Chapter 2017 – Giant Raid

Witch’s Hill, WildhammerTown:

Due to its proximity to the Million Forest, which made travel to the Otherworld Gate considerably easier, and the investments from multiple corporations, Wildhammer Town’s player population had grown past 600,000. Player Shops filled the town alongside the variety of virtual stores, which were run by real-world corporations. The town was no less prosperous than a minor NPC town.

Since the Starlight Alliance was growing stronger, the number of merchant players and adventurer teams visiting the town continued to increase. Sooner or later, Wildhammer Town would become the main hub for players wanting to grind in the Million Forest.

Although the town had to deal with the occasional monster siege, the Starlight Alliance had solid fortifications. Despite being a Basic Town, Wildhammer Town was surrounded by tall, solid walls, and over a dozen Defense Turrets and another dozen or so Arrow Towers had been built along the walls. The Starlight Alliance had also ensured that more than 20,000 players protected the town constantly. With all these defenses, not even the Witch’s Hill’s monsters could cause any damage.

Moreover, the Guilds that made up the Starlight Alliance had constructed more than a dozen temporary Guild Residences. Even in the event that the town’s defenses failed to repel an enemy invasion, the Guilds could easily call in more than 100,000 players as reinforcements at a moment’s notice. One could say that Wildhammer Town was the safest town in Star-Moon Kingdom.

As the sun set, the afterglow gradually covered the earth as darkness began to awake from its slumber.

Currently, a robust man carrying a silver longbow climbed atop one of Wildhammer Town’s Defense Turrets and quietly observed the distant forest. The six-man party that guarded the turret stopped slacking the moment they noticed this man, growing nervous.

Although this Tier 2 Ranger was only Level 57, an insignificant level in a Guild like Knight’s Judgement since so many Tier 2 players had already reached Level 58 and beyond, the six-man party only had admiration and respect for the man before him.

This man was one of the only six players in Knight’s Judgment that had obtained an Advanced Legacy. He was also the only expert in the Guild to complete the Hell Mode Promotion Quest. He had been dubbed ‘Soul Chaser’ in Star-Moon Kingdom- Eight Feathers!

Anyone who had challenged the Tier 2 Promotion Quest understood how difficult the quest was. A lot of players had to spend a long time preparing for the Normal Mode Promotion Quest. Some expert players had even failed their Promotion Quests after reaching their current levels, still stuck at Tier 1. The Hell Mode Promotion Quest was practically a legend among players right now, yet Eight Feathers had completed it.

Some time ago, the Ranger had sparred with Sin Realm’s famous seven great experts. Although he hadn’t defeated any of them, he hadn’t lost, either. Sin Realm’s seven great experts ranked at the very peak of Purple Thorns Kingdom’s players, but unlike these experts, Eight Feathers was still in his early 20s. He still had plenty of time for growth.

“The forest seems pretty quiet today. I doubt we’ll see any monster sieges,” Eight Feathers said, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes as he gazed at the forest.

The six players on duty nodded in approval. They were also disappointed with the lack of activity.

Although fending off monster sieges was troublesome, it was an opportunity to obtain treasures and train.

“The players on duty yesterday were so lucky. They got to participate in a monster siege. Why don’t we get to have any fun?”

“I’ve heard that Commander Eight made a killing yesterday. He even managed to obtain a piece of Level 55 Secret-Silver Equipment and over 20 Primordial Crystal Fragments.”

“I heard the same! The players on duty also earned two or three fragments each! They’re so lucky! With a few more fragments, they can synthesize them into a full crystal and upgrade their Guild Mounts to Bronze rank! The Bronze Guild Mounts’ speed and appearances are to die for! I wonder when I’ll get to synthesize my own crystal?”

“There’s no need to be in such a hurry. Zero Wing has decided to fight the Starlight Alliance. Once it’s defeated, the Witch’s Hill’s resources will be ours for the taking. Obtaining a Primordial Crystal will be a piece of cake.”

“I guess you’re right. But isn’t Zero Wing full of itself? Just because it is Star-Moon Kingdom’s number one Guild, it is taking us lightly. Doesn’t the Guild realize that we’ve entered a new era? Tier 2 players have already become commonplace. With how few Tier 2 experts Zero Wing has, how could it suppress the dozen or so Guilds in the Starlight Alliance?”

When the plays atop the Defense Turret spoke about Zero Wing, they could not help but laugh at and ridicule the Guild’s ignorance. Even now, it tried to cling to its past achievements.

However, as these players began to discuss where they should go to grind for Primordial Crystal Fragments, a spatial tear suddenly opened near the town’s main entrance, adding a bizarre effect to the reddening sky.

The spatial tear continued to grow until it formed a black hole. Once the black hole had stabilized, a figure emerged and stepped onto Wildhammer Town’s main street.

“A monster siege?”

Watching from the Defense Turrets, the players on duty didn’t have a clear view of the figure. They could only see the invader’s enormous framer. This invader was far larger than the players wandering the streets, so the watching players assumed that it must be a monster.

“No! That marker... That guy’s a player!” Eight Feathers, who had incredible sight, exclaimed as he shook his head, his expression grim.

The invader was four meters tall and radiated an aura resembling that of a wild beast. No matter how he considered the situation, this invader would be difficult to deal with. Moreover, the invading player was Level 60, which only peak experts had reached at this stage of the game. This only solidified the idea that this player wasn’t to be trifled with.

Shortly after the first Giant appeared, more began to emerge from the black hole. In a brief moment, several dozen Giant players graced Wildhammer Town’s streets...

Most importantly, these Giant players wore the six-winged emblem of Zero Wing.

“Zero Wing’s members dare to trespass in our Wildhammer Town?! Are they that tired of living?! Commander, let’s blast them to smithereens!”

No matter how powerful players were, they were still players. Against the Defense Turrets, they were little more than cannon fodder. The fact that Zero Wing’s members had grown larger only made them easier targets.

“The Defense Turrets’ AOE is too large! There are other players on the street! With so few of them, the NPC soldiers and patrol squads can deal with them easily enough!” Eight Feathers said.

The Defense Turrets’ attacks did not differentiate between friend and foe. If they accidentally bombarded bystanders, it would be very bad for the town’s reputation.

Rather than using the Defense Turrets, it was wiser to let the several thousand NPC soldiers and 20,000 player guards deal with these intruders.

Furthermore, Zero Wing had only arrived with several dozen members. They didn’t need to employ the Defense Turrets for such a small force.

However, when one of Knight’s Judgment’s patrol squads reached Zero Wing’s Giant players, one of Zero Wing’s massive members executed a Tier 1 Whirlwind Slash with his battle axe. The impact threw ten or so players from the 100-man team over a dozen yards away. The squad’s Tier 2 players remained standing, but for Tier 1 players, only those that wore plate armor had survived the attack. The rest had died instantly, their bodies transforming into streaks of light before disappearing...