If they stayed, relying on sheer numbers, they might just stand a chance against that monster.

If they managed to bring it down, the rewards would be massive.

The truth is, players are confident because of their numbers.

If there were only a few of them here, they’d have bolted without a second thought.

Now, seeing that most players had chosen to stay and face the white-eyed monster head-on, those few who were wavering started to reconsider. They didn’t want to miss out either.

Despite having seen Brother Mang’s livestream, which revealed the monster’s eerie nature, they believed Steve knew more than they did.

The monster’s erratic behavior left the players confused, but they remained convinced it was just another creature in the game.

Maybe a bug, or some glitch was preventing its form from being visible in the stream.

But, since it was a monster, all they had to do was throw themselves at it until it died, right?

At this point, almost all the players were gearing up for battle.

Only Steve’s close friends remained resolute in sticking by him. After all, they had seen the deep pit the white-eyed monster had dug earlier.

They understood that even with so many players, they were likely no match for it.

Because this creature could think.

If it were just a strong foe, perhaps sheer numbers might work.

But this monster wasn’t only powerful, it was intelligent.

It could think, react to the players’ actions, and adapt.

Under such circumstances, the odds of winning were slim to none.

“Bro, what now? Should we just leave? Forget about the others?”

“They have no idea what they’re up against. Even with so many people, they’ve got almost no chance…”

“Exactly… And they don’t even have decent gear. They’d struggle against regular monsters, let alone him…”

“…”

Seeing his friends’ clarity, Steve felt a sense of relief.

After a moment of thought, Steve finally made his decision.

“We’re staying.”

His friends looked at him, puzzled.

“Huh? Why stick around and die with them?”

“Yeah, these people have nothing to do with us.”

“Bro, do you really think they stand a chance against that thing?”

Steve shook his head at their comments.

“Of course they’re not its match.”

“Right now, we have nothing to tie us down. We could leave anytime we want.”

“But in the future, we’ll run into it again. Do you think we’ll always be able to just drop everything and run?”

“Sooner or later, we’ll have to face it.”

“So, we might as well learn more about it now.”

Steve had his reasons. Since this white-eyed monster had shown up again in this region, it was inevitable they’d cross paths in the future.

Right now, without gear or supplies, they could easily flee.

But later, when they had guilds, bases, and resources, would they be able to retreat so easily?

Better to learn as much as they could while they were still unburdened.

At least figure out its abilities, its weaknesses, if any.

That way, they wouldn’t always be stuck in a reactive position.

Hearing Steve’s reasoning, his friends thought for a moment and agreed it made sense.

Indeed, when faced with challenges and dangers, you can’t just run away. Sooner or later, you have to confront them.

“Alright, let’s see what it’s made of then!”

“I’ll go hide the iron ingots and food first…”

“Yeah, bury the chest deep. That thing has an explosion ability!”

“Got it…”

As Steve’s friends started preparing, he began rallying the other players.

“If you guys really want to fight this thing, we should build high walls around the base—several layers deep.”

“That monster can control other creatures, so at least the walls will slow them down.”

Steve’s plan was clear—adapt to the threat.

But he knew well that their efforts would have minimal effect.

Still, doing something was better than nothing.

Seeing Steve change his mind and stay gave the players some confidence.

Steve was a top-tier player after all. With him leading the defense, they felt more secure.

Under Steve’s guidance, the players quickly began working together to fortify their defenses.

———

Meanwhile, on the other side of the plains, Xu Yuan stood over Brother Mang’s fading corpse, deep in thought.

He had heard everything Mang said to his viewers.

From Mang’s words, Xu Yuan learned that a large number of players had gathered on the plains.

This was great news for Xu Yuan.

He had been wondering where to find more players, and now they were coming right to him.

With that, Xu Yuan set off towards the plains.

Teleporting and moving swiftly, it took him about half an hour to finally reach the players’ brightly lit camp.

Observing their movements, Xu Yuan quickly realized what they were doing.

“Hmm? They’re preparing for my arrival?”

The players were hard at work, constructing a stone wall to encircle their base.

Xu Yuan wasn’t an idiot. Since Brother Mang had been streaming, he knew his appearance had been broadcast to countless viewers.

Still, he didn’t expect this group of players to be foolish enough to think they could take him on.

But he could understand their mindset.

They must have mistaken him for some sort of special monster.

“Alright then, let’s show them just how cruel reality can be~”

Though his teleport and explosion abilities had cooldowns, dealing with this crowd would still be easy.

Xu Yuan had a trump card: his concealment skill.

He could hide within stone.

All he needed to do was unleash a burst of his abilities, then hide in the stone while his skills cooled down, ready for another strike.

The walls the players were building for defense would serve as his perfect cover.

Even without the walls, Xu Yuan wasn’t concerned.

He knew the terrain well—only two or three layers of dirt covered the ground before hitting solid stone beneath.

With just one explosion, he could burrow into the stone below.

So no matter how many players there were, they were no match for Xu Yuan.

The busy players, still unaware, were about to turn their fortress into their own tomb.

———

Xu Yuan arrived just as the players had nearly completed their stone walls.

The fortress was twenty blocks high with three layers of defense.

They even had watchtowers.

Though the watchtowers were little more than wooden boxes with windows, they’d suffice for now.

It was impressive how quickly the players had constructed such a large fortress. There was strength in numbers.

Steve had placed players armed with bows and arrows in the watchtowers as lookouts.

When they finished, the players looked at the massive fortress they had built together, clearly satisfied.

Several players, inspired by Brother Mang, started their own livestreams.

“Preparing for Battle with the White-Eyed Monster!!”

“The Showdown with the White-Eyed Monster is About to Begin!”

“The Walls are Ready! We’re Waiting for the White-Eyed Monster to Show Up and Get Wrecked!!”

———

The forums were flooded with attention-grabbing stream titles.

Players who had seen Brother Mang’s earlier stream naturally clicked in.

What had happened earlier had caused quite a stir.

When viewers saw the massive stone walls and watchtowers, they were astonished.

“Wow! That’s a huge wall! And they have watchtowers?! They’re serious about this!”

“I counted about a hundred people. If they work together, can’t they take down one monster?”

“That monster just controls other creatures and explodes, right? With those walls, the other monsters won’t get in!”

“Explosions are easy to avoid. Just keep your distance like you do with Creepers.”

“This is what they call the Fourth Calamity! What’s so scary about the White-Eyed Monster? They’ll beat him until his eyes roll back!”

“Man, I kind of regret not going over there now!”

“…”

Steve’s preparations had boosted the players’ morale significantly.

Players were known as the Fourth Calamity in the game, after all.

Even though they were currently under-geared, when united, there wasn’t much that could stop them.

Discussions about the white-eyed monster continued to stir across the internet.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep