331 Hidden Warehouse

Considering the events up to this point, Lone Tyrant grew worried.

“Hurry, lure more monsters! Those bastards from Zero Wing are dreaming if they think they can surpass me and kick me out of the Ranking List! I won’t give this position away!” Lone Tyrant commanded once more, a bloody glow flashing in his eyes.

Soon after, a group of Rangers and Assassins left to carry out his orders and lure more monsters. The mages of Dark Star also promptly increased their attack rate, using more AOE skills than before. As for Lone Tyrant, who was not in a team with his Guild members, he began methodically kill-stealing[1] the low HP monsters, taking the majority of the monsters’ EXP for himself rather than sharing with his comrades.

This leveling method was extremely extravagant. Even a party of experts continuously grinding monsters could not compare to Lone Tyrant’s current leveling speed.

Unfortunately, Lone Tyrant did not know that the monsters he and the members of Zero Wing grinded were on entirely different levels.

Lone Tyrant only grinded Level 20 Common monsters at the moment, so he received no bonus EXP for killing them. On the other hand, Zero Wing’s 100-man team was killing Level 30 Elite NPCs. Originally, these Elite NPCs had provided an abundance of EXP. They also gained the bonus EXP rewarded for killing a monster that was 10 levels higher. After splitting the EXP for each NPC killed across 100 players evenly, everyone leveled up far faster than Lone Tyrant.

\---

Time flew by quickly. White River City was bustling at that night. As a Saturday, even though it was already daytime in the real world, many players had not logged out and were still having fun in God’s Domain. However, as it was dangerous to leave the city at night, many players had chosen to visit bars in the city.

With nothing better to do, players had started focusing their attention to Zero Wing’s ranks. Many also began guessing on whether or not Zero Wing would kick Lone Tyrant out of the Ranking List.

It had been over an hour since the commotion had begun. Now, instead of occupying up to just the 70th position, Zero Wing occupied up to the 40th position of the Ranking List. Bystanders fell speechless when witnessing the leveling speed of this new Guild.

Originally, many players had simply guessed and joked around. None of them actually thought that Zero Wing could accomplish such a feat.

Watching this momentum, however, Zero Wing might really intend to monopolize the top 100 spots on the Ranking List.

Everyone could not help but grow excited in anticipation.

If Zero Wing truly managed to achieve such a feat, then they, as players who preferred to play solo, might have a few things to consider carefully.

Should they or should they not join Zero Wing?

\---

Inside one of the bars in White River City, the members of the Holy Grail Knights were currently drinking in celebration.

Today, they had managed to raid a Level 15, 20-man Hard Mode Dungeon, the Bloodfang Fort. They also obtained quite a load of equipment and materials from the raid.

“Brother War Wolf, that Zero Wing sure is godly, huh? First, they defeated World Dominators. After that, they managed to kill Dark Star’s Lone Tyrant. Now, they are even planning to kick Lone Tyrant out of the top 10 and monopolize the Ranking List. Soon, they might even rule White River City.”

In reply, War Wolf, the leader of the Holy Grail Knights, shook his head and said, “It’s still too early to say. Moreover, the other top six Guilds aren’t here just for show. They won’t allow Zero Wing to develop freely. Although, it is true that I have underestimated Zero Wing before.”

Moments after War Wolf started speaking, a few cloaked players walked into the bar. The equipment these players wore immediately attracted the attention of the others inside the bar. These newcomers were fully geared with Secret-Silver Equipment. Moreover, none of them possessed a Guild Emblem on their chests, signifying that they were all independent players. Meanwhile, the leader of this group was a beautiful female Summoner.

If Shi Feng were here right now, he would definitely notice that this female Summoner was none other than Youlan of Underworld.

“Big Brother War Wolf, long time no see.” Youlan walked up to War Wolf and greeted him with a bright smile.

“It’s been a long time indeed. The pure and sweet little girl from the past has grown into a beautiful tigress. Time really is amazing.” War Wolf sighed ruefully as he looked at the noble and graceful girl in front of him.

“Big Brother War Wolf, you jest. Everything I have today is all thanks to you.” Youlan smiled faintly. Looking around, she said, “We haven’t seen each other for so many years now, and I really wish to have a nice conversation with you. There are too many bystanders here. Why don’t we find a room upstairs to catch up?”

“Indeed, it has been many years since we last met. We should really have a nice chat.” War Wolf immediately spent 5 Silvers to rent a guest room on the second floor. He then walked towards the stairs leading to the bar’s second floor.

Youlan promptly followed after War Wolf. The other cloaked players that had entered the bar with Youlan also moved to guard the staircase, preventing anyone from going upstairs. At this moment, the entire bar was silent. The other members of the Holy Grail Knights, as well as the other guests in the bar, were still stunned by what they just saw; their minds were unable to process what had just happened.

The leader of an independent team actually knew such a noble and elegant beauty. Moreover, they even rented a private room to have a conversation. The other players’ minds went wild with fantasy.

\---

A short distance away from Creek Town, Aqua Rose and the other members of Zero Wing still grinded the Blood Hand Association’s NPCs relentlessly, their experience bars continuously rising.

There were over 2,000 NPCs in Creek Town, and it would not be an easy task to kill every one of them. Although Blackie’s Stars of Light skill was very effective against the enemy NPCs, the skill had a long Cooldown. As for everyone else, the damage they dealt to the enemy NPCs was practically negligible. In the end, the main source of damage was the Level 50 Tier 1 guards. However, there were healers among the Blood Hand Association NPCs, as well as some powerful Level 50 Blood Hand Association Elites. It was not possible to eliminate all of them within a short time.

Seeing that the situation had mostly stabilized, Shi Feng said in the team chat, “Cola and Violet, you two come with me. We’re going to make a trip to the Blood Hand Association’s stronghold. Everyone else, remain here and continue grinding.”

“Guild Leader, you’re too biased! I helped you revive that bastard from before. Why are you taking Violet but not me?” Snow Goose pouted.

“We’ll be going to the Blood Hand Association’s stronghold, and nothing good is waiting for us there. Why would you even want to go?” Shi Feng laughed bitterly.

Shi Feng had his own reasons for not bringing anyone else along. How could a Crusade Quest possibly be so easy? Previously, Fire Dance and the others had merely lured away the NPCs guarding the town. There were still plenty of enemy NPCs waiting for them inside the Blood Hand Association’s stronghold. Right now, they were merely going to scout ahead.

“Is it very dangerous?” Snow Goose asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Of course,” Shi Feng said seriously with a nod.

“Forget it. I can’t compare to Violet in terms of survivability, and it would be a pity if I lost my Fine-Gold ranked staff,” Snow Goose said after giving it some thought.

Soon after, Shi Feng led Cola and Violet Cloud to the Blood Hand Association’s stronghold in Creek Town.

As the Blood Hand Association’s stronghold, the security around the construct was usually very strict. However, now that all of the NPCs had been drawn away, Shi Feng’s group managed to enter the stronghold without any trouble.

The inside of the tower was a resplendent sight. Such a luxurious building in a barren place like Creek Town was unimaginable.

“Careful. This is the Blood Hand Association’s stronghold. There are definitely a lot of traps here,” Shi Feng reminded his team.

In the past, World Dominators had suffered heavy losses to conquer Creek Town. They had dispatched over 6,000 Tier 1 players and returned with less than 1,000. Meanwhile, close to half of those deaths had been because of the hidden traps inside the Blood Hand Association’s stronghold. One could just imagine how deadly the traps inside the Blood Hand Association’s stronghold were.

Although World Dominators had paid a steep price, their harvest was equally shocking.

It was especially true for the hidden warehouse inside the Blood Hand Association’s stronghold.

One of the main reasons that many large Guilds preferred to capture towns ruled by dark forces was because of the treasures they possessed. Of course, different towns gave varying amounts of treasure. In this case, the Blood Hand Association possessed a significantly large treasury. Even though the loot available was limited due to Crusade Quest, the final sum was still sufficient to move even Shi Feng’s heart.

Otherwise, who would be so foolish as to spend 30 Gold Coins to take on a Crusade Quest? Moreover, only a Viscount or someone of higher status could accept such a quest.

TL Notes:

[1] kill-stealing: refers to getting the last hit on a monster. In God’s Domain, if players of a different party or team attack the same monster, the player who delivers the final strike will obtain 60% of the monster’s EXP.