Chapter 70: Venturing into the Depths of the Ancient Stone Forest

“There are many creatures deep inside, and within the Ancient Stone Forest, they possess area-wide enhancement attributes and regenerate health quickly. Moreover, if you disturb even one of them, a chain reaction occurs, alerting all the monsters in the depths of the Ancient Stone Forest. Players absolutely cannot withstand such overwhelming numbers. This design is inherently challenging and shouldn’t be tackled by brute force,” From the Past remarked. As a veteran player who had once been notorious enough to appear on the server’s wanted list in the old servers, he was naturally well-versed in the strengths and weaknesses of various maps, since many of these places had been his refuges from vengeful pursuers.

Ye Yu nodded, pondering for a moment before saying, “I believe somewhere within the Ancient Stone Forest there must be a document or record about this place—a strategy guide of sorts for the forest’s depths. However, to find it, we need to locate the area where the evil aura is most concentrated. There, a special crystal known as the Heart of the Stone Forest exists. Once corrupted by the evil aura, it becomes the mother core controlling all the monsters deep within the forest. These creatures answer to this mother core.”

Even From the Past was surprised by Ye Yu’s insight; evidently, he hadn’t expected Ye Yu to know such details. None of the game forums for “Divine Ruin” contained guides for the depths of the Grey Zone, so clearly, Ye Yu had done his homework.

“There is indeed such a thing, but with our current abilities, breaking into that location won’t be easy,” From the Past shrugged, acknowledging Ye Yu’s assessment but also voicing the current limitations—they, just seven in number, were not up to the task.

“That might not be the case,” Ye Yu replied. “I suspect there’s a special plant in the Ancient Stone Forest that can temporarily alter our aura. If our aura synchronizes with that of the Stone Forest, the monsters will mistake us for their own kind…”

At this, a mischievous smile played on Ye Yu’s lips. He exchanged a look with From the Past, who quickly caught on to the suggestion.

“You mean the Stone Forest Grass? That stuff can change a player’s aura to match that of the monsters here?” From the Past was evidently unaware of this, as he had always relied on his high level and powerful equipment to force his way through the Grey Zone, turning the terrain to his advantage to ambush pursuers.

Ye Yu nodded, confirming, “With it, we’ll be regarded as one of the monsters from the depths of the Ancient Stone Forest.”

Although “Divine Ruin” featured many challenging monster mechanics and AI settings, it also provided players with subtle aids to help overcome these difficulties, such as temporary attribute boosts. The developers excelled at crafting these intricate details, and attentive players could always find them. Ye Yu had learned these old tricks from Ye Lingxue after joining “Divine Ruin,” though not all old server players were aware of such details.

Soon after, Ye Yu’s group of six, along with From the Past, began advancing into the depths of the Ancient Stone Forest. After some time, all seven of them found themselves afflicted by a negative status effect.

“We’re fatigued already? I didn’t expect negative effects to trigger so frequently in the Grey Zone,” Tan Cong remarked with a wry smile, rubbing his temples.

Qu Zheng plopped down beside Tan Cong, propping his left elbow on Tan Cong’s shoulder and shaking his head with a bitter laugh. “We must be cursed. Following Old Three into the Grey Zone—what a disaster.”

“Get lost,” Ye Yu shot Qu Zheng a glare, his tone exasperated yet amused.

Ye Yu’s gaze drifted toward the fog-shrouded expanse ahead. But once they entered the depths of the Ancient Stone Forest, the mist vanished, leaving him slightly puzzled.

“Whenever you step into the heart of a Grey Zone, the mist thins out,” From the Past explained, noticing Ye Yu’s confusion. “It’s a design choice in Divine Ruin. If players ventured into such perilous areas and still couldn’t see a thing, the game would be unplayable.”

“I see. We’re already at the edge of the forest’s deep zone. At the start, there were groves of trees and dim lighting, as if the very air was about to solidify,” Ye Yu muttered, frowning at the oppressive atmosphere.

At this point, Luo Feng had found a hidden spot and started a campfire in a clearing. Everyone sat cross-legged around the flames, waiting for the fatigue to wear off.

About ten minutes later, From the Past had gained a decent understanding of the core members of the “Cool Night” fixed team. It was clear the group revolved around Cool Night, and he even noticed something more—the autonomous skill and talent tree combinations. He surmised that Cool Night’s skills were intricately linked to the team’s synergy, without sacrificing his own dueling prowess.

Truly a genius—he wondered what Cool Night’s skill rating was. If it was S, that would be extraordinary.

Once the negative status faded, Ye Yu and the others continued forward. Before long, they had entered the true depths of the Ancient Stone Forest. Along the way, a few magical beasts appeared. Their movements were swift, making it impossible to get a clear look at them, but their numbers were sparse. Since Ye Yu’s group advanced cautiously, the creatures did not notice them.

Soon, they began spotting plant life. Judging from the environment, Ye Yu deduced they were still on the outer edge of the deep zone. Despite the beasts’ agility, their AI was low, suggesting they were far from the mother core.

“Let’s clear out some nearby monsters and set up camp. From there, we can search for the Stone Forest Grass,” From the Past proposed. This suggestion was met with unanimous approval—after all, in the Grey Zone, any pursuers would be hard pressed to follow them this far.

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