to the other side. He thought that the guards were low-level since the area was still near the newbie village.
Ahh . . . foolish . . . Ren thought.
Needless to say, that guy died on the spot in a fraction of a second when he stepped a meter towards the gate. A sharp spear pierced his heart, and white particles replaced his body.
. . .
. . .
"Imbeciles!! Do you think that puny insignificant creatures like you could defeat us? My strength is more than your combined STR. Your head will fly first before you even get a meter towards us!"
All the players immediately backed away. Some were shocked that an NPC had just killed a player. Others turned tail and ran while almost all immediately posted on the [World Chat].
"Let me try." A man slowly walked towards the grids but stopped before reaching that meter limit.
He was tall and muscular and dark. He could pass as a dark elf if not for his shorter ears.
The man probably chose a darker color for his skin compared with most elven players that chose lighter tones.
Isolde and Leonel were curios. The man looked strong and capable, but their curiosity was shattered when the man only stepped on that meter line, and his body vanished and was replaced by white particles.
Ren released an audible breath. "Let's go. This part of the map is a dead end. We're wasting time here."