I'm the Only Weakling

Inside the Player Association, people came and went, most of them new players from this round.

The new players who had no plans to compete for the position of lord had almost all moved to Safe City. From then on, their lives were no longer in danger.

They no longer had to live on tenterhooks and suffer nervous exhaustion. But the newcomers soon discovered that while lying flat meant they would not risk their lives, if they wanted to grow stronger and truly wield extraordinary power, the difficult road ahead of them remained.

They still needed to go out hunting and earn meager amounts of Soul Sand.

They also needed to pay rent in the Eternal World and rent altar manifestations from lord players to materialize resources.

They were still laborers and wage earners, living hard lives while earning pitifully little. After many newcomers became familiar with the forums, they discovered that ordinary players with no background, no talent, and no luck had a hard time living comfortably too.

Unless they lay flat.

Some veteran players had muddled along for two and a half years and were still weaklings.

But,

if they could join some major force and receive its support, they could naturally soar to the heavens. Even if nothing else, they could draw a fixed salary, hold a secure job, and steadily improve.

These people were the objects of envy for ordinary unaffiliated players.

And the big shot known as the "Direct Intelligence Merchant—No Middleman Markup" was a famous figure among the newcomers. It was said that he was also a renowned big shot among veteran players.

After all, the numerous information posts the big shot had published in the Newbie Zone had all received official certification. What ordinary player could receive such treatment?

"Working at the Direct Intelligence Merchant's trading company? I'm so envious. The pay is good, and it's safe and easy."

White Fox Miss could not conceal her envy.

Clearly, they had all been equally hopeless before.

Mu Yuan, Frog Seller Bro, White Fox, and Liver Emperor had kept in touch over the past few days. Yesterday, they had even arranged to meet here. Liver Emperor was the only one who had not arrived yet, probably because he had stayed up grinding until the middle of the night again.

Seeing that Frog Seller Bro seemed to have first-hand information, Mu Yuan discreetly probed him.

"I don't know how many slots our Bai Jiang assessment site has this round. I can only say it's somewhere between ten and twenty. After all, I'm just an intern. But... I do know the general situation of some outstanding newcomers."

"See that fat guy over there? His forum ID is 'I'm Not Unlucky.' He's the Lucky One of this round. He started with three Three-Star Skeleton Soldiers... and those Skeleton Soldiers are among the best of the Three-Star Troops. They fear neither death nor the countless complications of Goblins. With such a dazzling start, the Lucky One's troop has quickly snowballed. I estimate he already has somewhere between a dozen and twenty troops, making him a strong contender for one of the slots."

"And over there—see that Macho Man? His ID is Macho Man. He only received a batch of very Common Star Goblins at the start, and he himself is just a civilian. But he's a fighting expert. Relying on his unmatched strength, he's killed quite a few monsters with his bare hands. I heard even the Three-Star Monster Grizzly Bear died at his hands... He's a fierce man capable of tearing apart a Three-Star Troop with his bare hands!"

Mu Yuan had noticed that person long ago.

That man stood out too much. He was tall and broad like an iron tower, the muscles in his exposed arms knotted like pythons clinging to them. He also had a gleaming bald head symbolizing a strong man's status. Sitting there, he looked like a little giant, his entire body radiating a frightening aura.

"Is he really not a superpowered individual?"

"Of course not. His muscles do look exaggerated, but as long as they work hard and train diligently, ordinary people can reach that level. If he were a superpowered individual who had awakened naturally, his abilities would be far more impressive. He's still just an ordinary person."

Mu Yuan lowered his head and glanced at his own small frame.

He had already grown considerably stronger over the past few days and could barely show the outline of an eight-pack. But... he figured that if he fought that Macho Man in a real match, one punch from him would make the other man kneel on the ground and beg him not to die.

This is what you call an ordinary person?

Mu Yuan fell silent.

Compared to that, he really was just an ordinary player with a tiny bit of evolutionary ability.

"Among the civilian players, these two are probably the ones with the best chance of getting a slot. Of course, it's still too early, and most players aren't famous yet. A dark horse could easily appear."

At this point, Frog Seller Bro still could not resist asking, "Brother, if I'm not mistaken, you're also planning to compete for these slots, right?"

Mu Yuan nodded. There was no need to hide it.

White Fox Miss: "???"

So you're a big shot too? Am I the only hopeless one here?!

Frog Seller Bro thought it was only natural. "Brother Mu killed a monster and obtained a Remnant Soul on the very first day. If he didn't fight for the chance to become a lord, nobody would be willing to accept it."

"I've also thought about fighting for it, getting a special-benefit slot, passing the Lord Trial, recruiting beautiful heroes, commanding an invincible army, and ascending to the peak of the Eternal World... But unfortunately, that's only something I can dream about. This old brother really can't do it."

Frog Seller Bro sighed dejectedly and said to Mu Yuan, "Brother, give it your all and win some honor for us civilian players."

"Yeah, you should know that the biggest competitors for these slots are those rich second-generation players and Whale Players."

"That one is the eldest son of Bai Jiang Real Estate. He isn't a Game Second Generation, but his family is rich. I heard he's already spent ten million purchasing all kinds of resources. He alone bought dozens of Three-Star Troop Remnants."

"And the one in yellow is a standard Game Second Generation. He has an older brother who's already a veteran player. According to what I found out, this big shot conquered a Goblin Camp on the sixth day and suffered very few losses."

"The girl in white is a Game Second Generation from neighboring Dongming City. Not only does she have veteran players among her elders, her family also runs a large company. She's a bona fide rich lady. Of course, whether she's rich isn't important. What matters is that she has a record of killing a rare-grade monster. Even if that rare-grade monster hadn't yet reached Professional Grade, it's still incredibly impressive."

"And that one. That one. And that one as well..."

Frog Seller Bro rattled off the information of several famous Whale Players.

None of this was particularly secret. Compared to civilian players, Whale Players were much more ostentatious. Besides, anyone who spent all day purchasing various resources could hardly keep a low profile.

Mu Yuan mulled over the information on these Whale Players, gradually forming a standard of comparison in his mind.

Frog Seller Bro, however, thought he had fallen silent because he was discouraged. He could not help comforting him. "Little brother, don't lose heart. Civilian players can't compare to Whale Players in the early stages, and there's nothing we can do about that. But you don't need to compete with those Whale Players head-on. As long as you get a slot, the treatment for first place and for somewhere in the teens is the same."

"Besides, with your ability, even if you can't become a lord, you can still become one of the best among the players."

Mu Yuan was not discouraged, of course. He was only struggling with which troops to deploy.

He definitely would not send out Deathbone, and he also did not plan to summon Bone Two, who had already become a Skeleton Warrior.

Still, there was no need to keep too low a profile. Showing some of his excellence would allow him to obtain more opportunities. Besides, there were also Lucky Ones and players with Hidden Talents among the civilians. It was only reasonable for him to be somewhat stronger, and no one would covet him because of it.

It was just that his talent might be a tiny bit stronger than other people imagined.

In that case, I'll use this lineup.

As he pondered, White Fox Miss began speaking up for him.

"Isn't this selection method a little too unfair to civilian players like us?"

Frog Seller Bro nodded, then shook his head. "It is a little unfair, I suppose. But the ability to spend money is also a kind of ability. Besides, as far as I know, the reason our Xuan Kingdom is vigorously supporting new lords is that it hopes to see more territories appear, expanding our nation's territory and influence across the Eternal Continent."

"Whether they're civilians or Whale Players, they're all the same to the nation. As long as they're lords of the Xuan Kingdom, that's enough."

As they spoke, more and more players entered the association.

Liver Emperor had arrived too. As usual, he had two dark circles under his eyes and looked as if he might pass away at any moment.

"Am I late again?"

He scratched his head.

The group headed toward the assessment area. Soon, it was time for the applicants to draw their assessment numbers.

Under Frog Seller Bro's expectant gaze, Mu Yuan stepped forward to draw a number.

The young Liver Emperor followed close behind him.

White Fox Miss: "???"

She looked at the dark-circled Liver Emperor, Frog Seller Bro, who was already an employee of a major merchant association, and the imposing Mu Yuan. Question marks slowly appeared over her head.

So I'm the only weakling?!