Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
The magic halos rose in countless numbers, like fireworks against the dark woodlands.
During the previous battles with the players, being surrounded had severely limited their field of vision; they could only see a handful of players nearby, and nothing beyond that.
But things were different now. Looking out across the entire canyon, people were everywhere. Each player’s eyes gleamed with an excited, bloodthirsty gaze, looking down from above. The psychological pressure was immense.
Balner’s legs trembled, and his vision spun. He had lost all courage to command the legion.
Platyr, however, was doing better. He had transported goods many times before and had witnessed many large-scale events.
At this moment, the melee Golem Soldiers raised their shields, forming a phalanx in front of everyone. They were to withstand the first wave of magical attacks from the enemy.
The chanting of magic power guidance reached its crescendo, the arcane shouts nearing their final syllables.
Spell Arrays unfolded, and magic power vibrated and boiled in the surrounding space, eventually condensing into various spells. These then rose into the air and rained down overwhelmingly on the Golem Soldier legion.
Balner felt as if the world before him had become a dazzling blur.
Then, he felt an immense force pressing down on his spine. Two melee Golem Soldiers were pinning him beneath their shields.
A series of explosions, “boom boom boom,” followed, then it sounded like countless steel nails striking the shields.
Balner felt a searing heat enveloping him, followed by gusts of wind and biting cold. This alternated, sometimes appearing in sequence, sometimes simultaneously, lasting for over a minute.
The surroundings gradually quieted down. Occasionally, one or two spells still struck the shields with a “ping.”
But theoretically, they were safe now.
He, Balner, was unharmed!
Is that all?!
He felt emboldened again!
“Deploy the shields! I want to see what those losers can do against our Golem legion!”
With that, Balner stood up from beneath the Golem Soldiers’ raised shields and arrogantly surveyed his surroundings.
Just as he was about to unleash a scathing insult, he saw players in dense numbers howling and charging.
They held their shields and weapons high, charging in groups. Some rode colorful warhorses matching their randomly colored hair, like a pack of wolves in a hunting frenzy. More and more figures emerged from behind the cliffs on both sides of the canyon, seemingly several times more numerous than before.
Balner’s mouth twitched, and the harsh words he was about to utter died in his throat.
Platyr’s expression also turned grim.
He pursed his lips and said in a low voice, “The quantity of the Foreigner Legion is far greater than we imagined. Moreover, compared to before, their combat is now orderly and far less chaotic than we anticipated.”
“Can… can we still withdraw?” Balner stammered, his cloudy old eyes wide with panic.
“I regret to inform you, my Lord, that our rear has been cut off,” Nobody Does Human Things said, shrugging. The map clearly showed a large group of green light spots encircling and blocking the Golem Legion from behind.
As he gave this warning, the players who had encircled them from behind also launched their charge.
Even though they couldn’t see them yet, their ape-like howls carried a great distance.
“My Lord! Don’t think about escaping! Our Winterbreaking Organization must have the courage for a fight to the death!” (Player Name) clenched his fists, brimming with fighting spirit.
Balner wanted to say he lacked that courage. He had finally managed to live to eighty years old.
But seeing the resolute eyes of Nobody Does Human Things and (Player Name), he said nothing, his lips twisting into a bitter smile, his already ashen face turning even paler.
The first wave of players was getting closer.
Everyone could clearly feel the ground vibrating.
The players wearing pig-faced masks, clad in heavy armor, rode Kaimen Shield Boars they had somehow captured. The boars ran with loud snorts.
The mount system had been open for a considerable time, and during this period, players had been searching for suitable mounts. Of course, warhorses were common, and one could buy a fine steed envied by the city guard knights in Winter City for just one gold coin.
But they were players!
Players had to take the unconventional route!
Warhorses were simply not cool. Later, they tried to tame cave spiders, giant slimes, mud monsters, earth bears, jungle wolves, unicorns, and more, but the results were not very good. Especially with the unicorns, not only did they refuse to be tamed, but they also spat at them.
Finally, the players set their sights on herbivorous monsters, the Kaimen Shield Boars. Frankly, the Kaimen Shield Boars were not particularly imposing in appearance. They had pink noses, ivory-white skin, and big, dark eyes. If one ignored their elephant-like size, these pigs looked quite cute.
However, it was precisely this size that players desired.
Being large was also a kind of specialty.
Besides, if the imposing presence was lacking, equipment could make up for it!
Weren’t the Kaimen Shield Boars cute and cuddly?
Therefore, the players made fierce steel masks for these docile shield pigs.
They gave the Kaimen Shield Boars sharp, steel tusks like those of wild boars.
Secondly, they outfitted the Kaimen Shield Boars with heavy armor.
Usually, they used discarded equipment for these purposes.
Dwarf Grandmaster Blacksmith Master Groin possessed the power to transform rotten things into wonders; it was a piece of cake for him, and the players only needed to offer him a pot of good wine.
This led to a peculiar phenomenon in Winter City:
It was no longer as profitable to be a blacksmith as it was to be a brewer.
An individual’s talent was always limited, but the strength of a Dwarf Grandmaster was constant.
“Boom boom boom!”
As they drew nearer, the ground trembled more violently. Balner’s old legs shook in sync.
If his small body was hit by one of these heavily armored Kaimen Shield Boars, wouldn’t it be game over?
Worrying was useless. The foreign heavy cavalry gradually changed their formation into a conical shape.
Behind each knight of the foreigner, sat a mage, a foreigner warrior. They swayed their staffs, chanting incantations, casting various enhancement buffs on the charging knights ahead.
A moment later, a green whirlwind flashed across the bodies of the entire knight legion, further increasing their speed.
Then came various other enhancement buffs.
Nobody Does Human Things and (Player Name) quietly retreated. Even before these ridiculously powerful knight players collided with them, they could feel the immense power. This wasn’t a cavalry charge at all!
It was like a wall rushing forward!
