Players on the Offensive

Suddenly, Keosius spoke up, shattering Steamed Bun's fantasy of riding Wyvern in a dive.

"It's getting late, everyone please go back now. I hope you will be fully prepared when we meet again."

Immediately, he waved his hand, and a portal burning with raging flames appeared before them. Before the four could react, a powerful magical field forced them inside, leaving no room for struggle or resistance.

Everyone felt a flash of white light and then they were back in the hut.

The words on the invitation had faded and dimmed, so it seemed there wouldn't be a second chance to use it.

Recalling her recent experience, Xia Ye Qiuyu couldn't help but say, "This shop is so cool, no, I mean, this NPC is so important."

Singo, however, regretted writing the guide too early. "I really didn't expect Faction Contribution to have such a big impact. I shouldn't have made such a hasty conclusion."

"That Fighter's advanced class, [Red Scale Conqueror], is absolutely the strongest class in the early game, without a doubt."

The Born Battle Maniac touched his bald head. "I also want to try out the Dragon Bloodline, it seems to be very powerful."

Singo agreed, "Yes, just the Natural Armor alone is enough to set them apart from ordinary players, not to mention the attribute bonuses and spell abilities."

Steamed Bun said quietly, "Then should we keep this news a secret and not let others know?"

Xia Ye Qiuyu Born Battle Maniac both nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Given their professional gaming mindset, it's perfectly normal for them to monopolize information and widen the gap with others first.

Singo objected, saying, "No, we must make this information public."

Steamed Bun asked, puzzled, "What if someone else steals the Red Scale?"

He was now completely focused on becoming Wyvern Knight, and his mind couldn't hold any other thoughts. Knighthood was a man's romance! Singo gave him a rather disdainful look before saying, "Of course, it won't be announced immediately, but rather at a certain time."

"At what time?"

"Observe the movements of those major guilds, and wait until they start vying for Faction Contribution quests."

Xia Ye Qiuyu immediately understood and explained, "In the early stages, Gold Coin are scarce, so those big guilds may focus more on equipment and won't spend money specifically to buy quest items. But once they develop, they will definitely try to buy quest items like the [Mysterious Invitation]."

"Once they understand the role of Faction Contribution, they will definitely monopolize the information and start to snatch those Faction Contribution tasks that they didn't want before. At this time, we need to announce this information and try to mobilize more casual players to compete with the guilds and slow down their progress."

The Born Battle Maniac added, "And the period before that was when we widened the gap with others in terms of Faction Contribution."

Steamed Bun suddenly realized what was happening and exclaimed, "You top professional gamers are really heartless!"

Singo said, "What do you mean by 'ruthless'? This is called game strategy. If you're bad, practice more. You'll be in charge of posting videos, and I'll be in charge of posting guides. Let's just drive up the traffic."

"OK."

The Born Battle Maniac looked at the invitation on the table, which looked no different from ordinary paper. "Shouldn't we buy another invitation first? Those things probably aren't in unlimited supply. It wouldn't be good if those guild bastards snatched them up, especially that one called 'Royal Authority '."

"What grudge do you have against them?" Steamed Bun asked curiously.

The born warrior smiled honestly and touched his bald head, "It's not a big grudge. In the previous "Star Travel Realm", I used a ship-cutting knife to hack up their guild's mothership. I'm afraid they will develop and target me this time."

Steamed Bun broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself that this guy was really ruthless and he should never mess with him.

Xia Ye Qiuyu asked, "Where did we get so many Gold Coin? This ten Gold Coin are already a huge sacrifice."

Singo chuckled and said confidently, "Do you know that the Bator City Exchange recently launched a new service— Gold Coin loans, which only require one-tenth of the value of the item as collateral?"

Steamed Bun noticed that Singo was looking at him with hostility—or rather, at his gear—and his expression immediately darkened.

"I worked so hard to get this equipment, don't even think about taking it!"

"Steamed Bun, don't you want to become a handsome Dragon Knight?"

Singo approached with a sinister smile, his words sounding like the whispers of a devil.

"Ah--"

"Don't try to take my gear off!"

"At least leave me my underwear, Xin Gou."

Xia Ye Qiuyu blushed and covered her eyes, but she was still peeking through her fingers, her face growing even redder.

The Born Battle Maniac scratched his bald head rather awkwardly and said, "That's just how Singo is, don't mind him."

When Single turned around, Steamed Bun looked utterly dejected. He had reverted to his innocent self when he first entered the game—wearing simple clothes and exuding a cute and adorable newbie vibe.

Singo himself set an example by stripping off all his equipment.

Singo smiled gently and said, "Gentlemen, you don't need me to go to any more trouble."

Xia Ye Qiuyu peeked through her fingers and witnessed the Steamed Bun's miserable state. She subconsciously hugged her arms tightly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

She quickly said, "Please don't come over, I'll do it myself."

They were afraid that Singo would turn into a tentacle monster and do something naughty.

The Born Battle Maniac touched his bald head and decisively took off his animal skin coat—after all, Barbarian don't really need any equipment, they just need to activate Berserk.

"Smack!"

Singo smiled and clapped his hands.

"No objections from anyone, let's get ready to grind! Let's widen the gap with other players, starting now!"

"I'll take these equipment to the exchange to get a loan, and once I have the Gold Coin, I'll immediately grab the Mysterious Invitation. Battle Maniac, Qiu Yu, and Steamed Bun, the three of you go to the square to accept the mission. The more Faction Contribution you make, the better. Also, keep an eye out for the mission to investigate Tiefling. All of these things need to be done simultaneously."

Steamed Bun, dressed in simple cloth clothes, collapsed on the ground, his eyes empty and lifeless.

"Is this the world of professional gamers?"

I have a problem with that.

However, Single acted as if he hadn't heard, and hurriedly ran away with the pile of equipment that Steamed Bun was so obsessed with.

The Born Battle Maniac patted Steamed Bun's shoulder with his thick, hard hand. "Steamed Bun, don't take it to heart. That's just how Singo is. We often have mental breakdowns too. You'll get used to it."

Xia Ye Qiuyu stood to the side, looking at him with sympathy and offering soft words of comfort.

Steamed Bun, on the verge of tears, said, "Who took Xin Gou's words to heart? I was thinking about the gear I painstakingly farmed for ten days—"

A dozen days later, the legend of the "Black Slave Four-Person Group" began to circulate in the city.

Those were four renowned and popular professional gamers, and strangely, each of them was dressed only in the most basic beginner's clothing. Some players reasonably suspected that they had been robbed and were burdened with a mountain of debt.

These four "masters" are not picky about tasks at all; they take on any job, whether it's moving bricks, laying mortar, repairing walls, delivering messages, or mining. Even pure Faction Contribution tasks that most people would avoid, they flock to.

In just over ten days, they had raised their Faction Contribution to nearly five thousand, which shocked the forum and earned them the nickname "Black Slave Four-Person Group".

Achoo!

Steamed Bun wiped his sweat in the dark mine and sneezed for some reason.

"What ' Black Slave Four-Person Group '..."

"I'm going to be Dragon Knight!"

He thought to himself, his resolute gaze faintly shining in the darkness, but behind him came the cursing of the Hobgoblin overseer and the sound of whips lashing.

"What are you doing? What are you spacing out for? Get back to work!"

"Oh well."

Steamed Bun swung the hoe again, his movements becoming increasingly skillful.

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