A buzz of anticipation rippled through the crowd of survivors. "The fourth Beast Surge is about to spawn!"
"Haha, perfect! I was getting worried I wouldn't have enough EXP to hit Level 2!"
"I already made it to Level 2, but Level 3 still feels a long way off."
"Vance, are you heading to The Surge Grounds to farm?"
Vance drank in their attention, a confident smile playing on his lips. "Everyone who registered with me earlier, it's time. Follow me." His voice carried easily over the chatter. "If you didn't get a chance to sign up but want to join us, you can still come. We're all heading to The Surge Grounds." He paused, letting his gaze sweep over them. "But there's one condition: you follow my orders."
The response was immediate and enthusiastic. "Of course, Vance! If you say go east, we're not even looking west!"
Pleased, Vance gave a curt nod. His eyes flickered for a moment to Calder, who was still hunched over his "work" among the corpses. A sneer tugged at Vance's lips. Just you wait. When you see my team absorb all the EXP from this Beast Surge, you'll know what a mistake you've made. An individual's strength, no matter how great, is nothing before the power of a unified force.
He didn't bother trying to persuade Calder again. With a grand, sweeping gesture of his arm, Vance's voice boomed with newfound authority. "Let's move out!"
With that, he led the burgeoning crowd in a great, noisy procession toward The Surge Grounds.
A few minutes after they departed, Calder finally finished his grim harvest in the academic building. He'd devoured nearly every corpse, leaving only a few Knorr Aberrant Fiends in hard-to-reach corners. He had made a point to absorb every last Bladeback Nokk Fiend, and the results were satisfying. His upper body felt significantly enhanced.
【Upper Right Limb Blighting: 15.2】
【Upper Left Limb Blighting: 13.1】
【Blight Index: Strength: 14.2 (Average)】
With his left arm now past the 10-point threshold, he could use Aberrant Shift to form simple melee weapons. The Level 1 Knorr Aberrant Fiends were now useless to him; the Blight Index gains they offered had dwindled to almost zero.
The path forward was clear. To strengthen his lower limbs and improve his speed, his upper limbs needed an average Blight Index of over 20, and he had to reach Level 5. Strengthening his internal organs required an even higher Blight Index across all four limbs. The most difficult fortification of all was the brain, which governed his mental acuity. That required immense Blighting throughout the rest of his body, in addition to a high personal level.
As his total Blight Index increased, his【Blight】Talent would unlock even more powerful abilities. As a curse-type Talent, its potential was limitless. At its peak, it was said that 【Blight】could rival the divine abilities of even the top-tier Eternal Races.
Calder dismissed the system panel and stepped over the last of the mangled bodies. Instead of heading downstairs towards The Surge Grounds, however, he ascended to the roof of the academic building.
From this high vantage point, he could take in the entirety of Southpeak Academy. A hazy, impenetrable fog, the same Zone Suppression Field that had trapped him in the classroom, blanketed the academy's perimeter, completely obscuring the outside world. The occasional shriek of a monster or a student's cry for help still echoed across the campus, but both sounds were steadily weakening, growing less frequent.
Corpses littered the ground everywhere—monsters, students, and teachers alike.
Calder's gaze swept past the surrounding buildings and settled on The Surge Grounds in the distance. Dozens of pale blue Summoning Nexuses, varying in size, shimmered into existence around its perimeter. The players who had survived the first three waves were now converging on the location, including the large contingent led by Vance.
He wasn't alone. Two other large groups, each appearing just as formidable, were approaching from the direction of the second academic building and the men's dormitory.
"A three-way standoff," Calder murmured, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the movements below. A cold smile touched his lips. "Gathering that many people in one place... they're just lambs lining up for the slaughter."
Meanwhile, just as Vance and his massive group arrived at The Surge Grounds, a new system notification chimed in everyone's ears.
【Announcement: The Novice Zone 911 Regional Rank Ladder has been activated. Players may view it at their leisure.】
【Notice: The Regional Rank Ladder will only display the top 100 players.】
"The leaderboards are up?"
"Haha, let's see where I rank!"
"Time to see how many hidden experts there are!"
Before Vance could even open the new menu, another prompt appeared just for him.
【Display your name on the Regional Rank Ladder?】
Without a moment's hesitation, Vance selected 'Yes'. What he needed now was prestige, and a reputation for power. There was no room for anonymous solo acts in his playbook. If he could, he would have plastered his name in bold, flashing letters across the chat channel, spamming it a hundred times a minute. It would be effective, but far too tacky. The thought alone was beneath him.
Clearing his throat, Vance opened the Regional Rank Ladder for Novice Zone 911.
1. Ray, Level 5
2. Caden, Level 5
3. Vance, Level 5
4. Serena, Level 5
5. Flint, Level 5
6. Calder, Level 4
...
"I'm only third?!" Vance's pupils constricted. He stared at the screen in disbelief.
At the same time, the Regional Chat exploded.
"What the hell? How is Vance only number three?"
"They're all Level 5! Why are those other two ranked above him?"
"Maybe it's sorted by total experience points within the level?"
"The top five are all Level 5? How did they level up so fast? I just hit Level 2!"
"Haha, same here, but I just barely scraped into the top 100."
"Wait, isn't that Calder the guy who got two announcement rewards? Why is he only in sixth place?"
"Getting rewards doesn't mean you're the strongest, dude. He probably just got lucky."
Just as the arguments began to heat up, another system-wide announcement rang out.
【Announcement: The Regional Rank Ladder reward structure is as follows:】
【Rank 1: Gold Cache x1】
【Ranks 2-10: Silver Cache x1】
【Ranks 11-20: Bronze Cache x3】
【Ranks 21-50: Bronze Cache x2】
【Ranks 51-100: Bronze Cache x1】
【Notice: All Regional Rank Ladder rewards will be distributed after the conclusion of the Novice Trial.】
The revelation of the rewards sent a new shockwave through the chat.
"HOLY SHT! A GOLD CACHE FOR FIRST PLACE!"
"A GOLD CACHE!"
"Why are you guys all spamming 'holy sht'? Do you even know what's in a Gold Cache?"
"No idea, but it's a reward for the top dogs anyway. Has nothing to do with us scrubs."
"It has to be something insane! Didn't that Calder guy get a Silver Cache? He should pop in and tell us what was in it."
"Heh, you think he'd show you what he got? If he got something good, he's keeping it hidden, obviously."
"Seriously, if I got a reward cache, I wouldn't tell a soul."
"I'm going for it! Top 50 gets two Bronze Caches! I'm Level 2, I have a chance to break into the top 50!"
"Top 10 gets a Silver Cache. That's my goal."
Vance’s eyes locked onto the reward list, and when he saw the Gold Cache for first place, they practically lit up. He was still furious about missing the Silver Cache back in the classroom. He hadn't anticipated a boss appearing in the third wave, and his main talent, 【Stormfire】, had been on cooldown at the worst possible moment. If he had been prepared, he would have secured that First Kill. He would have been the one to claim that Silver Cache.
It doesn't matter, he thought, a fire igniting in his gut. I missed the Silver, but the Gold is still on the table.
"This time," he vowed to himself, "it will be mine."
The series of system announcements had their intended effect. Players who had been planning to wait and see were now spurred into action. Aside from those nursing injuries from the previous waves, every other survivor on campus was now making a desperate rush for The Surge Grounds.
The massive field was soon teeming with people, the count swelling to well over a thousand. Fortunately, the grounds were vast enough that it didn't feel overly crowded. The thousand-plus players had naturally coalesced into three main factions.
The first and largest was Vance's group, which had started with about two hundred from the first academic building and had absorbed several hundred more on the way, now numbering close to five hundred.
The other two factions were led by Ray and Caden, ranked first and second on the leaderboards, respectively. Each commanded a force of around two hundred players. The rest were unaffiliated stragglers, nervously eyeing the major powers.
After a brief, chaotic period of sizing each other up, the leaders of the three factions finally came face to face.
"So you're Vance," Ray said, a lazy smile on his face as his eyes scanned the massive crowd behind him. "You live up to your reputation as the first to hit Level 2. Quite the fan club you've got there."
Vance returned the smile with a dry chuckle. "They're not my fan club; they're my brothers-in-arms. Anyone who joins my team right now gets organized into a proper squad. We'll watch each other's backs when the Beast Surge hits."
Ray's smile vanished. "That's a nice way of putting it, Vance. But we both know you're just using your numbers to monopolize the kills."
The accusation didn't faze Vance in the slightest. His own smile remained perfectly intact. "You've got it all wrong, Ray. My only concern is for our fellow students' safety. A disciplined, organized response to the Beast Surge is the only way to keep casualties to a minimum." He spread his hands magnanimously. "If you trust me, Ray, you can join my team as well. I'll make you the second-in-command of my guild, The Blazefire."
Ray's brow furrowed. He had meant to sow discord in Vance's ranks, but Vance had effortlessly defused the jab and turned it into a power play. Damn son of a merchant. He's smoother than the school's dean.
Just as Ray was about to retort, a deep, powerful voice cut through the tension. "Enough of this bullsht! Let's get to the point. How are we splitting the grounds?"
It was Caden. He lifted a heavy spear and slammed its butt into the ground, sending a tremor through the earth. Of the three leaders, only Caden was a former athlete, his physique broad and powerful. Whatever Talent he had awakened, it allowed him to wield his spear with such ferocity that dozens of Knorr Aberrant Fiends couldn't get near him. That raw power alone had attracted a loyal following.
Ray immediately spoke up. "I'm not greedy. Just give me the outer half of the grounds."
"Impossible!" Caden shot back, scowling. "That section has the most Summoning Nexuses. You can't just take half for yourself. That's not fair."
Vance laughed smoothly. "Caden's right. Besides, Ray, your group is only two hundred strong. If anyone deserves that territory, it should be us, The Blazefire Guild."
"Bullsht! A guild? You really think this is some game?" Ray was livid. "I don't care. We may have fewer people, but we're not weak. That territory is ours!"
Vance's smile remained, but his tone acquired an edge of ice. "Heh. Ray, I'd advise you not to be so stubborn. We outnumber you three to one."
"So what?" Ray sneered. "You think I'm afraid of you?" He knew from his own sources that Vance, like him, was a B-Tier talent. And while Vance had the numbers, Ray had the fifth-ranked player, Flint—another B-Tier Divinely Gifted—at his side. If it came to a real fight, the outcome was far from certain.
The atmosphere grew frigid. Just as tempers were about to boil over, a loud BOOM echoed as Caden slammed his spear into the ground again.
"If we can't agree," he growled, "then we fight for it. May the strongest win!" With that, he turned and marched his followers toward the far side of The Surge Grounds.
Ray shot Vance a final, contemptuous snort before turning and leading his own people away.
Vance watched them go, his eyes narrowed. His lieutenant, Cliff, moved to his side. "Vance, what do we do? Should we send people to claim territory now?"
Vance considered for a moment. "No need. With our numbers, we have the advantage no matter what." A cunning glint appeared in his eyes. "Instead, spread the word. Tell everyone that anyone interested in joining The Blazefire Guild needs to do it now. The offer won't be open for much longer."
Cliff blinked, then his eyes widened in understanding. "Vance... you mean to lock down The Surge Grounds? Is that a good idea?"
Vance laughed coldly. "Even if we don't, you think those other two factions won't? This is how the game is played now, Cliff."
Cliff scratched the back of his head. "You've got a point. Alright, I'm on it!"
It turned out Vance was exactly right. As soon as his men began to form a perimeter, Ray's faction did the same, creating their own blockade. Caden seemed to disdain such tactics, but he did nothing to stop them. Naturally, cordoning off the main hunting ground sparked outrage among the unaffiliated players.
"Vance, you bastard! We can't enter unless we join your team? What gives you the right!?"
"This isn't fair! The Beast Surge doesn't belong to you!"
"You're stopping us from fighting monsters? Is there no justice left in this world?!"
"Fck this! Before the apocalypse, I had to put up with rich pricks like you in games. Now I have to deal with it in real life, too?!"
"Just give it up, man. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Which side are you picking?"
"No way in hell am I joining that rich kid Vance. I'm going with Caden's team. I heard they have three B-Tier Divinely Gifted, including him."
"Don't! Go with Vance. Didn't you see how many people he has? They're going to be the ones calling the shots in Novice Zone 911."
"I dunno, Caden seems stronger."
"I'm betting on Ray, the number one guy on the ladder. He's got the best shot at that Gold Cache."
The three factions, now effectively gatekeepers, controlled the fate of nearly four-fifths of the zone's population. The remaining players, fuming but powerless, had little choice but to swallow their pride and pick a side.
Just like that, the stragglers of Novice Zone 911 were absorbed. The forces behind Vance, Ray, and even the low-key Caden swelled once more.
Vance's face beamed with triumph as he looked out over his newly expanded army. According to Cliff's latest count, his faction had grown to over six hundred members, making The Blazefire Guild the undisputed largest power in the zone.
Haha! Once I have that Gold Cache in my hands, let's see how either of you can possibly compete with me! he thought, a wave of satisfaction washing over him.
Just as they finished organizing their ranks, the countdown for the fourth Beast Surge hit zero.
A violent, rhythmic thrumming pulsed through the air. All at once, the Summoning Nexuses ringing The Surge Grounds blazed with intense light. From within the glowing portals, massive, hulking figures began to emerge.
【Ogre】
【Level: 2】
【Skill: Gravity Slam】
"A new Level 2 monster?" The thought barely registered as a surprise to Vance. As a Level 5 player, a Level 2 mob was beneath his notice. Whatever they are, they won't stand a chance against my 【Stormfire】.
As the arrogant thought crossed his mind, Cliff suddenly grabbed his shoulder, his voice strained with panic. "Vance! Something's wrong! Look at the numbers! Why are there so many?!"
Don't be so dramatic, Vance thought with a flash of annoyance. More monsters just means more EXP. He lifted his head to scan the perimeter.
In the next second, he froze.
Not dozens, but hundreds—no, thousands—of Ogres were pouring out of the portals. They poured forth in an endless tide, waving massive, spiked clubs and letting out deafening roars that shook the very ground.
"ROOOOAR!"
The terrifying sound ripped through the sky, a physical force that made every player on The Surge Grounds tremble involuntarily. Vance's confidence shattered, his mind going utterly blank. He was staring at a sea of monsters, a wave of death poised to crash down upon them all, and there was only one, chilling realization: they were completely, utterly outnumbered.