Vol. 3: Chapter 23
Lila remained unfazed by the taunt from Serpent’s Coil.
She was well aware of the situation in Starting Village #16698; several members of Crimson Bloom had transferred from there. That, combined with intel from her own guild members and reports from Elon, gave her a broad picture of the server-wide event.
The number of orc invaders varied from village to village, and Starlight Village, for whatever reason, had drawn the largest horde. Perhaps it was due to their higher average player level, or maybe it was just special treatment from The WarChief for being the ones to trigger the world event.
As much as she wanted to lead Starlight Village to be the first to repel the invasion, she knew their enemy was simply too powerful to entertain such a fantasy.
Two hours had passed. Over ten thousand orcs remained on the field. The first wave of players who had died were now respawning and rejoining the battle, which had eased the pressure considerably. At least the main bosses hadn't shown up yet...
The thought made Lila pause. Wait a minute... where are the bosses? Shouldn't they have breached the walls by now?
Meanwhile, in Starting Village #16698, the Sunfire Bell was proving to be the decisive factor. Caleb Mordant had upgraded it to Level 5.
[Sunfire Bell] (Level 5)
+2000 Health
+1000 Physical Attack
+900 Magical Attack
+600 Physical Defense
+500 Magical Defense
+15% Skill Effectiveness
At Level 5, the bell could be rung six times, granting a staggering buff.
[Voice of the Sunfire Bell (Level 5)]: 6 Stacks
+12,000 Health
+6000 Physical Attack
+5400 Magical Attack
+3600 Physical Defense
+3000 Magical Defense
+90% Skill Effectiveness
Combined with their PVE gear, most of the village's tanks had over 10,000 defense. The top-tier tanks were pushing 20,000. If he wanted to, Caleb could have assembled his forces, rung the bell for everyone, and ended the entire invasion in under an hour.
But he didn't.
In Caleb Mordant's eyes, the "trash" players who opposed him didn't deserve to share in his glory. The thought of them achieving an easy, painless victory was more unbearable to him than death.
So, when the Burning Horde attacked, his personal legion of 5,000 elite players remained inside the village, officially designated as the "reserve force."
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"Mr. Mordant, please, ring the Sunfire Bell!" a player pleaded.
"It costs two gold per second to maintain," he replied dismissively. "The overhead is too high."
"We'll cover the cost!" the other guild leaders offered.
Caleb simply invented a new lie. "The bell requires the sacrifice of an Ascendant item to be rung. Who's willing to contribute?"
The other leaders seethed. He just rang it! And what about when you used it to raid the supply depot two days ago? No one mentioned any sacrifice then!
But what could they do? He had won the auction. The bell was his to use as he pleased.
And so, without their main fighting force or the game-changing buff, the players of Village #16698 were thrown into a brutal, grinding battle, one just as bloody as the fight in Starlight Village. The guilds Caleb disliked suffered the most, their hatred for him growing with every death.
From a high watchtower, Caleb and a few of his cronies watched the carnage below, laughing and chatting as if at a festival. Seeing their rivals get pummeled by orcs was, to them, the highest form of entertainment.
Only when the Horde finally broke through the defenses and poured into the village did Caleb slowly rise. He took out the Sunfire Bell.
DONG. DONG. DONG.
DONG. DONG. DONG.
Six resonant chimes echoed through the chaos. At the sound, his 5,000 loyalists stood at attention. But Caleb had played one last trick. He hadn't activated the bell in "Faction Mode," which would have buffed the entire village. He had used "Legion Mode," restricting the buff to his own 5,000 players.
He had absolute faith in them. They were the best of the best. Five thousand was more than enough.
With a wave of his hand, his legion charged. Amped up and roaring like men possessed, they crashed into the Burning Horde. It was a slaughter.
As his forces reached the main boss, Caleb opened the world chat and typed out his taunting message to Crimson Bloom.
Just as he was basking in his own genius, a system notification popped up.
System: For unknown reasons, your Luck has been permanently reduced by 1.
Caleb barely glanced at it. He had no idea how crucial the Luck stat was. He waved a subordinate over. "Luke, keep an eye out for any gear or potions that increase Luck. I want something that gives at least ten points in one go. Buy it on sight."
"Of course, sir," Luke said without hesitation, though inwardly he was baffled. Luck-boosting items were practically a myth. The request was absurd. But Luke knew better than to question his boss's foolish whims.
***
Back in Starlight Village, the fight raged on.
Lila was a storm of destruction. Gripping Dragonbane with both hands, she dove headfirst into the thickest concentration of the Horde and unleashed a skill: Rising Slash!
Typically a single-target ability, the Cleave effect from Dragonbane had transformed it into a devastating AOE. A whole swath of monsters in front of her was launched into the air. And they stayed there, suspended for far longer than usual. A normal Rising Slash offered a window for a single follow-up attack. This one gave her time for two.
She hacked and slashed at the helpless, airborne orcs, and the ground beneath them became littered with globules of vitality. When attacks came from behind, she would simply step on a few of the crimson orbs and her health would shoot back to full. If she was ever truly swarmed, she would use one of her four movement skills to disengage and reposition.
Other players watched her fighting style with their jaws on the floor. For a moment, they wondered if the monsters had been nerfed. One player, caught up in the moment, tried to emulate her and charged into a mob. A few seconds later, he was at the resurrection point, cursing his own stupidity.
After clearing another pack, Lila found a brief respite. She opened a chat with MirthBringer.
"Status report?"
"We're starting to gain the upper hand," he replied.
"Good... what about the three bosses? Where are they?"
"Nowhere. They're not in the village."
"What do you mean? The bosses in the other villages engaged hours ago. Check again. Make sure a party hasn't kited them into some corner."
"Okay, one sec... No, definitely not in the village. Let me check outside... Huh. What is that?"
"What's what? Be specific!" Lila typed, her patience wearing thin.
"East of the village. The three bosses are clustered together. Looks like... someone is fighting them."
"Someone's fighting them? Is it Hazel?"
"Too far to see clearly... wait. No, it's not Hazel."
"What do they look like? Give me a description."
"It's... a ranged fighter. And they're glowing. Surrounded by a golden light."
A golden light?
A sudden, jarring thought struck Lila. Could it be...?
Just then, a new announcement echoed, not just through the village, but across the entire server.
System: Congratulations to Starting Village #9999 for being the first to defeat the Burning Horde! All players in this village will be rewarded with one Ascendant item!