Nine Pillars
The Monster Tide will grant the ability to obtain a [Class Change Certificate] after passing the tenth wave, meaning that Zone 76 will need to enter an era where everyone is a professional within the next four weeks.
For Zone 76 at present, this timeframe does not pose a threat; in fact, it is somewhat lenient.
Even without the pressure of Monster Tide, the Mutual Aid Association's "everyone becoming a professional" process is progressing rapidly. But for most other areas...
Xi Ji turned his gaze back to the World Channel.
Sure enough, the channel that was just discussing the otherworldly atmosphere was instantly drowned out by a new round of comments, and the focus of the discussion quickly shifted to the topic of "the era of non-professionals is about to end".
In the first District War, no more than 350 regions redeemed the [Monster Tide Basic Wave Reduction Coupon]; in the second District War, no more than 10,000 regions redeemed this item...
In other words, the basic wave of Monster Tide in most areas has now reached the seventh wave.
[(Silver Badge) I just thought I got it all figured out, and then you pull this on me? (laughs)]
[(Silver Badge) See? I told you the system update wasn't just for show! It's gone from once every two weeks to once a week! Who was arguing with me last time?]
[(Silver Badge) It's over, it's completely over... We struggled through the sixth wave and lost a lot of people, how are we going to handle the seventh and eighth waves? I don't even want to think about the tenth wave! A massive wave of Dead Zones is really coming...]
Everyone was actually mentally prepared for this; now it's just a matter of shattered illusions, and they don't really want to face reality.
[(Bronze Badge) I really regret monopolizing the market! How come these bugs are developing so slowly! I can't even give away all my wealth to charity in time! Does anyone have a secret recipe for quickly improving the average strength of a region?]
[(Silver Badge) My region estimates that only about 800 people will survive this Monster Tide, not even enough to fill the regional leaderboard.]
[(Silver Badge) Those regions that haven't developed regional cohesion and have been running lone wolves or small groups are in luck! In another half month or so, the non-professionals will basically all be gone, leaving only a few or a few dozen lone professional commanders, staring blankly at each other in empty, deserted regions with no market! Hehe.]
[The (Silver Badge) shop has been updated; the difficulty of collecting materials has decreased, so I can rely on myself and don't need to worry about it.]
[(Silver Badge) is talking like the shop has been updated and materials are easier to obtain, so you can just play solo forever. Don't you think the dropped equipment, Skill Books, and special materials need trading? Don't you think you need teamwork? You're just waiting to starve to death in the dark, clinging to the shop, you idiot.]
[(Silver Badge) Theoretically, the era of non-professionals will not completely 'end'. Although the Fused Sanctuary route is niche and has a high barrier to entry, it has always existed. In the future, some non-professionals may rely on the Sanctuary of powerful professionals to survive as protected individuals.]
[...]
[(Silver Badge) Reply to message number 37 above: This is only a temporary fix. At most, in about half a month, professionals will abandon non-professionals due to the increased difficulty of the Monster Tides. Those who don't become professionals are ultimately just ants.]
[(Gold Badge) Methods for Accelerating Regional Development: 1. Relying on Special Professions or Talents: Individuals with abilities such as large-scale group enhancement, Contract control, construct creation, and Symbiotic Links can attempt to quickly build a group of "pseudo-professionals" or enhancement teams. 2. Resource Pour-Out and Forced Allocation: Transforming the reserve resources of the leadership or a few strong individuals into growth resources urgently needed by most people in the region in a short period of time (requires a good market Order in the region). Essence, this is high-risk lending or charity, with a high probability of not recouping the investment...; 3. Special Items...]
Xi Ji and the other four team members successfully reunited near the border marker. All five of them tacitly remained silent, checking their equipment and applying buffs while paying more or less attention to the heated discussions on the World Channel, feeling somewhat melancholy.
I wonder how many of the 80,000 districts will be left after a month?
"The Yuncang 21st Expeditionary Army was expected to have 1,950 men; 1,949 men are present. Please give instructions!"
Who's not here?
"Nanmen Shi... he was left behind by [Pillar]."
Half an hour before the expedition began, the entire Twenty-First Army assembled, exchanged a few brief words, and then waited Jingjing.
The so-called "Pillars " are nine newly selected Lv.90 and above players in the Yuncang World, known as the "Pillars of Civilization," who are in charge of all human military affairs and the Future.
In the Yuncang World, there are only nine players with a level of 90 or higher, and all of them have become the highest level. The powerful governments in the real world have all passed the resolution to transfer power.
Is this... correct?
In the pure white space, Nanmen Shi looked up with a strange expression. Nine high-backed chairs were arranged in a circle and suspended in the air. On each chair sat a figure with a solemn aura. The energy aura flowing around them caused the air to distort slightly.
These are the only nine players of the Yuncang Civilization with a level of 90 or higher, chosen by 37 billion people as [Pillars ].
The real world and the [Ten Thousand Worlds] haven't merged yet. Everyone in the real world is just an ordinary person. Could they be...?
Standing in the center of the circle, Nanmen Shi felt like a grain of sand thrown into the Deep Sea. For the first time, he understood the meaning of the word "pressure" so clearly.
It wasn't the exaggerated lighting and special effects in movies and TV shows, but something more Essence. When the nine gazes fell on him, the flow of energy around him seemed to freeze, the passage of subjective time seemed to slow down, and even thinking became difficult.
"Child, look up."
Nanmen Shi slowly raised his head. He finally saw the other person's face clearly: an ordinary face, around forty years old, with fine lines at the corners of his eyes and slightly graying temples.
If it weren't for the occasional glimmer of golden light in those eyes, a light that seemed to pierce through reality, this person would never have received a second glance on the street.
"You're thinking,"
The middle-aged man suddenly laughed. "Aren't we puppets? After all, the real world hasn't merged yet. We're just ordinary people over there, right?"
Nanmen Shi's heart skipped a beat.
Don't be nervous.
Another Pillar —a woman sitting at the nine o'clock position—spoke softly, her voice as gentle as the sound of jade striking each other.
"Three years ago, when 'Ten Thousand Worlds' first launched, there was no such thing as 'Talent' in the world. Every level was earned through sheer hard work, and behind every Legendary player was a well-organized team, massive resources, and... corpses."
Nanmen Shi understood; each Pillar represented the will of a colossal power.
He remained silent with his head down.
Next, we'll reason, express our determination, set the tone, and look forward to the Future...
Nanmen Shi went through the process in a standardized manner, then walked out of the hall and watched as the next lucky person with the same Talent as him entered the hall to be reviewed by the [Pillars ].
Just then, a voice inexplicably sounded in my ear, "Go to room A-36 and wait for one hour."