Online Game: Low Drop Rate? I Have a Guaranteed Drop System!-Chapter 181: The Haldrem Empire Awakens, Return to Reality

Chapter 181: Chapter 181: The Haldrem Empire Awakens, Return to Reality

Johnnie had already anticipated trouble and had sent the White Spirit Tiger and several others’ avatars to protect Wesley, but even so, something unexpected still happened.

"Johnnie, someone tampered with Wesley. He was rigged to self-destruct." Azure Dragon reported after receiving word from his avatar, turning to Johnnie with an explanation.

"It’s fine. I saw it coming." Johnnie replied, completely unfazed. It was just a pity; if he wanted to get the Heaven and Earth Map fragment from Dorian, he’d have to figure out another approach.

Johnnie had to get his hands on the Heaven and Earth Map fragment—there was no two ways about it. That item was crucial for him.

The Half-life Lotus was just as important.

The trouble was, Dorian had the Celestial Mirror and his own means of breaking through spatial seals, making him nearly impossible to trap or kill.

Now, with the Doe Family Ancestor having become Pluto, dealing with him would be even more difficult. There was even a chance Johnnie could be in danger in the real world.

[Ding, your quest to rescue Princess of the Haldrem Empire has failed.]

[Announcement: The Haldrem Empire has been restored! All players who join the Haldrem Empire will receive a 10% boost to their attributes. The Universe Continent has officially entered the Age of Imperial Conquest.]

...

A prompt tone chimed, followed by three consecutive system announcements.

"Rescue Haldrem Empire Princess failed? The Haldrem Empire has returned?" Johnnie frowned, checking his quest log. The mission he’d picked up back in the newbie village—to rescue Princess Lisa of the Haldrem Empire—had vanished.

That meant one of two things: either Princess Lisa was dead for good, or she’d been revived.

With the Haldrem Empire suddenly restored, he was more inclined to believe it was the latter.

But the Haldrem Empire was connected to Pluto. Why would the Empire revive right after Pluto’s death?

Could it be because the Doe Family Ancestor had refined Pluto’s Divine Soul and become the new Pluto?

Johnnie couldn’t make sense of it.

Meanwhile, the world chat was blowing up.

"Holy crap, is a new expansion starting? Johnnie just killed a god, and now we’re kicking off the Age of Empires!"

"A new era means new powerhouses. I feel like I can totally surpass Johnnie now."

"Bro, wake up. Johnnie’s already broken the game’s balance. There’s no way Horizon is letting there be a second Johnnie."

"Haha! I just joined the Haldrem Empire—got a 10% boost to all my stats! I can even take down monsters way above my level now!"

"Bro, share the strategy—how do we join the Haldrem Empire?"

"Haldrem Empire’s based in the Dark Forest, but they only accept stage 4 and above. I’d think twice before diving in."

"Think twice? Why’s that?"

"Don’t you know who controls the Dark Forest? And you really think you’ll get that 10% stat boost for free? Now that it’s the Age of Empires, if the Haldrem Empire makes a move, the first target will be Johnnie’s Chinese City."

"So joining the Haldrem Empire means going up against Johnnie?"

"A new era’s here. I don’t believe Johnnie will stay invincible forever. Anyone want to team up to check out the Dark Forest?"

"No can do. The entrance to the Dark Forest has been locked down by Chinese City."

"Looks like Johnnie’s scared. Maybe it’s finally time for us regular players to shine."

...

The world chat was buzzing with excitement, the channel alive with speculation and hot takes.

Johnnie noticed the chatter, but just sneered in contempt.

The Haldrem Empire had only just reemerged; they weren’t a real threat to him.

Ding!

Just then, his private messages pinged. It was Dylan.

Dylan: "Guru, bad news. With the Haldrem Empire’s return, all the undead troops from the hidden realms in the newbie villages are on the move, heading into the Dark Forest. Looks like they’re preparing to invade the Universe Continent."

The undead monster army?

Johnnie had almost forgotten. Every newbie village had a hidden Undead Realm, housing at least ten thousand elite undead soldiers, all stage 6 and above.

Add all those undead armies up, and you’d have nearly ten million—more than enough to sweep across the entire Universe Continent.

Johnnie replied: "Keep a close eye on the Dark Forest. If anything changes, let me know immediately."

He sent the message, collected his loot, and got ready to leave the Land of Nothingness.

With the map of the Land of Nothingness and mastery of Illusory Body, this place couldn’t hold him.

He was just about to store Azure Dragon and the others in the Canvas of Illusions and make his exit when another private message popped up.

This time it was Macbeth.

Johnnie checked, puzzled.

Macbeth:"Johnnie, word just came in—Dorian is building a nation tomorrow at dawn, right in Vortanis City. He’s already taken the three cities surrounding it. And the Demonic Creatures are making moves too. They’re plotting to restore the Heaven-Devil Empire."

The Heaven-Devil Empire?

Johnnie wasn’t too familiar with that faction. He replied: "Got it. Keep tracking the Doe Family for me."

Strangely enough, he didn’t feel rushed to leave anymore.

Clearly, Dorian thought Johnnie was trapped in the Land of Nothingness and was getting bold about establishing a new country.

Otherwise, even with the Doe Family Ancestor becoming Pluto, the Universe Continent’s suppressive power hadn’t fully faded yet. Johnnie still had three god-tier allies at his side. Taking on the Doe Family would be a breeze.

He’d just wait until they started building their nation—then make his move.

Johnnie sneered. He’d show Dorian what despair truly meant.

"Maiev, Seniors, head back into the Canvas of Illusions for now. I’ve got a way out of here, but there’s no need to rush." Johnnie turned to the three and gave his instructions.

"You can actually get out of here?" Black Tortoise asked with a doubtful look.

Johnnie nodded, not bothering to explain further. With a thought, he stored the three of them inside the Canvas of Illusions.

The Land of Nothingness was said to be the Divine Graveyard—a place where countless gods, either waiting for resurrection or sealed away, lay buried.

But Johnnie knew he was still far too weak to explore it right now. Without hesitation, he disconnected from the game.

Logging in and out was possible in the Land of Nothingness, but escaping physically was another matter entirely.

He broke the connection, his consciousness returning to the real world. His mind felt drained.

He’d spent over ten days in the game, pushing himself to finish the Four Sacred Beasts Ruins quest and complete Lord Gaia’s commission. On top of that, he’d died multiple times in the ruins, which had really taken its toll.

Fortunately, he wasn’t exactly a normal person anymore. The exhaustion didn’t affect him much.

"Johnnie, you’re finally offline!" Cecilia exclaimed happily as she glanced up from a manual she’d been reading nearby.

Johnnie nodded, rubbing his temples. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Grandpa asked me to bring you this cultivation technique." Cecilia replied, handing him the manual.

Fundamental Physique Cultivation.

Johnnie flipped through it, feeling a little lost. The book described a detailed system of training. He recognized some of the meridian pathways, but there were plenty of terms he didn’t understand—like Lesser Celestial Cycle, Greater Celestial Cycle, Internal Vision, and so on.

Cecilia noticed his confusion. "If you have questions, just ask me. I’m experienced now. I even taught all the girls—especially Crysic. She’s already a first-rate martial artist."

"What?!" Johnnie blurted out, incredulous.

First-rate martial artists were basically the top of the food chain in this world.

When he’d first met Atlas, the guy had only been a first-rate martial artist. It was only after awakening his Innate Physique and merging with his in-game attributes that he broke through to become an Immortality Cultivator.

But Crysic had only just started practicing martial arts, hadn’t she? Even if she’d awakened her Innate Physique, becoming first-rate this quickly seemed impossible!

Cecilia looked a little envious. "Crysic was born with a talent for martial arts. Plus, she switched her class to Sword Immortal. With the attribute fusion, her strength skyrocketed—she’s naturally a first-rate martial artist now. She’s even stronger than I am."

So Crysic had changed class to Sword Immortal. That must mean her mastery of the Way of the Sword had reached Sword Mind state.

Johnnie couldn’t help feeling a little jealous of her talent.

Cecilia looked at him hopefully. "Johnnie, I want to fuse my game attributes too."

"No problem. Once you reach the Sword Mind state, I’ll give you a Fossil of Creation." Johnnie agreed readily.

He was always generous with the girls. Besides, he already had three Fossils of Creation, and Macbeth owed him two more—that made five.

His own power had grown a lot lately, but he wasn’t in a hurry to fuse his attributes again. Keeping one fossil in reserve was enough for now.

"Sword Mind state, huh..." Cecilia sighed, a little disappointed. She’d been stuck at the Sword Body stage for a while, unable to break through.

"Don’t worry." Johnnie encouraged her. "With your talent, you’ll hit Sword Mind soon. Next time you’re about to level up, if you get a chance to comprehend the Way of the Sword, borrow Bellina’s Oracle Bell. It’ll boost your insight."

"Alright!" Cecilia brightened, full of confidence again. "Johnnie, let me walk you through this cultivation method in detail."

She began a serious, step-by-step explanation.

Johnnie listened closely. His mental strength had improved, so it was easy to absorb the information.

By evening, the other girls had logged off as well. It was a rare chance for everyone to gather, and naturally, they all wanted Johnnie’s attention.

"Johnnie, we’re out of Half-life Lotus." Lina said. "The Yett Family has already had over a hundred members awaken their Innate Physique, but we still need at least fifty thousand more Half-life Lotus to complete the transformation for everyone."

Lina was a research fanatic. With no Half-life Lotus available these past few days, she’d been experimenting nonstop with the corpse of the Pluto clone, but hadn’t made any real breakthroughs.

With the Pluto clone’s body, they had no shortage of divine blood now.

She’d even run tests using Johnnie’s own blood—after he’d merged with the Witch Clan’s blood and his game attributes, his blood was actually more potent than any god’s.

But when it came to refining Half-life Lotus, divine blood was more than sufficient; Lina didn’t press him for more.

"I’ll figure something out and get you more Half-life Lotus as soon as I can." Johnnie promised, already thinking of the Doe Family. The only way to get that much Half-life Lotus was to make a move against them.

"Alright." Lina replied absentmindedly, clearly lost in her own thoughts.

"Oh, and by the way." Johnnie added, remembering something, "I picked up a few special pills during my last quest. Once we’re back in-game, I’ll hand them over for your research."

During the Four Sacred Beasts Ruins quest, he’d gotten his hands on three powerful elixirs—things only a true alchemist could craft.

As luck would have it, all the ingredients needed to make these pills could be found in the various Sacred Beast ruins, and as for the Sacred Beast blood required, Azure Dragon and the others were happy to provide.

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