Chapter 120 - 118: Forum Summary, Tier Nine Fallen

After granting the boons to the Underground City, Lince didn’t concern himself with the aftermath.

He had no idea just how much of a stir he had caused.

In the real world, after withdrawing his consciousness from the game, he was already sifting through real-world intelligence.

The Countermeasures Bureau had published a new intelligence report on the game forums.

[Human Alliance Countermeasures Bureau: The Five-Day Game, a Summary of the Latest Developments in True Game.]

1. There are currently 3,827 Players remaining from the second round. The status of the Chief Player is unknown, but we can confirm they have not lost their game qualification. All Players, please take note.

2. There are approximately 23,000-plus Players from the second round remaining on the Oakland Continent. Due to the massive, four-Race free-for-all, the situation for new Players on the Oakland Continent is even more dire than it was for first-round Players, with a casualty rate of nearly eighty percent.

3. There are approximately 48,000-plus Players from the second round remaining on the Karte Continent. The situation for the Human Race is extremely dire, followed by that of non-human Race Players. Based on our information, the Human Race on the Karte Continent has been reduced to a marginal Race, and the entire world is now occupied by the Alien Race, the Giant Demons.

Given the harsh environment of this new map and the fact that killing Giant Demons yields items and experience, the Countermeasures Bureau issues the following advisory to all Players: Please maintain a low profile and act with extreme caution. Do not reveal your unique nature among the human slave population. If an opportunity arises, escape or move far away from the Giant Demons’ sphere of influence. For those operating alone, assassinating individual Giant Demons is the preferred course of action.

Unless absolutely necessary or you are completely confident, new Players who lack sufficient Power should do their utmost to remain hidden. For assassinations, using poison or traps should be your primary methods.

4. Oakland Continent: The Elf Empire and the Human Countries announced a ceasefire 263 days into the fifth Inference Day. Both sides formally ratified the ceasefire agreement 326 days into the Inference Day.

The Human Countries will cede a portion of the Eastern Realm along the border of the Eastern Border Dukedoms—an area roughly the size of one Duchy—to serve as a new border and buffer zone with the Elf Empire. Furthermore, the return of all Elf slaves is a fundamental condition of the ceasefire.

Additionally, the Human Countries must provide the Elf Empire with a one-time reparation for war losses: ten million Low Tier Magic Crystals, one million Middle Tier Magic Crystals, and one hundred thousand High Tier Magic Crystals, in exchange for the ceasefire.

In light of the Human Countries’ sincere attitude, the Elf Empire has expressed its willingness to launch a joint counteroffensive with them against the increasingly audacious Sea Race along the coast.

5. The Sharkman Race, one of the Five Great Sea Race Royal Courts, has belatedly become aware of the free-for-all on the continent and is now plotting to launch an offensive on the continental border. They are expected to begin raiding the coastal towns of various Races approximately twenty-odd days in the Game World after the current Inference Day concludes. However, they are likely in for a rude awakening. Players of the Sea Race, please take note.

6. The Beastman Empire and the Human Countries entered into conflict 138 days into the Inference Day. However, having already endured surprise attacks from the Elves and the Beast Tide, the Human Race was well-prepared in the Northern Realm.

As a result, the Human Race has not lost significant territory in the Northern Realm, and the war’s intensity was high from the very outset.

However, more than 340 days into the Inference Day, the Beastmen learned of the ceasefire between the Elves and the Human Countries. The Beastman Empire has since scaled back the intensity of its conflict with the Human Race. The current situation is unclear, but the risk remains extremely high.

7. Within the Demon Beast Mountain Range, the Beast Tide has reached its largest scale yet. It is known that the Demon Beast Mountain Range has mobilized over five million Tierless Demon Beasts of various types to form an even larger follow-up Beast Tide.

Additionally, over 380 High Tier Magical Beasts have appeared, with another twelve suspected to be Tier Nine Peak Demon Beasts penetrating deep into the Human Race’s Western Realm to confront their top Strong Persons.

As of the end of the Inference Day, casualties among the Tierless Demon Beast Tide in the Demon Beast Mountain Range exceeded three million. Over fifty High Tier Magical Beasts have been killed, including two Tier Nine Peak Demon Beasts. This incident has caused massive repercussions within the Three Great Empires.

Meanwhile, on the human side, with the exception of the Silver Lion Duchy—which has not been completely overrun thanks to the topographical advantages of its high altitude and the protection of Strong Persons from the Empire—the other three major Duchies on the Western Realm front have been entirely lost.

Human casualties have exceeded ten million, with thirty-eight High Tier and three Tier Nine Strong Persons among the fallen.

Compared to the war in the Eastern Realm, which has been ongoing for approximately three years, this war between the Demon Beasts and the Human Race is of the highest intensity.

Currently, the war between the Human Countries and the Demon Beasts has reached a fever pitch, with hatred between the two sides at its zenith. It is known that the Three Great Empires have already dispatched seventeen Tier Nine beings to the Western Realm. According to unconfirmed reports, the Human Empire may even mobilize a Saint Tier to intervene.

Countermeasures Bureau Situational Analysis: We suspect a tacit understanding exists between the Human Race and the Elves. Aside from the initial phase of the war, both sides have spent the last three years engaged only in small-scale attrition, with fewer than ten High Tier beings falling in total. Therefore, it is highly likely the Demon Beast Mountain Range was provoked by the Elves, leading them to launch the most ferocious offensive and, in turn, successfully ’securing’ the most favorable ceasefire terms for the Elf Race.

Regarding the Demon Beast Mountain Range, it is suspected that a certain Saint Tier Magical Beast within its ranks harbors a deep-seated, unforgettable hatred for the Human Countries, and has therefore initiated this intensely aggressive response. Players located in the Western Realm are strongly advised to stay as far away from this conflict zone as possible.

8. Friendly Reminder: The Human Alliance Countermeasures Bureau welcomes all Players to join our ranks. Compensation and benefits can be discussed via private message or in a personal interview. The Human Alliance also welcomes any and all in-game intelligence provided by Players.

Well, damn.

After three hours of waiting, the Human Alliance Countermeasures Bureau’s intelligence brief had finally arrived.

But the very first item was about him, Lince, which made him cringe.

’But I guess it doesn’t really matter. After all, it’s pretty easy to figure out that I haven’t lost my game qualification.’

’First, that Player Ah Cheng can sense my presence.’

’Second, if the Chief were to die, the next in line would automatically become the new Chief. That’s a given.’

’Third, over on the Karte Continent, when I destroyed Giant Demon Copper Hammer City and took in those nearly eighty thousand human slaves, I can’t be sure there weren’t any Players among them.’

’So, there’s no way I could have hidden it.’

’Besides, it’s not like I was trying to hide it, anyway.’

’Plus, my identity as the Chief has a really, really high profile in the real world right now, and the Countermeasures Bureau takes it very seriously.’

’So it makes sense for the Countermeasures Bureau to mention it, boost Player morale, and confirm the fact that I’m still around.’

’As for why they need to boost Player morale?’

’Is that even a question?’

’Three hundred thousand second-round Players went in. How many are left now?’

’Just over seventy thousand!’

’In just their first go, two hundred thirty thousand Players were eliminated. You can just imagine the complete meltdown happening on all the video platforms right now.’

’And on the game forums?’

’Naturally, everyone on the game forums still has their qualification, so it’s normal not to see a flood of rage-posts.’

’Those casualty numbers are just insane.’

’On top of that, the wormhole in the real-world Arctic is a huge problem.’

’So, to boost Player morale and their confidence in the game—and even to get Players to eventually face the troubles in the real world—it was necessary for the Human Alliance to announce that the Chief is still around.’

The first three points in the report weren’t actually very useful to Lince.

After all, he knew exactly how many Players were left—he could see it at a glance, even more clearly than the Countermeasures Bureau’s three-hour-long estimate.

’Ah, the perks of having operational authority.’

All he had to do was look at the game forums.

Seventy-six thousand, one hundred and twenty-three.

On the forum’s homepage, thanks to a permission exclusive to him, the total player count was displayed in the top-left corner.

Combined, the first and second rounds only amounted to those seventy-six thousand people.

’That number... it’s not too terrible, I guess.’

’It’s not a complete catastrophe. After all, the first-round Players lost around seventy thousand in their first go, too.’

’From three hundred thousand down to seventy thousand... the loss rate is only about ten percent higher than that of the first-round Players.’

As for the rest of the information from the Countermeasures Bureau, however, that was quite useful to Lince.

At the very least, he now had a clear picture of the state of the war on the Oakland Continent.

The Elves and the Human Race had negotiated for peace.

The Sea Race was about to get royally screwed by the Human Race and the Elves.

The Beastmen and the Human Race had de-escalated their conflict and were now in a standoff.

The fighting between the Demon Beasts and the Human Race was the most intense, with a total of five Tier Nine Strong Persons falling in battle.

’Tier Nine!’

’They don’t just grow on trees!’

’They represent the main top-tier Power on the Oakland Continent right now.’

’It takes a Demon Beast at least a thousand years to reach Tier Nine.’

’And for a human, even one born with a High Tier Bloodline, it would take a massive amount of resources and two or three hundred years to produce just one.’

’The fall of a Tier Nine is a crippling blow for either the Demon Beasts or the Human Race.’

’And the casualties for Tier Eight and Tier Seven aren’t low, either.’

With the war having reached this point, both sides must absolutely despise each other.

This made Lince frown.

"Didn’t Amos and Crimson say this battle was just supposed to be a probing attack, a way to teach the Human Race a lesson?"

"Why doesn’t this look like just a lesson? They’ve completely lost their heads!"

"It’s even gotten to the point where Saint Tiers might get involved."

Lince found the whole thing baffling.

’The Elves were clearly the instigators, but now they’ve reaped the benefits and managed a clean getaway.’

’Meanwhile, the Demon Beasts, who were just trying to piggyback on the situation for some profit, got themselves trapped in the mess.’

’Are Demon Beasts really that brainless, or is there some deeper reason for all this?’

’Could it really be like the Countermeasures Bureau’s analysis suggested? Is some Saint Tier Magical Beast stirring up trouble?’

For some reason, Lince suddenly felt a pang of worry for Amos and Crimson.

’At this level of intensity, forget about Sub-dragons.’

’Even a Pure-blooded Giant Dragon would probably be in mortal danger, wouldn’t they?’

During the previous Inference Days, Lince had only focused on the development of Dawn City.

As for Amos, the Mountain Range Earth Dragon never mentioned the war in any of his messages. He only told Lince to rest easy and follow the Oracle to pioneer the New World.

Amos didn’t say anything, so Lince didn’t ask.

He’d even assumed the war between the Demon Beasts and the Human Race was completely under control.

But now, from the looks of it, the Demon Beasts and the Human Race were practically beating each other’s brains out.

"No wonder Crimson kept saying she was going to come, but never made it to the Karte Continent after the Inference Day ended."

"That Amos... he sure knows how to keep his cool. I’ve got to hand it to him, he really lives up to the name of a ten-thousand-year-old tortoise... That unflappable attitude of his is on another level."

Of course, Lince could complain all he wanted, but...

It also indirectly showed him how much importance the Mountain Range Earth Dragon placed on him, and on the so-called Oracle from the Dragon God.

No matter how terrible the situation on the Oakland Continent became, Amos was ensuring that every single one of Lince’s requests was met.

This loyal, old retainer of the Dragon Race... it made Lince feel a little guilty.

"No, I should probably have Phemos go back and help out. After all, one more Tier Nine means that much more Power."

"As for me... if I change my form, I should be able to lend a hand, too."

"But I’d better confirm the situation first."

With that thought, Lince immediately lay back down on his bed.

’I have to figure out what’s going on in Oakland. I can’t let anything happen to my home base.’