"Vamel, are you sure the reward for this quest is really going to be Rygor’s lost treasure map?" an unsure voice inquired.

Within the Savage Oasis, upon an unsuspecting tree, a group of foreign race members gathered.

They bore an uncanny resemblance to humans, but still had distinct differences.

Their skin was bloodlessly pale, etched with ancient beast runes that shimmered with an emerald hue.

Their eyes — sclera totally black, pupils deep green. Their hair carried a refreshing lush green color, and their ears elongated and pointed.

Every other part of their bodies was more human than not.

They were from the Treant Race...

A true behemoth of power in the cosmos. Though they didn’t bear the crowns of hegemons, their affiliation with a certain faction allowed them to gain the full perks of being a hegemon from the Origin.

This was naturally possible. After all, the title Hegemon Race was merely that — a title.

So it was possible to gain other titles of higher or equivalent significance that provided the same effects.

The Treants were one of such races, bearing a title that gave them full access to the Origin.

And the six Treant race members gathered here today were brilliant prodigies of the race. They came here for one reason only...

"I am certain. The treasure here is definitely Rygor’s lost treasure map," the Treant called Vamel assured.

He was a male, dressed in light armor, a bow fastened to his side and a fully stacked quiver strapped to his back.

"Then how come no one has ever tried to complete this quest?" Shian, a short female Treant, asked again.

Her wide innocent eyes blinked at Vamel.

The Treant smiled. "What are you saying, Shian? In the Western Wastelands, all races here are mostly a pathetic bunch of weaklings.

You might see a Noble grade or two, but that’s rare. Not to speak of this Savage Oasis region — when last did they even have a zone ascender? Meaning most of them are Elite-grade trashes. The few who claim Leader grade aren’t good enough to ascend either.

How can such weaklings dream of completing this quest?"

The other Treants nodded in agreement. It was a known fact that the Western Wastelands were filled with lackluster races. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The bottom of the food chain. The fact that they were here alone surely put them among the strongest in the whole of the Western Wastelands.

So naturally, for the residents here, trying to finish this quest might as well be a death sentence.

The short female Treant still didn’t feel satisfied. Her lush pink lips curled into a slight frown.

"Then why is the number of individuals participating in the quest so high?" she pointed out.

Vamel froze, his glowing green pupils tilting to examine the numbers...

"Huh?"

[Current Participants: 10]

[Rewards will be distributed according to contribution!]

"It should just be a few stragglers who were unable to get back to the settlement on time. Now they’re trapped here with us. I estimate they’ll die soon," Vamel deduced nonchalantly.

To him, there really wasn’t anyone in the whole of the Western Wastelands who could compete with him — not to talk of a low-level, no-name region like Savage Oasis.

So he was unbothered about the threat of others. He was fully focused on how they could destroy the Night Hoard instead.

Slowly, the tree they were gathered on began to shake as the ground rumbled.

Countless crimson eyes lit up in the distance, looming closer, clouded by a storm of dust as they trampled forth.

The Treant people put all other worries to the back of their minds. They had a quest to complete.

---

In another area of the Savage Oasis, beside a still lake...

Crackle!

A tempest storm of wild currents raged through the air.

Pained whines rang out as droves of night blood-sucking bats fell from the skies, burnt to crisps.

Uriel stood in the air, a torrent of cackling currents curling around his body like a tamed flood dragon.

In his hand, a spear of lightning bled with dangerously high currents.

On clearing the corruption zone, everyone in the group gained a reward based on their contributions.

And though his contribution points were much less than the others, he made the vital contribution of saving Seth — the MVP of the event.

Naturally, the Origin was fair. It could be said that without Uriel’s contribution of saving Seth’s life at that last moment, they would have failed the quest.

So naturally, the Origin rewarded him handsomely — with the spear he now held in his grasp.

A Leader-grade Awakened Rank treasure: Bolt of the Skies.

He waved his spear once more, and more blood-sucking bats frenziedly rushing his way were met with devastating lightning currents.

[Congratulations! You have slain Elite-grade Awakened Rank Creature!]

[You grow stronger...]

[+2 Speed]

[Congratulations! You have slain Leader-grade...]

The notifications flowed in streams as Uriel farmed them easily. He could have escaped, but he didn’t.

’Where else could one find such an easy spot to farm stat points?’

Licking his lips greedily, Uriel unleashed storm after storm.

The whole coven of bats seemed endless, and Uriel didn’t care.

It wasn’t until he noticed something that he halted.

After slaying around seventy or so, no notification popped up anymore.

His brows furrowed. Why was this?

He frowned as he saw more shadows encroaching from the distance.

He clicked his teeth in pity. Since they didn’t provide any more stat points, what was the use of killing them further? At that point, he’d just be wasting essence.

And besides, he had been killing for so long — why hadn’t he gotten any drops?

’Why is the Origin being so stingy today?’

He had no choice but to prepare to retreat.

He barely had any time to execute this thought when a chilly presence seeped into the atmosphere.

The rabid coven of frenzied, attacking blood-sucking bats suddenly became docile.

Uriel’s expression went cold, his grip on his spear tightening.

He stared solemnly at the darkness at the edge of the forest beyond the clearing of the lake.

The bats suddenly burst into a flurry, beating their wings and scattering out of sight — terrified of something.

A new presence.

Uriel stared at the darkness. He could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest, his blood rushing fast.

And then, in the pitch-black darkness, a feral pair of crimson eyes burned through the distance, locking onto Uriel.

His muscles tensed as his breath quickened. "What is that?"

Well, unfortunately, he asked the wrong question.

In tandem, a crimson pair of eyes after another opened up, lighting up the pitch darkness with crazed red.

Hungry growls rang out as the sea of eyes locked on Uriel’s single figure.