Extreme Tug-of-War, Exploring Soul Valley

In the northwest corner of the Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range, the Evil Spirit labor market was bustling with activity. Players' haggling and heckling blended together.

The newly launched "mission system" was still in its infancy. Neither side had a standard rate for mission rewards, so everything came down to arguing. As players on the forums put it: take missions casually, lose half your money.

Both sides were shrewd, and both wanted to earn more resources.

So before accepting a mission, the evil spirit projection and the player had to engage in a battle of wits and wills, a process that was always accompanied by verbal sparring.

Friendly greetings were the norm; snide remarks were basic training.

In one corner of the market, a middle-aged player with the game ID "Gang Ban" stood with his arms crossed. Behind him, three hundred members stood in a straight line, their silver-white armor gleaming in the dim light.

Gang Ban was the team leader and the main tank, affectionately known by his members as "Brother Ban."

At that moment, he was staring at the Gui Ya projection in front of him, a blue exclamation mark hovering over its head.

"Cut the crap. Explore the lower reaches of Soul Valley for 2,000 Black Tide Crystals. Take it or get lost. I don't have time to haggle with you." Gui Ya's projection looked directly at Gang Ban, speaking impatiently.

Gang Ban snorted at that and spat out the grass stem in his mouth.

"2,000? You think we're cheap labor? I don't care what kind of hellhole Soul Valley is. I've got three hundred brothers here risking their necks for you. You think that reward is enough to fill a tooth?"

At that, a flicker of surprise appeared on Gui Ya's face, then turned into undisguised contempt.