Chapter 76-1: Reborn and Back, Ten Billion Spent in One Go (1) |
“Old Dog, behind you!”
Hearing his comrade’s shout, Old Dog, who was locked in combat with Evil Entities, immediately switched to Black-Scaled Serpent form. Without even turning his head, he lashed his tail and sent the Black Tide Evil Entity behind him flying.
Then, he decisively switched back to human form, pulled a dagger from his inventory, reversed his grip, and thrust it forward.
With a sharp screech, the worm-like creature in front of Old Dog was pierced by the blade, its body going limp before dissolving into black mist that flew toward Old Dog and his teammates.
At that moment, a Demon Flea lunged from his flank. Old Dog swiftly switched his dagger into a psionic firearm and pulled the trigger. Instantly, the runes etched on the gun lit up from the end of the barrel and spread across the weapon.
Boom!
A bright flash erupted from the muzzle, and the oncoming Demon Flea was blasted apart mid-air by the shot.
His entire set of actions flowed smoothly, taking down three Black Tide Evil Entities in one sequence.
“Machete, I need a heal!”
As a large wave of Evil Entities surged forward, the veteran known as Machete stepped in front of Old Dog, using precise bursts of damage to hold back the onslaught while continuing to attack.
Not far away, a bottle of red potion was tossed over. Old Dog leapt into the air, caught it, unscrewed the cap, and gulped it down.
As his stamina quickly recovered, Old Dog looked toward the distance where the old commander, wielding his axe like a god of war, cut through the battlefield without opposition, and a sense of envy rose within him.
But that feeling was quickly drowned out by his rising fighting spirit. He scanned his surroundings rapidly, then shouted toward a teammate a short distance to his left.
“Water Kid, two o’clock direction!”
In the midst of battle, Water Kid instantly switched his weapon to a psionic firearm and, without even glancing up, fired in the direction Old Dog indicated. A dark silhouette exploded in mid-air, turning into wisps of black mist that flew toward each member of the team in squad mode.
With their seamless coordination, Old Dog’s veteran squad grew fiercer the longer they fought amidst the Evil Entity horde, their battle fervor rising in step with the intensity of combat.
All of this was observed by Qi Sheng, watching from behind the scenes.
Two days ago, he had issued 1,227 game access slots.
Of these, 27 extra slots were specifically given to Li Tie’s 27 old comrades.
And as it turned out, these veterans did not disappoint him.
In the two days since they entered the game, the veterans had done only two things.
Log in, charge forward with Li Tie, and engage the Black Tide Evil Entities head-on, fighting with unrelenting passion and high morale.
Log off, and furiously curse the Lunar Eclipse race’s respawn cooldown mechanic in the group chat. Once the cooldown ended, the cursing stopped, and they logged back in to continue slaughtering Evil Entities.
They were like tireless machines, either fighting or on the way to fight, with only the respawn cooldown interrupting their endless battles.
According to Guide’s statistics, both in growth speed and in Evil Entity kill efficiency, these veterans outperformed regular players by more than five times.
In just two days, the veteran squad had already developed a complete set of squad tactics, mastered combinations of various soul abilities, and honed rapid weapon-switching techniques, becoming astonishingly efficient at slaying Evil Entities.
It was clear these veterans were thoroughly hooked on the game.
There were three reasons for their obsession.
First, the restoration of their missing limbs allowed them to experience what felt like a rebirth.
It was a long-lost feeling, like receiving their most treasured toy as a child. It wasn’t just a physical repair, but also a profound healing of the soul.
Second, the emotional surge from battling Evil Entities, combined with their flawless teamwork, made them feel as if they had returned to their youthful days of training and growth together.
Lastly, the stat boosts from leveling up mesmerized them.
In real life, these veterans were all gene warriors who had once possessed powerful physiques. But as they aged, various complications and physical pains had accumulated, worsening over time.
The physical enhancements from stat boosts allowed them to regain their peak condition and filled them with hope for even greater power.
Especially with their old commander Li Tie setting an example, they too yearned to wield such extraordinary strength.
Though it was just a game, they were fully prepared to pour the rest of their passion into it until the end of their days.
The joke of ‘retirement gaming’ that circulated online was, in fact, the veterans’ sincere wish.
Compared to the bleak real world, this game offered them a completely renewed experience.
Passion, excitement, brotherhood… everything they had once lost had returned.
The only thing the veterans found unacceptable was the one feature they considered utterly brain-dead: the respawn cooldown.
Each return to reality was painful torment.
It felt like being dragged from a colorful world back into a dull, black-and-white one. This stark contrast was the main reason the veterans constantly raged at the Lunar Eclipse race in the group chat.
In truth, this problem wasn’t limited to the veteran group; many players on the forums had also complained.
They argued that this mechanic severely ruined the gameplay experience and was nothing but a cheap form of scarcity marketing.
However, Qi Sheng currently had no plans to address this issue.
It’s not that the problem can’t be solved, but solving it requires additional sacrificial power.
The flesh reconstruction process for players is essentially a rule trait of the Territory Node “Emperor’s Mound Village.” The 10 sacrificial power consumption serves as the activation energy to trigger this rule trait, after which the reconstruction is carried out automatically by the rule itself.
To accelerate the reconstruction process, additional sacrificial power must be consumed.
And since this process forcefully pushes the rule to operate faster, it requires 30 times the usual amount of sacrificial power.
In other words, forcibly reviving after death costs 300 sacrificial power, and the amount consumed also scales with the player’s own strength.
The stronger the player, the higher the cost of forced revival.
For players at this stage, it’s an extremely expensive expenditure that most ordinary players can’t afford.