Chapter 60 : Monster Siege (4)
Monster Siege (4)
There were only a few minutes left on the countdown before the event started.
Following the surging flow of the crowd, everyone passed through the main gates of the capital, crossed the dozens-of-meters-wide moat, and arrived on the plains outside the imperial city.
At this moment, the place was already teeming with people, filled with all kinds of players who had come to participate in the "Monster Siege" event.
At a glance, the vast sea of people seemed endless.
Fortunately, the imperial city covered several hundred hectares; otherwise, it would have been impossible to accommodate so many players at once.
"So many people..."
Amidst the tides of the crowd, Gu Yanxi curiously glanced around, whispering with amazement.
"Of course,"
Yuewu smiled faintly and explained, "According to official data, legend of Kaloran now has almost 18 million registered users in our region alone—just the national region, not worldwide. The global player count has already reportedly surpassed 80 million."
"Eighty million..."
Gu Yanxi was a little astounded. She couldn't help but look back at the imperial city behind her and asked, "So, do all 18 million people in our region have to crowd into this one city with us?"
"No, even though the entire nation shares one server, most people have actually been assigned to other cities in the game."
At this moment, Dawn's Light joined the conversation.
Yuewu nodded too. On the forums, this wasn't much of a secret; anyone who cared to look could piece it together from various posts online.
Currently, there were seven or eight other starting points of the same scale as Loren Imperial City in the national region. It's just that the cities were so far apart that players from different starting points had yet to meet one another.
While listening to their conversation, Chen Zixuan led the group toward an area with fewer people.
Suddenly, from the very front of the players' formation, a commotion broke out.
A player at the front stared, dumbfounded, at the distant plains. At that moment, a dense horde of goblins suddenly surged over the horizon more than a thousand meters from the city wall, forming a black mass—numbering in the tens of thousands.
Their faces were twisted, eyes red, clutching spiked clubs made of wood and primitive axes made of stone; hate filled their gazes, as if they had come to exact vengeance on someone.
Moreover, among the low-statured goblins crowded together like a tidal wave were several hundred massive figures that stood out even more.
They had the features of goblins, but were nearly two meters tall, their hulking, muscular builds wielding enormous stone axes—evidence of their terrifying destructive power.
Had Chen Zixuan been at the frontlines, he would have recognized them at a glance as the very large goblins he had killed before.
Except, he had only encountered three previously—now, there were several hundred!
"So many monsters... how the hell are we supposed to fight this?!"
Seeing this, a player at the very front, face filled with fear and ready to give up, cursed aloud.
"Yeah, it's only the second day since the servers opened—did the idiot game devs lose their minds?"
"I play Mantis; the devs must think I'm isolated and helpless!"
"I'm playing Karthus, but my ult is wasted in the devs' house..."
Many nearby players also started cursing in unison.
The highest-level among them had just reached level 3. They could handle one or two monsters, but with this many at once—who could possibly stand against it?
Of course, there were also players with steadier nerves who tried to calm everyone down: "It's just a game. Even if you die, there's nothing to lose—just think of it as practice."
"Yeah, win or lose, you get experience. Kill one, not a loss; kill two, you're making bank..."
......
Overall, those complaining the most were basically the warrior, paladin, and assassin players.
Their attack styles were all melee—they had to get close to deal damage, which made dying in a monster horde like this all too easy.
Mage, priest, and Sharpshooter players were much happier. Their attacks were ranged, output was higher, they didn't have to get close to the monsters, and it was easier to score last hits.
Still, regardless of class, the ultimate outcome would be the same: if they couldn't hold the line against the monster siege, everyone would die.
Really, it was just a matter of who died first and who died later.
Soon, the 20-minute countdown ended. The main city gates behind the players slowly fell shut, cutting off any chance of retreat.
"Adventurers!"
From the high wall behind them, commander Karl of the Guard called out.
"The monsters are about to attack! Show your courage—for the empire, shed your last drop of blood!"
"Uh..."
Below the city walls, the players let out a disjointed, half-hearted response.
Only a small few, still fantasizing about the rich rewards after the event, looked excited, rolling up their sleeves and itching to be first into the fray.
"Let's get ready too,"
Chen Zixuan turned around and said softly to the group.
"Okay. Then how should we fight? Wait for others to go first, or rush in straight away?"
Dawn's Light asked gravely.
"There are so many monsters; let's let the others go die first. There are hundreds of elite monsters alone—I can't see how they're supposed to handle that,"
Yuewu glanced at the distant goblin horde, her brows drawn together, a hint of schadenfreude flashing in her long, narrow eyes.
Chen Zixuan was about to nod in agreement when suddenly, a desolate horn blast floated, haunting and resonant, from afar and spread across the entire imperial city.
At the rear of the goblin horde, a four-meter-tall minotaur slowly lowered the horn from its lips, eyes a bloody red as it howled at the sky.
"The event has started!"
When they heard the horn, every player's expression turned solemn.
Then, the ground beneath their feet began to quiver slightly. The goblin army—so vast its end was nowhere in sight—suddenly began surging towards the city like a tidal wave!
Though they were small in size, the sheer numbers magnified each stomping step to a thunderous roar that rolled like thunder beneath the heavens, casting a profound psychological pressure on everyone present.
None of the players had ever seen such a spectacle in their lives. Especially those at the front, face-to-face with the monster wave, their faces went deathly pale.
Of course, there were also plenty of berserker players who, unable to restrain themselves as the atmosphere reached a fever pitch, drew their weapons, broke away from the crowd, and charged forward with a roar.
Yet, at their current level, no matter how bravely they fought, they were doomed to perish like moths to a flame.
But this was just a game—who cared about dying? As long as it was fun, that was enough!
Some were happy, others anxious. As everyone's mood turned heavy at the sight of the oncoming monsters, under the shadow of a black hood, a young girl's lips curled into a pleased smile.
"Ten... twenty... a hundred..."
"With so many elite monsters, in two hours, I should be able to reach level eight..."