Vol. 3: Chapter 9
However, not all starting villages had fared as well as Starlight.
Some had battled for three or four grueling hours before achieving victory. Others fought until nightfall, only winning when the vanguard force finally withdrew on its own. A small, unlucky minority were overrun on the very first day.
[System]: Starting Village #1222 has failed to repel the Orc invasion. The event has concluded for this village. All associated players are being teleported to their designated main cities.
The announcement sent shockwaves through the global playerbase.
“What the hell? The event just ends for them? And the players get teleported out?”
“Yeah, shouldn’t the monsters just get cleared so the players can stay in the village?”
“Does this mean the rumors were true? If a village is conquered, it’s lost for good? Just like when the Blackwind Brotherhood took over Starlight?”
“That’s not right. Even when Starlight was occupied, players could still go there. But it sounds like these Orc-controlled villages are completely inaccessible now. The teleport nexus connection is gone.”
“Oh, I know about this. The teleport nexus needs players to run essence delivery quests to power it.”
“Right. Starlight still can’t connect directly to the major cities. You have to go through the Beryl Creek outpost as a transfer point.”
“So you’re saying players are supposed to go into an Orc-occupied village to run nexus quests? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Haha, you’d get flattened before you even got close!”
In the grand scheme, the number of conquered villages was small—just over one hundred out of more than twenty thousand on the server, barely 1%.
When the final village had repelled its invasion force, a new system-wide message was broadcast.
[System]: Congratulations, players! Through your valiant efforts, the vanguard of The WarChief has been defeated. The Armory has now been upgraded and stocked with PVE equipment. Visit the Armory NPC in your village to purchase items with your contribution points.
After a long day of fighting, it was welcome news.
PVE, or “Player Versus Environment,” gear was designed with a specific purpose. The trade-off was clear: significant bonuses against monsters and bosses in exchange for lower base stats than standard equipment, making it less effective in player-versus-player combat.
Take a Level 30 Legendary shield, for example:
Standard Legendary Shield:
Strength: +220
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Constitution: +310
Physical Defense: +2,550
Magic Defense: +1,200
...
PVE Legendary Shield:
Strength: +205
Constitution: +251
Physical Defense: +2,350
Magic Defense: +920
[PVE Bonus]: +1,000 Physical Defense, +500 Magic Defense (vs. non-player enemies)
Of course, PVE bonuses weren't limited to raw stats; they could also increase skill damage or enhance skill effects against monsters. A single piece might not seem like a huge difference, but a tank decked out in three or four main PVE items could potentially gain an extra three or four thousand defense, a massive boost.
The only problem was earning enough points.
After the first day, the top teams had around 1,500 points—enough for one Level 30 Legendary item. Most other dedicated parties weren't far from the 1,000-point mark, grinding hard for a Level 25 Legendary.
There was another piece of good news: the point rewards for all quests, from hauling supplies to killing monsters, had been increased significantly. As some players finally scraped together 1,000 points, the humblebragging began.
“Man, I’m so torn. Do I go for the standard gear or the new PVE stuff?”
“Yeah, the PVE gear looks amazing for dungeons, but it’s weaker in PVP.”
“And getting a PVE piece would break my current set bonus. Such a pain.”
“Totally. It's such a tough choice.”
“The PVE gear is nice, but I still think cashing in for experience is the better play.”
“You can grind XP anywhere. You can only get PVE gear from this event.”
The players who were short on points quickly lost their patience.
“Get over yourselves! Just buy it or don’t, stop flexing on everyone!”
“Yeah, acting like you’re the only ones who can afford it!”
The arguments were heated, but they reflected the genuine dilemma many players now faced. Those who could afford the new gear felt a cut above the rest, while those who couldn't were quietly grinding, determined to catch up.
The introduction of PVE gear had thrown a wrench into many players' plans. Those who had planned to dump all their points into experience to hit level 30 were now hesitating. Some who had already spent hundreds of points on XP were beginning to feel a pang of regret.
It was just after 3:00 PM when Lila and her team logged back in. They were already on the move, undertaking a high-difficulty quest.
[Raid the Supply Depot]
Quest Description: With the vanguard defeated, the enemy’s supply lines are vulnerable. Assemble a 500-player force and launch a covert assault on their supply depot.
This must be a swift and decisive strike!
Time Remaining: 150 minutes.
150 minutes—two and a half hours—seemed like a lot of time, but much of it was spent just getting there. The WarChief’s supply depot was located over ten miles east of the village forest, and the path was crawling with monsters. The further they went, the higher the monster levels became. After taking down five separate sub-bosses along the route, they finally saw their objective.
The monsters guarding the depot were all level 30 or higher. The quest timer now showed only 30 minutes remaining.
“Halt!” Lila called out, raising a hand. She turned to Rena. “Rena, scout it out.”
“On it.”
Rena produced a crystal sphere. It floated lightly into the air, its color slowly fading to complete invisibility. It was an Orb of Scrying, a special reward Rena had received for completing a plot-advancing quest the day before. It could scout an area up to a mile away, and could even detect most stealthed units.
At Rena’s command, the invisible orb drifted toward the supply depot. An image of what it saw appeared in the air before the raid party.
The camp was patrolled by three or four hundred Level 33 Orc soldiers. At each of the four corners stood a large warehouse, presumably the supply caches. Each warehouse was guarded by a Level 34 elite with 20 million health.
In the very center of the camp stood a Level 35 boss with 60 million health, 18,500 attack, and 8,500 defense.
A heavy silence fell over the group as they processed the information. With only thirty minutes left, just taking down the main boss seemed impossible. How were they supposed to destroy four heavily guarded warehouses as well?
All eyes turned to Lila.