【 SHOCKED! IT’S REALLY SHOCKING! 】

“Uller, who’s behind the orcs, has blocked our use of teleportation arrays, which means he’s wary of our ability to teleport.”

“In that case… all we need to do is amplify that fear.”

“Everyone from the other factions already knows we can resurrect, so under these circumstances, there’s no way the orcs will just sit back and let us establish a stable teleportation array in this region. If we succeed in fooling them, it would mean we could grind them down in a battle of attrition indefinitely.”

“They don’t know the exact range of the teleportation array we can build either, so they’ll definitely take the initiative to attack.”

“This is an open stratagem.”

Dōngdōng bobbed her head as she explained.

The other players in the tent exchanged glances, realization dawning on their faces.

“Your idea really is a good strategy,”

Li Mu agreed.

“But wouldn’t this also force the orcs to mobilize their main army? Their forces are twice the size of ours. The weekend is almost over, and not everyone can stay online during the weekdays. If we’re lucky, maybe half of the 100,000+ players will be online when the battle starts. That’s still going to be a lot of pressure,” Ji Gang said worriedly.

“Then let’s build fortifications!”

Little Salty Cat suggested cheerfully.

“My guild, Moe Moe’s construction specialist team, is almost all here. It’s the perfect time for them to shine! With magic aiding us, we can build things quickly.”

“That’s a good idea, turning the battle into a defensive one… Although, it does feel a little weird that an offensive campaign might end up turning into a defensive war,” Meng Zhihan remarked with an odd expression.

“What’s so weird about that? Sometimes defense is the best offense!” Tomato grinned as he wiped his gleaming golden legendary sword.

Meng Zhihan nodded.

“Fair point…”

“I’m just worried that the orcs might attack us before we finish building the fortifications.”

“That’s why we need to proceed step by step,” Dōngdōng added with a smile. “We’ll build our defenses and set up the array first. At the same time, we’ll send out smaller groups to raid the nearby tribes. Once our fortifications are nearly complete, we’ll make a big show of it, deliberately announcing the existence of our teleportation array.”

“Still, won’t there be a chance the orcs won’t fall for it? What if they realize something’s off with the array and decide to keep most of their forces guarding Sandstorm City?” someone asked.

“Hehe, the teleportation array will be hidden underground, which is Rose’s area of expertise. Unless the orcs are complete fools, they’ll choose to fight us above ground. And if they want to defeat us underground, there’s no way they’ll send just a small force. It’s bound to be a full-scale mobilization!” Dōngdōng replied confidently.

“Of course, all of this hinges on neither side deploying any powerful experts. If a demigod tries to join the fray… well, this whole plan might fall apart.”

She added this as an afterthought.

“Hehe, if the situation really comes to that, then this whole campaign is probably nearing its end anyway, and our side’s powerful experts will surely be making their move too,”

Demacia laughed.

“That’s not necessarily true,” Tomato’s eyes gleamed.

“Once the top elite experts of both sides begin fighting, it might actually be the perfect opportunity for us to truly conquer Sandstorm City.”

“In that case, we’d better start preparing contingency plans for every possible scenario…”

The players in the command tent immediately began to lean forward, their voices rising with enthusiasm as they launched into an animated and spirited discussion.

They pored over every detail, considering the different outcome the battle could take and weighing the risks of each option.

As they analyzed the situation step by step, refining their strategies, a complex and meticulously crafted plan gradually took shape.

Evé, meanwhile, merely stood quietly to the side, her gaze fixed on the proceedings, observing them with a calm demeanor.

Watching the serious expressions on the players’ faces…

Seeing their excitement and passion…

Evé felt an immense sense of satisfaction in her heart.

It hadn’t been easy.

Compared to when they first appeared in this world, the players’ growth had far exceeded her expectations.

They had become reliable assets, which are capable of independent thought, hardworking, and able to solve problems on their own.

At the same time, however, a rare and unfamiliar feeling began to blossom inside her heart—a sense of no longer being alone. She had always been accustomed to solitude, to working by herself, but now, with the players maturing in this regard, there was a subtle comfort in knowing they were now capable of supporting her on their own.

Well…

It would be perfect, if only they didn’t do stupid things and court death so often in their spare time.

The decisive battle is fast approaching, and the rewards have already been distributed. Now, it’s time to further strengthen our side’s combat power.

While the current 500 Silver-rank players should be sufficient for the upcoming battles, Li Mu and the others are correct. With the weekend ending, many players will be offline during the weekdays. To maintain the combat strength of our army during that time, it’s best to promote more players to replace those who will be offline.

Hmm, I’ll add 300 more Silver advancement slots, focusing on Iron-rankers at max level, as they can be quickly turned into valuable combat power for our army.

Evé thought to herself.

The special reward pool didn’t specifically indicate its drop rate, so the manner in which the all-important Silver-rank advancement slots would be given was, of course, firmly at Eve’s discretion.

“Seeing them work so hard, I suppose I’ll stoke their flames a little more…”

Murmuring to herself, Evé logged onto the official forums and posted a new announcement.

༺⟐༻

In the player camp, Jiang Shang stared excitedly at his personal status screen.

“Haha! The rewards are finally here!”

He was one of the many public-beta players who had managed to join and complete the “Blitzkrieg Assault” quest.

As a result, after days of participating in numerous battles, he had finally reached level 40.

Having participated in the entire war campaign and earned a substantial amount of war points, he had also secured seven special lottery tickets for the exclusive reward pool!

“Such a shame… I could’ve snagged a few more tickets if I’d been at level 40 before joining the war,” he muttered with a hint of regret, feeling a bit greedy.

Just then, a slightly exasperated male voice sounded beside him.

“Just be content, Ziya. At your current level, you’d already be considered a top-tier expert among us public-beta players.”

It was Jiang Shang’s friend, Akai.

Akai was a few levels behind him, but his friend had reached a respectable level of 35, which was still high compared to most of the newcomers like them.

The two of them were now much stronger than they used to be, with him choosing to be a Druid, while the other became a Warrior.

Jiang Shang grinned.

“Not bad… not bad at all. Maybe I’m just really good at this game, eh?”

“Cut the crap. It’s because you’ve been no-lifing this game all this time. Dude, how many classes have you skipped now, anyway?”

Akai shot back mercilessly.

As a university student who should mostly be preoccupied with passing tests and such, Jiang Shang’s rapid climb to such a high level in such a short time was nothing short of impressive.

Although, of course, the price for that achievement… was skipping his classes.

“Eh… it’s just some minor university classes. We’re only reviewing what we learned last week anyway, so it doesn’t matter if I don’t go to class.”

Jiang Shang chuckled.

Akai shook his head.

“So… you’re really planning to soak your feet for the first few months and then drink the foot bath water in the final month?”

Jiang Shang: “…”

“That… might be an accurate way to describe it, but man, that’s the most disgusting metaphor I’ve ever heard…”

He shot a look of disdain at his friend before refocusing on his status screen.

“As expected! These large-scale war events are the quickest way to level up! All that grinding finally paid off! Now, if only I can get a Silver Advancement Slot, I’ll become an Archdruid with Feral Specialization,” Jiang Shang said happily. “After that, I’ll team up with some players to raid a few tribes for better gear, and I’ll be a top-rank player for sure!”

“Wake up, dude, it’s already Monday in the real world. We’ve got classes today! A full schedule, all compulsory courses like Advanced Math and English, too. So you can’t skip this time.”

His friend poured another bucket of cold water over his head.

Jiang Shang: “…”

His excitement instantly deflated as he sighed.

“Way to kill the mood, bro.”

“Fine…Just Let me finish drawing my tickets before logging off.”

Then he looked up and shouted dramatically:

“Argh! why are weekends always so short?!”

After grumbling for a bit, Jiang Shang quickly perked up again and eagerly made his way to the back of the player camp, to a small clearing.

In the center stood a holy statue of the Goddess, surrounded by a sea of players.

All around him, murmurs of “Goddess, bless me!” mixed with bursts of excited laughter and the occasional bitter curse of “My luck sucks!” filled the air.

Of course, what echoed most often were pained cries like “Why am I so cursed?!” or “What the hell, another common item?!”

This statue had been carried all the way from the Elven Forest by the players.

Although Uller had restricted the use of teleportation and offering array in the region, nothing was absolute.

As the war escalated, some players gradually discovered that they could still perform the offering ritual and access the in-game store as long as they were in close proximity to a Goddess statue, even in the heart of enemy territory.

Of course, there were limitations. The statue had to be sanctified, meaning that those crafted by players themselves could not be used and it had to be one provided by the Church of Life.

Thus, ever since the second offensive had begun, the players had been carrying this holy statue with them, setting it up at every camp they established so that it could serve as a temporary hub for them to access the in-game store.

It saved the players a tremendous amount of time, as they no longer needed to travel all the way back to the Elven Forest just to buy items or set up offering arrays to send their loot to the Goddess.

If there was one downside to this setup…

It was that in the past, due to the long return trips, players would only haul back the most valuable loot from their raids. The trek to the Elven Forest was long and exhausting, so they were forced to be selective about what they carried back.

But now, with easier access to the Goddess’ offering ritual on-site, they took whatever they could get their hands on and sent it to her without a second thought.

This new convenience, however, had unintended consequences. The areas they passed through were often left in ruins. Unlike the past, where players had been more discerning in their pillaging, now entire fields of loot, both valuable and trivial, were taken as if a locusts swarm had swept through.

After waiting in line for ages, Jiang Shang finally stood before the Goddess’ statue.

He took a few deep breaths, suppressing the nervousness in his heart.

He knelt down and prayed with practiced ease, then eagerly recited:

“Praise be to Life, Praise be to Nature, Praise be to the great Goddess Eve!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a familiar sensation washed over him, and his vision blurred. In an instant, his mind was transported to the well-known interface of the in-game store.

When Evé first set up the store, its appearance had been simple, almost bare. The interface was rudimentary, offering only a handful of items, and even those felt limited. In the early days of the first beta, players would have to make do with what little was available, and what they could exchange felt almost pitifully scarce.

But now… everything had changed.

The store interface had undergone a complete transformation, evolving in tandem with the players’ progress. Thanks to their tireless dedication and collective efforts, the inventory had expanded exponentially.

No longer was it a single, lonely page filled with only the most rudimentary items. Now, it was an overflowing catalog of items.

The air around the interface seemed to hum with energy as the vast collection of goods presented itself, a testament to the countless hours of grinding, battling, and collecting that had gone into it.

Just the equipment section alone spanned over ten pages, offering everything from basic white-grade gear to epic purple-grade items, from apprentice sets to lower Silver-rank equipment which was everything one could possibly need.

As for the coveted golden-grade legendary equipment…

Well, each one of these was a unique, limited-edition item but there were even more of those now.

Over forty pages of them, in fact.

On top of that, there was an overwhelming variety of meditation techniques, training manuals, and skill books for every jobclass imaginable.

One could say that the current exchange store was practically omnipotent. That is, if you had the adequate amount of contribution points, then you could get anything your heart desired.

Staring at the fully-stocked shelves brimming with equipment and items of every kind, Jiang Shang could hardly contain his longing.

“It really feels like… there’s even more stuff available now than before the war started,” he muttered to himself. “Some of these items even look strangely familiar.”

He sighed with a mixture of nostalgia and wonder.

Forcing his gaze away from the dazzling rows of golden legendary gear, Jiang Shang finally turned his attention toward the lottery section of the store.

Outside the regular prize pool, two bold lines of text immediately caught his eye.

“Special Prize: Silver-rank Advancement Slot”

“Special Prize: Lower Silver-rank Golden-grade Legendary Equipment”

Jiang Shang prayed silently in his heart.

Goddess, please, please bless me with luck…please let me hit the jackpot!

Whilst gritting his teeth, he then used up all of his seven special lottery tickets without hesitation.

Come on! Please let me hit the jackpot! Goddess, hear my prayers!

He shouted inwardly with wild excitement.

Almost as if the heavens had heard his call, the very moment Jiang Shang used all seven tickets into the lottery, a brilliant burst of multicolored light erupted from the slot machine.

At the same time, Jiang Shang felt the entire world tremble faintly.

It was the same kind of vibration one might feel from a mobile phone ringing in the real world but her in Elven Kingdom, this could only mean one thing…

“A rare drop!”

Jiang Shang’s heart soared with joy.

“Is it the Silver-rank Advancement Slot? Or a Legendary Item?”

“Please let it be the Advancement Slot! I don’t really need a legendary item at the moment but if I miss this advancement slot now, the power gap between me and the top players will only grow wider!”

“No, wait… best case scenario, I get both! Only kids make choices and adults take everything!”

He was so excited he could barely form coherent thoughts.

The light quickly faded, and the rewards he had won from the lottery had gradually appeared before him.

You have won 100 Revival Coins!

You have won 5000 Contribution Points!

The next three rewards were completely useless skills and an outdated piece of rare blue-grade Iron-rank equipment.

However, the final reward was something far beyond his expectations which was a silver scroll radiating with a dazzling prismatic glow.

The moment Jiang Shang laid eyes upon the scroll, he felt as though he’d ascended straight into the clouds.

His entire body felt light, almost floating.

“Hahaha! Here it is! An Advancement Slot! I really won a Silver-rank Advancement Slot! I can finally advance to Silver-rank!”

He exclaimed in overwhelming joy.

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Shang immediately opened the class advancement interface and initiated the process.

“Advance Class — Archdruid, Feral Specialization!”

He commanded decisively.

His master, Meng Zhihan, was also a Archdruid with Feral Specialization.

Having personally experienced the incredible power of this specialization, it was only natural that Jiang Shang would follow in her footsteps.

What followed was the familiar class advancement cutscene known to all players.

Once the cutscene concluded, Jiang Shang was granted a Feral specialization talent skill.

“Hmm? Shapeshifter: Wind Wolf King Form? It’s the same shapeshifting skill type as my master’s, just with a different transformation form… Wind Wolf King, huh… Sounds awesome!”

Jiang Shang was thoroughly pleased.

After successfully advancing to Silver-rank, he returned to the game’s main world.

And the moment he reappeared in reality, he immediately noticed the countless envious and even resentful stares directed at him from nearby players.

Advancing to Silver-rank naturally came with special visual effects.

Which meant that everyone around him instantly realized what had just happened.

“Damn, another lucky bastard scored big this time!”

“I’m so jealous…”

“Curse these damn whales!”

“Stupid lucky guy!”

A chorus of voices filled with envy and sour grapes echoed around him.

Listening to the chatter of the surrounding players, Jiang Shang couldn’t help but grin widely in satisfaction.

Here in Elven Kingdom, the Silver-rank was a symbol of high status and prestige!

Feeling utterly content with himself, Jiang Shang was prepared to log out.

However, just before he did, he received a message from one of his friends:

“Ziya! Quick, check the official site!”

“There’s a new event announcement! It’s absolutely insane!”

An event?

A big one?

Jiang Shang was momentarily stunned.

Driven by curiosity, he quickly logged into the official forums and right there on the homepage, the announcement written in bold text immediately caught his eye…

“Hmm? The First Ever Player War Tournament?”

He raised his brows slightly.

Opening the event page, Jiang Shang began reading through the details.

The event was tied to the ongoing war quest and it seemed to function like a war points ranking system, in which players would be ranked based on their performance during the war campaign…

But when Jiang Shang saw the list of rewards, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

“The first prize is… 3-30,000 RMB?!”

— 527 —

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