Soon, several players dressed in tattered clothing—looking more like vagrants than adventurers—hurried to the respawn point, drawing envious stares from the onlookers.
A passerby murmured, "Hey, look—that guy must be a Coffin Guild veteran. His ID is Daydreamer, and I hear he's already hit Level 10!"
"Really? His gear is all at least White quality, and I even saw him carrying a Green-quality dagger!"
"A Green-quality dagger? If you tried to sell that, you'd get at least ten thousand yuan!"
"Thinking of buying gear? Let me tell you, this is the early days of Dawnfall Online—almost nobody sells gear or items, unless it's got better stats than what they've got."
Eavesdropping on the chatter, Daydreamer allowed a satisfied smirk to play on his lips. In the real world, his ragged attire would mark him as a homeless drifter; here in Dawnfall Online's early stages, however, even a full White-quality set was a rare badge of strength and status.
When Daydreamer finally reached Bigwave, he drew in a breath, hid his expression, and asked in a low voice,
"Bigwave, are you absolutely sure? The most basic Frost Tumor Beast really dropped a Purple-quality Intel?"
Bigwave nodded resolutely. "Boss, I swear I didn't missee it. Maybe that player's luck stat was sky-high—but it was definitely a Purple-quality Intel reward!"
At Bigwave's certainty, Daydreamer couldn't help licking his lips. Since Dawnfall Online launched, no one had ever obtained a Purple-quality Intel drop—Blue-quality Intel already sold for a staggering 100,000 yuan; Purple-quality would be worth even more.
No matter what, that Purple Intel had to be theirs!
Daydreamer drew a steadying breath, his gaze sweeping over the other Coffin Guild members. In a grave tone, he instructed,
"Keep this under wraps. Nobody's allowed to leak word of this. Once we secure that Purple-quality Intel and our guild's power grows, you'll all reap the rewards. Understood?"
Around him, the Coffin Guild members echoed, "Understood!"
Daydreamer continued, "Station teams to seal off every exit near the Safe Zone and inspect anyone who tries to leave."
"Bigwave, you get a likeness of that player's appearance drawn up—hurry, we need to move fast."
Bigwave hesitated. "Boss, won't this piss off the other players?"
Daydreamer's eyes went ice-cold. "Let them be angry. The moment he steps outside the Safe Zone, we kill him!"
"This kind of chance doesn't come around often—we have to seize it!"
"Gather a few high-level players and follow me. We're heading to Frostspire Tower!"
Frostspire Tower was the very place where Bigwave had met his end. Daydreamer, ever cautious, feared that the player who'd obtained the Purple-quality Intel was too clever to have immediately returned to Safe Zone 9527.
Before long, Daydreamer led a dozen Coffin Guild members in a grand procession toward Frostspire Tower.
Among them, one member quietly opened his wristwatch and sent out a message.
In no time, the other guilds within Safe Zone 9527 received word and began mustering their players for action.
All because of a single Purple-quality Intel drop, Safe Zone 9527 was now rife with turmoil and eager anticipation.
Meanwhile, Ethan—freshly rewarded with the Purple-quality Intel—was on the first floor of Frostspire Tower, dispatching the final Frost Tumor Beast.
Since reaching Level 1, he had now slain ten Frost Tumor Beasts.
One thing that set Dawnfall Online apart from other games was its lack of experience notifications: it never told you which monsters you'd killed or how much XP you'd gained.
Whether you leveled up was discernible only through your wristwatch and subtle changes in your body.
Only after slaying the tenth Frost Tumor Beast did Ethan notice a faint shift within himself. He opened his wristwatch and checked his character sheet:
[Talents]: Pain Resistance (Blue), Ten-Thousandfold Intelligence Reward (Unknown)
[Equipment]: Cotton Underwear (Gray), Rusty Cleaver (Gray), Tattered Down Jacket (Gray), Torn Sneakers (White)
[Speed]: 10 (+1 from equipment)
[Attribute Points]: 1
[Storage]: Frost Warrior Class-Change Intel (Purple)
His Speed already benefited from the Torn Sneakers, so he wasn't in a hurry to spend his attribute point there. Instead, Ethan noted that his Defense was rather low—perhaps due to his illness—but he still chose not to invest his point there.
To power up quickly, he needed to maximize his monster-killing efficiency.
After a moment's thought, Ethan allocated his attribute point to Strength.
Immediately, he felt a warm current flow from his wristwatch into his body. He clenched his fist, brandished the Rusty Cleaver, and confirmed that his muscle power had indeed increased.
Truly, Dawnfall Online was astonishing—appearing out of nowhere in everyone's vision, yet so tangibly real.
Now, he found himself curious: how had Dawnfall Online come into existence, and what did it truly signify?
Thinking this over, Ethan shook his head—his remaining lifespan was under a year; whatever the truth behind Dawnfall Online, it likely had little bearing on him.
What mattered now was finding a new type of monster, slaying it for fresh Intel rewards, and seeing if he could rapidly boost his strength to meet the looming threat.
After a brief search, Ethan located the tower's stairwell and began descending to the basement level.
The upper floors of Frostspire Tower were locked down. Players had speculated online that they weren't yet unlocked and would require more time.
So Ethan had no choice but to go downward—basement Level 1 should host creatures unlike the Frost Tumor Beasts.
As his figure vanished inside, outside the tower, Coffin Guild's Daydreamer had arrived with a dozen-plus members.
Daydreamer barked a quick order, leaving four Level 7 players to guard the entrance and prevent any escape.
He then led eight Level 8 players toward the tower's doors.
Just then, a harsh voice rang out:
"What a coincidence, Daydreamer—never thought I'd find you here. A Level 10 player in a newbie map like Frostspire Tower—what're you doing?"
Daydreamer's gaze went ice-cold. He swept his eyes over his own ranks, watching their faces until one man looked away guiltily.
In an instant, Daydreamer strode forward, drew his Green-quality dagger, and drove it into the man's throat with a single, ruthless blow.
As the undercover agent gurgled, clutching his wound, Daydreamer wiped the blade clean before turning to the speaker.
With a mocking smile, he said, "Flying Fish—you're Level 10 too, aren't you? Came here for the scenery?"
Flying Fish frowned at the corpse, surprised by Daydreamer's merciless efficiency.
He wasted no words: "That Purple-quality Intel isn't for your Coffin Guild. My boss will track that player down and offer him a price he can't refuse."
Daydreamer's grin grew wider, laced with malice. "Don't worry—I'll get that Purple Intel before you do."
"This is a game, not the real world—if you want something, just take it."
With that, Daydreamer waved his hand and led the remaining seven Coffin Guild members briskly into Frostspire Tower.