Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45 Nightfall Arrives

Chapter 45 Nightfall Arrives

“Pfft, what a tough tank. More like a walking health bar.”

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Someone nearby muttered under their breath, “I saw him earlier–ran from an elite skeleton like his pants were on fire. Someone else had to step in and clean up the mess.”

“Hey, keep it down. He’s rolling with a full squad now. Better not get on his bad side.”

On the other side of the hall, a handful of players who looked like traders had set up stalls.

makeshift

“Hemostatic herbs for sale! Trading for food and clean water only! Get ‘em while they’re fresh -straight out of the dungeon. Beats regular bandages any day.”

“Buying Energy Cores, top price offered! Slide into my DMs. You won’t be disappointed.”

There were even a few show–offs in the mix.

A guy in a flashy white leather jacket leaned against the wall, casually flipping a sleek–looking dagger in his hand. A small group of girls stood around him, eyes wide with admiration.

“This dungeon’s nothing special,” he said, cool as ever. “Took down a troll solo earlier. Took a few swings, sure, but nothing serious. If I wasn’t saving my energy for the second floor, I’d have gone after the boss already.”

“Whoa, you’re amazing!”

“Hey, think you could take me along? I’ll be your cheer squad!”

Riley’s lips twitched.

Solo a troll? A few swings?

That Level 8 troll from before had taken her–a legit tank–plus buffed–up food to bring down. If this guy really had killed one in just a few hits, there’d probably be a server–wide announcement by now.

“Boss, he’s full of it, right?” TartKing whispered, leaning closer. “That dagger’s just a common white item. Doesn’t even shine as bright as your axes.”

“Let him have his moment,” Riley replied softly.

Just then, a commotion broke out near the center of the hall.

1/4

14:01 Tue, May 5

Chapter 45 Nightfall Arrives

“Check it out–it’s the Nightfall crew!”

“No way. They actually managed to form a guild already?”

A group of seven or eight people marched in, making no effort to keep a low profile.

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Leading them was a tall, bald guy with a harsh scar running down his face. It was hard to tell whether he’d had it before or picked it up in the survival game.

He wore a full set of leather armor and carried a two–handed greatsword that gleamed with a faint green glow.

The sword was probably fine–tier, but the armor looked like standard–issue leather.

Behind him, the rest of the group had a rough look in their eyes. They weren’t the kind of people you wanted to cross.

“Move it! Out of the way!”

The bald guy kicked a lanky player who was too slow to step aside, then swaggered straight toward the portal.

The player who’d been kicked shot him an angry look but stayed quiet, slinking off toward the edge of the crowd.

“That’s DarkButcher! From Nightfall, right?”

“Nightfall?”

Riley narrowed her eyes.

She remembered TartKing mentioning earlier that the jerk who’d pushed her toward the troll claimed he was from Nightfall, too. She hadn’t paid it much mind at the time.

“What’s this about a guild? I haven’t seen any system announcements for that,” Riley asked, turning to TartKing.

“Boss, you didn’t hear? It’s not a game system thing. It’s just something survivors put together themselves–sort of a mutual–aid group. Back in the snowfields, they already had some pull.”

Hearing that, Riley almost laughed.

So it was just a self–made label. For a second there, she’d thought someone had gotten way ahead of the curve and unlocked a feature she’d never even heard of.

2/4

14:02 Tue, May 5

Chapter 45 Nightfall Arrives

:

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They’d probably kept a lower profile back in the snowfields since everyone was scattered. But now that they were all thrown into the same dungeon, they figured they could throw their weight around.

Still, Riley didn’t think it was the smartest move. In a dungeon, it was usually better to keep a low profile. If people knew you were carrying good loot, you might end up with a target on your back.

“Boss…” TartKing tugged nervously on Riley’s sleeve. “Should we, you know, lay low?”

Riley stayed calm. “It’s a free hallway.”

She wasn’t scared just because they had numbers.

Sure, having more people was an advantage here, but it wasn’t everything. That didn’t mean Riley was about to pick a fight right now, though.

Her goal was the second–floor reward. No point tangling with a pack of aggressive players right at the entrance.

Just as the Nightfall crew was about to step through the portal, the bald guy came to a sudden

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