Page 180

Chapter 180: The Players' War

As a vital force of the Ember Kingdom, the players naturally participated in this battle.

However, the current pool of beta players was only a thousand strong, making it impossible to influence the larger scope of the war.

While some players’ power seemed to skyrocket, those were exceptions—elite players like Singo, Mantou, and Charlotte, who had reached Level 4 and touched the upper limit, were exceedingly rare. There were only about a hundred such players among the entire beta group.

Most players remained stuck at Level 2, unable to progress further—a more common reality.

In this hardcore "game," upgradeable monsters like Savage Boars and Hill Giants were far beyond the capabilities of average players. They were left completing daily tasks and working as laborers in Erezaghe.

This war against the "Frost Disaster," however, was on a whole different scale.

According to player panels, an adult Frost Giant’s average challenge rating was 8, comparable to a minor boss. There were 300 such Frost Giants in this war, and even the Ember Kingdom’s elite troops suffered dozens of casualties on average to bring down a single giant.

As such, Cassius only issued this mission to elite Level 4 players.

As for the others?

They were better off working in the city and contributing from the rear. Sending them to the battlefield was tantamount to offering them up as fodder, resulting in a terrible gameplay experience.

Yet, some newbie players still followed the veterans onto the chaotic battlefield.

"Holy crap, why are there so many boss-level enemies with question marks?"

"And the number of elites is insane."

"Wait... these aren’t bosses. These are just mobs in this instance!"

"Huh?"

"You’re calling these mobs?"

Before the questioner could finish, a loud "splat!" echoed. The Frost Giant’s club crushed the player into paste, sending them to a black screen before they could react.

"Such a weak little creature,"

muttered the Frost Giant, scratching his head in confusion before resuming his charge.

Moments later, the giant was swarmed by ten wyverns diving from the sky. Though he managed to tear apart four of them, a poisonous tail stinger finally pierced his heart, stopping it cold.

"Let these primitive fools witness the power of magitech!"

Iron Frenzy summoned his upgraded armor. The 【Sentinel】 model now stood six meters tall, resembling a mech.

The armor’s left arm bore an energy force-field shield that deflected incoming boulders, while its right hand fired arcane missiles from a magical crossbow, suppressing several Frost Giants with overwhelming firepower.

"I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long!"

"Surrender your hearts!"

A player named "Tatakai" activated a grappling hook from his magically enhanced mobility gear, flying straight to the back of a Frost Giant’s neck and slashing with a blade.

"Swish—"

The blade tore through the giant’s neck, drawing blood.

However, contrary to Tatakai’s expectations, the Frost Giant did not die instantly. Instead, it instinctively swatted the back of its neck with its hand, crushing Tatakai into a bloody pulp.

"What a strange little thing..."

The Frost Giant muttered, puzzled by the human-shaped bloodstain on his palm.

This Frost Giant, nicknamed "Big Guy-Keba," stood an imposing eleven meters tall, far larger than his kin. Known for his close-combat prowess second only to Chieftain Kasa, it was no wonder Tatakai had chosen this "super-sized giant" as his target.

"Hahaha, did you wander into the wrong scene, buddy?"

"Let me teach him a lesson!"

Iron Frenzy laughed from his cockpit.

He fired several arcane missiles from his armor’s right arm, hitting the Frost Giant’s head repeatedly.

"Annoying tin can! I’ll crush you!"

Undeterred, the thick-skinned Keba charged forward, enduring the missile barrage.

The Frost Giant raised his massive bone club high.

"Oh, crap..."

Looking up at the giant figure looming over him, Iron Frenzy knew he was in trouble. He raised his left arm and activated the force-field shield to maximum.

"Bang!"

"Crash!"

With a resounding crack, the shield shattered like fragile glass under the bone club’s impact.

The armor was crushed into a heap of twisted metal, and with an explosion, Iron Frenzy was reduced to pulp, fused with his beloved mech.

"The guild leader got one-shotted again!"

"What’s with this damage?"

"Even a whale like Iron Frenzy got one-shotted. What tank could handle that?"

On the ground, the battle raged fiercely, while the aerial combatants had it slightly easier, needing only to evade the Frost Giants’ projectiles.

Singo and Mantou flew on wyverns, darting across the battlefield.

Looking down at the carnage, especially Iron Frenzy’s defeat, Mantou remarked: "Man, these Frost Giants are absurd. Tanking dozens of arcane missiles and still one-shotting him with a club."

Singo nodded. "This war mission’s difficulty is way too high. Even as Level 4 players, we can barely make a difference. Let’s focus on smaller targets and steer clear of the bosses."

He pointed at Kasa on the ground.

"Especially that one."

Kasa and Dolo’s battle continued fiercely, the area around them a lifeless wasteland, devastated by the clash of their weapons. Each collision of their axes sent powerful shockwaves rippling out.

A player from the 【Royal Authority】 guild, known as "Greatblade," decided to take a shot at Kasa, aiming an arrow at the Frost Giant.

Before he could release the arrow, Kasa’s beast-like instincts detected him. During a brief pause in his clash with Dolo, the chieftain hurled a boulder skyward.

"Weakling!"

"Who gave you the audacity to meddle in this fight?"

The boulder shot upward like a cannonball, striking Greatblade and his wyvern, sending them crashing to the ground.

Mantou gulped nervously and muttered, "Uh... yeah, you’re right."

From their vantage point, Kasa’s information was marked entirely with ominous red question marks. If their permissions were higher, they might have seen his challenge rating: 16.

Singo surveyed the battlefield and finally spotted a lone Frost Giant far from the main conflict, with a manageable challenge rating of 8.

"That one, Mantou."

"Same strategy as always: one of us distracts while the other deals damage."

"Got it. But don’t steal my kill—"

"Beat him first, then talk about it!"

In a corner of the battlefield, two wyverns streaked across the sky, diving rapidly toward their target.

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