The first to contact him were Ria, Kyle, and Lauren. After that were Shi kun, Jacob, Druv, Strongfist, and Stephen. All of them had greatly improved their strength and management abilities. What satisfied him the most though, was the fact that all of his main subordinates had learned to properly wield their powers.
Even someone like Stephen who was in charge of management had reached lv 35. They were the elites of the elite in the sanctuary.
Their present strength was more than enough to challenge the field boss of the second zone. Zyrus greeted everyone back and had a long talk with Ria and Stephen. After everyone’s reports, the progress of their army was like this –
100,000 Combat players, with the majority being subdued monsters.
1000 ships, of which 10 were galleon class. All of them were equipped with the ballista and torpedoes.
A minor base on every conquered island and the main city that he was at.
These were just the surface-level numbers. 60% of the materials required for the altar were collected. The researchers from humans and even goblin and kobold tribes were summoned from the first ring to aid in their development. Countless big and small items were created each day by these many geniuses.
From toothbrushes and sanitary items to transportation carts and low-rank weapons – everything was progressing towards a brand-new civilization.
This was different from before his regression. Even throughout the history of the sanctuary, Zyrus was sure that the foundation he was building was one of the strongest.
‘And now, it’s time to add one more page to our Epic,’
Zyrus held the Twilight crusher and connected to every camp under his territory. For an epic item to become a legendary, more than just materials were needed.
The first and most important requirement for that was precisely the word– Legend. Create your own legend and only then would your items have a chance to evolve. The same was true for various events like the crown hunt and flag march.
Gathering more players, developing an army, and conquering the world. This was the core concept of the sanctuary. Even after seeing the awe-inspiring Streit bastion Zyrus wasn’t slighting the sanctuary.
‘This might not be the best place to grow your power, but it’s definitely the safest,’
Numerous green dots appeared on the flag march’s menu. All of them represented a conquered island. Only six islands were red on the entirety of Pisces archipelago.
[Time remaining– 00:30:00]
Zyrus went through his speech before the last few minutes. Not only did he have to decide his army’s growth, his own training had to be taken into account as well.
His inability to go to the earth and Streit bastion had changed a lot of his plans. For one, he no longer had the ability to cheat time by traveling to Earth. This would’ve caused his progress to stagnate, but thankfully, the mission on the plains of Ilios had solved that issue.
He didn’t need any more serious battles to work on his skills. All that remained was polishing what he’d learned and accumulating ‘experience’.
‘My overall power is halved, but I’d be able to get more achievements in return,’
His title, trait, and talent were restricted as he had guessed. However, his biggest gain this time was his merging of the martial arts and mana. He couldn’t get any achievement from his 13 curses of void, but the power structure he created by refereeing the void refinement was different.
‘If everything goes well, then I’ll be able to create a brand-new class,’
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
That was a feat a scant few had achieved since the creation of this sanctuary. This was also his biggest goal in the next 5 years.
[Time remaining– 00:05:00]
Conquering the final six islands, getting the best possible result for flag march, and developing his own achievements…everything was tied together by his sharp wits.
And at the same time, it also changed the destiny of millions of lives.
[Time remaining– 00:00:00]
…
Regardless of whether they were humans, ogres, trolls, goblins, the beast legions, or the subdued monsters…pretty much every player on the entire ocean looked at Zyrus’s projection.
They gazed in respect at their ten feet tall leader who was holding a spear just as tall as him. Be it his onyx crown or the curved horns that adorned his head, everything about him carried a regal aura even through the projection.
This was something that had nothing to do with strength. This was the momentum and charisma he had built through his 1000 years of reign.
“Greetings, players. I’m Zyrus Wymar, the leader of this nameless army. Some of you joined me willingly while others were subdued by force. From the initial hundreds in the crown hunt to the present, our numbers have multiplied by thousands,” Zyrus’s steady voice resounded on each island.
Irrespective of their status, every eye was drawn to his projection.
“Some among you are fighters while others are adept at researching. Regardless of either, one fact remains true– WE ARE THE STRONGEST.”
“I’m the strongest player there is and there’ll ever be. Natives? Our army will crush them. Monsters? They’ll be buried under our weapons of war. I ask you then, what do we have to fear?”
His words made even the calmest player’s blood boil. Who didn’t like to be on the winning side? It was a primitive desire of every being. But Zyrus knew that their boiling blood and burning enthusiasm would eventually die down. It was impossible for everyone to be equal in their desire to become strong.
“Let me answer that for you. Your biggest threat is your own Laziness, Cowardice, Ignorance, and Stupidity. You are lazy if you’re not giving your all to become stronger. You’re a coward if you’re not taking the dangerous tasks. You’re ignorant if you have the will to improve yet can’t. And lastly, you’re stupid if you think that becoming stronger isn’t all there is to it in life.”
Zyrus’s words stung the hearts of thousands of players. Even the muddle-headed monsters were feeling uncomfortable after hearing his bunt words, much less the intelligent ones.
“Let me tell you this in advance–even if you want to settle down and start a family, even if you want to live a peaceful life, you don’t have the power to achieve that. You may already know that no lives can be born in the sanctuary. There isn’t a concept of society in this primitive world where only one’s strength matters. However, let me tell you this in advance. Not far off in the future, you’ll earn the era of peace you desire. If we conquer the 3rd and 4th ring with haste– then you’ll earn an era of peace for 100 years.”
“You can start a family, travel, or just laze around for the rest of your life. But keep in mind that war will once again knock on your doors after a hundred years. If not you then your children, if not them then your grandchildren…the cycle will keep repeating. It’s like a kid building a castle of sand. No matter how beautiful the castle was, no matter how hard the kid worked for it, it’ll be knocked down once the wave hits the shore. And unlike the kid, you can neither leave the shore nor stop building the castle. What will you do then?”
A pin-drop silence was left after his frosty words. Everyone had self-awareness, it was just that many didn’t think about the negatives in their life and lost themselves in other activities. Which player hadn’t seen their fair share of death? Which player wasn’t traumatized by the tutorial? It was the euphoria of battle and their adaptation that suppressed those feelings.
Not to mention that most of his troops were subdued. Who among them didn’t lose their acquaintances under Zyrus’s army? None. His words were anything but motivating. Nonetheless, that was his goal from the start.
“Can you answer me? I will tell you my answer then. What would I do if I was that child? I will charge into that damned ocean and destroy it.”
He didn’t want his troops to burn out from their emotions. He wanted them to use their emotions like an undying fire and temper their wills. Only the blades forged from this were worthy to be pointed against the root cause of their losses.
“What I said might sound moronic considering that the kid will just drown in the ocean, but what if there was a way for him to survive? What if he could attain the power to evaporate the sea and build a castle so strong that even a meteor wouldn’t dent its walls? I will give you that chance.”
Zyrus waved his hand and new notifications were sent to each and every player. The entire contribution system and mission board were revamped.
This was the dawn of a new era.
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