[Inside the Rainforest]

Black Blade also received the message that Xu Yuan had earlier asked the players to pass along.

When he heard what the players said, Black Blade looked like he'd just been saved. He turned to the Blue Demon and Mustard beside him.

"You two heard it too. The task our king gave me, I have to carry it out."

"As for that so-called legendary Notch…"

"I'll leave that to you two to handle!"

"Just stall for a bit. I'm sure our king will be back soon!"

Black Blade had never wanted to bother with Notch's business in the first place. Now that he'd received Xu Yuan's new order, it was like getting a pillow right when he wanted to nap, perfect timing.

Without hesitation, he turned and ran off so fast he vanished in a blink.

Before the Blue Demon and Mustard could even react, Black Blade was already gone.

By the time they realized what had just happened, he was nowhere to be seen.

"????? He's never moved that fast before! How did he just vanish like that?!"

"Despicable!! Absolutely despicable!! He actually ditched us just like that?!! He could've at least taken us with him!!"

Blue Demon and Mustard stared at each other. Neither spoke, but both clearly knew what the other was thinking.

It seemed their impression of Black Blade had been a bit too one-sided. Who would've thought that the always steady, reliable guy would have such a sly side?

"So what now…? That 'guy' should be about done wandering around by now…"

"What're you looking at me for? You joined earlier than I did, shouldn't you, the 'senior,' have more say here…?"

They exchanged a glance, and though neither said another word, they both knew exactly what the other was thinking.

"Didn't that player just mention a task about changing the sign in the trading area?"

"Let's go! Time to work!"

Just as they were about to leave, they noticed Barbecue Sauce flapping his wings like crazy, flying out toward the edge of the rainforest, like someone was chasing him.

"That little thing never learns anything good!!"

"Hurry up, hurry up, if we're any later, we might run right into 'that guy'!!"

After leaving the rainforest, Black Blade set out alone on a trip to the Grayfist outpost.

After walking for about twenty minutes, he finally arrived near the outpost.

As soon as he got close, the Grayfist players patrolling nearby spotted him.

"Black Blade? That's him, right?"

"Yeah, that's definitely him… What's he doing here?…"

"Didn't the captain let that bald guy and the llama go earlier? Black Blade must already know we're planning to attack the rainforest…"

"I'll go report to the boss. You guys keep watch in case there's an ambush!"

Even though they only saw Black Blade alone, the Grayfist players didn't dare let their guard down.

After all, who knew if there were others hiding nearby waiting to strike?

Meanwhile, Black Blade walked at an easy pace, casually admiring the scenery.

From the moment he entered the area, he knew Grayfist's men had been watching him.

It was their territory, after all. Of course they'd keep people on watch.

But after more than five minutes of walking, still no one had come out to surround him.

Seeing this, Black Blade couldn't help but sigh to himself.

'It's been this long… and they still haven't realized I came alone?'

He knew the Grayfist players wouldn't act rashly. His sudden appearance would make them wary of a trap.

They'd definitely wait to confirm he was alone before doing anything.

Still, Black Blade hadn't expected them to be this bad at threat assessment.

It had been so long, he was practically at their front door, and still, no response.

Getting impatient, he sighed deeply, cleared his throat, and shouted, "Still haven't figured it out yet?"

"This is your turf, and it takes you this long to do a simple danger check?…"

His voice echoed through the still air, sharp and clear.

There was a trace of irritation in his tone, he sounded genuinely disappointed.

The Grayfist players were all stunned when they heard him.

"Is he mocking us?…"

"Trying to bait us into showing ourselves?…"

"He really does seem to be alone… Nothing unusual around here…"

Grayfist's players were all just order-followers, terrified of taking blame.

Without a "leader-level" player present, their default approach was the safest one possible.

In short, do nothing.

Even if Black Blade's words got under their skin, they still chose to stay put.

He'd already spelled it out for them, yet they still didn't move.

Black Blade couldn't stand it anymore.

"Quit screwing around!"

"It's just me! Send someone living, take me to your boss!"

He yelled so loud it echoed across the area.

But all he got back was silence.

Looking at the scene before him, Black Blade could only laugh in disbelief.

"You'd all better pray you never end up working under me…"

At this point, he'd completely given up on them.

He had expected to be tied up and dragged into Grayfist's camp.

But instead, walking into Grayfist's base turned out to be easier than a stroll in the park, not even a ticket required.

He reached the outpost gate without a single obstacle, feeling more and more ridiculous inside.

Black Blade kept walking, and soon, the Grayfist camp came into full view.

Finally realizing how serious the situation was, the Grayfist players scrambled into action.

They poured in from every direction, surrounding Black Blade in a panic.

Seeing them finally move, Black Blade couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He really had to hand it to them, he had no idea how Grayfist picked his people.

And how the hell these ones even passed the Trial Grounds' tests.

Everyone had their own way of choosing subordinates.

Some preferred obedient ones, others liked players who could think for themselves.

Grayfist was probably the former. Black Blade, the latter.

There was no right or wrong, just personal preference.

But still, these guards? Absolutely not his type.

After glancing around at them, Black Blade raised his right hand and gave them a big thumbs-up.

"Every one of you… is a damn genius!"

Black Blade's sudden outburst left all the players confused.

But they didn't think too much about it. After exchanging a look, they started closing in on him.

Once they had him fully surrounded, one of them finally spoke.

"Cut the crap! Come with us to see the boss!"

Hearing someone finally talk, Black Blade was almost moved to tears.

"Alright, alright."

He raised a hand and gestured for them to lead the way.

In just a few minutes, they escorted him into the outpost.

"You keep an eye on him. I'll go tell the boss!"

One player said that, then ran deeper inside.

Black Blade's arrival was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, the once quiet atmosphere of the Grayfist base instantly rippled with tension.

The air around the camp grew oddly charged.

Players in the main square stared when they saw Black Blade appear. Their faces split into two extremes.

Some of Grayfist's men looked grim and uneasy.

They stared nervously at Black Blade, whispering among themselves, "Why's he here? Is he here to avenge Steve?"

They began to gather together, muttering quietly, their eyes darting toward Black Blade now and then.

Meanwhile, the players loyal to Steve lit up the moment they saw him.

Excitement flickered in their eyes, their mouths curling into faint smiles, like they were waiting for something.

They didn't look at Black Blade for long. Instead, they kept a close watch on the Grayfist players.

When they noticed all attention was fixed on Black Blade, they took the chance to slip out quietly, leaving the square unnoticed.

At that moment, inside Grayfist's room, everything was silent, until the sound of a breathless player bursting in shattered it.

"Boss… Black Blade's already inside the camp!" he said, face full of panic.

But when he looked up, his eyes met those of the "colleague" who had just been standing guard with him.

They froze, realizing something, then both looked down, pretending not to see each other.

Grayfist blinked, momentarily stunned. When it finally clicked, he couldn't help but laugh angrily.

"Heh… good, good, good…"

"Black Blade sure is something, hasn't even been gone a few days, and now he's learned to teleport?!"

In front of him stood two players.

The one on the left had just reported that Black Blade was spotted near the base, he hadn't even left yet.

And the one on the right had just barged in yelling that Black Blade was already inside.

They were from the same patrol team.

Realizing this, Grayfist's anger flared up. His temper surged, though he knew now wasn't the time to yell at them.

So he took a deep breath, forcing his irritation down, and said coldly, "Bring him in."