Chapter 1289: 417. Darkness Breeds_2
Ah, how helpless.
In today’s amusement-saturated culture, all rational discussions are crushed by blind enthusiasm.
The few individuals capable of independent thinking choose to remain silent after witnessing the frenzy.
In such a situation, aside from triggering the 5th ring story Task due to the Fleet assembly, there really was no other way to turn the tide for the “Gold Dragon” guild’s disadvantageous position.
“Boss, are you sure it’s only ‘Arrogant Fantasy’ causing trouble? Is it possible that other Great Guilds are involved? Otherwise, with just ‘Arrogant Fantasy’s’ connections, the public opinion shouldn’t be so one-sided,” Cucumber Slice said.
Golden Dragon in the Sky waved his hand and said:
...
“Ah, in a situation like this where everyone pushes against a falling wall, what need is there for a conspiracy? As long as ‘Arrogant Fantasy’ takes the lead, other guilds will naturally join in to trample over us.”
Cucumber Slice thought about it and decided not to dwell on the matter any further.
He led Golden Dragon in the Sky down a Corridor to find an Elf tasked with cleaning the bathrooms.
This Elf stood beside Cucumber Slice’s teammate.
Seeing Golden Dragon in the Sky arriving, this person proactively canceled their own side Task to free up a slot for Golden Dragon in the Sky to take on the Task.
This type of behavior was normal among Players, and generally, no one would complain about it.
However, just as Golden Dragon in the Sky and Cucumber Slice’s teammate were switching Tasks, a sarcastic voice came from nearby. noveldrama
“Wow~ The Great Guild really is different~ Even have lapdogs to lead the way in Tasks~”
Cucumber Slice and the other two’s expressions changed and they turned to look in the direction of the voice.
It came from two Players dressed in standard wizard apprentice magic robes.
Above their heads were their player nicknames, but no guild names appeared underneath, indicating they were Loose Players unaffiliated with any guilds.
One of them spoke slickly with mockery, while the other started the Game’s recording feature, pointing a semi-transparent camera lens at Cucumber Slice and his companions.
Since Players’ avatars in the Game did not reflect their actual appearances, initiating filming within the Game without others’ consent did not violate any real-world laws.
However, the Academy Manual stipulates that recorded Players can demand the filmer to blur out their avatars and nicknames.
But the thing is, such post-incident remedial measures are useless for a bigwig like Golden Dragon in the Sky.
Even if Golden Dragon in the Sky and company were blurred out into shadows in the video, it would still attract widespread attention due to the video’s content.
Particularly with the scandal that occurred yesterday, any slight misstep by the “Gold Dragon” guild would be ridiculously magnified by those with intent, leading to vehement criticism.
Cucumber Slice quickly grasped the crux of the issue.
He dashed in front of Golden Dragon in the Sky to block the camera, simultaneously activating his own filming function, aiming it at the two Players:
“There they go again, ‘Arrogant Fantasy’ people throwing dirt! Don’t think I don’t recognize you just because you haven’t joined a guild!”
The two Players looked at each other and burst into laughter.
“That’s right, we are from ‘Arrogant Fantasy.’ What about it? You don’t agree? Come, fight us~~~ We’re just itching for it, we really deserve a beating! Come on~~”
Cucumber Slice was about to speak when rapid footsteps came from the other end of the Corridor.
Soon, a dozen Loose Players rushed towards them and quickly surrounded Golden Dragon in the Sky and his two companions.
One of them yelled out:
“Boss Jin! You’re not doing any Tasks today! This area doesn’t allow combat, so let’s see what you can do about us!”
A crowd completely encircled Golden Dragon in the Sky, even surrounding the Elf as well.
This Elf tasked with distributing cleaning Tasks cried out in alarm, “Ah~,” and then disappeared into countless points of light.
Apparently, the NPC’s hidden mechanism had been triggered by the gathering of Players, leaving Golden Dragon in the Sky behind as it vanished on its own.
This delighted the disruptive Loose Players, who shouted about discovering a great method to prevent Golden Dragon in the Sky from completing his Tasks.
Even though the Elf NPC had left, the group of Loose Players remained, continuing to encircle Golden Dragon in the Sky on all sides.
Several of them lowered their heads, thrusting their faces in front of Golden Dragon in the Sky.
“Come on, come on, Boss Jin, if you don’t like me, just hit me~”
“Strike, go on and strike~”
“Aren’t you the guild leader, too awesome to handle? How come now you’re acting like a scaredy-cat, not daring to make a peep?”
“You’ve got the chance, aren’t you going to use it~”
When registering as a Wizard Apprentice, Players received the Academy Manual.
The Manual mentioned that Players who initiate attacks on NPCs or Players not marked with a red name would be punished by the Academy’s guards.
Although the group of Loose Players had encircled Golden Dragon in the Sky, they hadn’t made any physical contact with him.
Since there wasn’t any physical contact, it wouldn’t be judged as illegal.
If Golden Dragon in the Sky wanted to leave, he could either use the forced log-off to return to the Safe Zone, or he could only ask the guild Player community to help clear his path.
The former would cost Golden Dragon in the Sky 24 hours of leveling opportunities, while the latter could potentially lead to an even larger conflict.
Either choice seemed to only lead to loss for the three of them.
Just as they were at a loss, the previously vanished Elf NPC reappeared not far away, followed by a group of fully armed Elf Guards.