Chapter 41: The Collective Honor of the Fourth Calamity Army
The first battle ended in victory.
The entire battle lasted less than twenty minutes.
Under the command of Black-Eyed Rui Ge and Ye Li Meng, fifty Players, through tactics and coordination among different professions, successfully defeated one hundred and ten Abyss Undead.
"Fourteen Players died in this battle, but most of the fallen were Level 1 Players who had just entered the game. None of the main force suffered casualties for now!" Xiao Ba reported the battle results. "A total of 2750 points of Abyssal Essence were recovered this time!"
It was the low-level Players who got crushed.
So it was just a warm-up.
The real feast was about to begin.
Hang Yu said, "This performance is not bad."
The Abyss Undead, even if weak, were all Level 4 monsters, most wielding hoes, sickles, sticks, and similar weapons. Although lacking intelligence and moving stiffly, they possessed immense strength, and a strike to a vital spot was enough to be fatal.
On the battlefield.
"Hahaha!"
"We won!"
"Thanks to the commands of Rui Ge and Meng Ge."
"You're too kind. This was not the credit of a few, but the contribution of everyone!"
"Yeah, as long as we Players unite, we will surely be invincible and undefeated!"
"Victory belongs to every member of the Fourth Calamity Army!"
"Glory belongs to every member of the Fourth Calamity Army!"
"Long live the Fourth Calamity Army!"
"......"
This was their first full-scale battle.
The great victory filled the Players with excitement.
They had successfully defended Hexi Village and its citizens from the wave of monsters!
As they looked at the corpses of the Undead scattered across the battlefield, a sense of satisfaction, accomplishment, and pride surged in their hearts. A subtle brotherhood and a collective sense of honor quietly took root!
The sense of immersion was overwhelming!
Was this the charm of a top-level game?
Even elite players like Chenxi and Little Bell were fully immersed in this collective emotion at the moment.
Ye Li Meng’s in-game image was that of a bald burly man.
In the real world, however, he was already a nearly sixty-year-old elder, the oldest Player so far.
At this moment, he felt as if he had returned to his most passionate and spirited youth. This battle was no longer just a game quest; it was about the honor of the Fourth Calamity Army.
They were fighting to protect the citizens of their territory, they were fighting for their great Lord!
As for the spoils of war.
Because of the Essence Contract.
The spoils obtained from this battle would first be sealed into the contract. After exiting combat status, the Abyssal Essence would automatically be distributed fairly.
【You have picked up spoils: Essence +100, Abyssal Magic Stone Fragment +300, Worn Undead’s Sickle +1】
【You have picked up spoils: Essence +100, Abyssal Magic Stone Fragment +300, Broken Undead Necklace +1!】
【......】
"Huh, although the Undead didn't drop materials or supplies, the Essence and Abyssal Magic Stone Fragments they dropped were far higher than those of ordinary monsters of the same level. They even dropped directly usable equipment."
Black-Eyed Rui Ge was slightly surprised. "Not sure if this is a special case, or if all humanoid monsters are like this."
One Undead could drop 100 points of Essence.
One hundred and ten Undead could drop 11,000 Essence.
Although the Essence Contract would automatically distribute the Essence after exiting combat, automatic distribution did not mean absolute egalitarianism. The higher the level, the slightly greater the share of Essence received; the lower the level, the slightly smaller the share.
At the current stage, the Players’ level differences were not large, so the distribution wasn't too unbalanced. Even the lowest Level 1 Players received nearly 200 points of Essence and leveled up to Level 2.
Why did Hang Yu insist on Players opening the contract for free, even forcefully?
Of course, it was to collectively boost the Players’ levels and strength!
Only then would the number of Abyssal Essence fed back from Players' deaths be greater!
Now among the fifty Players, there were already five Level 5 Players, twelve Level 4 Players, eighteen Level 3 Players, and the remaining fifteen were all Level 2 Players.
Training such a troop was not easy for an ordinary human Lord with a low starting level!
After all, there would inevitably be losses during training.
But Hang Yu had no such worries.
Relying on the Fourth Calamity Army's immortality, coupled with ten times experience and drop rates, he had forged such a battle-ready force in less than five days!
"This time, lots of equipment dropped!"
"Unfortunately, most are just scrap."
"Wonder if this unusable equipment can be recycled at the territory."
"......"
More than a hundred pieces of equipment dropped from the Undead, although large in quantity, their quality was worrying — all uniformly gray-tier low-grade.
Of course.
They weren't completely useless.
Players' initial equipment only included "Weapon + Clothes, Pants, Shoes" — four pieces in total. Theoretically, a Player could equip up to eleven pieces, with slots like Head, Shoulder, Ring, Necklace, etc., all empty.
No matter how poor the quality.
Wearing something was better than wearing nothing.
For example, Ye Li Meng obtained three pieces of equipment through distribution and exchange — a ring, a necklace, and a cloak — with the following attributes:
【Broken Undead Necklace】, Tier-One Equipment, Gray-Tier Low-Grade, Damage Mitigation +1, Durability 4/10!
【Broken Undead Ring】, Tier-One Equipment, Gray-Tier Low-Grade, Attack +1, Durability 5/10!
【Broken Undead Cloak】, Tier-One Equipment, Gray-Tier Low-Grade, Independent Defense +1, Durability 4/10!
The attributes were terribly bad!
But better than nothing.
After equipping the three new pieces, Ye Li Meng felt a slight enhancement in strength. He immediately raised his +5 Flame Warrior Blade and shouted loudly:
"Brothers and sisters, the battle isn't over yet! There must be enemy troops lurking in the forest ahead. Rather than passively waiting for them to attack, why don't we take the initiative, charge in, and catch them off guard!"
"That's way too risky!" Little Bell timidly objected.
Chenxi also said, "The enemy's situation is unclear; such a reckless move is very dangerous."
Street Slayer laughed heartily. "Hahaha, what's there to be afraid of? Let's just go and thrash them first! We have at least three free resurrection chances. If we don’t use them, it’s a waste!"
"That's true!"
"Free resurrection anyway!"
"At worst, just lose some experience!"
Black-Eyed Rui Ge said, "I agree with Old Ye and Slash Bro’s proposal. Precisely because the enemy hides while we are exposed, with scarce intelligence, we should strike first! After all, behind us is Hexi Village, and our strategic depth is too shallow. We can't retreat — only by attacking can we create more depth."
Salty Fish Thrust also nodded. "Even if we die, we can revive and rejoin the battlefield. As long as we scout out the enemy's strength and inflict some casualties, we can reduce the threat to the village and make the subsequent defense easier."
Brother Ma said, "Makes sense!"
Glorious Years said, "I agree!"
Chimera Wraith said, "If a Player dies, they can revive, but if a villager dies, they are gone forever. Hexi Village just warmly welcomed us yesterday. Every villager is so vivid and real — I can't accept watching them die before me!"
Chenxi said, "Makes sense!"
The Players' morale soared.
Even putting aside the duty of protecting the territory.
If the enemy stormed the village, the Lord would inevitably intervene.
Once the Lord intervened, the Players' mission ratings would drop. From a self-interest perspective, they had to act!
"What's a few deaths for the village? We must fight with the spirit of the Fourth Calamity Army!"
"The Lord is watching. We can't disappoint him!"
"Charge charge charge!"
"Death is nothing!"
"The Fourth Calamity Army will surely win!"
The Players' fighting spirit and passion burned fiercely as they prepared to rush into death, charging headlong into the dense forest ahead.
Who hadn't had a hero’s dream or a chuunibyou spirit in their youth?
It was just that with age, one gradually realized they weren't special, ultimately burying those dreams deep inside and accepting they were ordinary.
But at this moment, regardless of age, regardless of whether they were a top student, a gaming addict, a doctor, a lawyer, or a teacher in the real world, everyone was simply a soldier of the Fourth Calamity Army, breaking free from the shackles of mundane gazes, fighting to protect their territory, willing to die for collective honor!