Chapter 262 – Strongest Champion (1/2)
Chapter 262 – Strongest Champion
“How is that fair? We’re competing against people like Young Sparrow Hawk! We don’t stand a chance!” someone complained. Tang Yao, Undying Scoundrel, Summer Bug, and the others were simply too powerful. It was almost impossible for ordinary members to compete against them.
“That’s why all contracted guild members are excluded from this competition. The top 10 will receive a full set of Gold equipment while the top 100 will receive a full set of Silver equipment, all of which are Level 30. The rewards do not stack. All participants will receive 200 merit points,” Nie Yan replied. He didn’t bat an eyelid after promising so many rewards. His pockets were more than deep enough to bear the cost.
Asskickers United was no longer a fledgling guild. Its treasury had grown immensely after experiencing several guild wars. If Nie Yan didn’t dole out more merit points, the spoils of war would gather dust.
“Boss! You promised! Don’t go back on your word!” a guild member exclaimed, invoking the laughter of the surrounding players. Nie Yan chuckled lightly. He knew this player was only acting cheeky.
“Alright, let’s set out,” Nie Yan ordered. The 2,000 players from Asskickers United teleported from Calore to Soren Town, then headed for Sinful Gorge.
Nie Yan recalled the general topography of Sinful Gorge, a long passageway between two cliff walls about as wide as 30 players standing side by side that led into a wide open plain.
According to legend, Sinful Gorge was created during the Dark Era when the Dragon King Zennarde shattered the God of War Kelo’s divinity with a mighty blow from his sword, marking the first of mankind’s gods to fall in battle. The slash left behind a long gash on the land, unleashing a powerful explosion of dark power that carved out a deep basin. Even to this day the remnant energy lingering in the gorge prevented any vegetation from growing while nurturing countless creatures of darkness.
There was a cave in Sinful Gorge enshrouded in darkness where many powerful monsters resided. Even when the average player was over Level 100 during the previous timeline, It was labelled a forbidden zone no one dared to explore.
Nie Yan recalled a few other rumours, but he couldn’t verify their authenticity.
Dragon King Zennarde’s Sword was rumoured to be located in the deepest region of Sinful Gorge. Legends told that only a Paladin with a Holy Spirit Heart could pull this sword out, lest the wielder’s soul be devoured by the undying demon spirit sealed inside.
Stories like these weren’t verified on the official website. They were probably dug up from old lore books.
Sinful Gorge was a Level 20–25 map. It primarily gave habitat to undead, such as Bone Devils and Bone Beasts.
A Golden Dragon was undoubtedly a foreign existence to Sinful Gorge. This one had most likely undergone a demonic transformation. Why else would it relish in the dark energy permeating the area?
Golden Dragons were generally high level creatures at minimum in the 200 to 300 range. Players in the previous timeline could occasionally encounter them besieging a city or stronghold. Nie Yan had no idea why such a low level one appeared all of a sudden.
「What’s the situation like in Sinful Gorge right now?」Nie Yan asked Guo Huai who had been constantly gathering information.
「Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame’s forces number around 30,000 to Holy Empire and Sapphire Shrine’s 20,000. Both sides have already fought many times, with Holy Empire suffering the heaviest losses so far, losing over 5,000 players. The enemy is purposefully targeting them, and they’re pretty much getting steamrolled. Thank god for Sapphire Shrine’s support; otherwise, they would’ve been wiped out long ago,」Guo Huai replied.
「Any other movements from Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame?」Nie Yan asked. With the appearance of a Golden Dragon, he felt the enemy might have something up their sleeve.
「Not that I’m aware of. Just those 30,000 players I mentioned earlier are fighting. I haven’t received any reports of strange movements,」Guo Huai replied. He also felt apprehensive. Things were strangely calm over on the enemy side. Over a hundred moles were planted among enemy ranks, but none of them reported back on anything out of the ordinary.
「Keep a close eye on things. They’re probably biding their time for a big catch!」Nie Yan’s expression turned frosty. Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame would have definitely taken note of the special topography of Sinful Gorge. It would be foolish to believe they had no plans of sealing off the passageway.
Of course, Nie Yan had long since thought up a countermeasure. He wondered what sort of disappointed looks the higher-ups of Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame would have when they found out Asskickers United had only sent out 2,000 players.
「One other thing. I heard Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, and Divine Protectors along with several other guilds have dispatched people to Sinful Gorge. Be careful!」Guo Huai warned. These were all major guilds. They were in no way inferior to Victorious Return or Radiant Sacred Flame.
Both Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame’s growth had far outstripped that of Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, and Divine Protectors in the previous timeline. This was due to them starting out in Calore which had the highest player density out of all the cities in the Viridian Empire.
However, Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame’s growth was greatly hindered by Asskickers United this time around, to the extent it wasn’t even half of what it was in the previous timeline. This was why they were roughly on par with Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, and Divine Protectors.