This Was Only the Beginning!

Star Network captures the heated discussions and various analyses on the Forum.

He doesn't need to browse the posts himself; his Earth-based entity is constantly capturing Forum information and live stream content from across the internet, analyzing and sharing it with him in real time.

Faced with this uproar that swept across the entire server, Star Network remained completely unmoved.

The unusual configuration that players are discussing so much is, in his eyes, just a rudimentary prototype of the "Free Legion" mode, with not even a complete framework yet to be built.

His next goal is very clear.

First, reach the top of the activity leaderboard.

Then, use in-game purchases to refine the core framework; afterwards, you can simply add content gradually.

Three days later.

Emperor's Tomb Village, Forging Room.

Star Network has once again entered the independent space for creating rune weapon systems.

The number of Freedom Particle was increased from 323 to 1233.

The purchase was completed, and more than 1,000 jet-black particles, like tiny Stars, flowed around him according to his will.

This is the first expansion of the Free Legion mode.

When Star Network returned to the hunting grounds of the Ancient Sands, his lethality was completely upgraded.

More than 1,200 Freedom Particle are dispersed and spread out, presenting an area that can cover a range of 100 meters.

The particles dispersed like mist, coalesced like blades, and veered back like a tide, already showing some of the rudiments of the Black Tide Legion.

However, the increase in lethality is merely a quantitative change in the Star Network.

In between his frenzied hunting, he was also laying the foundation for a "qualitative change".

During this time, he continuously analyzed the life structure of various types of monsters.

In the future, he will not fight in the Freedom Particle mode forever.

The core of the Free Legion lies in combining, reconstructing, and advancing to replicate life forms and create unit types.

Therefore, he needs a massive number of life samples.

Every living thing in the Monster World can be his source of material.

The Sand Dragon's hard, unicorn-like structure, the deadly molecular arrangement in the Three-Headed Serpent's venom, the impact-resistant fiber texture of the Black Bull's hide, the burrowing muscle contraction and expansion patterns of the An Xing Worm—all the creatures he had killed, their physical structures would be meticulously Perception and captured by the Eagle Head Demon, and then recorded by his "external body."

At this moment, the Star Network, having just finished a round of harvesting, is analyzing a monster that resembles a giant salamander and is called the Prisoner Worm.

During contact, it was discovered that this creature possesses extremely strong self-healing abilities, capable of regenerating severed limbs, reconstructing flesh and blood, and even slowly repairing damage to its life core.

In Star Network, this is undoubtedly a good "regeneration example".

The Freedom Particle did not immediately destroy it.

Transforming into countless tiny scalpels, peeling away layer by layer its skin, muscles, meridians, and energy channels—

Throughout the process, Star Network monitored the changes in the life fluctuations of the prisoner in real time to prevent it from dying suddenly.

What appears to be a cold, ruthless dissection is, in Star Network, like disassembling a string of code.

The Eagle Head Demon's Perception captures every cell's pulse, every flow of energy, and every activation mode of its self-healing genes.

As for pity, perhaps he would feel it in player form.

However, in Star Network mode, only efficiency matters.

Within minutes.

A complete three-dimensional model of the imprisoned insect took shape in the consciousness of the Star Network.

From the macroscopic body to the microscopic structure, from energy cycles to self-healing mechanisms, everything is crystal clear and meticulously detailed.

The monster roared, struggled, and despaired.

The Star Network remained suspended in mid-air throughout, its expression calm.

The life of the imprisoned insects was gradually extinguished by the particles, and even the process of death was recorded as reference data.

Shortly afterward, the particles were retrieved.

The imprisoned insects before my eyes turned into mist and drifted over, seeping into my body and transforming into Monster Soul Evolution Points and Sacrificial Power points.

Star Network opened its eyes and labeled this template as: Regeneration.

With a wave of his hand, 1233 Freedom Particle gently rotated in his palm.

The next second, the particles disperse, recombine, and reshape.

A self-healing insect hangs above its palm.

The Eagle Head Demon Perception and scanned carefully. The prison insect, composed of Freedom Particle, had increased its life strength by more than a hundred times and still retained its powerful life regeneration ability.

In the blink of an eye, the replicated prisoner insects transformed back into particles, attaching themselves to the surface of the Star Network and carrying him at high speed towards a greater distance.

Before long, Star Network locked onto a new target.

A huge bird-beast with black wings.

This is the 8th sample today.

Upon receiving the command, the particle swarm abruptly changed direction, transforming into a black river that shot straight into the sky.

The birds and beasts let out sharp cries and flapped their wings violently, trying to rise higher.

But the speed of Freedom Particle swarms is faster.

As they ascended, they continuously reorganized, transforming from a scattered cluster into a single black tentacle that coiled in mid-air and tightly bound the Eagle Head Demon's claws.

The next instant, countless tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the tentacles, from which hundreds of particles separated and burrowed into the roots of the birds' and beasts' feathers.

The struggles of the birds and beasts suddenly ceased.

The particles penetrate the muscles, spread along the blood vessels, and reach the brain.

The Eagle Head Demon Perception every tiny piece of information in the scene and transmitted it back to the Star Network's consciousness via particles.

Sight, hearing, touch, balance, and even the pain signals emitted by birds and animals when invaded by particles.

Complete life data was forcibly read.

Before long, three-dimensional models of birds and beasts were generated in Star Network's mind.

The arrangement angle of the wings, the hollow structure of the skeleton, the airflow direction of the Respiratory System, the attack trajectory when hunting—every detail is dissected, archived, and stored in the life material library.

Birds and beasts hung in mid-air, like specimens frozen in amber.

A moment later, the analysis was complete.

The particles exited the birds and beasts' bodies, the tentacles dissipated, and they returned to scattered black particles.

The bodies of birds and beasts fell from the sky, crashed to the ground, kicked up a cloud of dust, and then dissipated into mist.

Star Network indifferently withdrew the particles and turned to fly deeper into the ancient desert road.

There are five days left until the end of the newbie leveling event.

The player Forum are no longer the scene they were just days ago, filled with skepticism.

All the players were stunned.

As is customary in previous years, the battle for the top spot should be incredibly close at this point, with top-tier players, those Eagles Party maneuvering, and those who rely on serendipitous encounters all trading points, and the rankings changing hands dramatically every minute.

However, the ranking changes this year are too abstract.

The three network cables that had held the top spot for over 20 days were crushed by a new leader.

A new champion has been crowned.

ID: 11111.

This player, who was criticized by the entire Forum for three days and three nights and was insisted to be using cheats, swept through the entire leaderboard at a speed that Transcendence all previous champions and defied common sense, firmly taking the number one spot.

No player could understand this move.

What drove all the players to the brink of despair and self-doubt was that the opponent's Star Vein Slot always contained only Eagle Head Demon, Stone Gargoyle, and Spirit Eye.

One is scouting, one is taking damage, and one is scanning for weaknesses.

There's no output, burst damage, or control—nor is there any special mechanism like stepping on your right foot with your left.

In the eyes of veteran players, this is a terrible build that can't even get you out of the beginner maps.

But this foolish combination actually made it to the top.

The most active strategy writers, data analysts, theoretical gurus, and research experts have all disappeared.

Despite being tagged by numerous players, they consistently failed to step forward and provide analysis.

Because I simply can't understand it.

Some strategy-oriented players stayed up all night in the Testing Space, trying out the Eagle Head Demon + Stone Gargoyle + Spirit Eye combination hundreds of times in various ways.

I've discovered that basic attacks are ineffective, skills are useless, and fighting monsters relies entirely on chipping away at their health. It takes more than half a minute to defeat ordinary monsters of similar strength.

Some people inquired about the Guidance.

Why did player 11111's combination of Eagle Head Demon, Stone Gargoyle, and Spirit Eye reach the top spot? Is there a hidden mechanism involved?

The reply I received was exactly the same as when I faced the Little Mage's question back then.

[I will not respond to messages from other players.]

Unable to find any useful information from the Guidance, the Forum erupted in chaos.

This is the player who most resembles "cheating" since the launch of Monster World, and only cheating can explain this illogical and unreasonable phenomenon.

The problem is that game cheats are an outdated concept in modern times.

Although it is still used in jokes, it hasn't appeared in reality for over a hundred years.

At its core, cheat software has lost its foundation for survival.

The present era is no longer one where you can do things by typing on a keyboard, moving a mouse, or modifying client data.

All players access the game via neural connections.

Players enter the world with pure consciousness; all their senses, actions, and skills are directly analyzed, mapped, and executed by the Star Network mainframe.

Human consciousness is only responsible for thinking; the Star Network is responsible for making it happen.

Players have no access to even a single line of code, let alone the ability to tamper with the underlying rules, attributes, damage, or Monster Soul effects.

This process does not involve distributed servers.

There are no third-party platforms or external interfaces; all data operates in a closed loop within the Star Network.

So even though they called it "cheating," all the players knew in their hearts that player number 1 was not cheating at all.

But it was with this bizarre combination of Eagle Head Demon, Stone Gargoyle, and Spirit Eye that he climbed to the top of the list.

The more this happens, the more frustrated the Forum users become.

Since the growth mechanism of the Monster World cannot be modified by external means, how could this mysterious Number 1 manage to generate combat power exceeding that of 5 billion players from three completely useless Monster Soul?

What is the answer to the question "No player can answer this question?"

All arts and techniques ultimately boil down to one thought:

Are we playing the same game?

How come the useless trash in our hands becomes Big Killer in No. 1's hands?

On the other side.

Above the ancient desert road, the Star Network is flying at high speed.

The Freedom Particle surrounding him swirl like a river of stars, reaping every life along their path.

The Eagle Head Demon's Perception is all-encompassing; it can see every beggar within a radius of several thousand meters.

The location, state, and movement trajectory of every life are presented in his consciousness in real time.

All he needs to do is stay in flight.

The harvesting is entirely left to the Freedom Particle.

The 1233 Freedom Particle are his peripheral nerves, radiating outwards from him in all directions.

Each particle carries the "Petrification" properties of the Stone Gargoyle.

As it passed over the top of a sand dragon's head, dozens of particles automatically separated into Xiao Hei bullets that pierced through the gaps in the scales.

The sand dragon didn't even have time to react before its life force was exhausted.

The particles then exited the corpses and merged into the black waves flowing around the Star Network, along with the extracted Fog Scales.

The whole process took only a few seconds.

Star Network doesn't even need to look down at its target.

In the next instant, dozens more particles separated and burrowed into the rock lizard's body within the rock crevice.

In the next instant, dozens of particles burrowed into the sand, chasing after the An Xing Worm underground.

Within a kilometer radius along the route, all life forms targeted by the Eagle Head Demon turned into mist and drifted over after the Star Network passed by.

Not one was missed.

Such hunting efficiency Transcendence even Dang Heng's Life Throat.

While the wide-range attacks from the Life Throat are fierce, they also have their limitations.

It is necessary to select and target specific groups of monsters to ensure that each attack covers a sufficient number of targets, thus avoiding excessive consumption of mana.

This hunting method has a very simple rhythm.

Find a group of monsters, clear it out, and then head to the next group.

During the journey, lone monsters, hidden monsters, and scattered monsters are all unintentional targets in your Life Throat; attacking them would be a waste of time.

But Star Network is different.

His combat style is: scan to lock on, fly over and clear the field.

All monsters scanned by the Eagle Head Demon, whether on the ground, in rock crevices, under the sand, or in the air, were dealt with during its flight.

Like a mobile harvester, it leaves wheat fields wherever it goes.

In terms of output consumption, Star Network has an absolute advantage.

The large-scale battle against the Life Throat requires terrifying spiritual power, and even with food, it's not enough; one needs to constantly replenish physical strength and spiritual power with medicine.

After a period of intense effort, a short recovery period is needed.

However, Star Network relies on the properties of Freedom Particle in its combat operations.

In the early stages, when the number of Freedom Particle is small, once all the particles have been released, he needs to use telekinesis to levitate himself.

The current number of particles completely negates the use of telekinesis.

The only consumption is the conduction of Petrification properties.

This transmission doesn't even require the aid of San Shi, because the Rune Resonance Weapon is itself a part of the player.

The Petrification property is consumed with each Monster Soul upgrade, and all attributes are greatly increased. After the upper limit is raised, it can be used again.

The efficient harvesting Star Network forms a perfect positive cycle.

The only thing limiting him was the number of monsters along the way.

There are five days left until the event ends.

The top spot is already his.

But he didn't stop.

The scores on the leaderboard are still skyrocketing.

Every second, the numbers following the ID 11111 are changing.

This is undoubtedly the most desperate experience for "three network cables," which originally dominated the top three spots on the list.

As a powerful civilization far surpassing the Earth Alliance, the Fate Race has always carried an inherent sense of superiority and arrogance since their arrival on Earth.

The respect in my heart is reserved only for Gao Yanming.

As for the beings of the Earth Alliance, they are nothing more than Lucky One chosen ones in their eyes.

But since they were fortunate enough to be among the Lucky One, they should rightfully become the strongest force among the major powers of the Earth Alliance.

But reality slapped them in the face.

Aside from the year their eldest son, nicknamed "Life Throat," was in first place, they've never won first place.

In every subsequent edition, a "prodigy" would emerge out of nowhere and seize the top spot on the list that should have been theirs.

I thought this generation would finally be able to stand up again.

The initial success gave them hope.

But no one expected that a "monster" would suddenly appear again, and at an incomprehensible speed, they would be knocked off the list.

Every minute and every second, the gap continues to widen.

This despair was so intense that even the hope of catching up vanished.

They didn't understand, nor did they comprehend it.

However, unlike the opinions of Forum players, they do not believe that "cheats" would exist in a real Monster World.

If that's truly the case—it can only be called: skill!

The Forum's focus, however, remained on flying over the ancient desert road.

Star Network's clothes remained still, only the pitch-black particles surrounding him flowed ceaselessly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of Petrification particle bombs Breaking the Void rang out in rapid succession.

Dark particles continuously peeled off his body surface and shot out in all directions.

Some dark, ashamed points also returned from afar, trailing faint afterimages, and re-entered the particle stream surrounding him.

Some have just left, some have already returned, and some are on their way; layer upon layer, in Unceasing cycle.

From a distance, it looks like a black flower, blooming and closing in the yellow sand.

At the micro level, this hunting mode is Star Network's real-time allocation of power output through computing power.

The Eagle Head Demon Perception every monster it scans.

Its location, size, defensive strength, life force, movement speed—all this data will appear in real time in the Star Network consciousness, and then be instantly broken down into a mathematical problem:

How many particles are needed to kill this target?

Just like the data stream being refreshed at this moment:

Sand Dragon, with hard scales that can penetrate three layers of defense; calculated result: 7 scales.

Rock Lizard, small in size but with a petrified layer on its skin ---- Calculate the desired fruit: 3, drill in through the eye gap, and go straight for the life core.

Every calculated answer is instantly transformed into an instruction.

Then, a corresponding number of particles detach from the Star Network network and, with precisely calculated angles, velocities, and trajectories, are launched toward their respective targets.

The flying Star Network constructs a three-dimensional network woven from computing power, executing the most precise purchase and kill allocation logic.

--

At the same time, this hunting logic is being optimized in real time.

He receives feedback data for each purchase.

This data is aggregated in real time within the Star Network consciousness and used to optimize the next round of allocation.

When you kill a sufficient number of the same type of monster, the calculations will be more accurate when you encounter the same type of monster again.

Thus, a perfect closed loop was formed.

Perception input, computing power allocation, particle purchase, purchase and kill feedback, model optimization, and the next round of allocation— Star Network's hunting efficiency continues to improve.

The resource pool for life also expands continuously during the hunt.

But in Star Network, this is just the beginning.

In the distance, a new horde of monsters appeared in the Eagle Head Demon's Perception.

The Star Network slightly adjusted its direction and accelerated its ascent.

The particle swarm left long black trails behind him, like the wings of a dead man spreading high, enveloping the horde of monsters.

Before long, the Star Network, ready to be harvested, hovered in the air.

In the blink of an eye, the 1233 particles transformed into a fog scale and returned.

This battle made him realize a problem that the emperor had already considered.

He felt it was time to test the design he had rehearsed countless times over the past few days.

Since Freedom Particle can be used to create Free Legion, could we take it a step further?

As a member of the Star Network, he can find the answers to all real-world problems in the database.

But on this issue of establishing a height, he could only consult his teacher.

He then looked at the Guiding Water Orb floating above him and said respectfully, "Guidance Brother, the rune weapon system can seamlessly connect with all the Monster Soul characteristics in the Star Vein Slot. Can I understand that the weapon system is inherently part of the player, just appearing in a different combination, so the weapon can also be seen as an extension of the player's body?"

When questioned, the Guidance slowly opened your eyes, his expression indifferent:

[That's right, the weapon creation system and the player creation system use the same architecture; only the presentation is different.]

Star Network nodded solemnly and continued, "Then—can I disassemble the player's body, retain the Astral Veins function, and allow it to exist directly as a rune weapon?"

The Guidance glanced at him and cut to the chase. "You're trying to create Freedom Particle -based body?"