Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
To his surprise, upon hearing the players’ words, the young soldier suppressed his fear and calmed down. He said with utmost seriousness and sincerity:
“I will not flee, my Lord. As your follower, I am prepared to sacrifice myself for you. While I am alive, I will be a firm shield by your side!”
The soldier did not understand why these powerful warriors from Winter City were so passionate about fighting. Did they not feel pain when killed, even if they could be resurrected? Their morale never seemed to waver; it was always high, even when facing the terrifying Undead Calamity.
“Since that is the case, then stay by my side. I have only one request of you: live well.”
The player shook his head helplessly; this young soldier was his newly acquired follower. He was a soldier he had unintentionally saved during a previous Undead Siege. This soldier then became attached to him, insisting on repaying his kindness. Coincidentally, the Follower System had just opened, so he half-heartedly agreed. Glancing at his follower’s panel, the player shook his head again. This young soldier was not particularly weak, but on such a vast battlefield, he could not make much of a splash.
[Follower: Potter]
[Age: 16]
[Potential: D-]
[Strength: Level 12]
[Traits: Tenacious, Loyal, Brave]
[Skills: Basic Soldier Combat Technique Lv3, Skipping Stones, Whistling]
[Talent: Pain Resistance (Can endure pain better than ordinary people)]
[Evaluation: A hot-headed youth with dreams and a pure heart. With a little cultivation, he might be able to help you with some simple matters.]
[Note: Followers are bound to you and can level up through Experience Points just like you. When fighting together with a follower, you both gain 20% increased Experience Points. Followers cannot be resurrected after death.]
In fact, it wasn’t just him; many players had their own followers. Facing the Undead’s attack now, they had put away a sliver of their childish playfulness. Regardless, these soldiers were their first followers on the Cain Continent. They had to stall for time until the bidirectional teleportation array was established. Only then could these followers and the remaining civilians hiding in Karari City safely evacuate. No player believed they would fail to defend the city. With Resurrection Crystals, they were fearless and inexhaustible. They only needed to consider how to gain more Experience Points during the battle.
Amidst the Deathly Shadow Cloud, through the observation of Blood Crows, Angus discovered that the soldiers defending the city seemed unfazed by the might of the Undead Calamity. They appeared calm, standing on the city walls, chatting and laughing casually. A Blood Crow twisted its body. Angus saw a purple crystal in the center of the city wall, emitting a mysterious and resplendent light.
“As expected, it’s all because of that strange crystal?” Angus’s Undead Ghost Fire flickered in his eye sockets. He let out a guttural Undead chant of “hissing and hawing.” This chant drifted with the wind into the souls of the skeletal knights at the forefront. The skeletal knight slightly looked up, its ghastly green gaze locking onto the center of the city wall. The aura of the living in Karari City agitated the Undead Legion further, their desire to attack reaching its peak… There was no longer any reason to hesitate. The skeletal knight at the front silently raised its great axe. Its skeletal mouth opened, letting out a sharp, ear-piercing howl. The skeletal soldiers beside it immediately removed the bone horns hanging from their waists and blew into them with their Undead breath, activating them.
“Woo woo—”
The strange horn’s sound scattered the heavy clouds on the horizon, and all the Undead moved at that moment. Heavy footsteps echoed across the battlefield. A dense Undead army, led by a group of Skeletal Knights, pressed towards the city walls of Karari Royal Capital. A Champion Level Skeletal Knight took the lead, raising a three-meter-long giant battle axe. The Skeletal Rhinoceros beneath him charged forcefully, each step striking the ground with a heavy drumbeat.
Hearing the horn in the distance and feeling the intense vibration of the ground, all the remaining Karari soldiers turned pale, their palms sweating. Only the players were excited, rubbing their hands together.
“Here they come, here they come! They’re really coming!”
“Mages, prepare for self-destruction! A few people, keep an eye on the Temporary Resurrection Crystal!”
“Dragon bombing squad, you can take off!”
For a time, shouts erupted from the city walls, even more lively than elderly folks at a bustling market. The entire city wall operated in a way that seemed chaotic but was orderly. The Undead’s Corpse Catapults began to operate first, launching countless Undead corpses into the city walls. At this moment, without the help of Sharpshooters, the players could only rely on themselves. However, they had invented a new way to play. The Undead had Corpse Catapults. They also had Mage Catapults. Over a dozen catapults, modified in advance, were pushed out. Several warriors held a group of rookie mage players and placed them on the catapult seats.
Nobody Does Human Things (M) stood on a tower near the catapults, roughly estimating the distance with his thumb. He then issued orders on the Team Channel:
“Target the Undead’s Corpse Catapults. All pilots, prepare!”
“Ready!”
“Fire!”
As the words fell, over a dozen black figures, emitting “aww” screams, flew into the sky. They held rocks to allow themselves to fly higher and farther. When they neared the Undead’s Corpse Catapults, they would casually drop the rocks they were holding, adjust their positions with a Levitation spell, and then dive headfirst towards the Undead’s Corpse Catapults before self-destructing!
“Boom boom boom—”
The explosion of magical elements stirred up the surrounding elements into a frenzy. The mage players, who had already blown themselves to ashes, floated in mid-air, observing the effects of their explosions.
“Calling HQ, the third Corpse Catapult from the west is still usable. Requesting another bombardment.”
“Reporting to HQ, the fifth Corpse Catapult from the east is disabled. Mission complete!”
“Reporting to HQ, I flew crookedly…”
Reports, both good news and hilarious blunders, streamed across the Team Channel. But both the players defending the city and the Undead army being bombed were silenced by this operation.
“Damn it! Cunning humans!” Angus spat. However, he quickly thought of a Method of Response. He recalled all the Gargoyles and Blood Crows that were harassing the human defenders and commanded:
“Stop making futile sacrifices. All of you, intercept those flying humans!”
“Protect the Corpse Catapults!”
