I'm flying! I'm actually flying!
"You can play like this too?"
Ethan was completely stunned. Wasn't this just like the difference between peak condition and normal condition in real life?
Everyone is at their strongest when they're at their peak! But no one can maintain it forever.
The strain, the energy consumption—it's just too much to handle.
That's why, in reality, most people spend most of their time operating at a normal state. That's just part of being human!
But a game? A game is just a bunch of data.
Most people tend to overlook that.
But now… this…
"Looks like I really can't just think of them as simple game characters anymore… Maybe this is some kind of fusion between two worlds?"
Ethan's eyes flickered as he muttered to himself.
After all, even the power from the game had manifested in reality. If something that unbelievable could happen, how could this still be just a game?
"Roar! Roar! Roar…"
At that moment, Seraphina moved closer to Ethan, lowering her body and letting out an excited growl, signaling for him to get on.
"Riding a dragon?!" Ethan's eyes instantly lit up!
A Dragon Knight!
How insanely cool was that?!
Without hesitation, Ethan climbed onto Seraphina's back. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's check out the east."
If he remembered correctly, Elynn had headed southwest earlier.
To the east, however, was a massive, steep mountain range—extremely difficult to climb, with a harsh environment. Even the Silver Pegasus Knights avoided going there unless absolutely necessary.
But for Seraphina?
That was nothing.
She was a Tier 13 Legendary Unit—a Green Dragon!
And not just any Green Dragon—she was an Ultimate Hero, bathed in crimson glory!
No matter how extreme the environment, it made no difference to her. She could move through it as if it were flat ground!
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Hearing Ethan's command, Seraphina let out an excited roar and soared into the sky, heading toward the eastern mountains.
At the same time, the name displayed on Ethan's map changed.
It now read: Unicorn Duchy, Sylvanwood, Doom Mountains.
Meanwhile, southwest of Emerald Castle, Elynn was leading her troops in an assault on a lumber resource point when she suddenly froze.
For a brief moment, she thought she heard something.
A dragon's roar?
Her whole body tensed as she muttered in confusion, "Did I hear that right? That sounded like… a dragon? Is there a dragon lair nearby? Damn it, that's bad news…"
Back in the sky, Ethan, riding on Seraphina's back, was completely overwhelmed with excitement.
"Ah! Ah! Ahhh—I'm flying! I'm actually flying! This feels amazing—wait, slow down!!!"
Since ancient times, whether on his past life's Earth or this one, flying had always been humanity's ultimate dream.
Even in a game, now that Ethan was truly soaring tens of thousands of feet into the sky, breaking through the clouds—
He just couldn't contain his excitement!
Ethan was beyond excited—practically euphoric.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
But he wasn't the only one feeling this rush. Seraphina and Cicero, both dragons—kings of the sky—were just as thrilled.
Even though they were born to rule the heavens, this was actually their first time flying. The sensation was incredible, like they were finally home.
Caught up in the sheer joy of flight, Ethan, Seraphina, and Cicero completely forgot why they had taken off in the first place.
Even Cicero, who was usually the calmer one, couldn't resist. He transformed into his full dragon form and soared through the sky, laughing in pure exhilaration.
They kept flying, playing, and enjoying themselves—until exhaustion finally set in.
"Alright, that's enough fun," Ethan finally said, catching his breath. "Seraphina, slow down and fly lower. I want to get a good look at the Doom Mountains."
"Roar! Roar…"
Seraphina dipped downward, gradually reducing speed as she descended toward the ground.
Meanwhile, Cicero shifted back into his smaller, pet-like form and landed beside Ethan, bouncing around playfully, begging for attention.
"Alright, alright, stop jumping… Come here!" Ethan laughed, pulling Cicero into a bear hug while turning his focus to the terrain below.
The so-called Doom Mountains were straight out of a nightmare.
It was hell on earth.
Active volcanoes were everywhere, their eruptions constant and violent. Rivers of molten lava flowed freely, turning the entire landscape into a blazing inferno.
And the creatures that roamed these mountains?
Absolutely terrifying.
Even with just a quick glance, Ethan spotted four different groups of wild units.
Tier 6: Cerberus—three-headed hellhounds, fast and deadly.
Tier 8: Greater Basilisks—massive, armored reptiles with petrifying gazes.
Tier 5: Griffins—ferocious aerial predators.
Tier 4: Battle Dwarves—stout warriors with unmatched resilience.
In most games, wild monsters were just walking experience points—easy prey for players to farm.
But in Glory Lords X?
That was not the case.
For the average player, wild units were nothing short of a nightmare.
If you saw them, you were dead.
Running? Not an option.
These creatures were the reason so many players had to delete their characters and start over.
The grudge between players and wild units was deep—a never-ending cycle of bloodshed. Either you killed them, or they killed you.
And right now?
The wild units were winning.
Take these four groups, for example—Tier 6, Tier 5, Tier 4, and even a Tier 8 unit?
Unless you were one of the top-ranked players on the Monarch Leaderboard, encountering them meant game over.
But for Ethan?
That rule no longer applied.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Seraphina had also spotted the wild units. Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she let out a battle-hungry roar.
"You think we can take them?" Ethan hesitated slightly.
The Tier 4 Battle Dwarves, Tier 5 Griffins, and Tier 6 Cerberus didn't worry him too much.
But the Tier 8 Greater Basilisks?
That was another story.
And from what he could see, there were a lot of them—at least a dozen.
Seraphina was a Green Dragon Hero, an Crimson Ultimate powerhouse.
But… she was still only Level 1.
And she wasn't even fully grown yet.