The moment they arrived, the news hit them like a shockwave. "What? Nighthale's looking for the lost race? He's offering five million marks and epic gear for it?" "You've got to be kidding me! Who even has that kind of money to throw around? If I find them, I'll be rich!" "This is unreal! That reward's insane. And imagine being on Nighthale's good side!" "Come on, people! Let's move!" The announcement spread through the servers like fire through dry grass. At Aiden's current status in Doomsday, every step he took caused a ripple across the entire community. Players worshiped him. They watched everything he did, hoping for a chance to stand beside him. And now, with a bounty this massive, the entire player base went crazy. It didn't stop there. News exploded across social media in the real world. Within hours, the story reached players far outside Grendola. Gamers from other countries tuned in. Forums and streams filled with posts about Nighthale's Hunt for the Lost Race. It became the number-one topic overnight. With so many people searching, it was only a matter of time before someone found them. All Aiden had to do was wait. By the next morning, the world had quieted again. After finalizing his contract with Dahl in real life, Aiden logged back in and headed straight for the Level 40 Trial Temple. Two hours later, the system shattered the silence. "Ding! System Announcement: Grendola player, Nighthale, has cleared the Level 40 Abyss Trial, becoming the first player in history to do so. Reward: Legendary Item, Dominion Sigil Shard. Grendola Warzone Points +1." The alert echoed across every channel. No one was surprised. Aiden had crushed the Abyss Trial without breaking a sweat.After receiving the Holy Dragon's Blessing, Gray's stats skyrocketed beyond reason. All four of its core attributes passed ten thousand, and its Health nearly hit half a million. Even untrained, the beast could wipe out Monarch-level bosses on its level with pure brute force. With Aiden's Rich Man's Defense skill active, his survival chances were unmatched. The one weakness of a Beastmaster had been erased completely. The Abyss-level trials couldn't challenge him anymore. At this point, it felt less like a battle and more like a walk in the park. "The fourth fragment," Aiden murmured, watching the glowing shard in his hand. Just like before, the final boss—the Herald of the Abyss—had dropped only one fragment of the Abyss Stone. After collecting his reward from the temple guards, Aiden walked out calmly. Every player nearby turned to stare in awe as he passed. ...Meanwhile, the global chat went wild. "Nighthale beat the Abyss Trial again? No way! Two hours? That's insane!" "He's already level forty! I wonder how long it'll take him to hit the next one. It's got to slow down at some point." "For anyone else, sure. But this is Nighthale we're talking about. He levels faster than anyone on the leaderboard." "Yeah, exactly. He'll probably take down a couple of level 100 bosses next week and just stroll right up to fifty like it's nothing." The world announcement lit up every server, and once again, the chats exploded in chaos. But this time, the reaction wasn't quite as loud. Everyone had grown used to it. If anyone else had cleared a nightmare-level dungeon, the entire player base would've lost its mind. But Nighthale? He had already slaughtered three level-100 bosses.Passing a level-40 Abyss Trial was practically a warm-up for him. "Man, that guy's not human anymore. He's like a god walking among us. We better haul it to Leafport before the next eerie creature invasion hits. If we stay out here, we're done." "You're not wrong. I heard Leafport took heavy losses, and space is tight. The guards started charging an entry fee. If we wait, they'll probably double it." "You've got to be kidding me! They're charging people now? That's insane." "Hey, when it's your life on the line, insanity becomes standard." The announcement pushed everyone to move faster. It didn't matter that other cities had strong NPCs. None of them gave players the sense of safety that one man did—Nighthale. Then a shout cut through the noise. "Wait! What is that?" Someone pointed ahead of them. A few players turned their heads. Their faces went pale.Far in the distance, a wall of dust rose into the air. A massive horde of creatures was storming across the plains. No one stuck around to figure out what they were. Every player turned and bolted. No one wanted to relive another eerie creature invasion. Not after last time. Even if those beasts weren't eerie creatures, a swarm that big could wipe out a city in minutes.