NOVEL FROG Chapter 67: Ally of Armament
[Apart from the rest area, there are five peaks on this Befehl Mountain]
Anansi continued in a solemn tone once the players adjusted to the new environment.
[You are currently on the Square of Adura]
A refreshing breeze passed through the crowd under the clear skies. Although it was called a peak, it was as wide as a mega city. Zyrus observed the sea of people around him. Players from the first sanctuary weren’t the only ones on this peak.
‘Even I don’t know how many people are here,’
Zyrus scratched his chin and looked at the center. Anansi was standing there in his physical form.
Even he wasn’t arrogant enough to cast his projection on this sky.
However, neither Zyrus nor anyone else was interested in him at the moment. Their eyes were fixed on a gigantic statue at the center.
[I, Anansi, in the authority of the second administrator, command you to pay respects to the Keeper of Order]
Anansi shouted in a thundering voice. Natives in the second ring had expected as such, but the monsters and the players were caught off guard by the sudden command.
Nonetheless, they all bowed their heads in unison. It didn’t matter what they were thinking or what their beliefs were. Every creature in this place had no choice but to bow towards the statue.
‘What a strong power of origin,’
Zyrus thought in awe as he bowed as well. If this happened somewhere else, he would have been infuriated by such a thing, but that thought didn’t occur to him at the moment.
His respects were sincere. Because the being in front of him was someone who maintained the balance of the sanctuary.
His conflict with the Eternals and even the system was a different matter. He wasn’t an ingrate who didn’t acknowledge the being who protected the sanctuary for millennia.
[From today onwards, I’ll be in charge of the second ring of the sanctuary]
Anansi tactfully didn’t speak any further and gave them the time to collect their thoughts.
The people felt the invisible pressure lift from their shoulders. But even so, no one dared to speak.
Zyrus took this chance and activated the eye of annihilation. Players were teleported based on their strength and authority, so he was separated from his subordinates.
He was closest to the towering statue of a praying maiden. Apart from him and the other crown holders, there were nearly a hundred players circled around the area.
Zyrus was able to see the golden threads that connected with all the players. He wasn’t in his soul form, but the concentration of origin was potent enough to be visible in his eyes.
Some curious among the group of 100 snuck a glance at Zyrus. They were either descendants of those living in the higher rings or geniuses born in the second ring. There was no way they wouldn’t notice Zyrus’s mana fluctuation.
Although he wasn’t observing them directly, it couldn’t be helped that they were in his line of sight.
[Why are you bunch always so curious?]
‘What else is there to do besides observing her statue?’ Zyrus replied to the telepathic voice in his head.
Since Aurora knew about his regression, it wasn’t surprising that other administrators did as well. He didn’t have many interactions with Anansi, but they could be considered acquaintances.
[Fair enough. Since you don’t need to hear me blabber on, would you like to proceed with class awakening?]
‘How generous of you, but no.’
[Tch…How annoying]
Zyrus snorted at Anansi and continued observing. This was such a golden opportunity to observe the origin and piss off his competitors, why would he waste it?
Of course, he wasn’t so immature to do that for no reason. He only needed a glance to gauge their strength and check if there were any variables because of his interference.
‘I don’t see any new faces,’
The butterfly effects caused by Aiden’s death wouldn’t be small by any means. But perhaps, it was too early for that.
On the other side, Anansi was once again explaining about the changes in the system. Spirits, elves, minotaurs, and many such native races had sent their young ones to this ‘ceremony.’
Unlike the players who ascended from the first ring, the natives already knew about such things from their schools.
‘It was a good decision to teach them early on,’ Zyrus thought after observing the perplexed faces of the other golden crown holders.
Be it Lauren and Kyle whom he met early on, or Ria’s group that joined him in the crown hunt, Zyrus had taught them what to expect in the second ring.
Class selection and bloodline evolution were now public knowledge. New stats like MP and Stamina were added along with elemental affinity and resistances.
[And last but not least, your achievements will be used to improve your league of existence]
It was the finale of a short lesson. Players murmured amongst one another, but it felt like a swarm of bees was passing by since there were millions of them.
[Why don’t I give your people a special seat?]
‘What’s the catch?’
[Please, Stop using that skill!]
‘Since you’re asking so nicely, I suppose I can agree,’
Anansi didn’t even waste a second and teleported Zyrus’s troops to a concealed area. Many were surprised by the sudden move, but it didn’t cause any commotion in the group of millions.
…
“Damn, I fucking hate teleportation,”
“It’s quite amazing if you think about it,”
Shi kun and Jacob had differing opinions about being teleported without any notice. Zyrus chuckled at their bickering and glanced around the 6000 troops that survived the final battle.
100 wolves and 100 goblins that made 200 goblin riders, 100 bears, and 100 specter scorpions were the only units without causality.
“Things didn’t quite work out the way we planned,” Ria came to him along with Kyle and Lauren.
“Nothing we can do about it,”
He had plans to create new units based on the new recruits, but many of them deserted or died in the final battle.
On the other hand, some trolls and ogres joined his troops as well. They were unlucky enough to be caught alive by his troops, and Ria and the other crown holders didn’t hesitate to subdue them as cannon fodders.
They, along with the goblin shamans numbered around 600. The rest were around a thousand rats and human players.
He had a lot of organizing to do, but now wasn’t the time for it. Zyrus opened his status for the first time to check the achievements and rewards he acquired after the last fight. He didn't know why they didn't show up at the crown hunt, but he had a bold guess about it.
[Congratulations! You are the first player to obtain a Golden crown!]
[You have earned the achievement: The first King (C)]
[+10 SP, C rank Skill Tome x 1]
[Congratulations! You are the first player to obtain a Variant crown!]
[You have earned the achievement: He who stands above all (A)]
[+10 SP, C rank Skill creation scroll x 1]
He had expected to earn both achievements. He knew that the rewards for getting the first golden crown were more than just a skill selector, but he would have to wait to acquire them.
‘I didn’t expect that I’d get a skill creation scroll this soon,’
It was perfect for what he had in mind. Satisfied with the two rewards, Zyrus checked out the last achievement.
[Congratulations! You have met the requirements to evolve a weapon]
[You have earned the achievement: Ally of Armament (B-)]
[+5 SP, Weapon Enhancement Potion (Rare) x 1]
He didn’t know how he dealt the final blow with the bloodspine spear. Unfortunately, the spear was dormant after that as he hadn’t evolved it yet.
'I'll have to awaken the bloodspine spear before anything else,'
“Looks like you got some good stuff,” Lauren asked with her sparkling hazel eyes.
“It would be weird if I didn’t,”
“That’s true. What will we do now?”
Zyrus didn't have to answer that question as a projection appeared before the group.
[Now, you will get the blessing from the Keeper of Order]
“There you are, Mr. Anansi,” he greeted the administrator who was a good two feet taller than him.
[You’ve got quite a variety of subordinates]
“With my limited strength, I had to do with whomever if acquired,” Zyrus sighed in a dejected tone.
[Don’t give me that face, you’ll get your due rewards before going to the second ring]
Anansi scoffed at Zyrus’s fake humbleness.
“Hahaha, Of course I trust in your reliability. Well now, get ready everyone,”
Zyrus had won the bet against Aiden Martinez. Thus, his equipment and contracted monsters now belonged to him. He didn’t care much about the former, but the latter was a lucky jackpot for him.
While he was chatting with the administrators’ projection, his troops had already lined up behind him.
3 rat kings, Pouka, the chief of trolls and ogres were on one side. Specter scorpions and goblin riders didn’t have a sense of hierarchy, so they all lined up together.
On the other side, Humans were much more organized. Kyle wore his reddish-black armor while standing before the 1000 swordsman. Shi kun and Lauren stood on his side, leading 750 shield warriors and dagger users respectively.
Ria led the 300 spearmen and 500 archers. All that remained were Mages and goblin shamans. Zyrus had put a lot of effort into finding those who could wield mana, and thus, they were second only to the swordsman in numbers.
Unfortunately, Jacob didn’t have the talent to lead them.
‘Looks like I’ll have to recruit some natives,’
[Since you’re ready, let’s begin]
Zyrus was pulled out of his thoughts as Anansi waved his hand over the sky. Golden light descended from the praying hands of the maiden’s statue.
[Initiating System reformation…]
[Increasing Life level…]
[1%..3%..5%…23%...]
Thousands of status screens appeared in front of the players. Zyrus activated his eye of annihilation without hesitation and observed the changes in his body.
Golden specks of light were being absorbed into his body. This was a special reward that was given once you advanced to a new ring.
‘What a pity, I can’t see anything else…’
Zyrus knew that at this moment his achievements were being transformed into potential. But even with his eye of annihilation, he was unable to figure out what Life level and potential were. Once he figured them out, it would give a tremendous boost to his summoned creatures.
[Reformation Complete]
[Your life level has been improved]
[Your stats have been sublimated to accommodate your potential]
[Your achievements have been removed]
The same messages appeared in front of all the players. However, Zyrus was an expectation.
[Congratulations! Your achievements have met the criteria for transformation]
[You have acquired new stats!]