Chapter 98: A New ss System
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[Announcement: yer Toby hasunched an attack on Green Hill City. All yers may join the resistance. Sessfully defending Green Hill City will yield generous rewards.]
...
Suddenly, three system announcements echoed through the game.
John was momentarily stunned; he hadn''t expected Toby to act so quickly andunch an attack on the Dark Humans.
The information John had leaked was urate, but Toby was unlikely to obtain the Elemental Key.
John had destroyed two cities and killed two city lords, but neither had dropped the Elemental Key.
The Elemental Key in his possession was given to Toby by Green Moon City Lord Dien, and John had acquired it by killing Toby.
He suspected that the Elemental Key wouldn''t drop automatically after killing a Dark Humans city lord.
Toby was bound to be disappointed.
[Announcement: yer Sharpde hasunched an attack on Night City. All yers may join the resistance. Sessfully defending Night City will yield generous rewards.]
...
[Announcement: yer FireGod hasunched an attack on Water Deep City. All yers may join the resistance. Sessfully defending Water Deep City will yield generous rewards.]
...
More announcements quickly followed.
Several major guilds in the world of Gods had simultaneouslyunched assaults on cities controlled by the Dark Humans.
In the global chat, yers were buzzing with spection:
"What''s going on today? Two cities just got established, and now guilds are attacking Dark Humans'' cities?"
"Are they trying to imitate Godyer? But what''s the point of provoking the Dark Humans?" "I smell a conspiracy."
"Is anyone near Night City? Let''s team up and check it out."
"I''m in Water Deep City. Anyone want to join me? Only second-tier yers and above." "Count me in."
...
Most yers were clueless about why these guilds were suddenly targeting the Dark Humans'' cities.
The information about attribute fusion had only been shared among the major factions and hadn''t reached the general yer base.
In Green Hill City.
Toby listened to the series of announcements, gritting his teeth in frustration.
Normally, these factions would grovel before the Mike White Family, but now they dared topete with him for the Attribute Fusion Stone.
He mentally noted each of these factions, vowing to settle the score with them once the war was over.
The sounds of battle surrounded him, as the guards of Green Hill City and the yers shed, locked in a stalemate that was proving difficult to break.
Growing impatient, Toby shouted, "Take Green Hill City, and every member will receive a 100,000 reward! Die once, and you''ll get an extra 20,000!"
With such a huge incentive, his followers seemed to be fueled by adrenaline, throwing themselves into the fray with reckless abandon.
The Green Hill City guards barely held their ground for a moment before they were overwhelmed.
yers surged forward like a tidal wave, storming the City Lord''s Manor and attacking the Dark Humans with reckless abandon.
Not even sparing the lowliest of servants.
"Toby, are you out of your mind? How dare you attack the Dark Humans!" roared a voice, as Green Hill City''s lord, Gran, appeared.
He was a formidable third-tier elite, and his mere presence caused the yers surrounding him to hesitate, unwilling to attack recklessly.
Toby stepped forward from the crowd, lifting his chin slightly as he coldly met Gran''s gaze. "I don''t want to make this difficult. Hand over the Elemental Key, and I''ll spare your life."
"What?" Gran paused, then burst intoughter.
"Haha, human, are you joking? You think you can just demand the Elemental Key from me?" He looked at Toby with utter disdain.
"Shut up!" Toby snapped, his patience wearing thin. "You know the situation you''re in. If you die, it''s permanent. Give me the Elemental Key, and I''ll let you go."
Gran''s expression remained contemptuous as he slowly shook his head. "I don''t have the Elemental Key, and even if I did, there''s no way I''d hand it over to you."
"No Key?" Toby frowned, sensing that Gran was telling the truth.
Gran continued, "I''ve heard that Green Moon''s Elemental Key was lost. It seems you''ve uncovered the secret of the Elemental Secret Area. Let me tell you this: only city lords of third-tier cities and above possess Elemental Keys, and those keys do not drop upon death- they simply disappear."
Third-tier?
Toby clenched his teeth, frustration boiling inside him.
With the current yer power levels, no one except Godyer could take down a third-tier
city.
And with the revtion that the Elemental Key doesn''t drop upon the city lord''s death.
Threatening a third-tier city lord was even more out of reach.
Toby was filled with regret, feeling as if his heart were bleeding.
He had once held an Elemental Key in his hands, only to have it snatched away by Godyer.
"Godyer!" Toby growled through gritted teeth. It was clear to him now that his only option was to find a way to steal the Elemental Key from Godyer.
Taking a deep breath, Toby nced at Gran before retreating back into the crowd of yers. "Kill him!" he ordered coldly.
The animosity between them had already solidified; there was no reason to hold back.
Whoosh!
Instantly, a barrage of arrows and spells rained down, engulfing Gran.
"Humans, you''ll regret this!" Gran roared.
Although he was a third-tier elite boss, he couldn''t withstand the overwhelming onught
from the yers and was quickly defeated.
Toby had been shrewd he only killed Gran and refrained from destroying the city''s altar.
This ensured that Green Hill City wouldn''t disappear, avoiding drawing attention from other
Dark Humans forces.
The only downside was that he hadn''t obtained the Elemental Key.
"Godyer, you''re next," Toby muttered coldly, already scheming his next move against
him.
...
In just one day, seven Dark Humans cities were destroyed, all of them first-tier. Unsurprisingly, none of the attacking forces obtained an Elemental Key and were instead
added to the Dark Humans'' wanted list.
Having failed miserably, these yers realized they had been duped and turned their anger
toward Godyer.
John, however, waspletely unfazed by this.
He received a message from Sini: the Blues Family disciples hade back online and were
busy building Saint Martial Sect.
Leaving Death Land, John made his way to Saint Martial Sect and found Sini.
Nearby, Tracy''s eyes were red, clearly from crying, and the Blues Family disciples looked
equally somber.
The recent upheaval had taken a heavy toll on the Blues Family.
"John," Sini approached, signaling for him tofort Tracy.
John silently moved to Tracy''s side, not saying a word.
He had experienced far too many tragedies like this, so much so that he felt numb and unsure
how to console her.
"Old man!" Tracy threw herself into John''s arms, quietly sobbing.
Only when she was with John did she feel truly safe.
John gently patted her back, soothing her, "It''s all over now. Don''t be too sad."
Tracy nodded slightly, wiping away her tears. She looked at him with newfound determination and said, "Old man, I want to be stronger!"
"I''ll help you," John replied, feeling a sense of relief.
This ordeal had clearly made Tracy mature a great deal, which he knew was ultimately a good
thing for her.
[Announcement: yer Chris has unlocked a new ss system, the rare ss ''Martial Artist'';
yers can join Saint Martial Sect to switch to the Martial Artist ss.]
...
Suddenly, a system announcement echoed.
Even though John had already heard some details from Chris, he was still taken aback.
Chris had actually managed to establish an entirely new ss system.
John couldn''t help but wonder what kind of adventure Chris had encountered in the beginner
vige.
The world chat quickly became abuzz with activity:
"Can someone please exin what on earth is going on today? First, two cities were established, then every major guild went berserk attacking Dark Humans'' cities. And now, a
brand-new ss system?"
"This ''Martial Artist'' seems to be a public rare ss."
"Does anyone know how to join Saint Martial Sect?"
"Don''t bother trying. I already asked; they''re only recruiting disciples from Ancient Martial
Arts families."
"Ancient Martial Arts families? Weren''t they supposed to be reclusive? And now they''re in
The World of Gods?"
"They''re just not often seen in the mundane world; it doesn''t mean they''vepletely severed ties. It''s perfectly normal for them to enter The World of Gods."
"Masters, please, this disciple has exceptional talent and has been training in martial arts
since childhood. I humbly seek eptance."
"Are they recruiting dancers? I have ten years of dance experience, and I''m proficient in all
kinds of positions. I''m willing to do whatever it takes to join Saint Martial Sect."
"They want martial artists, not dancers."
"Martial artists are still people, right? You never know; someone might have a taste for this
kind of thing."
...
Saint Martial Sect had once again be the focus of countless yers.
John nced at the world chat and couldn''t help but admire Chris''s cleverness.
Using the rare Martial Artist ss, it was possible to unify the entire Ancient Martial Arts
families without bloodshed.
This was exactly what Chris hoped to achieve. "Brother-inw," Armstrong found John and spoke, "Grandfather is looking for you, and he wants my sister and Tracy toe along as well."
He nced at Tracy, whose eyes were still slightly red, and sighed sympathetically. "Alright," John nodded. The group followed Armstrong to the study in the City Lord''s Manor.
Peter was already there. When he saw John, he immediately stood up, bowed deeply, and said
gratefully, "John, you''ve saved our Blues Family once again. We will never forget this great kindness."
John quickly helped him up, feeling a bit guilty. "Lord Blues, you give me too much credit. In
fact, this disaster was partly my fault. If I hadn''t been staying with the Blues Family, perhaps you wouldn''t have faced such a crisis."
Peter quickly waved his hand. "Nonsense. Our feud with the Griffin Family runs deep; they
would have attacked sooner orter, regardless of your presence. This has nothing to do with you." "Enough with the formalities," Chris interrupted impatiently. He already considered John one of his own, especially knowing about John''s rtionship with Tracy. "Young man, pick a ss," Chris said, gesturing to a few scrollsid out on the table.
John looked puzzled. "What are these, sir?"
Chris exined, "These are hidden ss scrolls, all belonging to the Martial Artist category,
but they are the strongest among them. See if any of them suit you."
A hidden ss within the Martial Artist category? John''s curiosity was piqued, and he stepped forward to examine each scroll. Coincidentally, he still had an Origin Stone, which could allow him to gain an additional ss.
If one of these sses seemed right, he could choose a hidden Martial Artist ss as his third
profession.
The scrolls revealed sses like War Soul, Martial Saint, Sword Immortal, Divine Strategist, Celestial Master, Illusionist, Alchemist, and Beast Tamer.
The all top-tier sses that he had never heard of,parable to his Wrath of the Gods Mage
and Phantom Assassin.