Chapter 64: A Possibly Hidden Mechanic

Because the Golden Horn Beast and Silver Horn Beast suddenly vanished.

Digimon do not simply disappear without reason. If a Digimon truly vanishes, there is only one possibility: it belonged to a player who has just been killed. Only in such a case would a Digimon abruptly disappear. Previously, it was when Yibeast wiped out Omegamon and his companions that their Digimon vanished as well.

In other words, since the Golden Horn Beast and Silver Horn Beast vanished so suddenly, it means only one thing—their players have been killed. Of course, it's also possible their connection dropped unexpectedly, forcing them to log off. But whatever the case, Yibeast knew he had escaped death by the skin of his teeth. Though now, being killed in the game no longer meant actual death; at worst, he would be banned from logging in for a day. Still, given the choice, who would willingly die?

"Could it have been the Dragon Beast..." Yibeast recalled at the start of the battle, when he had driven the Dragon Beast away from the battlefield and instructed him to deal with the hidden player.

At the time, Yibeast merely wished to spare Dragon Beast from a meaningless sacrifice. He knew that, given Dragon Beast's attack power, he wouldn't stand a chance against Silver Horn Beast in its advanced form—even facing just one of either Golden Horn or Silver Horn Beast would likely mean instant annihilation.

Moreover, before the battle began, Yibeast had scanned the surroundings from above. Though he hadn't spent much time searching, his vantage point afforded him a broad view. Yet even so, he had failed to locate the hidden player.

Thinking of this, Yibeast couldn't help but recall his Digivice. Back then, it seemed it was still Dragon Beast, as an Agumon, who had helped him find his Digivice. Could it be that this game world had a hidden 'luck' mechanic?

Yibeast didn't know for sure, but now was not the time to ponder such things. The battle with Golden Horn and Silver Horn Beast had lasted so long that it was impossible no one had discovered the fight.

Previously, Yibeast would not have feared the arrival of others. But now, his condition was so dire that anyone capable of breaking his base defense with an attack above fourteen hundred would easily bring him to his knees. Fortunately, before anyone else could arrive, Dragon Beast returned.

Yibeast ordered, "Take me back to the city. No matter who we encounter or what dangers arise along the way, ignore them."

If he logged off in the wild, he'd reappear in the wild next time, and although he'd be invincible for three seconds upon logging in, that wouldn't prevent a sneak attack. Whether by players or minor monsters, anything could happen. After all, this was a leveling zone.

If, by chance, a minor monster from another leveling zone wandered over, evolved to the ultimate form, and happened to see Yibeast appear, then struck him on a whim—even if he survived, he would surely lose half his life.

The likelihood was low, but not nonexistent. Furthermore, the previous battle had certainly attracted attention, if not from players, then at least from mature Digimon. So even if he couldn't log off safely in the small Tyrannosaurus City, he would need to find a secluded spot.

Why log off? First, Yibeast's current condition was abysmal. He could either buy items from shops or the auction house to restore himself, or log off and back on to refresh his status.

Second, it was already getting late. The game had reopened at two in the afternoon. During that time, Yibeast had completed a side-job change, cleared a dungeon, cooked a pot of food, fought with Golden Horn and Silver Horn Beast, and walked for quite some time—he must have spent over two hours in-game.

That meant it was now past four o'clock. After logging out, Yibeast would need to exercise, grab an early dinner downstairs, then work out again before returning to the game.

Ordinary players couldn't match Yibeast's discipline. For them, it was likely breakfast at seven, play until noon, log off for lunch, then play until dinner, log off for dinner, then play until it was time to log off, shower, and sleep.

Such routines led, over time, to suboptimal health and even fat accumulation. Yibeast had resolved to exercise only because his body in the King Realm had accumulated too much fat. If his physical condition were even passable, able to last a year or so, he wouldn't have bothered.

Luckily, perhaps because Dragon Beast was fast, or took an obscure route, or perhaps his hidden luck attribute was truly extraordinary, Yibeast encountered no danger as he neared the small Tyrannosaurus City from afar.

"Wait..." As Yibeast watched the stream of players coming and going at the city gates, his expression shifted and he called out coldly, halting Dragon Beast in his tracks.

Dragon Beast didn't know why Yibeast did this, but as his Digimon, he obeyed without question. Upon hearing Yibeast speak, Dragon Beast stopped immediately.

Yibeast fixed his gaze on the players at the city gate and sighed, saying, "Find a hidden spot and log off."

He had intended to log off in the city, but when he saw the players at the gate, a wave of unease washed over him. For ordinary people, this might have seemed a mere illusion, but for a Digimon like Yibeast, it was a warning.

Countless experiences had seeped into every fiber of his being; when danger approached, they raised alarms—just as when Golden Horn Beast ambushed him, he reacted instantly.

His body told him entering the city now would be perilous. Those players at the gate were not to be underestimated. Of course, it was possible that dangerous players were disguised among the crowd.

Though the area beyond the gate was a safe zone, and no matter how powerful those players might be, it would be difficult for them to bypass the system and kill him inside, Yibeast strongly suspected that, in his current state, he'd never make it past the gate—he wouldn't even get inside.