Chapter Forty-Nine: The Elite Captain

The members of Stormcloud Dominion hurried over. Together, everyone observed the elite monsters and the boss.

“The elites shouldn’t be much different from before, just greater in number—over fifty of them. I don’t think our single party can handle it.”

“We’ll have to take it slow. If two parties tackle it together, when the system tallies the defense contribution, I’m afraid it’ll only credit the party that lands the final blow.”

“That’s true. If that's the case, it’d be unfair to the party that didn’t get the last hit.”

“Let’s split up. You go look for another purple boss, and we’ll take this orange one. After the event, I’ll send you all a token of appreciation.”

Stormcloud Dominion’s leader spoke up in the guild channel. After all, the boss had originally been found by the other team, though neither team might be able to defeat it. Still, he couldn’t just take over without a word—that wouldn’t be right—and he was considerate enough to handle it tactfully.

“All right, boss. You take this one, we’ll go find a purple boss.”

After everyone finished assessing the monsters, the secretary said, “I can’t go in first for this boss. If I charge in and the boss and fifty-some elites all hit me at once, I won’t survive even a single blow.”

“Don’t worry. When you charge the boss, we’ll draw away the smaller mobs for you.”

“That’s easy to say, but I worry you won’t be able to pull that many off in time.”

“True. Even if each of us grabs one, that’s only forty or so monsters at most, and spellcasters aren’t suited to kiting—they’re too fragile and slow.”

“That’s right. So at most, we can only pull off about thirty at the start. The rest will all be on the secretary, and I doubt he can take it.”

“Let me do it. I’ll attack first, and once I’ve separated the boss from the mobs, the secretary can charge in and take the boss.”

Zhang Shan considered this before speaking. After all, the boss was much faster than the elites. With a little running, he could easily split them up.

“All right, you go first. Once you draw the boss out of the mob, I’ll charge in and taunt it. The rest can intercept the elites.”

Without further delay, Zhang Shan stepped forward, landed a hit, and turned to run. The boss immediately broke away from the pack, chasing after him, while the other elites trailed behind, splitting off as planned. The secretary charged in, pulling the boss’s attention, while several supports rushed up to heal him. The others intercepted the pursuing elites, perfectly dividing the battlefield.

Once the secretary had the boss secured, Zhang Shan quickly turned and began attacking the elites. However, many in the party couldn’t withstand even a few hits from the smaller mobs and scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives.

This wouldn’t do; with everyone running around, efficiency was too low. Who knew how long it would take to clear the mobs this way?

“If you can’t handle the elites, run over here! I’ll tank them—just give me two supports for healing,” Zhang Shan called out loudly as he surveyed the chaotic battlefield.

Hearing his call, the squishier classes led their mobs over to him, luring all the elites that passed by into Zhang Shan’s range. In no time, more than a dozen elites were swarming him. Fortunately, they had enough support; with two healers dedicated to him, he held up just fine. Thanks to his formidable attack power, he quickly dispatched the elites one by one. With the others freed from kiting, they could join in the attack, and the efficiency soared.

“Divine Gear Bro is incredible! That purple cloak is something else—even a glass cannon can tank!”

“Of course! If he can take on a red boss, what are a few elites?”

“Man, I wish I had a purple cloak. If I did, I’d dare to tank a whole pack of elites too!”

“Just try sleeping with your pillow a little higher tonight—anything’s possible in dreams.”

“Hey, can’t a guy dream?”

“Hehe.”

“Enough chatter. Let’s clear out these mobs and get started on the boss—it’s got ten million HP; this’ll take forever.”

“What’s there to worry about? With Divine Gear Bro here, even the toughest boss will drop in ten minutes.”

Zhang Shan felt at a loss for words. These guys expected him to solo a ten-million-HP boss? That would take half an hour at least, and by then, the defense event might be over.

With everyone working together, the pace of clearing the elites picked up. At first, they could only kill two or three a minute, but as more people joined the assault, they managed five or six per minute.

“Come on, everyone! Let’s clear out the mobs in ten minutes, then spend another ten on the boss. We’ll still have time to hunt for another boss!”

“Let’s do it! Don’t hold back your skills—use everything! This isn’t a duel, there’s no point in saving cooldowns.”

“Didn’t we say we’d drive the Heaven and Earth Guild out of Anyang City after the event?”

“You really think those Heaven and Earth losers are any good? If they dare face us head-on, Divine Gear Bro and one support could wipe them out.”

“That’s right. With his firepower, attack speed, and range, no one who tries to face him stands a chance.”

“Let’s finish the city defense first. After the event, anyone from Heaven and Earth who dares leave the city—wipe them out. We’ll station people at all four gates.”

Stormcloud Dominion’s leader gave the order. He’d had enough of Heaven and Earth Guild’s antics—they couldn’t win, so they kept stirring up trouble, which was irritating. But now, with Stormcloud Guild at a full thousand members, their numbers gave them overwhelming strength. Dealing with Heaven and Earth Guild would be no trouble at all.

That was the advantage of establishing a guild early: rapid growth, strength in numbers. Even if their gear and skills were a bit inferior, they could overwhelm smaller groups with sheer force.

And their overall gear wasn’t lacking, either. If they wanted, Stormcloud Guild could easily dominate Anyang City for a long time to come.

“Boss, you’re awesome. I’ll keep an eye on them. I’m already level fifteen, and it’ll be a while before I hit twenty, so I’ll have some fun tormenting those Heaven and Earth trash for a couple of days.”

“Count me in! As a rogue, this is the only time I really get to shine.”

“Enough talk. Let’s clear the elites fast—I want to break into the top ten on the contribution board, open a chest, maybe even get a divine artifact!”

“Idiot, even if you do nothing, you’ll get a participation chest.”

“Please, what are you going to get from a one-star chest? At least with a three-star, there’s a chance.”

“With your luck, even a five-star chest would give you junk.”

“Contrarian.”

“Hehe.”

Right now, of their guild, only Zhang Shan and Stormcloud Dominion’s leader were in the top ten on the contribution board. Zhang Shan, of course, was unmatched in damage. After reaching level fifteen and donning nearly a full set of orange gear, Stormcloud Dominion’s leader, with his Meteor Strike skill, had explosive attack power as well. If not for Zhang Shan’s monstrous presence, few could compare to him in output.

Currently, Zhang Shan topped the contribution board, with Stormcloud Dominion in third place. Second was War God Lü Bu, from War God Guild—a berserker, by all accounts. War God Guild had long been the top guild in the gaming world, holding first place on the guild rankings unchallenged. Their strength and popularity were obvious—if not for Zhang Shan, Stormcloud Guild wouldn’t have even been in the running.

Who knew if there’d be conflict between Stormcloud Guild and War God Guild in the future? The strength of the number one guild was no joke. Fortunately, Stormcloud Dominion’s leader had a good relationship with them, and they weren’t even in the same city—or even the same country. War God Guild was based in Wei’s Anyi City, so they wouldn’t have any contact with Stormcloud Guild for quite some time, meaning there was no need to worry about conflict for now.

What functions would unlock in the New World as players leveled up? Guild wars, city sieges, nation wars—there was so much yet to come. It was something to look forward to.