Tang Yu's Reflection

The players chose to retreat because they felt the White Ape pack was invincible and any further resistance would be futile.

However, when a dying White Ape appeared, their mindset shifted.

A roar from Jiang Ming in the regional chat channel sent the players surging toward the area where the dying White Ape lay.

"Brothers, help me secure the White Ape Soul, and I'll send every brother in the alliance a ten-thousand-cash red envelope!"

"All members, coordinates 322.458, target the dying White Ape, charge!"

"The White Ape Soul is mine; I hope everyone can show me some respect!"

"Who the hell are you? Get lost, don't stand in the way of my fortune!"

"I've calculated the odds, and I am fated to have the White Ape Soul..."

The crowd surged, slaughtering their way toward the area where the dying White Ape was located.

The foreign invaders, who had previously been routed, suddenly became united, leaving the White Ape King baffled.

Charging forward, it followed the players for a distance before discovering the dying clansman being protected by three others.

The enraged White Ape King immediately roared at the sky.

Instantly, a large number of its kin were summoned, all turning their direction to converge on the spot.

Realizing these invaders intended to strike at its dying clansman, the White Ape King was furious. It leaped high, landing before the injured clansman and waving its arms, swatting away a large number of players and their summoned units, which dissipated into mist.

But this time, the players seemed to have forgotten fear, rushing forward wave after wave like madmen.

The dying White Ape could perish at any moment; whoever landed the final blow would reap a massive reward.

And death was merely a three-hour cooldown.

For the players, how to choose was an absolute no-brainer.

"Don't crowd, let me touch it, just once!"

"Brothers, we can't be disorganized, we must unite! I'll go touch it first, you guys draw the fire!"

"Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a virtue of our people. I'm seventy years old, let me go first!"

"Ladies first, I'm a girl!"

"I'm pregnant! Can't you let me go first?"

"I'm actually blind in real life, have some pity and make way for me!"

"That's enough! I'm a law enforcement officer in real life; by your logic, shouldn't you all be listening to my orders now?"

Breaking through under the protection of the White Ape King was fraught with difficulty.

But the number of players was immense, swarming from all directions; there were always gaps in the attacks that allowed them to slip through.

Yet, those players who managed to touch the dying White Ape and claim the death reward would be struck down shortly after.

Aside from being killed by the White Ape, some players even died at the hands of their own kind.

The voice channel was in total chaos.

"The dying White Ape was touched by someone from the Heaven-Equal Alliance! Don't let them have it even if you feed it to the dogs, kill that guy in white!"

"The White Ape was touched by someone from the Short Blade Alliance! Brothers, grab your shovels and beat that punk with the non-mainstream haircut!"

"The White Ape must be ours! Kill whoever touches it!"

Many players didn't even have time to celebrate after touching the dying White Ape before they were beaten to death on the spot by other players using hoes.

They had agreed to put aside their grudges and unite against the outsiders for the day.

But now, the alliances had long forgotten their pre-battle promises, and none wanted the opposing faction to obtain the White Ape Soul.

This scene left the White Ape King stunned.

As the fighting continued, it suddenly realized that these foreign invaders had begun to kill each other, and with such viciousness, as if they held an irreconcilable hatred for their own kind.

What baffled the White Ape King even more was this:

Every time a foreign invader touched the body of the injured clansman, a look of ecstasy would appear on their face, and they would even burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Through their interactions over the past few days, the White Ape King had always felt that while these outsiders were foolish, they still possessed some intelligence.

But at this moment, the White Ape King overturned its previous assessment.

"Hoo hoo hoo!" At this moment, the cries of a clansman caught the White Ape King's attention.

It turned to look and saw the clansman pointing at the brawling invaders, then pointing at its own head. (Translation: These outsiders seem to have something wrong with their brains!)

Seeing this, the White Ape King nodded, then gave a thumbs-up, signaling that its clansman was right and that it agreed.

The chaotic battle lasted for two hours.

The last lucky solo player touched the dying White Ape a second before it breathed its last.

Along with the White Ape Soul, he also received a reward of 720 Soul Power.

A large number of players immediately began making offers over the regional voice channel, hoping to purchase the White Ape Soul and Soul Power points from him.

However, the solo player was clearly not short on cash; he decisively refused, then greeted the White Ape King's iron fist with a beaming smile under the envious gazes of the other players.

The dying White Ape vanished, and continuing the battle became meaningless.

Players scrambled to withdraw their surviving units and scattered in all directions.

After leading his kin in a brief pursuit, the White Ape King clearly lost the desire to continue fighting; with a roar, he led his kin toward the south.

The first contact with the native forces ended in a lopsided defeat for the players.

The fantasy of crushing the native forces did not come to pass, and this battle allowed the players to see the gap between themselves and the native forces with absolute clarity.

In the aftermath, players posted their thoughts on this battle in the discussion forums.

High-level players even conducted a post-mortem analysis of the fight, using their own perspectives to elaborate on the shortcomings of the player side during the battle.

While the players were buzzing with discussion about the battle, Tang Yu, who was behind the scenes, made a decision at this moment.

This battle showed him the lack of cohesion within the player base.

They were like scattered sand during the fight, completely devoid of organization or unity.

After careful consideration, Tang Yu felt that the root cause might have something to do with the players lacking a shared faction background.

This was something Tang Yu had not anticipated when he was developing the game.

Only now did he realize the importance of background factions.

In other games, every new character has their own background; while it may seem useless, players develop a sense of belonging to their faction after delving deeper into the game's content.

For example, the Horde and Alliance in Warcraft successfully allowed players to immerse themselves; the slogans "For the Horde" (or "For the Alliance") are familiar even to many people who do not play the game.

Similar examples include the Hongmoon in Blade & Soul, the disciples of the Eight Wildernesses in Moonlight Blade, and so on...

These faction backgrounds give players a shared sense of belonging while they compete against one another, and as they continue to explore the game's content, this sense of belonging only grows stronger.

Having figured out the reason, Tang Yu decided to create a background faction for the players as well.

At the same time, to deepen this sense of belonging, he decided to build a main city for the players on Dragon Scale Island in the future.

He wanted to give the players a home within the Boundless Realm.

However, since his stock of divine power was exhausted, Tang Yu decided to wait a few days before implementing the player main city construction plan.