"Bang!"
Mirian pulled the trigger, sending a scorching lead bullet from the muzzle straight into the huge spider lunging toward her, its body covered in eyes and its fangs bared.
The thing was as big as a millstone. Its rapid pounce from the shadows looked terrifying, but its appearance was probably its greatest threat. After one shot pierced its body, it disintegrated on the spot into a cloud of dark, hazy smoke.
But before Mirian could celebrate, the cloud of smoke quickly merged with the heavy shadows around it and transformed into a drab, four-legged lizard that lunged at her.
Mirian turned pale with fright. This was not the sort of monstrosity a lady or an aspiring scholar should have to deal with!
"Get out of the way!"
Niu Niu roared after just shooting down a phantom wild dog with his shotgun. He grabbed the vampire crest shield beside him, leaped up, and slapped the lunging lizard away. Car Car let out a strange cry beside him and charged forward, slashing wildly with both of his rapiers until the monster was cut into several pieces.
"Thank you."
The red-haired girl quietly thanked Niu Niu, though she doubted the hulking, muscular man had even heard her. He was already excitedly charging off again with his spear to pick a fight with the astral monsters.
For a moment, Mirian found it hard to understand how Murphy's warriors thought.
Their defense and cleanup efforts over the past ten-odd minutes had already proved that these monsters couldn't be killed. They had no physical bodies at all, like projections of chaotic forces in the material world.
Any normal person would know to preserve their remaining strength and retreat in this situation. But these people were having the time of their lives, holding their position and fighting every monster they could see.
Some of the boldest even went in to fight those dangerous creatures at close range with melee weapons instead of shotguns.
It often took several people working together to bring down a wave of monsters, and they got no reward for it. Yet they all looked so excited, as if they'd stumbled upon treasure.
Mirian wondered whether all these otherworlders summoned by Murphy were born battle maniacs beyond saving.
Of course, that wasn't the truth.
The players weren't exactly enthusiastic about fights that yielded nothing. But if they were willing to put up with no drops and keep fighting in the same place, it meant they were sure to benefit from the process.
For example...
"I did it! My Blood Vulture Swordsmanship reached Proficient! I even leveled up to level 3! Hahahaha! Car Car knew he was a once-in-a-million martial arts genius!"
Invincible Tyrannosaurus Car threw his head back and laughed after swinging his dual swords to take down another phantom monster under Niu Niu's protection. Just then, his player interface had notified him that the only melee skill he knew had broken through to the next level. Before his laughter had even reached its third syllable, another notification popped up and made Car Car's eyes go wide.
"Holy crap! I can choose a class!"
He excitedly shouted to Coo-Coo Chicken and Niu Niu beside him:
"My interface says that reaching Proficient in a skill made me a class holder, and I can choose to become a 'Swordsman.' What about you guys?
Did you get a notification too?"
"I'm only level 2. I'm still a little short."
Coo-Coo Chicken glanced at his player interface. The experience bar representing his mastery of strength was already at 70% of level 2. He hefted his arming sword and said to Car Car:
"Probably another ten minutes of chopping and I'll level up."
"Don't just flail around like an idiot! This isn't some other game where killing monsters gives you experience. This game doesn't give you experience for killing monsters. I told you, the experience bar represents your skill and control over your strength."
As a "pioneer," Car Car immediately got smug and began lecturing Coo-Coo Chicken:
"You have to use the sword techniques the white-haired NPC taught you to kill monsters, got it? The more you use them, the higher your proficiency gets."
"Oh, I got one too!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Niu Niu, who had just stabbed a giant spider to death with his sword and shield, received a notification as well. He read it carefully, then said to Car Car:
"But my class notification isn't 'Swordsman.' It's 'Shieldbearer.' Damn it! Am I really going to end up specializing as a shield tank?"
"You three, get back here!"
Just as the three of them were having trouble making up their minds, Meow Brother's voice rang out from their computational orbs. As the temporary "team leader," Meow Brother put on a commanding air and instructed them:
"You've gone too far ahead. Get back here! Lord Murphy ordered us to hold the wall. There are dangerous things in the city, so don't go too deep.
By the way, did you get class notifications?
Don't rush into choosing a class yet!
Come back and let's discuss it together. I think we've figured out a bit of a pattern.
Especially you, Niu Niu! You have two character traits. Don't choose some random class and ruin your build. This game doesn't let you respec."
"Come on, we're done here. Let's head back and slack off."
Niu Niu slung his shield over his back and grabbed another saber, then quickly crossed the already-cleared breach in the wall with his two buddies and returned to the players' position.
By now, the players had more or less completed the defense task Murphy had given them. Although the monsters turned into black smoke when killed, then reappeared in other forms, even these bizarre creatures couldn't withstand being killed over and over. The dark shadows around the breach in the wall were noticeably thinner than elsewhere.
That was all thanks to the players' "frenzied slaughter" over the past thirty minutes.
"Ah, we finally get to farm monsters freely. No drops, but skill proficiency is still a nice reward."
Leading Pigeon had been resting at the position. He had personally shot down plenty of monsters and had a great time firing his gun. Now, he was basking in the joy of having reached level 3.
Like the others, his swordsmanship had improved rapidly during the intense battle. He had also gained the character talent Basic Marksmanship.
"Don't rush into choosing classes yet!"
Meow Brother sat boldly on a rock at the position. As he loaded shells into his shotgun, he spoke to the players who had rotated out to rest:
"I just discussed it with Happy Stick. He'd already used guns before, and he's always been practicing shooting in the game, so he got a class notification for 'Gunner'! Add Niu Niu's 'Shieldbearer' and Car Car's 'Swordsman,' and it's clear the class system in this game isn't fixed.
"The system definitely assigns class notifications based on what our strengths and skills lean toward. Even though everyone has three class slots, in my years of gaming, I've learned that your first class is still pretty important in the early game."
The shrewd social butterfly rubbed his cheek and spoke to the players watching him:
"If you just want to have fun, then sure, pick whatever you want.
"But we're the first batch of players. We'll definitely be taking on dungeons or BOSSes later, so we should choose carefully. Even if we don't form a specialized team, we should make good use of our strengths.
"Take Niu Niu's Brawler trait and his Strength of 8. Wouldn't it be a huge waste if he went for a pure Shieldbearer build? I suggest he make the most of his strengths and start practicing hand-to-hand combat. Maybe he can become a hidden class like a monk later.
"Then there's Car Car's Optimism trait.
"That's obviously a resistance talent tailor-made for a spellcaster class. Your Mind is only 5, sure, but with such a great trait, why come play a Swordsman instead of using psionics?
"Didn't you learn Psionic Impact from the young lady?
"Why aren't you using it to fight monsters?"
After being chewed out, Car Car and Niu Niu rolled their eyes in disbelief. The student players didn't care about all this strategizing; they just wanted to have fun.
But some of the others did take another look at their plans and character progression after Meow Brother's suggestions.
His advice was a bit self-serving, but it was true. No matter the situation, if you wanted to get ahead, you first had to make the most of your strengths.
"What about you, Meow Brother? What class are you planning to choose?"
Duo Dao Le San Wu Dou couldn't help asking. Meow Brother grinned and answered mysteriously:
"Me? I'm holding off for now. I'll level up my character and work on the NPCs' affection first. I'm planning to become a vampire later. The nocturnal blood clan—how cool is that?"
"Damn! You can change your race too? Where'd you hear that?"
Duo Dao Le San Wu Dou immediately jumped up and raised his hand.
"Coach, I want to be an orc! The kind that's huge, dark, thick, and strong, and always bullies elven girls until they're all teary-eyed!"
"Get out of here. I said I wanted to become a vampire because our NPCs are vampires. I asked Maxim about it specifically. In this game, vampires can create fledglings."
Meow Brother curled his lip, looking at the other players as if they were hopeless cases.
"Use your brains. If vampires weren't a playable race, why would they make a vampire our guide NPC?
"If they just wanted popularity, wouldn't it be more fun to give us a busty beauty?
"A game this big puts thought into every little detail. There's always a reason behind it, you know? Take the red-haired NPC Mirian, for instance.
"She might not look like much, but I asked about her too.
"According to the setting, she's a student at a halfling university. Halflings are the most mechanically inclined race in this game, so if we raise Mirian's affection, maybe we'll be able to visit the halflings later and become mechanics or something.
"You guys!
"You need to use your brains when you play games. Got it?"
"Got it, got it. Meow Brother really knows his stuff."
Some of the players nearby immediately conceded, greatly satisfying Meow Brother's vanity. He was just about to launch into another speech when Happy Stick's odd shout suddenly came from above.
He had climbed halfway up the collapsed wall and was observing the surroundings with a monocular. Now, he shouted:
"Quick! We need a few people to reinforce the defense! Meow Brother, quit yapping and get people up here! Meow Shark and Ge Bao, you two got shooting talents, right? Hurry and activate the Automatic Hunter Crossbow. We need suppressing fire!
"Our NPC's here, and he's carrying someone!
"A whole bunch of NPCs from the city are following him. He must have rescued them. Damn! I was wondering why we had to hold this safe passage. Turns out this is a rescue mission!"
"Old Qu!"
Meow Brother called over the electronic succubus with the best aim in his crew. He handed over his gun and Duo Dao Le San Wu Dou's gun and ammunition, then quietly instructed him:
"We're a fixed five-player team. You've got the highest Dexterity, so you're our marksman from now on. Duo Dao Le San Wu Dou has high Stamina, so he can be our shield tank. Brother Black Silk has the Strength build, so he'll be our swordsman. Jie Chong can dual-wield, and I'll fill in as our mage."
"Huh?"
Electronic Succubus was stunned.
He stared at Meow Brother suspiciously and said:
"But your Mind is only 4! It's even lower than mine. Are you sure you can be a mage? Damn, are you trying to slack off? Slacking off at work is one thing, but you're going to slack off in a game too?"
"You sure talk a lot!"
Meow Brother impatiently put on the expression of "I'm the boss, so I'm right" and said:
"Having low Mind now is no problem. Once I successfully become a vampire, my Mind will go up, won't it? Just like the young lady. I'll grow wings and carry you guys later. Just you wait."
"Bang!"
Happy Stick, who had taken up the high ground above them, was the first to open fire. He was currently a solo player without a team, so he'd done whatever he wanted and just chosen the "Gunner" class.
His class talent made his shots more accurate and deadly. The bullet flew past Murphy's shoulder and blew the head off a monster bird that had pounced from behind him. His skill experience increased ever so slightly.
The gunshot was like a signal.
The players at the position opened fire at once, driving back the incorporeal monsters chasing Murphy.
Murphy strode forward with the weakened Triss on his back. A starry wolf the size of a calf followed at his side. The beast was ferocious, protecting Murphy as it lunged back and forth and kept the monsters emerging from the shadows at bay.
As for the nearly one hundred frightened townspeople following Murphy, they were there by pure accident.
Murphy had never intended to look after them.
But when he went looking for liquor to ease Triss's pain, he'd unexpectedly found several people taking shelter in a general store. They were all neighbors, so he hadn't had the heart to turn them away. He'd brought them along as he headed for the breach in the wall, and more frightened townspeople had gradually joined them along the way. That was how things had ended up like this.
With so many terrified lives gathered together, the fluctuations in their emotions naturally attracted the astral monsters that fed on mental energy. All kinds of twisted creatures kept rushing out of the shadows.
Every so often, one of them grabbed an innocent person and devoured them with relish, terrifying the others so much that they were even more afraid to leave Murphy's side.
They had already been exhausted by disaster and fear, but now they had reached the passage through the wall and could see people waiting to help them. At last, the innocents saw a glimmer of hope.
They summoned their last reserves of strength and quickened their pace, struggling to escape Cadman City, which had become a living hell, under the players' covering fire.
"Mirian!"
Murphy had no time to rest after emerging through the breach in the wall.
He glanced at the astral energy continuously seeping out of the city, then turned to shout at Mirian, who was hiding behind the players and pretending to be a powerful DPS while actually slacking off like crazy:
"Get these people somewhere safe! Triss told me that astral creatures feed on their minds and emotions. If they stay here, they'll only attract more dangerous things."
"What about you?"
Mirian breathed a sigh of relief at the chance to leave the battlefield, but she still asked for appearance's sake. Murphy glanced at the players still fighting behind him and shouted:
"I can't abandon my warriors. I have to stay and fight alongside them."
It sounded noble and proper.
And it was a convenient way to earn the players' favor.
The truth was that the players needed skill proficiency, and so did Murphy!
How could he pass up such a great opportunity when he saw the players farming monsters like crazy?
According to what Triss had said on the way, it would be at least seven days before Cadman City was swallowed by the astral realm and the disaster was brought to an end. So he'd decided to become a powerful grinder here, raising both his class levels and his character level to 10 before anything else.
It might not sound very nice to say he was competing with the players for experience, but he had no choice. How could he lead the players in conquering another world if he couldn't raise his own level?
So, tonight, the monster-farming spot at the wall belonged to me, Lord Murphy!
Before you continue