First Battle

"Name: Jian Shang

Merit: 0;

Fruition Rank: Commoner, unranked;

Prestige: 0;

Command: 10, Martial Strength: 7, Intelligence: 0, Politics: 8.

Wealth: one gold."

While waiting for the assembly, Jian Shang neither noticed nor cared what the centurion was saying. Instead, he inspected his own attribute panel.

He had not expected his Martial Strength to increase by one point after a single night's sleep. No wonder the Pear Blossom Wrought-Iron Spear had felt much lighter just now.

As expected, one point of Martial Strength probably corresponded to ten catties of weight. An online game was still an online game. If strength increased just like it did in reality, then how could anyone "play" it?

What puzzled him was why there had been no system notification during last night's training. Instead, it had increased while he slept, only for him to discover it upon waking.

He could guess that after working himself like a dog last night, he had only gained one point because his Martial Strength had been so low that it had not even reached the basic ten points. It would definitely become harder and harder to increase in the future. Training might even become ineffective!

As for information such as his identity, although Jian Shang had officially joined the Golden Roc Faction and been registered, the Golden Roc Faction had yet to seize Shizhuang as a base or successfully establish a team. Thus, it was not recognized by the system and would not appear on his attribute panel.

"No wonder the Golden Roc Faction gathered two thousand players yet still did not dare rashly attack Shizhuang, which had fewer than a thousand armed defenders! Players at this stage really aren't much to rely on!"

Watching the crooked formation, the casual stances, and the constant whispers, Jian Shang fell into thought. But on second thought, he himself had not taken it very seriously either, much less regarded himself as a soldier. What right did he have to judge others?!

"Those people who look like soldiers... are they actual soldiers, retired military guards recruited by the Golden Roc Group, or NPC troops?"

Jian Shang looked toward the centurion standing at the front of the company and roaring loudly. He was quite puzzled. Looking more closely, he saw game rings on their fingers. They clearly were not NPCs!

"This time, our battalion is responsible for attacking the Village Head's Office. Pay special attention to this: aside from the village head, an expert with Martial Strength in the forties, there are roughly thirty elite soldiers with Martial Strength in the twenties. The rest are ordinary guards, patrolmen, and the like. Therefore, although we hold an overwhelming numerical advantage, we absolutely must not let down our guard..."

"Furthermore, I must solemnly declare that this is a major operation planned for a long time. Not only will the organization not confiscate personal spoils, there will also be generous rewards. For example: killing one ordinary soldier earns one thousand real-world credits; killing one elite soldier earns five thousand; killing one Battle-Hardened Elite earns fifty thousand; killing the village head earns five hundred thousand. Those who die in battle receive five thousand in compensation, while the rest will be rewarded according to the severity of their injuries. Dedicated merit officers will record everything, so do not worry about your rewards being erased or claimed by others..."

"Strict order: anyone who flees before battle, disobeys military commands, or causes trouble may be executed on the spot by the disciplinary squad, expelled from the organization, and never recruited again. Other factions may even be notified!"

Given Jian Shang's position as a Squad Leader, he naturally had no right to participate in the discussion or command of the specific operation. However, Ye Caiyun, dressed in a form-fitting Samurai outfit that combined seductiveness with heroic spirit, revealed quite a bit of information through her shouted commands and rallying cries.

The Golden Roc Group was indeed determined to win this operation and had invested heavily. Yet the basis of its cohesion was... a strategy of money.

Under heavy rewards, brave men were sure to emerge!

This truth seemed to apply everywhere, and it made everyone's blood boil.

What puzzled Jian Shang was how those rewards would be distributed if someone had not registered their real-world information. Would game currency be used in place of real-world credits? Game currency was in high demand now. On the real-world black market, one gold was already selling for twenty or thirty thousand real-world credits!

"Move out!"

After a stirring and thought-provoking round of pre-battle encouragement and warnings, Ye Caiyun drew the treasured sword at her waist and swung it, crying out sharply.

A cold gleam sliced through the air. The sword gleamed with frosty light. Her figure was bathed in the rising sun, her long hair fluttering in the wind...

Most of those present were utterly captivated!

"Ding! Golden Roc Team Leader Liu Qianlou has applied to launch an occupation campaign against the town-level base 'Shizhuang.' From this moment onward, the Golden Roc Team and Shizhuang are hostile. Killing hostile armed forces can earn merit, while killing civilians grants no reward... If the occupation succeeds, the Golden Roc Team will be successfully established and will formally possess the town-level base 'Shizhuang.' The application fee will be converted into base funds. If the occupation fails, the team establishment will fail, the application fee will not be refunded, and the team leader may not apply to establish another team for one month!"

Just as the battalion began to stir and prepare to depart, every member of the Golden Roc Faction suddenly heard the loud, pleasant system notification in their ears. Most players did not react much. The most important and valuable thing was merit.

"Stay close. This time, our squad will follow Captain Dong and break in through the rear gate of the Village Head's Office!"

A hundred people moved together, creating quite a spectacle that made everyone instinctively follow the crowd. Even their blood gradually began to stir. Soon it was Jian Shang's squad's turn. Squad Leader Li Birong jogged ahead with crisp, efficient movements. She really did look the part.

"Stay close and be careful!"

Jian Shang weighed the spear in his hand and gave Drunken Star and the others an order before quickly following.

He seriously doubted that, after jogging all the way to the Village Head's Office with this fifty- or sixty-catty spear, he would still be able to fight normally.

"Are they kidding? The Village Head's Office must be the strongest and hardest place to attack, yet they assigned it to our battalion. We're the lowest-ranked battalion!"

As they jogged, Purple Rain, holding a hard bow, complained in a low voice.

"Shh! Don't talk nonsense. This is obviously suppression and weakening. Everyone knows it without saying it! Even the commander agreed to it, so why should we say anything? Just preserve ourselves first and earn as much merit as we can!"

Sea Breeze bumped Purple Rain's shoulder with his own and quietly warned her.

"Easy for you to say. This is different from other online games. Getting hurt won't feel good!"

Blue Moon pouted, muttering fearfully. Her little braids bounced as she ran, making her look rather adorable.

"Don't worry! Just follow the tactics we discussed last night and work together!"

Hearing his teammates grumble, Jian Shang turned back and smiled as he reassured them.

"Careful! Prepare for battle!"

Before they knew it, the group had already approached the Village Head's Office. Drunken Star tightened his grip on his five-foot axe and warned them in a low voice.

At that moment, a squad of around ten men emerged from the corner ahead. Seeing the aggressive player force, they all raised their sabers and watched warily. The two sides were roughly a dozen meters apart, while Jian Shang and the others, who were in the middle to rear of the formation, were thirty or forty meters away.

"Kill!"

Captain Dong immediately made his decision, roaring as he charged straight at the guards with a broadsword in hand.

"Kill!"

One cry stirred a thousand waves. Fierce, chaotic roars erupted as thirty or forty people at the front surged forward. More than a dozen sabers, swords, axes, and other weapons flew through the air, smashing toward the guards.

"Pfft, pfft..."

"Clang... Ah!"

The sound of metal collisions mixed with the slicing of blades and screams. The ten guards, whose Martial Strength rivaled ordinary soldiers, were almost instantly wiped out beneath the mad assault of the many wolf-like players.

By the time Jian Shang and the other six arrived, the battle was already over. They had not even used their weapons or had a chance to fight. Blocked by a wall of people, they could not even see what had happened.

"Looks like fighting is easy! Those were guards with strength comparable to regular soldiers!"

"Yeah! I never expected NPCs to be so useless. Did you see it? When I brought my blade down, my opponent did not even have time to block! With one chop, I cut his head right off..."

"Give it a rest! If I hadn't thrown my sword and pierced his waist, then maybe..."

"You saw it wrong. It was your—"

Intense discussions broke out. Some people excitedly boasted, while others had pale faces.

"Bleurgh..."

Three or four people suddenly rushed out of the crowd and bent over at the roadside, vomiting violently.

"Everyone did well this time and fully demonstrated the strength of teamwork! Now, retrieve any lost weapons, then continue forward. Stay close!"

Captain Dong's deep, booming voice rang out. The crowd surrounding the guards' corpses immediately scattered, while two people dragged another person to the side of the road.

"Bleurgh..."

Most people followed Captain Dong onward, but some suddenly rushed to the roadside and vomited. The leading group did not stop at all and continued forward, as though they had expected this all along.

"Urgh..."

Jian Shang felt rather regretful that he had encountered battle without getting a chance to strike. He hurried after the advancing force, but a glance from the corner of his eye made him freeze, his scalp going numb.

Bright red blood, pale bones, spilled entrails, bulging eyes, corpses strewn across the ground...

Jian Shang took a deep breath. The thick stench of blood rushed into his nose, his mind went blank, and his stomach churned violently. He could only muddle along behind the group.

The ten guards had died horribly. Calling it dismemberment by a barrage of blades would not have been an exaggeration. Meanwhile, one of the three people dragged to the roadside was dead and two were injured. They had clearly been players accidentally wounded during the previous battle.

A hundred armed people meeting a squad of ten in a narrow street and suddenly attacking, instantly ending the fight, was perfectly normal. Yet there had still been one death and two injuries...

Leaving aside the other squads, the main force of Jian Shang's hundred-man company should have been the twenty or thirty people beside Captain Dong. Players like Jian Shang were mostly there to bolster the numbers and gain combat experience. They were little different from ducks forced onto a perch. They had some use, but no one had placed much hope in them.

"Keep up! Everyone keep up! Military law is absolute. Those who disobey orders will be executed!"

Three or four people stationed on either side of the street waved weapons still stained with blood and shouted fiercely.

"Squad Leader Jian Shang!"

A sharp cry jolted Jian Shang awake. Li Birong, her face pale, glared at him.

"Yes!"

Jian Shang reflexively shuddered and answered loudly. Turning around, he saw Drunken Star half-pulling, half-supporting Blue Moon, while Sea Breeze and Blazing Sun, both pale-faced, supported Purple Rain. The five of them had fallen seven or eight meters behind him.

Looking farther back, most of the women could no longer walk on their own. The other women who had seen blood were also pale and green-faced, in no better condition than the men.

Was this a march to the battlefield or a flight from disaster? Could a force like this really take Shizhuang? Was Forging the Sacred Court truly an online game, or another world? How could it be so bloody?

*******

Please add this book to your collection, recommend it, and click on it. These are the lifeblood of a new book. Thank you!