The Ember Dragon Chapter 71: The Mysterious Invitation Letter - Novel Cool

Chapter 71: The Mysterious Invitation Letter

"Warrior, get up here—this Furious Boar’s almost down!" someone shouted.

Stuffed Bun gripped his standard-issue iron sword, eyes locked on the boar before him.

It was a filthy, ferocious creature—massive in frame, easily weighing hundreds of kilograms. Thick, bristly quills covered its body like armor, and two long tusks jutted from its snout, radiating a stench that made the air thick. Yet, for all its menace, it now moved with the sluggishness of a creature half-asleep, its body riddled with wounds—clearly near death.

To Stuffed Bun, it was nothing more than a walking pile of Experience Points and gold coins.

"Whatever, let's just finish this!" he muttered, gritting his teeth. He lunged forward and drove his blade deep into the boar’s flank.

The iron sword pierced through tough hide and muscle, splitting open a wound that erupted in a gush of blood.

"Hit!" the other players cheered.

Suddenly, the boar’s half-lidded eyes snapped open—bloodshot, furious. It exhaled a foul, white mist, and beneath its thick layer of fat, muscles bulged with terrifying force. The creature erupted with a strength that defied its apparent weakness.

"Shit… don’t tell me this thing has a second form!" Stuffed Bun flinched, pulling his sword free, cold sweat breaking across his brow. He was certain he’d just handed over his first blood.

The Furious Boar locked eyes with him, its massive hooves scraping the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Hmm-hmm—ahh!" it roared, charging straight at Stuffed Bun. The earth trembled beneath the impact.

Though not among the absolute top-tier players, Stuffed Bun was still a seasoned veteran of fully immersive gaming. Instinct took over—he rolled sideways just in time.

Dust roared into the air as he barely escaped the charge. The boar slammed into the rock wall behind him, cracking the stone with a web-like fracture.

"So that’s what furious means—last-second frenzy at low HP," Stuffed Bun muttered, heart pounding. "This thing could kill me in one hit."

But before he could catch his breath, the second charge came—dust and fury in a storm. Trapped in a corner, there was nowhere left to run.

"Guess I’m about to go down…" he thought, already reaching for his Character Sheet, lowering his Pain Sensitivity to the minimum.

"Holy Domain Spell!"

A clear, feminine voice rang out.

A faint glow shimmered around Stuffed Bun. The boar had already closed the distance—so close that Stuffed Bun could hear its labored breathing, smell its rancid breath—but it couldn’t strike. It was frozen, as if trapped by an invisible barrier. With a final, thunderous impact, it crashed into the rock wall again—this time, its tusks shattered into the stone, stuck fast.

Whoosh—

An arrow streaked from the side, piercing straight through the boar’s heart.

It twitched once, then fell still.

"Always said it—Bow Warriors are the future," a male voice chuckled.

Stuffed Bun turned. Three players were approaching, walking together like a well-oiled team. He knew them—legendary figures in the Fully Immersive Gaming scene.

There was Singo, the Hardcore Strategy Master; Xia Ye Qiu Yu, the top-rated female pro with millions of fans; and Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang, the ten-year veteran known for wiping out entire squads, nicknamed "Born for Battle."

Their roles? Warrior, Priest, and Barbarian—perfect synergy.

In their presence, Stuffed Bun suddenly felt small—despite his own thousands of followers and claim to being a pro. These were titans of the game.

He shifted awkwardly. "Thanks for the save. Uh… what’s up? You need something?"

Xia Ye Qiu Yu smiled. "We watched your videos. Great work."

"Aw, thanks," Stuffed Bun scratched his head, flustered.

Singo cut straight to the point. "Stuffed Bun—when you logged off last, you had four gold coins, right?"

"Yeah, just luck," he said, shrugging.

Four gold coins—seemed small, but it was real gold. Equivalent to 100 silver, or 400 copper. A TitanPlayer grinding nonstop, taking every quest, would need nearly ten days to earn that much. Stuffed Bun had gotten it purely by dumb luck—picking up a miner’s hidden stash in the Mine Shaft.

Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang leaned in. "You interested in joining us on a quest? We need that kind of coin."

Stuffed Bun blinked. "You could just join a big guild. They’d be happy to take you—this amount’s nothing to them."

True, the game was still in Internal Test Phase, but already, wealthy players had formed small guilds—Sword Pavilion, Golden Club, Royal Power—some with nearly fifty members, the future cradles of legendary guilds.

But guilds had their problems.

Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang scowled. "Those bastards are shameless. They send people to hog the Quest Board, snatch all the good jobs, leaving us solo players stuck with grinding tasks and wall-climbing contribution missions."

Singo nodded. "Guilds? Dog food."

He had a habit of calling people “dogs”—which earned him the nickname “Xin Dog” among fans. The other reason? He’d never been in a relationship.

Stuffed Bun paused, thinking. "What’s so special about these gold coins? Let me think."

Xia Ye Qiu Yu pulled up a screen, showing a product listing.

[Mysterious Invitation Letter]

Number of users allowed: 4

"This letter burns eternally, never dying. It leads to unknown realms—where danger awaits… or opportunity."

Price: 10 gold coins

"This item just appeared in the Exchange. Limited stock—guilds haven’t noticed yet. We pooled what we could—only six gold coins total. That’s why we came to you."

Stuffed Bun’s eyes widened. "Wait… this invitation’s that expensive? I could buy a full set of gear with that!"

Singo shot back without mercy. "This is the gap between you and top-tier pros. Ten gold coins might matter early on, but in mid-to-late game, it’s nothing. If you spend it on gear, you’ll just get rusted scrap. But if you spend it on a quest item like this? You’ll always be one step ahead—always winning."

Xia Ye Qiu Yu sighed. "Cut it out, Singo."

Singo remained expressionless. "If he refuses, it just proves he lacks vision. We’ll find someone else."

Stuffed Bun chuckled nervously. He finally understood why this legendary strategist had never found love.

But as he mulled over Singo’s words, he had to admit—there was logic in them.

He straightened up. "Alright. I’m in. But I want a bigger share. You’ll need to give me extra permissions in future missions."

"Deal," Tian Sheng Zhan Kuang grinned, clapping him on the shoulder.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end

Report