[Voice of the Sunfire Bell]: 10 Stacks
Health +4000
Physical Attack +2100
Magic Attack +1650
Physical Defense +1250
Magic Defense +1100
All skill effects enhanced by 30%
The Sunfire Bell's effects were maximized. Kael felt a faint dizziness that vanished almost instantly.
At this moment, with Kael’s 20% aura from [Right Wing Commander] and the Third Chieftain’s buffs applied, the Blackwind Brotherhood’s players saw their stats more than double.
Gamers had long debated this: is it better to have twice the numbers or twice the strength? The debate usually ended in a stalemate. The larger army could focus fire and overwhelm targets, while the stronger army could slice through defenses and pick off the backline.
But in this fight, there was a variable no one had accounted for.
In a world where almost no one had even reached level 20, nine players on the attackers' side were over level 25.
Earlier that afternoon, Lila had specifically asked Kael for level 20 and 25 gear. He hadn't been able to provide full sets, but he had given them the locations for crafting scrolls for level 25 armor, boots, helmets, and necklaces.
Combining those with materials from the Blackheart Grotto and their recent mob grinding, the small group had managed to craft nine full sets of level 25 equipment.
With a four-piece gear advantage and now the ten-stack Sunfire Bell buff, they had become an unstoppable force.
Hazel tossed her shield aside, equipped a level 20 two-handed weapon, and began cleaving through the enemy lines with basic attacks, each swing felling another player.
Compared to Hazel, Lila’s methods were far more spectacular. She’d use [Charge] to plow through a 10-yard line of enemies, instantly killing them all. She’d follow it up with an [Earthshatter Leap] to stun another large group, then cast [Whirlwind] to finish them off.
Lunara’s magic was just as terrifying. Lila had given her the [Dragon's Breath] skill book they’d found in the Hidden Realm, and it was now demonstrating its horrifying power.
Dragon's Breath was a channeled spell that dealt damage equal to Magic Damage + 180% of Intellect per second in a 20-yard cone. Its unique feature? The caster could move while channeling. All Lunara had to do was slowly turn in a circle, and she would create a 20-yard zone of absolute death around her.
Velora had learned [Explosive Shot], which dealt AoE magic damage in a 10-yard radius around her target. Normally, as a dexterity and strength-based archer, her magic damage would be negligible.
But the Sunfire Bell had just given her a 1650-point magic attack boost. Combined with Starbloom’s [Curse Link]—which chained several enemies together, causing them to take 20% of the damage dealt to any other linked target—a single arrow could now wipe out an entire squad.
Starbloom's [Hakkar Shade] was a killing machine, empowered by her [Soul Link] ability that shared her own massively buffed stats.
Glytter, as a druid in bear form, summoned a colossal companion; their synchronized [Taunting Roar] boosted them to a new tier of power, and every bite they landed was lethal.
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Even the Paladin, Argent, was wading into the fray, his sword cutting down swathes of enemies.
Only the two priests, Rena and Faye, remained in the back, but their healing output was so immense that no one within 30 yards of them could possibly die.
Together, this elite squad was effortlessly eliminating four to five hundred players every minute. While their kill count was a drop in the bucket against an army of 50,000, their presence was the thumb on the scale, the critical factor that tipped the balance.
Five minutes later, the attackers had 14,020 players left; the defenders had 40,050.
Ten minutes later, the attackers were at 10,300; the defenders were at 25,100.
Fifteen minutes later, the attackers had 5,010 left; the defenders had just over 10,600.
At the twenty-minute mark, 2,000 attackers remained, facing a mere 500 defenders on the field.
There were only ten minutes left on the event timer.
Suddenly, Kael found he could move again. The Soul Tether had broken.
Time is critical. I have to kill the Archon before the three-minute capture window.
[White-Robed Archon (Boss)]: Level 35
Health: 10,000,000
Physical Defense: 2200
.....
Kael immediately cast Mirror Image and began a frantic assault on the Archon.
-35255 (Critical Hit)
-4024
-22739 (Clone Critical Hit)
…
Seeing their leader freed, the other players swarmed the boss.
-1031
-3743
-735
-2212
-923
…
The Archon was no sitting duck. He began casting spells on himself, restoring his health.
+100,100 (Heal)
+40,200 (Rejuvenation - healing per second for 10 seconds)
The other players erupted in frustration.
“What the hell is that?”
“Over 100k HPS? Are you kidding me?!”
“Goddamn devs, they really don't want us to win!”
With the Archon’s healing output, there was no way they could kill him before the event ended.
But Fenris hadn’t been idle. He made a complex seal with his hands, and two ethereal, glowing pacifiers materialized in the air. With a flick of his wrists, the pacifiers shot out, one plugging itself into the Archon's mouth and the other into his own.
The players stared at the bizarre scene, momentarily forgetting the battle.
“What the hell is that?!”
“A pacifier? Is he gonna try and breastfeed the boss to death?”
Kael, however, was ecstatic. He knew what the two pacifiers did. It was simple: they shut people up.
In game terms, it was a mutual [Silence]. Neither caster could use spells.
Moments ago, Kael had been locked down by the Archon. Now, the Archon was getting a taste of his own medicine from Fenris. It was perfect karma.
Without his healing spells, the Archon was a living target dummy. His ten million health didn't last two minutes under the focused fire of two thousand players.
System: You have slain the White-Robed Archon. +5000 points.
System: You have received a [Skill Upgrade Scroll].
System: Lucky Bonus triggered! You have received an additional [Skill Upgrade Scroll].
Skill Upgrade Scrolls were incredibly rare items that could increase the level of any non-talent skill by one. There was no time to think about what to use them on now. First, they had to capture Starlight Village.
With just over six minutes left on the event timer, Kael ran to the spot where the Archon had fallen.
A new notification popped up.
System: You are now capturing Starlight Village. Maintain control for 3 minutes.
A 180-second countdown appeared on every player's screen.
The remaining 500 defenders watched from a distance, unsure of what to do. The attackers, not wanting to risk leaving the capture point, decided not to chase them down for the extra points. Instead, they started shouting.
“Hey, buddies! Come on over, free points!”
“Yeah, don’t let your kill score go to waste!”
“You might still have a chance, you know!”
“That’s right! I’ll even take my gear off! Come on, kill me!”
Finally, with one minute left on the capture timer, the last 500 defenders launched a final, desperate charge. Unsurprisingly, they were instantly vaporized, handing over a free 1500 points.
The countdown ticked closer to zero. Every player began chanting along with it.
“SIX!”
“FIVE!”
“FOUR!”
“THREE!”
“TWO!”
“ONE!”
System: Congratulations to the attacking faction [Blackwind Brotherhood] for successfully capturing Starlight Village! All members have been awarded an additional 500 points.
“WOOOO! WE WON!”
“BLACKWIND BROTHERHOOD FOREVER!”
“ALL HAIL THE SUNFIRE BELL!”
The remaining 2,000 players erupted in a joyous uproar, hugging and cheering, overcome with relief and excitement.
But as they celebrated, the ground began to shake violently. A thunderous rumbling echoed from the distance.
BOOM. RUMBLE. BOOM.
A sense of dread washed over the crowd. At that moment, the screen of every player in the zone shifted to a cinematic view outside the village walls.
An endless legion of level 30-40 orc warriors had completely surrounded Starlight Village.
