The outskirts of Castellan.
Construction of the city walls was underway in full swing.
Players bustled back and forth across the wall's foundation like ants. Some carried stone blocks, some pushed wooden carts, and others stood high up, using Levitation to hoist massive boulders one by one.
The scent of dust and sawdust filled the air, accompanied by the endless clinking and clanking of tools.
Holding a set of construction blueprints, Tao-chan, the guild leader of Rose Heart, wove through the construction site. His crisp voice rang out continuously as he organized the entire operation in an orderly fashion:
“Align those stones on the left! Keep the height steady with Levitation!”
“Prioritize the timber for building defensive walkways!”
“Speed it up! We only have a two-day countdown!”
The builder players responded with high efficiency, working at maximum capacity. The city wall rose and took shape at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Just then, Tao-chan suddenly heard a commotion coming from the edge of the wall.
“God-Chosen Ones!”
“Please let us help too!”
“We can also do our part to defend the Holy City!”
Tao-chan turned around and saw a crowd of NPCs surrounding several players who were carrying stones. Every single one of them had an earnest look on their face. There were young and old among them, but all of them were filled with enthusiasm.
The surrounded players had clearly not expected the NPCs to volunteer to help. For a moment, they were at a loss, unsure whether to put down the stones they were carrying or keep moving forward.
Tao-chan was stunned for a moment before snapping back to his senses.
He quickly walked over and cleared his throat. “Ahem—excuse me, are you all really willing to help build the wall?”
“We are! Of course we are!” a white-haired old man said earnestly. “Esteemed God-Chosen Ones! The Holy City is in danger. As believers of the Goddess, how can we just sit back and watch? We can also help build the wall and defend our home!”
Many people behind him chimed in agreement:
“That's right! Don't look at my age! I was a pro at building walls when I was young! Carrying stones and digging soil is no problem for me!”
“We are all volunteering! We absolutely won't drag you down! Defending our home is our duty!”
Looking at this group of eager believers, Tao-chan suddenly felt a subtle sensation—this was exactly what made this game different from others.
The NPCs were like living people; they had their own thoughts, emotions, and initiative.
They weren't wooden blocks standing around waiting for you to click “Talk” and then repeat a couple of lines of dialogue.
The corners of Tao-chan's mouth curled up slightly. He coughed and said with a serious expression:
“Since everyone is volunteering, thank you for your hard work! Many hands make light work. With your help, the construction of the wall will definitely be completed in no time!”
Although he was a bit surprised, he was more than happy to accept. After all, whether the players built it or the NPCs did, it didn't matter. This would only help them get the quest rewards even faster.
...
Starfall Forest.
The troll army was slowly marching along a relatively open path in the forest.
The three-thousand-strong force stretched out in a long line.
Suddenly, a dense commotion echoed from up ahead.
“Found them, found them! The trolls are right ahead!”
“Let's go, let's go! Let's get them!”
Before the voices could fade, the bushes ahead were violently pushed aside, and a massive crowd of people surged out. There were at least a hundred of them, wielding various weapons and wearing a mismatch of gear.
Every single one of them looked ecstatic, as if they had just spotted prime prey.
Upon seeing the trolls, the crowd didn't hesitate for a single second. Without a word, the players raised their hands and unleashed their skills.
A barrage of colorful magic spells instantly rained down upon them.
“Ah!!”
Before the trolls at the very front could react, they were bombarded head-on. Screams of pain echoed as over a dozen trolls collapsed instantly.
Savagebone was stunned for a moment, and then a clear look of fury surged across his rugged face:
“You're courting death!”
He charged forward furiously, his Gold Rank power erupting with a boom. Shrugging off the incoming spells, he arrived in front of the hundred-odd players in the blink of an eye.
“Holy crap?! There's a boss here too?!
“We're screwed, run!”
The players' excitement instantly turned to panic. The players who had just been howling and charging forward did an immediate hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. Some bolted, while others threw spells back over their shoulders as they ran, trying to buy time.
“Don't even think about escaping!” Savagebone roared. His giant axe swept out in a flash of cold light, instantly cleaving three or four players in half at the waist. Their armor and weapons were sliced in two along with them, scattering broken equipment all over the ground.
“My newly equipped blue-grade gear—!”
“Holy crap, that's brutal?!”
“This boss is at least Gold Rank! He feels even stronger than the last two bosses!”
“Cut the crap! Run!!”
Savagebone charged through them as if entering an empty field, swinging his battleaxe left and right, harvesting the players who were trying to escape.
The ordinary troll soldiers from behind also surged forward, engaging the remaining players in a chaotic melee.
The trolls were heavily built and possessed terrifying strength. Although the individual players weren't weak, their formation was chaotic and lacked coordination, and they were quickly scattered to pieces.
After all, the players' advantages lay in their ability to resurrect and overwhelm enemies with numbers. Facing an actual troll army, their unorganized numbers were clearly not enough.
Kasal rushed over from the rear of the army upon hearing the noise, watching the one-sided slaughter with a cold gaze.
Then, he noticed that the corpses of these humans dissolved into particles of light and vanished, leaving behind only broken equipment on the ground, without a single drop of blood.
“Just as Father God said... these humans can rise from the dead,” he murmured in a low voice.
The battle quickly ended.
Savagebone stood in place, looking at the piles of broken equipment scattered around him. Finding not a single human corpse, his face was filled with shock.
“Savagebone, there is no need to be surprised. These humans can resurrect.”
Kasal stepped forward slowly, his tone flat and calm.
“R-Resurrect?!”
Savagebone's eyes widened in sheer shock, his worldview completely shattered.
“Yes.” Kasal nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the scattered gear. “This is the ability bestowed upon them by that fake god. However, any power comes with a price. Their souls must wear down during the resurrection process, meaning they probably cannot resurrect many times.”
“I see.” Savagebone came to a realization and let out a sigh of relief. But then he thought of something else and asked, “Lord Kasal, since they can resurrect, that means humans will continuously harass us. Should we take a detour?”
“No.” Kasal decisively rejected the suggestion. “Since they have already discovered our whereabouts, hiding now will only make us look weak. Increase the marching speed and push directly toward their stronghold. End the battle as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, sir!”
Kasal paused, then asked, “That human... did you interrogate anything out of him?”
Savagebone shook his head. “No, Lord Kasal. That fellow's mouth is very tight.”
Kasal frowned upon hearing this. “Since he is useless, kill him. Our movements have already been exposed, so keeping him alive serves no purpose.”
“Yes, sir!”
...
One kilometer ahead of the troll army.
Bruce was leading several guild players toward the coordinates shared by The World Envies This King.
Suddenly, as if he had just realized something, his face filled with surprise:
“Why did that guy return to town?”
He saw that The World Envies This King's location now showed he had returned to the resurrection point.
“Could it be because he talked too much trash and got chopped up by the trolls...?”
His mouth twitched at the thought.
“Whatever, ignore him.”
He had already marked the location on the map beforehand anyway, so it didn't matter whether the location sharing was still active.
Just as he was about to continue forward, he saw a group of disheveled players running toward him, panting heavily.
Seeing this, Bruce quickly reached out to stop one of the sprinting players and asked curiously:
“Brother, what's the situation ahead? Why is everyone retreating?”
The player's eyes lit up when he recognized Bruce's ID. He immediately began to vent wildly, his tone filled with lingering fear:
“Big Boss Bruce! Don't even get me started! It's completely unplayable up ahead! There's a super boss hiding among those trolls! He's at least Gold Rank! Over a hundred of us charged in, and we were wiped out in seconds!”
He then made an exaggerated gesture. “That boss kills with one swing of his axe! He sliced us like vegetables! Our team was almost wiped out! If I hadn't run fast, I'd be lying in the resurrection point right now!”
“A boss?” Bruce stroked his chin, his expression turning solemn.
He had originally thought the trolls would only be at Bronze or Silver Rank, but he hadn't expected the leader to be so tough.
At least Gold Rank...
And there are three thousand of them...
This is going to be a tough fight.
Rate on N.U.
