[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-started-with-a-10-000x-multiplier-in-a-game-worl":3,"chapter-started-with-a-10-000x-multiplier-in-a-game-worl-started-with-a-10-000x-multiplier-in-a-game-worl-chapter-19":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Started with a 10,000x Multiplier in a Game World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1136172,1466,"Chapter 19: The March on Embercraig","started-with-a-10-000x-multiplier-in-a-game-worl-chapter-19",19,"\u003Cp>The air in Embercraig Canyon didn’t just feel hot. It felt heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dante stood at the entrance of the massive ravine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky above was choked with thick and swirling clouds of black ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The canyon walls were completely barren. They were forged from cracked volcanic rock that glowed with a dull and angry orange heat in the deep crevices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Dante stepped over the threshold, a system prompt flashed in his peripheral vision. It was bordered in warning red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Zone Alert: Embercraig Canyon]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Extreme Heat Detected. Applying ’Searing Atmosphere’ debuff.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Effect: Take 20 Fire Damage every second while inside the canyon. Standard health regeneration is disabled.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a normal player around Level 15 or 20, taking twenty points of damage every single second was a logistical nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant you were constantly on a timer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You had to chug health potions just to walk around. Let alone fight the aggressive monsters spawning in the ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dante just smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t pull out a potion. He didn’t activate a cooling ward. He just stood there and watched his health bar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The debuff ticked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[-20 HP]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fraction of a second later, the passive regeneration from Vespera’s [High-Grade Vitality Elixir] kicked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elixir restored one percent of his maximum health every ten seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his base HP pushed to an astronomical 9,100 thanks to the [Ironbark Draughts], one percent was 91 health points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was taking twenty damage a second. But he was healing almost ten times that amount over the same window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire damage was a joke. It felt like standing in a slightly overheated sauna.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I love being rich,\" Dante muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drew the [Crimson Edge] and started walking down the steep and ash-covered slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t trying to be stealthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t use the [Band of the Void-Walker] to mask his footprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He actively kicked loose rocks down the canyon walls. The loud clattering echoed off the volcanic stone for miles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Silas was tracking him, Dante wanted to make it as easy as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty minutes into the descent, Dante found his first quest objective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Growing out of a small and bubbling vent of liquid magma was a cluster of bright and glowing yellow flowers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The petals looked like they were woven from literal fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Resource Identified: Sunflare Orchid]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked over. He grabbed the thick stem with his iron-plated gauntlet and yanked it out of the rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tossed it into his infinite inventory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One down, nine to go,\" Dante said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp crunch of shifting gravel echoed from the ridge directly above him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dante stopped. He didn’t look up. He kept his eyes locked on the magma vent in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his massive Intuition stat, he didn’t need to see the scout to know exactly where they were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could hear the rapid and nervous breathing of three distinct players hiding behind a boulder about forty feet up the slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You guys have terrible stealth mechanics,\" Dante called out. His voice carried easily up the ridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The breathing stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know you are Vanguard’s Legacy,\" Dante continued. He casually rested his sword on his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Silas has half the server looking for me. Do me a favor. Ping your boss. Tell him exactly where I am.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a few seconds, there was dead silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a skinny player in dark leather armor leaned over the boulder. He held a communication crystal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scout looked terrified. He stared at Dante like he was a glitching raid boss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They are already coming,\" the scout yelled down. His voice cracked. \"You are dead, Dan! The Enforcers are already in the canyon!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scout ducked back behind the boulder. Dante heard the sound of three players frantically scrambling away up the ash-covered slope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enforcers,\" Dante repeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Vanguard’s Legacy, there was a strict hierarchy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grunts farmed materials. The core members ran the dungeons. The officers managed the economy and public relations of the guild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Enforcers were different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were a dedicated PVP division.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silas paid them real-world salaries to act as a private hit squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a rival guild claimed a valuable resource node, the Enforcers went in and slaughtered them until they gave it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were heavily geared, highly coordinated, and completely ruthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thorne and Vargas were low-level officers. The guys Silas sent to do the dirty work were a massive step up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dante didn’t run. He didn’t try to bottleneck them in a narrow pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just walked to the center of the widest section of the canyon floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a massive clearing of flat and blackened rock surrounded by towering walls of volcanic glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drove the tip of the [Crimson Edge] into the rock, leaned against the hilt, and waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t have to wait long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten minutes later, the ground actually started to vibrate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the ambient rumbling of the volcano. It was the synchronized and heavy marching of hundreds of armored boots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A vanguard of players crested the ridge at the far end of the clearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then more followed. And more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They poured into the canyon like a swarm of black and gold ants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t rush in blindly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They fanned out. They took calculated positions along the ridges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They blocked the exit paths and formed a massive and heavily shielded phalanx across the main canyon floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dante did a quick visual headcount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were at least three hundred of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frontline was composed of fifty tanks wielding tower shields and heavy maces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them stood over a hundred damage dealers. Rogues, warriors, and brawlers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The backline was stacked with casters and archers. They were already nocking arrows and prepping spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all taking the passive twenty points of fire damage from the atmosphere of the canyon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To counter it, healers of Vanguard’s Legacy were systematically pulsing AoE healing spells every few seconds to keep the entire army topped off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coordination was flawless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a massive drain on their mana pools. But they had the numbers to rotate healers and keep the entire force alive in a hazard zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sea of black and gold parted in the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single player walked through the ranks and stopped ten feet in front of the massive shield wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His ID read: Malric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike Silas, who preferred flashy and regal armor, Malric wore highly functional and dark-gray iron plating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t carry a massive weapon, just a standard steel broadsword strapped to his hip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had short and military-cropped hair and a completely unreadable expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked less like a gamer and more like a private military contractor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which is exactly what he was back on Veridia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dan,\" Malric said. He didn’t shout. He spoke in a calm and projecting voice that easily carried across the clearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dante didn’t move from his sword. \"You brought a lot of friends, Malric. Silas must be incredibly nervous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Silas is a politician,\" Malric replied flatly. \"He cares about leaderboards and announcements. I do not. I care about closing open contracts. And right now, you are an open contract.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Three hundred players to close one contract,\" Dante noted. \"Seems like an inefficient use of guild resources.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is called overwhelming force,\" Malric said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thorne was an idiot. He let you bait him into an open fight. He did not respect your stats.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I respect your stats. You are currently Level 19. You have gear that far exceeds the current server average.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You possess a Zenith-tier area-of-effect skill, and you have a pet that can apparently restore your health pool in an instant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dante raised an eyebrow. The scouts had definitely reported everything they saw back at the Outpost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You did your homework,\" Dante said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I always do,\" Malric said. He took a slow step forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know exactly how this goes if I send my men in blindly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You use that firebird skill. You wipe my frontline. You use your mobility skill to bypass my tanks and assassinate my healers. You make a mess.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malric reached into a heavy leather pouch on his belt. He pulled out a dark and tightly bound scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The parchment was completely black. It was tied with a glowing chain of silver light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So I am not going to let you do any of that,\" Malric said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eyes of Dante locked onto the scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Item Identified: Chains of the Warden]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tier: Divine]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Type: Single-Target Suppression]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Divine-tier suppression scroll. This wasn’t a generic piece of loot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zenith Protocol reserved Divine-tier items for the absolute pinnacle of end-game content.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silas must have dropped tens of millions of real-world credits to buy that off a black-market data broker just to bring it into Overture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You see, Dan,\" Malric continued. He held the scroll up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This item does not care about your health pool. It does not care about your Zenith-tier damage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It bypasses all status immunities, including your pet’s aura. It has one function. It locks a single target in absolute and unbreakable stasis for exactly ten seconds.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold eyes of Malric locked onto Dante.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ten seconds,\" Malric repeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In ten seconds, I have three hundred players who are going to dump every single spell, arrow, and weapon art they have directly into your head.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You will not be able to dodge. You will not be able to parry. You will not be able to trigger your pet’s heal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dante pulled the [Crimson Edge] out of the rock. He didn’t look panicked. He looked completely bored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is a good plan, Malric,\" Dante said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is a flawless plan,\" Malric corrected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There is just one problem,\" Dante said. He gestured lazily with his free hand toward the massive army surrounding him. \"You brought three hundred people into a highly volatile and active volcano.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malric frowned. \"The healers are managing the environmental damage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am not talking about the ambient heat,\" Dante said. He pointed the tip of his sword past Malric toward the far end of the canyon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Malric didn’t turn around. But a few of the tanks in the frontline of Vanguard’s Legacy nervously glanced over their shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within the canyon, a low and rhythmic thudding sound echoed against the volcanic glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t sound like marching boots. It sounded like massive boulders being repeatedly dropped onto the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ground beneath the army began to violently shake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ash clouds swirling above the canyon were suddenly sucked downward. They were pulled into a massive thermal updraft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temperature in the clearing spiked so rapidly that the environmental debuff of the system flashed from twenty damage a second to fifty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Healers! Overdrive!\" one of the Syndicate officers screamed from the backline. He panicked as the health bars of the entire army suddenly started dropping twice as fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What did you do?\" Malric snapped. His hand tightened around the suppression scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I did not do anything,\" Dante smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just waited. You guys brought a massive and concentrated clump of high-level player signatures into a mid-game boss zone. The system is designed to balance threats.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive and geyser-like eruption of liquid magma exploded from the center of the canyon floor directly behind the backline of Vanguard’s Legacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dozen Syndicate archers were instantly incinerated. Their avatars turned to pixels before they even hit the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Out of the towering pillar of magma stepped a monster that made the Ironfang Alpha look like a house cat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It stood thirty feet tall. Its body was composed entirely of hardened and flowing lava.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t have a face, just a glowing and cracked visor of pure white heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It carried a massive and molten warhammer that dragged along the ground and left a trench of liquid fire in its wake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Zone Boss Spawn: Inferno Behemoth]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Tier: Gold]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Level: 50]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[HP: 150,000 \u002F 150,000]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire army of Vanguard’s Legacy froze. Three hundred players turned around and stared up at the Level 50 Gold Boss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You were saying something about a flawless plan?\" Dante asked over the deafening roar of the magma.\u003C\u002Fp>",2012,"2026-06-03T12:02:18.787Z","2026-06-03T12:02:25.060Z",1,"novelbin.me","f99893c1b611c93a0d4cfdb4929e09d0cda65b5685965c4cb230bc5b33932ccf","started-with-a-10-000x-multiplier-in-a-game-worl-chapter-20","started-with-a-10-000x-multiplier-in-a-game-worl-chapter-18",109,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarted-with-a-10-000x-multiplier-in-a-game-worl-cover.jpg"]