The people of Asan Country had finally made their move!
The Resource Wager had begun...
A sense of urgency welled up in Qin Feng.
Then he took a deep breath and opened the bronze treasure chest.
White light flared, and the chest vanished, leaving a pair of battle boots in his hands.
The boots had black soles and purple uppers, with gilded dragon patterns and an imposing design.
[Treasure chest successfully opened! Obtained Tier 2 item-Shadow Boots!] [Shadow Boots: Agility +15, Defense +5, Movement speed +50.]
Wow!
These boots actually had a movement speed bonus of +50.
With these on, he would run like the wind!
Nice! Very nice!
From the looks of it, these Shadow Boots were top-grade among Tier 2 items.
Delighted, Qin Feng hurriedly put on the Shadow Boots.
As soon as he put them on, he found they fit perfectly. An invisible force also flowed out of the Shadow Boots and surged throughout his body.
The next second, his body felt lighter and more agile.
Qin Feng knew that the Shadow Boots' Agility +15 had taken effect, adding their attributes to his own.
It felt incredibly comfortable!
With another piece of top-grade equipment, he had grown stronger again.
Come to think of it, he now had five pieces of equipment equipped.
They were the Tier 4 Wind Mark Blade, Tier 2 Bear King Battle Armor, Tier 2 Shadow Boots, Tier 1 Strength Bracelet, and Tier 1 Storage Ring.
With so much equipment, probably few people in all of Zone 1 could match him.
[Announcement: The two beginner villages' chat channels have been successfully linked. Villagers from both sides can enter the other village's chat channel, but cannot post there.] [Reminder: The Resource Wager will begin in ten minutes. Countdown starting: 10:00...9:59...]
The link was successful!
Qin Feng stirred and hurriedly entered the chat channel, switching to Village 446's channel.
As soon as he entered, he saw that the people of Asan Country were already celebrating.
"Haha! The channels are finally linked!"
"This time, we must defeat the people of the Dragon Nation! We'll show them that they're the sick men of Asia, while we're Asia's strongest nation!"
"You above! We'll definitely win!"
"Of course! With the great Lord Amir here, how could we possibly lose?"
Just then, the avatar of a bearded man named Salman flashed.
Salman: "Everyone, I am Lord Amir's most loyal follower. Right now, Lord Amir needs your help!"
"What help? Lord Salman, please tell us!"
Salman: "The Level 8 ferocious beast area is a jungle thick with foliage. Finding ferocious beasts in there is troublesome. Lord Amir needs you to help them find ferocious beasts so he can hunt them more efficiently."
"I understand! Everyone, get moving! Hurry to the Level 8 ferocious beast area and help Lord Amir find ferocious beasts."
"My God! The Level 8 ferocious beast area is extremely dangerous. We wouldn't dare go there!"
"Exactly! I'm only Level 1. I'd probably die on the way before I even reached the Level 8 ferocious beast area."
Salman: "Anyone below Level 3 shouldn't go, but those above Level 3 should go in teams. Form teams of twenty."
"That's a good idea! Everyone above Level 3, get moving. By the way, Lord Salman, shouldn't each team appoint a leader?"
Salman: "Yes! That makes sense! Form your own teams, and whoever has the highest level and greatest strength should be the leader!"
"Oh! Lord Salman, that suggestion is wrong. We shouldn't only consider level and strength, but caste as well. Someone like me was born a noble Brahmin. How could I serve under an untouchable?"
"Exactly! If my team leader was born an untouchable, I wouldn't follow him no matter how strong he was. I was born a noble Kshatriya!"
"That's right! Untouchables are untouchables! No matter how high their level, they're still untouchables. They aren't fit to lead those of us from the high castes."
"You despicable bastards! This isn't Blue Star. This is the Slaughter World. Even at a time like this, you're still talking to me about caste!"
"You above, so what if this isn't Blue Star? Aren't you one of us from Asan Country? Are you trying to betray Asan Country? Everyone, did you see that? That untouchable above wants to betray Asan Country!"
At that moment, the people of Asan Country began arguing fiercely among themselves.
Just then, Salman popped up again.
Salman: "Enough! Enough! Stop arguing! Here's my announcement: team leaders will be chosen primarily by level and strength, and secondarily by birth. Untouchables are not qualified to serve as team leaders."
Salman: "Everyone must obey this rule. This is also Lord Amir's wish. If any untouchable dares to disobey, Lord Amir will put him to death!"
At those words, cheers filled the chat channel.
"Wow! Lord Amir is so wise!"
"Exactly! That's how we should choose!"
Seeing this, Qin Feng shook his head slightly.
This offered a glimpse of the caste oppression and internal divisions within Asan Country.
Yet they insisted on calling themselves a nation of democracy and freedom to the outside world. What a bizarre country!
Salman: "All right! Everyone, hurry up and form teams. Get to the Level 8 ferocious beast area as quickly as possible to help!"
"Lord Salman, we're already on the move!"
"Lord Salman, what's Lord Amir's current level progress?"
Arman: "He's currently Level 7 (170/18,000)!"
"My God! It actually takes 18,000 energy points to reach Level 8!"
"Terrifying! That's absolutely terrifying!"
Salman: "That's why Lord Amir needs everyone's help. If he has to find ferocious beasts alone, there's no telling when he'll reach Level 8."
Salman: "But rest assured! Killing a Level 8 ferocious beast gives around 300 energy points. With Lord Amir's strength, he can easily kill Level 8 ferocious beasts."
"Of course! Lord Amir is a powerhouse with two talents. He awakened a B-rank talent and a C-rank talent. On top of that, he's an ascetic who has already opened the tenth gate of the Yoga Sound Current. He's incredibly powerful."
"That's right! If Lord Amir wanted to, he could even fight a Level 9 ferocious beast. He only chose to hunt Level 8 ferocious beasts so he could level up faster."
Salman: "So once you find a ferocious beast, you only need to report its coordinates. You don't need to fight it. Lord Amir will get there right away, so you won't be in much danger."
"Haha! Got it! Everyone, charge!"
"Charge! Head for the Level 8 ferocious beast area!"
"Defeat the people of the Dragon Nation! Defeat those sick men!"
"Haha! We're sure to win! We're absolutely sure to win!"
At that moment, the people of Asan Country cheered as though victory was already theirs.
Some people from the Dragon Nation who were lurking in the channel also looked worried.
That Amir really was far too powerful.
Qin Feng, however, sneered to himself.
These Asan people thought far too highly of themselves.