NOVEL FROG CHAPTER 20 Top Contributor
“This is the last push, steady tanks!”
“Do not break ranks!”
“Hold the line!”
“Keep the monsters’ aggro on you so the dealers and mages can take care of the remaining monsters.”
“Clerics, keep the tanks alive!”
At this point, everyone has seen the wall that became an archway. They can also see that there’s a massive staircase behind it.
But instead of feeling relief, everybody is wary of another monster wave so the various professional guilds are pushing for eliminating the existing monsters.
Fortunately, their remaining numbers are manageable.
Out of the original ten-thousand plus monster, there’s approximately two-thousand monsters left for the surviving 700 players to fight.
Although still outnumbered, the odds are much better than earlier.
“Don’t forget to regularly check if you can level up!” one of the captains shouted.
“If you can, do so! Every little bit of strength counts!”
Although his instruction is for his own team, the other players who heard him also followed suit. After all, it is good advice.
In Adam’s first life, the players currently fighting were wiped out. And by the time they resurrected, the quest had long since been completed.
It was the catacomb players who ultimately cleared the quest.
As a result, a huge disparity on level occurred between those players who were grinding in the catacombs, and those who were wiped out
But this time, thanks to Adam’s timely assistance, the chamber players were able to gain levels due to the monster wave. Initially, the player’s level range was from 25 to 35.
But now, the majority of the players have at least reached the mid level 30’s and those who were once level 35 have finally reached the 40’s mark.
And there were some who surpassed the catacomb players. Many of them are part of the surviving chamber players.
And so, the chamber players started pushing through the remaining enemies and completely disregarded the reinforcement that are the catacomb players. The chamber players want to take out as many enemies as they can now that the momentum of the battle is in their favor.
“Leave nothing for the catacomb players!”
“Yeah! These are gifts waiting for us to open! Let’s cut them up!”
“Hey look! I just hit level 40! Yeah, we can do this!”
An odd sense of camaraderie has formed amongst the chamber players, regardless of guild affiliation. Semi-pro gamers, guild members, independent players, adventurer teams, VR NewTubers, all have formed an inexplicable bond.
Even the members of large guilds, who originally wanted to retreat, are now actively helping clear the monster wave. They were foot soldiers sent out to investigate the surrounding area while the senior members were busy grinding the high-level enemies in the catacombs.
But now, they have an opportunity to catch up because of the monster swarm that was once a symbol of their impending doom.
Of course, the catacomb players eventually joined the fray. But now, the members of the big name guilds who were originally the glorious victors are more like the last minute extras in an otherwise intense and exciting fight.
Maxima, Hao-Wei, Flora, Dark Sun, Magick Maidens and other big name guilds did their part and showed their prowess in huge scale fights. Their high level in the mid to late 40’s further permanently tipped the scale of favor in the player’s side.
However, the simple truth of the matter is that the hardest part of the battle was already over by the time they arrived. It is not inaccurate to say that they have only arrived to join the last part of the cleanup.
That is why not long after the arrival of the catacomb players, the remaining monsters has been soundly defeated.
Despite their catacomb player’s last-minute assistance, it is an undisputed fact that the Battle on the Chamber of Sacrifice was between the ten thousand strong monsters against the numerically inferior chamber players.
The catacomb players just arrived to join them for the leftovers.
For a first quest, it most definitely was a very memorable one.
Many of the NewTube videos uploaded would easily garner at least a hundreds of thousands of views due to the intensity of the battle.
Later on, regardless of affiliation, the chamber players would affectionately call one another as Chamber-Kins. And despite their celebration of their hard-earned victory, no one can forget the undeniable contribution of the mysterious player.
And as if the system mirrors this sentiment, a series of system announcements concluded the completion of the first quest.
Ding!
[Quest Complete: Escape from the Forgotten Temple]
[All participants in the battle will receive compensation based on their contribution.]
[Among the participants of the Battle on the Chamber of Sacrifice, the top contributors will receive the title "Conqueror of the Forgotten Temple.]
[1st Place: Adam, The First Potioneer]
[2nd Place: Blake Anderson]
[3rd Place: Erin Mitchell.]
[4th Place: Blair McIntyre]
[5th Place: Andrew Y.]
[6th Place, 7th Place, 8th Place…]
[All participants will receive a base reward of 50,000 Essence.]
[The Top 100 participants will receive a bonus reward of 30,000 Essence.]
[The Top 10 participants will receive an extra reward of 50,000 Essence.]
[The Top Contributor will receive an exclusive reward of 80,000 Essence.]
[Pangea Announcement: Congratulations to the Lorikan players for being the first to clear the starting quest.]
A Pangea Notification means it’s an international announcement that every player receives regardless of their server location. This also means that players on New Camelot and Murim haven’t completed their first quest yet.
In Adam’s first life, it was the Murim players who completed their first quest.
The rest of the players are ecstatic. Of the top 100 contributors, many are aspiring pro-gamers or independent streamers hoping to gain some stepping stone to fame. And this ranking is an unexpected boon. It was hard to believe how the situation that started out hopeless turned very fruitful for them.
In contrast, none of the so-called professionals who were grinding in the catacombs just an hour ago made it to the list. Of course, this came as no surprise since they only joined the battle when the seal had already been opened.
Upon receiving the rewards, the recipients immediately used the essence to level-up.
That is, most of the recipients immediately leveled-up. Except for the top contributor himself.
***
Vrrrrrng!
-10 MP, -20 MP, -30 MP…
-60 MP, -70 MP, -80 MP…
-100 MP, -140 MP, -160 MP…
It took nearly all of Adam’s mana pool to reach the very top.
But eventually, he did reach the top floor.
Unlike the lower floors with various rooms with either monsters and/or loot, the first floor is relatively quiet and peaceful. It is nothing more than a simple hallway with a giant twin door at the end of it.
Of course, switching the perspective, the entrance to the Forgotten Temple was a giant twin door and this hallway led to the lower floors filled with monster and loot.
Regardless, Adam has finally done it. He made his way to the gate and out into the outside world of Pangea.
Ding!
[Quest Complete: Escape from the Forgotten Temple]
[All participants in the battle will receive compensation based on their contribution.]
[Among the participants of the Battle on the Chamber of Sacrifice, the top contributors will receive the title "Conqueror of the Forgotten Temple.]
[1st Place: Adam, The First Potioneer]
As soon as he touched the handle of the door, he received a series of notifications that the quest had been cleared. And as an added bonus, he has been named as the top contributor.
Of course, Adam isn’t surprised that he had been deemed the top contributor. It is not arrogance to say that the players survived and won, due to his actions.
For starters, his potions arrived at the best time when the players are on the brink of collapse. This seemingly selfless action gave the players the lifeline they needed to fight on. And not only that, Adam himself joined the fight and inflicted a massive number of casualties on the swarm of monsters.
Although he did leave the battle early, his actions have directly determined the outcome of the battle. In fact, the system is tracking the contributions of players up until somebody reaches the first floor. That is why when the catacomb players arrived, their actions had no bearing on the quest completion anymore.
This is why the only ones who received any reward were the chamber players.
While the other players are thrilled with the reward of 50,000 essence, Adam is not particularly moved. With all the monsters he killed during the battle, the essence he gained has reached over 300,000- the system reward is just a mild addition in comparison.
Even though he could level up over a dozen times with the essence he currently has, Adam decided to wait for a bit. There is no urgent need to do so anyway.
Adam turned and pushed the gate open. And then he made his first step towards Lorikan land.
Ding!
[You are the first player to set foot in Pangea. The title ‘The Pioneer’ has been added.]
“Woohoo! An exclusive title!” exclaimed Adam.
As the name implies, being called The Pioneer is a title that only one person can hold. At the moment, a title’s function is to be attached to a player’s name but it will eventually show its true function when certain conditions have been met.
This is why his name is shown as ‘Adam, The First Potioneer’ in the rankings. He could switch his title to another that he currently has if he wants to, or even remove the title altogether if he so chooses. But he sees no reason in changing it at the moment.
‘It’s my first time setting foot here.’ thought Adam. ‘It is as beautiful as it is dangerous.’
The area is a land of green plains and forest.
It is called Inmortui Region, or the Undead Region of Lorik.
It is one of the oldest borders of the Lorikan Republic and it has been mostly abandoned. In recent years, an effort is being made to clear the land of the undead plaque in hopes that Lorik can expand and develop the land.
In Adam’s first life, the Undead Region was already a thriving place of trade and commerce by the time he joined as a player. All that is worth claiming in the Undead Region of Lorik is public knowledge.
Dungeons that can be raided, monsters to be hunted, world bosses to be defeated, secrets to be discovered, and materials that could be harvested have long since been claimed by the first players to set foot in this land.
But this time around, it is Adam who gets first picking.
He started looking around to gather his bearings. He knows that the Forgotten Temple was located somewhere south beyond the actual border of the Lorikan Republic.
His goal is to explore the area for things he remembers are of value before heading to the Lorikan territory- specifically, the great fortress that protects the Lorikan Republic from the undead threat.
And sure enough, just like in their arrival in the summoning room, a particle of light began to form into a staff-like object.
[Aquila of Declaration]
Since Adam is the only one who has set foot outside the temple, he is the only one who can see the Aquila. However, there is no doubt that the other players also are hearing her message.
“Congratulations, Otherworlders! You have survived the dangers of the Forgotten Temple.”
“Head North. And join me in my effort to liberate these lands of the undead plague.”
Ding!
[Quest: Head North]
Details: Imperatrix Demetra awaits your arrival. Head to the Sanctus Lux Fortress that is under the command of Imperatrix Demetra. It is located north of the Forgotten Temple.]
Now that a new quest has been issued, the players still in the chamber would no doubt race to leave the Forgotten Temple.
However, Adam himself is in no particular rush to get to the fortress.
For starters, he knows that the fortress is at least 4 to 5 day’s worth of traveling. There is no need to head there right away. It is far better to explore the surrounding area and raid some tombs and dungeons for more essence and treasures.
In Adam’s first life, this is how the players acted after leaving the temple. They first explored the area before heading north, and in the process they gained quite some considerable loot and essence.
He started walking and headed to the nearby forest. His goal is to clear some of the mid-level catacombs and dungeons while killing time.
In his first life, it was the Murim players who cleared their first quest- that of subjugating thousands of hatching mythical beasts that posed a threat to the entire continent if left unchecked.
Not long after that, New Camelot players succeeded in banishing the vengeful spirits who threatened to invade the physical realm of the kingdom.
And once again, Lorik players were the last to clear their first quest.
Of course, Adam’s interference changed the entire outcome and now he’s waiting for the other two servers to complete their first quests.
‘Shouldn’t be long now. A day, maybe two days, at the most.’ Adam tried to recall the exact time when every server cleared their quest and all players had set foot on their respective continents.
***
Lorikan Republic Top 10
Adam, The First Potioneer Level 60
Blake Anderson, Level 46
Andrew Y. Level 46
Grace, Level 45
Liam, Level 45
Rebecca, Level 44
Tyler Evergreen, Level 44
Max Evergreen Level 44
Wei Cheng, Level 44
Hao Li Xiang, Level 43
‘How did this happen?’
Tyler looked at the updated leaderboard with frustration. He has just reached level 44 yet now he’s been demoted in the rankings!?
The contribution-based reward for the quest was a nasty curveball that upset the current rankings. Many of the small-time guilds and amateur pro-gamers made it to the top 100 rankings due to the extra essence awarded for their contribution.
Now, the leaderboard’s top names have undergone quite a shift and many of the players grinding happily in the catacombs were removed from the top 100.
In fact, of the surviving 700 or so chamber players, more than half now belong in the top 1000 of the Lorikan server rankings. The quest reward essence was that immense that the week-long grinding that the catacomb players did was eclipsed.
To anyone not named Adam Cosmos, a reward of 50,000 to 80,000 essence is a massive gain.
It is no surprise that every player who received such reward immediately used it to level-up thus explaining the dramatic change in the rankings.
Yet the top player, clearly the one who gained the most from the quest, still remained at level 60.
It is something that the other players were also wondering about.
“If that was me, I’d level it all up so I can maintain my head start.”
“Did he die before he can level-up?”
“Nah, I think he just logged out. Did you see the stuff he just did? Anyone would be tired from all that.”
***
The answer to the speculation is that Adam is waiting for the other servers to complete their quests before using his essence to level up.
Despite being called the Undead Region of Lorik, the entire location is ironically rich with various flora and fauna. After all, the undead have little to no reason to eat or drink so the plants and trees are left to grow in relative peace.
There are also various wildlife but Adam felt no immediate need to hunt them.
Of course, he was harvesting various herbs, fruits, and plants that have alchemical value. Not a single petal, seed, or root of any value was left unharvested in Adam’s path. But this is only because they were along his intended route. Anything else that requires a bit of effort to acquire, he decided to leave alone for now.
And in the meantime, his primary focus is back on grinding. He found a nearby catacomb that has high-level skeleton soldiers.
What is high-level or low-level is a highly subjective thing. This is because in the open world, one can encounter enemies with various levels. Some areas are filled with enemies around level 20s, while there are some sections of the same area that have enemies around level 50s.
This is why the presence of a good scout is important. It is their job to determine if an area’s enemy is something their current party can handle.
But Adam’s benefit as a regressor is that he knew the approximate level in each section of the map. Most importantly, he knows that the plains and forest enemies only have enemies in the range of 30s to 70s.
In other words, he can handle most enemies provided he’s not overwhelmed by their numbers.
This is why Adam chose to raid catacombs first as the terrain prevents the horde of undead from swarming him in multiple directions.
And currently, Adam is in one such catacombs. It can be reached after about 4 hours’ worth of hiking in a relatively hidden section of the forest.
Due to the rest of the players not being far behind, Adam deliberately left the nearest enemies scattered all over the open plains so that they could serve as a distraction for the players. Meanwhile, he can focus on raiding the more valuable locations for items and materials he knows he will need.
Slash! Firebolt!
[You have slain Skeleton Soldier Lvl 52. You have absorbed 3500 Essence.]
Oil! Fireball!
[You have slain Skeleton Archer Lvl 49. You have absorbed 2900 Essence.]
[You have slain Skeleton Archer Lvl 50. You have absorbed 3100 Essence.]
[You have slain Skeleton Soldier Lvl 52. You have absorbed 3300 Essence.]
Fire Enchantment! Slash!
[You have slain Necromancer Lvl 58. You have absorbed 5500 Essence.]
After clearing the enemies in the catacomb, he sliced the fallen necromancer’s chest open and took its heart; Adam is hunting down undead to slay necromancers and collect their hearts.
Necromancer’s Heart (Rare)
Description: ???
He has accumulated nine hearts so far. Eight were collected from the necromancers he defeated in the catacombs inside the temple and he just picked up his ninth heart.
During Adam’s first life, when the purpose of a necromancer’s heart was revealed, the players went on a frenzied hunt for them. Some players were offering outrageous amounts of money and in-game resources in exchange for even a single heart.
This is because a necromancer’s heart will be required by Imperatrix Demetra in a ritual to undo the undead curse that has infected the entire region. And the reward to the one who can provide the most number of hearts is enormous.
Back in his first life, even players who can give at least 3 hearts are rewarded handsomely.
But the important reward is to be granted Lorikan citizenship. And the one who can provide the most number of necromancer’s hearts will be elevated to nobility status.
While the rest of the players are either exploring the upper floors of the Forgotten Temple or have just started to set foot in the region, Adam is already working to secure a high status in the Lorikan Republic society.