Chapter 600: Class Expansion Pack: Nine Hells!
Storm Highlands, Bator City.
This city was built jointly by the Tieflings more than ten years ago and was one of the earliest territories of the Ember Empire. But as time passed, the once crude city had completely transformed.
The current Bator City had expanded several times over, with tall, neatly arranged buildings all around. The walls and eaves were carved with vivid, ferocious decorations, clearly showcasing the Infernal style inherited by the Tiefling race.
Outside the city, there was a steam train station from the south. The Tieflings' classical Infernal aesthetics combined with the Empire's industrial style, creating a rather peculiar chemical reaction.
Bator City was bustling with people everywhere. Its current population had reached fifty thousand, making it one of the larger cities within the Empire.
Nearly forty percent of its residents were Tieflings, but it also housed Humans, Hobgoblins, Ogres, Orcs, and many other races. Of course, there were also countless players not included in the census.
Due to its location in the Storm Highlands, the terrain outside the city was diverse, with intense elemental reactions. Many ferocious and violent monsters roamed, and even incidents of rail tracks being destroyed had occurred. As a result, this place became an ideal spot for new players to take quests and train.
But this time, even more players were flooding towards Bator City, arriving from the ground, the sky, and even through spatial rifts.
Outside Bator City, at the steam train station, accompanied by a light tremor of the ground, the iron behemoth first appeared at the edge of the horizon, galloping across the wasteland before slowly pulling into the station, blasting its loud whistle.
"Woo——"
"Bator City Station has arrived. Passengers, please remember His Majesty's grace and disembark in an orderly manner."
The conductor's clear voice echoed in the carriage, but as soon as the doors opened, the passengers rushed out, surging forward like a tidal wave.
"Charge!"
"Quick, quick, quick! If we're late, there'll be nothing left!"
"Old Wang, you're a Warrior, strong and sturdy, hurry up and clear a path for me!"
"Those old players are flying and teleporting. We newbies can only take the train here, we're already way behind. We have to seize every second!"
"Damn, there are so many people here. If I knew, I wouldn't have worried about the experience points and just suicide-teleported here."
"You guys can get stuck here if you want, I'm flying straight in!" The Mage player sneered, tearing apart a Flight Scroll. His body instantly became light as the wind, his feet lifting off the ground.
Suddenly, he let out a scream: "Ah! Which bastard ambushed me!"
On the ground, a Rogue player threw out a rope, accurately lassoing the flying player's leg, yanking him down hard.
"Get down here, you!"
"Damn it, it's Black Brute!"
[Night Poem]drank an acceleration potion, wiped his mouth, and his steps instantly became lightning-fast, weaving through the crowd like a ghost, reaching the front in the blink of an eye.
"Hahaha, eat my dust, all of you!"
A Berserker player threw his head back, downing an entire bottle of Rage Potion. Instantly, with a crisp tearing sound, his exaggerated muscles burst through his clothes.
"Aaaaargh! Anyone who blocks me dies!"
His eyes turned blood-red as he pushed everything in his path aside, charging forward with unstoppable momentum.
A Druid player summoned wolves, pheasants, bears, and all sorts of animals, surrounding himself to clear a path.
Instantly, the platform turned chaotic, chickens flying and dogs jumping, the scene almost becoming a battlefield as every player tried to get into Bator City first.
In the VIP carriage of the steam train, the former Tiefling Guard Captain, Baron Ekemon, who had returned to Bator City to visit family, looked out the window with disgust.
He looked at the players who frantically rushed out of the train with a look of disbelief.
"By Cassius, what on earth are these Starfallers up to again?"
As someone who had joined the Tiefling Guard ten years ago and battled wits and strength with players for many years, Ekemon was long used to this but still powerless to do anything about it. He could only sigh deeply.
"Sigh, better lay low for a bit. It won't hurt to go home a little later."
According to Empire standards, the normal capacity of the [Long Live the Empire] train was six hundred people. But this time, it was carrying nearly two thousand, and the vast majority were players.
They racked their brains and used every trick, some squeezing inside the train, others lying on top, and even some hanging on the sides, turning themselves into literal train attachments.
In the sky, players riding wyverns flew by, while on the ground, others on dire wolves raced forward with all their might. Spatial rifts appeared one after another outside the city.
Players were coming from all corners of the Empire, with a very clear and singular purpose—Class Expansion Pack: Nine Hells of Bator!
Just a few hours ago, the Empire had posted announcements in all cities, sending this message to players: Go to Bator City and you can obtain devilish power from Hell!
Devilish power—for mortals, it might be extremely dangerous and repulsive, but for players—it was practically a godsend!
For power, they would eat Frost Giant toes and Hag scalps; signing a contract with a devil was nothing!
And becoming a Hell Knight, a Devil Pact Warrior, or growing demon wings was not seen as terrifying to players. Instead, it was absolutely cool, hitting all their thrill points.
Thus, millions of players within the Empire rejoiced with excitement, rushing towards Bator City without hesitation, like a human-shaped natural disaster.
"Bator City, Hell Expansion Pack, here I come!"
Charging at the very front, [Night Poem] shouted with excitement, looking towards Bator City, but his face stiffened as he suddenly realized—there was already a long line stretching for miles outside the city gate.
"These bastards, how did they get here so fast?"
[Night Poem] rubbed his chin, gritted his teeth, then put on a cloak and blended into the shadows.
On the tall city walls far away, Tiefling guards held megaphones, shouting loudly: "Citizens, please line up orderly for entry! You must go through the checkpoint at the gate—"
However, hidden in the shadows around the city wall, [Night Poem] sneered and muttered to himself: "Rules? I've never cared about that. Winning is all that matters!"
"These people are so dumb, still lining up. The real smart ones already got their devil contracts!"
With that, he melted into the shadows, using his Shadowdancer abilities to travel through them, attempting to bypass the checkpoint and enter Bator City directly.
Just then, accompanied by a howling wind, a sharp, blood-red light descended from the sky.
"Swish——"
[Night Poem] screamed in horror, revealing his true form, trying to escape, but the blood-red light was too fast, leaving him no room to dodge.
Blood spurted into the air as [Night Poem] was directly sliced in half, blood pooling everywhere, and a deep crack appeared on the ground.
"Impossible…"
[Night Poem] struggled, dragging the front half of his body a bit forward, trembling as he uttered his last few words, then breathed his last.
Finally, the other players noticed [Night Poem], who had been cut in two, and began laughing gleefully.
"Isn't that Black Brute?"
"What Black Brute? Now he's gotta be called Jail Black, or maybe Black Fifty-Fifty."
"Haha, last time he got headshot, this time he got chopped in half. It's truly satisfying and delightful!"
The Tiefling guards on the city wall continued holding up their megaphones, loudly announcing: "To maintain the order of Bator City, the Empire's Minister of Public Security, Duke Medrolash, has personally come to supervise. Please abide by the laws and regulations, or bear the consequences yourselves——"
"Look!"
The players all raised their heads, and at the top of the spire of Bator City's tower, a Tiefling adorned in luxurious armor and wearing the Empire's medal was overlooking the crowd below.
He held a blood-stained longsword, and his pitch-black eyes appeared cold and unfeeling——this was none other than one of the Empire's three Grand Dukes, the leader of the Tieflings, Medrolash.
"He came too, huh."
"Be careful, be careful."
"No wonder Black Brute got sliced in half, turns out it was the captain of the newbie village's security force."
The players immediately grew tense, putting away their petty thoughts and lining up obediently, after all, [Night Poem] getting sliced in half served as a stark warning.
Medrolash looked at the Starfallers crowding outside the city, placed the blood-stained greatsword behind his back, crossed his arms, and his typically indifferent face finally showed a trace of a smile.
"I didn't expect so much time has passed."
The Tiefling felt a bit sentimental. Ten years ago, he used brute force to intimidate players. Back then, Ember Nest in the Northern Lands was merely a monster faction with little reputation.
Now, times had changed. The Ember Empire had long occupied the Northern Lands, the red dragon's wings shrouding the entire Anzeta Wasteland, shaking and terrifying the entire Feiansuo Continent.
And he never imagined that he would rise to such a high position, holding power that could influence the fate of millions, even controlling their so-called ancestors—the devils from Hell.
Back then, he only wanted to lead his people to survive.
Thinking of this, he looked again at the Starfallers who had become cautious, then turned around and walked down the city tower steps.
He still had many matters to handle personally.
Bator City, Hell Exchange.
It was a tall building, constructed over several days by hundreds of devils bound by contracts, exuding an aura of the Inferno.
Inside its spacious hall, there were murals depicting scenes from Avernus, lifelike devil statues, and ferocious carvings of petitioners.
Even for Tieflings, descendants of devils, few enjoyed such heavily Infernal-styled architecture. But the players were full of interest, with lines stretching almost to the city outskirts.
Luck King wore the robe symbolizing membership in the Magic Coin guild, standing at the front of the line, his expression especially excited.
"Tsk tsk, so many people came. Well, it's expected. According to insider info, the official launch of this Nine Hells Expansion Pack is both cool and powerful, with hardly any strict requirements."
Turning to look at the endless line behind him, Luck King patted his chest with relief.
"Good thing I'm part of a big guild. We have lots of information channels, and the guild master notified us early."
However, mentioning his guild master, Luck King couldn't help but scratch his head, his expression turning somewhat awkward.
Just earlier, he had posted that [Charlotte Disguised as a Beauty to Seduce Nobles] video on the player forum, and not long after, Charlotte informed him about the class expansion news.
Wasn't that kind of backstabbing?
But it was posted anonymously, so it should be fine, Luck King thought.
With an uneasy heart, he opened his panel and checked the anonymous post he made. He saw it had already gathered thousands of replies, with nosy players joining in to watch the guild master's drama.
[A girl's blush is better than any love words, even if it's a cross-dresser's.]
[As expected, men understand men best. I declare Charlotte as the number one beauty of Erezaghe, my 127th wife.]
[I'm starting to question my sexuality. Is it possible that Charlotte is really a woman and just removed her disguise this time?]
[Whoa, Charlotte's cross-dressing looks that good? Now I really have to join Magic Coin.]
[I'm done for.]
[Hey, bro upstairs, what are you trying to do? I think you're really starving.]
[Anyone who can see this and not crave an Old Beijing Chicken Roll is a god.]
Reading this, Luck King couldn't help but burst into laughter, feeling a sense of satisfaction and revenge. "Hahaha, these forum guys are really hilarious——"
But soon, his heart sank, his expression stiffened, and his hand flipping through the page trembled slightly.
——Because he saw a personal reply from Charlotte, the leader of Magic Coin.
[Luck King, you damn bastard!]
How could this be?
I clearly posted it anonymously, and even the video was a unique copy. How did Charlotte find out it was me?
Luck King began to panic but still held onto a sliver of hope, opening the chat window with Charlotte, attempting a last-ditch struggle.
[Luck King: Guild Master, you misunderstood, I really wasn't the one who posted that video. You can't slander an honest person like me!]
[Charlotte: Hehe \[cold laugh]]
[Luck King: Really, Guild Master, you know me. I, Luck King, have always acted honorably. How could I use such despicable means? I suspect there's a Royal Authority mole in our guild!]
[Charlotte: You bastard, why don't you listen to that video you posted?]
"No way."
Luck King's eyes widened. He reopened the saved video, listening carefully. At the very end of the video, there was an uncontrollable burst of laughter in the background.
Inside Magic Coin, only he could produce such a laugh; it was famously known as a 'demonic laugh.'
Luck King's forehead instantly broke out in sweat. His brain whirred at high speed as he continued typing frantically in the chat window.
[Luck King: I'm innocent, Guild Master! Someone deliberately added my laugh into the video!]
[Charlotte: Hehe \[smile]]
[Luck King: That mole is absolutely vile! They're clearly trying to sabotage our relationship and destroy the unity of Magic Coin!]
[Charlotte: When you come back, let's have a good chat about this \[smile]]
Looking at that eerie smiling emoji in the chat window, Luck King's heart sank, a bad feeling creeping over him.
But soon he smelled the pungent scent of gunpowder. Luck King raised his head, only to realize he had reached the entrance of the [Hell Exchange]. Above him, the gargoyle statues seemed to be watching him with greed.
At the exit, there were players who had already grown demonic wings and horns. They held freshly signed Hell Contracts, their faces brimming with pride.
In the eyes of mortals, they had been corrupted by Hell, becoming as hideous as demons. But to the players——
"Damn, that's cool."
Luck King couldn't help but swallow, staring eagerly at those lucky ones who had signed contracts with the devils.
He clenched his fists, determination flaring in his heart. "Forget about everything else. The most important thing now is to secure that class expansion!"