Over the next few days Zane spent his time immersed in training and research. Every morning he would visit the library to see what new information Gladys obtained. Sometimes she would have multiple texts for him to read and other times there would only be a few. After Zane finished his visit to the library, he immediately headed to the warrior training ground for more battles and training. Time flew by and soon it was time for the second attack of the Upheaval.

In Zane’s mind the second attack of the Upheaval was worse than the first attack. The problem began with the change in the strength of the mana creatures. The attack and defense of the mana creatures only increased by thirty percent for the second attack. This thirty percent increase came from the destruction of six dens.

Daughter, the elven leader, asked that everyone reconsider their stance on destroying the dens. She even used village points, something that the elven valued far more than human lives, to confirm with a Messenger the effects that the destruction of the dens would have on the second attack. Humans from every world knew the elven were eager for village points and were hesitant to agree to the destruction of the dens. However, after discussing the issue it was decided that continuing to destroy dens wasn’t a bad idea.

People from Zane’s world were the first to change their stance on destroying dens. Most of them weren’t worried about the thirty percent increase in attack and defense. In fact, Zane and a few other like-minded people preferred for the mana creatures they fought to be stronger than normal. Plus, one of the Messengers hinted that it would be beneficial to continue destroying dens in between the Upheaval attacks.

Everyone else agreed to destroying the dens shortly after the people from Zane’s world changed their stance. Some people were still worried about the negative effects of destroying the dens, but most people were confidant in facing the mana creatures that would appear in the second attack. A few people even showed excitement as everyone discussed the second attack. Unfortunately for Zane, some of those excited people would be on the same battlefield as him.

Daughter suggested that whoever could arrive at the dens first would be allowed to destroy them. Everyone agreed with her suggestion and a few people even started running toward the forest. However, before they could leave the meeting area, six announcements rang out in everyone’s ears.

Shock was the first emotion that most people felt. The next emotion was anger. Everyone had the intelligence and wisdom needed to figure out which group destroyed the dens. Many people began to rebuke Daughter. The called her actions unfair and shameless. However, it didn’t matter how much they complained. The deed had already been done.

Most people understood that they lost to the planning of the elves, and a few admired them for their actions. However now that everyone was on the same page about the destruction of the dens the elves wouldn’t be able to take all the dens so easily next time. Everyone dispersed and began planning for the appearance of the next set of dens and the third attack.

When the second attack began Zane’s group repeated their actions from the first attack and charged toward the tier one mana creatures. However, unlike the first attack, Zane’s group wasn’t the only group charging toward the tier one mana creatures. Zane counted three groups containing eight to ten people charging toward the tier one mana creatures.

Zane observed the charge of the three groups by taking a few quick glances as he moved forward with his group. The three groups were unable to charge forward as fast or as smoothly as Zane’s group. However, Zane saw that they were able to maintain a steady pace and only received a few minor injuries.

Once Zane’s group arrived at the area where the tier one mana creatures appeared they immediately started attacking. The appearance of the three groups made them change their strategy. They knew they couldn’t monopolize the tier one mana creatures as before, but they were still determined to kill the majority.

The people that needed to recover their energy quickly drank the potions they needed before the group separated. Zane’s group split into the same smaller groups that they were in during the first attack. The only difference was that Sophie, Jason and the others weren’t hiding behind a stationary barrier. They were now on the move, using magic to destroy any mana creatures in their path.

By the time the three groups arrived and started attacking the tier one mana creatures, Zane and the others had already killed over one hundred tier one mana creatures. The rest of the mana creatures did not last long under the assault of more than forty adventurers. Once all the tier one mana creatures were killed the group focused their attention on the weaker mana creatures.

Despite Zane’s group killed more than two hundred tier one mana creatures Zane only gained one level during the second attack. Zane wasn’t surprised since three other groups joined them in killing tier one mana creatures. He wasn’t in a rush to gain levels, so the lack of experience didn’t bother him. However, Zane was a bit bothered about obtaining less points toward his ranking. Although he wasn’t trying to get the number one spot on the Upheaval Ranking list, Zane still wanted to receive a high ranking at the end of the Upheaval. Another factor that affected the experience and the points Zane gained was the number of tier one mana creatures that appeared on the battlefield.

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During the post battle meeting Zane found out that his battlefield had the lowest number of tier one mana creatures. The total number of mana creatures trying to destroy the inn increased to twenty-five thousand and only ten percent of the total mana creatures were at the first tier. In addition to having the lowest number of tier one mana creatures, Zane’s battlefield had the worst performance.

When Zane’s group and the other three groups charged to the tier one mana creatures, they put a greater strain on the forces defending the wall. The strain wasn’t great and was quickly resolved after a few minutes. However, the actions of the four group were a bit unexpected and the defensive wall suffered a tiny bit of damage. Therefore, Zane’s battlefield was considered the worst even though the overall performance was actually very good.

After announcing the actions of Zane and the others, Bruce formally proposed that nobody was allowed to break ranks. This meant that the people in the attack group and the defending group could not separate from the core of their group. Attackers weren’t allowed to run off into battle on their own and defenders couldn’t jump down from the walls to attack mana creatures.

Zane and the others were among the first to agree to Bruce’s proposal. Zane and the others realized that it was unlikely for them to be able to monopolize the tier one mana creatures like they did during the first attack. Plus, nobody could argue against the fact that people abandoning their position would cause chaos and possibly lead to the failure of the quest.

Also, the percentage of tier one mana creatures that appeared in the second attack had increased. It was likely that the percentage of tier one mana creatures would continue to increase every attack. Therefore, Zane and the others were not worried that Bruce’s proposal would have a major effect on the total number of tier one mana creatures that they would kill.

Unsurprisingly, more than a few people complained after hearing Bruce’s proposal. Most people were worried that Bruce’s proposal would affect their place on the rankings. Nobody received any village points for the mana creatures they killed during the first and second attacks. Everyone assumed that village points would be awarded to them based on their ranking.

Bruce and other members of the council did their best to convince everyone that they would have ample opportunities to compete for a good spot on the rankings. There was another group of people that complained because they didn’t like being told what to do. Bruce displayed his experience as a leader and ignored that small group of complainers.

Next, Bruce, Jade and the others congratulated everyone and thanked them for their effort. They mentioned that it was up to the people guarding each inn to pay for the repairs to the defenses. A scrawny human with short brown hair was introduced to everyone as the head of laborers and craftsman. Everyone was told he would be in charge of organizing the necessary repair before the meeting ended.

Another round of rest, study, and training passed and then it was time for the third attack. The third attack had a total of thirty thousand mana creatures and twenty five percent of the mana creatures were at the first tier. The strength and defense of the mana creatures were increased by thirty five percent because seven dens were destroyed.

Unlike the dens that appeared before the second attack the dens for the third attack were not monopolized by the elves. Different teams used clever strategies to obtain the den quest and destroyed a den before other teams. Zane and the others participated in the competition to complete the den quest, but they didn’t make it to a den before other teams.

The fourth, and fifth attack both saw the total number of mana creatures increase but ten thousand. The percentage of tier one mana creature increased by twenty five percent each attack. Also, the attack and defense of the mana creatures increased by five percent each attack.

Mana creatures increased in quality and quantity, but they didn’t become more of a threat. As the days went by, more people reached the first tier and became stronger. Almost everyone had a class that was aligned towards combat by the fifth attack. Everyone felt more confident and more relaxed with their increase in strength.

Of course, with an increase in strength came a willingness to use that strength. As the days went by, most people saw the Upheaval as less of a threat. Everyone became less unified and conflict inside and outside of the village became more common. A few of these conflicts became very bloody and ended with people at death’s door.

Conflict between adventurers reached the point where they were ready to take each other’s lives. However, the mana creatures started killing adventurers before they could kill each other. On the day of the sixth attack of the Upheaval multiple adventurers lost their lives. This was the first-time people died since the start of the Upheaval.

During the sixth attack the total number of mana creatures was seventy-five thousand. Of the seventy-five thousand mana creatures, all of them were at the first tier. Their strength and defense had been increased by fifty percent.

Many people did not have the endurance needed to fight such a large number of mana creatures. Others were unable to control their negative emotions. They lost their minds and became prey to the mana creatures. Some people panicked and forgot to use their life saving treasure.

Ultimately, people had become careless, and they paid the ultimate price. Almost ten percent of the adventurers participating in the Upheaval died on the sixth day. This was a harsh wakeup call that calmed the rising conflict.

From the beginning to the end of the conflict, Zane was a bystander. The conflict that Zane witnessed in the starting village happened between adventurers that were focused on combat. They fought for resources and village points. They fought because some adventurers tried to bully people who were not focused on combat. They fought because they wanted to fight.

Zane saw no reason to get involved in the conflicts. Instead, he spent his time focusing on his own growth. Because he did so, Zane was able to upgrade his second class before the fifth attack.