Tyler Bevin and Olivia Moon, the leaders of Dark Sun and Magick Maidens respectively, couldn't hide the disappointment on their faces. They prioritized getting to the Sanctus Lux Fortress in order to hoard the quests. But as soon as they arrived, they didn't even meet the Imperatrix or any other notable NPC.
Instead, one of the aides of Demetra told them that their numbers were too low to be of any significance to the Fortress.
Dark Sun has a current headcount of 52 members and is heavily composed of hunter-type classes. Although none of them are pro gamers, many of them had gained fame through independent streaming on previous VR games. Their most popular members are Tyler Bevin who is acting as their leader, and various streaming stars like Tim Benar, Mike "the Cloak" Gezeik, Nicholas the Merc, and Dr. Scorn.
Meanwhile, the Magick Maidens currently has 68 members- not counting Olivia Moon herself. They are comprised of popular independent female streamers and each has a huge fan following- with many of their members having a disclosed income that surpasses what a pro gamer earns.
While many of the Magick Maidens' skills are average at best- with only a select few being at a pro level of players, they make it up with their fanatic fan bases of players who would obey their every whim. Currently, the Magick Maidens were able to convince over five thousand independent players to help them absolutely for free.
And it wasn't just their followers, Magick Maidens also have expert players in their numbers. Just as Dark Sun is a group of independent elites, Magick Maidens have their own elites too; Bella Tellfin, Amane Enys, Lily P., Roeia, and Valerie Rae are notable names who successfully transitioned careers from eye-candy streamers to pro-level independent players. And of course, there is Olivia Moon herself.
This is why the Dark Sun and Magick Maiden became an unexpected powerhouse. The leadership and skill of Dark Sun elites combined with the allure and massive fan following of Magick Maidens produced a powerful contender in the Lorikan server. Their fanatic followers referred to the alliance as Sunny Maidens- something that Dark Sun strongly disliked and made publicly known. Unfortunately, their complaints were buried in the tsunami of support from the simps of the maidens who called themselves the Maiden Worshippers.
While the other players and guilds have to proceed with extreme caution in exploring the Undead Region for a path to head north, all Sunny Maidens did is order their fanatic shock troopers to literally just head north- not minding any environmental threats or monsters in the way.
The result is simultaneously pathetic and impressive.
For several days, countless dozens of players have fallen prey to powerful monsters and terrain hazards, but Sunny Maidens was able to plot a safe path due to these willing sacrifices. Some of the rich fans even bought several gaming pods just so they could hire additional cannon fodders.
By the end of their journey to find the fortress, there were over five thousand casualties yet Sunny Maiden still had a thousand fodders remaining- all eager to be used at a moment's notice.
The reason for the abundance of these willing and eager sacrificial soldiers is that the newer members of Magick Maidens will give each and every shock trooper a kiss- in Pangea. Suddenly, becoming a member of the "army" requires paying a hefty membership fee that went directly into the pockets of Magick Maidens.
Their earnings in a span of 2 weeks were about equal to the earnings of Dark Sun players in a year.
As a result, Dark Sun immediately made a proposal to merge their guilds together- something that the Magick Maidens are still taking into consideration. In the meantime, Dark Sun vowed to never get on the bad side of Magick Maidens.
But despite being the first to arrive in the fortress, they were disappointed to find out that there was no exclusive quest waiting for them. Both sides agreed to keep the cannon fodder outside the fortress to ensure only Dark Sun and Magick Maidens would get titles and achievements, as well as any exclusive reward for being the first to arrive.
Ding!
[You are one of the first players to arrive at the Sanctus Lux Fortress. The title "First to Come at Sanctus Lux" has been added.]
While they did get a title for being the first to reach Sanctus Lux Fortress, they were disheartened to find out that the so-called "exclusive quest" is to wait for more players to get to the fortress. Since time is always of the essence in a VR game, they decided they couldn't wait for the rest to arrive normally. Instead, they ordered their army to enter the fortress in hopes of filling the necessary numbers.
Unfortunately, their number isn't enough as most of the fallen fodders would take at least 2 more days to respawn.
Ding!
[Quest: Wait for the Otherworlders to arrive in Sanctus Lux Fortress]
Details: The Otherworlders are scattered in the Undead Region. Before the Fortress will issue the next quest, at least 10,000 Otherworlders must first arrive at the Sanctus Lux Fortress.
Current Number: 2121/10,000
Even if they take into account the rest of their army, they would still need to wait for at least 3,000 other players. Dark Sun immediately investigated the Fortress to understand its inner workings and to find a way to resolve the quest in their favor.
A day later, they were able to formulate a plan.
The fortress has a small town that serves as a way for the soldiers to have an economy of sorts. There are small shops that sell potions, weapons, and all sorts of items and services that players will find useful.
First, they need to secure in-game finances to pay for the goods and services; there is no option to convert real-life money into in-game gold. But fortunately, they have a thousand Maiden Worshippers ready to do whatever work they ask them to.
And so, the Maidens immediately 'requested' their Worshippers to do the miscellaneous tasks and chores in order to earn coin- which would all be given back to the Maidens as 'offerings'. In less than a day, they managed to collect an impressive amount of copper, silver, and gold coins.
The Dark Sun and the Magick Maidens used the accumulated gold coins to purchase as many teleportation scrolls as possible with the intent to hold an auction for them. Not only that, but they also allocated a portion of the gold earned to upgrade their gear.
On their second day in the fortress, a few thousand Worshippers respawned and joined the slave labor which translated to yet additional gold flow for the Sunny Maidens. Once again, they bought as many scrolls as they could and used the remaining funds to buy equipment for their own use.
True to the nature of both guilds, Dark Sun preferred practical gears while the Magick Maidens mostly picked the visually appealing sets even if it comes at the cost of reduced stats and effects. Normally, an elite group like Dark Sun would scoff at this decision, but they have seen the impact it has on gathering followers that obey their every command so they couldn't help but acknowledge the reasoning behind the choice of the Maidens.
Of course, there's a select few Maidens who chose practicality over revealing sets. But even, they still have a large fan base.
And on the third day, the rest of the Worshippers respawned and worked in bliss for their mistresses. This time, the gold accumulated was used to buy as much equipment as they could so they could monopolize the gear and re-sell it at a much higher price for the other players.
Then they had the more recent members of the Maidens make a video advertising their arrival at Sanctus Lux and the fact that they are selling teleportation scrolls.
When it was time for the sale of the scrolls, the auction house was packed full of players- be it pro gamers, independent players, and guild staff sent to buy scrolls. The Sunny Maidens made a massive profit from the sale. Not long after, the ones who secured a scroll- mostly pro guilds, arrived at the fortress.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Ding!
[Quest: Gather the Otherworlders in Sanctus Lux Fortress]
Details: The Otherworlders are scattered in the Undead Region. Before the Fortress will issue the next quest, at least 10,000 Otherworlders must first arrive at the Sanctus Lux Fortress.
Current Number: 9211/10,000
There are only less than 800 players they need to wait for. Unfortunately, the Sunny Maidens have already bought all of the scrolls available and it would be a week before the shops can replenish their supplies. And so, the Fortress players have no choice but to wait for the rest of the players to either arrive on foot or for the scrolls to be put on sale again.
Meanwhile, the rest of the guild also employed what Sunny Maidens did and assigned their lower members to do chores for the fortress to start earning in-game currency. However, a few hundred guild workers are no match for six thousand slave laborers of the Maidens.
In terms of Pangean currency, the Magick Maidens is undisputedly the richest guild in the Lorikan Server.
Fortunately, the Sanctus Lux Fortress is a massive structure. It is capable of housing at least 500,000 occupants so there is no shortage of essential tasks for the eager players to work on.
Most importantly, the players who chose the Creation Paradigm found their limelight. The fortress has various crafting specialists who are looking to hire workers in exchange for some silvers and copper. Hundreds of players rushed to find a craftsman as it was an opportunity for them to practice their class skills and get paid for it- albeit at a small amount of pay.
Blacksmiths finally have a forge to work on and a steady supply of ore to work with, Alchemists have a well-equipped laboratory to create potions, Enchanters finally have a steady supply of magic gems they can work on, Arcane Scribes can now start creating low-level utility scrolls, and so on.
Even the warrior, mage, and hunter classes interested in learning crafting as a support class joined the labor force to develop their skills; there are stores selling class tomes that allow players to add a new class not typically available in their paradigm. Now, there are warriors capable of doing repairs on the field, mages able to create rune tracings, and hunters able to craft poisons or potions while on the field.
The repertoire of the players in the fortress is slowly but surely expanding and improving as compared to those still exploring the Undead Region.
And now, with the teleportation scrolls and various utility items available in regular supply, the various guilds can freely farm and grind near the fortress with relative ease.
They can now grind essence or farm materials as needed while their low-level members continue doing chores for the fortress to secure in-game funds.
***
A few days before the Dark Sun and Magick Maidens arrived at Sanctus Lux Fortress, Adam arrived at his apartment after having dinner with Selene.
Before logging in, he lit a cigarette once more while browsing the internet for news about Pangea. He estimates it'll take at least 6 more in-game days before Dark Sun and Magick Maidens will arrive at the fortress, so he decided to finish raiding the crypt as soon as possible.
After finishing his cigarette, he logged back in.
[Dreamwave Capsule initiating systems.]
[Initiating life-support system… 1%]
[Initiating language translation systems…1%]
[Initiating trauma regulator…1%]
[Synchronization: Ready]
[Welcome, Adam.]
His first order of business is to unlock a few more pyromancy spells to make his raid easier. Since he has been very thrifty with his skill points so far, he has more than enough to purchase new spells and upgrade his existing ones.
Name: Adam
Level: 99
Essence: 12,187 (60,265 essence to reach Level 100)
HP 260/260 (+200)
MP 540/540 (+400)
STATS
Vitality 20 (1:3 Stat to HP)
Endurance 40
Willpower 10 (1:14 Stat to MP)
Strength 28
Dexterity 14
Perception 15
Intelligence 14
Clarity 6
Harmony 34
Mystery 6
SKILLS:
(Intermediate Alchemist 67.08%) Purify
(Adept Pyromancer 32.01%) Firebolt 6, Fire Enchantment 6, Fireball 6, Fire Breath 1, Blazing Will 3, Wall of Fire 3, Flame Aura 3
(Novice Blacksmith 0.00%)
TRAITS:
Botanist, Toxic Resistance, Flame Resistance, Frost Resistance, Metallurgy, Flame Augmentation
+200 HP/MP, HP/MP Regen 20% (Necklace), +200 MP, 50% Holy Attribute (Ring)
TITLES: see more...
ACHIEVEMENTS: see more...
Firebolt 6
Description: Shoots a bolt of fire that deals 102 points of damage.
Cost: 30 MP
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Fireball 6
Description: Hurls an explosive ball of flame and explodes upon impact causing 130 points of damage in a 10-foot radius.
Cost: 40 MP
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Fire Breath 1 Description: Produce a burst of flame that deals 10 fire damage per second.
Cost: 15 MP/second
Cooldown: 5 seconds
Fire Enchantment 6
Description: The caster enchants a weapon with flames, granting 75 fire damage for 40 seconds.
Cost: 40 MP
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Blazing Will 3
Description: Burn away one's limitations for a short period of time. Enhances attack damage, speed, and spell power by 18% for 40 seconds at the cost of continued loss of HP. Healing is not possible during this period.
Cost: 100 MP
Cooldown: 180 seconds
Wall of Fire 3
Description: Conjure a wall of flames that does 120 points of damage for 30 seconds. Duration could be extended by using more MP
Cost: 120 MP initial cast, 20 MP per second after the duration expires
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Flame Aura 3
Description: Wrap the caster in an aura of fire for 40 seconds. Deals 50 damage to opponents within close range. Boosts fire resistance by 15%, and enhances fire damage of user by 20%.
Cost: 120 MP
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Wall of Fire is a great addition since many of the crypt's hallways are fairly narrow. Additionally, he could just cast the Wall of Fire in particularly small chambers, and that on its own is enough to engulf a small room in flames- severely burning anything and everything in it.
As for Flame Aura, it would add yet another boost to his fire damage so it's a no-brainer. The Fire Resistance buff is also good if he's ever up against other fire-users. If he were to combine it with his innate Fire Resistance trait of 25% and his Pendant of Flame Resistance that he has yet to use, he would have a very formidable defense against hostile flames.
He also upgraded both spells to their 3rd tier as he has an abundance of points, additionally, he also upgraded Firebolt and Fire Enchantment to 6th Tier, and Blazing Will was also upgraded to its 3rd Tier.
And now, he decided to resume clearing the crypt. By now, the Trio would be further into the 12th floor, undoubtedly still grinding and picking up all the loot so it's unlikely for him to fight anything since they had over 24 hours headstart.
Instead, he decided to unlock a secret trapdoor on the 12th floor- it is one of the information he learned as a reward for defeating the Heretic Revenants. The trapdoor serves as a shortcut to get to the 15th floor immediately but he decided to stop at the 14th floor and fight his way from there. As for the 13th floor, he decided to skip it so the Trio would have one more floor to themselves.
He is once again equipped with a bow and a quiver of arrows, with the dagger as a backup.
Fire Enchantment! Flame Aura! Blazing Will!
Adam unleashed an inferno in every corner of the 14th floor. Of course, he also knows the types of enemies present and is prepared accordingly.
While the previous floors had been mostly devoid of anything worthy of looting, this floor is where the nobility was buried long ago. As such, there are various trinkets and valuable items to loot- this is why Adam chose to start here.
The 12th and 13th floor has a fair bit of loot but not as rich as the 14th and 15th.
And so, Adam resumed his grinding. With the intensity of his flames more powerful than ever, and the Sanctified Ring's effect, Adam didn't even need to fire a single shot, his spells and DoT had proven lethal against all enemies on the 14th floor. He originally expected to take at least 12 hours to clear the entire 14th floor, yet he somehow managed to do it in just 6 hours.
This is because the need for trial and error exploration is no longer needed.
"I guess knowing the layout and of the floor makes things faster."
The loot was as impressive as he expected; he picked up various treasures, gold coins, nobility trinkets, and a few magic accessories. Though nothing as good as the Sanctified Ring and Necklace he currently has. The gold coins in particular are a great find; although the marking of the gold coin was from back when Lorikan Republic was still a kingdom, it is a valuable archeological find that stores would pay a small fortune for the amount he managed to find. There is no need to mention how valuable the rest of the nobility's trinkets he found.
As always, there is an overwhelming gain of wealth when an entire floor full of loot goes to a single person.
Aside from treasures, Adam also found a decent quantity of Glowing Mushrooms, Glowing Moss, Iron-Laced Entoma, Crimson Spore, and other types of underground ingredients. Many of which are ideal for creating alchemical grenades and poisonous mixtures.
After taking everything worthy of looting, Adam continued to the 15th floor where he did the same thing. It only took him a few hours to fully clear the room as he knew the layout already, thus eliminating the need to backtrack to fully explore the place.
The only thing he avoided was a huge gate at the end of the end of 15th floor; it was another boss fight and he decided to let the trio take their shot at it.
And with this, Adam considered the crypt clear- for now. He knows there are floors further underground but even he is not confident he can clear them as the succeeding floors are home to the more powerful undead. Even the trio would sense the disparity of level before trying the 16th floor.
As for Adam, he intends to revisit the place when he's around Level 150.
For now, he plans to resume a quest he had been postponing for 2 weeks now- his Blacksmithing quest.
[Blacksmithing Chain Quest: Recreate Vetius’ Dagger]
But before returning to the Cavern, Adam decided to leave a note and three teleportation scrolls for the trio. Should they feel like joining him in exploring the deep tunnels later on, the scroll would lead them to the Summoning Chamber where the players originally arrived.
After concluding all his business, he activated his teleportation scroll.