Free Web NovelChapter 471: Development Team: Due to Environmental and Other Factors, We Reused Dungeon Materials!
After a probing attack was blocked a few days ago, attacks from three directions on Plague Town haven’t stopped.
The player guilds on the three battle lines were holding back waiting for troop deployments and reinforcements to arrive, but the casual players who temporarily joined didn’t have such considerations.
They attacked in waves in their own way. These new players’ courageous charge at the front helped them understand the dungeon raiding process of 《Reality Realm》 within days, though this process led to heavy casualties due to the newcomers’ characteristic clumsiness and overconfidence.
After several attacks with heavy losses, the newcomers learned their lesson.
They started learning to be cautious like veteran players, and began grouping up to adopt various sneaky but effective ambush tactics to try to challenge these dungeon elites.
First, Old Qin led four art students to capture two Netherworld Knights and even got skeleton horses as drops by digging traps to lure and precisely bombard them with moratrs. In the following days, “Small Monster Horse-Catching Teams” began to form one after another.
Their method of operation was quite sneaky.
They used methods like slow spells or traps to slow down infantry mobs to achieve “monster separation”, then focused fire on the mounted elite undead. Their actions were precise and efficient, they would run away immediately after succeeding without engaging the undead that gathered around.
Back and forth it developed into a “turn-based game”, which was truly tragicomic.
This situation of both sides facing off in a “sit-in war” only improved when reinforcements arrived on the three battle lines. After the reinforcing forces were in position, the speed of the formal assault on Plague Town suddenly accelerated.
On the hilltop camp occupied earlier by the student faction, Major Ron, wearing a hat to cover his battle-scarred bald head, stood gallantly by the position with his command saber. He and Colonel Frayzer beside him gazed downward through binoculars.
Behind them in the distance at the position, 20 field guns from the Pioneer Army’s reinforcements were lined up in a row.
These instruments of war gleamed coldly under the swamp’s gloomy clouds, pointing to the sky like steel thorns. Well-trained artillerymen were busy adjusting firing angles, with dedicated range finders adjusting special computation beads in their hands to set the artillery firing parameters.
The scene of these “regular troops” deploying attracted a crowd of new players watching nearby. They made a series of harsh critiques of these artillery crews’ dress and behavior, then planned to observe up close how these NPCs fired the guns, hoping to learn a thing or two themselves.
Maybe it would come in handy when it was their turn to fire?
Major Ron’s wounds from the watchtower earlier had healed, though his burned hair and beard hadn’t grown back yet, making his appearance look a bit strange at the moment. However, this didn’t affect the self-satisfied mood of this officer from a military family.
Over the past period, he and his soldiers had proven their courage in battles in the swamp.
And being able to advance here now, directly facing the dangerous Gnoll vanguard, represented that the Goldflower Kingdom’s soldiers had touched the hem of victory’s dress in their fight against the vanguard of the Black Plague.
Although the Transians had charged at the front from beginning to end, if this was considered a battle cooperation, then they had their non-negligible share in this victory.
“Now Father has no reason to scold me for being a playboy anymore. He always emphasized that scars are a man’s medals. Ha, now I have my own medals too.”
Major Ron thought to himself as he put away his binoculars. After getting permission from Colonel Frayzer, he turned and mounted up, riding back to the artillery position on his skeleton warhorse that he had named “Trophy”.
Two artillery second lieutenants immediately came to report that they were ready to begin fire support, and the 300 assault infantry that Frayzer brought were also prepared and could be deployed at any time. Of course, without orders from the vampires at the front, these soldiers would not actively engage but would only guard the artillery position.
“Target set forward! Undead army positions outside Plague Town! Firing coordinates confirmed, prepare calibrating shots!”
At Ron’s command, the artillerymen immediately sprang into action.
They performed a final check of the 20 guns’ preparations with a brief but effective procedure.
Once everything was ready, the two field guns on either side of the position fired one after another. With deep roars and ground tremors, two high-explosive shells mixed with combustion gold powder exploded on the undead positions outside Plague Town below.
Though the scene was far less spectacular than when incendiary bombs detonated, these heavy weapons specialized for assault definitely packed enough destructive power.
The two calibrating shots were very accurate, perfectly destroying a fortification on the undead position. The combustion gold enhanced the shells’ explosive power, and the flying shrapnel reduced the undead around the impact points almost to shattered bones.
This truly war-like commotion also made the Western Front players who had gathered to prepare for the charge cover their ears. Although some fellows kept clamoring on the forums about needing real artillery, this was probably the first time they had personally witnessed big guns in action.
“Damn! This firepower is way stronger than mortar tubes!”
Three Jin Sweet Potato Wine stared wide-eyed at the bricks and stones flying at the undead position ahead. He personally witnessed the comical scene of an unfortunate undead shield bearer being blown into eight pieces in mid-air.
The young man couldn’t help but quip:
“No wonder they’re the War God, our little tubes instantly became cow by comparison.”
“This is nothing yet.”
Old Qin lay next to his rifle in the trench, chewing on a grass stem as he commented dismissively:
“The Goldflower people are only using medium-small caliber field guns right now. I talked with the Witch Hunters before, they have heavy guns specifically for destroying positions and walls in Pioneer Fortress.
Marshal Loren stubbornly demanded extending the steam railway to near Pioneer Fortress, reportedly just to transport ‘super heavy artillery’ to the front lines. That thing’s size and weight means it can’t be transported by normal means, it has to be mounted on steam trains to complete preparations and rapid redeployment.
In my view, artillery development on this continent has already approached the Napoleonic era level. Another major war might push it to near WWI standards.
However, the engineering technology here is quite bizarre, the tech tree is completely skewed.
They can make such powerful artillery and even pair it with computation bead-driven ‘fire control systems’, yet can’t produce fully automatic weapons and pay little attention to developing individual weapons. The overall large-scale warfare strategy is even still stuck in the cold weapon era.
Even with spirit energy factors involved, this is too strange.”
“I don’t think it’s strange!”
“One Can of Tomato Sauce” next to Old Qin quietly objected:
“Master Qin, you’ve seen how those vampire veteran players fight, their efficiency charging in with spirit weapons to slash undead is much faster than us slowly shooting bullets. If things can be resolved by drawing swords, there’s no need to spend effort on making guns, right?”
“Hmm, that’s true.”
Old Qin nodded, then glanced toward the hilltop and said:
“Cover your ears! They’re about to start the blanket bombardment to destroy the position. After the bombardment ends, it’ll be our turn as foot soldiers.
Remember what I taught you these past few days!
Don’t just charge and shoot wildly. Once you’re on the battlefield you need to learn to coordinate with teammates. Unless you’re truly a Wolf Warrior superman, never think about handling everything alone.
Oh right.
Load the combustion gold rounds you bought from the Goldflower vanguard camp into your guns.”
“Damn, this stuff is expensive.”
Three Jin Sweet Potato Wine reluctantly took out a pack of special ammunition from his waist pouch and loaded it into his beloved trench gun. He quietly complained:
“The battle line only gives out one free pack. After that you have to buy more yourself. One small pack of combustion gold rounds costs enough to buy 10 big packs of regular ammo. Why not just use regular bullets? Save these good rounds for fighting bosses.”
“Nonsense!”
Old Qin slapped Sweet Potato Wine’s forehead and scolded:
“What’s more important, your life or money? At a time like this you’re still thinking about saving money? We’re in the first wave of the charge, do you know how high the death rate is?
You really think this is just a game!”
“But this IS a game!”
Sweet Potato Wine who got scolded replied pitifully, leaving Old Qin momentarily speechless.
Well.
In their eyes this was just a “game” – perhaps he had been a bit too harsh.
Thinking of this, Old Qin shrugged and said:
“Whatever, keep them if you want. But with regular monsters this strong, when you actually meet a boss you might not even get a chance to fire your bullets, and even if you do fire them you might not hit.”
“Take my advice, little ones.
Right now we’re all rookie recruits, don’t think about becoming famous in one battle. Be more steady and practice well. Next time we fight will be your chance for glory.”
“Boom boom boom”
Just as he finished speaking, a series of huge explosions shattered the battlefield’s tranquility.
The ground’s tremors transmitted to the temporary trenches immediately sparked a chorus of wailing, many people rolled around covering their ears crying that they were going deaf. Those who got warnings in advance covered their ears, slightly opened their mouths and tilted their heads back, watching the battlefield ahead being “repeatedly ravaged” by rapid fire from 20 guns.
Firing from high to low naturally gave “terrain bonuses”, and the Pioneer Army’s artillery crews were indeed formidable. One wave of bombardment was like a blade of flame that split the undead position in two down the middle.
After the thunderous impacts of falling shells swept across in sheets, the previously aggressive undead army also wilted. Gunpowder-scented dust flew everywhere, with shell craters and severed limbs all around.
Teacher Li, who had been waiting in the trench for a long time, was the first to jump up. Wearing full chainmail and wielding a greatsword, he swung forward fiercely. Next to him, Shrimp Catcher released the familiar charge horn at the right moment.
In the next instant, hundreds of players wielding weapons and NPCs deployed under the name of “Penal Battalion” let out ghost-wailing war cries.
They leaped up from the trenches and launched a skirmish line charge toward the front.
The bombardment hadn’t even ended yet!
These guys were basically charging forward under artillery fire, showing no sign of the legendary “new recruits fear artillery” timidity, but rather a kind of unleashed wild dog-like freedom and frenzy, even vaguely filled with an incomprehensible “joy and anticipation”?
This scene made Major Ron on the hilltop position sigh helplessly. He said to Major Dunn Hope beside him who commanded the artillery reinforcements:
“I really can never understand how these Transians’ minds work. Even our soldiers wouldn’t dare do this, how can they be so confident in our fire support? If just one shell goes off target, they’d be the first ones blown away.
Are these guys truly fearless?”
“Perhaps.”
The slightly effeminate Major Dunn hung his command saber as he looked at Colonel Frayzer observing the battlefield with binoculars not far away, and said softly:
“But now I understand where the Marshal and Frayzer’s concerns about the Transians come from, encountering such enemies on the battlefield would indeed give us headaches. However, at least for now, they are our allies, standing together with us on the position against the Gnolls.
It gives one a strange sense of reassurance.”
The Western Front’s acquisition of Pioneer vanguard fire support allowed them to take a quarter of the enemy position in one charge.
Their progress was considerable, but they weren’t the fastest advancing of the three battle lines.
Although Brother Stick’s Northern Front also had Thorn Nightwalkers participating, and under Brother Stick’s direction they had already cleared roughly a fifth of the undead command nodes in advance, comparatively the fastest breakthrough speed was still on the Southern Front.
That madman Meow King deployed all 3,000 of his treants onto the battlefield at once!
This directly led to the bizarre situation where the number of warriors on their battle line actually exceeded the wraiths and corpse mages defending the opposite side. Having numerical advantage was almost unthinkable in previous battles, but now it was actually achieved through bizarre “development and operations”.
Seeing the battle going smoothly, Meow King played vanguard this time!
He rode his demon hunter warhorse wielding Vam’s Executioner charging at the front, madly hacking and slashing in Avalon’s name. That legendary blade was simply unstoppable, every axe strike would cleave through anything in front whether heavy shield or spirit energy.
The scene was extremely violent.
This Red Knight candidate got so excited in the killing that he activated berserk, leading a squad of activated bloodwood treants as his retinue. Shouting crazy phrases like “Avalon is supreme”, he was like a humanoid monster.
Wherever he charged, the battle line there would quickly collapse.
However, this scene appeared somewhat odd in the eyes of the Paladins behind.
“You’re a nature believer wielding a barbarian’s divine weapon, shouting Avalon’s divine name under Berserker Vam’s gaze, isn’t this a kind of NTR?”
Uncle Fording spat harshly.
This middle-aged knight with strong self-esteem clearly didn’t plan to let Meow King steal all the glory, so he quickly led his knights to the front as well, also shouting the name of the Holy Light as they began rooting out evil.
With the numerous treants serving as cannon fodder at the front, the players who completely let loose displayed their various abilities.
Little Ashina and Sister Pomegranate probably got inspiration from the previous bombardment operation, the two vampires kept flying back and forth across the undead positions on the left and right, continuously dropping bombs from their bags.
Little Rich Brother and his manticore followed suit.
Unfortunately, most of the creatures on their position were incorporeal wraiths and vengeful spirits, making the bomb bombardment quite ineffective, only able to create some shocking visual effects.
But this didn’t matter much. With such efficient advancement, after two hours, the Southern Front finally became the first player team to break through Plague Town’s final defense line.
They paid the price of over 800 treant casualties to arduously pierce the enemy position, and successfully used their remaining explosives to completely blow up Plague Town’s south gate during Meow King’s berserk assault.
Those defeated vengeful spirits and corpse mages fled into the surrounding swamp seeing the situation was dire. No one pursued them as waves of players surged forward to completely tear down the dungeon gate.
But they couldn’t advance after that!
Because the mage tower’s defenses had been activated, that substantial translucent spirit barrier stood like a city wall blocking their path into Plague Town’s interior.
However, Miss Femis quickly appeared at the southern position still bearing traces of battle, serving as the “dungeon raid guide”.
Femis looked at the devastated position all around, then at the new players enthusiastically spreading out to hunt down isolated elite monsters, before looking at Meow King and the Silver Moon girls sitting on the ground catching their breath before her.
The young lady who was actively roleplaying an NPC for the first time while knowing she was an NPC wasn’t nervous. She showed a serious expression and confirmed:
“Are you really determined to begin the attack on Plague Town immediately? I think you should rest a bit.”
“No need!”
Meow King who was very weak after ending berserk stuffed a handful of Witch Hunter secret medicine into his mouth and chewed it up like candy. While enduring the medicine’s strange taste, he waved his hand and said:
“Our lead is only temporary!
The other two battle lines will break through their obstacles soon. We must seize this advantage. Young lady, please begin the spirit energy countermeasures immediately.
We need to charge into Plague Town in one go and completely end the evil here.
I seem to hear Big Boss Avalon whispering to me, He is very displeased with this filth’s existence. We must carry out the divine will.”
“I think you’re more likely having auditory hallucinations from exhaustion.”
Femis quipped.
But seeing the players’ overwhelming momentum, she couldn’t advise much more. She immediately began the spirit energy countermeasures ritual at the southern position.
There wasn’t much to say about this process. Femis had prepared for a long time before and made improvements to the ritual aspects under Tris’s guidance, allowing her to precisely locate the connection nodes between the mage tower and swamp spirit energy in just 10 minutes. Then through the spread and obstruction of the Night Howl Staff’s unique crimson spirit light, she successfully broke through Plague Town’s southern region’s spirit energy defense.
That thick spirit barrier quickly dissipated like shattered glass, creating a doorway to enter inside. The spirited Meow King charged in with Vam’s Executioner while howling “Waaah!”, too fast for others to stop him.
But there was no need to stop him anymore.
Because three seconds later, Meow King came flying out spinning like a top, crashing head-first into the ground at Sister Pomegranate’s feet and breaking the stone, the epitome of wretchedness.
Sister Pomegranate and the others looked up to see a very familiar tall figure standing above the dozen or so steps ahead.
“F**k! Isn’t this Kenport?”
Little Ashina screamed:
“How is it alive again? I remember very clearly that it was Brother Mao who chopped off its head! That head was even hung on the city gate…
Wait, the Blood Rat Gang issued a wanted notice a while back saying Kenport’s head was stolen.
Shit, so it was stolen by the Gnolls here?”
“It’s ‘Zombie Kenport’. The development team definitely reused old materials, so sneaky. However, considering this team dungeon’s name and background, the appearance of this zombie boss feels unexpectedly reasonable.
Thank goodness.
We don’t need to fight those three annoying boxes this time. Taking it down counts as finishing.”
Fatal Orchid removed her sword and shield taking a defensive stance. Her Nord bloodline power activated, making her whole body emanate cold air as she cast an ice shield on herself that could absorb damage and slow enemies.
After the racial talent updates and enhancements, human shield bearers like Fatal Orchid finally weren’t at a disadvantage compared to defensive specialists of other professions.
But even so, Fatal Orchid wasn’t confident she could withstand this great zombie that had clearly been enhanced by plague and death energy. Moreover, there were four zombie barbarian warriors just like it and four hovering magic heart wraiths beside this zombie Kenport.
Shit!
Is this actually a “council battle”?
