At seven o'clock in the morning, the system's ship docked at Starting Island. Jane sighed in frustration as she walked down the gangway toward the dock, with Hero walking beside her. Jane's friends from the Four Tao group and Hero were calling out for them to hurry off the ship, but Jane was not eager to disembark.

"Come on, Jane. If you're bored, you can go find Siegfried and the others. They came on the Maritime Association's ship, so they probably arrived before us!"

Hero said, patting Jane's shoulder to encourage her. Jane just shrugged and walked towards her friends' calls, annoyed.

"Where's Ten? Didn't he say he'd wait around here?"

Hero asked, scanning the area around the dock.

"He's in the city. Said he needs to level up a bit more for safety before taking on a professional quest. Plus, his girlfriend started playing later, so their levels are still low,"

TaoHuYee explained.

"Then why did he call us here so urgently!"

Jane grumbled.

"He wants us to help him level up quickly. At least to level thirty, so he can handle other islands,"

TaoKaowNian replied.

"Let's talk about this later. I'm starving. Let's find something to eat in the city and arrange to meet Ten there,"

NamTaoThongKam interrupted. They all headed to the only city known to players on the Starting Island.

At the Nine Moon Restaurant on Starting Island, Jane, Hero, and their friends found a table and ordered food. Meanwhile, TaoHuayNomSod checked the messages in the public communication channel to catch up on the latest news within the game.

"Hey, did you guys hear about the event on Europa Island yesterday?"

TaoHuayNomSod asked excitedly.

"Yeah, but I also ordered a newspaper. When the waiter brings it, we can read more about last night's event,"

Hero replied, feeling just as regretful. If it were not for picking up their friends on the Starting Island, he would have wanted to join the event.

"I heard hundreds of players died, and there was only one beast king left at the time,"

Jane said excitedly, pouring herself a glass of complimentary water.

"Hey, there's my buddy. Hey, guys!"

A young man called out happily as he approached Jane's group. Everyone turned to see a slender, fair-skinned young man with average looks, holding hands with his cute girlfriend, who appeared much younger than him.

"Hey, Ten. Your girlfriend is as pretty as you bragged!"

TaoHuYee was the first to greet him.

Everyone chatted cheerfully except for Jane, who ate her food quietly, not showing much reaction. He pretended to watch other players coming in and out of the restaurant to avoid looking at his ex's face, which annoyed her.

"Hey, Jenny!"

The loud greeting made Jane's friends turn their heads quickly. They saw a handsome young man with red hair, wearing protective gear and wielding a weapon that marked him as a high-level player, walking over to greet Jane and Hero in a friendly manner.

"Draco of Pendragon!"

TaoKaowNian exclaimed in astonishment.

"Draco, are the others here too?"

Jane asked with a wide smile, her mood noticeably improving upon seeing a true friend in the game again.

"Yes, they're coming out from the private dining room. But you guys are here to pick up friends from the Starting Island? You should have told us so we could travel together,"

Draco replied cheerfully.

"We just found out after we split up,"

Hero answered. At that moment, Oliang, Lidded Wet Trash Can, Peach Blossom, Siegfried, and Rafael passed by.

"Jane!"

Peach Blossom's voice called out from afar. The young girl walked over to greet Jane and Hero with a smile. The friends who had not seen each other for several days in the game began chatting loudly and happily. This left the Four Tao group, Jane's ex, and his girlfriend stunned. They had not expected Jane and Hero to know such prominent players, let alone leaders of the famous Pendragon guild.

After helping to suggest leveling-up spots, Siegfried's group had to leave quickly because the city was still unsettled. High-level players from both the Dark Horse Guild and the Doom Star Guild had come to the island again for different reasons, causing clashes with Siegfried's guild members and new players alike. They barely had any free time to chat these days.

"Hey, are you guys done eating? Let's go level up. Stop slacking!"

Jane urged her ex-boyfriend and the others with enthusiasm, startling the young men.

"How do you guys know such high-level players? We've been playing together all this time and never got to know any top players like that!"

NamTaoThongKam asked excitedly, still in shock.

"We met through someone. Alright, stop asking questions. Finish up quickly and follow me. I'm pumped!"

Jane laughed happily. She felt gratified when Siegfried's group greeted them so warmly, especially seeing the envious looks from the Four Tao group. She led the way out, feeling satisfied, while Hero followed, amused by the expressions on their friends' faces. Meeting Draco and the others had lifted Jane's spirits, saving Hero from having to adopt a serious demeanor to match Jane's.

.....

"Yawn..O"

Chang Long groggily woke up late in the morning. She noticed an unusual silence in the forest—no sounds of monsters, insects, or even birds. She did not think much of it, just got up and went to the bathroom in her tent to freshen up. Suddenly, Devi-chan floated through the tent wall, looking worried.

"What's going on, Devi-chan?"

Chang Long asked while dabbing her face with a towel.

"Orcs,"

Devi-chan replied curtly, instantly making Chang Long think of the monstrous creatures from a movie she had seen.

"How many?"

Chang Long asked again, pouring herself a glass of water from the table next to the bed.

"Over ten, and they're fully armed."

"What level?"

"Fifty."

Clangggg!

The brass cup in Chang Long's hand fell to the ground. She looked alarmed and turned to Devi-chan with a surpiresed expression, asking again in disbelief,

"What level did you say?"

"I said fifty! Are you deaf!"

Devi-chan frowned. Chang Long quietly peeked out of the tent and saw burly men nearly two meters tall, with rough green skin and long black hair tied neatly. Their faces resembled humans but with slightly protruding lower jaws and white tusks, resembling a tiger's poking out from their lower lips. They were shirtless, wearing only rough clothes and animal hides on their lower bodies. They carried crossbows, large swords, and axes, staring intently at Chang Long's tent.

"Level 50 Orc Warrior Beasts have appeared,"

the system announced when Chang Long made eye contact with them.

"They look serious..."

Chang Long muttered to herself, wondering if she could survive fighting them all.

"What's happening, Master?"

Kitsune asked groggily, waking up with a yawn. However, as soon as he caught the scent of the enemies, he immediately stood on alert.

"You must be really tired not to have smelled them coming,"

Chang Long teased the sleepy fox.

"Hehe, yes,"

Kitsune replied, scratching his head sheepishly before peeking out of the tent. Seeing the enemies, he looked very worried.

Chang Long understood Kitsune's concern. She knew that orcs were incredibly strong compared to other monsters of the same level. They were also quite agile, making them highly desirable as pets among players. Orcs fetched high prices in the pet market, especially warrior orcs like the ones now confronting her.

"They seem like they might be reasonable. Should we try talking to them?"

Chang Long mused aloud, worried that a fight might damage the tent.

"Are you crazy? They'll slice you to pieces!"

Devi-chan exclaimed loudly.

"I'm not crazy, Devi-chan. And what about Kim? There's no harm in trying to talk first. If that doesn't work, we'll fight."

Without waiting for any objections, Chang Long walked out to face the dozen orc warriors waiting outside the tent.

"Hey guys, hello!"

Chang Long raised her hand in greeting. The orc warriors quickly raised their weapons, thinking she was about to attack. But when they saw she was just waving, they lowered their weapons. The one who seemed to be the leader stared at Chang Long appraisingly for a moment before speaking in a rough, deep voice.

"Take her."

Following the command, the orcs rushed to grab Chang Long immediately.

"Hey, stop. Where are you taking me without even talking first!"

Chang Long protested loudly. The orcs halted and looked to their leader for further instructions.

"To our camp. The Orc King is waiting for you,"

the leader replied calmly. Chang Long was puzzled about why the Orc King would be waiting for her, but her curiosity made her decide to go with the orc warriors.

"Master!"

Kimhant walked out of his tent hesitantly, while Kitsune emerged, clearly worried. When the orc warriors saw others besides Chang Long, they raised their weapons to attack.

"Wait, they're with me!"

Chang Long shouted to stop them. The orc leader barked harshly,

"No males allowed!"

Chang Long was puzzled by the leader's words but could not help feeling pleased and impressed. These orc warriors were astute enough to recognize her as a female without needing any explanation.

"These two are my people!"

Chang Long insisted. The orc leader seemed unconcerned.

"They're like followers, servants!"

Chang Long tried again. This time, the leader ordered his subordinates to stop and allowed Kimhant and Kitsune to come along, but the method of transportation was unexpected.

The orcs grabbed all three of them under their arms and carried them swiftly into the dense forest. Chang Long and Kimhant could only yell about their belongings left behind, but the orcs paid no attention. Devi-chan shook his head and rolled his eyes in exasperation at his heir's antics. Meanwhile, Hisa-chan and Cedric, who resided in his swords, could not help but smile quietly.

Deeper in the forest, the trees grew thick and close together, making the path winding and dizzying. The orc warriors skillfully navigated the forest, carrying Chang Long, Kitsune, and Kimhant deeper into the woods without hesitation, moving quickly. This part of the forest was devoid of players hunting monsters, making Kimhant realize they must have ventured far in. Players who hunted orcs usually did so in groups and only targeted the common orc villagers on the outskirts. Occasionally, high-level groups would venture into the deeper forest to hunt warrior orcs, but such events were rare.

"Master, look!"

Kitsune called out to Chang Long, pointing ahead. There, hidden among the trees, was the orcs' fortress, blending seamlessly with the surrounding foliage.

"We've arrived!"

Chang Long exclaimed. The lead orc warrior nodded silently and led Chang Long to a large hut, bigger than the others. Meanwhile, Kimhant and Kitsune were taken to a large wooden cage, where three male players were already imprisoned along with a boar-like monster and two injured whip-tail deer monsters.

"Ow!"

Kimhant cried out in pain as he was roughly thrown into the cage, his backside hitting the hard ground with a thud.

"Master!"

Kitsune called out, but it was no use. Chang Long had already been taken inside the large hut.

Inside the hut, Chang Long saw several corpulent orc women dressed in animal skins and fabrics wrapped around their waists and chests. Their faces were painted with garish colors, making them look more terrifying than beautiful. The system informed Chang Long that these were beautiful orc women of level 40, which made her silently question, 'Where's the beauty in that!' She did not dare voice this thought, fearing a punishing slap that might leave her stuck to the wall like the saintly woman who stood nearby earlier.

One of the orc women approached Chang Long with a measuring tape, the kind tailors use, and began measuring her waist without uttering a word. Once finished, the orc woman announced loudly,

"Very skinny!"

The priestess who had just been peeled off the wall was grouped with Chang Long in the too skinny category. She glared at the so-called beautiful orc women with hatred, then took out a blood crystal and consumed it. Among the group were also some NPCs who had been captured and were being forced to eat a diet rich in meat, milk, and eggs. Chang Long guessed that she would soon face the same fate.

"These orcs must be insane, trying to fatten up players. We all know players can only gain or lose weight within a small range of their original body shape. There's no way we can get as fat as those orc sows!"

The priestess scoffed disdainfully at the absurd actions of the orcs.

"Why are they trying to fatten us up anyway?"

Chang Long asked the priestess, who looked at Chang Long in shock.

"A... aren't you a man? Why were you brought here?"

The priestess asked incredulously.

"Uh... they must have been confused,"

Chang Long replied, the corner of her brow twitching, though she kept a smile on her face. She knew there was no point in trying to explain to someone who had already misunderstood. The priestess seemed stubborn and unlikely to believe anything easily.

"Whatever the case, I'm going to find a way to escape. There's no way I'm becoming the bride of that Orc King!"

The priestess declared defiantly. This time, it was Chang Long's turn to be stunned upon hearing that the captured women were meant to become brides for the Orc King.

-----

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